Al Franken's Blog, page 35

WATCH: Al discusses net neutrality on CNN

Sara Cederberg, Digital Director

Al joined Candy Crowley on CNN’s State of the Union this morning for a frank discussion on net neutrality. WATCH:

 

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RELEASE: Senator Franken’s Election Night Remarks

Senator Franken’s Election Night Remarks
As prepared for delivery

Thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am so honored, and so humbled, and so grateful to the people of Minnesota.

Thank you for taking a chance on me six years ago.  And thank you for giving me the chance to keep working hard for you in Washington.

Every day, the people of this state impress me. . . inspire me. . . and motivate me to work even harder.

So I want to thank our business owners and community and technical colleges who are working together to close the skills gap and put workers in good-paying, middle-class jobs.

I want to thank our farmers who are using new technologies to turn bio-mass into fuel.

I want to thank our students who are working 20, 30, even 40-hour weeks while going to school full-time because they want to take a chance on themselves and contribute something to their community.

I want to thank every single hard-working Minnesotan I’ve met along the way – everyone who works hard and plays by the rules and just wants a fair chance to build a better life for their families.

I couldn’t be more proud to be your Senator.  I brag on you all the time.

And I promise to do everything I can to reward your trust – or, if you didn’t vote for me, to earn it – over the next six years.

We’ve got a lot to do.  And I’m excited to get back to work.  Tomorrow morning.

Tonight, though, I just want to say thanks.

And, as always, the first person I want to thank is Franni.

I can’t tell you how great it’s been over the years to watch Minnesotans get to know and love Franni the way I do.

Like most people who run for office, I wouldn’t have done it if Franni hadn’t been willing to be my partner in navigating all the trials and tribulations of a campaign.

And I’m quite certain I wouldn’t have won if she hadn’t turned out to be so good at it.

Franni, I love you, and I’m so proud of you.

The same goes for you, Thomasin, and you, Joe.

I love my kids, and I love my kids-in-law, Brody and Stephanie, and I love my grandson, Joe.

And I’m proud of all of them.  Even if they worked slightly less hard than Franni.  Especially my grandson, who did nothing except be cute.

I also want to thank Senator Amy Klobuchar.  Since the day I got to the Senate, you’ve been a role model and the best partner I could have asked for.  Minnesota is lucky to have you as their Senator, and I’m lucky to have you as a friend.

And I want to thank Governor Mark Dayton and our incredible state legislature and our congressional delegation.  I’m proud to be part of your team, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together in the months and years ahead.

This has been a long, tough campaign.  But I think every campaign, at least these days, is long and tough – for candidates, for their families, for their supporters.

In some ways, that’s a bad thing.  I think people have probably had enough TV ads and fundraising emails for a while.

But in some ways, it’s a good thing.  Because it gives all of us who do this something in common.

Whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, everyone who steps up to run for office – or gives their time and energy to help them – experiences a lot of the same ups and downs.

And it’s a reminder that, although we might not always agree, we’re all in this together – all working as hard as we can to fight for the things we believe in.

And that’s why I hope you’ll join me in giving Mike McFadden, and his family, and his supporters a big round of applause.

I also want to thank DFL Chair Ken Martin and the tireless, perpetually-underthanked DFL staff.  This is the best state party in the whole country, and you have a lot to be proud of tonight.

Last, but by no means least, I want to thank my team.

Now, look.  I’ve watched a lot of election night coverage in my life.

And you always turn on the TV and they say, “Senator So-and-So is now speaking,” and you see him or her thanking all these people you’ve never heard of, and it’s just boring.

That’s what I used to think.  But I’ve learned better.

When my grandson was 30 minutes old, I held him in my arms, and I said to him: “It’s all staff.”

So bear with me for a second, because I’m going to thank a lot of people.

Now, first of all, my staff isn’t really my staff.  They’re my team.  They’re my friends.  They are dedicated public servants, public policy professionals, and volunteers.

I want to thank my campaign manager, Matt Burgess.

I want to thank my chief of staff, Casey Aden-Wansbury.

