July 24, 2010 11:50 PM

Al Franken to Liberals: Don't Check Out Now

By
Stephanie Condon
Topics
Democrats
Al Franken (Credit: AP)

LAS VEGAS -- The liberal base is dissatisfied with the Democratic establishment, but Sen. Al Franken told them at the closing of the Netroots Nation conference: "No matter how frustrated you are, you can't check out now."

"It only took a few years for progressives to establish a foothold in Congress, but it's going to take a little further" to enact a progressive agenda, he said.

Throughout the Netroots conference, the year's largest gathering of progressive activists and bloggers, attendees lamented the lack of a public option in health care reform, the prospect of watching Democrats scale back Social Security and other liberal let downs.

But what's worse, Franken said, is that "Republicans have been making plans to take back the things we did get. They'll implement a truly dangerous agenda."

One of the most important fights progressives should take up, Franken said, is Net Neutrality, the principle that Internet Service Providers should be prohibited from favoring certain content on the Internet.

"Net neutrality is the First Amendment issue of our time," he said.

Speculating on what the Internet could morph into under the Republicans' preferred lack of regulation, Franken asked the audience of bloggers how long it would take before the Fox News website loads significantly more quickly than the Daily Kos website.

"If you want to protect the free flow of information in this country, you have to help me fight this," he said.

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Add a Comment See all 42 Comments
by merccougar89 July 28, 2010 2:07 PM EDT
the rabid roaring left wing. They keep blaming Bush but you know what,it wasn't Bush that put the unemployment at 9.6% and higher,it was Nancy Pelosi and company. When the dems took control of congress in 2007,up went unemployment. When Obama took office,it had gone up to 9.6 from 7.2%. All our manufacturing jobs left the country in the early 90s thanks to Bill Clinton and the Dem congress passing Nafta in 1993. No wonder the GOP took over in 1994 just as they will this Nov. Help is on the way!
Reply to this comment
by rippa42 July 26, 2010 9:34 PM EDT
Dude, seriously, Air America sucked donkey nards. Trying to bend the rules to eliminate a social bias is seriously antithetical to the 1st amendment, if enforced by the FCC or other governmental agency.
Reply to this comment
by MerrellObrian July 26, 2010 2:49 PM EDT
The truth is, Obama's numbers are only down because HE'S NOT LIBERAL ENOUGH! We want MORE Progressive policies when we see the success in the EU and Canada. We want MORE Progressive values when we compare how America has slipped dangerously close to a third world country socially and economically. It's Republican policy whose put us in the greatest recession our Country has ever known. People know that. They don't forget it in two years!
Reply to this comment
by perish2 July 26, 2010 1:58 PM EDT
If anyone ever listened to Al Franken when he was on the radio, they would know that this guy is an ugly hateful foul-mouthed disgusting excuse fro an excuse of a human being. No wonder he couldn't make it and Air America didn't get enough listeners to keep it afloat even with big bucks behind it. His SNL stuff was never funny either with the Stuart Smalley thing being the most boring ever on that show.

as far as this netroots thing, does this mean that all of the liberal and left wing bolggers and comment writers online are part of some organization? Do they tell all the left wingers what to write? Is there really a list of taling points and pre approved responses and lines of attack? Do you mean that Rush Limbaugh has been right all these years when he spoke of that stuff? I thought he made it up. How many, if not all, of the liberal posts on here are a result of this netroots thing? Do many of you folks get paid for doing it?
Reply to this comment
by fishermanpat July 26, 2010 9:39 PM EDT
Very good post and I am so grateful to see there is at least one individual with the ability to think on this site. Al Franken was elected with illegal votes it turns out, and will never get re-elected no matter how many "bad" votes they can throw his way. He is one foul, disgusting individual.
by pzakx July 27, 2010 11:51 AM EDT
and you're an idiot
by love2ridend July 26, 2010 1:56 PM EDT
Al Franken is nothing more than a liberal Limbaugh. Neither one of them is worth listining to
Reply to this comment
by Mortar_29 July 26, 2010 3:17 PM EDT
So, dont listen.
by stn_sage July 26, 2010 11:29 AM EDT
Al Franken is wrong! It's not a question of liberals, conservatives, independents, or anyone else, 'checking out now'! It's a question of Democrats keeping their promises and enacting 'people issues' that they promised to enact and were elected to do so!

The onus of responsibility is on CONGRESS, not the public!
Reply to this comment
by Mortar_29 July 26, 2010 12:34 PM EDT
The Dems have never promised to enact the people's issues. They have promised to enact a marxist/socialist agenda.

Which is exactly opposite of what Americans need and/or want.
by ouchitatom July 26, 2010 10:40 AM EDT
Through all this I have noticed that not one congressman has stood up in congress and said :It is time to pray:I know two things for sure ! There is no such thing as predjudice in a foxhole during a firefight!2. God has been taken out of and off of the congressional floor in america! I have witnessed both of these in my lifetime! What your children and grandchildren are going to witness will scare even a old warhorse such as myself.
Reply to this comment
by pzakx July 27, 2010 11:53 AM EDT
good.
congress isn't about your god, it's about doing the right thing.
big gd difference there.
by babooph July 26, 2010 2:31 AM EDT
Poor US left -worked hard to get dems in & now notices that they are also republicans-kind of hopeless in these midterm elections-one republicrat or another...
Reply to this comment
by LIBERALS-lie July 25, 2010 5:59 PM EDT
sounds like LIBERALS are realizing that 2010 November elections are coming...there are consequences for messing up-its called voted out...
Reply to this comment
by us_1776 July 25, 2010 9:39 PM EDT
Yep, and we're going to vote out more of the GOP Party of NoWhere.

Obstructionism is not how you demonstrate leadership.

And all you noisy racists have virtually zero ideas. Your whole focus is to tell as many lies as you can about Obama because you just cannot stand that we have a black intelligent president.




.
by LIBERALS-lie July 26, 2010 1:08 AM EDT
Bush Bush Bush


Global warming

Racism

Wall street greed


blah blah blah
by Ferrell-2 July 25, 2010 5:06 PM EDT
I used to get angry when left wingers insulted the intelligence of the voting public but I've changed my tune and find them downright comical(pun intended to Al Francken). Their ultimate goal is to rewrite our constitution but it aint gonna happen.
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