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U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), using what former Sen. Norm Coleman calls “grass e-roots,” has sent out an e-mail appeal for donations to Al Franken’s legal effort to take his place in Coleman’s former Senate seat.

Kerry’s stated purpose is to help Democrats gain a “60th vote that can break filibusters and end the obstructionism of the Republican Party.” But he could also be nursing a grudge against a Coleman legal team that includes Ben Ginsberg, who advised the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth smear campaign against the Democratic Party 2004 standard-bearer.

The appeal itself is not a surprise, coming from a Democrat whose PAC was helping Franken back in the pre-Election Day era of the Coleman-Franken bruiser. But the timing — during a lull as both sides await a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling — suggests Franken needs more help than the $95,000 Coleman owes him to pay his legal bills and may be readying for Coleman to carry the fight to the federal courts.

Here’s the text of Kerry’s e-mail, as posted by an unsympathetic recipient at a gun-rights message board:

Enough is enough. Minnesota needs two Senators. And Republicans need to accept the fact that we will have 60 Democratic Senators.

We’re almost there.

Still, the national Republican party has sunk hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars into endless legal wrangling, thinking that it’s money well-spent if it just blocks seating another Democratic Senator who can help pass President Obama’s agenda.

Can you please help Al Franken fight back against the money of the Republican Party and win his legal fight? Click on this link to help:

Support the Franken Recount Fund!

The legal bills are constantly mounting, but the Republican Party fights on. They know what we can do to strengthen our country with another Democratic vote, the 60th vote that can break filibusters and end the obstructionism of the Republican Party. Al Franken won, but every day the Republican Party delays his certification is a day they count as a victory.

Let’s give Al the resources he needs to put an end to this fight and start fighting the battles that really matter, the battles that will improve our country and start meeting the challenges of the 21st century.

Please make a contribution to Al’s legal fund to give him the resources he needs to fight:

Support the Franken Recount Fund!

Thank you so much for your help. The fights for health care reform and a new energy future are approaching a crucial stage, and I’ll be in touch to keep you updated on what’s happening and other ways you can fight for a better future.

Sincerely,
John Kerry

The Franken Recount Fund is “a joint fundraising committee authorized by Al Franken for Senate and the Minnesota Democratic Farmer Labor Party,” according to Franken’s campaign Web site — so not the kind of national-party fund that the Federal Election Commission okayed in March.