I want to thank my deputy chief of staff and senior advisor, Alana Petersen.

I want to thank the people who made our ads and did our polling and raised our money and created our mail pieces and grew our field program and built our website and sent you all those obnoxious fundraising emails.

I want to thank the field organizers who spent months criss-crossing the state drinking gas station coffee…

The schedulers and other staffers who made sure I was in the right place at the right time…

The finance team who put together hundreds of events and thousands upon thousands of call sheets…

The researchers who made sure we got our facts straight, and the communications staffers who made sure we got our voice heard…

The folks who made sure that our phones got answered, that our Internet stayed on, and that our volunteers had fun…

And, of course, every single supporter who made a phone call or knocked on a door or marched in a parade.

And I want to thank everyone who has been part of my Senate staff over the last six years – helping constituents, working on legislation, putting together hearings, making sure Minnesotans know about the work I’m doing, and generally making me look good while getting not nearly enough credit.

I wanted to thank all these people individually, by name.  But that could take all night.

Besides, I would probably still end up forgetting someone.  And they’d feel even worse about it, considering how many other people I’d thanked.

So let me just say the one thing I think you need to hear more than anything else: It mattered.

Every time I walked into our headquarters, or a field office, or a rally, and saw so many people working so hard to help me win, it reminded me how important this is to so many people, and it made me do a better job.

The work we do together matters to Minnesota, and I can’t wait to get back to it.

I’m going back to the Senate to help people refinance their student loans, the same way they refinance their mortgages or their car loans.

I’m going back to the Senate to stand up for women’s health care.

I’m going back to the Senate to make sure that American workers continue to have the right to organize.

I’m going back to the Senate to keep leading the charge for net neutrality.

I’m going back to the Senate to make sure we confront this Sputnik moment, and aggressively take on climate change, and create millions of 21st-century jobs in clean energy and energy efficiency, and make sure those jobs are here in America – in Minnesota.

I’m going back to the Senate to support workforce development partnerships, and new infrastructure, and veterans’ health care, and so many other issues.

I’m going back to the Senate to fight for the middle class and those aspiring to be in the middle class.  Because we all do better when we all do better.

I’m going back to the Senate to work hard for the people of Minnesota.

But for tonight, all I want to say – to you, and to every Minnesotan – is thank you.

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Getting out the vote in Minneapolis

Sally King, Digital Intern

Volunteers have been hard at work knocking doors and making phone calls in Minneapolis. We talked to a couple volunteers in the South Minneapolis Action Center about their roles and why they’re getting out the vote for Al and other DFLers.

Ramona B., a senior at Washburn High School, started volunteering recently:

“I have always liked Al Franken. I like that he is working on raising the federal minimum wage and working to make college more affordable. I’m looking at colleges now, so the chance to refinance student loans later on is really important to me. I like phone banking because I like talking to people—I think it has helped me with people skills.”

Marty W.  has been v0lunteering in the Minneapolis office for a long time now, and has been impressed by what Al has accomplished in the Senate.

“Women’s issues are important to me — and Al’s been a champion of them. I have a wonderful wife of 35 years. She was in an abusive relationship before we met, and Al’s courageous fight on behalf of survivors of abuse and sexual assault in the Violence Against Women Act is so important to me.”

Say you’re in to get out the vote in these final hours — find a volunteer shift near you.

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Senator Franken makes strong case for re-election in final debate

Senator Franken makes strong case for re-election in final debate
Wins debate by clearly defining the choice for Minnesotans as they head to the polls

ST. PAUL [11/2/14] — Senator Franken made a strong case for re-election tonight at the Minnesota Public Radio debate — the fourth and final debate of the 2014 election — highlighting his record of working across party lines to deliver concrete results for Minnesotans and his commitment to helping build and grow a strong middle class.

Senator Franken laid out the choice before Minnesotans this election in his closing statement when he said, “I believe the economy works best from the middle out, not the top down.” Throughout the debate Sen. Franken highlighted his work to help more than half a million Minnesotans refinance their student loans, how he’s leading the charge to help close the achievement gap and how he’s worked to strengthen workforce training programs so students and recent graduates have the skills they need to find jobs.

