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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Dos Equis on October 31, 2008, 11:29:37 AM
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Sen. Coleman Sues Al Franken
Friday, October 31, 2008 10:31 AM
By: Jim Meyers
Republican Sen. Norm Coleman has filed a defamation lawsuit against Al Franken, the Democrat seeking to unseat him in Minnesota, claiming that Franken’s TV ads falsely brand Coleman as the fourth most corrupt senator in Washington.
“Mr. Franken has chosen to push the lines of believability far beyond the bounds of truth,” said Mark Drake, communications director for Coleman’s campaign.
“That is his right, but it is not his right to break Minnesota campaign law, and we believe that is what Mr. Franken and his campaign have done.”
In addition to the corruption claim, Drake takes issue with Franken’s statement that Coleman lives “almost rent-free” in a Washington apartment, The Hill newspaper reported.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington earlier this year published a list of the 20 “most corrupt” members of Congress. Coleman was not on the list. But he was one of four members who received a “dishonorable mention” by the group, which Drake claims has a “cozy” relationship with Franken’s campaign, according to The Hill.
As for the “rent-free” charge, Coleman allegedly receives a discounted rate for renting a basement in political telemarketer Jeff Larson’s Washington home.
The Franken campaign said the lawsuit was a political stunt.
“Our ads are factual and true, even if Norm Coleman doesn’t like being held accountable for his conduct,” said Franken spokeswoman Colleen Murray.
The latest NBC News poll, released Thursday, showed Coleman leading Franken by six percentage points.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/coleman_sues_franken/2008/10/31/146291.html
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hahahahhaha... Republic Hair party is now filing law suits because they are loosing... LOL
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(http://dessertyears.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/whining.jpg)
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They are separated by about 80 votes with 94 percent reporting. :o
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They are separated by about 80 votes with 94 percent reporting. :o
really close/harsh race. I just checked it a few minutes ago and Norm was up more, it just tightened bigtime... recount maybe...
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really close/harsh race. I just checked it a few minutes ago and Norm was up more, it just tightened bigtime... recount maybe...
Every vote counts.
Now up by about 1200.
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I hope Al wins so I can see Bill O'Rielly turn purple lol...
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Not me. Coleman is a statesman. Good leader. Would really hate to see him lose to a comedian.
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I like Al, listened to his show when it was on Air America. Smart dude. He studied the shit out of everything and had a lot of great ideas.
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I study the heck out of NFL rosters for my fantasy football team, but I'm still not qualified to coach an NFL team.
Coleman is a lawyer, former mayor, and has served a term as senator. Franken was on Saturday Night Live. Not much of a comparison.
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I study the heck out of NFL rosters for my fantasy football team, but I'm still not qualified to coach an NFL team.
Coleman is a lawyer, former mayor, and has served a term as senator. Franken was on Saturday Night Live. Not much of a comparison.
did you say the same for Arnold before he became the governator?
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AL JUST TOOK THE LEAD, 96 REPORTING ;D
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did you say the same for Arnold before he became the governator?
Not at all.
Dang.
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Not at all.
Dang.
well, why? What makes bodybuilder/moviestar greater than comedian. Arnold's job as governor is way bigger than that senate seat.
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well, why? What makes bodybuilder/moviestar greater than comedian. Arnold's job as governor is way bigger than that senate seat.
Because Arnold came to this country with nothing and worked and managed his way to a $500 million net worth. From that standpoint, he is brilliant. Also a very decent human being.
I didn't have a problem giving a man with that kind of financial acumen control of a state economy. He had already shown he was an outstanding businessman.
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Because Arnold came to this country with nothing and worked and managed his way to a $500 million net worth. From that standpoint, he is brilliant. Also a very decent human being.
I didn't have a problem giving a man with that kind of financial acumen control of a state economy. He had already shown he was an outstanding businessman.
Arnold built himself up by being able to walk into a deal, lean over the desk and have the guy say ok. :D
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looks like Al Franken has it, over 2000 votes ahead now with 98 reporting.
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That was strange, 1 more percent reporting and it nearly all went to norm putting him back on top. 99 percent reporting now hmmmm recount.
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:)
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:)
It's now officially a recount, the vote is back very close.
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It's now officially a recount, the vote is back very close.
The comedian lost. I hope he loses in the recount. The voters got it right, but just barely.
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I study the heck out of NFL rosters for my fantasy football team, but I'm still not qualified to coach an NFL team.
Coleman is a lawyer, former mayor, and has served a term as senator. Franken was on Saturday Night Live. Not much of a comparison.
Yet you supported Palin after 18 months of abuse in Alaska, to be qualified to run a nation of 300 mil and control nuke codes.
you've very selective in applying your standards, huh?
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Yet you supported Palin after 18 months of abuse in Alaska, to be qualified to run a nation of 300 mil and control nuke codes.
you've very selective in applying your standards, huh?
::) The thread isn't about me, it's about the statesman vs. the comedian. Statesman won.
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I hope Al wins so I can see Bill O'Rielly turn purple lol...
Exactly, remember when he sued Franken and was literally laughed out of court? ;D
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::) The thread isn't about me, it's about the statesman vs. the comedian. Statesman won.
I think coleman was more qualified for the position than Franken - but at the same time I recognize Franken knows a shitload about politics, and doesn't have the apron string puppeteeting that most politicians have.
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The comedian lost. I hope he loses in the recount. The voters got it right, but just barely.
I'm not sure, I was watching each update and it jumped 1 percent more reporting and the entire 1 percent went to norm in precincts that caught up Al? glad they are recounting, it looked very strange to see a block go to norm like that.
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It wasn't strange at all. The lead was changing by the minute as precincts reported.
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It wasn't strange at all. The lead was changing by the minute as precincts reported.
yea, sorry it's odd to have the entire update go to one guy in a close election. I'm just saying glad to see a recount and if he wins, will you turn purple too? ;D
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How the hell can that many people vote for a crackpot extreme leftist like Franken? What the hell is wrong with them? People must be really pissed at Bush/Cheney and the neocons. We must be careful to not swing too far left because of the faults of the Bush/Cheney admin.
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yea, sorry it's odd to have the entire update go to one guy in a close election. I'm just saying glad to see a recount and if he wins, will you turn purple too? ;D
Why would I turn purple? I just want the right guy to win and the comedian to return to the stage.
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Coleman
(Incumbent) 1,210,940 42%
Franken 1,210,370 42%
Barkley 437,186 15%
100% precincts reporting - Updated 1 minute agoVote by County
County Results | Larger Map
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Its pathetic that race is so close.
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Why would I turn purple? I just want the right guy to win and the comedian to return to the stage.
the right guy is the guy the people vote for. hope that helps.
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the right guy is the guy the people vote for. hope that helps.
The right guy is the one most qualified for the job. Sometimes the voters get it right, sometimes they don't. HTH.
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Doesn't get much closer than this.
Coleman camp declares victory again, but race is far from over
Posted: 07:50 PM ET
From CNN All Platform Journalist Chris Welch
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) — For the second time in a week, Republican incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman's camp is labeling him the winner in Minnesota's far-from-over Senate race.
Coleman leads Democratic challenger Al Franken by just 206 votes as the first round of tallying comes to a close Monday evening.
"Sen. Coleman remains the winner in this election despite unexplained discrepancies in reporting …that have virtually all benefited the Franken campaign," Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson said in a statement.
That result means little at this point: Minnesota law mandates a recount when the margin of victory in a race is less than .5 percent.
This instance falls well within that gap — more than 2.4 million Minnesotans cast votes in this year's Senate race.
Coleman's lead has shrunk since votes were first tabulated earlier in the week. On Wednesday, he led by 725 votes. Representatives with the Coleman campaign have charged that irregularities in tabulation throughout the week have unfairly benefited their opponent, Al Franken.
Franken spokesman Andy Barr dismissed the claim. "As much as the Coleman campaign would like to play political games and baselessly cast doubt on this process," Barr wrote in an e-mail to CNN, "we will continue to work to ensure that every vote is properly counted."
Barr also suggested that it would be wrong for anyone to declare victory before the statewide hand recount is complete. That process is set to begin November 19, and could last until mid-December.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/10/coleman-camp-declares-victory-again-but-race-is-far-from-over/#more-30060
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If Al Franken is guilty of anything, being "not funny" should be at the top of the list. He was never funny back in his SNL days. Just another arrogant jerk who thinks he's smarter than the average joe when he really isn't. I too am surprised that the vote in MN was so close. Hopefully Al will mouth off to Jesse Ventura someday and Jesse the Body will piledrive his lame ass. Now THAT would be comedy. Yeehaw!
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The right guy is the one most qualified for the job. Sometimes the voters get it right, sometimes they don't. HTH.
Right on, man. Since you obviously can tell who is and isn't qualified, let's just get rid of this democratic nonsense right away. When you are old and senile, would you please do us the favor of choosing a successor?
Thanks, brother.
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If Al Franken is guilty of anything, being "not funny" should be at the top of the list. He was never funny back in his SNL days. Just another arrogant jerk who thinks he's smarter than the average joe when he really isn't. I too am surprised that the vote in MN was so close. Hopefully Al will mouth off to Jesse Ventura someday and Jesse the Body will piledrive his lame ass. Now THAT would be comedy. Yeehaw!
he is a terrible comedian. never laughed at anything he did.
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Good for Ronnie...
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Why would I turn purple? I just want the right guy to win and the comedian to return to the stage.
Al Franken was never funny. Hope this helps.
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Al Franken was never funny. Hope this helps.
His books had some laughs. And there was movie he did with his old partner where they were smalltime rock musicians. That had a few good laughs in it.
Opinions are opinions.
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But the point is that he is not a serious and well qualified politician...which we really need these days.
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But the point is that he is not a serious and well qualified politician...which we really need these days.
As opposed to whom? Every other candidate crows about having 'business credentials'..."I want to run the gov. like a business'...
Too bad government is not a business. Too bad that that putative criterion for office is as relevant to competent governance as a career in comedy.
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I admit, I don't know much of Coleman, but what I know of Franken is not good.
