Groan: Angry clown actually picks up votes in latest Minnesota recount
posted at 5:30 pm on April 7, 2009 by Allahpundit
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It won’t be long now until the Al Franken Decade begins in earnest.
Franken captured 198 of the ballots, while Coleman took 111. The ballots added 87 votes to Franken’s recount lead, enlarging his margin over Coleman to 312.
The result makes it even more likely that, barring an unforeseen circumstance, Franken will prevail in the election lawsuit that Coleman filed in January to contest the Democrat’s 225-vote recount lead. The three-judge panel presiding over the case has not said when it will issue a final decision.
Coleman will appeal the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court, his lawyer Ben Ginsberg said after today’s proceedings. One of the grounds for the appeal will be unequal treatment of the ballots, Ginsberg said.
Ramesh at the Corner says it’s time for Coleman to throw in the towel. Is it? Three months ago I said he might as well claw all the way to the bitter end, but we’re near the bitter end now and at some point the costs of clawing will exceed the benefits. From what I can tell of this byzantine case, his last legal challenge in state court is essentially an equal protection argument modeled on Bush v. Gore. If that fails then he has to decide whether to start over in federal court, as the Senate GOP leadership wants him to do. I’m pessimistic:
[Legal experts] want to see a final decision from those same trial court judges on Coleman’s claim that the state’s absentee ballot counting process, which differed county-to-county, violated his constitutional right to equal protection — even though he, Franken and their lawyers agreed to standards used in the recount…
However, no matter how remote his chances for success, a Coleman request for high court review could serve to delay for months the seating of a second Minnesota senator, Hasen says.
Unless it’s an emergency, the court does not consider petitions during its summer break, from the end of June to the beginning of October. GOP Senate leaders have threatened to block any attempt to seat Franken if he’s declared the winner by state courts, pending any ongoing appeal by Coleman.
If this drags on without any realistic chance of victory, the Democrats get red meat for their narrative of the GOP as an obstructionist “party of no” and the likelihood of a months-long reprisal court challenge from the left (in Tedisco’s House race, maybe?) will rise. There are consequences potentially for Coleman, too: If and when Pawlenty moves on bigger things, he might want to run for governor, in which case a gracious concession even at this late date could polish his image.
On the other hand, we’re talking about Al Franken here. Time to quit or not?
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Senator for life.
artist on April 7, 2009 at 5:33 PM
Allah, best that you post that and not Ed…I have a feeling he is looking like the gal in “headlines” that is crying bloody tears.
right2bright on April 7, 2009 at 5:33 PM
:[
bad news bears
blatantblue on April 7, 2009 at 5:34 PM
Nah, this will go on for a while longer.
Regardless, Franken (if he eventually suceeds in stealing the election) will be an ineffective clown who further damages the Democratic Party. The definition of a one-termer.
Norwegian on April 7, 2009 at 5:34 PM
I’d say to stick around because there was enough funny-business going on with the ballots that it can be argued the entire election was tainted.
On top of that, it’s Al freaking Franken here. The possibilty of Franken’s delayed seating generating sympathy for the Democrats seems about as likely as an oral bowel movement.
teke184 on April 7, 2009 at 5:34 PM
The cost, what? Hurting Coleman’s future shot at office.
The benefit? Not giving the Dems 59 seats.
We still have a long way to go.
Canerican on April 7, 2009 at 5:35 PM
“We need socialized medicine because we’re good enough, we’re smart enough, and doggoneit, people love Barack.”
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on April 7, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Look on the bright side – we’ll get to see Bill O’Reilly’s head go POP! when he has to say “Senator Al Franken”… :-D
(They ought to capture it for use as a spiffy SFX too.)
starfleet_dude on April 7, 2009 at 5:36 PM
Depressing.
CP on April 7, 2009 at 5:37 PM
I don’t know about that. Blue states seem to have a knack for sending ineffectual clowns to DC over and over and over.
ddrintn on April 7, 2009 at 5:37 PM
Cheat till you win!
