Franken wins by +312 votes
TODAY is DAY 5 since the Election Contest Court (ECC) handed down its decision in Coleman v. Franken. Coleman has 5 days left to file an appeal with the MN Supreme Court or the decision becomes final.
Cultural Phenomena
I really wasn't going to post a diary today since not a lot is going on here in the Paint Drying Universe. But then I came across this GEM from the Minnesota Independent linking to CNN.
http://minnesotaindependent.com/...
First we had Al Franken's delightful phrase of the "lying liars who lie about lying while lying around" (not the exact quote but close.) Then there are all the possibilities using "Franken" as a stem: I've mentioned/ coined "Frankenites" but also a title suggestion using "Franken Sense" (for the Christmas chapters of the book), "Frankenly my dear, I don't give a damn", sending out mail via the congressional privilege is Franken franking his constituents. LOTS of other possibilities.
But now comes word from the other side of the street. Ashton Kutcher, an actor I've never heard of (see how limited I am) has apparently been in a friendly competition with CNN to see whichone, Kutcher or all of CNN, will be first to gain 1,000,000 "twitter"links/connections (something; again--totally clueless on this end.)
Well apparently it was quite close mid-week and Kutcher said on Larry King he now knew how Al Franken must feel. But THEN Kutcher crosses the double comma line first. Larry King has him on his show and says on behalf of CNN, "I'm not a sore loser. I'm not gonna pull a Norm Coleman."
"Pull a Norm Coleman!" WOW! Now THERE is something that needs to go Internet viral by yesterday.
"Mr. Tedisco, how long do you intended to Norm Coleman the race in NY-20?"
"The EFCA passed the Senate today in Washington. Senate Minority Idiot Mitch McConnell Norm Coleman-ed the press corps by releasing the following statement....."
"Did Paul Warfield have both feet in bounds on that last catch for the Browns that won the game? Eagles fans are Norm Colemaning the airwaves this morning and bombarding the Commissioner's office with letters and phone calls....."
"As Karl Rove was led away from the courtroom today in shackles to begin serving his sentence in Blistered Rock Federal Prison in the Arizona desert he Norm Coleman-ed nearby reporters by calling out, 'I've got the math for my appeal. You'll see....'"
Public Pressure
The DNC's radio ad is running in the Twin Cities, calling on Norm to concede. MN Democrats Exposed seems to be hacked off about it and some of the comments here and there at the Star Trib and Pioneer Press are pretty whiny too so GOOD! Its working! You throw a rock at a pack of charging iguanas and the one that gleeps the loudest is the one you hit.
According to Joe Bodell at MN Progressive Project the gleeping could increase by 1 magnitude. He says flyers will be going up around MN with the simple message "AL WON". MN Progressive project is calling for folks to send in photos of where they spot them. (Myself I'd love to get a photo of one plastered to the front door of Michele Bachmann's home church: First Self-Righteous of Delusionals, but thats my religious side coming out.)
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/...
For Shame
Flyers? Fine! Radio ads: Give it up Norm? Excellent! "Pull a Norm Coleman"? Delightful.
Go by Norm's house and throw eggs at it? Dumb. Stupid. Insulting. (Karl Rovian trick? Egg own house by own supporter in order to blame it on opposition? Sort of like planting a non-functional "bug" in your own office, Karl? Yet to be proven.)
Taking it at face value: BAD form!
Dear Mr. Coleman,
I'm sorry to hear some fool came by and egged your house. This is demeaning, insulting and moronic. As a public servant you should be immune from such knavery. On behalf of politically interested people of Minnesota who believe in free speech, the rule of law, and the exchange and debate of ideas, please accept this apology that this incident happened to you and your family.
Politically yours,
WineRev.
http://www.minnpost.com/...
Finally
I meant to get this up last weekend for Opening Day but it got lost in Easter and laryngitis and such.
Years ago Art Buchwald had a column that keyed off a remark by Richard Nixon. Art compared various Presidents of the US in terms of how they would look in a baseball line-up.
Well I once did something similar. It was in October of 2008 and both campaigns were in campaign mode.
So in honor of the beginning of the baseball season (and not too badly dated either, although it seems in some ways a LONG time ago) I reprint for you here:
The First Ever WineRev Diary: PLAY BALL!
This Election IS the World Series
Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 01:35:26 AM CDT
Forget the Phillies and the Rays, this is a political website right? Some others might be able to generate politics as football, or basketball, or hockey (that last I'd like to see!). But in the interests of politics, this election, baseball and the rules of this site ("more like guidelines, matey---yarrr!") I'd like to offer up our line-up for the 2008 Series
.......and we have to win it....... for ourselves.......for our children....and for the world. (Steely glare.)
