Al Franken Wins

This puts our illustrious leaders in a bind.

There is no excuse now for not progressing on equality for LGBT people. Except, of course, for those weakling Dems who make promises they knew they would never keep.

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by: meileen @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:05:25 PM CDT

SENATOR Franken

btw.. Amy Klobuchar predicted on Rachel's show when the corn was knee high on the 4th of July it'd be settled...good guess.

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
don't ask it's a Minnesota-thang

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

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by: peteyPornpig @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:08:04 PM CDT

He's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it

the voters liked him!

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by: Pollyanna @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:10:06 PM CDT

OUCH for Obama...

...for reasons yet fathomed there's still no DADT repeal bill in the Senate, but Franken's Bullshit Meter is likely to be printing out caustic readings on that and Obama's seizures of excuses fairly soon.

In other numbers news, one item that got lost in all the coverage of Obama's Smile Fuck Orgy yesterday was that one of the retired military brass whose name was on the Keep DADT letter to Obama insists he never gave permission for his name to be used and....wait for it....three other people were dead when they allegedly signed it.

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by: Michael Bedwell @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:19:34 PM CDT

I love it!

Source(s) please? tks.

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by: Pollyanna @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:01:32 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Source re dead signers: last night's PBS Newshour

At about the 6:00 point of:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vi...

Fascinating full interview with Palm Center Director Aaron Belkin from which parts of the above segment were taken...re ball passing between WH, Congress, and Pentagon, and O's freeze authority:

http://www.palmcenter.org/pres...

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by: Michael Bedwell @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:30:26 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Thank you.

That's what I get for opting for the White Sox vs. Cleveland game instead of The News Hour last night.

Generally good segment, although I was sorry to see the reporter uncritically parrot two anti-gay results in the Military Times' unscientific poll.

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by: Pollyanna @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:49:09 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

You're welcome and...

I was troubled by that, too, but overall thought that the case against DADT was built better than the case for. That "ghost signers" thing is just what we need to help blow homohating, sexist banshee Elaine Donnelly out of the proverbial water.

And I'm thrilled that the Newshour is finally paying attention to us again when, to the best of my knowledge, they've been ignoring we restless natives all spring.

Now if we could just get Charlie Rose to have a program about it. I know he did a segment on the Oslen-Bois anti DOMA suit but there's so much more to tell which goes against his hardon for Obama and his indifference to anything gay that doesn't have a "Art" connection, e.g., Brokeback.

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by: Michael Bedwell @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 17:17:52 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I've followed Rose since his work in the 1980's on

CBS Nightwatch.  I was blown away back then how totally comfortable he seemed around gay men. In particular, I remember one interview with Tommy Tune where they both ended up in stitches, giggling like girlfriends.

Unfortunately, on the distaff side, it took a long time for him to have many women on his shows other than the drop-dead gorgeous actress types. And with the occasional lesbian interviewee now, Rose can seem unengaged.

But, yes, hopefully his producer can figure out which way the wind's blowing and put something together specifically on DADT. Of course, with that PBS demographic, same as for the News Hour, it's a case of preaching to the choir.

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by: Pollyanna @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 19:13:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Coleman's Concession

Coleman has a presser at 3:00Pm Minnesota time.  Speculation is rampant that he will concede.  Rumor that he and Franken spoke, and that Franken's 4:15 Press Conference was scheduled to permit Coleman the opportunity to appear "graceful" in his concession before Franken publicly claims his victory.  Coleman's concession will get Pawlenty off the hook on the signature of the certificate, since the MSC did not order Pawlenty to sign.  Likely that National GOP told Coleman, "forget it, if you go forward you drag Pawlenty down, too."  

I confidental predict his concession!  Hope I'm right!

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by: salemlawyer @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:42:00 PM CDT

about 6 months LATE to try to appear GRACEFUL Norm...you're just a LOSER

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

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by: peteyPornpig @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:53:53 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Here's your 60 DNC

Now, go fuck yourselves.

Pass LGBT legislation now.  There are no more excuses.

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by: Patrick @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:49:07 PM CDT

You don't think

having one more Senate Democrat to say everything's up to Obama will make a big difference?  Oh, what a shocking cynic you are, Patrick!  :)

I am not interested in picking up crumbs of compassion thrown from the table of someone who considers himself my master. I want the full menu of rights.  -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

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by: QScribe @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:11:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Finally

Maybe now we can get some sh#t moved through the Senate.  There is such a backlog--and not just on our legislation.  I know the Senate moves slow but damn this is ridiculous.  

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by: Will St. James @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 14:59:02 PM CDT

Norm the HOMOBIGOT...good riddance, hated ya when you were St Paul mayor

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

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by: peteyPornpig @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:05:43 PM CDT

Coleman Concedes

Coleman just conceded.

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by: salemlawyer @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:06:50 PM CDT

About damn time...

And I hope this makes any more GOP smears of Democrats as "sore losers" look that much more ridiculous to all rational people.

Want to save marriage equality in Maine? Ask me how! ;-)

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by: atdnext @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:09:05 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

FINALLY!

