As a Minnesotan, I take pride in our state's education system.
But Republican Governor Candidate Tom Emmer, and his support for Tim Pawlenty's cuts to K-12 education, are putting Minnesota on the wrong track.
Our state's economy is closely tied with the success of our schools. Without enough funding, our schools have crowded classrooms, little or no music, arts and physical education programs and some schools are even being forced to move to a four day school week.
We can't succeed in a global economy if we're cheating our kids out of the quality education that they deserve.
Instead of addressing these problems, Republicans like Emmer and Pawlenty are playing partisan games with our children's education by not applying for free federal money money that could fill part of the budget hole.
You have an opportunity to reverse the mistake of Republicans and secure funding to protect teacher jobs around the state.
Please call Senator Klobuchar and Senator Franken at at 1-866-608-6355 to urge them to support the Keep Our Educators Working Act. This legislation will help Minnesota provide desperately needed money to school districts that will save or create 5,200 jobs across the state.1
When you call Senator Klobuchar and Franken at 1-866-608-6355, you will hear some suggested talking points and then be connected to the capitol switchboard.
Don't let Minnesota break its promise to our children by underfunding education. We need Senator Kolbuchar and Senator Franken to address the problems that are being ignored by Republicans like Emmer and Pawlenty in Minnesota.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) plans to introduce a Congressional Disapproval Resolution that would block enforcement of the Clean Air Act for greenhouse gases.
Her "Dirty Air Act" resolution would "retroactively veto" the Environmental Protection Agency's finding released in December "that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare," threatening the hopes for a clean energy economic recovery for the nation.
Our friends over at Environment Minnesota are calling on Minnesotans to reach out to Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar and tell them to speak out on the floor of the Senate against Murkowski's effort to undermine the United States' ability to combat climate change.
Read the note below from Samantha Chadwick and take a minute to call Senator Franken or Senator Klobuchar and let them know you want them to speak out against the Dirty Air Act.
Dear Environment Minnesota supporter,
The Senate is set to take a big vote on global warming as early as today, and so far it's too close to call.
The vote is not a step in the right direction. Instead, it's a sneak attack to block President Obama's progress on global warming -- in the form of an amendment literally written by lobbyists for big polluters.
But few people even know about it because industry lobbyists have hidden it in a completely unrelated bill on the national debt. As a result, many senators are still on the fence, even though the vote happens as early as today.
The vote is on an effort led by Sen. Lisa Murkowski to block President Obama from enforcing the Clean Air Act to fight global warming (even though she's from Alaska, the state most quickly and dramatically being affected by global warming). It will move America backward and halt the creation of clean energy jobs, just when we need them the most.
Last week, our advocates helped reveal that Jeffrey Holmstead, a powerful lobbyist for the coal industry and electric utilities, actually wrote Sen. Murkowski's original amendment. He admitted to the Washington Post, "'I certainly worked with her staff' on the exact phrasing of the measure..." [1]
Click the link below to tell Sens. Franken and Klobuchar to speak out on the Senate floor against this sneak attack on the Clean Air Act:
Working families have been diligent in their fight for health care reform that includes a public option. With the Senate vote at hand, things are bound to move quickly through Congress this month.
That's why it is important that Senators Franken and Klobuchar hear from you TODAY so they get the message loud and clear for quality, affordable health care we can count on.
Tell our two senators that we can’t wait any longer for health care reform that:
* Controls costs and doesn’t tax our benefits.
* Provides guaranteed coverage to all Americans.
* Includes a public health insurance plan option.
* Holds insurance companies accountable.
* Requires all employers to pay their fair share.
Thank you for making the calls.
Minnesotans have been working together through the Health Care for America Now! coalition to build support for federal health care reform in Minnesota. They accomplish this through coordinated efforts to write and call legislators, as well as actions that escalate the awareness and need for reform now.