Sen. Franken enters the final two days of the campaign after crisscrossing the state, energizing supporters and volunteers and mobilizing one of the largest statewide grassroots operations in the country. Newspapers across the state have endorsed Sen. Franken for re-election, including the Star Tribune, ECM newspapers, St. Cloud Times, Winona Daily News, Rochester Post-Bulletin, Insight News and the Minnesota Daily. Here’s what they’re saying:

ECM: “Campaign rhetoric is one thing; getting results in Washington is something else … It is also evident that Franken has made a determined effort to work across party lines and achieve bipartisan agreements.”

STAR TRIBUNE: “Franken has kept his head down and delivered on what this page asked of him when he belatedly started his term in 2009 — policy work that benefits residents of this state. In many cases, he’s done so while working with Republican colleagues.”

INSIGHT NEWS :  “Senator Franken exemplifies fearless, principled representation for the people of Minnesota; and for the nation.”

ST. CLOUD TIMES: “…Franken still stood up for Main Street over Wall Street, for a reasonable farm bill, and for better matching people with employers through education.”

MINNESOTA DAILY: “We support Franken in continuing what he started: serving Minnesotans, especially students. Franken has enacted a number of measures benefiting students. As a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act and student loan and open-textbook bills, Franken supports getting everyone in Minnesota a quality education… Franken has promised to continue fighting for students to be able to refinance their loan debt…”

STAR TRIBUNE: “[Sen. Franken] added common-sense provisions to the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act to help protect victims of domestic violence and sexual assault from financial harm… He has also championed food safety, job training, renewable energy, Internet neutrality, funding for Native American schools, student debt relief and privacy-rights measures.”

WINONA DAILY NEWS: “Five years later, with an impressive record of legislation on technology and privacy, consumer rights, agriculture, transportation and other issues — not to mention an important amendment ensuring the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act and saving consumers billions — Franken is asking Minnesota voters to send him back for a second term. We should.”

ROCHESTER POST-BULLETIN: “We feel [Sen. Franken] has been a leading force the state needs on many issues, and we hope he can build on his first-term achievements.”

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MPR DEBATE: McFadden would protect billionaires over Minnesota students, families

Investment banker Mike McFadden thinks Congress should ignore the millions of Americans struggling with student loan debt and would protect millionaires and billionaires over giving half a million Minnesotans the ability to refinance their high-interest student loans.

FACT: MIKE MCFADDEN OPPOSES PLAN THAT FULLY PAYS FOR ALLOWING GRADUATES TO REFINANCE STUDENT LOANS BECAUSE IT RAISES TAXES ON MILLIONAIRES AND BILLIONAIRES

McFadden Spokesman Said He “Supports Allowing Students To Refinance” Student Loans, But Program Should Be Paid For With Budget Cuts Elsewhere. “Looking back, I’m not sure whether on my first round with McFadden he was aware that this was a bill that would actually reduce the deficit but that he objected to the means by which it would do it, or whether he was unaware and didn’t want to commit to the cost of the bill until he heard about how it would be financed. After I understood what was in the bill, I followed up through spokester Erickson and got this response: ‘Mike supports allowing students to refinance, but instead of raising taxes, Mike thinks the government should cut spending elsewhere to pay for it. If Sen. Franken were serious about helping students refinance their loans, he should reach across the aisle and try to build consensus with Republicans, not play politics by tying the bill to a massive tax increase.’” [MinnPost, 7/10/14]

FACT: MIKE MCFADDEN CARES SO MUCH ABOUT THE STUDENT DEBT CRISIS HE … ATTACKED AL FRANKEN FOR FOCUSING ON IT

McFadden Criticized Franken And The Senate “For Focusing On Student Loan Refinancing.” “Citing an Associated Press report saying that an al-Qaida affiliate in Syria is trying to recruit American ISIS fighters to launch terror attacks on U.S.-bound flights, U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden (R-MN) slammed Senate leaders for focusing on student loan refinancing and campaign finance reform instead of passing legislation taking passports away from Americans fighting with terror groups abroad.” [McFadden Press Release,9/14/14]

Bottom Line: The fact that investment banker Mike McFadden would protect millionaires and billionaires and dismiss the importance of giving half a million Minnesotans student loan relief just shows he is more interested in playing politics than actually solving problems.

