The state Canvassing Board is expected to declare today that Al Franken received the most votes in Minnesota’s election for a U.S. Senate seat, but those final results are sure to be challenged in the courts. Franken reportedly had a 225-vote lead after last weekend’s count of some absentee ballots.
If Franken’s win holds up, he will become the new senator the right wing loves to hate. That’s because Franken’s confrontational style makes him the “perfect right-wing punching bag,” according to The Week, and because the GOP will consider Franken’s win tainted and illegitimate.
All the fuss over the Illinois and New York governors’ appointments to open U.S. Senate seats is predictable, especially during a slow-news holiday period. But history, including Kansas history, indicates that appointments don’t always translate into election victories. Over the past 50 years, according to Washington Post blogger Chris Cillizza, just 23 of the 51 appointed senators who went on to run for full terms won their seats. The losers in the recent past included Sen. Sheila Frahm, R-Kan., the lieutenant governor chosen by Gov. Bill Graves to replace the retiring Sen. Bob Dole in 1996. She lost the GOP primary just weeks later by 13 percentage points to ambitious congressman Sam Brownback.
UPDATED: A president often described as a cowboy is leaving office and the nominee from Arizona lost the election. Still, the American West is riding high right now, in part because of President-elect Barack Obama’s Cabinet picks. He’s chosen Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (homeland security, in photo) to join his administration, as well as Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar (interior), California Rep. Hilda Solis (labor) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory director Steven Chu (energy). New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had been picked for commerce secretary but dropped out due to a federal investigation into how his political donors landed a transportation contract. Congress’ top leaders remain House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. And California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Henry Waxman are newly slated for key chairmanships (Senate Intelligence Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee, respectively). So far, the West has kept the gloating to a minimum. But the South feels slighted (though Obama’s choices for U.S. trade representative, defense secretary, EPA chief and secretary of state all have Southern ties). “This is the first time you can say, ‘Look, where is the South in this administration?’ ” said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga.
The following satirical headlines come from borowitzreport.com and theonion.com:
BIN LADEN LATEST MADOFF CASUALTY
RNC ISSUES APOLOGY TO NEGROES; Calls Song Parody ‘Offensive to Every Negro’
RECESSION RESULTED IN CRAPPIEST PRESENTS EVER; Shoddy Crafts, Baked Goods Dominate Holiday Giving
CAROLINE KENNEDY ASKS TO BE TIME’S PERSON OF THE YEAR; Places Phone Call to Magazine’s Editor
AMAZON.COM RECOMMENDATIONS UNDERSTAND AREA WOMAN BETTER THAN HUSBAND
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RETURNING TO MEXICO FOR AMERICAN JOBS
GOOGLE LAUNCHES ‘THE GOOGLE’ FOR OLDER ADULTS
The state Canvassing Board is expected to declare today that Al Franken received the most votes in Minnesota’s election for a U.S. Senate seat, but those final results are sure to be challenged in the courts. Franken reportedly had a 225-vote lead after last weekend’s count of some absentee ballots.