The Fox Nation, Gateway Pundit blog, and Mickey Kaus all highlighted a Minneapolis Star Tribune column to claim or suggest that ACORN stole the 2008 Minnesota Senate election for Sen. Al Franken (D). In fact, the column -- which Gateway Pundit and Kaus falsely claimed was a Star Tribune "report" or "story" -- did not contain a single allegation of a fraudulently cast vote, and the Minnesota Supreme Court stated that counsel for Franken's 2008 opponent, Norm Coleman, "confirmed at oral argument that Coleman makes no claim of fraud on the part of either voters or election officials."
Media cite Star Tribune columnist to tie ACORN bogeyman to Franken victory
Star Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten: "Did ACORN folks pull some fast ones to help get their favorite son Franken elected?" Kersten wrote: "Here in Minnesota, ACORN has boasted of playing a major role in the 2008 elections. It claims to have registered 43,000 new voters, which it describes as 75 percent of the state's new registrations. Franken's margin of victory in the Senate race was razor-thin: 312 votes out of about 3 million cast. And Minnesota's laws on proof of voter eligibility are notoriously loose." Kersten added: "Did ACORN folks pull some fast ones to help get their favorite son Franken elected -- a win that handed Democrats the 60-vote, veto-proof majority that they needed to enact their liberal agenda? Secretary of State Mark Ritchie assures us that Minnesota's system of voter verification protects electoral integrity. But here's an uncomfortable fact: Ritchie himself was endorsed by the now-notorious ACORN and elected with its help." [Minneapolis Star Tribune, 9/26/09]
Gateway Pundit: "Figures. ACORN Was Behind Franken's Stolen Senate Seat." Following Kersten's column, GatewayPundit.com posted a piece with the headline, "Figures. ACORN Was Behind Franken's Stolen Senate Seat." The post falsely claimed that Kersten's opinion piece constituted a Star Tribune "report." The post stated, "Here's a shocker. ACORN may have helped Al Franken steal the US senate seat from Minnesota." It then added, "The Minnesot [sic] Star-Tribune reported," and then quoted extensively from Kersten's piece. [GatewayPundit.com, 9/28/09]
Fox Nation: "New Questions About ACORN Role in Franken's Victory." From a Fox Nation headline linking to Kersten's column:
Mickey Kaus: "Did ACORN chicanery elect Al Franken? That's the import of this tactfully phrased Minneapolis Star Tribune story." On his Slate.com blog, Kausfiles, Mickey Kaus linked to Kersten's column, which he falsely claimed was a "Minneapolis Star Tribune story," and stated: "Did ACORN chicanery elect Al Franken? That's the import of this tactfully phrased Minneapolis Star Tribune story. Franken won by 312 votes. ACORN claimed to have registered 48,000 new Minnesota voters. If just 1% were ineligible but cast ballots, or had ballots cast for them illegally, and survived the recount process ... that's 480 votes, almost certainly overwhelmingly cast for Franken. ... Maybe in pristine Minnesota even ACORN is clean. If so, the state would apparently be an outlier." [Kausfiles, 9/28/09]
President Obama is expected to quickly sign into law an extension of the Car Allowance Rebate Systems (CARS or "Cash for Clunkers") program --which gives car owners $3,500 to $4,500 for trading in old cars that use a lot of gas for newer, more efficient vehicles.
There's a lot of poor people, there's a lot of ministries, there's a lot of others that could probably benefit from easy access to an older, cheaper car. But that market now is going to be impacted, or impinged, by what amounts to a series of political decisions.... And that is always the danger when government intervenes and starts having the Congress or the Legislature start making decisions, instead of the marketplace...
It makes everybody feel good, but because we own GM, we're just paying ourselves back. It seems a little odd.
If only Governor Pawlenty would follow his own advice and stop "politiciz[ing] economic decisions," he would understand that the "Cash for Clunkers" program boosts the economy by providing incentives (taxpayer dollars) to taxpayers who purchase a durable good which will continue to pump private dollars (car payments) into the auto-industry, resulting in both economic and environmental benefits.
