Republicans have "a truly dangerous agenda," says Sen. Al Franken, who may have been elected by felons who voted illegally

Sen. Al Franken, whose political base may be unique in American history, gets the shakes when he thinks about what Republicans might do if they return to power in Washington in this year's House and Senate elections.

"If Republicans take back Congress they'll implement a truly dangerous agenda," Franken told the Netroots Nation gathering in Las Vegas. "Everything is on the table from repealing healthcare reform to privatizing Social Security."

Franken didn't mention it, but he might have been thinking the scurrilous Republicans might even prevent felons from voting in elections, which could pose a threat to his own fledgling career.

As previously reported here, an 18-month study of Minnesota's 2008 election returns determined that at least 341 convicted felons in Minneapolis and St. Paul, where the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is dominant, had voted illegally in the race between Franken and incumbent Sen. Norman Coleman, a Republican.

The final recount vote in the race, determined six months after Election Day, showed that Franken beat Coleman by 312 votes -- fewer votes than the number of felons whose illegal ballots were counted, according to Minnesota Majority's newly released study. The study matched publicly available conviction lists with voting records.