So all of you in the bleacher seats, you selling popcorn for the Repug dugout post-election show, the grounds crew, the turnstile watchers, what do you think of this line-up? What does the other side's starting nine look like? Who did I miss?
Here come the Demos passing under the fold and taking the field!
The 2008 Demo World Series Election Line-Up
(Best enjoyed wid an ol'time Brooklyn Dodja's accent!)
Batting Foist. 2B, There's "Screamer" Howie Dean who can pivot on the double play and throw out rightwing runners or yappers in Congress or on the air. He's been hitting the 50 state party builder circuit since 2004 when fans started calling him "The Chairman."
Next Up, from New Yawk 1B, Ya got Chuck "Majority" Shumer, taking the throws at foist and also head of the farm club. He's got maybe 8-10 new kids about to break into the majors in NM, CO, VA, NH, AK, MN, NE, NC, & GA. There's even talk lately about a KY phenom "Lunk" Lunsford putting Mitch in a ditch to make it to the big leagues.
Batting Toid. CF, long-baller "Clear-head" Claire McCaskill who covers center field from CNN to MTP, Faux Noise to Step-on-no-place, like a circus tent from KC to St. Louey.
Fowth-widout usin' da letta "R": SS, (that's right we got the shortstop batting clean-up. That's the kinda depth we got!) "Joltin'" Joe Biden, sweeping up everything in the infield, providing lots of pepper and power and taking no guff off nobody. (Can anybody forget how he undressed that New York Yankee by calling him/her "a noun, a verb and 9/11"? Juli ain't been hoid from since!)
5. RF, Bill "Jazzman" Clinton, covering the DLC bleachers, playing the tricky triangulation bounces off dat right field wall (its so jagged it looks like a stegosaurus' back; thats why the fans here at KOS field call it the DINO wall!)
6. ToidBase, Hill the "Hill-raiser" Clinton at the hot corner, spearing line drives like a Crown Royal after a beer. She'll go into foul ground, land under sniper fire, and lean in to the fourth row if she has to, to pick off a "No Way, No How" McCainer. Just goes to show how much she wants it.
7. Behind the plate at Catch, a platoon of Axel "The Rod", "Poof" Plouffe (who makes campaign problems go away "poof") and Michelle "The Closer" Obama. They call pitches, work the umps, keep the "do it live"-loofah-press boys off balance. They keep those sliders coming in over the plate and they're not afraid to call for one high and tight on the batter anytime. ("McCain and the lobbyists are just a staff meeting for his campaign.")
8. LF, The Left Coast kid up from the Central American blog system, Markos "Kos" Moulitsas. This kid will do anything to pull the team around to the left side--set up a website, hold national conventions, write books, sponsor polls, even swat down 9/11 conspiracy buffs. Any announcer who calls a ball "deep to left field" better not say "GONE" until the "Kos" kid says its gone.
9. On the mound, in the middle of it all, at P, with cool power and the best set of Presidential shades ever: the Hawaiian Hurler, the Kansas Kapow, Chicago's South Side Slugger, Barry "Barack" Obama. He calls his fans the "Community"; "Organizer" is what they call him. He can wheel, pitch, field and provide awesome power out of the #9 spot. Other batters McCan't measure up, and even the Wasilla Kid is Palin in comparison.
So I think the series will end up a 55-45 slugfest on the big numbers, but the RBIs will tell the story at 365 vs. 168.
Turning now to political news........
(Bonus Baseball joke: A Zen Buddhist (shaved head, saffron robe, the whole bit) decides to go to the Twins game. He gets hungry. Down at the end of the row at the aisle a hot dog seller comes by yelling, "Get your red hots. Bratwurst here. Veggie dogs!"
The Zen guy yells down, "I'll have a veggie dog."
Seller whips it up and calls back, "What do you want on it?"
Zen makes a circle with his hands and smiles, "Make me ONE with every thing!" :-) #1
Seller passes down the veggie dog. Zen guy passes back a $20 bill. Seller puts the bill in his apron and starts to walk away. The Zen guy jumps up and says, "Hey wait a minute! Where's my change?"
Seller makes a circle with his hands and smiles, "Change must come from within!" :-) #2)
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OK, back to the wine shop and wine sale in a little while for the late shift. Hope this will hold you for the weekend. Thats the latest from yust southeast of Lake Wobegon.
Shalom.