Never call Al Franken a dick. Not only is he a United States Senator, it is demeaning to dicks.

Progressives like Al love diverting us, redirecting our focus to piffle from problems like massive unemployment, and stagnant wages for those with jobs.

Whether it’s the pretend-war on wimmin’ folk or ginned up crises like “climate change,” their triangulation is crass and deceptive. Recently, the US Senate staged an all-night propaganda fest on world climate, in which they tossed around counter-factual nuggets such as 98% of all scientists agreeing climate change is man-made. There was no evidence confirming their ridiculous assertion, but here's the thing about Science. Truths are established by experiments and proof, not by a vote. Even had the Democrats’ rhetoric been accurate, what was the point?

Without proposed legislation, it was as much a waste of the Senate hall as Harry Reid’s fairytale rants on whatever the voices in his head order him to say. If climate change, nee global warming, was caused by humans, all the hot air being expended was counter-productive. Only Democrats spoke, except for those in tight races this November, so no hypocrisy there. When the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the presidency, they could not pass their trademark cap’n’crush legislation. One must admire their balls, if not their silliness.

Anathema to Progressives is the Supreme Court’s ‘Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission’ decision expanding participation in the political process, making this country more like a real democracy. In railing against this ruling, dweebs are banking on your ignorance because it merely stated that the First Amendment prohibits the government from restricting political independent expenditures by corporations, associations, or labor unions. If they are so angry at them, Progressives should refuse to accept the Court’s ridiculous decision upholding the insurance mandate of the Unaffordable Care Act (by calling it a tax), but they are fine with that. They do not respect the law, just the rulings that go their way.

Far more insidious than free elections are powerful, unelected IRS bureaucrats targeting groups based on their ideology, forcing taxpayers to underwrite denial of their rights. If the federal extortion bureau were targeting Progressive groups, Chuck Schumer’s hair would stand up in outrage.

Citizens United returned to groups besides unions, and other backers of the left, their right to attempt to influence elections. So far, there is no indication that they have been effective. Democrats aren’t being drummed out of office, despite deserving to be in the wake of massive scandals, fraud, lies and incompetence. As the Open Secrets chart below illustrates, even the evil Koch brothers cannot compete with the vast sums unions spend on elections, almost entirely directed to buying Democrats. I mean, purchasing their victories, if money buys elections. I am sure there is no quid pro quo.

The danger is not the money spent on elections, it is the vast overreach of the government, which makes their favors worth courting.

Yet Americans are begged by party-poopers, like Franken, to be upset over keeping some groups from having a say, while leaving unions free to spend millions, although they don’t even represent their members’ views, much less the public interest.

The Gateway Pundit provides an enlightening highlighting of contributors, with commentary.

Largest Contributors to Elections Over the Past 25 Years (1989-2014)

 2) American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) ↦ $60,667,379
 4) National Education Ass (NEA) ↦ $53,594,488
 7) International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ↦ $44,478,789
 8) United Auto Workers (UAW) ↦ $41,667,858
 9) Carpenters & Joiners Union ↦ $39,260,371
10) Service Employees International Union (SEIU) ↦ $38,395,690
11) Laborers Union ↦ $37,494,010
12) American Federation of Teachers (AFT) ↦ $36,713,325
13) Communications Workers of America (CWA) ↦ $36,188,135
14) Teamsters Union ↦ $36,123,209
16) United Food & Commercial Workers Union ↦ $33,756,550
20) Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union ↦ $31,313,097
23) AFL-CIO ↦ $30,938,977
32) National Ass of Letter Carriers ↦ $26,106,359
39) Plumbers & Pipefitters Union ↦ $23,886,248
42) Operating Engineers Union ↦ $23,036,848
43) International Ass of Fire Fighters ↦ $22,963,260
46) Sheet Metal Workers Union ↦ $22,372,978
59) Koch Industries ↦ $18,083,948

Complete listing at Open Secrets, no relation to Victoria.

To the rescue stumbles Al Franken, second-rate comedian turned third-rate senator, advocating a Constitutional Amendment to restrict rights. He may be mean-spirited and ignorant, but surely he knows this amendment is going nowhere. We can't even get amendments addressing real concerns like balancing the budget and assuring equal rights for women. Constitutional reduction of rights appeals to few Americans, most of whom consider this manufactured crisis even less of a concern than climate change.

The proposed amendment is a cynical ploy to raise money for Franken’s reelection campaign, while discouraging people from financing his opponents’ efforts. Al must suspect that even Minnesotans have tired of the bad joke they played on themselves by possibly electing him in 2008, following a suspicious recount.

When the political process favored Democrats and their funding enablers, they accepted the inequities. Speaking of which, what happened to candidate Obama’s promise to alter the campaign laws to eliminate what have become billion dollar national campaigns, in large part thanks to him and to his constant fund-raising?

The United States lack free and open elections, due to duopoly control of ballot access, debate and media access. With the utmost respect, I spit on the Democratic and Republican wings of the Incumbent Party. The solution is not more rules issued to benefit incumbents, it is fewer restrictions, and more freedom.