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MPR DEBATE: Franken leading the charge to help close achievement gap

Investment banker Mike McFadden’s claim that Sen. Franken has done nothing to close the achievement gap is patently false. Sen. Franken is actually the one “leading the charge in the Senate” to expand early childhood education, which will help close the achievement gap.

FACT: FRANKEN HAS BEEN FIGHTING TO EXPAND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION, WHICH WILL HELP CLOSE THE ACHIEVMENT GAP

May 2011: Franken “Is Leading The Charge In The Senate For Early Childhood Education Funding.” According to KARE, Education Secretary Arne “Duncan came to St. Paul at the invitation of Senator Al Franken, a Democrat who is leading the charge in the Senate for early childhood education funding. He plans on calling Minneapolis economist Art Rolnick to Washington to testify on the long-term returns from investing in pre-kindergarten programs. ‘Secretary Duncan has been a champion of early childhood, and a champion of after school programs,’ Sen. Franken told reporters, ‘He knows as well as anybody how transformative those things are.’” [KARE, 5/31/11]

December 2011: Franken Helped Secure Federal “Promise Neighborhood” Funds For Northside Achievement Zone. According to an October 2012 release, “In December, NAZ in Minneapolis was selected as one of only five sites in the country to receive federal ‘Promise Neighborhood’ funding – $28 million over five years – to improve children’s educational outcomes in North Minneapolis … Sen. Franken supported efforts in Congress to bring the funding to NAZ.” [Franken Press Release, 10/4/12]

November 2013: Minnesota Education Advocacy Group MinnCAN Backed Franken’s Bill To Improve Early Childhood Education. According to a November 2013 blog post, “We’re thrilled to share that we signed on as a supporter of Sen. Franken’s Early Childhood Care and Education Workforce Improvement Act. We don’t often weigh in on federal-level bills, but Sen. Franken’s act is such a natural fit given our/Minnesota’s work on Race to the Top, expanding Parent Aware and increasing access to high-quality pre-K for low-income kids (via the MinneMinds campaign). It also presents a meaningful opportunity to further strengthen early education outcomes for Minnesota kids.” [MinnCAN, 11/19/13]

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MPR DEBATE: Franken has strong bipartisan record

Investment banker Mike McFadden’s attacks on Sen. Franken’s voting record ring hollow. Sen. Franken has a strong record of working across party lines to deliver concrete results and has repeatedly stood up to the President and his administration when his policies, proposals or regulations don’t make sense for Minnesotans.

In their endorsement of his re-election, ECM newspapers wrote that Sen. Franken “has made a determined effort to work across party lines and achieve bipartisan agreements” and that “an examination of Franken’s work reflects bipartisan efforts that have produced results.”

The so-called “study” McFadden uses to call Sen. Franken the most partisan Senator also claims that Sen. Ted Cruz is more bipartisan than half the U.S. Senate—the same Tea Party Republican who led the charge to shut down the government last year.

MCFADDEN CITES “REPORT CARD” THAT CLAIMS THAT REPUBLICAN SENATOR WHO HELPED SHUT DOWN THE GOVENRMENT IS LESS PARTISAN THAN MORE THAN HALF THE UNITED STATES SENATE. Using the same GovTrack “report card” cited in McFadden’s, Texas Senator Ted Cruz would be the 42nd most bipartisan Senator. Senator Cruz was widely credited with leading the charge in 2013 to shut down the federal government. According to Huffington Post, “House Republicans give one person the most credit for bringing Congress to its current standoff over funding for the federal government: Ted Cruz. With the clock ticking toward the first government shutdown in 17 years, many lawmakers said they never would have been here had it not been for the junior senator from Texas.” [GovTrack, Joining Bipartisan Bills; Huffington Post, 9/29/13]