But, Governor Pawlenty's comments seem to be aimed at a national audience, because they certainly don't reflect the reality here in Minnesota, where more than 7,500 Minnesotans have requested vouchers. One analysis suggests that Minnesota has received $5.06 per capita (totaling $26.2 million) in benefits from the CARS program. In fact, the survey found that residents of cold states like Minnesota are trading in their clunkers at much higher rates than those in sunbelt states where the cars don't have to deal with the effects of rust and salt.
Dealers say buyers are predominantly older drivers who own more than one vehicle and have a clunker to spare.
"These were not people that we would see normally," said Jim Paul, co-owner of four Pontiac-GMC-Buick dealerships near Minneapolis, suggesting sales at his showrooms could return to normal when the program expires rather than drop off, as some economists have suggested.
If Paul is proved right, the program could give the economy a legitimate lift.
Car companies say "cash for clunkers" made July their best sales month of the year. So far, 83 percent of trade-ins have been trucks.
Tom Crann of Minnesota Public Radio's "All Things Considered" checked back in yesterday with Jim Leonard, co-owner of Fury Motors, to see how the program was affecting dealers. Calling Cash for Clunkers a "very big success," Leonard says that it brought his dealership new customers who wouldn't have otherwise come in, without hurting sales to normal customers. Listen to the audio below:
AUDIO LINK
LEONARD: At the end of the day, if the government didn't fund it, the customer would end up bringing the vehicle back.. or having to pay the $4,500.
CRANN: So the Senate goes ahead and approves another $2 billion as expected. How concerned are you about watching those new cars drive off the lot with that extension. Does that make you more confident?
LEONARD: Absolutely, it makes us much more confident because until yesterday, I had not received any funding on any single deal and we've done roughly 100 deals on the clunker program. And so, we have in math, almost half a million dollars of government-guaranteed money that we hadn't seen anything yet. So that was a tough way for us to do business -- completely out of our normal way of doing business -- because we're not dealing with an entity we've ever dealt with before.
CRANN: So what is the bottom line for you and your dealership here -- Cash for Clunkers: big success or not?
LEONARD: Very big success. It stimulated part of the business that -- I think it's a home run. As far as the traditional new car purchaser was trading in a car that was, on average, 42 months old. The people who were trading in clunkers, those vehicles didn't qualify under the program. So this brought us roughly about 100 customers who might not have otherwise bought new cars or would have spread that out over a much longer period of time. So I think it did put a lot of new, different customers into the car business and I don't think it pulled ahead customers that we had hoped it wouldn't. One of the concerns when you do a lot of business in a short period of time is that the next two or three months become very quiet. But that was not the traditional customer that came in and purchased under this program.
CRANN: How much have your sales gone up since the "Cash for Clunkers" program began -- it was July 24th, right?
LEONARD: Yes, July 24th is when they announced the rules of the program. Our business went up roughly 3-4 times our traditional time period of that last part of the month. And, in that, next full roughly 7 days, we did about 80 units in that 7 days, where we normally would do maybe 25-30 units in that 7 days. And that is a solid -- that would be a normal month of new car business for us -- or even slightly more than that.
Sounds to me like the program is doing what President Obama intended it to do -- give the economy an extra boost while taking old, environmentally-unfriendly cars off the roads.
Governor Pawlenty seems intent on following the lead of Republican party leaders, making economic decisions based on political calculus, at the expense of hard-working Minnesotans like Justine Zirbes, who wouldn't be buying a car if not for the "Cars for Clunkers" bargain.
Fortunately, Governor Pawlenty is not President Pawlenty and President Obama understands that the program helps our economic recovery. Because of President Obama's leadership and the help of his Minnesota allies in the Senate -- Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar -- Justine can now trade in that "rusty old truck" and buy a newer, fuel-efficient vehicle.
To learn more about the Cash for Clunkers program, visit www.Cars.gov.