And as all of you above me said, there really aren't any more excuses. Dems now have the magical 60 votes. Now get some good sh*t done! Repeal DADT & DOMA ASAP, and get UAFA & ENDA passed!

Want to save marriage equality in Maine? Ask me how! ;-)

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by: atdnext @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:07:45 PM CDT

With 60 Votes Now we can Be REALLY Lame

I was worried that with just 59 votes we would only be sort of lame, but now that we have 60 votes we can be really lame!

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by: salemlawyer @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:09:31 PM CDT

Harry "Spine" Reid

Probably needs 100 votes before he can feel safe to do anything. Sadly, 60 Dems doesn't mean 60 Dem votes, with conservative Southern Dems (and weak-kneed ones like Kay Hagan) aren't sure votes.

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by: Pam Spaulding @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:12:14 PM CDT

It's not just Reid who lacks a spine...

...and it just doesn't get any better than the numbers we have now. The Repubs are back on their heels, with the help of Sanford and other family value leaders. The best they could come up with as a GOP leader is Rush-the-oxy.

If we can't sweep things under these circumstances, we'll have to wait until the rest of the nation gets up in arms about our rights. Which could indeed be the way we gain our equality. Not by an MLK type hero, but by the people themselves. And quite frankly, that sucks.

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by: meileen @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:33:17 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

No, we have to take our rights ourselves

Until we wholeheartedly deny them money, denounce the Quislings who the President uses as an opiate to silence the gay community by saying "I appointed this gay to this leading third tier job," until we protest at every DNC and Presidential event, in the form of disruptive, hit and run protests that take away control of the media and the message from the White House, in short:

Until we make it too costly to deny our rights, the Administration will continue to give us lip service and nothing else.

I tell you Chica that no greater abomination exists than women denying their spirit of sisterhood and instead becoming the oppressor. -Rebeca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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by: MauraHennessey @ Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 07:20:51 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Deep Thought Card for Coleman

" It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man. "
~Jack Handy

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

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by: peteyPornpig @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:24:43 PM CDT

MSNBC > CNN

I just made the following post in the stonewall coverage thread, but I thought it warranted repeating here since I touched on this topic too:
-------------

For online news I've more often than not turned to CNN over any other source, but I'm starting to shift to MSNBC (well also countless blogs & other websites, but out of the "real" news outlets I went for CNN).

I notice MSNBC had atleast two front page stories on STonewall & CNN had nothing.  I found buried in their politics section one story on kids of gay couples.  It was full of typos & errors saying things like "children of same-sex children" when they meant "of same-sex parents" and talked about how kids struggle with "what do call their parents" and that story only mentioned stonewall once, very casually, not even mentioning that it was the 40th anniversary that day.  And I guess once other media sources covered the stonewall riot anniversary enough, they decided to bump their Children of Same-Sex Children story to the front page, without correcting many of the errors, and without elaborating on Stonewall one iota.

And then today I was reading the Al Franken coverage where CNN started with maybe 2 paragraphs and eventually made it as a front page story with still only about 2 paragraphs, whereas MSNBC front paged it right away with a full page including quotes from the court decision & some analysis.

I've always been a CNN fan, but I'm jumping ship.  I'll still read both most likely as well as all the other blogs & sites I go to, but MSNBC is now higher on the list than CNN when I only have time to read one, or I only want to link to one in a discussion I'm having.

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by: Jake Gellar-Goad @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 15:49:36 PM CDT

I saw that same article on cnn.com

And you just conveyed my thoughts on it. I read it and walked away feeling like I had just read something that was written in 1989 and then hidden in a 20 year time capsule. It was strange.  

"I like your Christ, but do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." ~Gandhi
"Upon the integrity, wisdom, and independence of the judiciary depend the sacred rights of free men and women."  

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by: keithan81 @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 16:02:58 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

I don't care about Harry Reid's reaction;

I want to see Bill O'Reilly's reaction!

Remember what FDR said, "I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it." Have you written/called a congress-critter today? 8.25, 6.21

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by: Jacques @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 16:10:03 PM CDT

Miss Mitch McConnell

you are officially irrelevent

What have you done today, to make ya feel PROUD?


~Heather Small

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by: peteyPornpig @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 16:48:50 PM CDT

Live from DC... Its SENATOR FRANKEN!!!!!!!

Congrats, Al!

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

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by: DaveB @ Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 18:56:56 PM CDT

Time to celebrate?

I'm a little wary of the amount of joy people are showing here.  I don't think we can take it for granted that a Democrat's victory equals a victory for us.  

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by: TrumpetDC @ Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 05:30:38 AM CDT

Franken doen't equal victory

too many Dems defect.
It just removes one of the White House's excuses.
Now they will have to come up with new ones.

I tell you Chica that no greater abomination exists than women denying their spirit of sisterhood and instead becoming the oppressor. -Rebeca, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

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by: MauraHennessey @ Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 07:23:13 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Somewhere....

....Paul Wellstone is smiling.

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by: Jake @ Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 13:36:34 PM CDT