Franken meets Free Press editors, writers

Sen. Al Franken met with Free Press editors and writers for about an hour today in his first meeting with the staff since he took office in July 2009.

A few takeaways from the meeting:

Franken only won Nicollet County by about 150 votes and Blue Earth County by about 800. All seven surrounding counties voted for Norm Coleman in the 2008 election.

Franken was asked if he feels he had done anything to convince more of those who voted against him to maybe be with him come re-election time.

"As I go around, I feel people saying "You've exceeded my expectations." he said, then joked, as he thanks them for having low expectations.

Franken seems to really have sort of flown under the media radar for his first four years, which have gone by quickly. That seems like it's by design, as Franken says he wanted to be a "workhorse" not a "showhorse" when he arrived in the Senate, winning the election by only 312 votes and getting only 42 percent of the total.

A few things that he can claim credit for:

He did author a provision in the health care reform bill that requires 80 to 85 percent of  amount insurance companies charge in premiums be spent on actual health care, not on administration or pay bonuses.

It's something he took from what already happens in Minnesota law and it was adopted into the federal health care law. If the companies don't meet the standard, they have to give back part of the premiums to ratepayers.

The law was implemented in 2011, but one study showed it would have saved people $2 billion in general on their health care costs that year. Aetna in Connecticut apparently lowered its premium 10 percent this year because of the law, according to Franken.

Franken also takes credit for a part of the financial reform legislation that removed conflicts of interest rating agencies have with investment banks. The investment banks paid out fees to the rating agencies and rating agencies in turn had incentive to provide ratings that were better than they should have been.

Franken got the amendment on the bill with bipartisan support with 65 votes in the Senate.

It was later watered down in conference committee, because, according to Franken,  Sen. Chris Dodd, author of the bill, didn't like it. But he said the new provision did require a study of the conflict and if it is determined the conflict did not go away, it will be implemented.

Franken also said the federal help for funding Highway 14 may be difficult now that "earmarks" have gone away.

He said he disagreed that the health care mandate is unconstitutional and said a 5-4 Supreme Court decision on repeal would not be good for the court or its legacy.