I once served on a Legislative committee with Pawlenty. Nice enough guy personally, but absolutely no concern for how these decisions affected other people. He just has no comprehension of how anyone other than his own class lives, and how hard they have to work trying to keep their heads above water.
I think he truly believes that poor people are that way because they like being poor, or are just too lazy to work their way up. He thinks “I worked my way to the top, why can’t they?” (Ignoring the fact that his daddy (and taxpayers) paid his way through law school, and then got him a cushy job on legal retainer soon after graduation – he really thinks he did it all own, not even seeing the advantages he started out with.)
The guy has absolutely no compassion for others – he can’t even understand why they might need compassion. It’s kind of scary to look at his pretty smiling face and realize how completely heartless he is behind that.
Don’t misunderestimate Minnesota as a launching pad for a national political career. Lot of national attention focused on Minnesota, from Fargo, to the massive intellectual firepower of Jesse Venture, the chisled manliness of Al Franken, the raw sexual charisma of Garrison Keillor, and the brazenly batshit Michelle Bachman… Minnesota is suddenly on everyone’s mind. Albeit fleetingly.
Coleman is just doing everything he can to keep the Dems from getting another vote. He lost, but if he can get all the way to the Supreme Court ,he will have keep Franken out for a year or more.
Coleman will certainly appeal to the state SC, but I’ll bet that after the appeal is turned down, no matter what Coleman wants to do then, the Senate will seat Franken. This is a state matter and the appeal to the state supreme court is the last line of demarcation before it goes to Federal courts.
Edit to add, in other words gonzomax, no way is Coleman going to keep Franken out of the Senate after the Minnesota Supreme Court rules. It’s not going to take months or a year or more. A few more weeks, at the most.
I dunno, I think Pawlenty is going to be experiencing some big time pressure. And if anything Pawlenty has shown, is that he likes to please the base. He won’t sign it.
It doesn’t matter. After the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in Franken’s favor (or refuses to hear the case), Pawlenty has no say in the matter. The Senate can seat Franken without a signed election certificate from Pawlenty. The rightards who claim they’re going to start World War III if Franken is seated will have no basis for their bitching. They will bitch, but everyone will know that the process went through all the proper channels and that they’re just being obstructionists. What are they going to do, blow up the capital building? World War III?! Jesus what a bunch of morons.
I also agree that the Federal Supreme Court will probably refuse to hear what was a state matter that went through all the proper channels.
Pawlenty was on MPR today. When asked if he will sign a certificate after the SC rules he chose his words very carefully.
Though the law seams clear on the matter Pawlenty said “I don’t know whether [the certificate] would be required to be issued. I think it could be issued at that time. I’m not saying I wouldn’t issue the certificate. I’m just saying we should have all of the facts in front of us before we precommit to something like that.”
I interpret this to mean that If Coleman pulls a three-eared rabbit out of his ass and is handed the election by the SC he will get his certificate. If Franken prevails as everyone expects and Coleman files Federal appeals then all bets are off.
What is up with the “Minnesota Experiment” WRT electing politically crazy/unqualified people? Jesse Ventura, Al Franken? Jesus Christ. Next up: local hockey hero turns politician. Or has that already been done? Mayhap an ice-fisherman will have a Palin-like rise to prominence?