With Republicans trying to stall health care reform by claiming that a public option will crush the private insurance industry, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis contradicts that claim. There is a drastic difference between the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the number of people who would sign up for the public option and the Lewin Group’s, whose analysis is often cited by Republicans who oppose reform. Reuters reports:
The CBO report estimated only about 10 million to 11 million people would sign up for the public option by 2019, far fewer than the 103 million cited in another analysis by the Lewin Group.
The CBO report also estimated the Democratic proposal would boost enrollment in employer-based plans by about 12 million people because of the mandate for individuals to be insured.
If you’re wondering why Republicans have taken to using the Lewin Group’s analysis, this video might answer your question.
Interesting. Can a group owned by one of the largest insurers in the country really be an “independent,” “nonpartisan” “thinktank”?. Not only has the group been misrepresented, but it is part of UnitedHealth subsidiary Ingenix, which has a shady history, according to the Washington Post.
More specifically, the Lewin Group is part of Ingenix, a UnitedHealth subsidiary that was accused by the New York attorney general and the American Medical Association of helping insurers shift medical expenses to consumers by distributing skewed data. Ingenix supplied UnitedHealth and other insurers with data that allegedly understated the "reasonable and customary" doctor fees that insurers use to determine how much they will reimburse consumers for out-of-network care.
In January, UnitedHealth agreed to a $50 million settlement with the New York attorney general and a $350 million settlement with the AMA, covering conduct going back as far as 1994.
As the CBO’s analysis proves, private insurers should have no fear that the industry will be destroyed by the creation of a public option. Republicans have clearly shown by citing analysis done by a firm owned by an insurance company where they stand on health care reform—in its way. Even so, Daily Kos is reporting some heartening numbers on votes for each Senate seat’s most recent election:
Votes for seats held by GOP filibuster supporters: 44.2 million
Votes for seats held by Dems who may filibuster: 2.5 million
Votes for seats held by Dems who would support cloture: 79.8 million
Obviously, there's a ton of ways you can slice numbers, but this analysis yields a fairly salient factoid: nearly twice as many people voted for senators likely to support a cloture motion than voted for a senator who is likely to thwart health care reform with a filibuster.
Despite Republican scare tactics such as citing “independent” analysis by the Lewin Group to turn the American public off of a public option, it is clear that the health care system we have now is broken. The best chance to pass comprehensive health care reform is with H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act. TakeAction has been doing great work on health care in Minnesota, and this is from an action alert they sent out today:
Your Congressional Representative is scheduled to vote on it this week, so please call 1-888-436-8427 today.
When you call 1-888-436-8427 you will get an automated message. You will be asked to press '1' to get connected to the Capitol Switchboard.
When you get the Capitol Switchboard, you will talk to a live operator and need to give the operator the name of your Member of Congress or your zip code.
When you reach your Representative's office be prepared to do these three things:
1) Ask to talk to someone about health care reform.
2) Tell them your name and the name of the town where you live in.
3) Ask your Member of Congress to vote for H.R. 3200, America's Affordable Health Choices Act because you support a robust public health insurance option that will guarantee quality, affordable health care for everyone.
If you want to call Senator Klobuchar or Senator Franken, you can use the same number: 1-888-436-8427.
Little over a week has passed since Al Franken was sworn in as Minnesota's second senator, but he's already hit the ground running. In addition to launching a 3-week "listening tour" which will take members of his staff to all 66 of Minnesota's counties, Senator Franken is a member of the Judiciary Committee that is currently holding hearings on Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to fill the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
On the legislative front, Senator Franken announced last week that his support for the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill which would allow workers to more easily form unions. And yesterday, he signed on to the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which extends resources to law enforcement prosecuting hate crimes and federal protections to victims targeted because of gender sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
The bill has already passed the House, but during debate this spring there was much controversy on the House floor when North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx said that it was a "hoax" that Shepard was murdered because he was gay.
