Franken projects: I’ll win by 35-50 votes
posted at 5:32 pm on December 20, 2008 by Allahpundit
That’s Senator Stuart Smalley to you.
“On Tuesday, I will stand before you with that work completed. Al Franken will have a lead of between 35 and 50 votes. And, at some point not too long after that, Al Franken will stand before you as the senator-elect from Minnesota,” Elias said at a press conference Saturday.
The state’s Canvassing Board is expected to finish counting all the disputed ballots in the Senate race on Tuesday, adding the thousands of challenges that were withdrawn by both campaigns to the tally. Currently Franken leads by 251 votes, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s unofficial count…
Coleman campaign spokesman Mark Drake issued the following response: “This is just more bluster and hot air from a campaign that has been trailing for two years. While we can understand their need to latch onto their temporary lead, the reality is there’s a long way to go in this process. We have no doubt that once this recount is fully completed, Senator Coleman will be in the lead and will be reelected to the Senate.”
How can Franken predict victory when there are still 5,000 withdrawn challenges to count? Because: (a) the Star-Tribune’s readers have been looking at and voting on those challenges for weeks and their polling puts him 40 votes ahead when all’s said and done; and (b) per Nate Silver’s latest analysis, Team Franken’s signaled in the past that it knows there aren’t enough Coleman votes in its own withdrawn challenges to put Coleman over the top. (If that sounds confusing, read Silver and it’ll make sense.) As for those 1,600 rejected absentee ballots, Silver again:
The problem for the Coleman campaign is that counting more absentee ballots will probably benefit Franken. Democrats made a push nationwide for early and absentee voting, and at least one pre-election survey also had Franken doing better among absentee voters. The behavior of the respective campaigns, of course [i.e. the fact that Franken fought to have the ballots counted], has been perhaps the strongest signal that such votes are likely to help Franken.
But now that he’s (probably) no longer ahead, Coleman has conflicting objectives on the absentee ballot front. On the one hand, he might want to gamble and count as many of them as he can — he has little to lose, and has to pick up votes somehow. But on the other hand, he knows it’s more likely than not that a plurality of such votes will be for Franken. The dilemma is a bit like that facing the gambler who, having lost his shirt at blackjack, puts his last few chips on ’00′ on the roulette wheel hoping to get even.
I had assumed that Franken fought to have the absentees included because he was trailing at the time and was willing to take any possible route to more votes that he could get, but maybe I’m wrong. In any case, per the state supreme court ruling, the standards for judging the absentee ballots have to be mutually agreed upon by the two camps, which means that to some extent whoever leads when the withdrawn challenges are counted on Monday controls his own destiny. And that’s likely to be weird Al. Exit question: When will Coleman concede? I’m hoping for 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, just to end the year on an appropriately dismal note.
Blowback
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Does anyone like Coleman anyway? It’s not as if he’s a true conservative, anti-bailout firebrand.
lodge on December 20, 2008 at 5:36 PM
I for one welcome our new hyper-qualified overlords….
//s
sven10077 on December 20, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Aren’t the Minnesotans embarrassed enough that they elected Jesse Ventura for Governor?
Now Stuart Smalley? Who’s next out of the Z-List of celebrities?
jencab on December 20, 2008 at 5:38 PM
Franken, you are the lowest scum that exists. You are a cheating, lying, manipulative creature. A fraud! This is interesting how he says the number of votes he will win with. And there is nothing suspicious about this? What a crock of crap!
sheebe on December 20, 2008 at 5:41 PM
This is sickening. Allah, I think I’m having thoughts there might be a devil or should this be put in some kind of karma catagory? I can’t think of anything that anyone could have done to deserve this though.
oakpack on December 20, 2008 at 5:42 PM
They are not called Minnesotans. I believe the correct term is “Minnesotard.”
Mark1971 on December 20, 2008 at 5:46 PM
Dude, it’s a poll on a usually-lefty newspaper site. Send the Freepers over and it’ll look different in an hour.
amerpundit on December 20, 2008 at 5:46 PM
One more hole in the dam. Make sure you boat isn’t tied down to the trailer.
Limerick on December 20, 2008 at 5:49 PM
way to spend 3 weeks losing an election you had won norm …
/annnnd an “assist” to both the mn and natl. gop whose abject incompetence fumbled away a senate seat they HAD
//hey norm and pawlenty — forget about federal office — ever …
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 5:49 PM
Franken will win because the Democratic party is composed in the main of scumbags who think only winning matters.
ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 5:52 PM
Well, I guess if we want to take this country back we’ll just have to cheat. It looks like the old saying; cheaters never win and winners never cheat needs a makeover.
Liberals always cheat and cheaters always win.
katy on December 20, 2008 at 5:55 PM
“ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 5:52 PM”
sooooo, you’d rather lose and then feel good about yourself ’cause you lost to a crooked scumbag? help me out here …
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 5:55 PM
There are also 150 ballots that Coleman says were counted twice as duplicates. He has a petition in front of the MN Supreme Court to reqeust an order that these be located and deleted. Whether this will help him is another matter.
Wethal on December 20, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Democrats: keep counting and counting and counting until we win.
savvydude on December 20, 2008 at 5:59 PM
Guess we’ll have to wait to see if this turns out to be a comedy or a tragedy.
shaken on December 20, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Yes. Isn’t it curious that they suddenly lose interest in more recounts at exactly that point.
whitetop on December 20, 2008 at 6:02 PM
46 of those are from Dinkytown’s Ghost ballots. Spooky.
RBMN on December 20, 2008 at 6:03 PM
All trash, no trailer!
christene on December 20, 2008 at 6:03 PM
I’d rather not lose. I’d rather see the Republicans fight this all the way. But I’m not optimistic about the outcome. The Democrats are simply shameless enough to resort to anything.
ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 6:04 PM
Some precincts have more ballots than there were voters who voted. That’s the duplicate problem. While having more ballots than voters might not raise an eyebrow in Chicago or Philadelphia, it might matter in MN; hence the Coleman petition.
Wethal on December 20, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Are you talking about McCain or Coleman? It appears to be a trend.
katy on December 20, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Franken makes Barbara Boxer look Senatorial.
Heck, Franken makes Jesse Ventura only the second most ridiculous politician ever to come out of Minnesota.
sulla on December 20, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Thank you George Soros…….
……… I guess it only takes a Billion bucks to buy the only Super Power and run it into the ground.
What’s next……… opening up a diner at an abortion clinic?
Seven Percent Solution on December 20, 2008 at 6:07 PM
Then the poll would just get reset to it’s pre freeper-spam totals.
sethstorm on December 20, 2008 at 6:13 PM
Is that why you’re an atheist/agnostic? Is it because of this strange identification with the dismal?
snaggletoothie on December 20, 2008 at 6:13 PM
They are not called Minnesotans. I believe the correct term is “Minnesotard.”
Mark1971 on December 20, 2008 at 5:46 PM
That’s Mr. Minnesotard to you Mark.
This whole thing is just too retarded. If a ballot is not filled out correctly, it is invalid. Period. No assuming, guessing or believing who they wished to vote for. If they’re too stupid to fill it out correctly, they’re too stupid to count.
oakpack on December 20, 2008 at 6:13 PM
To be fair he hasn’t really lived there since he was a kid. (And seriously, it’s only because his parents moved from NY to there for some reason.)
Actually that reminds me. The guy was obviously going to move away regardless of what happened as soon as it was over. Why would you want that guy representing you? (I mean unless you can’t find enough bald faced liars locally or something.)
Dave_d on December 20, 2008 at 6:16 PM
You mean like the South that’s pro-bailout on finance but anti-bailout if it’s not for the transplants?
sethstorm on December 20, 2008 at 6:16 PM
It certainly seems that way. Sen. Al Franken?
Please … no.
DPierre on December 20, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Shelby and Sessions are against all bailouts
lodge on December 20, 2008 at 6:20 PM
Anybody wants to take a guess when this travesty will finally be over with??
Geesh I forget about it then it comes back to haunt me.
ProudPalinFan on December 20, 2008 at 6:22 PM
The quality (or lack thereof) of politicians from this state never ceases to amaze me. I have a lot of friends that are from Minnesota, they don’t seem like mouth breathing cretins.
But they sure do like to elect them!
conservnut on December 20, 2008 at 6:22 PM
I love HotAir, but this pic of Franken, along with that pic you always use of N.Pelosi just irk me to no end. Instant Heebeejeebees.
