A Thank you tweet from Al Franken....

[riversedge]

Link to tweet

[dhol82]

1. There is no way I can express how much of a loss the ousting of this man was.

The senate could have been so much more than what it is now.

[LenaBaby61]

11. THIS 👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻

😪

[Trumpocalypse]

12. How so?

Please explain.

[dhol82]

46. He was not afraid to ask the hard questions.

He didn’t shy away from confrontation.
Don’t see anyone else in the senate that is that gutsy.

[Dave Starsky]

48. He also ALWAYS came prepared.

Whether the topic was education, forced arbitration, or net neutrality, he came with a list of good, probing questions that he had obviously gotten from researching and doing his homework. Most of the other Senators on his panel acted like they didn't have the first clue what they were talking about.

[dhol82]

50. True. He was such a credit to the senate.

[Trumpocalypse]

49. What about Warren,

Sanders, Patrick Leahy, Richard Blumanthal, Sherod Brown, Jeff Merkley and others. If you don't see anyone else who is that gutsy, you haven't been looking.

And what hard questions? Can you cite examples of hard questions, other than Jeff Sessions, where he asked hard questions?

[dhol82]

52. What do you have against Franken?

You obviously have some sort of agenda.

[Trumpocalypse]

53. It's not having anything against Franken

He was a good Senator but had an average record. It's all about keeping things in perspective. The cult of personality that has formed around Franken since he resigned has just gotten out of hand. Unless Franken is spoken about in glowing language as if he was the best Senator who ever walked the earth, you must have something against him. Your post just proves my point.

[Chin music]

2. Because, you're good enough Al, and gosh darn it, people like you buddy.

Great job. Nobody ever got anywhere, without a book.

[Funtatlaguy]

3. Yep. He is missed.

[Chin music]

4. +1 Sigh.

'A caring nurturer, but, not a licensed therapist'.....

[Haggis for Breakfast]

5. Thank you, Kisten Gillibrand and your wake of vultures.

Everyday, I mourn the loss of this wonderful man.

YOU cost us TOO MUCH. YOU are NOT worth it.

[Honeycombe8]

9. So many feel this way. +1. nt

[BigmanPigman]

14. +1,000,000

[Trumpocalypse]

13. Just curious

What were Franken’s accomplishments as a Senator.

[USALiberal]

17. Wow, what is your issue with Al? Constant. nt

[Trumpocalypse]

23. I just want to know

why he deserves such slavish devotion. So what were his accomplishments as a Senator.

[gateley]

26. "slavish devotion"?

[Trumpocalypse]

31. Laugh all you want

but it is just avoiding my question.

[gateley]

32. It wasn't a response to your question -- which I'm not avoiding or even

interested enough to answer. I just thought it was a little over-the-top -- sheesh, people are just saying they like the guy.

[Trumpocalypse]

33. Not really

Maybe you should read some of the other posts.

[USALiberal]

28. No, it's something else. Nt

[Trumpocalypse]

30. Why not answer my question

instead of avoiding it.

[AdamGG]

21. He got Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from the Russia probe

Watch his questioning during the confirmation hearings of Betsy DeVos, Jeff Sessions, Neal Gorsuch - he was by far the standout of the Democratic Senators. His absence is a huge loss.

[Trumpocalypse]

24. Actually he didn't

Session’s confirmation hearing was in January. Franken asked a question about Russian contacts with the Trump campaign. Session lied. But he didn’t recuse himself until March when The NY Times and Washington Post published articles about Sessions meeting with A Russian at the Republican convention. This led to calls from many Democrats as well as former Justice department officials for Sessions to recuse himself. Now to say Franken’s question was a contributing factor but it was hardly a primary one.

And I saw many Senators ask tough questions too, especially Patrick Leahy. By what measure was Franken a standard out?

[Ligyron]

55. I just liked his style.

He had a calm, cool, but at the same time a serious lawyer/scholar type thing going on when he questioned those GOP scum sucking grifters. Kamala Harris is great at this being a former prosecutor with the requisite legal training. Now Franken may have come from a comedian/show biz background but he could play the scary interlocutor part too. You could see real terror in the eyes of his GOP victims when he would ask a series of questions like a prosecutor does - leaving the increasingly confused and anxious defendant wondering just what trap he was being led into. He scared the GOP badly so naturally they had to get rid of him and it was all too easy to do with the Democrats themselves leading the charge. Even if he'd done nothing more helpful than contributing to the demise of that hideous elf Sessions, he could still be a real asset for us now with all the investigations and possible impeachment coming up.

