Fighting the statists just got a little tougher – Update: Obama called Snowe

This is depressing. Al Franken, with the help of the courts, managed to pull off a steal in the Minnesota Senate race.

Republican Norm Coleman has conceded to Democrat Al Franken in Minnesota’s contested Senate race, ending a nearly eight-month recount and court fight.

Mr. Coleman conceded at a news conference in St. Paul, a few hours after a unanimous Minnesota Supreme Court ruled Tuesday the former “Saturday Night Live” comedian and liberal commentator should be certified the winner.

Mr. Franken’s presence in the Senate would give the Democrats control of 60 seats, enough to overcome any Republican filibuster if they stay united.

If that weren’t bad enough RINO Senator Olympia Snowe is working with Chuck Schumer on a “bipartisan” health care bill. She’s really become quite the useful idiot. 

Sen. Olympia Snowe, a key figure in shaping federal health care legislation, said Monday that a government-run plan that would take effect if the private insurance market fails to deliver affordable coverage could bridge the partisan divide that threatens to derail President Barack Obama’s efforts to reform the system.

Snowe, R-Maine, said she’s working with Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to establish that kind of a framework in the bill expected to emerge next month from the Senate Finance Committee.

In an Associated Press interview in Portland, Snowe said it would be unfair to include a government-run health insurance option that would take effect immediately.

“If you establish a public option at the forefront that goes head-to-head and competes with the private health insurance market … the public option will have significant price advantages,” she said.

Responding to Snowe’s comments, Schumer spokesman Brian Fallon said the Democrat will continue to seek a consensus with Republicans but believes there must be a public option that “is available to all Americans from the first day.”

Snowe is seen as a key swing vote on health care. She was the committee’s only Republican who declined to go on record as opposing the public option.

Obviously she doesn’t oppose a public option. Why would it be okay in a year if it isn’t okay now? She’s only looking to buy a little time in the hopes the voters will forget her complicity in bringing about a health care system that other nations are trying to abandon. Or she’s just hopelessly stupid and doesn’t realize that she’s falling into their “trigger” trap. (More on that later)

Update: Politico reports that President Obama called Olympia Snowe to discuss health care. It didn’t take him long to figure out who the useful idiots are.