Christian Conservative on April 7, 2009 at 5:39 PM
I hope the chairs are bolted down in Congress. Angry Al might decide to throw one.
tommuck on April 7, 2009 at 5:40 PM
FWIW, the whole “equal protection” argument from Coleman’s legal camp isn’t much when you consider that both Coleman and Franken were treated the same in each county with regard to the counting, even if the standards for dealing with absentee votes varied from county to county in the state.
Heck, every county varies with regard to its voting systems too, and that’s not just in Minnesota but is the case throughout the U.S. As long as the state’s legal requirements are met by the local unit of government, it’s hard to see that Coleman’s argument has a leg to stand on in court.
starfleet_dude on April 7, 2009 at 5:40 PM
It must thrill you to no end that MN will effectively have no vote; as Franken has no clue about anything, so he’ll be a toady for the party leadership.
I can see how that’d make you proud of your party.
lorien1973 on April 7, 2009 at 5:41 PM
If we’re ever to regain power it will be because the mask has been fully removed from the liberal menace for all to see. Nothing short of that will do – people who do not follow politics will never believe it. And no better example of buffoonery will do than to have Stewart Smalley desicrating the world’s greatest deliberative body – painful as it must be.
Gimme my medicine so I can get it over with.
turfmann on April 7, 2009 at 5:41 PM
Well, we get the leaders we deserve.
jarodea on April 7, 2009 at 5:41 PM
MirCat on April 7, 2009 at 5:42 PM
That’s got me thinking… does anybody know Bobby Knight’s politics?
teke184 on April 7, 2009 at 5:42 PM
How apropos.
He’ll fit right in with the rest of the Clowns in the Clown Car that is CONgress.
Rae on April 7, 2009 at 5:43 PM
Drag it out for another five years LOL.
smfoushee on April 7, 2009 at 5:43 PM
Let’s get it over with.
The Congress is already filled with frauds and liars. A comedian will fit in nicely, and we can all accept that there isn’t a single bit of legitimacy left in our legislative branch.
MadisonConservative on April 7, 2009 at 5:45 PM
If the people of Minn. make this silly little man their Senator, they deserve whatever they get.
There should be a runoff.
Terrye on April 7, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Poor Mrs. Franken.
AubieJon on April 7, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Elections have consequences.
ladyingray on April 7, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Agreed. If it is going to be, let appear on the talk show circuit.
WashJeff on April 7, 2009 at 5:46 PM
Yeah. The whole idea of Franken going on MTP to defend some moronic proposal gives me the giggles.
lorien1973 on April 7, 2009 at 5:47 PM
I would like to see Coleman take it to the Supreme Court just so that he misses the vote for the Budget. After that let MN have their whacky Senator, it can only help us. As ladyingray said elections have consequences.
msmveritas on April 7, 2009 at 5:50 PM
step back, norm.
sesquipedalian on April 7, 2009 at 5:52 PM
Let it go, and let’s fight hard. We now have the whole country to wonder about this royal piece of garbage. I am of the opinion, many will see the battle we had to elect a conservative in Mn was a futile but noble venture… Have fun, folks… this piece of crap called Franken is now yours, too. Oh, I’ve met him…. he is nothing but a sniveling weakling… worthy of MN liberals and immigrants.
MNDavenotPC on April 7, 2009 at 5:52 PM
I concur…”MadisonConservative”…let’s just let ACORN and Soros win. Let’s have a ‘clown’ in the Senate…Biden is gone, not to mention Hussein is self-destructing anyway.
JoeySlippers on April 7, 2009 at 5:55 PM
Sure, after Franken’s people pull enough votes out of enough asses.
ddrintn on April 7, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Like I have said in the past: The people of Minnesota are frappin MORONS!
csdeven on April 7, 2009 at 5:56 PM
I believe this election was stolen. I can’t believe Franken will be our senator. I’m totally embarrassed to be living here. I heard something on the radio about moving to SD. I should look into it.
deidre on April 7, 2009 at 5:56 PM
sesquipedalian on April 7, 2009 at 5:52 PM
That was before a few bags of ballots were discovered in someone’s car, and under a rug, and behind a water heater, and down Barney Frank’s pants.
