Political Party

Franken to be sworn in

Former Saturday Night Live Comedian Al Franken will be sworn in at 11: 15 a.m. central time in Washington, D.C. as the state's junior senator.

He is expected to be escorted to the Senate floor by fellow Minnesota DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Walter Mondale. He will also be sworn in on former Sen. Paul Wellstone's family Bible. Franken has credited Wellstone with being an inspiration for him getting into politics. Wellstone died in 2002 in a plane crash.

Once he is sworn-in, Franken said he expects to be focusing on efforts to overhaul the nation's health care system. He said he will be looking to Mayo Clinic for some reform ideas. And while he said he is inclined to support a government-run public plan, he said he is more focused on looking at other reforms to help improve patient care.

"Mayo really is a leader in patient-centered care, and there is a lot of political discussion about the public option and things like that, but there is a lot of stuff in health care reform that has to do with creating the kind of model that Rochester has created," he said.

New billboard asking Pawlenty to 'do his legal duty'

A new billboard is being unveiled this morning at the corner of I-94 and Snelling Avenue in St. Paul. The billboard aims to put pressure on Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty to sign an election certificate for DFLer Al Franken if the Minnesota Supreme Court declares him the winner in the long running U.S. Senate race.

Pawlenty has not said whether he would sign an election certificate. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele was asked whether Norm Coleman should concede if the state court declares Franken the winner. His response? "No, hell no. Whatever the outcome, it's going to be get bumped to the next level." Here is a link to a story with more on Steele's response.

The billboard will ask Pawlenty "what he will choose: The people of Minnesota or his own national political ambitions?" It is being sponsored by American United for Change, Alliance for a Better Minnesota, MN AFL-CIO, AFSCME Council 5, Working America and SEIU MN State Council.

The billboard follows an ad running in Rochester and the Twin Cities that also pressures Pawlenty to sign an election certificate.