http://senaterecount.startribune.com/ballots/

According to the Star-Tribune’s numbers on the challenges, 852 Coleman challenges have been reviewed, of which Franken got 687 votes (81%), and 482 Franken challenges have been reviewed, of which Coleman got 283 votes (59%), and this has given Franken a temporary lead of 251 votes.

But there are still 5,432 challenged ballots to be reviewed, and only 1,344 have already been reviewed (20% of the total challenged ballots). Also, of the challenged ballots already reviewed, there were 370 more Coleman challenges than Franken challenges, so the remaining challenges will likely favor Coleman.

If Coleman receives only 57% of the votes from the remaining Franken challenges, he will fall short, but are those challenged ballots already reviewed representative of ALL the challenged ballots? Or did they come from counties that gave Franken an advantage in the pre-recount vote? If a Coleman voter is as likely to mis-mark a ballot as a Franken voter, the challenged ballots should come out roughly even, and Coleman could regain the lead once all the challenges are resolved.

Let’s just wait and see…

Isn’t he what Minnesota has really become?

Coleman was a good symbol while he lasted. A democrat who conveniently jumped sides to pretend he was a republican.

But let’s face it, Minnesota has gone commie. Let it burn.

Either way the election goes, it’s a win for conservatives. If Coleman wins, we have a conservative senator representing a goofy liberal state. If Franken wins, we get an angry lefty buffoon which we can beat like a pinyata for years as he takes one ridiculous position after another.

Sorry. You miss the point. Aside from the fact Coleman is not conservative; he’s a crossed-over Democrat who is middle-of-the-road, there is no functional conservative party for this dismal circumstance to benefit.

Who reading this didn’t KNOW that Franken would win the moment it went past election night? The only people paying attention who didn’t know that the Dems and their pals on the election boards and the courts wouldn’t steal this for Franken were Coleman’s campaign staff and his lawyers.

If he’s too stupid to see the train barrelling down on him, shaking the ground, puffing smoke and bellowing a warning then Norm has no business representing me or anyone like me. Screw these brain dead jerks. They can’t fight for themselves. They certainly don’t have the stomach to fight for us. The GOP is a party of LOSERS.

To quote Gen. Patton, “Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time.”

I realize now that’s one reason that a country that polls center-right will not vote Republican any time soon. They hate losers. They don’t respect politicians or a Party that gets bitch-slapped over and over and takes it with “grace” and a smile. The General continues, “I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.” I have to agree. I’ve sucked it up and voted GOP regardless their treachery and cowardice but I’m done. I’m with the rest of America now; I will not tolerate a loser.

I hope the GOP shrivels and dies. I’m not going to stay home on election day. I’m going to consider vote against them just to kill them off. Their breathing is a waste of oxygen.

You know If Franken does win the seat he will be forever known as the Democrat Senator from Minnesota who had to lie, cheat and, steal to win an election by only a handful of votes. As they say it is much better loose with honor than to win in disgrace.

Dreadnought223 on December 21, 2008 at 2:57 AM

Yeah, it’s Florida 2000 all over again. Bush never recovered from his win there. He did become president, but his popularity rating never broke through the 90% level after that.

All insightful comments, but I find it hard to accept as the whole story. After all, you’d have to wonder why the U.S. ever evolved into a free country at all, then. (There was certainly plenty of ‘do-gooderism gone mad’ in the late 17th/early 18th century.) That explanation would make the 19th century in Britain and America an impossibility.

It’s applicable to the period I mentioned, but it seems lacking. Sorry if I appear to be moving the goalposts here.

This is what a stolen election looks like. This is how it’s done.

No doubt about it, for the next 6 years Minnesota is going to give America its next step down the moral slippery slope.

Welcome to fail.

I don’t get why all states/counties don’t go to touch screen voting where none of this ambiguity can exist. In my county, it is damn near impossible to screw up your vote. Each race is clearly spelled out on the screen in big bold letters. You press the choice you want on the screen. Your choice is highlighted in yellow. Then you are asked is this the guy you want to vote for, with big YES/NO buttons. And at the end of the whole ballot you have to once again click YES/NO to confirm all the choices listed are what you intended to choose. None of this well I meant to vote for Franken but mistakenly touched Coleman’s name and crossed it out with a big X and so try to guess who I really meant to vote for crap that takes 2 months to figure out.

So let me get this straight — Al Franken, a guy who has proven repeatedly that he will lie to anyone at any time, a guy who has cheated on his taxes and taken money from people who steal from charities, claims that he has won the election, and everyone around here believes him?

Oh it’s not that I believe him.(He’d lie about what he had for breakfast if he thought it would help him somehow.) The problem is that it’s that close and as you’ve pointed out he’s that dishonest. In this situation it’s pretty much a given he’ll cheat and the closeness means that there’s a good chance it’ll put him over the top.

Why do you believe him now? Why would this claim be any more plausible than the claims he’s made in the past?

I live in Minnesota. I see how Coleman’s camp is reacting. They aren’t panicking at all. No reason that anyone here should be, either. Watch how the vote totals change in the next few days, then see what happens.

t’s beautiful outside now, a brisk -9 with a -30 windchill.

Minnesota may elect the occasional freak, but at least we have wonderful weather.

I’m beginning to see a correlation between average temperature and propensity to elect morons. This leads me to believe that global warming is likely the best thing that could ever happen to this country! :)

Narcissistic: not what you think: but, rather a DIMINISHED sense of self, requiring it to be taken from others and/or self-inflated;

Borderline: you are my idol or you are a POS depending upon whether you’ve told me you loved me enough today or any day;

Antisocial: continually using of others, cheating, and law breaking; fairly good fakers;

Histrionic: look at my sexuality but you better not; high proportion of any of these in the entertainment industry, and on the t-shirts many people where these days.

All with a huge sense of entitlement, and no empathy for others, though they can pretend very well they do until backed in a corner.

You know If Franken does win the seat he will be forever known as the Democrat Senator from Minnesota who had to lie, cheat and, steal to win an election by only a handful of votes. As they say it is much better loose with honor than to win in disgrace.

Dreadnought223 on December 21, 2008 at 2:57 AM

No it won’t. In the MSM it will be the Senate seat from MN that was courageously fought for by Al Franken. And it will prove that every vote should always count no matter how many times it takes to count. This will set a very bad precedent for future elections.

So someone explain to me how Pawlenty is allowing this to happen.

Minnesota may elect the occasional freak, but at least we have wonderful weather.