Who knew so many undiscovered votes for Frankenstein would get lost and found, and only after Norm was shown as the winner?
Bishop on April 7, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Whatever the final outcome, the fact that Al Franken got more than 100 votes for US Senator shows just how far gone this country is.
angryed on April 7, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Seat the Senator.
getalife on April 7, 2009 at 5:58 PM
Like I have said in the past: The people of Minnesota are frappin MORONS!
csdeven on April 7, 2009 at 5:56 PM
You want to amend your statement? More than a few Minnesotans are regulars here, as well as Ed Morrisey himself. We are no more “moronic” than the people who voted for Ogabe, Reid, Pelosi, Schumer, Murtha, Clinton, Patrick, Kennedy, Biden…*whew, my fingers are getting tired*…etc. etc. etc.
Bishop on April 7, 2009 at 5:59 PM
I always thought a runoff was Coleman’s only real chance, since the damage was done through frantic ballot-box stuffing in the hours after the polls closed. I don’t think recounting would ever have made enough of a difference. A recount with serious oversight, including law enforcement officials prepared to use force against Franken operatives who attempt to manipulate the ballot boxes, was the only way this would end with Senator Coleman.
Besides the potential usefulness of someone as boorish and ineffectual as Franken becoming the face of the Democrat Senate, the other upside of all this could be the warning given to the Republicans for 2010: it doesn’t help to run good campaigns if Democrat operatives can invent fraudulent ballots, or register to vote a hundred times, or file votes for Qwerty Uiop and Ima Pseudonym.
Protection against vote fraud, and heavy prosecution of offenders, is essential. The Democrat fraud machines in the tired old blue states are massive, and have been in place for decades. Republicans have to be ready to adopt a no-nonsense approach to combating this garbage, no matter where it leads – even if it means FBI raids on ACORN offices, or the children of Democrat senators doing hard time for slashing van tires, or media footage of Franken campaign operatives getting slammed down face-first on the ground and handcuffed.
People who share McCain’s feelings on clean campaigns should spend less effort designing Byzantine campaign-finance laws that can ultimately only be enforced on people who don’t get media cover while they shamelessly violate them, and instead work on tough, boots-on-the-ground law enforcement to secure the simple act of registering to vote and casting ballots. No one should be surprised when the election system of a bananna republic produces a bananna republic.
Doctor Zero on April 7, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Nope. Fight this on to the SCOTUS. Time to see if their original Bush v Gore ruling can stand the test of another similar case.
mngander92 on April 7, 2009 at 6:00 PM
csdeven
not all… you want me on that wall, nonetheless.
Semper Fi!
MNDavenotPC on April 7, 2009 at 6:00 PM
I should amend my own post: “than the people from states who elected…”
Bishop on April 7, 2009 at 6:00 PM
This sums it up nicely. Franken is a joke. But, I’m not comfortable tying this up in court for years just because we don’t like him/the way he will vote. It’s undemocratic. I know, I know, there’s a good argument to be made that he stole the election. Air that in court.
Honestly, at this point either hold the election again or give the seat up.
It’s not like it matter anyway. Snowe, Collins and Spectre make the filibuster a non-issue more often than not.
Trent1289 on April 7, 2009 at 6:01 PM
Doctor…. from your fingers to God’s ears…. well said!
MNDavenotPC on April 7, 2009 at 6:01 PM
Anyone surprised? Hell I bet Franken picks up votes in the NY-20 recount.
Erich66 on April 7, 2009 at 6:01 PM
Yeah, that’s the idea, getalife.
ddrintn on April 7, 2009 at 6:02 PM
In many ways too, this election and its consequences reflects my feelings about this past one as well. The American people elected the most underqualified candidate and gave him essentially a blank check with a Democratic Congress. Look at the approval ratings for the Dem Congress in November 2008 yet they voted for a Dem Congress with bigger numbers. There is no way to rationalize such a vote looking at the history of approval in these polls. Clearly most did not even know who controlled Congress. With a center right leaning country worried about outrageous spending, they got what they deserved.
msmveritas on April 7, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Is Norm Coleman still dragging this out? I thought it was already decided.
