I'll say it up front, I've always been bullish on Al Franken, even when others here were ripping on him, and already giving up on the race, and lamenting how the race would've been better with Ciresi or Nelson-Pallmeyer.  And one of the arguments used against Franken was that he had pissed off some other prominent Minnesota Democrats like Congresspeople Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison and Amy Klobuchar.  There was quite a bit of hand-wringing going on.

Well, take a look below the fold to see what's happened in the last couple days.  (And from the links, yes, I got this stuff from MN Publius.

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We heard yesterday that legislators were speaking out against the Supreme Court decision that upholds an Indiana law which prevents people from voting unless they have a picture ID.

Rep. Keith Ellison, from my state of Minnesota, wrote a column in today's newspaper revealing the truth of this issue and reminds us of what's at stake with voting rights in this country: It's not just women's right to choose or privacy rights that are ask risk; the fundamental building block of Democracy is under attack.

Let's have a look at what Ellison found:

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/comme ntary/18669089.html

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Last week, 21st Century Democrats held its 13th annual Signature Gala in Washington, DC. At the event, we launched our new 21st Century Leaders In Action program, which provides support and recognition to a network of leaders who share ideas and collaborate to implement bold progressive policies.  Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison, Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin and Arizona State Representative Kyrsten Sinema were the first progressive standouts to be included in what will be a constantly expanding network of leaders from around the country.

The awardees in attendance spoke about a number of important issues facing our county, but I was struck by their focus and passion regarding voter participation and electoral reform. Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin (District 20) started the ball rolling with a discussion about the importance of protecting voter's rights and encouraging civic participation - video here. He described two laws he has passed since being elected to the State Senate in 2006. The first was an interstate compact that would create a direct popular election for President and the second gave 17 year olds the right to vote in primary elections if they turn 18 by the general election. These kinds of electoral reforms strengthen our democracy by making every vote count and brining new voters into the political process.

Next up was Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, who has done a great job cleaning up the mess left by her Republican predecessor, Ken Blackwell. At the gala, she reiterated her commitment to ensuring that every vote is counted through the use of back-up paper ballots and post-election audits. Secretary Brunner also discussed the State's new Voting Rights Institute that does outreach to voters and operates important programs aimed at engaging more Ohioans in electoral politics. Watch the video here.

Finally, Congressman Ellison (MN-5) took the stage and forcefully articulated the injustice of the recent Supreme Court decision allowing Indiana to infringe upon Americans' constitutionally guaranteed right to vote by requiring photo IDs. He called out this back-door poll tax for what it is: a Republican scheme to disenfranchise students, minorities, the elderly and the poor. Thankfully, dedicated progressives like Keith Ellison are standing up against these Jim Crow era laws. He recently proposed legislation that would ban photo ID requirements to vote and last week introduced a bill to allow same-day registration in all federal elections. Check out video of his speech.

The struggle to protect the right to vote demonstrates why we must elect more progressives like Secretary of State Brunner, Congressman Ellison, and State Senator Raskin to office. We are searching for new 21st Century Leaders In Action across the country to include in our network.  If you know someone who is making big strides towards achieving a progressive vision for America, please tell us about them either in the comments or by contacting us directly.

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I'll start with a bang from Al's April 11 interview on Larry King:

[Norm Coleman] had the job during this war of being the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Remember Truman was that during World War II. Truman did 458 hearings on the contracting during World War II. He said war profiteering is treason and I believe it is. And Norm Coleman did zero hearings on it.

Anyone who says that Al Franken doesn't know the issues, or doesn't speak the truth, needs to read that again. More on Norm:

Norm Coleman was a cheerleader for this president during this war. And whenever anyone was critical of the war, Coleman would lash out at them. Jack Murtha in May of 2004 said we need to send more troops and we need to armor them better. And Norm Coleman said of Murtha, who won a silver star in Vietnam, he said he's hurting the morale of the troops and emboldening the enemy by saying that. And Jack Murtha was right. And we lost this war, really, I believe, in the first year of this war.

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The topic below was originally posted in my blog, the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

Campaign 2008 reminds me of something former New York Yankee and member of the baseball Hall of Fame, Yogi Berra once said: "It gets late early around here." The jostling, pandering, fundraising and lying are well underway in both parties for the most wide-open presidential campaign in over a half-century. And it's only February 2007.

Yet as we focus on individual candidates, their platforms, tactics and even how they look in a bathing suit, it's instructive to contemplate what these campaigns say about our culture.

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