Why I Love Al Franken

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday June 30, 2009 · 3:22 PM PDT

2009/06/30 · 15:22

Note: This is a diary I originally posted last summer.

I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Thanks for your condolences - trust me, you don't know half of it. My city sits on one of the most beautiful pieces of real estate the New World has to offer - Pike's Peak, Seven Falls and Garden of the Gods, just to name a few spectaular sites, are within a short drive. I wouldn't trade growing up here for anything... but the political leanings of my compatriots leave a little to be desired.

El Paso County is one of the most conservative in the entire country. Focus on the Family is a scant three exits north on I-25 from the house I grew up in. I was raised knowing that the majority where I lived thought I was going to Hell (and taking America with me) because I didn't believe in God. From taunts in the schoolyard to horrifed looks from friend's parents (my mother told me not to make a point of telling people, but what did I know?), I knew where I came from was different than most my age in this town. I didn't know anything about politics at that time, entering sixth grade - just that I felt differently than those around me.

And when I was eleven years old, Al Franken opened my eyes.

Poll

167 votes Show Results

Will Senator Al Franken light the Senate on fire?

167 votes Vote Now!

Will Senator Al Franken light the Senate on fire?

Yes - his comedic mind is going to have some fun with the Republicans

75 votes

No - he'll maintain a low profile and seek to portray himself as serious

46 votes

Oh God, I can't wait to see Bill O'Reilly tonight.

46 votes

Rachel Maddow Dumps On HuffPo

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 14, 2008 · 6:13 PM PST

2008/11/14 · 18:13

Add Rachel Maddow to those criticizing the breathless rush to crown Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State (or, more specifically, to chase down a non-story during a dead news cycle).

On her show, Maddow specifically highlighed Huffington Post's story, quoting two senior Democratic officials as saying the offer was extended by Obama, and Clinton requested time to consider. Then, she says Andrea Mitchell (who broke the story of the discussions, not an offer) has told her that several meetings would have to take place between the initial one and a formal offer. Then, she mentions the Bill Richardson meetings today.

I know we're in a dead news cycle, but that was a rush to judgment by HuffPo. Good on Maddow for criticizing our media as well as theirs.

Poll

326 votes Show Results

Are you surprised Maddow dumped on HuffPo?

326 votes Vote Now!

Are you surprised Maddow dumped on HuffPo?

She didn't

91 votes

199 votes

Kind of

29 votes

Yes

7 votes

An Open Letter To Minnesota Voters

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday November 06, 2008 · 3:10 PM PST

2008/11/06 · 15:10

Dear Minnesotans,

This letter will contain some bad words. It's also going to rub a lot of you the wrong way - particularly the 1.2 million that voted for that marionette Norm Coleman. So that's 40% of the state's electorate I can safely say will not like this. Luckily, it's not directed at you.

Nor is it directed at the 1,211,190 (at last count) of you that voted for Al Franken. I've expressed my affection for Al in the past, on this very site - Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot (And Other Observations) turned me on to politics, and was written at a time when liberal punditry had been declared dead and forgotten. You, my fellow Americans, have my deepest thanks for voting for this man.

1,572,251 Minnesotans voted for Barack Obama, and (at least) 1,211,190 of you voted for Al Franken.

This letter is meant for the 361,601 (give or take) difference.

Poll

109 votes Show Results

Is there a legitimate excuse for voting for Barack Obama but not Al Franken?

109 votes Vote Now!

Is there a legitimate excuse for voting for Barack Obama but not Al Franken?

Not if you want to call yourself a Democrat

30 votes

Not if Franken had run over your dog at some point

11 votes

Not if you think you're smarter than Norm Coleman

5 votes

Yes (explain in comments)

19 votes

No!!!!!!!!!

44 votes

Do Not Gas

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday October 24, 2008 · 1:42 PM PDT

2008/10/24 · 13:42

We're enjoying the beginnings of a tidal wave, fellow Kossacks. We're looking at 20-1 odds that we'll take the Presidency, and the odds of expanding our Congressional majorities (!) are even better. Our candidate, for all the jokes made about it, really is a political prodigy - charismatic without being bombastic, smart without being an egghead, funny without trying too hard.

However, any mixed martial arts fan can tell you two things.

A. Anything can happen in a fight.
B. The number one cause of the better fighter losing a fight is poor conditioning.

That's why I bring this story to your attention. Long story short, Obama's raising money in October about half as fast as he did in September. This isn't a concern troll diary - the other part is that McCain's fucking broke - but join me below the fold for more on my analogy.

Poll

9 votes Show Results

Is that pizza really worth losing votes over?

9 votes Vote Now!

