Franken meets with Reid, Coleman also in town
WASHINGTON, DC and ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) - Democratic Senate hopeful Al Franken will meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid late Wednesday afternoon “to discuss the legislative agenda, especially the economic stimulus” plan, a Reid aide tells CNN.
A Democratic source close to Franken added that the two would not discuss provisionally seating the Minnesota Senate hopeful, and that the meeting was to focus on the latest Senate business.
Franken and former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman are caught fight over the only empty seat in the U.S. Senate. Also Wednesday afternoon: a three-judge panel will hear arguments brought by Franken's attorneys that Coleman's pending legal challenge to contest the recount results should be dismissed.
Coleman is also in Washington Wednesday, stopping in for the Senate GOP policy lunch in the Capitol.
Coleman said he's in DC for media interviews and to keep his colleagues informed on his legal battle to retain his seat. He added he is "fairly confident, real optimistic" he'll be able to.
About his situation as being both an ex-senator and a possibly future senator, he joked, "I'm a Jewish kid from Brooklyn but I think I know what purgatory is."
(Mark Preston and Ted Barrett reported from Washington; Chris Welch reported from St. Paul, Minnesota)
"If you ask me what I would do, I would step back. I just think the need for the healing process is so important. The possibility of any change of this magnitude in the voting system we have is so remote, but that would be my judgment."
~ Norm Coleman 11/5/2008, the day after the election when it looked like the margin was in his favor.
When will Coleman finally just admit that he got beat fair and square? The last three elections he's been involved in were against a professional wrester, a comedian, and a dead guy. Coleman could only beat the dead guy.
What a Mess!!
I think Amber's comment says it all – Hypocrite.
Coleman needs to stand up like a man and admit he lost fair & square. He lost by a very small margin.... but he lost. And he needs to let the governmental process move forward so that Minnesotans can have full representative in Congress. To do otherwise simply smacks of a spoiled whiney 10 year old who didn't get his way.
The irony here is that if Coleman hadn't changed his political affiliation from Democrat to Republican in 1998, he'd be the junior Senator from Minnesota right now....LOL!!!!! Sorry Norm, you lose again......
Actually Professor Hopkins – he beat a former Vice President. And he did beat and will beat the "comedian" when it's all said and done.
Franken should not be able to meet with King Reid! Like you really believe they are not gonna talk about seating him. But crooked politics as usual!
re vote is the only fair way ..... because no matter who is seated both sides will think the winner is a liar and cheat
He says he thinks he knows what purgatory is. I think he needs to be educated.
Judges, please dismiss this erroneous case, and put this old mare to pasture.Times are a-changing and it's time to get with the program or be left stuck in the mud. Ha...............
Recount, recount, recount until you get a Democrat victory!
Niiiiiiiiice...
Franken and those clowns are still counting bags of made up votes. It is great how some counties had more votes than registered voters. The Dems really hit a low this year. Franken is a sham. They need to start the whole process over again because the secretary of state is dirty as well. Too bad but true. Dirty politics in Minnesota.
Obvious double counting of votes. Yes, truly an erroneous case if I ever saw one.
the vote differential in the recount was 10x any other recount. The recount showed more votes than people signed to vote. DUH!!!.
Haha@ProfessorHopkins... Well played!
Coleman is probably in DC just to raise to try to pay off the judges with... Let's hope MN retains its dignity and does not become another Florida 2000!
we are a nation of laws and the MN election has followed every step as spelled out on their books. Yes, coleman is entitled to his day in court, as would Franken had been if the results were different.
However, Amber came up with a great quote from coleman, who if he really believed what he said, would not have filed the suit after the mandatory recount. It shows coleman's real colors: hypocrite and sore loser.
Chalk another senate seat up for the corrupt democrats. (Why do democrats hate democracy so much?)
Democrat mantra – count, dig up phantom ballots, recount, and win.
fraken supporters suck.
It shocks me that a politician would act like a politician.
Maybe a comedian will be less of a difference than some repbulicans seem to suggest.
MZ