Smearing Franken

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, it's begun in earnest.

Not that the right has ever been soft on Al Franken -- it certainly wasn't soft during the campaign or the recount (or with respect to Norm Coleman's various legal challenges) -- but, now that he's set to take his rightful seat in the Senate (you know, because he actually won the election), the smear campaign has gotten personal.

And who is leading the smear campaign? Why, Fox News, of course.

Media Matters has the details:

After Norm Coleman conceded the 2008 Minnesota Senate race to Al Franken (D), several Fox News hosts expressed bewilderment, disappointment, and denial about the outcome. For instance, Glenn Beck said of Franken's victory, "[I]t shows how crazy our country has gone." He added: "[I]t shows that we've lost our minds." Sean Hannity claimed that Franken is "not all there," and later claimed, "I, in my heart of hearts, do not believe that Al Franken won that election." And Brian Kilmeade said he's "in denial" about Franken, who he said was "barely sane." Gretchen Carlson responded to Kilmeade by again falsely claiming that Coleman "won in the original election."

As Media Matters for America has documented, Fox News personalities have repeatedly promoted baseless claims of fraud in the Minnesota race and claimed that there was a lack of impartiality in the recount process to accuse Franken of "stealing" the election. However, in its unanimous 5-0 ruling, the Minnesota Supreme Court stated that "[n]o claim of fraud in the election or during the recount was made by either party" and that "Coleman's counsel confirmed at oral argument that Coleman makes no claim of fraud on the part of either voters or election officials."

Just in case you weren't quite sure, Fox News hates democracy. At least when the other side wins.

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Oh, yeah, The Wall Street Journal hates it, too. (It claims that Franken only "won" because his lawyers were "creative." Which, of course, is nonsense.)