Is that pizza really worth losing votes over?

Fuck yeah, man, it's the World Series!

0 votes

Nah, you're right - I got five (plus ten) on it.

1 vote

I'll buy my pizza AND donate more than you, you broke bastard.

5 votes

Pizza pie

3 votes

Bob Schaffer Makes Me Laugh - With Video Link

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday October 17, 2008 · 2:59 PM PDT

2008/10/17 · 14:59

Hey, gang.

Were any of you ever in forensics in high school?

I was - went to state one year for national extemporaneous speaking. You were expected to get a topic, put together a 5-7 minute speech (complete with at least four sources) and deliver the speech in front of a judge. Index cards and notes were expressly forbidden at the higher level meets. I credit it with getting me to stay in high school for as long as I did.

Apparently, this makes me more qualified to debate for a position with the greatest deliberative body in the world, the United States Senate, than Bob Schaffer.

This is not a talent contest.
-The Republican Nominee for US Senate from Colorado, attempting to change the rules of the debate in the studio.

Wow. Even after the Palin SNL debate skit, that's the line he used.

Note how the moderator calmly explains 'well, that's why we put it in', explaining the explicit 'no props' language in the agreement Schaffer's campaign signed on to.

I know this race is over. But let's mock Bob anyway.

Rush Limbaugh Says The Craziest $hit I've Ever Heard - On The Radio

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday October 15, 2008 · 11:25 AM PDT

2008/10/15 · 11:25

It's time for us to acknowledge something, folks.

This thing is over.

There are mountains of evidence out there - McCain pulling out of Michigan, Palin pulling out of human interaction, every fucking poll. But we, being Democrats (and thus being possessed of an infinite ability to screw up an election), don't want to admit it. We look for things to worry about, instead of looking for signs that they're worried.

Well, I got a good one for you, courtesy of HuffPo.

Poll

368 votes Show Results

Whose defection from McCain has surprised you most?

368 votes Vote Now!

Whose defection from McCain has surprised you most?

Bill Kristol (even though he's always been a rat)

73 votes

George Will (root, root root for the home team)

44 votes

Christopher Buckley (are you fucking kidding me?!?!?)

91 votes

Colin Powell (not official, but c'mon, he waited until NOW to endorse McCain?)

7 votes

The State Of Florida (thank you, Sarah Silverman!)

89 votes

Michelle Malkin (is a crazy bitch)

41 votes

Christopher Hitchens (still loves the war)

23 votes

Some Love for JMM at TPM

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday October 13, 2008 · 11:07 AM PDT

2008/10/13 · 11:07

This site is the homepage on my browser. Between MMA blogs and Wikipedia, I pretty much just use the web for politics (and, of course, the occasional deluded rant) - and the three sites I use are this one, HuffPo - and Talking Points Memo.

Now, it's not the most exciting format in the world, and it's not a teeming fungal mass of progressive action (yeah, I think of DK as a hunk of mushrooms), but they do some great investigative work. For instance, here is them dismissing the ACORN bullshit by reporting on a meeting in July between ACORN and state officials to address any and all issues that is not disputed by anyone.

And, of course, there is the occasional smart ass nugget of gold.

Best. Headline. Ever.

Poll

65 votes Show Results

What's your number two political fix website?

65 votes Vote Now!

What's your number two political fix website?

Daily Kos is not number on... aw, I've been banned? Fuck!

5 votes

Huffington Post - fast updates and oodles of content

31 votes

MyDD - Cause I'm old-school like that

0 votes

TalkingPointsMemo - their clip videos + a bowl of chronic = :-D

27 votes

HillaryIs44.org - She will be!!! I'm fucking crazy!!!

2 votes

Seven Years Ago Today

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday October 07, 2008 · 7:10 AM PDT

2008/10/07 · 07:10

President Bush announced air strikes against Afghanistan.

I remember being sixteen years old when the towers fell. I also remember, while already aware of how full of shit the Republican agenda is, being in complete agreement with the tone and tenor of the speech. It was no time for quarter: we had been attacked, we were going to retaliate and disrupt the base of operations of those who had attacked us (as opposed to, say, sending nuclear weapons or carpet-bombing the entire country), and anyone who got in our way was going to get some too.

Hell, I even agreed when Bush refused to negotiate with the Taliban to move bin Laden to a 'neutral' country for trial. Below the fold? My point.

Poll

49 votes Show Results

Are you still as angry as Osama bin Laden as you were seven years ago?

49 votes Vote Now!

Are you still as angry as Osama bin Laden as you were seven years ago?

Yes - the people he killed are still dead, aren't they?