Said Franken: "The overwhelming majority of Americans know that these protections are long overdue," said Sen. Franken. "No American should suffer because of their gender or sexual orientation, and no law enforcement official should be denied the necessary resources to prosecute their case. Minnesotans have a strong sense of justice, and no tolerance for hate. It’s time our laws reflect our convictions."
In 2007, there were 7,621 single-bias hate crimes that involved 8,999 offenses. The Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act would simply extend the existing federal hate crimes law to include sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of protected groups and provide law enforcement the same resources to investigate and prosecute these violent crimes.
Almost a full 182 days after the 111th Congress was convened, Al Franken officially became Minneosta's second senator today when Vice President Joe Biden administered the oath of office.
Watch it below:
While the wait for Minnesota's second Senator is now over, the real work is just beginning. As Denise mentioned last week, we're going to be facing some tough challenges in the days, weeks, and months ahead.
The special interests are already trying to buy their way into these important debates by spending record amounts on lobbying and political activities. And while corporate lobbyists may have deep pockets, Alliance for a Better Minnesota will continue to remind politicians that they're accountable first and foremost to the people of Minnesota.
Franken said his first order of business would be preparing for the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. He said he was meeting with "the best legal minds" in Minnesota to prepare for his role in the hearings.
Franken also said he is looking forward to getting involved in health care legislation and wants to play a role in crafting legislation that contains costs.
After yesterday's rally celebrating the end of the 2008 elections and welcoming Minnesota's second Senator, Al Franken, Denise Cardinal, ABM's Executive Director, shared the following note:
Yesterday, a huge crowd of Minnesotans came out and joined Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, and Amy Klobuchar to finally welcome Minnesota's second Senator to the job.
In case you couldn't make it, here are a couple of photos:
Now that the wait for our second Senator is over, the real work begins. During Senator Franken's speech, he called on Minnesotans to keep organizing and to keep holding their elected officials accountable.
Well, Alliance for a Better Minnesota plans on doing just that.
Over the next few years, we are going to face many challenges -- including restoring the economy to make it work for middle-class families again, reforming our broken health care system, and solving the climate crisis.
We expect all of our elected officials, including Senator Franken, to fight for working families and not the special interests; to fight quality, affordable health care for every American; to fight for good-paying green jobs that can't be shipped overseas; and to fight for an education system that truly leaves no child behind.
It won't be easy, but with your continued support, we can rebuild the middle class and create a better Minnesota for working families.
Thank you,
Denise Cardinal Executive Director Alliance for a Better Minnesota
Phew. It only took 8 months of counting to set up this one afternoon of non-stop Senate recount action, all of which ended with Minnesota finally getting its second Senator. Tomorrow, Minnesotans will be gathering to congratulate and greet our brand new Senator Al Franken, and we'd love if you all would join us. Here's the information:
Today oral arguments were finally heard in the State Supreme Court, moving us one step closer to having two full, real-life, United States Senators! For those of you who weren't watching the coverage over at the uptake, Rick Hasen, Electoral Law Professor at Loyola Law School was live blogging. He thinks that it is going to be tough sledding for Norm Coleman. A couple of points from his post:
4. The reason Coleman is having a harder time is that he's got a tougher road to success: a. The state Supreme Court is going to deter to the factual findings of the trial court, and those factual findings favor Franken. b. The state Supreme Court's existing precedent in terms of treating absentee ballots strictly as a matter of fraud-prevention favors Franken. A change in that standard now, as I've argued, would create a due process argument for Franken by constituting a change in the rules of the election after the fact. c. Even if the court accepted some of Coleman's arguments in the abstract---such as that there were some votes illegally counted by some jurisdictions (or alternatively, some ballots accepted under a looser "substantial compliance" standard)-- that doesn't mean Coleman would win his case. He'd have to show that there were enough problems to make a difference in the outcome of the election (a point the Justices expressed a great deal of skepticism about, in their discussion of the failure of the offer of proof). d. On the merits, the Justices mentioned ways of distinguishing other cases in which there were due process problems, such as when voters relied upon rules of the game that were changed later. There was an interesting discussion of whether Bush v. Gore eliminated the requirement that a challenger prove intentional discrimination to make out an equal protection argument. It was the only line of argument that I saw potentially helping Coleman, but it did not appear to be enough to overcome the Justice's skepticism.