[Trumpocalypse]

59. Thanks

I can relate to that. But should be kept in perspective.

BTW I do feel I should point out that the upcoming investigations are in the House, not the Senate.

[grantcart]

36. In the history of the US Senate few Senators have had as significant an impact on policy as Franken

Your snarky passive aggressive pouty question simply belies an outstanding ignorance of Sen. Franken's accomplishments.

Beside his general contributions to increasing the intelligence of Senate debate and his particularly astute ability to focus on the critical issues in real time in witnesses testifying before the Senate, Senator Franken was an especially hard working Senator on policy issues.

My time is too valuable to give an exhaustive list of his contributions to someone who is to affected to simply google the issue but baits others with a question so I will focus on only one.

It was Senator Franken's simple amendment to the ACA that limited the Medical Loss Ratio (to either 15 or 20 percent) that put a permanent cap on the percentage of gross margin for the ENTIRE US health industry.

Prior to his amendment health insurance companies were able create enormous gross margins (usually in the 30%) and then go on and deny coverage and pocket enormous net profit.

After Franken's brilliant capping of the gross profit margin Health Insurance companies could no longer get more profits by denying coverage. If the Medical Loss Ratio exceeded 20% then those excessive profits would have to be returned to the policy holders. Last year my insurance company miscalculated their ratios and refunded my premiums for November and December.

Now that HI companies could no longer get a gross profit exceeding 20% they have a great incentive to get close to the projected breaking point as possible and keep premiums low so that they could increase market share and make MORE net profit.

You still hear people complain that HI companies make more profit by declining coverage but that has not been true since 2013 when Senator Franklin's brilliant idea took effect and revolutionized the entire economic market structure for the entire health insurance industry.

While not widely reported because Senator Franken not only possesses a brilliant mind but a humble spirit knowledgeable reporters have acknowledge his contribution. This one contribution is more than 99% of the Senators that have ever served in the US Senate.

Here are some examples of the praise knowledgeable experts have made of Franken's contributions:

https://www.healthinsurance.org/obamacare/billions-in-aca-rebates-show-80-20-rules-impact/

Ever since 2012, millions of Americans have received rebates from their health insurers each fall, refunding portions of prior-year premiums that were essentially too high.

It’s all thanks to the Affordable Care Act’s medical loss ratio (MLR) a provision – sponsored by Minnesota’s former Senator, Al Franken – that forces health insurance companies to use your premium dollars to provide actual health care and quality improvements for plan participants, or return that money to you. In 2018, insurers were required to pay nearly $707 million in rebates to nearly 6 million consumers. That was based on insurer revenue and spending for 2015-2017, and it was the highest total rebate amount since the first MLR rebate checks were sent to consumers in 2012.

Total rebates over seven years (2012 through 2018) stand at nearly $4 billion. From 2013 through 2015, the highest total rebate amount was $504 million in 2013. Total rebate amounts were less than half a billion each year since then, before jumping much higher in 2018. That makes sense when we consider the scope of the individual market rate increases that insurers implemented for 2017 and the fact that many insurers started to turn a profit in the individual market in 2017 after losing money in that market in the early years of ACA implementation (about 19 percent of the total 2018 rebates were for individual market coverage, and average rebates in the individual market were larger than average rebates in the large and small group markets).

http://mnpoliticalroundtable.com/2017/08/02/4850555-say-thanks-to-al-franken-and-the-aca/

These rates mean that for the individual insurance market, they may have a choice of insurance plans to consider — all knowing that the plans must be based on the same “essential health benefits“.

All good news.

But there is also good news for 4,850,555 consumers that you may have not heard about.

Funny thing is that the guy, who should be tweeting about it, has not.

Yeah, can you imagine a politician not wanting to promote that rebate checks tallying $396,684,376 will be coming to policyholders ?

Yet, if you check Senator Franken’s twitter feed or Senate website, there is no mention of those payments … instead there is this

https://www.minnpost.com/dc-dispatches/2012/07/frankens-health-care-reform-rebate-provision-kicks-wednesday/

WASHINGTON — An Affordable Care Act provision crafted by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken comes to fruition Wednesday, the deadline for insurance companies to send rebate checks to policy holders if they spent too much money on administrative costs.