Monkei on April 7, 2009 at 6:03 PM
True. I don’t blame Minnesotans as much as cockeyed and easily manipulated election procedures, wherever they happen to occur.
ddrintn on April 7, 2009 at 6:05 PM
It was, but the Dems found votes in their cars.
ddrintn on April 7, 2009 at 6:06 PM
This is a toss up for me. No, because I don’t want an idiot like him in office, but on the other hand yes, because once the people saw this idiot in action it would blow the DNC chances in the next election. :-)
JeffinSac on April 7, 2009 at 6:07 PM
You and I know these trolls do not care about right and wrong. They spend their lives trying to blur the lines.
Jamson64 on April 7, 2009 at 6:07 PM
he is winning is he….
time to move…
alexraye on April 7, 2009 at 6:07 PM
Minnesotans should be embarrassed for even having Franken in the race. I remember the Ohio democrats considering Jerry Springer for office and how much of a joke that was. Franken is a joke and likely but for Obama’s magical power would not have one.
Jamson64 on April 7, 2009 at 6:09 PM
Nobody likes a sore loser Coleman.
Drop out and let your State be represented.
getalife on April 7, 2009 at 6:10 PM
Yes there was a poll done that showed that most Americans in fact did not know the Dems controlled Congress. Years of lousy education has truly paid off for the dems. Franken is more proof.
Jamson64 on April 7, 2009 at 6:11 PM
if history is a guide, even actors and comedians turn out to be first-rate politicians sometimes. franken is in pretty decent company.
sesquipedalian on April 7, 2009 at 6:11 PM
You do realize that every time you post you appear even more idiotic.
BTW how much do you get paid to shill?
Jamson64 on April 7, 2009 at 6:11 PM
Can someone explain the issue with the count being tainted by the invalidly included absentee ballots during the recount? For example, this statement from Ed in a previous post:
Perhaps it was invalid to open the absentee ballots at that point, but why are the ballots themselves invalid? I thought the issue was just that they shouldn’t have been opened until the contest part of the process. Now that we’re in that part of the process, those ballots would have been included anyway (similar to today’s development), so the end result is the same.
What reason is there to believe that the ballots that were admitted were invalid? Both campaigns agreed that they were valid; why would Coleman’s campaign agree if it was actually invalid? What evidence is there that they were invalid?
Can someone explain that part to me?
tneloms on April 7, 2009 at 6:12 PM
Make Franken the face of the Democrat Party.
ddrintn on April 7, 2009 at 6:15 PM
I am really stupified that anyone actually cast a ballot in favor of Frankenstein. I guess it is no use asking what is happening to common sense. That train left with the travesty of the Gore recount attempt to steal elections.
Now this is the way Democrats work. Steal, lie, cheat… destory everything in sight.
petunia on April 7, 2009 at 6:17 PM
are any republicans who participated in the recount (excluding coleman’s team) willing to support your claims of fraud? can you substantiate your claim that ballots were found in a car?
sesquipedalian on April 7, 2009 at 6:19 PM
There are still nearly 11,000 uncounted absentee ballots. Certainly some are fatally defective, but I look forward to seeing what the Minnesota Supreme Court says about not counting thousands of uncounted absentee votes. These are absentee envelopes that have not been opened yet.
The standards used before the recount and after the recount were not the same, and the standards used from county to county were not the same, either. Nice equal protection problem, here.
Wethal on April 7, 2009 at 6:20 PM
If the people are dumb enough to want Franken, given him to them.
GarandFan on April 7, 2009 at 6:20 PM
It’s time to quit if you’re a quitter. The longer this drags out the more it annoys the Libs, who have Low Frustration Tolerance. Angry Libs always do stupid things, make mistakes, get young women drowned. Coleman needs to do his patriotic duty and stick it to Franken.
