Just Because Norm’s Appeal Reeks Doesn’t Mean It’s Wrong

(Guest post from Joe Loveland)
Defending an extension of the ceaseless Minnesota Senate recount is about as popular as defending an extension of the sitcom Cavemen.
But count me in. I support Senator Coleman’s appeal questioning whether absentee ballots were judged by varying standards in the counties.
By the way, this is not to say [...]

Political Gymnastics

Senator Norm Coleman, in possession of a narrow electoral lead the day after Election Day, November 6, 2008:
“I would step back (from challenging election results). I just think the need for the healing process is so important.”
Former Senator Norm Coleman’s attorney, facing a narrow deficit after a recount, January 5, 2008: [...]

A Fresh Start for Al

A keen observation from Captain Obvious: Al Franken has an image problem.
During the campaign voters heard and read the recovering comedian using naughty words, brainstorming jokes about rape, and occasionally stretching the truth in relentless criticism of his opponent. And there is residual damage. Lots of it.
Well, New Years is [...]

Election System Enema

By national standards, Minnesota has a very good election system. And for all our griping about the U.S. Senate recount, this recount will serve to make our elections even better.
First, over the years well-meaning but misinformed election judges apparently have been rejecting legal absentee ballots, inadvertantly disenfranchising thousands of Minnesotans in the process. [...]

The Importance of The Right Messenger

Most of the public relations around the U.S. Senate recount has come in the form of dueling flack attacks. The Franken campaign has been at least as over-the-top as the Coleman campaign, including its gratuitous mention in today’s recount briefing of the Kazeminy-Coleman FBI investigation. (Holy kitchen sink strategy, what does Kazeminy have [...]

You Be the Judge…

Kudos to the Star Tribune for giving us regular folks a peek at what a ballot challenge looks like. They have scanned all 2,633 challenged ballots and presented them in an easy-to-use, “You Make the Call” format. I reviewed 42 ballots and gave 18 to each Franken and Coleman and put six others [...]

Franken Sense and Blur

The outlook of the Minnesota U.S. Senate election recount is obviously blurry. The source of much of the confusion is related to how challenged ballots should be characterized during the period before the State Canvassing Board rules on them.
FRANKEN VIEWPOINT. The Franken campaign says their count now shows them 22 votes ahead of [...]

Spinning, Out of Control

A few weeks ago, Senator Norm Coleman called for an end to attack ads, after benefiting from them for months. Yesterday, Senator Coleman called for an end to frivolous ballot challenges, after piling them up for days.

‘…in the spirit of the holidays, and to give respect to this process that it deserves, we ask [...]

Is This Minnesota or Florida?

I’ve been in Miama and now Atlanta for business, watching the Minnesota recount from afar. And we’re not looking good.
Bill O’Reilly’s show ran clips tonight of Secretary of State Mark Ritchie saying, when asked why the Coleman campaign was challenging some votes, that the Coleman team wants to win “at any price,” then later saying “I didn’t [...]

Mainstream Media Illuminating the Recount

The Crowd takes a lot of shots at the mainstream news media, so I need to recognize the terrific job reporters are doing covering the confusing and poorly understood world of recounts. Statewide recounts don’t happen very often, so few of us understand them. But shining a light on them is obviously very [...]