Franken Presides over Sotomayor Vote
Email ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: He’s a real senator now — not just someone who plays one on TV — and he was in the spotlight when it mattered most. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., was presiding over the Senate chamber this afternoon when the Senate voted 68-31 to confirm Judge Sonia Sotamayor as the nation’s first Latino Supreme Court justice. Franken was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s choice for the plum opportunity. Junior lawmakers from the majority party typically preside over the Senate chamber — mundane duty except during the highest-profile votes.
Franken, who gave his maiden Senate speech Wednesday in support of Sotomayor, seemed a bit flummoxed by Senate rules as the roll call began. But with some help from the parliamentarian, the vote commenced, and Sotamayor was easily confirmed, and Franken got to make the formal announcement. Franken, you’ll recall, famously played the part of a senator during Supreme Court nomination hearings back during his “Saturday Night Live” days.
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What a travisty, this guy stole the vote and he is a comic to boot. Just shows me how messed up this senate is and how sick I am of this supposed bi-partisan democratic run government. Change was just a slick slogan to get in the white house and on the news constantly. I know others just as fed up as I’m
Posted by: plp bored | August 6, 2009, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm
“What a travisty, this guy stole the vote and he is a comic to boot. Just shows me how messed up this senate is and how sick I am of this supposed bi-partisan democratic run government. Change was just a slick slogan to get in the white house and on the news constantly. I know others just as fed up as I’m”
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Sorry your team lost. Crying won’t help though. Your team presented its “stay the course” arguement, but the majority of Americans rejected it.
Posted by: reason | August 6, 2009, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
What a joke our political system has become. When a comedian with zero experience can become a senator and he gloats over confirming a racist as our next Supreme Court judge. R.I.P. America….I knew you well once.
Posted by: MBNA Joe | August 6, 2009, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
And these BOZO’s wonder why we American’s don’t trust any of them. Sad, so sad what our Government has become. TERM LIMITS people! TERM LIMITS! We have to have them. The Dems and Repubs are going to kill us all.
Posted by: ajax659 | August 6, 2009, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
where is you sense of humor people.
Posted by: claudia | August 6, 2009, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
@Claudia, I will agree with you that our Government is a JOKE, but I see nothing humorous about it. Scary as H#!! maybe, but not humorous.
Posted by: ajax659 | August 6, 2009, 4:16 pm 4:16 pm
And just think MBNA, she’s there for LIFE, ahahahahahahahaha
Now if we can only do something to get Thomas and Scalia off the bench, we might fix the damage you neo-cons have done.
Posted by: JR | August 6, 2009, 4:17 pm 4:17 pm
How sad
Posted by: cwg | August 6, 2009, 4:17 pm 4:17 pm
@JR, trust me… the Republicans are NOT alone in the Damage that has been slammed on the US of A. We could start listing the Republican and Democrats Screw ups in the History of this Country, but I don’t think there is enough space on the BIG OL’ WORLD WIDE WEB for it. They both are Playing us… you can either stand on one side or the other and throw stones or get in the middle with us that want to fix this nasty crap.
Posted by: ajax659 | August 6, 2009, 4:22 pm 4:22 pm
A major win??? There’s no win here, he replaced a liberal judge with. . . .guess what. . .another liberal judge. Let me dumb it down for you. . . . . A win is when you gain something.
Posted by: spread that wealth | August 6, 2009, 4:51 pm 4:51 pm
Send in the clowns…
I hope one day this country will be able to look at individuals and not race, religion or color. No extra points for anyone beyond character, education, experience and actions.
Posted by: pam | August 6, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
And Justice Sotomayor is probably thinking, “Because I am a Latina Women, I can make wiser decisions than that white male Stuart Smalley any day.”
Posted by: MNResident | August 6, 2009, 4:57 pm 4:57 pm
see, just ’cause Rush say’s it – it just ain’t so.
Posted by: carmella | August 6, 2009, 5:30 pm 5:30 pm
Whats really sad is that many of you who respond, choose sides in this no win debate. We are all AMERICANS, and this partisan politics and agenda will be the end of America as we know it. We need to stop the headbutting between parties, and do whats best FOR THE COUNTRY. It is our only chance. Unfortuneatly, the media only eggs it on, regardless of which party is in power.
Posted by: G BAKER | August 6, 2009, 5:31 pm 5:31 pm
I would laugh but this idiots vote could adversely affect my life and my kids life. How pathetic the congress has become.
Posted by: billy bob | August 6, 2009, 5:31 pm 5:31 pm
The President will assign two seats to the Supeme Court during his tenure.
Posted by: reachingout2u | August 6, 2009, 5:45 pm 5:45 pm
OMG! We had to suffer through 8 years of CLOWNS and you are worried about a FORMER comedian? Get a grip.
Stole an election? George Bush and his bunch hijacked an election, and now they are sending THE SAME PEOPLE to try and hijack town hall meetings about health care reforn.
Posted by: lp | August 6, 2009, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
the comments about Franken the comedian are so amusing in light of republican tendency to canonize Reagan the b rate actor.