We all know that Franken will be an undistinguished Senator, along the lines of BO. Why hasten the mediocrity?
Libs are always about power, hardly ever about wisdom. They will be dragged kicking and screaming into the ash heap of history. Even now, the history books are being formulated in young minds: How the Progressives nearly destroyed a nation.
EMD on April 7, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Not that I would wish to deprive Minnesota of representation but it it’s choice between no senator while the endless appeals drag on and having Senator Frankin, I’d call that a no-brainer.
At a minimum Coleman can limit Frankin to a 4.5 to 5 year term and in the end that has to be the better deal.
Stephen Macklin on April 7, 2009 at 6:29 PM
Nobody likes a sore loser Coleman.
Says a supporter of Al Gore.
Bishop on April 7, 2009 at 6:31 PM
Nobody likes you, getalife.
Log off and let this site regain some IQ.
MadisonConservative on April 7, 2009 at 6:32 PM
Franken’s so gross…
I lost track of this story over the past few weeks. Didn’t frankenweasel try to squash out the absentee military votes?
ErinF on April 7, 2009 at 6:33 PM
A couple of things —
It’s not surprising that Franken picked up more votes, as most of the votes that were counted today were from counties that were favorable to Franken.
The endgame is near and Franken will very likely prevail. While I think the equal protection argument is valid, the pressure will be on for Norm to give up now.
The only reason that I want Norm to continue is that if it does go to the state Supreme Court, there’s a pretty decent chance that the handiwork of Mark Ritchie, the ACORN-connected Secretary of State, will be revealed. We can’t unring the bell but the voters who will be looking at Ritchie in 2010 will have a more, shall we say, informed opinion about the person who was charged with making sure that things were done fairly.
Bottom line is this — if we are right about the Democrats and what they are doing, we’ll have an excellent chance to get the seat back in 2014. I’m betting that Franken will actually keep a low profile for a while, but he’ll inevitably make a complete ass of himself, as that is what he does. But first we have to deal with Amy Klobuchar, the profoundly silly but inexplicably popular woman who currently misrepresents our fair state, who will have to run with Obama in 2012.
Mr. D on April 7, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Unfortunately, Terrye, it’s not just the nut-jobs in MN who will suffer for their stupidity. Senators affect the entire nation.
Welcome to the nauseating new world. First we get Osama Obama, then Franken, both giving more power and credibility to longtime loons and crooks such as Blarney Fwank, Pelosi, Reid, Waters, Rangel and so many others.
I sometimes wonder if this is a sign that rational people who love and support what the founders intended the USA to be should just hang it up and leave the national stage to the incompetent, uneducated rabble.
MrScribbler on April 7, 2009 at 6:35 PM
Absolutely. Voters in both MN and PA are dumb as stumps.
The senate GOP better put on their testicles and be willing to put up a fight for a change. The game is more serious than ever now. America is in a state of emergency and the world’s biggest jackass/loudmouth is coming into the fray.
ErinF on April 7, 2009 at 6:36 PM
Never surrender! For God’s sakes we’re talking about Al Franken. Drag this out until next year.
John_Locke on April 7, 2009 at 6:38 PM
And that’s exactly the reason why the 17th Amendment to the Constitution should have never been ratified in the first place.
newton on April 7, 2009 at 6:39 PM
As far as I recall, the counties opened absentee ballots before the recount, but did not all interpret the state statute the same. Some were stricter than others. The counted ballots were removed from the envelopes and cannot now be identified.
There were uncounted ballots (still in envelopes) that were defective for some reason and put aside. There are supposedly about 11,000 of them. Some might be obviously invalid (no signature), but others might not be. The different counties put these rejected ballots aside based on different criteria. Dem-dominated counties tended to let in ballots that were substantially, but not strictly, in conformance with the rules. GOP counties tended to be stricter.
