Joe Scarborough: "If Al Franken steals enough votes in Minnesota, [Dems] get to 60"
SUMMARY: Discussing the possibility of Democrats gaining a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, Joe Scarborough stated, "So, with [Sen. Ted] Stevens losing, Democrats have 58 [senators and Senator-elects]. They've got this run-off in Georgia, which could get them to 59. ... If Al Franken steals enough votes in Minnesota, they get to 60. I'm not saying he stole any votes, I'm just saying, as a Republican from Florida, I mean, it's a close race. Steal some votes, you get over the top." In fact, Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has repeatedly said there is no actual evidence of fraud in the vote count of the state's Senate race.
During the November 19 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe, co-host Mika Brzezinski noted that "Alaska's [Sen.] Ted Stevens [R] has lost to Anchorage mayor Mark Begich [D], whose win moves Senate Democrats within two seats of a filibuster-proof majority." Host Joe Scarborough then stated: "All right. So, again, recapping: if Al Franken can steal enough votes in Minnesota, that's get -- that gets Democrats to 59" Senate seats. Minnesota officials have begun a recount of the state's 2.9 million total votes cast after an initial count found incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman leading by 215 votes. Earlier, Scarborough stated: "So, with Stevens losing, Democrats have 58 [senators and Senator-elects]. They've got this run-off in Georgia, which could get them to 59. ... If Al Franken steals enough votes in Minnesota, they get to 60. I'm not saying he stole any votes, I'm just saying, as a Republican from Florida, I mean, it's a close race. Steal some votes, you get over the top." Brzezinski stated: "They're gonna find them in the trunk of a car," an apparent reference to the widely discredited rumor that 32 absentee ballots from Minneapolis were mishandled.
As Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented, Minnesota Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty has repeatedly said there is no actual evidence of fraud in the vote count of the state's Senate race.
As Media Matters also noted, Fritz Knaak, a lawyer for Coleman, reportedly said on November 8, "We were actually told [ballots] had been riding around in [Minneapolis elections director Cynthia Reichert's] car for several days, which raised all kinds of integrity questions." But the Associated Press reported that same day that Knaak "said a Minneapolis attorney reassured Coleman's campaign that no one but an elected official had access to the 32 ballots and there was no tampering." On November 10, Knaak further reportedly said of the purported incident, "It does not appear that there was any ballot-tampering, and that was our concern." Additionally, state officials have refuted rumors that the ballots were handled improperly, and Pawlenty -- who initially forwarded the car ballot rumor himself -- has stated that "[t]here's a news report in Minnesota that the ballot-in-the-trunk story has now been retracted, that it wasn't accurate."
From the November 19 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:
SCARBOROUGH: So, with Stevens losing --
BRZEZINSKI: Yes.
SCARBOROUGH: -- Democrats have 58.
BRZEZINSKI: Hmm-mm.
SCARBOROUGH: They've got this run-off in Georgia, which could get them to 59. And then if Al Franken - yeah.
BRZEZINSKI: Franken, yeah.
SCARBOROUGH: If Al Franken steals enough votes in Minnesota --
BRZEZINSKI: They could get to 60.
SCARBOROUGH: -- they get to 60. I'm not saying he stole any votes --
BRZEZINSKI: They're gonna find them in the trunk of a car.
SCARBOROUGH: -- I'm just saying, as a Republican from Florida, I mean, it's a close race. Steal some votes, you get over the top. Democrats have 60. Right, Barnicle?
MIKE BARNICLE (MSNBC political analyst): And they have [Sen. Joe] Lieberman [I-CT].
[...]
BRZEZINSKI: Guys, enough.
SCARBOROUGH: OK. So, we're pulling for the pirates. Go ahead.
BRZEZINSKI: No, they're not like pirates like you read to [Scarborough's daughter] Kate in a little book.
SCARBOROUGH: It's not like Johnny Depp?
BRZEZINSKI: They have hostages, idiots.
SCARBOROUGH: Oh, that's bad. We're against them, then.
BRZEZINSKI: Pirates are expected to demand millions of dollars in ransom.
SCARBOROUGH: Who are the hostages from?
BRZEZINSKI: OK, now you need to be quiet, all right? The longest-serving Republican in Senate history has been defeated --
SCARBOROUGH: 'Cause if it's Ted Stevens, I'm pulling for the pirates. Still, if Ted Stevens is their hostage, I'm for the pirates.
BRZEZINSKI: Just weeks after being convicted on federal corruption charges, Alaska's Ted Stevens has lost to Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, whose win moves Senate Democrats within two seats of a filibuster-proof majority.
SCARBOROUGH: All right. So, again, recapping: If Al Franken can steal enough votes in Minnesota, that's get -- that gets Democrats to 59.
BRZEZINSKI: That's right.
SCARBOROUGH: And then [Sen.] Saxby Chambliss [R-GA] loses in the special run-off, Democrats gets 60 -- filibuster-proof majority.
If Scarborough kills enough aides in his office, [Mika] gets to solo.
I wonder what Lori Klausutis's family thinks of his show.
Given the fact that the GOP has been able, for the past two years, to stymie progressive legislation, and the Dems have been content to make excuses, I think a 60-vote majority is desirable, if only to take away the fig leaf and force them to grow a pair. I also think that the major battles coming up will be over judicial appointments. At least, I hope so, because I know that Kyl and Co. are gearing up to scuttle any progressive appointments, and I consider the over-representation of the Federalist Society in every level of the Judicial Branch to be a grave danger to our survival as a representative democracy.
Hit the post button too soon. I wish they'd bring back preview.
I apologize for the unfortunate visual.