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Right on, man. Since you obviously can tell who is and isn't qualified, let's just get rid of this democratic nonsense right away. When you are old and senile, would you please do us the favor of choosing a successor?
Thanks, brother.
In this instance, the issue of qualification is pretty easy to determine: lawyer, former mayor, and one-term U.S. Senator vs. Saturday Night Live comedian.
What successor are you talking about? Mine? Coleman's? If you're going to be sarcastic, at least make it a little more coherent.
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This is great. Two jews fighting over less than a 300 vote difference.
Let's arm them with bags of pennies at twenty paces to settle this.....or have a recount.
http://www.jewishledger.com/articles/2008/11/12/lieberman_watch/election04.txt
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oh man, that was funny!
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Coleman Campaign Questions 32 Ballots in Close Race With Franken
In the closest Senate race in Minnesota's history, 32 disputed absentee ballots potentially could affect the balance of power in the U.S. Senate
By Cristina Corbin
FOXNews.com
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
With only 206 votes out of 2.9 million total ballots separating Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota from his Democratic opponent Al Franken, every vote counts -- including the elusive 32 absentee ballots first reported to be found in a state official's car three days after the election.
The Coleman campaign claims that Minneapolis elections director Cynthia Reichert said the ballots had been "found" in her car and would be counted. Reichert denies that account, saying no ballots ever were placed in her vehicle.
Those 32 ballots have drawn close scrutiny, and for good reason: Coleman and Franken are locked in the closest Senate race in Minnesota's history -- with the outcome of the recount potentially affecting the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.
According to Fritz Knaak, senior counsel for the Coleman campaign, around 8 p.m. Nov. 7, Coleman's campaign received a phone call from Reichert informing the campaign that 32 absentee ballots had been found in her car. Knaak told FOXNews.com that Reichert said those ballots would be counted the next day.
"She initiated the call. She said, 'There were some ballots in the back of my car,'" Knaak said.
Knaak added that he did not speak with Reichert directly, saying the elections director talked with a Coleman campaign staff member. "I think someone on our legal staff," Knaak said, though he declined to provide a name.
The following morning, Knaak appeared in a Ramsey County courtroom to request a temporary restraining order to stop the counting of the 32 ballots.
Ramsey County Chief Judge Kathleen Gearin -- now a member of the Minnesota State Canvassing Board in charge of ruling over disputed ballots in the Senate race recount -- rejected Knaak's request.
Coleman's attorneys, however, accepted a statement from the city attorney assuring them that the ballots had been safely stored.
Knaak told FOXNews.com that he had hoped Reichert, who was present in court, would take the stand.
"My own personal assessment, as a prosecutor of 30 years, was that they didn't put her on the stand because they believed she had done some kind of wrongdoing," he said.
But Reichert has called the Coleman campaign's ballot-car story a complete fiction.
Though Reichert declined an interview, Matt Laible, a spokesman with the City of Minneapolis Communications Department, sent a statement to FOXNews.com on her behalf.
"There has been reporting that 32 absentee ballots were 'found' by the city of Minneapolis elections director on Friday evening. That is not the case," the statement reads. "The absentee ballots were never misplaced and have been in appropriate custody throughout the process."
Laible said Reichert contacted Coleman's campaign twice during the week of the election regarding the 32 ballots in dispute. He said that on Nov. 7, Reichert told the campaign that those ballots -- which were secured at City Hall -- would be moved to the elections warehouse and counted the next day.
Liable said the Coleman camp even sent in a guard named Tony to keep eye over them on Thursday night.
"On Friday, Ms. Reichert also called the Coleman campaign to let them know that those 32 ballots would be moved to the elections warehouse and counted on Saturday. We don’t have the name of the person she spoke to that day, but wanted them to be aware since the campaign had shown an interest in guarding the ballots at the warehouse," Liable said.
He said no mention was ever made of them being "found" in her car, but rather, the ballots, which remained sealed until they were counted, were part of the normal delivery of absentee ballots late on Election Day.
"She did not say anything about ballots in her car, as no ballots were ever in her car. We are not sure what the Coleman staffer may have heard that led him to believe that was the case," Liable said.
Based on Reichert's assertions, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie both have said that the car ballots story is "debunked."
Knaak, however, is not convinced and said he remains "skeptical" of Reichert's account -- though he said he has no plans to further pursue the matter.
"We're not looking to pick fights. All I care about is that those 32 ballots didn't appear out of the ether for Al Franken. That's all I care about," he said.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/11/18/coleman-campaign-questions-ballots-close-race-franken/
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May not get the results till December
Minnesota recount could get ugly
Posted: 04:35 PM ET
From CNN Correspondent Mary Snow, CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser, CNN Producer Shirley Zilberstein
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) — The Senate campaign in Minnesota between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken was considered to be quite nasty, with attack ads and angry statements by both sides. Now, it seems the recount between the two candidates could be just as ugly.
Two weeks and one day after Election Day, a mandatory recount is underway in the state in the battle for Coleman's seat. Workers at 107 sites across Minnesota Tuesday began counting the more than 2.9 million votes cast in the contest.
Unofficial results put Coleman, a freshman Republican senator, just 215 votes ahead of his Democratic challenger, Al Franken, known across the country from his days on Saturday Night Live and from his years as a talk show host on Air America, the progressive radio network. The slim margin for Coleman, far less than one half of one percent, triggered an automatic recount, the first time there's ever been a recount of a US senate race in Minnesota.
Now election officials are beginning the long process of recounting all of the ballots. They're surrounded by election observers and lawyers from both campaigns, and the media.
Already today votes are being contested by observers from both campaigns. And the Associated Press reports that a volunteer observer for Coleman was asked to step out of the recount room in Ramsey County when he loudly questioned the picking up by Franken of three votes in one precinct.
In Minneapolis, by mid-day, there was one ballot challenged in the elections warehouse location, where the re-count is underway for all of the city's ballots. Minnesota's largest city is part of Hennepin County, a large county which has several other recount locations serving it. But there could be more challenged ballots by the end of the day as ballots are put into a pile of potentially challenged ballots throughout the day. Challenged ballots go on to the state canvassing board, which oversees the recount, for review.
Even though the recount has begun, there are still legal challenges. Franken's campaign contends that there are some rejected absentee ballots that should be counted.
Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie says he thinks major interruptions with court actions will be avoided.
"I think people feel really confident that we're going to move forward and just et this done. That is the feeling you get and I think that's the commitment that people have so that's how I feel about it as well."
Ritchie, a Democrat, has come under criticism by Republicans the past week for what they say are moves to favor Franken. Ritchie disputes that and points to the fact that the five member canvassing board is made up of himself two state supreme court justices and two district judges who are equally divided by party.
The recount will extend well into December. The recount sites across Minnesota have a deadline of the first week of December to report their results. After that the state's canvassing board meets to rule on disputed ballots and to certify the election. And after that, if one side is not happy with the results, legal action could be possible.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/11/19/minnesota-recount-could-get-ugly/#more-30826
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Coleman Expands Lead Over Franken in Minn. Senate Recount
Tuesday, December 2, 2008 1:19 PM
By: David A. Patten
With more than 92 percent of the recount now complete, Sen. Norm Coleman’s lead over Democratic rival Al Franken has stretched to 340 votes, an increase of about 70 votes in the past 24 hours.
While 70 votes is a fraction of the nearly 3 million votes cast in the election, every vote could be critical to Coleman’s hopes of heading off a U.S. Senate investigation into Minnesota election procedures. Such a review could take months to resolve.
“Size matters,” Larry J. Sabato of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics tells Newsmax. “The key is whether Coleman can maintain a decent lead — a couple of hundred votes — after the recount and the decisions on the thousands of disputed ballots.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has warned Minnesota election officials that they “must ensure no voter is disenfranchised.” That has been widely seen as a signal that the Senate could intervene if Franken loses by a minuscule margin.
A spread of less than a hundred votes would make it easier for Reid and Senate Democrats to refuse to recognize Coleman’s reelection, if state officials do certify him the winner later this month, as now appears likely. Senate intervention could prove costly, however, and would stir up partisan rancor and resentment.
Friday is the deadline for completion of the recount, and legal challenges are expected.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/coleman_lead_grows/2008/12/02/157261.html
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(semi-)Funny man beats incumbent. Yes, it's a change election.
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Potential powder keg. Reid and the Senate better stay out of this one.
With big stakes, U.S. Senate could decide Coleman-Franken race
by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio
November 28, 2008
St. Paul, Minn. — Local elections officials are expected to resume recounting votes in the U.S. Senate election on Monday after taking time off for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The entire recount must be done by next Friday, Dec. 5. The State Canvassing Board then meets on December 16 to start reviewing challenged ballots. The board intends to declare either Norm Coleman or Al Franken the winner a few days later.
But even then, the election may not be settled. A court challenge is likely, and both sides are preparing for the possibility that the Senate itself could weigh in.
After saying for weeks that he was going to take the recount process one step at a time, Democrat Al Franken's attorney now appears to be jumping ahead.
On Wednesday the State Canvassing Board rejected Franken's appeal to review any rejected absentee ballots, but the board did leave open the chance that they could examine any rejected ballots that were discarded for errors outside the voter's control. Afterwards Franken's Attorney Marc Elias said he would continue to work to make sure that all legitimate votes are counted.
"There are a number of ways that this can happen. Whether it is at the county level, before the State Canvassing Board, before the courts of Minnesota or before the United States Senate, we do not know, but we remain confident that one way or another, all lawful votes will be counted in this election," said Elias.
The Senate's top Democrat Harry Reid also weighed in on the canvassing board's ruling. In a statement he called the decision "a cause for great concern" and urged Minnesota authorities to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised. The comments by Elias and Reid have increased the potential that the Senate may take the rare step of weighing in on the race.
"Ultimately, the Senate has complete authority to determine who was elected," said Washington University political scientist Steven Smith.
According to Smith the Constitution allows the Senate to be the final arbiter of its membership. Smith said the Senate does so by determining the qualifications of each member. On most occasions, Smith said the Senate simply accepts a state's election certificate, but it has diverted course a few times.