There should be uniformity in the criteria for accepting or rejecting ballots, regardless of county. But since each county does it, there is variation. A ballot that is valid in one county might not be in the other. That’s the problem. And that is why Coleman wants the 11,000 ballots examined.
Wethal on April 7, 2009 at 6:41 PM
Absolutely, seat Senator Coleman.
jdkchem on April 7, 2009 at 6:46 PM
For a shitbag like Franken to get this close to the state senate tells me all I need to know about Minnesota.
csdeven on April 7, 2009 at 6:47 PM
Am I wrong, or didn’t Coleman get the majority of votes on election night? If that’s the case, and if each time the votes are recounted magically conjures up brand new bogus votes for frankenweasel, then seat Coleman.
Drop out of the race, frankenweasel. Let your state be represented.
ErinF on April 7, 2009 at 6:51 PM
I cannot explain why this whole thing happened in MN, I just can’t. So many of my friends and neighbors fought so hard through volunteering, sweat equity and such to elect conservatives. But all I see here is invectives about the people who live in Mn and the state. Well, ass-wipes, I love this state and that’s why I’ll fight for it in the name of conservatism, if I don’t have you’re support, I’ll do it on my own. You who say broad comments about MN are nothing but RINOs trying to be tough. The true conservatives know that we here in MN that are also conservative won’t give up and will fight harder with more ruthlessness.
MNDavenotPC on April 7, 2009 at 6:54 PM
Why is it that a relatively new (dare I say, primative) democracy like Iraq can get their elections right on the day of election, purple finger and all? And yet, such a highly “sophisticated” and “technologically savvy” country as the United States has such complex issues as this, that we have to drag out election results for months on end?
I’d be willing to endure a purple finger AND SHOW A VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE to cast my vote and have fair election results. No ACORNs allowed!
This whole thing is ridiculous. Franken needs to disappear.
ErinF on April 7, 2009 at 6:56 PM
Oh my. You think Arnold’s doing a good job? Wow. Just … wow.
TheUnrepentantGeek on April 7, 2009 at 6:58 PM
States federal senate seat
csdeven on April 7, 2009 at 7:04 PM
I say every chance you get you use the picture of him in the diapers.
Frances on April 7, 2009 at 7:05 PM
The only one I can think of is Reagan. Who are these many actors/comedians you’re referring to?
ErinF on April 7, 2009 at 7:08 PM
Fight on Coleman!!! That’s the trouble with our side-we give up to early! . Go to court like Bush did with Gore. Every ballot counted should be using the same rules. Democrats get away with running crooked elections and I am sick and tired of them getting away with it all the time! FIGHT ON
Bullhead on April 7, 2009 at 7:12 PM
It was a valiant effort.
CynicalOptimist on April 7, 2009 at 7:24 PM
Lucid as usual. Dr. Zero. Elections nationwide are not believable. I propose that even the 2008 national election was stolen. Military ballots were uncounted, illegal voters, more fraud, and miscounting votes. All in one direction — Democratic. We will never really know, due to media disinterest and coverups by Democratic office-holders.
Note that in 2000, an extensive analysis of votes funded by the media (Inc. the Washington Post) in critical counties of Florida showed that Bush clearly won. The recount cost over a million dollars. The Post put this on page 18, and WP reporters and columnist, to this day, refuse to acknowledge the true data.
A plan would be for the GOP to analyze differences in election day returns from final returns. Publish the names and affiliations of election officals responsible for the difference. It’s a start. What is the statue of limitations for election fraud, anyway?
NaCly dog on April 7, 2009 at 7:36 PM
If Franken gets seated without a full, clear conciliation by Coleman – I will hold Pawlenty responsible and never consider voting for him on a national scale. It will show he’s a big as puss his demeanor indicates.
When this first started, Pawlenty did nothing to help Coleman and in fact made some issues worse by trying to be Mr. Bi-Partisan and throw his support behind the AG who was most certainly in the tank. While Coleman’s campaign was weak, the post-election tactic by the entire Minnesota GOP was pathetic.
