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As DHD readers know, I've been closely following the Al Franken vs Norm Coleman hotly contested U.S. Senate race in Minnesota because, while showbiz talents who are also Democrats routinely raise money and campaign for political candidates, they rarely run for public office themselves. For a long while, Franken, the Saturday Night Live alum and ex-Air America radio broadcaster, trailed Coleman, the Republican incumbent U.S. senator. Then the challenger led by a slim margin. But tonight, the recount is finally complete with Franken ahead by a relatively comfortable 225 votes over Coleman. According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, all that's left is for the Coleman camp's various legal challenges to be considered by the state Supreme Court. The Republican's term as a U.S. senator ended at noon ET today, and tonight state officials counted previously rejected absentee ballots in St. Paul. A newspaper tally of the officials' 
count of the absentee ballots showed that Franken, who had led unofficially by a mere 49 votes going into the day, gained a net 176 votes by day's end. "The state Canvassing Board is scheduled to meet Monday -- and possibly again Tuesday -- to review the tally of the previously rejected ballots. It may announce the race's final result by Tuesday, the day a new Congress convenes in Washington," the Star-Tribune reported. "With the recount complete, focus immediately shifted to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which continued to consider a request from the Coleman campaign to alter the process and add more absentee ballots to be reconsidered. But by early evening there was no word from the state's highest court as to when it would rule or hear arguments." So this is still not yet over. "A court challenge to the recount is almost certain to follow a certification from the Canvassing Board, as Coleman lawyers acknowledged last week," the Star-Tribune wrote. "Under state law, an election certificate formally naming a winner cannot be issued until all legal disputes are resolved."
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This counting and recounting and recounting of this race has been horrible. Now, it will all end up in the courts because of ballots thrown out, ballots counted twice, ballots read wrong.
Franken shouldn’t be measuring the drapes. It ain’t over yet.
It’s time for The Senator Al Franken Decade.
Thank goodness Saxby Chambliss won in Georgia. I knew they would keep counting until they stold the election for Franken. I was ready for a Democrat president as was much of the U.S., but without Chambliss’ victory there would be no check on the Democratic party and we probably would have had a repeat of 1994 in the midterm elections. Even 41 Republicans will be enough to keep Democrats honest. That’s about all we can hope for with a two party system.
I’m not sure why the Democrat Party has been supportive of Franken at all in this process. He political poison for a party that needs politics leaders and heroes, not A-list comedians.
I wonder how long it will take Franken to throw a chair at a Senator or voter he doesn’t agree with.
Obama won the state by a large margin.
Another Democrat would have also won with no problems.
Hollywood should be happy, Hollywood MONEY got Franken the endorsement. I was disgusted when he used his wife’s problems in an ad when he was running for office.
The Democrat Sec of State is on his side
and to quote a famous saying “It doesn’t matter who votes what matters is who counts the votes.
Franken is no Wellstone….Wellstone had class and loved to debate with people who disagreed with him..He was a nice man liked by both Republicans and Democrats alike.
I hope Franken who likes to use the Wellstone name would try a little harder to be more like him as a person than just be like his voting record.
Well said, Heath. A filibuster-proof Senate would have been a disaster for Obama, and a full-fledged apocalypse for the country.
Any Democrat who assailed Bush’s win in Florida in 2000 should be doing the same against Franken, but we all know that in the end it’s about party politics and whose side you are on. Personally, I think that when it’s that close in terms of votes, both candidates should submit to a live televised coin toss. At least then it’s honorable, not like this scummy “recount” farce.
Not to challenge your basic point about the perils of one-party dominance of Congress (which the Republicans have richly illustrated these past few years(, but Saxby Chambliss is an inhuman, amoral monster who disgraces the Senate with his presence. For what he did to Max Cleland to get into office in the first place, he should be drawn and quartered on C-Span.
Ahaahaaa…
What goes around, comes around.
Norm Coleman had said right after the initial results that if he “had lost this close an election,” he would concede.
That ain’t gonna happen now. He should have kept his mouth shut. Even if the courts bounce the 165 “double-counted” Franken votes, Coleman is still in the hole.
Leave it to Republican asshats to declare that “counting votes” equates “stealing and election.”
The recount was REQUIRED BY LAW. You remember “law,” don’t you?
Deal with it, you’re colossal losers. You backed a war criminal and terrorist who was so awful, a black man with “Hussein” as his middle name kicked your smarmy asses all over the place. You deserve worse, but I’ll take it. Whatever humiliates you most, after all, that was the Karl Rove way.