FRANKEN HAS WORKED ACROSS PARTY LINES AND DELIVERED RESULTS FOR MINNESOTANS

Star Tribune: “Franken Owes Much Of His Success So Far To His Ability To Forge Alliances, Even Friendships, With Republican Senators.” According to the Star Tribune, “Many of his other initiatives have been passed, nearly all of them with the help of Republican partners. Among Franken’s main interests: privacy, technology, workforce development, veterans, health care, renewable energy and agriculture … Franken owes much of his success so far to his ability to forge alliances, even friendships, with Republican senators. A sense of humor on both sides can break down a lot of barriers, he said. ‘They figured out pretty quickly that I laugh a lot.’” [Star Tribune, 2/7/14 (emphasis added)]

National Journal: “Franken … Has Proved A Surprisingly Effective Senator.” According to National Journal, “Franken, a Harvard-educated comic who once wrote a best-seller titled Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, has proved a surprisingly effective senator, many of his colleagues say. Not only did he tackle the ratings agencies, he sponsored a provision considered one of the most effective elements of the new health care reform law — raising the ‘medical loss ratio’ to force insurers to spend far more on actual health care and less on CEO pay, marketing, and other nonmedical things.” [National Journal, 8/10/11]

WCCO’s Esme Murphy: Franken “Has Also Delivered On Substance.” According to an August 2013 blog post, “And then there is substance. While Franken has mastered the art of backing measures that no one could be against, (service dogs for veterans comes to mind), he has also delivered on substance. While the ultimate verdict on Health Care Reform will likely rest on the success of state Health Care Exchanges (MnSure in Minnesota), it was Franken who authored what is widely seen as one of the most successful provisions in the bill. His provision that large insurers use 85 percent of premiums for actual services or be forced to rebate customers has resulted in 8.5 million American getting rebate checks. The president himself singled out the provision at a White House event last month.” [WCCO, Esme Murphy Blog, 8/3/13]

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MPR DEBATE: McFadden’s record of ducking national security issues

Investment banker Mike McFadden has a record of ducking national security issues. Not only did McFadden hide from reporters one year ago and refuse to respond to multiple requests for a comment on military action against Syria, but he also literally fled from a voter when asked a question about the Patriot Act.

FACT: MIKE MCFADDEN HAS A RECORD OF DUCKING NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUES; AVOIDED QUESTIONS ABOUT SYRIA A YEAR AGO AND LITERALLY FLED FROM A VOTER WHO ASKED HIM ABOUT THE PATRIOT ACT

McFadden Did Not Respond To Multiple Calls From MPR To Give His Position On Syria. In September 2013, Minnesota Public Radio reported: “The fourth announced Republican candidate, Mike McFadden, didn’t respond to two telephone requests seeking comment about his position on military action against Syria.” [Minnesota Public Radio,9/10/13]

McFadden Did Not Give His Position On Syria To Huffington Post. In September 2013, Huffington Post reported: “The Senate candidates’ positions are below, broken down by state… Mike McFadden (R) — NO RESPONSE.” [Huffington Post, 9/6/13]

McFadden Left A Caucus When He Was Asked About The Patriot Act, Refused To Give His Position On It To A Reporter Who Followed Him Out. In February 2014, Minnesota Public Radio reported: “Mike McFadden walked into caucus meetings a few weeks ago in Apple Valley wanting to talk federal budget and the Affordable Care Act. Then came a question about his view on the Patriot Act and its power to hold people indefinitely without being charged. The GOP candidate for Senate left the room without answering, telling caucus-goers, ‘I’ve got to run to another meeting.’ Pressed by a reporter in the hallway, he offered an answer that had nothing to do with the Patriot Act. ‘Once again, my focus is on the economy, education and health care.’” [Minnesota Public Radio, 2/20/14]

Minnesota Voter: “He Ducked. He Literally Put His Head Down And Walked Out Of The Room And Said I’ve Got To Go.” “McFadden’s initial response to the Patriot Act question at the caucus in Apple Valley still frustrates 62-year-old Larry Billson, the guy who asked the question. ‘He ducked. He literally put his head down and walked out of the room and said I’ve got to go,’ Billson recalled.” [Minnesota Public Radio, 2/20/14]

Bottom Line: Investment banker Mike McFadden never misses an opportunity to play politics with national security.