The only upside – knocking Senate control out of Democratic hands and leaving Franken to wallow in a minority. That would be fitting of his bad karma.
budfox on April 7, 2009 at 7:45 PM
With regard to point 1, since when has the existence or non-existence of truth matter for the ‘Rat narrative. With regard to point 2, you mean that the likelyhood of a challenge in NY-20 will go up from 100% to 110%?
steveegg on April 7, 2009 at 7:54 PM
Gee. I wonder what changed his mind? You suppose it might have been those ballots conveniently found stuffed in the trunk of a car?
There’s a big difference between respecting a fair vote you lost, and respecting fraudulent votes dredged out of back rooms and cars.
Bottom line: Minnesota had many good, clean election laws that were supposed to ensure this kind of fraud didn’t happen. If those laws had been followed, and Coleman lost, too bad. It happens. But when those laws were NOT followed, you get this.
It’s the fraud that makes people’s blood boil.
tom on April 7, 2009 at 8:02 PM
Hahaha. The GOP couldn’t win a coin toss.
capitulus on April 7, 2009 at 8:08 PM
Is it too late to give minnesota back to the indians?
They are as bad as Florida.
ColdWarrior57 on April 7, 2009 at 8:20 PM
Coleman screwed up so many times through the campaign then through the recount process by not fighting hard enough to not include votes during the recount phase that was to only verify the results.
At this point he painted himself into a corner that if he wants to have any future in politics he needs to concede because even if he’s right he’s not going to be Senator now for this term.
cadams on April 7, 2009 at 8:24 PM
You’re just saying that the standards were applied differently from county to county. That doesn’t mean that invalid ballots were counted. Is there any reason to believe this? And it certainly doesn’t mean that there was any bias toward Coleman, which is the main issue.
As for the 11,000 other ballots, that’s also a separate issue.
In any case, my question is why Ed and others believe that the absentee ballots that were opened and counted during the recount were invalid. Both campaigns agreed that they were valid.
tneloms on April 7, 2009 at 8:58 PM
Do not quit. Keeping the angry clown out of Washington for as many days as possible is good for everyone.
Grafted on April 7, 2009 at 9:31 PM
I am pretty sure that it is legally irrelevant whether either candidate (or their attorneys) agreed to the standards. Neither one has a right to re-write the law (which includes judicial precedent) after the fact. This was the EXACT same basis for Bush v Gore. It is a federal Fourteenth Amendment issue and it is controlled by U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
Why would ANYONE quit while holding a winning issue? Only if that person is a RINO who is trying to pull a McCain.
platypus on April 7, 2009 at 9:31 PM
platypus …Exactly!
This was a federal election, and under our Constitution every voter is supposed to be treated the same. The very fact that different counties counted ballots differently is why this is a very good Equal Protection argument.
Someone previously stated that it was ok because both candidates were treated the same in each county. Wrong! That means each individuals vote was not treated the same. Plus there is still bias. For instance the counties that did not follow the rules and accepted everything just so happen to be the counties where Franken had an advantage. The counties more favorable to Coleman held strictly to the standards set up and thus fewer Coleman votes came through.
And let’ not forget all the duplicate ballots, where the counties were supposed to set aside and mark “duplicate”, but they didn’t and they got tossed into the results. That’s why in some Franken counties you had more votes (100’s) then actual registered voters.
This is a very good “Equal Protection” case, and with the money that Coleman continues to bring in, he is not going to quit!
jmell7 on April 7, 2009 at 9:43 PM
What a twit!
kens on April 7, 2009 at 11:27 PM
Don’t quit. Franken in the Senate? Ugh!
scrubjay on April 7, 2009 at 11:29 PM
I still say they should do the fair thing and just award the seat to Greg Gagne. At least he’s lived in Mn for decades.
Dave_d on April 8, 2009 at 12:50 AM
Allah’s right about this one. It’s over. Coleman manned up after the election had already been stolen. He’s been holding a losing hand from the beginning.
rcl on April 8, 2009 at 5:02 AM
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