Just sayin’..That’s all.
bridgetown on December 20, 2008 at 6:22 PM
Franken is one of the most arrogant and repulsive public figures that I know of. He even looks like Batman’s nemesis “The Joker.” (Imagine him with red lipstick. I know. Try not to heave.) My question is, why aren’t law enforcement people investigating how those mysterious ballots that weren’t counted during the election managed to be all for Franken.
NNtrancer on December 20, 2008 at 6:23 PM
I say they don’t seem like mouth breathing cretins, but they do like to go drive on the ice! That is a pretty foreign and crazy idea to a Texan. The real troubling part is they want to go after a night of drinking at the local bar!
conservnut on December 20, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Point being that it’s open to any moron with a computer and internet connection. I wouldn’t use that as evidence that claims of victory are justified.
amerpundit on December 20, 2008 at 6:29 PM
“katy on December 20, 2008 at 6:06 PM”
that was kinda my secondary point …
/but i very much appreciated ddrintn’s response — which was my main point — the gop f’d up big-time by not FIGHTING from moment one to avoid this very situation …
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 6:31 PM
“ProudPalinFan on December 20, 2008 at 6:22 PM”
the over/under currently appears to be 1300 local time 12/23 …
:-(
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 6:32 PM
Nothing personal, but this kind of thinking always amazes me.
capitalist piglet on December 20, 2008 at 6:35 PM
Can someone familiar with Minnesota explain to me why it’s this close in the first place? Is Minnesota that far left? Is Coleman that repugnant? Are there so few sane people left in that state?
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 6:37 PM
” Is Minnesota that far left?”
um, MONDALE. WELLSTONE.
/jus’ off the top of my head …
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 6:39 PM
People showed up for Obama and, many being largely uninformed about their state’s politics, voted straight Democratic tickets. As you see in Georgia, when Obama’s not there to come out for, the Republican won re-election handidly.
amerpundit on December 20, 2008 at 6:40 PM
What the hell is wrong with those people? Seriously…Al Franken???
RedSoxNation on December 20, 2008 at 6:43 PM
In some ways, I hope Stuart Smalley does win, just so those Minnesotards can get what they deserve, for voting for that freak.
thebronze on December 20, 2008 at 6:43 PM
…and if you were in MN, to see Franken’s negative TV ads, they claimed that the “problem” with Coleman is that he votes 90% of the time with Bush and the Republicans. Poor Norm just can’t win either way.
RBMN on December 20, 2008 at 6:44 PM
fuck all of you whiners. especially those of you that can’t distinguish between someone who votes one way and someone who votes another. Minnesota is a purple state — extremely Conservative outstate, and Liberal within the Cities.
Did any of you complainers take notice of Michell Bachman’s win while you were castigating the entire state?
your_worst_enemy on December 20, 2008 at 6:47 PM
Was there ever any doubt who would win in that crooked, corrupt state?
rplat on December 20, 2008 at 6:47 PM
I lived here most of my life and even I thought it couldn’t get worse. 42% of Minnesotans were fine with a guy who joked about rape, bestiality and pornography. Another 15% voted for a complete gadfly. But the guy who basically saved the City of St. Paul from being worse than Milwaukee (nothing against Milwaukee) and brought Hockey back to THE STATE OF HOCKEY may very well go down into defeat. The voters in this state are maddening. Then again, Murtha’s constituents reelected him.
IR-MN on December 20, 2008 at 6:49 PM
Ameripundit,
That’s a reasonable explanation, but one thing about it doesn’t quite fit. (I’m not being contrary, I honestly am puzzled.) Not being familiar with politics is one thing, but I would have thought that Franken’s relatively greater celebrity than the usual candidate would have negated the effect you cite. Perhaps he’s not so well known there?
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 6:49 PM
Thats Michelle Bachman, btw.
And I am a native Minnesotan — not some transplanted wannabe that likes to take pictures of the snow with their camera, like Ed.
your_worst_enemy on December 20, 2008 at 6:49 PM
This was Coleman’s main problem?
Coleman got started late because he didn’t take Franken seriously enough. And Franken got the benefit of the Obama turnout machine, riding their coattails. Coleman just didn’t see the tidal wave until it was almost too late, or actually too late. We’ll find out how late it was in about a month.