Franken inserted a provision called “Medical Loss Ratio” into the health care law, requiring insurers to provide rebates to policy holders if they spend more than 15-20 percent of the premiums they collect on administrative items. The first round of rebates are due out to consumers or their employers by Wednesday.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services predicts more than 123,000 Minnesotans are among those getting rebate checks, averaging $160 per household, which is right around the national average. Most of that ($8.4 million of the nearly $9 million in rebates for Minnesotans) will be funneled through individuals’ companies, though a business that receives the rebate is required to give it back to employees through rebate checks, premium offsets or other means.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2014/08/11/franken-health-insurer-spending-curbs-a-win-for-consumers

Stung by a shaky rollout, ongoing legal challenges and deep divisions over its merits, many Democrats on the campaign trail this year aren't talking much about the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Al Franken is the rare Democrat who does sometimes highlight the role he played in crafting the health care law, especially a provision he authored requiring insurers to spend 80 percent of the premiums they collect on medical care and only 20 percent on administrative costs, including executive salaries.

The rule, known as the medical loss ratio, has its critics, although the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation says it's delivered for consumers.


Kaiser reports the ratio has kept premiums from rising too quickly and estimates that the rule has saved consumers 7.5 percent on their premiums since taking effect.

Few Senators have had as great an impact on my family's ability to get affordable health care than Senator Franken.

Knowledge of the Senator's brilliant legislative career doesn't spawn "slavish response" but thoughtful appreciation from well informed folks who spend the time to actually learn who does what. The real question isn't what has Senator Franken done but what Senator has actually done more (besides Senator Clinton) in real policy accomplishments than Senator Franken.

You are free to continue to spam threads raising baseless questions about Senator Franken.

Or.

You could show a character quite distinct from the snarky questions you have been lacing in the threads and apologize.

The choice is yours.

[betsuni]

37. +1

[Cha]

41. IKR!

[Trumpocalypse]

38. In the history of the US Senate?

That’s a fairly broad statement. You spent a lot of text on one amendment to one bill. It’s a great amendment but one one amendment. What else did he do? Or is that it? One amendment to one bill over 10 years ago.

[RhodeIslandOne]

43. So someone answered you, and that just wasn't good enough

Why don't you make one thing clear? You don't like Al Franken. Can you do that?

[Trumpocalypse]

44. As I said

it was one amendment to one bill. When you frame it “in the history of the US Senate “ it just doesn’t complete to the 14 amendment, the Civil Rights & Voting rights acts, he Social Security act, Medicare or even the entire ACA itself. It’s a good amendment. Not saying that it isn’t. Just as Franken was a good Senator. But he wasn’t the best Senator that ever served. Many Senators and Representatives have had to resign over the years, yet Franken seems to be the only one who people here constantly lament about. Why? Because of his record or because he was a TV star, celebrity?

And it’s not that I don’t like Franken. I do. He was a good Senator but not a particularly exceptional one. What I don’t like is the cult of personality that has formed around him as if he was one of greatest Senators “in the history of the US Senator “. That’s just over the top and untrue. Sorry if that offends you.

[RhodeIslandOne]

47. It doesn't offend me at all

You, on the other hand, can’t resist invading almost every thread (for months if not a year or so) about Franken to challenge and question those who praise him. It’s odd, and very noticeable.

Franken was getting under some skins, that’s for sure. And then he got sandbagged. Suspicious, and infuriating and typical of the political culture.

[Trumpocalypse]

64. No I can't resist

whenever I see such a level of unfairness and misinformation.

[RhodeIslandOne]

65. About an opinion?

It's some people's subjective opinion on Democratic Underground that a Democratic Senator was one of the best of all time and that triggers you to somehow "right the record"?

Step away from the keyboard.

[Trumpocalypse]

66. Actually yes

Opinions, even subjective ones, should be based in some fact. As progressives we should respect the truth, not mindless group think or cults of personality. It’s one to say that Franken was a good Senator who got screwed by timing and circumstances. That is a fair statement. It’s over the top to proclaim him the greatest Senator in the history of the the country who was treated worse by his fellow Senators than Julius Caesar.

[Cha]

40. Mahalo, grant! Amazing you didn't

even get a "thank you" for the research from the one who asked for it.