"There is a motion under Senate rules and precedents that allows any Senator to make a motion to refer the credentials to a committee, presumably the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, which has jurisdiction over election matters, in order to delay action on it," explained Smith.
In other words, the Senate could start its own investigation into the election and vote counting. If that action is taken, it's conceivable that Franken's argument regarding rejected absentee ballots could be reconsidered by the Senate.
"So, if this is like cases in the past in the House and the Senate, we could have staff members, or even Senators, sitting there looking at these contested ballots. It could come down to that," said Smith.
Smith said the Senate last weighed in on a serious election contest in 1974.
The contest involved a dispute between two New Hampshire candidates. After several recounts, the Senate moved to seat the Democrat. The motion was brushed back several times by Republicans who filibustered the issue. After months of wrangling, the Senate declared the seat vacant and ordered another election, which the Democrat won.
The possibility that the Senate, which is now controlled by 58 Democrats, could weigh in on Minnesota's election is a worry for Republican Norm Coleman's campaign.
For weeks Coleman's attorneys and Republican surrogates have warned that Franken was laying the groundwork for the Senate to consider the election.
Coleman spokesman Mark Drake called on Franken to abandon any efforts to get the Senate to weigh in on the race when the body seats its new members in January.
"We fear that that's where it's headed, and I think Al Franken owes it to the people of Minnesota to reject any and all efforts to stop a Minnesota Senator from being sworn in on the 6th. If the recount shows that Norm Coleman prevailed, as we expect it to. Al Franken should respect that," said Drake.
Drake said the Coleman campaign is preparing for a lengthy fight either in court or in the Senate.
Political scientist Steven Smith doubts the Senate will get involved. But he said there could be a real temptation for Democrats to consider the option, if Franken loses to Coleman by only a few dozen votes. But he said Democrats know a nasty floor fight could take away from all of the other business they want to conduct over the next several months.
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Potential powder keg. Reid and the Senate better stay out of this one.
Just like the repubs stayed out of the 2000 eleciton in FL? ;)
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The drama continues.
Franken Opens First Lead in Minn. Senate Race
Friday, December 19, 2008 10:20 AM
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Democrat Al Franken has edged ahead of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman for the first time in Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate recount.
Franken opened up a lead as a state Canvassing Board made its way through hundreds of ballots challenged in the race.
Franken gained his advantage as the board weighed challenges by the Coleman campaign. But as many as 5,000 withdrawn challenges from both campaigns won't be awarded until Monday, and the lead could change again.
The board has also rejected a request by Coleman to exclude some ballots his campaign had argued were duplicates.
Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over a potential pool of 1,600 incorrectly rejected absentee ballots, which the Supreme Court said Thursday could be added to the count if the campaigns and election officials can agree on a plan for doing that.
http://www.newsmax.com/politics/Franken_Opens_First_Lead_/2008/12/19/163672.html
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The drama continues.
Franken Opens First Lead in Minn. Senate Race
Friday, December 19, 2008 10:20 AM
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Democrat Al Franken has edged ahead of Republican incumbent Norm Coleman for the first time in Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate recount.
Franken opened up a lead as a state Canvassing Board made its way through hundreds of ballots challenged in the race.
Franken gained his advantage as the board weighed challenges by the Coleman campaign. But as many as 5,000 withdrawn challenges from both campaigns won't be awarded until Monday, and the lead could change again.
The board has also rejected a request by Coleman to exclude some ballots his campaign had argued were duplicates.
Meanwhile, there is uncertainty over a potential pool of 1,600 incorrectly rejected absentee ballots, which the Supreme Court said Thursday could be added to the count if the campaigns and election officials can agree on a plan for doing that.
http://www.newsmax.com/politics/Franken_Opens_First_Lead_/2008/12/19/163672.html
glad to hear it
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What did we do to deserve Harry Reid?
GOP Vows to Block Franken From U.S. Senate
Friday, January 2, 2009 2:54 PM
By: David A. Patten
Republicans will filibuster any attempt to seat Minnesota Democrat Al Franken when Congress convenes next week, Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn warned his Democratic colleagues Friday.
It was the latest salvo in the war of words touched off this week when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., suggested Franken was drawing near to clinching a victory — despite the fact that as many as 2,000 votes are uncounted and numerous legal challenges loom.
"At this stage, it appears that Franken will be certified the winner by the State Canvassing Board,” a statement from Reid’s office declared Tuesday. “We're keeping abreast of the situation and will make a decision with regard to Senate action at the appropriate point in the process."
That statement drew a sharp rebuke from GOP leaders.
“The American people will see right through Harry Reid’s crass partisan power grab,” Ken Blackwell, who is a leading contender for the GOP chairmanship, told Newsmax. “He wants to manufacture a filibuster-proof majority to push through his liberal agenda.”
Cornyn, the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, left little doubt Republicans would fight any attempt to make a Franken victory appear a foregone conclusion by seating him early.
“I can assure you there will be no way that people on our side of the aisle would agree to seat any senator provisionally or otherwise unless there is a valid election certificate and all legal issues with regard to who got the most votes is finally decided,” Cornyn told reporters during a conference call Friday.
Cornyn said he is confident that no Republican would cross the aisle to support seating someone whose election victory has not yet been formally certified. Doing so, he said, would cause “damage to the Senate and its reputation as an institution,” adding, “It would be a recipe for chaos.”
Minnesota officials hope to complete their recount by Saturday, and will review ballot challenges on Monday. They could declare a winner Tuesday.
Legal challenges are likely to drag on for weeks, however.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Coleman_Franken_recount/2009/01/02/167253.html
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Panel to declare Franken winner of Senate race
From Chris Welch
CNN
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- A state election board on Monday will announce Democrat Al Franken has defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, state officials told CNN Sunday.
The canvassing board on Monday will say a recount determined Franken won by 225 votes, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie told CNN.
However, Coleman's campaign, which contends the recount should have included about 650 absentee ballots it says were improperly rejected in the initial count, has indicated it will challenge the certification.
Coleman campaign manager Cullen Sheehan said his team believes the recount process was broken and that "the numbers being reported will not be accurate or valid."
"The effort by the Franken campaign, supported by the secretary of state, to exclude improperly rejected absentee ballots is indefensible and disenfranchises hundreds of Minnesota voters," Sheehan said.
After the results are certified, Coleman's campaign will have seven days to file a challenge.
The initial count from the November 4 election put Coleman, a first-term senator, 215 votes ahead of Franken -- known for his stint on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and as a former talk-show host on progressive radio network Air America.
The slim margin triggered an automatic recount.
During the recount, Franken's campaign alleged that thousands of absentee ballots had been improperly rejected and asked that they be counted. The state's Supreme Court eventually ordered that rejected absentee ballots be counted if local officials and each campaign could agree that the selected ballots were rejected mistakenly.
About 950 initially rejected absentee ballots were counted Saturday after all parties agreed on them. However, Coleman's campaign said about 650 other rejected absentee ballots -- many of them from pro-Coleman areas -- also were improperly rejected and should have been counted.
The Coleman campaign has also alleged that more than 100 ballots may have been accidentally counted twice and may have unfairly benefited Franken.
"When a candidate is leading because of double counted votes, and votes that get counted even when ballots don't exist, it clearly means that a [post-election challenge] is the only likely remedy to ensure a fair outcome," Sheehan said.
Franken's attorney, Marc Elias, in a statement said: "The next step is the canvass board's meeting tomorrow, where we have every expectation they will declare that Al Franken won this election."
Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann, who oversaw Saturday's tallying of the 950 improperly rejected absentee ballots, said the only thing left for the canvassing board to do Monday is certify the numbers. The board's meeting will convene at 2:30 p.m.
"Candidates may have objections or suggestions or comments that they want to make," Gelbmann said. "I would assume the canvassing board will allow that as long as they're brief."
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York and chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, issued a statement Sunday declaring Franken the winner and expressing confidence Franken would remain on top following any legal battle.
"There is no longer any doubt who will be the next senator from Minnesota," Schumer said. "Even if all the ballots Coleman claims were double counted or erroneously added were resolved in his favor, he still wouldn't have enough votes to win."
Schumer also said it is "crucial" Minnesota's second seat in the Senate not go empty, implying Franken should be seated when the rest of the Senate convenes to be sworn in Tuesday.
Minnesota's other seat is held by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has pledged a GOP filibuster if the Democrat-controlled Senate attempts to seat Franken before all legal battles play out and before Minnesota's Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, can co-sign the secretary of state's certificate.
Ritchie said the state has no problem with not having two sworn-in senators Tuesday until the process is completed.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/04/minnesota.senate.race/index.html
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Panel to declare Franken winner of Senate race
From Chris Welch
CNN
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) -- A state election board on Monday will announce Democrat Al Franken has defeated Republican incumbent Norm Coleman in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, state officials told CNN Sunday.
The canvassing board on Monday will say a recount determined Franken won by 225 votes, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie told CNN.
However, Coleman's campaign, which contends the recount should have included about 650 absentee ballots it says were improperly rejected in the initial count, has indicated it will challenge the certification.
Coleman campaign manager Cullen Sheehan said his team believes the recount process was broken and that "the numbers being reported will not be accurate or valid."
"The effort by the Franken campaign, supported by the secretary of state, to exclude improperly rejected absentee ballots is indefensible and disenfranchises hundreds of Minnesota voters," Sheehan said.
After the results are certified, Coleman's campaign will have seven days to file a challenge.
The initial count from the November 4 election put Coleman, a first-term senator, 215 votes ahead of Franken -- known for his stint on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and as a former talk-show host on progressive radio network Air America.
The slim margin triggered an automatic recount.
During the recount, Franken's campaign alleged that thousands of absentee ballots had been improperly rejected and asked that they be counted. The state's Supreme Court eventually ordered that rejected absentee ballots be counted if local officials and each campaign could agree that the selected ballots were rejected mistakenly.
About 950 initially rejected absentee ballots were counted Saturday after all parties agreed on them. However, Coleman's campaign said about 650 other rejected absentee ballots -- many of them from pro-Coleman areas -- also were improperly rejected and should have been counted.
