Al Franken: The Hardest Vote I've Taken (Here's a daily affirmation for you Stuart Smalley, you are not grandchild friendly)

You are a classic politician Mr. Franken. You state it's "simply bad policy" and the very next word out of your mouth is "but." There's a lot in this bill that will really help. With the exception of Senator Bernie Sanders, you and 98 of your peers are spineless wonders. God forbid you would actually talk to those of us that unfortunately voted for your sorry "butt."

In your delusional condition, you attempt to tug at holiday heart strings suggesting that more homeless kids would be spending Christmas in a shelter or car if you opted not to roll over on "the hardest vote you've ever taken." When the Bush Tax Cuts went into effect, the entire world knew they expired the end of 2010. Are you and your 98 Senator peers calendar challenged? Did you or any of your 98 lambs consider planning for this prior to the last couple of months of 2010?

You state you "got into this line of work because I wanted to stand up for Minnesota families trying to put food on the table and build a better life for their kids." Well Mr. Franken you are standing up and we have collectively been stood up. Mr. Franken, it is so comforting to know that you are "taking the president at his word that he will fight harder to put an end to these wasteful tax breaks in 2012 than he did in 2010."

At what point do you formulate an independent thought for yourself versus sucking up to the President and your fellow Democratic sheep in an effort to get re-elected? Might I suggest you reach across the aisle with Mr. John Boehner (a.k.a. I do not compromise) and the two of you could share a tear while displaying faux bi-partisanship.

Lord knows you and your peers have given our grandchildren $900 billion more reasons to cry.

Al Franken
Huffington Post
12/14/10

A lot of people are unhappy that the president punted on first down, and I'm one of them. Extending the excessive Bush tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires will explode our deficit over the next two years without doing anything to help our economy. I think it's simply bad policy.

But for Minnesota's middle class, struggling to get by in a tough economy, there's a lot in this bill that will really help: tax cuts for working families, a payroll tax holiday, energy tax credits, and the extension of Recovery Act initiatives that are already making a difference.

And for the Minnesotans truly suffering right now -- men, women, and children on the edge of economic disaster -- the alternative is simply unacceptable. If we let Republicans block unemployment benefits, even temporarily, there will be a lot more pain for working families, a lot more homeless kids spending Christmas in a shelter or a car.

If this is the prelude of a permanent extension of the Bush tax breaks for the super-wealthy, we're in big trouble. We'll lose our ability to make the investments we need to grow our way out of long-term budget deficits: education, infrastructure, and research and development. And I am taking the president at his word that he will fight harder to put an end to these wasteful tax breaks in 2012 than he did in 2010.

This isn't a great deal by any stretch of the imagination. But I got into this line of work because I wanted to stand up for Minnesota families trying to put food on the table and build a better life for their kids. And, for them, the only thing worse than a bad deal would be no deal at all. That's why I voted yes yesterday -- and why I will continue my fight for economic policies that create jobs, address our deficit problem, and build new opportunities for Minnesota.