I should have added at the end that the 60 votes would make the confirmation progressive judges much more achievable. It might also make for good theatre to have the Dems threaten the GOP with the "nuclear option," though I don't think the GOP would cave, since they know that the Dems aren't as fanatic as they are and would, ultimately, be more responsible and preserve the traditions of the Senate.
If Al Franken can steal enough votes in Minnesota, that's get -- that gets Democrats to 59.
Go Al !!
Anybody else notice that these transcripts are getting more difficult to read lately? It seems like since the election, the cons are really having trouble completing their sentences and thoughts. They used to be so solid on the talking points, not that they said much, but at least they had a subject and verbs in their babbling.Look at poor Joe and Mika, just trying to tag team their way to a coherent point.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/27801756#27801756
This is the best thing that's been on Morning Joe since Jobo dropped the F-bomb.
Hey Con, I'll have to check it out later. I'm at work, and it's a 10 minute video.
OT, but since part of the segment goes there,what's with the increased pirate activity? I had the news on in the background last night, and a related story was explaining how technology has made smaller crews possible for big ships, and they're being called "Zombie ships".
Not to make light of the topic, but I do like hearing evening news reports in 2008 that include the words "pirate" and "zombie", especially in the same week that a major newsmagazine has an article discussing the anti-christ. Is everything just spinning off the axis?
Col,
It's definitely worth your time.
As for the piracy story, I didn't look at it, but I've been reading that Somalia is a hotbed of piracy, terrorism, and all kinds of lawlessness since we tried to destabalize a relatively moderate Islamic govt. there. The Russians recently used combat helicopters to protect a merchant ship. The waters off the Horn of Africa are now as dangerous to shipping as were the waters off Tripoli in the early cays of our nation.
BTW, I noticed you de-capitalized con when referring to conservatives. I appreciate it.
OMG! They've been Palinized!
Considering the nature of the Democratic party, I think they would need about 80-90 seats in order to have a filibuster-proof majority. They don't exactly march in lockstep.
Excellent point. 60 would not do it. Dems in Nebraska, Montana, Indiana, and Arkansas are simply not in the bag.
I second that!!!!
Sounds like Joe's adding his name to the list of Reps who are admitting the 2000 election was stolen.
I believe it was G. B. Shaw who said that the liar's punishment is not that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else...
If the Democrat party doesn't get the 60 seats now, they could always snag them in 2010.
I doubt that, personally. It's much easier to play offense than defense, and any problems with the economy in general or the housing market specifically are going to be widely played as the fault of the left. Just remember 1994. I'm not saying it's a certainty the Dems will lose seats, but it seems much more likely than a gain.
Brab,
The whole thing is a joke anyway. Both the Democrats and Republicans are guilty of reckless overspending, fiscal irresponsibility, and lack of oversight. Even though I disagree with Obama on just about everything, I was hoping he'd bring in fresh faces and fresh ideas. Instead it looks like his administration is shaping up like Clinton redux.
Considering that those Clintonistas left us a budget surplus, that's not exactly the worst deal in town, I'd say...
You know what's really a joke, AA? That things always seem to "look to you" exactly as they look to the confused people on Fox and right wing radio. Do you have any scrap of critical thinking skills left?
Many times I have asked anotherunamerican what specific programs of Obama's that he disagrees with. He never can name even one.
I think AA has been told enough times by the guys on the radio that he should disagree with all things "liberal" that he just finds it easier to obey than to think . I've been posting here on & off for at least a couple of years, and I don't recall ever seeing a post from Barney that showed any independent thought or use of logic.He is the perfect Fox viewer.
And when facts hit him on the face, ignore it away with a 'both parties are guilty of .....'.
Tommy applies the same slithering-away logic too.
ZONG!?!?! Sanders KO's AA in the 1st. round. Hahaha!!!!
There is no such party.
If the Democrat party doesn't get the 60 seats now, they could always snag them in 2010.
Not with Franken though. The dem leadership in no way shape or form wants him around. A left-wing wit, sharp as a knife, who doesn't suffer fools and nitwits gladly (like randi Rhodes)? They will do nothing to help him win this seat.
Can you imagine Franken at hearings, asking tough, pointed questions, making the other Dems look like foolish poobahs, easily cutting to the quick? They do not want him around.
Correct me if I'm wrong, Carlile, but didn't you tell us for months that America didn't want Obama, either? You were predicting all kinds of gloom and doom if the Democratic party didn't choose Hillary.
I get fundraising e-mails from key members of the Democratic party, and they're solidly in favor of Franken. What, do you think they want Coleman to win? Preposterous!
Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) each did a TV ad for Al Franken.
Bill Clinton and Al Gore each did separate events for Al Franken (the Bill Clinton event was also to support Obama in Minnesota.)
The DSCC ran a lot of TV ads for Al Franken.
With all due respect of course.
The DemacratIC party thank you very much . . .
Should we just refer to the repubs as the Republik party? has a good ring to it.
This is another behavior that irritates me.
FoxNews refers to Demoratic, repeat Democratic, Congressmen and voters as Dems. They do not refer to Republicans as Reps, Res, Repus, Repubs or anything like that.
I thought about why they would do that. The only reason, or possibility, I could imagine was that there are people who would never be rational, logical, polite and this network makes money by catering to those people.
They also refer to the Democrat Party, too. A bit like calling them Re-pooh-blicans.
Careful there Joey Boy or we'll get Maddow to run you off
"Minnesota law triggers automatic recounts when the vote margin between the top two candidates in federal, state, or judicial races is less than one-half of one percent in a general election."
Why does FOX hate MN law?