Franken assails Court, Klobuchar slams sexism at Sotomayor vote

[CatWoman]

I luvs me some Al!! :)

Al Franken spewed fire and Amy Klobuchar threw brimstone this morning at the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote on Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Minnesotans joined 10 other Democrats and one Republican in approving the nominee, but not before Franken raked the current Court and Klobuchar decried bias against women on the bench (video).

Franken was the last senator to speak before the vote, but his statement was perhaps the most arresting as he threw off the mild-mannered mantle of a first-month senator and threw down a gauntlet over high-court rulings he termed “judicial activism.”

It was a theme that he struck more tentatively during committee hearings and today promised to revisit when the nomination reaches the Senate floor.

“Individual rights, individual protections and individual liberties” are under attack by the current Supreme Court, Franken asserted, pointedly citing other senators on specific high-court rulings with which he found fault.

With a vehemence not yet seen in his short tenure in Washington, D.C., Franken took issue with rulings on abortion, voting rights, price fixing, age discrimination, and corporate entanglement in elections.

Noting how court actions have overturned or threatened even recent precedent, Franken said, emphatically, “This is judicial activism. This is a court that’s willing to reverse itself … to achieve its own agenda of what is right. … A vote for Sonia Sotomayor is a vote against judicial activism.”

http://minnesotaindependent.com/40470/franken-klobuchar-sotomayor-judicial-activism-sexism

[joeybee12]

1. Go Al!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Richardo]

2. Fantastic - very impressive.

:patriot:

He'll be an excellent policy communicator.

[Wickerman]

3. That's my Senator!

:kick:

[PatSeg]

5. And worth waiting for!

[LiberalAndProud]

4. Awsome. Go Al!

[Soylent Brice]

6. good, now go take a chunk out of some blue dog ass,

and get single-payer back on the table.

[sfwriter]

7. I knew it...

You cannot hear this man for long before you realize how strongly felt his positions are and how outspoken he can be.

[opihimoimoi]

8. Pragmatic, Astute, Sane, steeped in REALITY...

[mzmolly]

9. Me too. And, he's just getting started.

:D

[mzmolly]

10. Proud of my two fantastic Senators and am happy to

recommend. :hi:

[SuperTrouper]

13. Wow, Franken and Klobuchar, EXCELLENT!! However, Minnesota has to answer for Bachmann nt

[mzmolly]

14. She's popular with the meth crowd and R/W terrorists

from what I gather? ;)

[PassingFair]

11. Yea! We expect big things from Franken....

Hooray for Minnesota!

[mzmolly]

12. Link to video:

http://minnesotaindependent.com/40453/live-video-minnesotas-senators-vote-on-sotomayor

[me b zola]

15. Is that Bonnie Raitt sitting behind Al?

:shrug:

[mzmolly]

16. Not her, but there is a likeness.

:hi:

[eleny]

17. A strong statement delivered n a measured tone - Al was excellent

[shireen]

19. yes, he was great

no long-winded rambling speech. Just concise bullet-points that were crystal clear to anyone with a brain. :applause:

[eppur_se_muova]

18. Norm Coleman may well be either smarter or more principled than we realized.

Franken is DANGEROUS to the GOP! Coleman knew the GOP would take a hit if he surrendered without a fight. That long delaying action bought them a little time -- but now Al is showing he knows just what to do in front of a camera, and he's had plenty of practice.

[Vidar]

20. Bravo Al!

[harry_pothead]

21. Minnesota's coming out swinging.

Good on you guys for electing 2 awesome senators.