The Coleman campaign has also alleged that more than 100 ballots may have been accidentally counted twice and may have unfairly benefited Franken.
"When a candidate is leading because of double counted votes, and votes that get counted even when ballots don't exist, it clearly means that a [post-election challenge] is the only likely remedy to ensure a fair outcome," Sheehan said.
Franken's attorney, Marc Elias, in a statement said: "The next step is the canvass board's meeting tomorrow, where we have every expectation they will declare that Al Franken won this election."
Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann, who oversaw Saturday's tallying of the 950 improperly rejected absentee ballots, said the only thing left for the canvassing board to do Monday is certify the numbers. The board's meeting will convene at 2:30 p.m.
"Candidates may have objections or suggestions or comments that they want to make," Gelbmann said. "I would assume the canvassing board will allow that as long as they're brief."
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York and chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, issued a statement Sunday declaring Franken the winner and expressing confidence Franken would remain on top following any legal battle.
"There is no longer any doubt who will be the next senator from Minnesota," Schumer said. "Even if all the ballots Coleman claims were double counted or erroneously added were resolved in his favor, he still wouldn't have enough votes to win."
Schumer also said it is "crucial" Minnesota's second seat in the Senate not go empty, implying Franken should be seated when the rest of the Senate convenes to be sworn in Tuesday.
Minnesota's other seat is held by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat.
Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has pledged a GOP filibuster if the Democrat-controlled Senate attempts to seat Franken before all legal battles play out and before Minnesota's Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican, can co-sign the secretary of state's certificate.
Ritchie said the state has no problem with not having two sworn-in senators Tuesday until the process is completed.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/04/minnesota.senate.race/index.html
If this election gets certified, it will be the biggest fraud election in recent memory. If it's at all possible, he's less quaified than Obama. Dudes not even quaified for dog catcher. Makes totally sick to my stomach..........buton the good side, it only reassures the Republicans will regain power in 2010 & 12.
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If this election gets certified, it will be the biggest fraud election in recent memory. If it's at all possible, he's less quaified than Obama. Dudes not even quaified for dog catcher. Makes totally sick to my stomach..........buton the good side, it only reassures the Republicans will regain power in 2010 & 12.
its called democracy
::)
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its called democracy
::)
Ok dude, whatever.......finding boxes of uncounted ballots that people just happend to find in the back of officials cars that they ALL just happened to be in Frankins favor is really democratic......but I guess for Democrats it is democratic ::)
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Ok dude, whatever.......finding boxes of uncounted ballots that people just happend to find in the back of officials cars that they ALL just happened to be in Frankins favor is really democratic......but I guess for Democrats it is democratic ::)
dude turn on your sarcasm radar!!!
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Ok dude, whatever.......finding boxes of uncounted ballots that people just happend to find in the back of officials cars that they ALL just happened to be in Frankins favor is really democratic......but I guess for Democrats it is democratic ::)
Ohio 2004 called. They wanted their irony back.
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Ohio 2004 called. They wanted their irony back.
LOL, literally...
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Ohio 2004 called. They wanted their irony back.
Really?Please tell us how Ohio was ANYTHING like this.Ohio was minorities complaining of voter intimidation,funny how they never ever find one vote who was intimidated.
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Really?Please tell us how Ohio was ANYTHING like this.Ohio was minorities complaining of voter intimidation,funny how they never ever find one vote who was intimidated.
earth to billy... i'm not talking about 'voter intimidation'. I'm takling about the whole massive computer fraud thing.
Of couse, we could ask the guy who was about to testify against Rove, but his small plane took a wrong turn at the corner of Massive and Fireball, just last month.
Please, try and keep up with the news mate.
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I just cannot believe we are going to have an unqualified idiot like Franken in the senate at this crucial time.
The whole thing seems shifty to me. I know its not in the rules, but I would have a second election.
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earth to billy... i'm not talking about 'voter intimidation'. I'm takling about the whole massive computer fraud thing.
Of couse, we could ask the guy who was about to testify against Rove, but his small plane took a wrong turn at the corner of Massive and Fireball, just last month.
Please, try and keep up with the news mate.
Wow,maybe Rove caused the crash.You know,I heard he might be responsible for JFKs killing as well.You guys are nuts.Bush KICKED KERRYS ASS!!!!Kicked his ass!!!You guys cried like girls after Bush beat Gore.They did 50 recounts and Bush won EVERYTIME!!!Get over it.Your grasping at straws.Why is it when democrats get crushed they cry "cheaters"?Then,when its clear Franken is cheating you say "thats justice".Obama kicked McCains ass,no republican cries "investigation".Only when its a case so blatant like Franken do you hear a peep.
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Ohio 2004 called. They wanted their irony back.
2004 just called me back and said it was only a liberal bitch with no proof. Seems like everyone is bitching about this election WITH proof.
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I just cannot believe we are going to have an unqualified idiot like Franken in the senate at this crucial time.
The whole thing seems shifty to me. I know its not in the rules, but I would have a second election.
Franken will do fine.
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will Norm Coleman take his own "advices"
Here's what he said in November when he was ahead:
"Yesterday the voters spoke. We prevailed," Coleman said Wednesday at a news conference. He noted Franken could opt to waive the recount.
"It's up to him whether such a step is worth the tax dollars it will take to conduct," Coleman said, telling reporters he would "step back" if he were in Franken's position.
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Ok dude, whatever.......finding boxes of uncounted ballots that people just happend to find in the back of officials cars that they ALL just happened to be in Frankins favor is really democratic......but I guess for Democrats it is democratic ::)
2004 just called me back and said it was only a liberal bitch with no proof. Seems like everyone is bitching about this election WITH proof.
Serious question coach... How different is this from the 2000 recount in florida where you had peoples ballots turned away because of stupid hanging chads and stuff?
I am not saying it's not shifty as hell... It is... but it's no more shifty than how 2000 was won for W. and it's certainly better than some of the shady ass shit that went on in politics before the turn of the century.
Seems as though stealing elections only pisses off the group of people who didn't do the stealing from the get go.
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2004 just called me back and said it was only a liberal bitch with no proof. Seems like everyone is bitching about this election WITH proof.
lol... the guy who planned to snitch was a Republican loyalist his entire life, and worked very closely with Rove to deliver the results in 2004 despite huge electronic *snafus* and other oddities.
We were about to find out exactly what happens, then the dude's plane crashes (runs outta gas, resulting in huge fireball.... riiiight!)
He's a 'lib', huh? LMAO...the guy was the biggest hardcore repub in the bunch.
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I just cannot believe we are going to have an unqualified idiot like Franken in the senate at this crucial time.
The whole thing seems shifty to me. I know its not in the rules, but I would have a second election.
Tell me about it. Shame on the voters for putting this comedian in office (assuming that's what happened) over a guy like Coleman.
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Tell me about it. Shame on the voters for putting this comedian in office (assuming that's what happened) over a guy like Coleman.
you said Gore was a loser for losing his home state.
Coleman lost his home state to an inexperienced comedian?
Beyond pathetic there...
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Yawn.
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you said Gore was a loser for losing his home state.
Coleman lost his home state to an inexperienced comedian?
Beyond pathetic there...
exactly - that shows you just how weak Coleman (an incumbent) was to be beaten by a comedian and talk show host
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exactly - that shows you just how weak Coleman (an incumbent) was to be beaten by a comedian and talk show host
It's pathetic, and really shows he was viewed as incompetent.
Imagine, with your state's political and economic future hanging in the balance, voting for a guy who tells jokes, over an experienced legislator.
Coleman is an embarassment.
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In Florida the idiots did not know how to vote.They didnt punch through the ballot,they voted for Buchanon because they couldnt read[by the way a democrat wrote the ballot].In Minn.again,people erased their initial votes,blackened a half a vote for one and a full vote for another.If your vote is not clear,it should be thrown out!!Period.If your so stupid you cant fill out a ballot,then throw the idiots vote out,Franken wants votes counted where the ballot is not clear.
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In Florida the idiots did not know how to vote.They didnt punch through the ballot,they voted for Buchanon because they couldnt read[by the way a democrat wrote the ballot].In Minn.again,people erased their initial votes,blackened a half a vote for one and a full vote for another.If your vote is not clear,it should be thrown out!!Period.If your so stupid you cant fill out a ballot,then throw the idiots vote out,Franken wants votes counted where the ballot is not clear.
Weird that Coleman didn't do more to fix the sad state of election accountability in his state in the last 6 years. ironic too. Maybe he's as incompetent as the voters decided...
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you said Gore was a loser for losing his home state.
Coleman lost his home state to an inexperienced comedian?
Beyond pathetic there...
Wow,pathetic.Gore was coming off 8 good years as vice president.There was peace,prosperity his win should have been a landslide.He was such a boooring,offensive and unlikeble person he lost.Coleman is a republican in a year where EVERYTHING went wrong,with a president who had an approval rating of 13%.The public wanted the republicans out,PLUS Franken rode on Obamas coat tails.
There is ZERO comparrison between the defeat of Al Gore and Coleman.Al Gore lost because he was/is a pathetic bore who people despise.Coleman lost because republicans got the blame for everything that went wrong with the country.Gore should have won forty states in a monumental landslide and didnt because he is a straight up idiot.
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A US Senator lost his job to a comedian.
There were lots of republican senators who kept their jobs. And they ran against real legislators, not guys who tell jokes.
Coleman stands out as a guy who was entirely over-matched for his competitor, but just didn't have the brains or saavy to expose his competitor as an idiot. On the other hand, Coleman did run a political radio show for a while, and does know his shit. So maybe voters really did choose the more qualified guy.
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A US Senator lost his job to a comedian.
There were lots of republican senators who kept their jobs. And they ran against real legislators, not guys who tell jokes.
Coleman stands out as a guy who was entirely over-matched for his competitor, but just didn't have the brains or saavy to expose his competitor as an idiot. On the other hand, Coleman did run a political radio show for a while, and does know his shit. So maybe voters really did choose the more qualified guy.