Things aren't looking good for Norm once again. Head over to www.seatoursenator.com and add your name to the petition to seat our 2nd senator. For more information on the recount, check out the Star Tribune's recap, as well as the video recap from the uptake. We'll have more information regarding the court case as it comes along.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m, the Seat Our Senator campaign will hold a brief press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol, before delivering a basket of Iowa corn ot Governor Tim Pawlenty with a simple message: "the Iowa caucuses can wait, Minnesota needs you now.
Tomorrow's press event is part of ongoing campaign by Alliance for a Better Minnesota, MN AFL-CIO, AFSCME Council 5, Working America, SEIU MN State Council, Americans United for Change and others urging Pawlenty to do his legal duty and certify the U.S. Senate election results should Al Franken be declared the winner by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
The press release from Americans United for Change is below:
The latest effort by the Seat Our Senator campaign follows a recent television ad from Americans United for Change called ‘The Choice’ which aired in the Twin Cities and Rochester media markets and a billboard purchased on the SE corner of 94 and Snelling Ave. in St. Paul that both ask Governor Pawlenty if he will act in the best interests of the people of Minnesota that urgently need full representation in the U.S. Senate – or his own national political ambitions.
WHO: Alliance for a Better MN Americans United for Change
WHAT: “Seat Our Senator” Campaign to Deliver Basket of Corn and Message to Governor Pawlenty: “Iowa Caucuses Can Wait, Minnesota Needs You Now” / Effort Part of Ongoing Campaign Urging Governor Pawlenty to Do His Legal Duty and Certify the U.S. Senate Election Results Should Al Franken Be Declared the Winner by the Minnesota Supreme Court
President Barack Obama's nomination of Second District Appeals Court Judge, Sonia Sotomayor, has some wondering, as a question of legal process, who wil be successfully seated first: Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor -- or Sen. Al Franken (D-MN).
The great majority of Minnesotans want Al Franken seated immediately if the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in his favor, but University of Minnesota professor Larry Jacobs thinks its possible that Pawlenty may try to use a decision against Coleman as part of his campaign for President.
We can't let that happen.
Go here to sign the petition telling Tim Pawlenty to put Minnesota ahead of his national political ambitions and fulfill his legal duties by signing Al Franken's election certificate.
This morning ABM joined with the MN AFL-CIO, AFSCME Council 5, Working America, SEIU MN State Council, Americans United for Change and others in unveiling a new billboard asking Governor Pawlenty if he will choose the people of Minnesota, or his own national political ambitions.The billboard is at 94 and Snelling in Saint Paul, go take a look.
This event apparently came just in time, as yet another national Republican has come out talking about the benefits of keeping Minnesota's second senator out of action today. From CQ Politics (via TPM):
But in a 99-member Senate, 40 votes are enough to keep Democrats from cutting off debate on major legislation. "Usually you need 41 votes to get anything done around here. But right now, you can do a lot with 40 votes,'' said Judd Gregg
"Getting things done", in the context of the party of no, actually means delaying seating Al Franken for as long as possible so there is NO action on important legislation like health care reform, cap and trade, and a host of other pressing issues.
Tim Pawlenty needs to be listening to the great majority of Minnesotans who want Al Franken seated immediately if the court rules in his favor, and not playing Beltway politics with Judd Gregg and national Republican leaders. Go here to sign the petition telling Tim Pawlenty to put Minnesota ahead of his national political ambitions and fulfill his legal duties by signing Al Franken's election certificate.
Will Pawlenty act in the best interests of the people of Minnesota that urgently need full representation in the U.S. Senate -- or his own national political ambitions?
