Jeffrey Garten, a professor of international trade and finance at the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut, and a Commerce Department undersecretary during the Clinton administration, says banks should be forced to increase their lending or risk having taxpayer money taken away. “The government isn’t acting aggressively enough to demand a quid pro quo,” Garten said. “The public good is the key to the private good in this case. It’s not the other way around.” Although the government has committed more than $8.5 trillion to energizing the economy, and the Fed cut a key lending rate almost to zero, banks haven’t made it easier to borrow. The Fed said consumer credit fell by $6.4 billion in August, the largest drop in 65 years, and then by $3.5 billion in October, the first time since 1992 that there were two months of declines in a year. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109...
KarenMrsLloydRichards
· 10 months ago
Paul Wellstone's spirit is alive today!
houstonray
· 10 months ago
Amen!
Soundboy_jeff_meanie
· 10 months ago
all this talk about legal challenges...
funny, the day after the election... norm coleman said "If I were trailing, I'd step back". Meaning, he'd concede.
if he tries any legal bullshit, he's just going to make himself look like a bigger asshole than he did when he was campaigning.
norm, let it go already.
lark83
· 10 months ago
Franken ought to add some real intelligence and humor to the Senate.
The GOP are being real losers at all of this. They may lose even more seats next election.
maudgonne
· 10 months ago
Can't wait til he gets in there and we can start laughing again. The Minnesota Supreme Court denied Coleman's suit...
Indigo
· 10 months ago
He won!
grandma
· 10 months ago
Yayyyy...we have a new Senator....Congrats Senator Franken !
From MNCampaignReport:
Congratulations are in order for Al Franken, his staff, volunteers and supporters.
After one of the longest and most bruising political campaigns in our state's history, Franken has emerged as the winner of a very well-run, professional and fair recount of the 2.9 million ballots Minnesotans cast more than two months ago. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and the countless others who helped this process deserve all the credit in the world, as well.
It would be easy to say that Franken's overcoming skeptical and hostile Democrats (like me), the right-wing attack machine, self-inflicted wounds and a media that pounced on every scandal (real and perceived) was a Herculean feat because, to a certain extent, it was.
MN Supreme Court denies Coleman on rejected absentee ballots
i think i must have received 10 phone messages in the past 2 months. it was a big operation.
Steve_in_CNJ
· 10 months ago
in an opinion that should surprise no one, the WSJ argues that Franken will be a tainted senator. when confronted with the facts, however, the article crumbles into a pile of toxic dust:
The WSJ should concern itself with the Wall Street mess and not Minnesota politics, which they don't know anything about. Regardless of who won, Coleman or Franken, Minnesotans can be confident that it was an open, honest process. It did point out some flaws in our system especially regarding absentee ballots, which need to be changed legislatively, that aren't apparent when the margins are greater. Every vote SHOULD count. When Coleman thought he won, he said Franken should concede. Now that it appears Franken has won, will Coleman take his own advice or whine his way through the courts? Coleman couldn't get a majority after 6 years in office as Senator and more as mayor of St. Paul. There was also a pretty strong third party candidate in this election.
Older_Wiser
· 10 months ago
Congrats, Al! And I trust you'll show up tomorrow in DC and kick Coleman's ass out of your office.
Rab
· 10 months ago
I supported Al from day one and enjoyed his radio show as well. We now have a liberal senator from Minnesota. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Rustyzipper
· 10 months ago
God speed Al,
Lies and the Lying Liars.. a good start, now get to work.
Congratz!!
SCLiberal
· 10 months ago
Glad Franken didn't cave like Gore did.
TheNeedle
· 10 months ago
He won't need to. Reid will do it for him.
Older_Wiser
· 10 months ago
And Rush Limbaugh is STILL a Big Fat Idiot...
TheNeedle
· 10 months ago
it won't make any difference.
Soundboy_jeff_meanie
· 10 months ago
when is bill o'lielley going to have him on the show?
:-)
TheNeedle
· 10 months ago
Doesn't matter. Harry Reid's still in charge. Nothing will be done but what Republicans want done.
Dave of the Jungle
· 10 months ago
Why, Rush Limpbrain can run for office now and get his ass whooped for icing on this cake.
Moon Dragon
· 10 months ago
For Commerce: Barney Frank
ndtovent
· 10 months ago
Thats great that he won (congrats, Al!) and was certified, but I'm still hearing and reading in the media that Coleman is fighting it through the courts, so he still can't be seated as senator. So what good does it do to celebrate if he can't even legally be seated? Can someone shed some light?
BillO Loses (again)
· 10 months ago
SENATOR AL FRANKEN!!!
That horrific booming noise you heard was the sound of BillO's head exploding. Too bad for Billy Boy that Franken has more credibility in his pinky than BillO has in his whole being.
All Comments
Al will be an amazing addition to your usual, boring, old white men in the senate.
" It takes a big man to cry, but a bigger man to laugh at him"
I hated that homobigot Coleman since he was St. Paul mayor.
YAY! Now, Tina Fey!
Some days the demons get you, some days you get the demons.
.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109...
funny, the day after the election... norm coleman said "If I were trailing, I'd step back". Meaning, he'd concede.
if he tries any legal bullshit, he's just going to make himself look like a bigger asshole than he did when he was campaigning.
norm, let it go already.
The GOP are being real losers at all of this. They may lose even more seats next election.
The Minnesota Supreme Court denied Coleman's suit...
From MNCampaignReport:
Congratulations are in order for Al Franken, his staff, volunteers and supporters.
After one of the longest and most bruising political campaigns in our state's history, Franken has emerged as the winner of a very well-run, professional and fair recount of the 2.9 million ballots Minnesotans cast more than two months ago. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and the countless others who helped this process deserve all the credit in the world, as well.
It would be easy to say that Franken's overcoming skeptical and hostile Democrats (like me), the right-wing attack machine, self-inflicted wounds and a media that pounced on every scandal (real and perceived) was a Herculean feat because, to a certain extent, it was.
MN Supreme Court denies Coleman on rejected absentee ballots
http://www.mncampaignreport.com/frontPage.do
http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2009/01/did-wall...
Lies and the Lying Liars.. a good start, now get to work.
Congratz!!
:-)
That horrific booming noise you heard was the sound of BillO's head exploding. Too bad for Billy Boy that Franken has more credibility in his pinky than BillO has in his whole being.