Not only did Al get more votes that the soon to be indicted Norm Coleman, but he also got more votes than the Lizard People.
Let’s face it.
There’s something truly weird & wonderful when a Senate seat in Minnesota of all places has two Jews running for it!
And at least it appears that the intentionally funny guy won!
The amount of transparency in this recount is impressive and probably unprecedented, with both the recount process and the resolution of challenges available online through streaming video. It should have been enough to derail accusations that Franken and the Democratic-Farm-Labor Party (as they’re known in Minnesota) had stolen the election. Clearly not.
Senator Franken… has a nice ring to it! When votes are counted, democrats win. Bye Norm.
There should a pool on how long it will take for Al to embarrass the party.
The best comment thus far: “leave it to Republicans to equate counting votes to stealing an election”
Look at this site:
http://senaterecount.startribune.com/ballots/index.php?review_date=2008-12-18&index=175
You can examine a pdf of every disputed vote. The link goes to a vote for Franken that was tossed because the voter wrote hi name on the ballot (and as write in for prez). It’s a legit recount, or please link to a vote on the site that demonstrates otherwise.
“You deserve worse, but I’ll take it. Whatever humiliates you most,”
So that’s what the left calls democracy. Sadly, after watching the stolen gubernatorial election in Washington state and the stolen Senate seat in Washington state, it seems that winning by cheating is better than not winning at all. In Minnesota there are many votes which were counted twice, which by any standard is a corrupted election.
Forget who is running. How about clean, honest balloting instead?
I’m actually quite excited about this. Franken knows his stuff, and he’s another fresh voice.
Hey savvydude –
“after watching the stolen gubernatorial election in Washington state and the stolen Senate seat in Washington state, it seems that winning by cheating is better than not winning at all. In Minnesota there are many votes which were counted twice, which by any standard is a corrupted election.”
Please provide some type of links to these tinfoil wackadoo assertions. I provided a link to the Minnesota recount so you can use that to show me which votes were counted twice.
savvydude: Really? You’re going to accuse the *left* of stealing elections, of cheating, after Bush stole not one, but two elections and Rove made a career out of cheating his candidates into office? Really? Really???
You guys are shameless.
I hope Al Wins!!! hurrah! I seen him speak a number of times, and he’s right on issues.
But i bet the schmuck running against him will take it all the way to court.
I think having a comedian in the Senate is a fitting end to the failure of our government.
“Saxby Chambliss is an inhuman, amoral monster who disgraces the Senate with his presence. For what he did to Max Cleland to get into office in the first place, he should be drawn and quartered on C-Span.”
Haha, have to agree. I’d watch it. Both guys running in GA were goons, and I couldn’t stomach a vote for either one, but the congressional check/balance of 41 senators on the GOP side is a big favor to Democrats and Obama even if some of those on the left on this board don’t realize it.
Oh, I see…Franken is winning because he was able to toss every single one of Norman Coleman’s votes out that didn’t fill in the circle enough, even though to anyone else it was a vote – yet all of Norman Coleman’s challenges against Franken votes didn’t stand – who’s the crooked one here?? It’s obvious what is going on, a stolen election by Franken who is said to be the worst person to work with or for, ever.
…for a party that needs politics leaders and heroes, not A-list comedians.”
Being generous there, aren’t you Taylor?
“You deserve worse, but I’ll take it. Whatever humiliates you most,”
So that’s what the left calls democracy.”
No, less than savvy, don’t conveniently leave out my next sentence to change the context. This is precisely what we have had to deal with for the last eight years, as long as that certified piece of dogshit Karl Rove had influence in this administration, the Republican Way has been not only to win, but to destroy and humiliate their opponents.
I’m just holding them to their own professed scriptural standard. You reap what you sow, remember? Rule of Law, remember?
Working here in Minneapolis and it’s interesting that a ballot with an X through a Coleman mark is not counted while an almost exact duplicate Franken mark with an X through it IS counted. Franken can thank the democratic party in MN for miraculously finding just enough votes to steal this. Amazing aint it how the votes they discovered were overwhelmingly for Al?
I am SO glad the republicans did not steal another election… we all know how Bush v. Gore worked out. But on this day chalk one up for law and order… counting all the votes…a new concept for repubs!
I hope Franken wins. With Obama, Pelosi and all the Democrats in power there is no stopping things… down that is…
What about the votes that were not properly marked as “duplicate” that are being counted?