RBMN on December 20, 2008 at 6:50 PM
Now we will have a lousy comedian and thief for a senator. He’ll fit in with the rest of the Democrats.
rlwo2008 on December 20, 2008 at 6:50 PM
Well, as a transplanted Wisonsinite who has endured Minnesota for 27 years and one who is fed up with the stupid liberalism, fraud and graft of the DFL (Deranged Frauds and Liars) party, I’m seriously considering moving out of the state where better opportunities exist.
The only thing keeping some sense of sanity in the state government is Governor Pawlenty – if he doesn’t get reelected, I will be leaving and taking my business and taxes with me.
F U Minnesota
Dr. Bob on December 20, 2008 at 6:59 PM
your_worst_enemy,
A fair response, but we’re not talking about a liberal Democrat here. We’re talking about Al Franken, a man only slightly to the left of Lenin and twice as obnoxious. I loath every fiber of Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi, but they’re gods by comparison. And, Franken didn’t run in a liberal Congressional district, he ran for Senator. That means on balance the State contains a plurality of people who are willing to vote for a man even less qualified and more Progressive (and a lot less clever about hiding it) than Obama.
I personally am not knocking your state. I just don’t get it. If, say, he were elected in California, Oregon, or New York I would not be at all surprised. But Minnesota, I always thought, was largely mid-western and therefore even while it may contain many Democrats is not insane or self-destructive.
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 6:59 PM
“your_worst_enemy on December 20, 2008 at 6:49 PM”
dude, provincialism is ugly no matter what side it’s coming from; chillax …
you live in the place that elected wellstone, jesse, and potentially al, ya better learn to live with the [not w/o some merit] slings …
/says the guy from the state that went for duh1 74/26 [!!]
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 7:00 PM
This is a travesty. Before I even argue the post-vote manipulation, the fact that we can have a hate-filled, tax evading failed comedian as a viable candidate speaks volumes to the new lows to which our “system” has sunk.
I am fast becoming ashamed to be an American.
stonemeister on December 20, 2008 at 7:00 PM
The Republicans have only themselves to blame for Franken winning. The plain fact is that they got outworked by Franken and his thugs. Republicans in Minnesota thought that even as liberal as their state is they wouldn’t be stupid enough to vote for Franken so they sat on their fat butts all fall. Coleman and company got lazy, plain and simple. They thought they’d have an easy win against an obvious clown like Franken. Looks like they’ve been proven wrong.
Even in the recount Coleman and the Republicans have been lazy. They haven’t shown any fight at all. They’ve just bent over and took it up the Hershey Highway. Even worse is that none of the so-called conservatives who reside in Minnesota want to fight. They just quiver in the corner about the prospect of U.S. Senator Al Franken. Get off your lazy butts and do something you sorry excuses for conservatives if you don’t want Franken in the Senate.
This is why Minnesota is a joke of a state. It should be kicked out of the Union and its population sterilized.
Percy_Peabody on December 20, 2008 at 7:01 PM
JDPerren,
YOU may not be knocking MY state — others are.
On top of that, this:
while true, does not take into account the population differences between the 7 metro counties and what’s considered outstate.
your_worst_enemy on December 20, 2008 at 7:02 PM
5000 votes left to count. If Franken declares victory now he puts truth to the lie that he doesn’t want ALL THE VOTES COUNTED.
He just wanted the votes counted until he was in the lead and then it was okay to stop counting. Especially with a statistically insignificant 30-50 vote lead.
Thjis election is a farce. Moreso with the “accidentally discovered” missing ballots that all went for Franken.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, where are all the leftists and people from Blackboxvoting.org who claimed that Diebold stole the election and demanded a paper trail for a safe/secure balloting system. Huh? Oh wait, they were just George Soros funded noise machines to try to keep the Republicans discredited.
This country is a joke.
Skywise on December 20, 2008 at 7:04 PM
Well it could be worse, it could be like New York that elected a guy to the House who’s main claim to fame was that he was bad musician in a terrible band. (Man, “Still the one” is such a horrible song. I mean it’s basically a Coca-Cola jingle except the real one was actually a better song.)
