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Ear to the Ground

Senator Franken, at Last?

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Posted on Jan 5, 2009
Al Franken
Flickr / aflcio2008

After recounting 2.4 million ballots cast in the state’s U.S. Senate election, Minnesota officials are ready to name Al Franken the winner by a mere 225 votes. Franken’s rival, Sen. Norm Coleman, will likely fight the decision in the state Supreme Court. His campaign manager, meanwhile, is calling for a do-over.

Update 1: The state Supreme Court has rebuffed Coleman, who says he will sue.

Update 2: Franken has been certified the winner, but Coleman’s legal challenges will continue to gum up the works for the time being.


Reuters:

“At the moment, Franken has a 225-vote lead,” after the weekend counting of what were deemed the last uncounted absentee ballots, said Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a Democrat who oversaw the process.

Ritchie said unless the supreme court acts on Coleman’s request and orders more ballots to be counted, he will reconvene the state’s Canvassing Board on Monday to certify Franken as the winner of the November 4 contest.

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By mill, January 6, 2009 at 2:39 pm #

former Senator Coleman plans to file an election contest - as provided for under Minnesota law.  All right and proper there.  Doubt it will help though.  Just slow the progress our country will make because Mr. Franken can’t take his seat in the Senate until all legal challenges are exhausted - that’s required before the Governor (Rep. Tim Pawlenty) and Secretary of State (Dem. Mark Ritchie) jointly certify the election results. 

Mr. Coleman was a lapdog for the Bush/Cheney administration - as Chair of the Senate Committee on investigations (while Republicans controlled the Senate)  he found nothing worth investigating ... nothing about Katrina recovery, nothing about noncompete contracting forced by VP Cheney, nothing about manipulation of evidence by the White House leading up to the invasion of Iraq ...  his lack of curiosity almost matched Mr. Bush’s in that way

Mr. Franken is known as a 2x4 comedian - not much subtlety.  However, I think he will turn out to be a fine Senator - certainly one who keeps the state (of Mn)  and the national interest at the center of his focus

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By Outraged, January 6, 2009 at 5:42 am #

Re: diamond

Good post.  I agree.
*****

To the locals here on TD.  I missed ya’.  Haven’t been feeling up to par, physically that is (not to worry, it “waxes and wanes” officially anyhow, whew… that it does… it certainly does) and this is aside from the bullshit of life.  There’s just been too much of that here lately.  Wow.

Regarding the article,  All kudos to Franken, (BTW, I read his book, good stuff).  For me, Franken is one of those “modern day” heroes.  I know that sounds incredibly dorky, but he is.  He fought…and he fought and he fought…. he fought FOR The People and if that isn’t a HERO, what is?!

All my best to you SENATOR FRANKEN, and thank you for fighting the good fight.  Minnesota is very lucky to have you.  I don’t really buy into the “perfect person” mantra, and I don’t consider you as such.  Thankfully it appears you are a real human bean and a fighter, an incredibly powerful combination with a sense of humour to boot, lucky Minnesota…..Lucky Us!

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By diamond, January 5, 2009 at 9:08 pm #

Go Franken go! I’m hoping Franken will follow the teachings of the late, great Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German film director of note. He was asked if he was leftwing or rightwing and he said this: ‘I look around and everything’s burning, everything’s shit and then, left, right, up, down, I shoot in all directions’.

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By Trigger finger, January 5, 2009 at 7:31 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Poor Norm.
For six years he joined with the Bush and voted against the will of the people of Minnesota.  I tried to warn him early that he would have a short career if he kept it up. His response was you elected me, I’ll vote as I please!

Well, now we have voted him out and he still wants to ignore the people and have the courts overturn the election. Poor Norm.  He should concede, confess, and take another run at it when he gets out of prison!

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By dsmith, January 5, 2009 at 6:15 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Watch Franken line right up with the “Bomb Iran” neonuts who conned this country into invading a country that posed no danger to us.

1.7 trillion dollars later (all borrowed), 4500 dead US soldiers, 30,000 wounded US soldiers, tens of thousands of divorces caused by three year deployments, over 1,000,000 million dead Iraqis, 2,000,000 displaced Iraqis…and what do we have to show for it? A corrupt Shiite government that will murder Sunnis as soon as we leave. Oh yes, neocon in chief, Richard Perle, did get an oil contract with the Kurds as a result of the war…that’s nice.

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By Margaret Currey, January 5, 2009 at 6:08 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

ust because Al Franken was a comidian does not make him less of a senator, after all there was R. Reghan he was an actor but a bad comadian and he was also not a good governor except he always helped out the more fortunate and of course they probably liked that.

Then there was J. Vantura who was an actor of sorts.

May the best man win the contest.

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By abdo, January 5, 2009 at 5:54 pm #

Just like Chicago….Vote Early and Vote Often

Jessey Ventura = a Navy Seal
Al Franken = a performing seal

Al Frankan @work laugh at life parodies
Jessy Ventura@work people died
Jessy Ventora 2@work people pretended they died

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By al, January 5, 2009 at 4:40 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Just like Chicago….Vote Early and Vote Often

Jessey Ventura = a Navy Seal
Al Franken = a performing seal

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By August West, January 5, 2009 at 2:59 pm #

“Sen. Norm Coleman, will likely fight the decision in the state Supreme Court. His campaign manager, meanwhile, is calling for a do-over.”

If he loses again he’ll call for best three-out-of-five.

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By Paolo, January 5, 2009 at 12:08 pm #

As an anti-war libertarian, my only regret in seeing Norm Coleman go will be the fact that he won’t get “pantsed” on worldwide TV anymore by George Galloway, the Scottish MP. Remember? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7883488

Gosh, that was grand.

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