[mfcorey1]

45. Thank you, fellow DUer! My heart broke when Franken left the senate.

[dchill]

57. Well there you go!

[busterbrown]

58. Nice Job!

handling someone who has some sort of an agenda..
But Al Franken? So cool and so smart....A joy to watch at hearings..

[the_sly_pig]

51. If you're that curious...

It took me typing ‘all Franken accomplishments as a senator’ in google to get a list. I feel the list is significant. The list includes, but is not limited to, Wall Street reform, health care provisions, mental health care in schools and net neutrality.

You’re welcome.

[Trumpocalypse]

54. Thank

http://www.startribune.com/franken-s-senate-legacy/462660353/

It's a good record. Never said Franken wasn't a good Senator. Just don't see it as such an outstanding record that deserves the devotion many here have for him.

[soldierant]

56. Everyone brings to office

Every elected official brings to his or her office, besides his or her accomplishments, his or her personality. Some of those personalities have the attraction that makes people (sometimes just certain people) listen, hear, and understand. Maybe even change their minds.

That's really what all the fuss is about over things like "likability," "electablility," and so on. It really isn't something that can be measured. But someone who has it can be a powerful "influencer," to use another indefinable word.

In the case of Franken, there were many indefinable moments in his career where it wasn't what he said but the way he said it, or it wasn't what he did but the way he did it. There were also many moments where he invited constituents and non-constituent supporters into his personal life, not in a way that would weaken his privacy, but in ways that communicated his humanness. You'll want an example, so I'll give you a silly one. Every year, he invited everyone on his mailing list to vote what kind of novelty junk food he should eat at his State's annual fair, and he's honor the vote. Silly? Of course. But how can someone not like a guy who does that?

You admit his record is good. You "never said he wasn't a good Senator." No one has pointed out that he was in the Senate less than eight and a half years, during which time that record compares favorably with the records of Senators who have been in the Senate, or were in the Senate, much longer.

Perhaps we need to file this thread under "If you have to ask, you'll never understand."

[Trumpocalypse]

60. Thanks

I get what you’re saying. But there are a lot of likable, competent Senators such Warren, Booker, etc. I just think some have lost all perspective on the situation.

[Bengus81]

61. Maybe YOU could explain what would give Gillibrand even a whiff of a Presidential run........

Heading the "gang" that kicked Franken out of the Senate is hardly a qualification. Funny how everyone quickly guessed she was pulling that stunt ONLY because she was going to run for Pres.

Well,here we are a year later and she was one of the first if not the first to announce a run. Of course she'll be one of the first to be GONE.

[Trumpocalypse]

63. Have no idea

I doubt she’ll still be in it by Iowa and NH

[iamthebandfanman]

16. So weird,

when replublicans do worse than al ever did, they finish their fucking term for Christs sake. Sen. Larry Craig, for example.

[demtenjeep]

19. she would never get my vote. I hope she is one of the first ones out of the primary

she doesn't belong as a presidential candidate

[cpamomfromtexas]

22. I agree

[sarcasmo]

34. Right on.

[charlyvi]

6. Just bought a book for the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig school.

Thanks for letting us know, Al!

[riversedge]

39. Yes. I thank Al for bringing this to our attention.

[Skittles]

7. well done!

[smirkymonkey]

8. Al is such a mensch.

He is sorely missed. I would give anything to have him back. In fact, I would like to see him as president one day.

[Ferrets are Cool]

10. He is one beautiful man

The world is a better place with him in it.

[UniteFightBack]

15. I'm really surprised he disappeared. I thought he was going to be much more vocal and

speaking out etc.

[nolabear]

18. On FB he said "...as I get back into public life..."

Fantastic!

[Cha]

42. Hmmm?

[zentrum]

20. Come back Al!!!!

[IndyOp]

25. He has his mother's resilience -

His father died when he and his brother were young, the family received gov’t support - that and his mother’s hard work kept the family going. His wife’s family experienced a similar situation.

After “resigning” from the Senate he could have locked himself in his house.

Instead he is once again finding meaning and joy in helping others. Resilience.

[gateley]

27. I miss him, too. Thanks for the reminder. nt

[Jarqui]

29. Thanks for this. I miss him too. nt

[denbot]

35. Ah Ho!

Well done sir.

[MoonRiver]

62. Al Franken...

[Srkdqltr]

67. Did he die?