Senate Republican Leadership Plan For Senator Franken

It’s serious when the U.S. Senate starts planning their ratios around Franken being seated. From the registration-required Congressional Quarterly’s CQ Today: (Jan. 13, 2009 – Updated 2:07 p.m.)

The major sticking point of the lengthy and sometimes difficult ratio
negotiations — whether to count the still-unresolved Minnesota Senate
election as a Democratic pickup — appears to have been resolved in
Democrats’ favor.

Stabenow said the ratios she disclosed Tuesday assume Democrats will
enjoy an effective 59-41 edge in the Senate as a whole, a margin the
party would achieve only if they win Minnesota.

Democrats pushed for ratios that assume that Democrat Al Franken won
the Minnesota election, a concession Republicans until now were
unwilling to make. Franken led former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman by 225
votes after an exhaustive recount, the state Canvassing Board
announced last week.

At least when it comes to actual business opposed to political games in the Senate regarding the outcome of the Minnesota election, Seante Republicans and Democrats are being realistic.