Al Franken // Current TV

Al Franken Blasts Republicans Over Debt Ceiling Talks

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) took the floor to remind his colleagues what is at stake if... more

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PCW Replay: Extreme Election Night 2008 « Political Championship Wrestling

-Mixed Tag Team Three-Way Dance: Bill O’Reilly and ? from Fox News vs.... more

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8 months ago
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Elizabeth Warren needs us the same as we need her abilities>>>NOW

Subject: Stand up for Elizabeth Warren. Dear Friend, Earlier this month, 44... more

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8 months ago
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The Wavelength: Your So-Called Private Life

by Eric K. Arnold, Media Consortium blogger Smart phones are hip, trendy, and... more

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Senator Al Franken Sponsors Equal Immigration Rights Legislation for Same-Sex Couples

Sen. Al Franken is the sponsor of legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate late last... more

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10 months ago
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Sen. Franken Vows to Prevent Cuts to Social Security

Minnesota's families, retirees and seniors would suffer under plans to privatize... more

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10 months ago
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Senator Al Franken: No joke, Comcast trying to whack Netflix

Calling net neutrality the "free speech issue of our time," Franken... more

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1 year ago
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Merger between Comcast and NBC Universal - sign petition

Please view Al Franken's video and consider signing this petition. Petition... more

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1 year ago
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Al Franken's SUPPLY SIDE JESUS: An animated comic strip.

Al Franken's SUPPLY SIDE JESUS: An animated comic strip. Merry X-Mass!!!

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1 year ago
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Al Franken: “The Hardest Vote”

A lot of people are unhappy that the president punted on first down, and I’m one... more

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1 year ago
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The Hardest Vote I've Taken

A lot of people are unhappy that the president punted on first down, and I'm one... more

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1 year ago
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7 comments

Sen. Franken Argues Against Tax Cuts For Millionaires

The choice before us is clear this holiday season—lend a hand to those who... more

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1 year ago
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Do You Support Al Franken’s Legislation That Allows Rape Victims To Sue The Whole Company?

If you’re raped by a co-worker at work you can sue the entire company for that... more

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1 year ago
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Shot fired at Al Franken's condo - Andy Barr - POLITICO.com

Minneapolis and Capitol Hill police are investigating a shot that was fired at the... more

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Franken goes ballistic on Verizon, Google, Comcast, and NBCU

"I believe that net neutrality is the First Amendment issue of our time,"... more

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Al Franken Mocks Mosque Critics

“It’s a community center. They’re going to have a gym. They’re... more

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1 year ago
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Keep The Internet Free

The Comcast-NBC merger is the first domino. If it falls, the rest will soon follow. If... more

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1 year ago
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Target's Anti-Gay Political Donations Are Not Actually New: A History Lesson / Queerty

Crawling back into the sunlight after a the publicity nightmare it created for itself, Target and CEO Gregg Steinhafel now say the company is "genuinely sorry" for donating $150,000 in cash and services to the political action committee MN Forward. Steinhafel also told employees (and, by proxy, consumers) today, "We remain fully committed to fostering an environment that supports and respects the rights and beliefs of all individuals. " But how can Target remain fully committed to something it never had in the first place?

"The truth is not that Target and its leadership have suddenly turned on their commitment to gay rights. It's more that it never really existed to begin with." So says The Awl's Abe Sauer, who's been on top of Target's anti-gay political donations. "Further research shows that Target has funneled significant funding to the most socially conservative of Republicans and that it boasts a frightening culture of anti-gay candidate support from Target's own stable of top executives."

We already knew CEO Steinhafel personally donated money to the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann, easily one of America's worst people to hold elected office. But the anti-gay money from Target's toppers doesn't end there.

Target's current group of top corporate officers have supported a murderers row of anti-gay politicians. Even more confusing, some of those anti-gay candidates supported by Target's PAC and its executives don't even represent Minnesota.

Of the small handful of donations he's made, Target CFO Douglas Scovanner has given to both Rep. John Kline and Rep. Erik Paulson. John Kline joined Bachmann with a group of Republican members of Congress who put their names on a lawsuit to force the District of Columbia to put gay marriage to a Prop 8-like referendum. Meanwhile, Paulson supports amending the constitution to ban gay equality.

Of the five candidates to whom Target CMO Michael Francis has donated, three are George W. Bush and the aforementioned John Kline and Erik Paulson. Target's Chief Information Officer Beth Jacob gave her largest personal donation ever to Erik Paulson. John Kline also received money from Terrence Scully, Target's president of financial services. So did anti-gay amendment-supporter Mitch McConnell, who isn't even a representative of Minnesota.

And equally tellingly:

All of these executives also gave money to former Minnesota senator Norm Coleman during his much contested 2008 race against Al Franken. Even largely politically inactive Target executives, such as Executive VP of Stores Troy Risch, gave to Coleman in 2008.

Al Franken, who is a very staunch supporter of complete gay equality, received zero dollars from Target executives or the Target PAC. Coleman, meanwhile, supported a constitutional amendment against gay equality.

And while those are all individual donations, which the heinous Supreme Court decision in Citizens United wouldn't affect, Target's own PAC, the newly formed Citizens Political Forum, has been funneling money to groups like Freedom First PAC, the fiefdom of outgoing Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whose record on LGBT equality is terrible. It's one more way some of the billions Target generates every year finds the pockets of bigoted politicos.

Target and its executive suite have a clear connection to a slew of anti-gay candidates. Listening, then, to the company trumpet its commitment to diversity and equal rights and blah blah flies in the direct face of what these individuals are doing in private. And while every American has the right, deservedly so, to donate money to politicians they support, consumers also have a right to understand that as they spend dollar after dollar with Target, the company's earnings increase, and these executives' salaries, bonuses, and equity stakes in the company become more lucrative. Which gives them more money to donate to political candidates who want nothing more than to zap rights away from queer Americans.

I'd write something about Target's executives now having "a target on their backs," but it turns out they always have. We just never put on our special goggles to see it.Crawling back into the sunlight after a the publicity nightmare it created for itself,... more

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1 year ago
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Momentum For Senate Filibuster Reform BuildsMomentum For Senate Filibuster Reform BuildsMomentum For Senate Filibuster Reform Builds

Momentum is building to reform Senate rules that allow silent filibusters and force a... more

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1 year ago
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Franken: 'If Republicans Take Over Congress, They'll Implement A Truly Dangerous Agenda' (VIDEO)

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) last night told progressive activists and bloggers that they... more

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1 year ago
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109 comments

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