On the heels of our recent poll which found that nearly six in 10 (59%) of Minnesotans believe that Norm Coleman should concede to Al Franken, Alliance for a Better Minnesota joined Americans United for Change and the MN-AFL-CIO yesterday to unveil a new television ad urging Governor Tim Pawlenty to do his legal duty and certify the U.S. Senate election results should Al Franken be declared the winner by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
"The results from the poll are clear, an overwhelming majority of Minnesotans want Tim Pawlenty to fulfill his legal obligations and sign the election certificate for Al Franken, should the MN Supreme uphold every other decision, and stop trying to score points with national Republican leaders," said ABM's Deputy Director Joe Davis.
The ad spotlights the national Republican Party's dogged efforts to stand in the way of Minnesota's urgently needed and rightful representation in the U.S. Senate and asks Governor Pawlenty if he will act in the best interests of the people of Minnesota – or his own national political ambitions.
Donald McFarland, Americans United Minnesota State Director, said that Minnesota cannot afford to be without full representation in Congress for a day long, particularly during these extraordinarily difficult economic times that are each day leaving more Minnesotans without jobs, homes and health care.
The ad will air on cable television in the Twin Cities and Rochester media markets starting today through next week.
The ABM/Grove Insights poll also found that 64 percent of Minnesotans would have “serious doubts” about Tim Pawlenty if he were to refuse to sign a certificate of election -- as he is legally required -- if the Minnesota Supreme Court declares Al Franken the winner in the U.S. Senate.
ABM/Grove Insight Poll: Election Certificate Issue Could Hurt Pawlenty
If Gov. Tim Pawlenty has his eye on 2012 or 2010, the ABM/Grove Insight Poll released today found that Pawlenty's refusal to sign an election certificate in the Senate could hurt him in his own state.
Although Pawlenty remains popular in the state (50% favorable, 29% unfavorable), his negative job approval ratings approach a majority (48%) and are six points higher than his positive job numbers (42%). In sharp contrast, President Obama is both better liked (64% favorable, 19% unfavorable), and receives positive approval ratings from a large majority of the electorate right now (58% positive, 32% negative).
A clear majority of voters (58%) believe that Pawlenty's failure to certify Franken after the Minnesota Supreme Court rules raises at least “somewhat serious doubts” about Tim Pawlenty. This number grows to 64% when voters are told that the governor is legally required to sign an election certificate. In fact, even four in 10 (40%) self-identified Republicans say they would have “serious doubts” with their Republican Governor should he fail to sign an election certificate after the Minnesota Supreme Court rules.
With CQ Politics calling a Coleman victory "mathematically impossible," Norm may decide to turn to his friends in the conservative movement for a morale booster.
True, National Republicans are still talking about a "World War III" scenario and another Bush vs. Gore, but The National Review is coming out strong, calling this "the last moment where he can exit with some dignity."
If he keeps up the fight, he is likely to lose, unnecessarily deprive Minnesota of a second senator, end his political career seen as a sore loser, and hurt his party in a state that is eager for this fight to be over. His team has talked enough about further legal challenges that if he leaves now, he will get some points for grace. (Needless to say, that sentiment would not be universal.) But this is, I think, the last moment where he can exit with some dignity.
This comes on the heels of an editorial in the Albert Lea Tribune, a paper which endorsed Coleman during the election, calling on him to concede.
Now that conservatives (and the Albert Lea Tribune) have had their say, it's your turn!
You can use our letter writing tool to ask former Senator Norm Coleman to stop standing in the way of the change Minnesotans voted for last November.
This morning's Star Tribune featured a nugget from University of Minnesota professor Larry Jacobs, who said that former Senator Norm Coleman's legal circus might hurt Norm Coleman's political future, including a potential run for Governor.
The longer he stays in and fights, it diminishes his chances of running for governor, which seems like a real possibility. In some people's eyes there's just irritation that this has gone on. That's not necessarily fair. Norm Coleman's decision to enter the [trial] is entirely legitimate and appropriate.
