GOP charges Liberal judicial activism: Sen. Franken demonstrates Thurgood Marshall's brilliance

Run time: 10:26 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHw35HnYFF4   Posted on YouTube: June 30, 2010 By YouTube Member: firedoglake Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: June 30, 2010 By DU Member: BrklynLiberal Views on DU: 3788

 
I absolutely adore Senator Al Franken!!!!!!

...honestly, I've always felt that confirmation hearing were more about the Congress critters yakin too much and trying to 'show off'/grandstand. Unfortunately Al's falling in to that a bit as well.

And Mods: Came across a google ad that was a 'sponsered by Carly for California' Ad against Barbara Boxer... May want to punt that one. Also is there a better forum to mention anti Dem ads when they come thru (I know mods can't pre-screen the ads)?

:applause: :yourock: :fistbump: :pals: :woohoo: :loveya:

:kick: :thumbsup: :toast: :bounce: :beer:

:hi: :kick: :patriot:

***** :woohoo: :patriot: :applause: *****

Did Senators Cornyn and Kyl have sour expressions on their faces when it was over? Or did they put their white hoods on to cover them?

There's a hella lot of research on behalf of Franken for him to be grandstanding... Franken is methodical and systematical in his analysis of whatever he is breaking down... (I am actually replying to the first comment.) If you are not familiar with Franken's banter, visit Youtube and see him bitch-slap Ann Coulter around, or a few other r/w opponents.

It's the way Franken works. The moment you think you are just going to hear something humorous, the conversation becomes very serious and matter-of-fact.

It would be interesting to see the "representative" from Minnesota ask such a researched/thought out question, but I don't think she has the capacity to do so.

Franken actually raises the bar in questioning the character of the potential candidate. I don't think Boehner, or Michael Steele, or most of the Republican party exhibits anything close to what Franken brings. I think that if you really wanted to see a example of grandstanding, you might look at the video of Boehner crying after the HCR bill passed screaming "No,you cant!" (It's pretty pathetic to watch a grown orange skinned man cry like that, but this is the best example I can think of right now.)

There is nothing different from what Franken is doing compared to other videos I have seen him in. He is very consistent with his approach, and he also seems to be re-enforcing things that that right wing racists spin to confuse their white zombies with. (That's my opinion anyway...)

I agree with your well thought out opinion.

Socratic method beautifully, if often transparently, which is pointing out things, asking questions about them, and luring his opponents, question by question, into admitting that he's right. (As compared to the way the Repukes do it by taking things out of context and then screaming "Isn't this true?" like prosecutors in a tv drama). Very clever man--and I'm darn glad he's in our corner.

Indeed. Educating folks, whether they be watching and are just ignorant of the facts, or whether they are there, participating, but are pretending to know nothing, is not grand standing.

judicial activism was and what it wasn't.

I also believe Senator Franken did an excellent job of doing just that.

The Roberts Court for all practical purposes has become a separate legislative branch with it's own veto power and always in support of corporations over the American People.

Of course, to such smart ASSES like vannity and bor, he will always be Smiley on SNL. But he's shown, time and again, he is also one intelligent and level headed man. A GREAT representative from my birth state of Minnesota.

And Stuart Smalley (not Smiley.... that's a John la Carre cold war spy character!) is more in touch and was cleverer than any of the RW humorless. Remember when they tried to do a RW version of the Daily Show? They think making racial jokes and laughing about things like how "emotional" women are is funny! NOT.

It's hard to be funny when you live in fear of everything that is different from you and your life, and you know your whole career is a house of cards held up by lies.

The idea that Republicans at this juncture in history want to vilify Thurgood Marshall shows just how incredibly wrong minded the Party has become about EVERYTHING. They're on the wrong side of history, wrong side of the people, wrong side of existing law, wrong side of the moral compass, the wrong side of EVERYTHING.

--isn't Franken, who does what I expect. It's Kagan. Notice that she never outright agrees with him when he asks her, point blank, "Wouldn't you say this?" or "Isn't this true"? She always hedges. And yet, I gather here that he'd actually defending her position. That I find interesting.

love it!

Sarcasm?
Irony?
House rules of decorum?

when she was on the Rachel Maddow show. I am SURE she does not use such terms in private.


.and in addition...Franken is the kind of guy who might actually be friends with Graham. That is just how he is..and of all the repukes in Congress, Graham is far from the worst.

and I miss Thurgood.

k and r

Franken is a classic example of a REAL Washington outsider who has come in with a staff who doesn't give a rats ass about becoming lobbyists when all is said and done. He is the real deal. All those other Tea Party morons who claim to be Washington outsiders are nothing more than racist idiots. And it's the racial overtones by some Republicans criticizing one of the BEST USSC justices in the nation's history that just sickens me to no end. How dare they crap on the Constitution by wearing their racist colors. They're all white, old, and out of touch.

this "activist" bullshit is disgusting. The media and Dem's should be all over them on it. Basically when they say it they simply mean decisions they don't like that they are too stupid to actually discuss intellectually why they don't like them. Also they cannot discuss them because it would be obvious how overtly racist they are.

It's nice to see Sen. Franken doing so well in his first term. It's nice to see how well-informed he is as a NON lawyer, and how he treats the candidate, Ms Kagen, with utmost respect. Not to mention how Thurgood Marshall was thrown under the bus by Rethuglicans this week.

The Republicans came to this confirmation hearing to demonize Kagan by vilifying Justice Marshall. Franklin, using rigorous legal logic and constitutional precedent, exposed their mindless stupidity. Franken is a one man tour de force. We are very lucky to have him in the Senate, where so many others are so intellectually limited and mere puppets for the corporations which own them.

for taking the time to fight the right wing's sleazy attempt to make Americans conflate the name "Thurgood Marshall" with "judicial activist." They won't be able to get away with such things so easily with Franken around.

Al has shown he's brilliant, hard working, honorable and courageous. He would be a good successor for President Obama.

fellow Democratic Senators.

Great and good men know and recognize each other. This is also true amongst the bad and the evil.