This is how decisions are made in the Senate
By laglen
@laglen (19759)
United States
June 30, 2010 8:27am CST
Sure would explain a lot. Senator Al Franken of Minnesota doodled cartoons of Senator Jeff Sessions while Sessions was questioning Kagan and even got in a nap during her explanation of her "intellectual approach" to life and teachings. Franken showed his opinion of the importance of the confirmation hearings of Elena Kagan.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/29/sen-al-franken-naps-draws-cartoons-kagan-hearings/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONRL7CuTav8&NR=1
While I am sure these hearings get very boring, do you suppose he wasnt even listening? already knew his vote?
5 responses
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
30 Jun 10
I would say he already knew how he was going to vote before she ever came in....so the process was a waste of time for him. But he could at least "try" to look like he is paying attention and doing the job he is getting paid for.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Jul 10
He's certainly not the first member of Congress to appear to be taking a snooze during an important speech or other event; heck, the D1ck did it during the State of the Union once if I remember correctly...lol!
Actually, I'd guess most of the Senators on the committee as well as in the full Senate already know how they're going to vote barring any big surprise during the hearings. I'm not sure what the discussion was during Franken's alleged nap but much of what I heard was nothing new so he probably already knew what her answers would be.
Annie
1 person likes this
@dark_joev (3034)
• United States
30 Jun 10
Well I think these are kinda pointless to have as judges generally avoid questions that may come to there court room in the near future. So there are a ton of non answers to questions that they would like to here and also all the dems have to do is get 60 votes in order to confirm her nomination to the high court. I don't see a filabuster happening so this is boring for everyone who knows whats going on and Al Franken may want to do something else besides sit in on one of these boring things. ALso we are unaware of any back room deals between the Republicans and Democrats. So he may of slipped in to being sleepy in this hearing or it was just an extremely hard day for him. Both are equally likely.
1 person likes this
@dark_joev (3034)
• United States
30 Jun 10
yeah she will most likely make it because people don't care and well the only person who seems to be going after her is Sessions which just looks like he is following the pattern of just not accepting Democrats nominations which is what they all should be doing is grinding her against a stone trying to make her give out her views. The Republicans seem to have lost their spirit. Kinda sad considering they are the other part of our political system it is mostly because religious fundmentalist took that party over years ago and we are finally seeing where it will take the country if we let them in. Oh wait we did and the Bailouts started Bush got to love him.
Back to the hearings they are needed only on that basis but other than that it is mostly politics where they all work out some agreement and then we see some other pass latter that doesn't make sense we can just say confirmation agreement.
2 people like this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Jul 10
I thought his drawing of Sessions was quite good! It seems Senator Franken has even more talents than we knew - he's a comedian, a comedy writer, an author, a Senator and an artist. To top it all off, he's apparently something that few men are - a multi-tasker!
Since Kagan had already met with many of the Senators, especially those on the Judicial Committee, there probably wasn't much being said Senator Franken hadn't already heard.
Annie
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Jul 10
That could be because after all, he IS a man and we all know how exhausting multi-tasking must be for them if they can even attempt it...lol! (Sorry guys, but I bust my husband about this all the time! He'll complain if I'm doing two things at the same time because the idea is so totally foreign to him he can't fathom how I can do it!)
Annie
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
1 Jul 10
I take Al Franken about as seriously as I would if Elmer Fudd were sitting in his chair. He may be playing Senator but he's a comedian at heart and I suspect he votes as he's told.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
1 Jul 10
Hey, Fw-fwanken, pu--pull up a ch.. cha... c-c-ch... cha... ch
Have a seat!1 person likes this