I’m glad to see a few more really smart people in positions of power. oh so tired of the politics as usual bunch who don’t seem to understand the meaning of the word congress.
Posted by: McGreen | August 6, 2009, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
You are showing your ignorance. Al Franken went to Harvard. He’s not just a “comic”, he actually had a brain. Have you read any of his books? Remember that Ronald Reagan was just an actor. The Republicans are losing control of this country and I am enjoying every minute of it.
Posted by: Beester | August 6, 2009, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
There is a very big war being fought in this country between the “Rich and Greedy” and the rest of America. Which side are you on?
Posted by: Thompson | August 6, 2009, 10:17 pm 10:17 pm
I love how Senator Al Franken is derided by sore-loser conservatives on here for being a celebrity before coming to the senate. Well lets see…who is it that you guys worship the most? Maybe a third rate one time actor by the name of Ronald Reagan? Yeah that guy…a celebrity. The difference between the two is that Senator Franken doesnt have to dress up and pretend to be a cowboy to get votes.
Posted by: Brian | August 6, 2009, 10:28 pm 10:28 pm
Bush is sending people to disrupt town hall meetings now?And they talk about Republican conspiracy theories.By the way,disrupting speeches is exactly how Obama and his other “community organizers” told people to act “show up at republican speeches and functions with signs,create a disruption,and shout them down”.It was a grass roots movement then,but now it is a republican conspiracy started by BUSH??
Posted by: Ralph Moore | August 6, 2009, 10:36 pm 10:36 pm
you got to admire the moxie. Using the alleged Senator Franken, a tax cheat and foul-mouthed entertainer, to host the vote for the self-proclaimed “wise Latina”. Classic!
Posted by: Ed | August 6, 2009, 10:39 pm 10:39 pm
A pitiful attempt to give this cheater some gravitas.
Posted by: pam | August 7, 2009, 12:28 am 12:28 am
Thompson, I love your comment. “There is a very big war being fought in this country between the ‘Rich and the Greedy’ and the rest of America. Which side are you on?” It is a shame that the greedy can’t see if they stay in control it ends the game for everyone, our country’s economy simply can’t handle the constant barrage of damage that anti-regulation, tax breaks for the rich, etc. from the Bush years have done to it. We are all on the same boat, if the middle class sinks, we all sink, including the rich.
It was wonderful to see Franken presiding. The guy really had to battle to get to that seat.
To those who aren’t Franken fans, remember comedians are frequently brilliant people. It takes a healthy I.Q. to find the humor in a situation.
Franken will be making intelligent decisions.
Posted by: Lydia | August 7, 2009, 1:41 am 1:41 am
Thank you ajax659. Political ideology and its conflict will indeed be the death of our country. It has slowed problem solving and progressive steps in the evolution of humankind. Logic urges us all to work together, and NOT against each other. Partisanism is our death knoll as a country. It seems that our struggle is not in finding the best for ALL AMERICANS, but in finding what WE WANT, and WHAT WE DO NOT WANT OTHERS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE! God help US ALL.
Posted by: JoeRay | August 7, 2009, 6:18 am 6:18 am
NEVER REELECT ANYONE IN CONGRESS.
I believe that even a little success in such a campaign would have far reaching effects toward a revolutionary change in American politics, much like 1776. Some of the reasons in favor of this approach:
• Gives us a one-term, term limited Congress without using amendments
• It would be supported by 70% of the country who want term limits Congress
• It is completely non-partisan
• If repeated, it ends career politicians dominating Congress
• It opens the way to a “citizen Congress”
• It ends the seniority system that keeps freshmen powerless
• It doesn’t cost you any money. Just don’t vote for any incumbent
• It is the only infallible, unstoppable way to “Throw All the Bums Out”
• It takes effect immediaterly on Election Day
NEVER REELECT ANYONE IN CONGRESS.
Posted by: Nelson Lee Walker | August 7, 2009, 3:25 pm 3:25 pm
The only thing that was really confirmed is that our legislative branch has become a big fat joke.
Oh, and one more thing. It also confirms our judicial branch has become one big fat joke.
Darn, almost forgot. The executive branch, well that’s not a joke, just a horror story.
Posted by: luigi | August 8, 2009, 12:50 pm 12:50 pm
Al Franken is no idiot. he is brilliant and further more, he should not have had to wait so long to become a Senator after his election and if Coleman had been concerned about the people of his state, he would have conceded in the same way that Al Gore did when Bush was narrowly re-elected (with the help of his brother) in the presidential race. It’s amusing that persons posting here and ranting about Franken being “only” a comedian, probably still worship 2-bit cowboy actor, Reagan. Reagan brought deficit spending to a new level and somehow was the “teflon” president through even Iran-Contra because ignorant Americans believe that America and the Old West are synonymous.
Posted by: Janis | August 9, 2009, 12:22 pm 12:22 pm
Beester, Every one is on the Greedy Side i think so.
Posted by: Character Education | August 13, 2009, 7:27 am 7:27 am