Geeze,Gore ran against a guy that dems call a fucking idiot.A guy who can barely utter a sentance without making a mistake.A guy who speaks like he has a mouth full of marbles.Gore is supposed to be the smartest guy around.A noble peace prize winner,a darn right brilliant man,according to the media and he came off 8 good years but couldnt get the job done.
Franken ran a radio show that had the same ratings as would white noise on the radio.A total failure on a failed radio network.However,the reason Coleman lost was because of Bush,the republicans and a state that is nutty as hell when it comes to politics.Jesse "the body" was governor there[I love him,but come on].So,Coleman losing was far less pathetic then Gore loosing to the guy the democrats blame for everything that has ever gone wrong with America,from huricanes to housing crisis.In twenty years,Bush will be blamed for slavery,vietnam,the depression and the assasination of MLK.
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A US Senator lost his job to a comedian.
There were lots of republican senators who kept their jobs. And they ran against real legislators, not guys who tell jokes.
Coleman stands out as a guy who was entirely over-matched for his competitor, but just didn't have the brains or saavy to expose his competitor as an idiot. On the other hand, Coleman did run a political radio show for a while, and does know his shit. So maybe voters really did choose the more qualified guy.
Franken is not an idiot.
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Franken is a far left sarcastic loon. He should have stayed on the radio with the few that listened to him.
Perhaps Coleman isn't much better, I don't know much about him. I just know that Franken should never have been elected.
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Franken is a far left sarcastic loon. He should have stayed on the radio with the few that listened to him.
Perhaps Coleman isn't much better, I don't know much about him. I just know that Franken should never have been elected.
Coleman is a lawyer, former mayor, and has served a term as senator. Good guy. Head and shoulders more qualified than Franken.
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We can at least all agree that Franken is far from being qualified. His election is a mockery of the political system IMO.
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We can at least all agree that Franken is far from being qualified. His election is a mockery of the political system IMO.
This whole "qualified" thing people are running about is ridiculous... Reagan wasn't qualified to be Governor by those standards, yet he still was and became President.
How the hell do you quantify "qualified" when it comes to political office... Either you have some damn brains or you don't.
It's ridiculous... Being a congressman, Senator, or Governor isn't brain surgery and it is quite honestly an "unskilled" position.
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This whole "qualified" thing people are running about is ridiculous... Reagan wasn't qualified to be Governor by those standards, yet he still was and became President.
How the hell do you quantify "qualified" when it comes to political office... Either you have some damn brains or you don't.
It's ridiculous... Being a congressman, Senator, or Governor isn't brain surgery and it is quite honestly an "unskilled" position.
I'd start with saying a person whose claim to fame is a comedian isn't qualified to be a U.S. Senator, particularly when his opponent is a lawyer, former mayor, and one-term U.S. senator.
Being a U.S. Senator isn't brain surgery, but they directly impact our lives, including federal budgets, the military, confirming judges, etc.
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I'd start with saying a person whose claim to fame is a comedian isn't qualified to be a U.S. Senator, particularly when his opponent is a lawyer, former mayor, and one-term U.S. senator.
Being a U.S. Senator isn't brain surgery, but they directly impact our lives, including federal budgets, the military, confirming judges, etc.
Franken will do fine.
I'm glad he won
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I'd start with saying a person whose claim to fame is a comedian isn't qualified to be a U.S. Senator, particularly when his opponent is a lawyer, former mayor, and one-term U.S. senator.
The majority of voters in a US state disagree with ya
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The majority of voters in a US state disagree with ya
So? The overwhelming majority of voters didn't waste their vote on Bob Barr (as you claim to have done). Who cares.
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So? The overwhelming majority of voters didn't waste their vote on Bob Barr (as you claim to have done). Who cares.
Yep,
More jackass's like you wasted it on Palin/McCain ;D
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I'd start with saying a person whose claim to fame is a comedian isn't qualified to be a U.S. Senator, particularly when his opponent is a lawyer, former mayor, and one-term U.S. senator.
Being a U.S. Senator isn't brain surgery, but they directly impact our lives, including federal budgets, the military, confirming judges, etc.
So you think that the majority of US senator's currently in office are "qualified"?
What were they before they were Senators that made them qualified for the position?
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So? The overwhelming majority of voters didn't waste their vote on Bob Barr (as you claim to have done). Who cares.
Coleman is a loser. He lost to a joke of a comedien. He doesn't get any worse than that. Maybe Ronald McDonald will win a seat in 2010.
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Yep,
More jackass's like you wasted it on Palin/McCain ;D
Are you even old enough to vote?
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So you think that the majority of US senator's currently in office are "qualified"?
What were they before they were Senators that made them qualified for the position?
I don't know if the majority of them are qualified. I haven't looked at all of their bios.
I don't know what all or a majority of them were doing before they became senators.
But I do know about Coleman and Franken.
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Are you even old enough to vote?
He's just over half your age, mate.
Do you feel that being older gives you some sort of advantage in these things?
Does my 76-year old crotchity grandfather know twice as much about politics as you?
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I don't know if the majority of them are qualified. I haven't looked at all of their bios.
I don't know what all or a majority of them were doing before they became senators.
But I do know about Coleman and Franken.
Sounds like you're being selective because this is such a hot topic... If you care so much about Coleman and Franken, you should make it a point to care about all of the Senate seats.
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He's just over half your age, mate.
Do you feel that being older gives you some sort of advantage in these things?
Does my 76-year old crotchity grandfather know twice as much about politics as you?
Will you ever stop asking dumb questions? (Rhetorical question.)
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Will you ever stop asking dumb questions? (Rhetorical question.)
No.
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Sounds like you're being selective because this is such a hot topic... If you care so much about Coleman and Franken, you should make it a point to care about all of the Senate seats.
I'm not being selective. I'm talking about this race, because this race is undecided, with a clearly qualified candidate on one side and a clearly unqualified candidate on the other side.
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he's actually quite a politician... been writing books and working for causes for a long time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Franken
besides, Palin was a local yokel mayor and served 18 months of corrupt Governorship, and some of you sillies were ready to hand her the nuclear football. Gimme a break.
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I'm not being selective. I'm talking about this race, because this race is undecided, with a clearly qualified candidate on one side and a clearly unqualified candidate on the other side.
Clearly you haven't explained to me what "qualifies" someone to be a Senator.
I think it only requires decent common sense really... Something that you can not be "trained" for... You either have it or you do not.
I have yet to see where Coleman has more of that than Franken.
So where do you see one being more qualified than the other... You do realize that being a Senator is effectively an "unskilled trade" similarly to being a police officer or a secretary.
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Clearly you haven't explained to me what "qualifies" someone to be a Senator.
I think it only requires decent common sense really... Something that you can not be "trained" for... You either have it or you do not.
I have yet to see where Coleman has more of that than Franken.
So where do you see one being more qualified than the other... You do realize that being a Senator is effectively an "unskilled trade" similarly to being a police officer or a secretary.
I've explained why Coleman is qualified and Franken is not.
Common sense is a requirement for every job. We'll have to agree to disagree on whether that is the only criteria for a U.S. Senator. That really dumbs down the job. As I've said, they're deciding issues that affect us all.
Secretaries don't confirm supreme court justices. Nor do they vote on whether our nation should go to war. Neither do they determine our federal budget. Meet with world leaders. Handle national security matters. Etc., etc.
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I've explained why Coleman is qualified and Franken is not.
Common sense is a requirement for every job. We'll have to agree to disagree on whether that is the only criteria for a U.S. Senator. That really dumbs down the job. As I've said, they're deciding issues that affect us all.
Secretaries don't confirm supreme court justices. Nor do they vote on whether our nation should go to war. Neither do they determine our federal budget. Meet with world leaders. Handle national security matters. Etc., etc.
No, Secretaries make decisions in offices of fortune 100 companies for CEOs that could make or break big deals equating to millions of dollars.
Are you saying Secretaries are not important and don't make important decisions.
I guess we will disagree because so far, I've seen nothing that shows where anything more than good sense is required to be a politician.
What did Reagan do before he was Governor again? Arnold did what?
Yeah... Exactly... They were actors which is effectively what Franken is... He is a celebrity just like those guys.
So how is he any different or less qualified than either one of them?
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No, Secretaries make decisions in offices of fortune 100 companies for CEOs that could make or break big deals equating to millions of dollars.
Are you saying Secretaries are not important and don't make important decisions.
I guess we will disagree because so far, I've seen nothing that shows where anything more than good sense is required to be a politician.
What did Reagan do before he was Governor again? Arnold did what?
Yeah... Exactly... They were actors which is effectively what Franken is... He is a celebrity just like those guys.
So how is he any different or less qualified than either one of them?
You equated secretaries with U.S. Senators. I just showed you why that comparison doesn't work (e.g., secretaries don't determine who sits on the supreme court).
Secretaries of fortune 100 companies do not make decisions on million dollar deals. Nonsense. Secretaries play a very important role in companies, but you're grossly overstating what they do.
I don't know what Reagan did other than act before he became governor and I don't know who his opponent was when he ran.
Arnold is a different story. He wasn't just an actor. He was a businessman who created a half billion dollar net worth.
Franken was on Saturday Night Live. And when you put his background up against Coleman, it's pretty pathetic.
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You equated secretaries with U.S. Senators. I just showed you why that comparison doesn't work (e.g., secretaries don't determine who sits on the supreme court).
Secretaries of fortune 100 companies do not make decisions on million dollar deals. Nonsense. Secretaries play a very important role in companies, but you're grossly overstating what they do.
I don't know what Reagan did other than act before he became governor and I don't know who his opponent was when he ran.
Arnold is a different story. He wasn't just an actor. He was a businessman who created a half billion dollar net worth.
Franken was on Saturday Night Live. And when you put his background up against Coleman, it's pretty pathetic.
I call BS on this one... Arnold was still a freaking ACTOR... That's where his money came from... End of story. He made lots of movies that were entertaining... There is really nothing special about that.
Reagan was an ACTOR...
Franken was an ACTOR / Comedian... Has every qualification that Reagan and Arnold have... Period.
To say otherwise is simply ignoring the basic truth of what those people did... They entertained people for money... Nothing more.
