It seems fitting somehow that the eight-month controversy surrounding the Minnesota senatorial race ended so near the 4th of July, Independence Day. I am proud of our country and its citizens and the way we handle elections and recounts, whether presidential or for a senate seat. There may be people who disagree with the outcome of an election, but they do so in an appropriate manner—by slapping an angry bumper sticker on a vehicle or by becoming involved in the next election. I am glad that we live in a nation in which concerns and conflict over an election can be expressed without the Iranian style of fighting—and deaths—in the streets.
I respect Norm Coleman for conceding and not dragging this out any longer. It had to be difficult for Coleman, who was ahead by more than 1,000 votes on election night. He could have hung on and taken the recount results to the US Supreme Court. He could have obstinately insisted on taking the matter to the highest court. It is good for Minnesota that he did not. It will be good for Minnesota to once again have two senators.
Our new senator, Al Franken, was also gracious in his victory. In an interview on MPR, he acknowledged that he had been elected by a very thin margin—312 out of the 2.9 million cast. He promised to do his best for the state of Minnesota—for all of Minnesota. He pledged to earn the trust of those who did not vote for him.
I am one of those folks. I liked Al Franken as a writercomedian. I enjoyed his work with Tom Davis on Saturday Night Live. I enjoyed their sacrilegious sense of humor. As a member of the I’m Okay, You’re Okay generation, I appreciated Franken’s cheesy motivational Stuart Smalley character. The 1976 movie Tunnel Vision, in which Franken and other SNL cast members lampooned America’s obsession with television and advertising, was one of my favorite movies.
But I didn’t vote for Franken because I did not care for his post-SNL career as a “political pundit.” I don’t think his books: Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations and Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them are helpful. My “straightticket DFL” friends insist that Franken’s writing and his sarcastic radio program on Air America is in response to similar Republican attacks. I don’t like those either. I don’t understand how responding in kind helps the situation. I am skeptical that a man, who made his living by first making fun of people, then rigorously attacking people, will be able to work well with his senate colleagues.
I’m hoping I will feel better once I get to meet our new senator. I hope he makes a trip to Cook County relatively soon. A political litmus test for me is how willing our representatives are to make the trip up the shore, to listen to concerns and learn about the issues in our area. Norm Coleman made several trips to Cook County and his office was very responsive to letters and phone calls. Senator Franken says he will work for all of us. We’ll find out in coming months if that includes the citizens of little towns on the North Shore.
People often say that, in a democracy, decisions are made by a majority of the people. Of course, that is not true. Decisions are made by a majority of those who make themselves heard and who vote – a very different thing.
~Walter H. Judd
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