Dave_d on December 20, 2008 at 7:10 PM
“Skywise on December 20, 2008 at 7:04 PM”
a competent local and natl. gop would hammer home the point in your first paragraph …
/here and now we’ll be lucky if they make a peep if/when that p.o.s. s.o.s. certifies results tues. [or fri., or whenever -- the senate is supposed to be sworn in on 1/6 so one of the many jokes about this is the lack of urgency the 10,000 lakers appear to be showing -- lookin' at you, y_w_e]
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 7:10 PM
YWE,
That’s germane, but my question is why was it so close. Coleman being lazy (if true; I take the posters’ words for it) explains part of it. Are you saying that in those counties there are enough Progressives to make such a big difference? (Without getting distracted, I mean roughly by “Progressive” someone who is at least as far left as Obama-Boxer-Pelosi, i.e. a fascist, in technical terms.)
And, more than just his political views, his persona (I would have thought) would be repugnant to any decent person, and I’m sure there are many decent liberals.
Hence my puzzlement.
It may be as simple as, no Democrat (even while far from being a Progressive) would vote for a Republican (or stay home) and the numbers simply make it close.
Jeff
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Apparently, Franken can win by any number he wishes.
Why make it close.
I’d select to win by 50,000. Then it will look like a landslide.
notagool on December 20, 2008 at 7:11 PM
Sure,Stuart,when H#ll hath freeze’s over ith!!!!!!!
canopfor on December 20, 2008 at 7:13 PM
Franken will steal the election and the pussies in charge of the Republican party will do nothing. Totally unsurprising.
echosyst on December 20, 2008 at 7:20 PM
Even if this assclown wins, is there anyone in Washington, much less in the Democratic Party, who will take Franken seriously?
Watch this guy turn out to be a One-Term-Wonder.
That is, as long as Minnesota doesn’t recall his sorry useless ass a year from now.
pilamaye on December 20, 2008 at 7:23 PM
JDPerren,
you want to know why Coleman lost? Because he was never liked, and he skated by after the death of Wellstone. he would have NEVER have beaten Wellstone.
Mondale stepped in, and even to ‘normal’ Dems looked like he was on his deathbed. The entire lead up to the election was a mess.
Coleman was horrible as St. Paul mayor, and he’s also considered a turncoat. He’s not well liked here.
your_worst_enemy on December 20, 2008 at 7:30 PM
Lying,coniving,sneaky,ever scamming resourcesfulness Al,
who is only trying to abide by the good book of Liberalism,
and carry on the Democrat tradition ‘win at all costs’,much
like the Lefty thugs in Chicago!
And no,Coleman needs to dam_ the political torpedo’s and
full steam ahead,and fight Franken every single ballot,to
the ballots bitter counting end!
And then,I hope,when Coleman wins,Stuart Smalley can council
Al Franken over Al’s loss,
“I’m good enough,strong enough,and doggonet the people don’t
like me,I lost”————————–(a bit of Sarc!).
canopfor on December 20, 2008 at 7:33 PM
By the way — I really enjoy people talking trash about MN voters and than going off on tangents over the will of the people in CA being usurped. prop 8 reference.
last time I looked, the good people of MN have a will too, and just as much right to exercise it. Even if others happen to disagree.
your_worst_enemy on December 20, 2008 at 7:40 PM
If Al was to win,I’m going to lobby H/A
for a daily web cam of Al on the floor,
and watching Stuart go through his cat-in
iption fit and nuttery of all things Liberal
in a one man SNL show!!Ha ha.
canopfor on December 20, 2008 at 7:40 PM
YWE,
Ok, thanks. I think I see (possibly) how it went down. The usual scenario. Dems put up a candidate whom they and like-minded voters can support because he shares their values, but Republicans can only put up marginal-at-best candidates.
Nixon, Ford, Dole, McCain,… the list is endless, and even more endless at the State level. (Granted there are exceptions here and there, from time to time.) Anybody have any theories why Republicans so often fall short in this way?
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 7:44 PM
And Al Franken is what exactly? Coleman is more a centrist, but goodness, anything is better than Franken!
Richard Romano on December 20, 2008 at 7:44 PM
MN is full of loons.
VolMagic on December 20, 2008 at 7:46 PM
Did you ever heat this guy on Air America? I do not understand.
They lost four Super Bowls…they must be getting even.
IlikedAUH2O on December 20, 2008 at 7:50 PM
“JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 7:44 PM”
the current & recent heads of the party are almost to a one clueless beltway bluebloods who don’t stand for much of anything?
