General Discussion

mucifer

(23,569 posts) Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:28 PM Sep 2017

Sen. Al Franken blocks Trumps racist judge and conservatives are flipping out

Trump has nominated David Stras, a justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court, to a vacancy on the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. He did so in violation of longstanding tradition, declining to meet with or consult Franken or his colleague, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, before selecting a judge from the state they represent.

One of Stras’s most consistent political views is an opposition to school integration. He clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas, helping him write an opinion that called racial diversity a “faddish slogan” and institutional racism a “conspiracy theorist’s belief.” He also attacked a pro-school integration decision of Justice Anthony Kennedy, saying lower court judges put “way too much emphasis” on it.

Franken has blocked Stras from a hearing by refusing to return his “blue slip,” a Senate tradition that dictates when a judge is nominated, both senators from the judge’s state must give their written approval.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is enraged, and has once again raised the possibility, floated for months by the GOP, of another partisan Senate rule change, ending blue slips for appellate court judges.

https://shareblue.com/sen-al-franken-blocks-trumps-racist-judge-and-conservatives-are-flipping-out/

Did I mention how much I love Al Franken .

16 replies

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Sen. Al Franken blocks Trumps racist judge and conservatives are flipping out (Original Post) mucifer Sep 2017 OP

Al Franken is the new Lion of the Senate. applegrove Sep 2017 #1

I second that! flibbitygiblets Sep 2017 #3

He makes fun of it by titling his book "Al Franken:Giant of the Senate". applegrove Sep 2017 #4

Go Al! Go Al! Go Al! Alice11111 Sep 2017 #2

How dare they, after they blocked Garland for a year MiniMe Sep 2017 #5

his latest book is a must read! spanone Sep 2017 #6

Beautiful Al sheshe2 Sep 2017 #7

And yet this practice was just fine with the GOPers The Velveteen Ocelot Sep 2017 #8

The answer is obvious gratuitous Sep 2017 #12

More about this stupid ad, which MN Public Radio called "silly": The Velveteen Ocelot Sep 2017 #13

Don't mess with Al Franken that's for sure! McConnell needs to honor long standing traditions AgadorSparticus Sep 2017 #9

McConnell should be enraged more often - perhaps he'll pop a vein dalton99a Sep 2017 #10

Blocking is good, any judicial appt should be null and void pbmus Sep 2017 #11

Kinda hope Mitchie does blow it up and set a precedent Jake Stern Sep 2017 #14

Bravo Franken! burrowowl Sep 2017 #15

IF McTurtle ended (or tried to end) blue slips ProudLib72 Sep 2017 #16

applegrove

(118,793 posts)

1. Al Franken is the new Lion of the Senate.

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:30 PM

Sep 2017

flibbitygiblets

(7,220 posts)

3. I second that!

Reply to applegrove (Reply #1)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:36 PM

Sep 2017

applegrove

(118,793 posts)

4. He makes fun of it by titling his book "Al Franken:Giant of the Senate".

Reply to flibbitygiblets (Reply #3)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:38 PM

Sep 2017

But that is who he is.

Alice11111

(5,730 posts)

2. Go Al! Go Al! Go Al!

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:32 PM

Sep 2017

We love you and need you. Thank you for being on top of things and standing up.

MiniMe

(21,718 posts)

5. How dare they, after they blocked Garland for a year

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:39 PM

Sep 2017

spanone

(135,880 posts)

6. his latest book is a must read!

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:40 PM

Sep 2017

Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

sheshe2

(83,925 posts)

7. Beautiful Al

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:42 PM

Sep 2017

Just beautiful.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,858 posts)

8. And yet this practice was just fine with the GOPers

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:43 PM

Sep 2017

when Obama was nominating judges.

There have been some really obnoxious TV ads around here (Minneapolis) in the last few days, accusing Franken of being "jealous" because this Judge Stras got more votes than he did! Of course he did. He was initially appointed by the governor to fill an open seat on the Minnesota Supreme Court, then had to run for the seat when that term expired (that's how it works here). His opponent was an obscure and relatively inexperienced local magistrate who's a complete religious nut who thinks judges shouldn't decide the law; God should. So of course Stras won in a landslide - not only because his opponent was an unknown nutball, but because sitting judges always win re-election. You can't honestly compare a Senate election to a state supreme court election.

It's one of the most deceptive, disingenuous ads I've ever seen.

gratuitous

(82,849 posts)

12. The answer is obvious

Reply to The Velveteen Ocelot (Reply #8)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:57 PM

Sep 2017

If Judge Stras really thinks he's so damn qualified, why doesn't he run for the Senate against Franken?

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,858 posts)

13. More about this stupid ad, which MN Public Radio called "silly":

Reply to The Velveteen Ocelot (Reply #8)

Fri Sep 15, 2017, 12:06 AM

Sep 2017

When Stras was last on the ballot — 2012 — he received 1,141,951 votes easily defeating Tim Tingelstad. It was the first and only election Stras has faced since he was appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty in 2010.

In Franken’s last election — 2014 — he received 1,053,205 votes. But what the Judicial Crisis Network doesn’t say is that there were four people on the ballot.

It also doesn’t acknowledge a reality of judicial elections in Minnesota. Voters rarely know anything about the judicial candidate they’re voting for, partly because campaigns for judges have different rules. Candidates aren’t allowed to give opinions that might be perceived as not impartial on issues that might come before the court.

So, for the part, judges barely campaign, the media never cover the races on the rare occasion when a judge is actually opposed for re-election, and by Election Day voters are generally uninformed about their selection.

https://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2017/09/franken-stras-face-off-leads-to-silly-ad-by-conservative-group/

The ad came from the Judicial Crisis Network, which has been around since the Bush Administration. Its purpose is to get conservative judges appointed. They worked to oppose the appointment of Merrick Garland and were behind advocacy ads for Gorsuch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_Crisis_Network

AgadorSparticus

(7,963 posts)

9. Don't mess with Al Franken that's for sure! McConnell needs to honor long standing traditions

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:45 PM

Sep 2017

But what's new? The GOP are a bunch of lying thieves and thugs.

dalton99a

(81,591 posts)

10. McConnell should be enraged more often - perhaps he'll pop a vein

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:46 PM

Sep 2017

pbmus

(12,422 posts)

11. Blocking is good, any judicial appt should be null and void

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Thu Sep 14, 2017, 11:47 PM

Sep 2017

When the orange shitgeyser is drummed out.

Jake Stern

(3,145 posts)

14. Kinda hope Mitchie does blow it up and set a precedent

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Fri Sep 15, 2017, 12:14 AM

Sep 2017

I would love seeing a future Dem President and Dem controlled Senate give the finger to republicans and elevate Elizabeth Warren and Ted Kennedy style progressives to courts such as the notoriously hard right 5th District.

burrowowl

(17,648 posts)

15. Bravo Franken!

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Fri Sep 15, 2017, 12:50 AM

Sep 2017

ProudLib72

(17,984 posts)

16. IF McTurtle ended (or tried to end) blue slips

Reply to mucifer (Original post)

Fri Sep 15, 2017, 01:04 AM

Sep 2017

I wonder what would happen. He could really make this ugly for the GOP. I would be interested if anyone knows what the consensus on this is in congress.

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