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I call BS on this one... Arnold was still a freaking ACTOR... That's where his money came from... End of story. He made lots of movies that were entertaining... There is really nothing special about that.
Reagan was an ACTOR...
Franken was an ACTOR / Comedian... Has every qualification that Reagan and Arnold have... Period.
To say otherwise is simply ignoring the basic truth of what those people did... They entertained people for money... Nothing more.
Call whatever you want. Every actor doesn't have a $500 million net worth. You have to be pretty akamai (smart) to manage and grow your money the way Arnold did. To say otherwise is simply ignoring the basic truth of wealth and wealth creation. Otherwise, every Hollywood actor would have that kind of net worth. They don't. The man came to this country with nothing and became one of the wealthiest persons in the country. Can't say the same about Franken. They're not in the same zip code.
You're fine with Franken over Coleman. I'm not.
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I call BS on this one... Arnold was still a freaking ACTOR... That's where his money came from... End of story. He made lots of movies that were entertaining... There is really nothing special about that.
Reagan was an ACTOR...
Franken was an ACTOR / Comedian... Has every qualification that Reagan and Arnold have... Period.
To say otherwise is simply ignoring the basic truth of what those people did... They entertained people for money... Nothing more.
I'll go you one further.
This whole "debate" is BS
The only people that matter are the voters in Minnesota and clearly enough those people decided that Frank was the better choice.
Tough Titties for Coleman
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Call whatever you want. Every actor doesn't have a $500 million net worth. You have to be pretty akamai (smart) to manage and grow your money the way Arnold did. To say otherwise is simply ignoring the basic truth of wealth and wealth creation. Otherwise, every Hollywood actor would have that kind of net worth. They don't. The man came to this country with nothing and became one of the wealthiest persons in the country. Can't say the same about Franken. They're not in the same zip code.
You're fine with Franken over Coleman. I'm not.
Too bad you don't live in Minnesota I guess... because THEY believe Franken is better.
You think you know better than the Minnesota voters?
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You think you know better than the Minnesota voters?
Maybe people in Hawaii (the most liberal state in America) do know more about politics then?
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Too bad you don't live in Minnesota I guess... because THEY believe Franken is better.
You think you know better than the Minnesota voters?
Maybe. I think I know better than the people who voted for Franken. I agree with the people who voted for Coleman.
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Coleman challenges recount in court
Scott Wente Associated Press
Published Tuesday, January 06, 2009
ST. PAUL – Norm Coleman will go to the courts in hopes of returning to the U.S. Senate.
Coleman announced this afternoon his campaign will contest the results of the statewide recount that gave him 225 fewer votes than Democrat Al Franken.
“As of today not every valid vote has been counted and some have been counted twice,” Coleman said as he was surrounded by dozens of supporters in a packed room across the street from the Capitol building.
Coleman’s announcement came a day after the state Canvassing Board approved the recount vote total that gave Franken a narrow margin.
Franken declared victory Monday and called himself “the next senator from Minnesota.” The former “Saturday Night Live” comedian acknowledged further legal action was possible, but said he would focus on getting to work for Minnesotans.
State law says an election certificate cannot be issued until seven days after the vote is finalized, during which time a lawsuit challenging the result can be filed. In that case, the winner does not receive an election certificate until after the court challenge plays out.
The new Congress convened today with Minnesota represented by only one senator – Democrat Amy Klobuchar.
Franken took no questions from reporters huddled outside his Minneapolis home on Monday, and his campaign refused to say whether he planned to travel to Washington without an election certificate. Senate Democrats had raised the possibility of provisionally seating Franken, pending the outcome of a possible legal challenge, but later said that would not occur as the new Congress convened today.
The Canvassing Board’s action wrapped up a two-month statewide recount with plenty of wrinkles and surprises. Coleman entered the recount leading Franken by more than 200 votes, but that flipped after the hand recount of 2.9 million ballots the counting of improperly rejected absentee ballots.
The official total gave Franken 1,212,431 votes to Coleman’s 1,212,206.
Coleman’s six-year Senate term ended Saturday and his offices were ordered closed Monday.
http://www.wctrib.com/articles/index.cfm?id=45994
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So much for him doing what the people wanted huh?
Makes Coleman look like an ass for not following his own "advices".
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End to Minn. Senate race pushed even further out
By BRIAN BAKST and PATRICK CONDON
Associated Press Writers
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota's grueling U.S. Senate race, already dragging on two months past Election Day, has now moved even further from the voters - and into the hands of lawyers.
Republican Norm Coleman filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging Democrat Al Franken's apparent recount victory, likely keeping one of Minnesota's two U.S. Senate seats unoccupied for weeks or even months.
It promises to reopen many of the disputes that arose during the recount, and to raise new questions about the conduct of the election and the counting of ballots.
Coleman acknowledged a desire among some Minnesotans to move on, but said a larger principle than expediency is at stake.
"We are filing this contest to make absolutely sure every valid vote was counted and no one's was counted more than anyone else's," he said at a Capitol news conference filled with cheering supporters.
"Democracy is not a machine," Coleman said. "Sometimes it's messy and inconvenient, and reaching the best conclusion is never quick because speed is not the first objective, fairness is."
Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who will eventually sign the winner's election certificate, backed Coleman's position Wednesday.
"It's disappointing that it's going to take longer but I think the more important thing to focus on is, the court process will allow ... everybody to say every stone was turned over, and in the end then have more confidence in the result," Pawlenty said.
A state board on Monday determined that Franken captured 225 more votes in the November election. But Minnesota law prevents officials from issuing an election certificate until legal matters are resolved. Franken did not participate Tuesday when new U.S. senators took the oath of office in Washington.
A trial is supposed to commence within three weeks of the case being filed.
Coleman attorney Fritz Knaak estimated the lawsuit could take at least two months to resolve.
Franken attorney Marc Elias called the lawsuit "essentially the same thin gruel, warmed-over leftovers from meals we've all been served over the last few weeks."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MINNESOTA_SENATE?refresh=1
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Looks like Coleman is a whining bitch who can't handle getting beat.
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Interesting take.
Can Coleman Win?
Over the weekend, Al Franken's lead over Norm Coleman jumped to 225 votes after officials counted about 1,000 absentee ballots that had been wrongly rejected due to clerical errors. This afternoon, the Minnesota canvassing board certified that Franken is the winner. But, as the St. Paul Pioneer Press explained in an editorial last week--much to the chagrin of Senate Democrats like Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, and Amy Klobuchar--this doesn't mean the race is over:
We see this as a three-act drama. If, by this time next week, Al or Norm is declared the winner of the recount — that is, at the end of Act II but before Act III — there will be a rush to put that man in the seat immediately. We could imagine a scenario where the Democratically controlled U.S. Senate would be happy to do this if Franken maintains his margin.
That would be a slap in the face to Minnesota fairness.
State law includes the right of an election contest. Seating either man while that is pending will be seen as a partisan power play that breaks faith with the spirit of the law. A court contest need not be drawn out but it is the candidate's right. Norm and Al can cool their heels until it's over.
In an election contest, a three judge panel appointed by the chief justice of the Minnesota supreme court will settle disputes between the Coleman and Franken campaigns. Even though it appears there have been serious problems with the recount that have boosted Franken's numbers, Coleman's odds of overtaking Franken's 225 vote lead in an election contest are quite long.
The most egregious problem is the alleged double-counting of ballots. The Coleman campaign claims that Franken netted about 100 votes in Minneapolis precincts where more votes were counted during the recount than on election night.
Another issue is Minneapolis's decision to submit election night tally for 133 missing ballots, among which Franken netted 46 votes. The Coleman campaign has pointed to a 2002 decision that held ballots that do not physically exist must not be counted.
The Coleman camp also objects to the inclusion of 171 ballots, which netted Franken 36 votes and were discovered in a box of ballots during the recount. So far I can tell, the Coleman campaign has not cited any particular law or court case to justify the exclusion of these ballots from the final count.
The Coleman campaign says it will also contest the canvassing board's inconsistent standards for judging Franken and Coleman ballots, though I doubt this could net more than 20 votes for Coleman.
So if these issues are resolved in Coleman's favor--a big if--he'd still be down by at least 20 votes. One possible way Coleman could make up the difference is if additional absentee ballots are counted. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled today that the resolution of this dispute is best suited for an election contest:
"The Coleman campaign contends that there are 654 ballots, in addition to those identified by local election officials, that should be examined, but the Franken campaign disagrees. The Franken campaign has itself identified additional ballots. We take no position on the merits of either campaign's contentions."
In at least a couple counties, election officials have acknowledged that some of the ballots identified by Coleman were improperly rejected. Yet, it's unclear how many of these 654 ballots were in fact wrongfully rejected, and, more importantly, how many votes Coleman might gain if they are counted.
Also, Coleman's lawyer Tony Trimble said this afternoon that he will challenge Franken's "gain" of 100 votes in a Mt. Iron precinct in heavily Democratic St. Louis county. As I wrote in November, most of the shifts in Franken's favor following election night were clearly corrections of typos. For example, without a 246-vote correction in Franken's favor in one precinct, he would only have had 27 votes--an unbelievably low number in a precinct where John McCain and Norm Coleman each tallied 175 votes and Obama garnered 336 votes.
But in the Mt. Iron precinct there's no way to tell, based on the percentage of the vote each candidate was expected to get, if the correction was due to an honest mistake. To be clear, there is no evidence of voter fraud here, and local election official Jill Anderson tells me that Republican election judges in Mt. Iron have not objected to the correction.
So Coleman would have to pull off something close to an inside straight in the election contest if he's to win. Still, I don't see why that should keep him from taking his case to court. Citizens deserve to know that there votes were accurately counted. And I'm pretty sure that Minnesotans can get along just fine for the next few weeks without Al Franken making them proud in Washington, D.C.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2009/01/can_coleman_win.asp
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Al Franken stole the election? Prove it or shut up
The recount shows that he won the Minnesota Senate race. The lying liars who say otherwise have no evidence of cheating.