21 votes

No - my government's crimes in response have refocused my outrage

15 votes

I refuse to let Bush's fuckups become excuses for the actions of jerkoffs like bin Laden. No. Never.

13 votes

The Truest Comment You Will Read About This Debate - Courtesy of Nate Silver

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday October 02, 2008 · 7:53 PM PDT

2008/10/02 · 19:53

To be completely frank if that were anyone other than Sarah Palin on stage, this would be regarded as a blowout at this point.

-fivethirtyeight.com's VP debate liveblog.

The Obama campaign's method of adjusting the expectations for Palin was brilliant. Nevermind the pundits bending over backwards to question both sides in an effort to appear unbiased (here's looking at you, David Gregory) - the only victory for Sarah Palin tonight was that she did not physically eat her own foot. However, those who actually bothered to watch the news today were treated to Palin's unfailing mastery as the Queen of filling ninety seconds with bullshit and buzzwords, and quotes from a guy who debated her two dozen times. Brilliant.

PS: When Mike Murphy calls your debate a 'nothingburger', you can be sure the Democratic candidate destroyed the Republican one.
PPS: I am so, so happy that Barack Obama picked Joe Biden. Richardson would've looked like shit, and he was my second choice. Way to knock that first big decision out of the park.

The past is prologue. - Joe Biden, our next Vice President

Poll

124 votes Show Results

The punishment for Democrats who refuse to bash Palin's perfomance?

124 votes Vote Now!

The punishment for Democrats who refuse to bash Palin's perfomance?

Slap on the wrist (removal of TV pundit/surrogate responsibilities)

35 votes

Excommunication from the party

23 votes

Deportation

22 votes

Sterilization (we're at war, damnit)

39 votes

Other

5 votes

Scary: Terrorists Almost Take Off In Germany

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday September 26, 2008 · 9:01 AM PDT

2008/09/26 · 09:01

Here's the link.

We have no official word of a plot, weapons, admission, further arrests, interrogation results or anything of that nature, but this headline should still give us all jitters as we reinforce the case that Barack Obama will do a better job of protecting us against terrorists than either Bush or McSame:

German police raided a plane in Cologne just before it was taking off Friday and arrested two ethnic Somalis, saying they found a suicide note that claimed the men wanted to fight a holy war and die in a terror attack.

I don't like calling it a war - suffice it to say criminals will always be with us, and we must continue to work towards stopping them, no matter how poorly this administration has done it.

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday September 24, 2008 · 12:19 PM PDT

2008/09/24 · 12:19

Wowie wow wow,

Here we are, apoplectic, hysterical and yes, in all too few cases, amused to the highest degree by McLame's latest political stunt. America desperately needs him for an economic summit like PETA needs Sarah Palin for sensitivity seminars - maybe as an attendee, but not a fucking presenter. So in that vein, maybe this is a good thing for him to be doing, dipping out on the debate and all.

But not filling in your website administrators (read: campaign staff) in advance so you can stop directing people to 'Please watch John McCain debate Barack Obama in a Presidential Debate, focusing on Foreign Policy, on September 26th in Oxford, Mississippi', complete with a fucking map, is simply inexcusable. When it benefits him, it's important, when it might not, it falls by the wayside. Some character.

You get fired from McDonald's from consistently forgetting to put the cheese on the burger. How many fuck-ups does McCain get?

Poll

16 votes Show Results

Sloppiest thing John McCain's done so far?

16 votes Vote Now!

Sloppiest thing John McCain's done so far?

Letting his wife jack recipes and pass them off as her own

0 votes

Hugging George W Bush all those years ago

2 votes

Misstating Sunni/Shia and al Qaeda/insurgents to confuse Iran/Iraq

0 votes

Reneging on everything that brought him to the brink in 2000 to get the booby prize that is the 2008 GOP nomination

11 votes

Agreeing to debate Obama in the first place

3 votes

Other (delight me in the comments)

0 votes

US Embassy in Yemen Bombed: Responsibility Claimed

Subo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday September 17, 2008 · 6:09 AM PDT

2008/09/17 · 06:09

San'a, the capital city of Yemen, was the site of a terrorist attack today. Reports from the scene describe two separate car bombs detonated outside the main gates preceding a prolonged gun battle.

I'll update as details become available, but first a few quick thoughts below the fold and the HuffPo link:

Poll

34 votes Show Results

Will we ever get hit again?

34 votes Vote Now!

Will we ever get hit again?

Yes. No matter what you do, you will always have criminals. It's inevitable.

27 votes

No. As goes our foreign policy, so goes our vunerability to terrorism.

4 votes

The more I think about it, the less I want to.

3 votes

Newer
Older

RSS