BREAKING: Senator Franken Wins!
They are counting the ballots right now, but with only 213 ballots left, Franken has a lead of 245.
UPDATE: The counting is finished and the final tally is F 198, C 111, O 42, meaning Franken wins by 312 votes. His election will be certified shortly.
Thus ends the longest comedy sketch in Franken’s career.
Awesome!
Suck it Norm!
Yeah, it seems that Norm has some questions to answer for the FBI. He might as well get started NOW.
Congratulations Al!
This makes me very happy.
Finally!
Sorry to rain on the parade, but not so fast, friends. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said yesterday that he would not certify the election until all appeals were exhausted. The Rethugs are now officially trying to keep a duly-elected Senator out of the Senate.
It will be interesting to see if, assuming that the Minnesota court certifies the result, Harry Reid will grow a pair and move to have Franken seated.
And, if the filibuster issue comes up, it will be interesting to see if Tom Carper, who insisted on ‘up-and-down’ votes on Roberts and Alito, will insist on allowing democracy to take precedence over an obstructionist filibuster.
He’s good enough, he’s smart enough, and doggone it, people like him.
I’m sure the Supreme Court is going to take Norm’s side, which breaks down to “count the votes that are for me, and not for the other guy.” Once the MNSC rules, the pressure on Pawlenty will be intense. Bye, bye Pawlenty’s chances at the GOP nomination, whichever way he goes (he either angers the people of MN or the big money GOP guys).
I also think it’s important that the ruling has gone in Franken’s favor because now he can definitely declare victory and the pressure on Coleman to concede will be intense (probably from Pawlenty!).
‘Bulo disagrees with UI, and that’s pretty rare. Franken’s vote is key to the Obama agenda. The longer they delay, the more Obama has to cut deals with the Devil. There’s a reason why Coleman has been able to raise so much money for legal fees, and it’s not b/c the people donating love Norm Coleman.
Plus, do not underestimate the Rethugs’ fealty to Rushbo, and do not forget that Al Franken wrote “Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot”.
LOL ‘Bulo! I don’t know how much longer Coleman can hang on since he’s now officially “lost,” but you’re right that I shouldn’t underestimate the capacity of Republicans to shoot themselves in the foot.
Here’s how much longer. According to Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo:
“For now, Franken won’t be able to get a certificate of election. The court has to hand down a ruling, perhaps in the next week or two, declaring a winner in the race. And then a certificate can’t be issued until at least after the state Supreme Court rules on the likely appeal. And then the question becomes whether GOP Gov. Tim Pawlenty will issue a certificate, whether the state Supremes will order it, or a federal court would issue an injunction against it, etc.
Whatever form Coleman’s litigation takes from here, expect the appeal to happen in some form in state and/or federal courts, and for the Senate GOP to fight any effort by Franken to be seated.”
Again, this is not about democracy. The Rethugs are simply making a mockery out of the electoral process, and they don’t care. After all, they’ve stolen a presidential election, and got away with it thanks to the Supreme Court. So, this is small potatoes for people with no scruples.
Well, ‘Bulo, it’s now pretty obvious why we don’t hear Republicans talk about tort reform anymore.
I lived in Minnesota for awhile and have friends there — there seems to be building a GOP backlash within the state. MN used to be pretty reliably DFL and with the nonstop dishonorable behavior of the Coleman camp and his out of state enablers, there is plenty of speculation that the GOP may be killing real party growth they had in MN at the expense of keeping Franken out.
Great! Now Harry the jackass can have another loser to vote with him.
It really doesn’t matter. Liberal ram-rodding will only happen til 2010. The approval rating of the Congress is so poor (15% last time I checked) the Dems are toast. W didn’t even do that bad.
Mark O, your ignorance is showing.
How much is his ignorance showing? This much:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/congressional_job_approval-903.html
Currently the congress is sitting at 33%.
Bush wasn’t that high in his last 18 months in office.
http://www.hist.umn.edu/~ruggles/Approval.htm
Sucka!
If the state supreme court issues a final decision, Pawlenty will have to issue an election certificate. If he doesn’t do so willingly, Minnesota courts can issue a write of mandamus, ordering the official action. Penalties for violation can include jail. GOP’s only hope would then be for a federal court to enjoin enforcement of the mandamus while the case wends its way through the federal courts. Never say never, but that injunction would be unlikely.
Can Pawlenty and the MN Republicans really afford to be seen to be that guileful?
Oh yeah…we are talking about Republicans.