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Did you see: “For Franken, net neutrality remains key campaign issue”

Sam Fettig, Communications Assistant

The Star Tribune has a great new profile on Al’s hard work in the Senate on the issue of net neutrality. When the Federal Communications Commission proposed new rules for the flow of information on the Internet earlier this year, Al was one of the first to speak out.

The Federal Communications Commission’s proposed new Internet access rules could include fast and slow broadband lanes, with Internet service providers being able to charge content providers for the “fast-lane” service.

Franken believes only deep-­pocketed corporations could afford to pay for a fast lane, and he believes that would stunt the growth of innovative start-ups.

Franken points to YouTube, the ubiquitous video-sharing site begun by three programmers nearly a decade ago that later sold to Google for $1.6 billion. If net neutrality didn’t exist, neither would YouTube. ­Franken said.

McFadden has largely ignored net neutrality, saying he prefers to focus on pressing issues like national security and the economy.

Franken, who said he gets asked about net neutrality “all the time,” counters that those issues rely on an open Internet, as do many others. He points to a pair of Minnesota-based start-ups, Sport Ngin, which develops sports websites and league-­management apps, and ThisCLICKS, which creates employment-scheduling ­software. Both grew from ideas into innovative companies that employ hundreds and contribute to the economy. The FCC has received nearly 4 million public comments about its proposed policy, including one from the senator himself.

“This is about a top-down ­economy, which is controlled by deep-pocketed corporations, as opposed to what we’ve had in place, which has ­created a tremendous amount of economic prosperity but is much more ­democratic, and much more about individual innovation,” he said. “It’s creating Facebook in your dorm room. This would squelch your ability to do that.”

Read the full article >>

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A message from Will Forte and Richard Dean Anderson

Hi, I’m Will Forte.






Hi, I’m Richard Dean Anderson.








You might know us from the characters we’ve played on screen. I played the lovable idiot MacGruber, a parody of –






A popular character I played on TV, let’s just say that.








Ah. Okay. Anyway, we’re writing because our friend, Al Franken, is running out of time in his fight to keep working for Minnesota families in the U.S. Senate. And when I hear “running out of time,” I know what that means: It’s time for a dangerous stunt that’s sure to backfire.






Actually, Will, I’m going to suggest we go in another direction. What say we ask (nicely of) my fellow Minnesotans and those receiving this email, to click on to this link and donate $5 to help Al take on the special interests in the last week of this campaign.

If you’ve saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:

Express Donate: $5

Express Donate: $10

Express Donate: $25

Or donate another amount.

Right. Take $5 and then light it on fire.






No, no. Will. You’re thinking like your character. And with a new Super PAC attack, and polls showing the race in single digits, we don’t have time for that. We want people to donate that $5 to help Al’s campaign build a people-powered GOTV machine that can overcome the influence of the Super PACs and their allies in the right-wing smear-o-sphere.








A machine! Yes. Perfect. Let’s build a machine that sprays noxious fumes in the face of whoever is trying to use it — that way, we can –






Will.








Okay. Sorry. You’re right. By the way, how do you get your text to do that cool bold underlined thing when you ask for money?






I’ll tell you later. It involves a grapefruit, a necktie, and some highly compressed gas.

Thanks for supporting our friend Al!

– Will Forte and Richard Dean Anderson







P.S.: Al always includes a P.S. on every fundraising email. I assume it’s there to give the bad guys extra time to escape.






No, actually, it’s there to give him a place for an extra ask — one that encourages people to donate $5 toward helping him overcome the special interests!

 

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