Nice to see the usual collection of knee-jerk-nitwits are out and about. So glad you liberals are “tolerant,” “thoughtful,” and “adults.”
First, how is 200 odd votes “comfortable?” I bet you didn’t say that about Coleman when the first results came in.
Second, I love how liberals suddenly care about counting votes when they are losing, not so much when they are winning (or when it’s the Military overseas, or Iraqis are voting).
Anyone else tired of the liberals and their constant baseless attacks? Hope and Change? I think not, seems like more of the same with more arrogance and condescension.
I can’t wait for the liberals who run MN to explain how a vote that is clearly marked for Coleman is a vote for Franken. Yes, they did that. Also, why are votes that are clearly NOT LEGAL being counted for Al Franken (as far as I know, ONLY Franken)?
Liberals have to win at any cost. That would include destroying our nation; which does seem to be their secondary motivation, right after gaining power to get rich.
Like Carter, Obama is a one termer who will strengthen and embolden our enemies which will cause us to have to continue fighting them for another half century or more. The Defense industry thanks you.
Funny how liberals cause most wars and then complain about wars, usually blaming others. Then again that is the way liberals behave; cause the problem and then blame someone else. Even better they trot out exactly the same “solution” which caused the problem in the first place. Wise up people.
Enjoy the next four years liberals, it will be the last time you ever have power. Your arrogance, ignorance, inexperience, and idiotic ideas (all having failed numerous times in the past) … oh did I mention corruption … will again be your undoing. Let’s hope that Nation wises up to your populist b.s. Let’s also hope that the Obamassiah and his corruptocrats don’t weaken us to the point we become on par with Russia.
He is not even President yet, and his clay feet are already showing. How about them vetters! Yea, I remember the Obama camp saying that McCain’s team was inept for not seeing this or that about Palin. What say you now, haters?
How the hell is Franken a “fresh” voice? He is the same tired liberalism that keeps failing! Oh wait, you think Obama is new, also. That explains.
Please check out “How Obama Got Elected” so you can see your peers.
The amount of transparency in this recount is impressive and probably unprecedented,
It’s not.
with both the recount process and the resolution of challenges available on-line through streaming video. It should have been enough to derail accusations that Franken and the Democratic-Farm-Labor Party (as they’re known in Minnesota) had stolen the election.
How do you figure that? When votes that are clearly NOT legal are being counted for Franken, don’t you wonder what is going on?
I looked at a dozen ballots, some were clearly not countable (they went to Franken). Some of the ballots it was clear the challenge was NOT because of the marking of the ballot, yet no reason was given for the challenge or the inclusion. Hmm.
Beyond that you have votes being counted even though they did not arrive on time, were not properly marked, were not sent to the right place, and people not legally allowed to vote etc… Either the law is the law or we have anarchy. (Yes I know the law only applies to anyone NOT a liberal.)
On one hand I hope Franken wins, he will embarrass the party (not that they can be) and he will be the poster boy (along with Blagoavich, Rangel, Reid, and Obama) for a return to sanity. On the other hand, his winning makes it more likely the Dems can destroy our country. (The US, not Canada)
The Minnesota-based lawyers at Powerline give a thorough analysis:
[...]“Coleman’s contest of the returns so far is not, as some have claimed, a ’sore loserman’ tactic. There are highly legitimate issues surrounding the election which have not yet been addressed by any body. Those issues, some of which appear highly meritorious, will be considered for the first time in the election contest.”[...]
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/01/022474.php
Read the whole thing.
So many crazy, sore loser Republicans running rampant here.
This time, the close election happened in an incorruptible state, MN. Too bad for you Repubs that it wasn’t OH or FL again!
((big groan)) re: franken
thank GOD i don’t live in that state. his voice alone would drive me NUTS on a regular basis.
and i doubt this posting gets posted LOL
I love the irony of wingnut right wingers braying about “recount ’til it’s done right” now when they were braying “you lost, just accept it” during the recounts in Florida in 2000.
Mark, it appears you have brought projection to an art form. Bravo!
And Don, you’re going to provide a link to Powerline for objective analysis? REEEALLY?
Chuck, you don’t even have to go as far back as Florida 2000 to find Republicans saying “you lost, just accept it”; Norm Coleman said it a few weeks ago. But why would we be surprised at double-standards from Republicans.
I agree with Jane who said another Democrat would have won the state by such a large margin we wouldn’t have needed any recount. And Franken is no Wellstone. That’s just offensive he or anybody suggests that.