/jus’ guessin’ …
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 7:50 PM
As a Realtor, I expect to receive a surge of calls from folks. Won’t almost everyone want to move to a new state now?
I am heartbroken and embarrassed. I cannot even type the words “S%&#*r Franken.” UGH!
pbundy on December 20, 2008 at 7:54 PM
Have you taken a look at what Southern reps and Senators were against all bailouts?
As for “transplants”, it’s tough Detroit didn’t transplant itself a long time ago.
ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 7:59 PM
Buckaroo,
A reasonable hypothesis. But, that describes D.C. Does that have that much influence on state elections? (Sorry for my ignorance of election mechanics here.)
Jeff
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 8:00 PM
“JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 8:00 PM”
state parties tend to have FAR less money than the natl. party. the beltway elitists, sadly, thus dictate an inordinate amount of influence on state races.
One example — the natl. gop DECLINED to assist rep. bachmann right there in MN for pissing off the wrong people in the “establishment.” fortunately, she won her race.
Another more oblique example but one of my favorite Saracuda stories — the AK GOP was so pissed at her for defeating murkowski in the ’06 gov. primary that they REFUSED to release to her the ~$250k earmarked for the primary winner. Saracuda being Saracuda said “screw you” and, of course, won the general anyway …
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 8:06 PM
Buckaroo,
Thanks. That’s illuminating information. I guess things haven’t changed all that much since the Spencer Tracy film State of the Union.
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 8:11 PM
“JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 8:11 PM”
eh, things have changed, mostly for the worst tho …
[!!]
Buckaroo on December 20, 2008 at 8:23 PM
I for one and glad to see 2008 one of the worst years since 1968 – ending.
Hilts on December 20, 2008 at 8:24 PM
Actually, Missouri is becoming a lot like Minnisota. Conflicted.
Vince on December 20, 2008 at 8:29 PM
Ok, then I’ll ask a philosophical/historical question which might be too boring for anyone here but myself to take an interest in. Conservatives often suggest (rightly so, I think) that many of the social changes that have occurred over the past 40 years are the result of degradation in the educational system, changes in morals, etc, which have led to the political/cultural changes we’ve seen since the 60s.
Why do you think the Left succeeded to such an extent, given that most of what they advocate is contrary to everyone’s well-being (including their own)? I mean, I know what will happen if people accept certain ideas and values. But I’m damned if I can figure out why they’ve accepted them. Do the Left work harder at pushing their views and plans? Are they more clever at ideology marketing?
It remains, for example, a continuing puzzle to me that HuffPo’s page views are four times their nearest right-wing competitor in a supposedly center-right country.
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 8:31 PM
I’ll never believe that this wasn’t stolen. The starting piont was rigged to begin with, with ‘found’ votes, before the official recount ever began. I’m disgusted, and frankly would like to see some “blood in the streets”.
Midas on December 20, 2008 at 8:32 PM
I still don’t understand how Franken made up all those votes. Isn’t this a statistical anomaly?
Anyway, I’m back to:
http://img258.imageshack.us/img258/9954/senatoralfrankense7.jpg
toliver on December 20, 2008 at 8:43 PM
Dems worked hard to get this result, and they deserve to win. If the GOP believed a tenth of what they send you in their fund-raising letters, they’d fight, too. But they don’t.
jay12 on December 20, 2008 at 8:46 PM
YWE – I don’t have a problem with Franken being seated if the people of MN elect. With all the 100% Franken ballots that were mysteriously found after the fact, I’m just not sure that the will of the people of MN is actually being done here.
JadeNYU on December 20, 2008 at 8:48 PM
The left promises “a chicken in every pot” and accuses the right of wanting grandma and grandpa to eat dog food, their grandchildren not to have health insurance and giving away the store to “big” business.
Most people get their news from these people and they believe it! If you are inundated with something often enough, no matter if it’s true or not, most belive it to be true.
Most people are lazy and do not belive that their lives are affected by these turds in Washington and they have no incentive to try and make things better. Heck, most people don’t buy life insurance and even health insurance because they don’t believe they’ll need it. That, unfortunately is the mentality of most people.
Ask anyone in advertising and they will tell you how easily we are manipulated.
Vince on December 20, 2008 at 8:50 PM
Mob hysteria. Through constant attacks the populace has been “educated” to hate Bush and the Republican Party. The HuffingtonPost and DailyKos espouse that line. Now slice that in with some crsh and a slick website that beats the drum you want to hear and you’ve got a bonafide website hit that feeds you kool-aid. (Religion and politics are not that dissimilar).
