US Senator Amy Krobushar, the junior/senior/only senator from Minnesota, was grinning, as the saying goes, from ear to ear on the Rachel Maddow show tonight. Her first words to the guest host–“I can’t believe Rachel’s not here to see this!”
Since November, while the contest between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norman Coleman dragged on, Krobushar has been an occassional guest on Maddow’s show. Each time, Rachel would ask her when she thought this would be resolved. The first time, Krobushar said something like, “When the ice breaks up.” The next time she had another answer–I don’t know what it was. The last time I saw her (until tonight) she was looking a little tired and she said, “This is my last answer. I’m going to say, when the corn is knee-high on the Fourth of July. And if this isn’t over by then, I’m out of kitschy sayings, and I’m going to be mad.”
Well, she just about called it. Today the Minnesota Supreme Court, by a ruling of 5-0 declared Al Franken the winner of the senatorial election. Their conclusion was elegant, detailed, and specific, kind of like this; “Mr Franken got the majority of the legal votes. He won.” Never ones to mince words, those Minnesotans.
The weird thing about the spot on Rachel Maddow was that I was hugely impressed with Amy Krobushar–like maybe she’s someone to watch in 2016? Or maybe it was just that she was relieved and happy, and couldn’t keep it off her face.