By Joe Conason
Jan. 09, 2009 |
If Al Franken were not a longtime public figure -- and thus severely handicapped by American jurisprudence -- he could file a powerful complaint for libel or slander against several of the most prominent wingnuts in the United States. From Rush Limbaugh to Bill O'Reilly to Richard Mellon Scaife, a chorus of familiar voices is loudly defaming the Democrat whose razor-thin win in the Minnesota Senate race will now be tested in that state's courts. Ever since Election Day, on radio and television, on the Internet and in print, they've screamed that Franken is stealing, rigging, pilfering, scamming, thieving and cheating his way to victory.
These media figures, some of whom occasionally pretend to be journalists, have spewed such accusations repeatedly, without offering any proof whatsoever -- in plain contradiction of the available facts. Not only is there no evidence that Franken or his campaign "cheated" in any way during the election or the recount, but there is ample reason to believe that the entire process was fair, balanced and free from partisan taint.
For Franken's most famous adversaries, spewing lies about him may be a form of cheap revenge. A prime example is Fox News host O'Reilly, who has hated Franken for years, dating back to when the comedian and author berated him in a public debate, then exposed him in "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them," and ultimately provoked him into filing an ill-advised lawsuit that only generated vast amounts of free publicity for Franken's book before the suit was thrown out of court. Of course O'Reilly was preceded by Limbaugh, that "big fat idiot" whose deceptions and bigotry were featured in the comedian's first bestselling book way back in 1996.
So Limbaugh, quoting an erroneous editorial from the Wall Street Journal, has been ranting about the supposed theft of the Minnesota election for months now. "We did not elect Al Franken," he told a caller on Jan. 5. "He stole the race. They are stealing the race up there blind in front of everybody's nose. They are counting absentee ballots [which election officials are required to do by law]. ... They're counting votes twice -- votes that were rejected, all kinds of things [which election officials ordered after determining that some votes were rejected wrongly]. That's just -- the Democrats are stealing the election up there." Even the Journal's tendentious and sloppy screeds have never quite accused Franken of "stealing" the race or the recount. Rush just made that part up.
On Jan. 7, O'Reilly hosted an appearance by Dick Morris, the former Clinton consultant who lost his job for consorting with a prostitute and has gone into business selling himself to the highest Republican bidder. Aside from Fox News, Morris seems to appear with the greatest frequency on Newsmax.com, the popular right-wing Web site owned by Scaife and operated by Christopher Ruddy, a journalist known mainly for his fanciful theories about the Vince Foster suicide.
"Al Franken -- you think he's cheating?" intoned O'Reilly, as if he didn't know the answer.
"Yeah, I think there's funny business -- funny business going on in Franken's thing," replied Morris, as if he knew exactly what he was talking about. "Sure, he's cheating, and sure that Minnesota's doing it for him. I mean, there's no question that there's cheating going on ... This is outright larceny. This is just a total theft."
But he offered no evidence to support that incendiary accusation, on the O'Reilly broadcast or in the Newsmax column he published that same day, headlined "Stop Al Franken From Stealing the Election." (That column included a link to the Republican National Lawyers Association, which is raising money to assist Coleman's election lawsuit, with a direct endorsement from Morris.) Instead he complained about a few instances in which he disagrees with decisions by the Minnesota courts and election officials, and in particular with the special panel that oversaw the recount. How those disagreements amount to "cheating" or "stealing" by Franken he did not bother to explain.
All the usual suspects have echoed these false charges across the airwaves and the Internet. What they invariably neglect to mention is that the Minnesota Canvassing Board, whose decisions have so displeased the Republican right, was impeccably nonpartisan. Nobody in their right mind in Minnesota believes that the board was biased -- and, in fact, Powerline blogger Scott Johnson, no friend of Democrats or Franken, has specifically spoken up to defend it. "There was no noticeable partisan division among the board," he wrote. "Minnesotans are justifiably proud of the transparency and fairness of their work."
Two of its five members are Supreme Court judges appointed by Tim Pawlenty, the state's conservative Republican governor, each with a long record of loyal service to the GOP; a third is a nonpartisan elected judge; a fourth was appointed by former independent Gov. Jesse Ventura; and only one, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, is a Democrat. At the outset, Coleman's own lawyers accepted the panel's membership, as did everyone else, including Franken, who might have protested that his own party had only one member.
Their decisions against Coleman, which led to Franken's provisional victory by 225 votes, were unanimous. It is this group, composed of distinguished judges with spotless reputations, whose hard work has been described in odious terms by the likes of Morris, Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.
Here's a challenge to all those lying liars. In essence, they have accused my friend Franken of a felony under Minnesota law. If they know of any evidence that would show he has stolen votes or violated any election statute, let them report it to the state law enforcement authorities. And if they don't, perhaps they will at last have the decency to shut up.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2009/01/09/franken/?source=newsletter
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LOL... suddenly repubs give a shit about the integrity of the election process :) :) :)
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LOL... suddenly repubs give a shit about the integrity of the election process :) :) :)
hahahahahaaaa you got that right. In 2000 and 2004 it didn't seem to matter huh?
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Coleman should have put up a better fight earlier on. He watched and did nothing post-election as Franken went from a 200+ deficit to a 200+ lead.
'A little too little, a little too late'... to quote 80s rocker Pat Benatar. :P
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Al Franken Denied Certificate to Take Senate Seat
Monday, January 12, 2009 1:00 PM
Democrat Al Franken asked the Minnesota governor and secretary of state to issue an election certificate that would let him take office in the Senate, but the request was denied.
"Minnesota law is very clear on when a certificate of election can be issued,” Mark Ritchie, Minnesota’s Democratic secretary of state, wrote in a Monday statement. “Neither the governor nor I may sign a certificate of election in the U.S. Senate race until all election contests have reached a final determination. Even if the governor issues a certificate of election prior to the conclusion of the contest phase, I will not sign it."
Minn. Governor Pawlenty echoed Ritchie, saying the following in a statement: “I have a duty to follow state law and our statutes are clear on this issue. I am prohibited from issuing a certificate of election until the election contest in the courts has been resolved.”
In letters the campaign sent Monday, Franken's lawyers argued that a seven-day waiting period had passed and he should get the signed certificate. State law requires the waiting period after the election is finalized; the election was finalized on Jan. 5, with Franken leading Republican Norm Coleman by 225 votes after a statewide recount.
Franken attorney Marc Elias said the campaign believed federal law entitled him to the certificate before the Coleman lawsuit is settled.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/minnesota_senate/2009/01/12/170405.html
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Fat lady not singing yet.
Court to Franken: Wait Until Feb. for Certification Suit
Thursday, January 15, 2009 8:00 AM
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota won't have a second senator until February at the earliest after the state Supreme Court gave itself several weeks to consider Democrat Al Franken's request for an expedited election certificate.
The court said it would hear arguments on Franken's petition to get a certificate before the conclusion of a lawsuit by Republican Norm Coleman, but not until Feb. 5. The court order also granted Coleman's request to intervene in the case, which names Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie as defendants.
The development extends an already lengthy fight over the last undecided Senate seat from the 2008 election.
Also Wednesday, Coleman proposed a schedule for the trial on his lawsuit disputing the recount results, which showed him 225 votes behind Franken. His recommendations would push the trial well into February and probably beyond.
In a filing, Coleman recommended conducting the trial in stages. He said the case should proceed to the next step only if he gains "a sufficient number of votes" in the prior stage. A spokesman for Franken said he will submit his own, shorter timeline on Thursday.
The decision rests with three district judges appointed to hear the case.
Franken wants to take office before that lawsuit is resolved, but the governor and secretary of state say state law bars them from issuing an election certificate before then. Franken's petition aims to force the officials to act without waiting for Coleman's lawsuit to play out.
Coleman's legal team said they were pleased by the court's decision not to rush the Franken request.
"The Supreme Court's scheduling order has thrown cold water on the Franken campaign's latest power grab," they said in a written statement.
On the election lawsuit, Coleman attorney Tony Trimble said the campaign already is examining documents and holding depositions for witnesses who may be called during the trial.
Under Coleman's proposal, the court would take up disputed absentee ballots first. Both sides claim in court filings that hundreds of absentee ballots were wrongly excluded. They want the exterior of the sealed ballots examined for voter compliance with state law and have incorrectly rejected ballots opened and counted.
A later stage in Coleman's plan would address ballots from Minneapolis that election officials say went missing. The board that oversaw the recount decided to use Election Day machine tallies for that precinct to account for the lost ballots.
Other issues for later consideration include deliberation over ballots with questionable voter intent and a probe into Coleman's argument that some voters had more than one ballot counted.
On the last issue, a group of Coleman supporters said Wednesday they would file legal papers to intervene in the case. They contend that as many as 150 ballots in firmly Democratic Minneapolis precincts were double-counted.
"If even one vote is counted twice, that dilutes and disenfranchises millions of other people whose votes were counted only once," said Tony Sutton, a longtime Republican Party leader.
The group didn't provide physical evidence to support their allegations, which mirror those being made in Coleman's lawsuit. They say that some duplicate ballots made to replace ballots that couldn't be fed through tabulating machines weren't properly marked, making it impossible to link the originals and duplicates. In some cases they say both were counted.
Recount tallies in some precincts exceeded the number of votes picked up by the machines on Nov. 4. But not all election officials have released the polling place sign-in rosters that are a more accurate measure of the number of voters.
It could be impossible to trace original ballots that weren't marked to align with a duplicate, as state law requires. The group's attorney, Doug Seaton, said it's too soon to say what a possible remedy would be.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/minnesota_senate/2009/01/15/171436.html
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Franken-Coleman trial to proceed
Posted: 08:37 AM ET
From CNN All Platform Journalist Chris Welch
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) — The three-judge panel charged with overseeing the trial brought forth by former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman has denied Democrat Al Franken's request to dismiss that trial.
The trial is set to begin Monday and will now proceed as scheduled. Lawyers from both campaigns will be present at a pre-trial hearing and summary judgment Friday, which will set the groundwork for the trial period.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/
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Looks like this one is all over by the crying. http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/franken_votes/2009/04/13/202633.html
Coleman lawyer pledges appeal — in time
Posted: 01:30 PM ET
From CNN All Platform Journalist Chris Welch
An attorney for former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, pictured above, said they still plan to appeal to the state's high court.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (CNN) – A day after a much-awaited trial court ruling named Democrat Al Franken the winner of Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, an attorney for former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman said they still plan to appeal to the state's high court.