So here’s the thing, stage 2 of this onslaught will be to push the public into accepting their progressive answers (socialized medicine, gun control, etc;) You’re seeing this now with the gay marriage clause in California and how the AG there feels he has enough public support to thwart an actual vote. See how they’re trying to manipulate Obama now to do the same thing.
Here’s the flip side, the leftists accused Rush Limbaugh of doing this in ’92 to get the Republicans in power and Rush would simply vanish once they were totally in power. The thing is, Rush wasn’t espousing hate against Clinton (unlike the Huffinton Post) but rather the dissemination of conservative ideals.
In effect, the HP has a bunch of mind numbed robot followers much like they claimed Rush Limbaugh had who are only following them out of anger at their own predictament in life. So now, with the Dems in charge, the “saviors of the universe led by the messiah” the HP has no purpose outside of the hate. I don’t think (and I hope) that they can’t continue their manipulations without shifting to a positive message. (which they can’t)
Skywise on December 20, 2008 at 8:51 PM
Of course he only wanted to count until he was winning. What’s your point? Do you think that Coleman will/should want to stop the recount once he’s behind? Coleman will use whatever tactics he can to keep his chances alive, and he’s already started to do this through the courts. And if he regains the lead, that’s when he’ll want to stop also. It’s what you’d expect either side to do.
Um, that didn’t happen. They found ballots that were from a Franken-leaning district, so it added to Franken’s total, but they didn’t all go for Franken. And I assume you were equally outraged and calling conspiracy when on the flip side a set of ballots from a Franken-leaning district was lost?
tneloms on December 20, 2008 at 8:52 PM
tneloms: They weren’t ever lost.
Vince on December 20, 2008 at 8:55 PM
It’s likewise a puzzle then that in this (as you insinuate) center-left country that Obama didn’t get four times as many votes as McCain.
It could also be that conservatives don’t constantly need validation from websites. Anyway, Drudge gets more hits than the NYT site. So?
ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 9:25 PM
Vince, good points, though it raises the question of why there aren’t counterparts on the right (except for a few in talk radio), or better still simply objective journalists, in the media.
skywise,
What you say is true, but it is focused on the past few years. I’m curious why the trend has been going on since the beginning of the 20th century.
Keep in mind, for example, that the U.S. was quite socialistic before about 1720. It evolved into the society we all admire and wish to regenerate after that, then began to revert beginning mostly at the tail end of the 19th century, reaching one peak with Wilson, another with Hoover, still another with FDR, from which it was mostly downhill thereafter.
The scumbags to whom you refer have their counterparts in the Progressive era during the first 35 years of the 20th century. They were as bad as anything you see now. Dewey, Norman Thomas, Father Coughlin, Huey Long, all as bad as Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 9:26 PM
ddrint,
Sorry, I don’t quite follow you. Are you putting up Drudge as an example of a right wing site? Yeah, it may be that there is a big ‘silent majority’ out there. I just don’t know. And I’m not insinuating that the country is center left. I’m trying to figure out just what it is and why, how it got this way and why it continues to go the way it is.
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 9:30 PM
And, by the way, with respect to Obama’s vote totals, I can’t quite figure out why he did better than 10%, given how transparently (to me) evil he is.
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 9:32 PM
I apologize; I think I misinterpreted your meaning. I think what you’re saying in essence is that the Left is simply more committed to their viewpoint and show that support mkore consistently than do the center-right. In that, I think you are correct; it’s likewise a puzzle to me. Sorry for jumping the gun.
ddrintn on December 20, 2008 at 9:38 PM
ddrintn,
Cool. Yeah, maybe it’s as simple as that. Maybe the activists on the Left are just more active.
Jeff
JDPerren on December 20, 2008 at 9:44 PM
America and Americans lose in this round with Franken, what a disgrace. Whould’ve thunk it!
Alex Martinez on December 20, 2008 at 10:16 PM
I don’t care if it’s Franken or Coleman, you shouldn’t be able to win a statewide election by 35-50 votes. That’s easily within the margin of error. The election should be declared a tie and there should be a runoff.
factoid on December 20, 2008 at 10:20 PM
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