But for independent voters and voters who don't follow things very closely, the recount and now the contested election has eroded his support."
Jacobs is right: voters are growing increasingly impatient with Coleman's decision to stand in the way of the change Minnesotans voted for last November. The Rush Limbaugh wing of the Republican party has been encouraging Norm to keep the election results in the courts for as long as possible for partisan gain.
Top Republicans are encouraging Coleman to be as litigious as possible and take his fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court if he loses this round, believing that an elongated court fight is worth it if they can continue to deny Democrats the 59th Senate seat that Franken would represent.
And in pushing a possible Supreme Court conclusion, Republicans are raising case history that makes Democrats shudder: Bush v. Gore.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Friday first blessed the idea of encouraging Coleman to take his fight into federal appeals court and potentially all the way up to the Supreme Court. On Monday, several top Republicans continued pushing the federal courts angle, which could delay the Minnesota Senate race for several more months.
Coleman, who spent much of the 2008 election trying to paint himself as a moderate (despite his strong ties to Big Oil, Big Pharma, and the financial services industry) has to be smart enough to realize it's over -- he lost.
So why keep up his legal battle? Is he really eyeing the Governor's mansion? If Coleman thinks that's Pawlenty's national ambitions will have him moving to Iowa and not running for re-election, what does that say about Pawlenty (who hems and haws when he's asked if he's running for President) or Coleman (whose legal challenges are denying Minnesotans full representation in Congress)?
Even if Coleman isn't thinking about 2010, he's definitely putting his own interests ahead of what's best for everyday Minnesotans.
Remember when Norm Coleman was calling on Al Franken to concede the Senate race, citing the cost of a recount to the state's taxpayers?
Coleman ... noted that Franken could opt to waive the recount. "It's up to him whether such a step is worth the tax dollars it will take to conduct," Coleman said, telling reporters he would "step back" if he were in Franken's position trailing in the vote...
Coleman also encouraged Franken to handle it the "Minnesota way" by not dragging it out in the courts.
Former Senator Norm Coleman's manylegalstrategies are straining the patience of Minnesotans--and Americans--of all political stripes. Coleman's ever-changing positions now include calling for what amounts to a "do over," an election which could cost as much as million.
Someone, maybe a mother or a teacher, needs to tell Norm that losing by a little is still losing, and it's time for him to step aside. If ,000 for the recount was too much for Norm back in November, how can the former senator justify asking the taxpayers to foot a bill 50 times larger.
Back in January, City Pages wrote an open letter to Norm. Read the excerpt below and get inspired to write your own letter to Norm and ask him to let Minnesotans have the representation in Congress they deserve--not to mention voted for.
Go now with grace. It's not the end. As former Gov. Arne Carlson told you: "There is no disgrace in losing."
Yes, there remain avenues available to keep up the fight, but now is not the time. Minnesota is losing half of our say in the Senate. There is no way to procure adequate provisions in federal bills with a single voice. We need two.
So again, with all due respect, we ask you to step aside. You admirably served Minnesota, but now is the time to end your service with dignity.
What lasts longer than a Minnesota winter? The struggle to choose the nation's 100th senator.
It's been four months since Minnesotans voted for change and, like the snow that just won't melt, former Senator Norm Coleman just won't go away.
That's why Alliance for a Better Minnesota and our partenrs are launching a Letter to the Editor campaign toremind Norm Coleman and the rest of the state that losing by a little is still losing.
Using our easy-to-use letter-writing webtool, you can quickly send a letter to the editor to newspapers in your commmunity.
Public opinion is starting to turn against Norm, but we need your help to get the message to as many corners of the state--and country--as possible.
With Republicans trying to stall health care reform by claiming that a public option will crush the private insurance industry, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis contradicts that claim. There is a drastic difference between the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the number of people who would sign up for the public option and the Lewin Group’s, whose analysis is often cited by Republicans who oppose reform. 
Little over a week has passed since Al Franken was 
This morning's 
Remember when Norm Coleman was 
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