Coleman lawyer Ben Ginsberg emphasized the need for a full review of the ruling over the need for a speedy appeals process. "I would be surprised if it's before next week," he said. "I mean, we're reviewing the 65-page opinion, and I think we'll take time to be sure we review and frame the issues correctly before we file the notice."
The Coleman camp's arguments were shot down from just about every angle in the lower court's decision. But Ginsberg said he has confidence the Minnesota Supreme Court will see their case differently, and focus more on the equal protection argument Coleman had been pursuing all along.
He added that, based on what he's seen in the state Supreme Court's historical rulings, the high court justices will be more conscious of the "rights of voters."
A central theme of their case has been the issue of what they say are mistakenly rejected absentee ballots. Coleman at the onset had asked the trial court to examine more than 4,000 of these ballots. Much to Coleman's chagrin, that number was heavily whittled down. About 350 were opened and counted in the end.
Ginsberg says they'll go back to those 4,000 in the appeal.
"The point is that there are still thousands of voters who have not had their votes counted whose votes should be counted," he said.
Ginsberg also noted they have the direct right to an immediate appeal, so there is no chance the court could refuse to hear the case.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already begun fundraising based on the court's decision, sending supporters a message that raises the 2000 Florida recount and accuses Democrats of looking to disenfranchise Minnesota voters. "Republicans, and the NRSC in particular, remain committed to a full and fair resolution of this election contest and stand firmly behind Senator Norm Coleman," said chairman John Cornyn in an e-mail sent to supporters.
Franken's campaign has announced a conference call later in the day Tuesday.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/14/coleman-lawyer-pledges-appeal-in-time/#more-47604
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Still dragging on.
Minn. Court Won't Hear Coleman-Franken Case Until June
Friday, April 24, 2009 1:25 PM
Minnesota will head into June without a second U.S. senator under the Supreme Court's schedule for hearing Republican Norm Coleman's appeal.
The court said Friday it won't hold oral arguments until June 1, later than Democrat Al Franken had hoped. In the intervening weeks, the schedule gives the two sides various deadlines for written filings and responses.
Comic-turned-activist Franken has a 312-vote lead over Coleman. But neither can take office until the state courts finish considering Coleman's lawsuit.
Coleman hopes the high court will reverse several rulings by a three-judge panel that backed Franken. At 5 1/2 months and counting, the race has gone on longer than any election in Minnesota history.
Earlier this week, Franken had requested that paperwork be filed by May 4 and oral arguments be held shortly afterward.
"We are grateful that the court has issued an expedited scheduling order, and we look forward to the process continuing to move forward so that Sen.-elect Franken can be seated as quickly as possible," Franken attorney Marc Elias said in a statement.
Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson issued a statement saying it will take time to prepare his case.
"We're pleased that the court has granted an appropriate amount of time to prepare for this historic and consequential case to enfranchise thousands of Minnesota citizens who still wait for their voices to be heard, and their votes to be counted," Erickson said.
Two of the Minnesota court's seven justices plan to sit out the appeal. Chief Justice Eric Magnuson and Justice G. Barry Anderson served on the state board that oversaw the re-count in which Franken pulled past Coleman, the race leader after the initial vote count on Election Day.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/franken_coleman_/2009/04/24/206993.html
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If this were reversed, can you imagine what the righties would be saying about Franken? I can....
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If this were reversed, can you imagine what the righties would be saying about Franken? I can....
They said it in other threads, about how if Franken looks like he lost, he should just concede defeat, because it's the honorable thing to do, and Franken would look sad if he didn't.
Is Coleman now sad and dishonorable? I'd say so... I'm sure the righties will disagree.
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And so it ends.
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Good concession speech.
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=6426082&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/
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I wonder what the Minnesota voters are thinking now?
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I wonder what the Minnesota voters are thinking now?
They deserve everything they are getting, including the thousands of job losses with the Racine plant closing and the Export Bank denying the loans for the coal plant.
Vote Democrat = Welcome to UE
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I wonder what the Minnesota voters are thinking now?
They're probably glad they have Picasso in there, and not a sore loser like Coleman.
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Well this is a stain on the Minnesota political landscape. What a difference a vote (or 1,000 illegal votes) makes.
York: When 1,099 felons vote in race won by 312 ballots
August 6, 2012
Byron York
Chief Political Correspondent
The Washington Examiner
In the eyes of the Obama administration, most Democratic lawmakers, and left-leaning editorial pages across the country, voter fraud is a problem that doesn't exist. Allegations of fraud, they say, are little more than pretexts conjured up by Republicans to justify voter ID laws designed to suppress Democratic turnout.
That argument becomes much harder to make after reading a discussion of the 2008 Minnesota Senate race in "Who's Counting?", a new book by conservative journalist John Fund and former Bush Justice Department official Hans von Spakovsky. Although the authors cover the whole range of voter fraud issues, their chapter on Minnesota is enough to convince any skeptic that there are times when voter fraud not only exists but can be critical to the outcome of a critical race.
In the '08 campaign, Republican Sen. Norm Coleman was running for re-election against Democrat Al Franken. It was impossibly close; on the morning after the election, after 2.9 million people had voted, Coleman led Franken by 725 votes.
Franken and his Democratic allies dispatched an army of lawyers to challenge the results. After the first canvass, Coleman's lead was down to 206 votes. That was followed by months of wrangling and litigation. In the end, Franken was declared the winner by 312 votes. He was sworn into office in July 2009, eight months after the election.
During the controversy a conservative group called Minnesota Majority began to look into claims of voter fraud. Comparing criminal records with voting rolls, the group identified 1,099 felons -- all ineligible to vote -- who had voted in the Franken-Coleman race.
Minnesota Majority took the information to prosecutors across the state, many of whom showed no interest in pursuing it. But Minnesota law requires authorities to investigate such leads. And so far, Fund and von Spakovsky report, 177 people have been convicted -- not just accused, but convicted -- of voting fraudulently in the Senate race. Another 66 are awaiting trial. "The numbers aren't greater," the authors say, "because the standard for convicting someone of voter fraud in Minnesota is that they must have been both ineligible, and 'knowingly' voted unlawfully." The accused can get off by claiming not to have known they did anything wrong.
Still, that's a total of 243 people either convicted of voter fraud or awaiting trial in an election that was decided by 312 votes. With 1,099 examples identified by Minnesota Majority, and with evidence suggesting that felons, when they do vote, strongly favor Democrats, it doesn't require a leap to suggest there might one day be proof that Al Franken was elected on the strength of voter fraud.
And that's just the question of voting by felons. Minnesota Majority also found all sorts of other irregularities that cast further doubt on the Senate results.
The election was particularly important because Franken's victory gave Senate Democrats a 60th vote in favor of President Obama's national health care proposal -- the deciding vote to overcome a Republican filibuster. If Coleman had kept his seat, there would have been no 60th vote, and no Obamacare.
Voter fraud matters when contests are close. When an election is decided by a huge margin, no one can plausibly claim fraud made the difference. But the Minnesota race was excruciatingly close. And then, in the Obamacare debate, Democrats could not afford to lose even a single vote. So if there were any case that demonstrates that voter fraud both exists and has real consequences, it is Minnesota 2008.
Yet Democrats across the country continue to downplay the importance of the issue. Last year, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, denounced "the gauzy accusation that voter fraud is somehow a problem, when over and over again it has been proven that you're more likely to get hit by lightning than you are to [be] a victim of voter fraud."
Wasserman Shultz and her fellow Democrats are doing everything they can to stop reasonable anti-fraud measures, like removing ineligible voters from the rolls and voter ID. Through it all, they maintain they are simply defending our most fundamental right, the right to vote.
But voter fraud involves that right, too. "When voters are disenfranchised by the counting of improperly cast ballots or outright fraud, their civil rights are violated just as surely as if they were prevented from voting," write Fund and von Spakovsky. "The integrity of the ballot box is just as important to the credibility of elections as access to it."
http://washingtonexaminer.com/york-when-1099-felons-vote-in-race-won-by-312-ballots/article/2504163
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So? The overwhelming majority of voters didn't waste their vote on Bob Barr (as you claim to have done). Who cares.
Thanks man.
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So I probably will vote dem. i'd love to see Obama choose a Wes Clark for a running mate, or a Jim Webb, possibly more likely, for strong military and defense credibility.
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yep, in Feb I said that. And in the fall I voted Barr. I've posted it dozens of times.
I know, you get upset I celebrated that Bush/Mccain/cheney shitpile was voted out, and yes, I did.
But I wanted you to see just how vocal I was about Barr, I really like him.
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People who read this board on a regular basis understand that you are a chronic liar and like to give lip service to a number of Republican candidates, while cheerleading for liberals. Daily.
Thune 2012.
Bachmann 2012.
Huntsman 2012!
Perry 2012... it's gonna be the ticket. Without a doubt.
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look at the dates lol. jan 2011? LOLOLOLOL
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What the fuck are you two doing, going through the board resurrecting threads and copy-pasting quotes? Take your man-love in a pm instead of making the forum's already horrible signal-to-noise ratio worse.
That one of you is a moderator makes your childish behavior especially egregious.
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What the fuck are you two doing, going through the board resurrecting threads and copy-pasting quotes? Take your man-love in a pm instead of making the forum's already horrible signal-to-noise ratio worse.
That one of you is a moderator makes your childish behavior especially egregious.
Oh lighten up already. It's all in good fun. You should try laughing every now and again. It's good for the soul.
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Yeah. Necro threads are a barrel of monkeys.
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Oh lighten up already. It's all in good fun. You should try laughing every now and again. It's good for the soul.
The fact that you are the admin on a polical and political issues board if a fucking joke.
Isnt there a gossip for bitches board that you can admin instead?
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The fact that you are the admin on a polical and political issues board if a fucking joke.
Isnt there a gossip for bitches board that you can admin instead?
I'm not sure? Is there one you can recommend and can I use you as a reference?