Ace of Spades HQ

January 03, 2009

Ugh...Recount Is Done And Franken Widens Lead In Minnesota
— DrewM

The Secretary of State's office opened and counted 952 previously rejected absentee ballots this afternoon. These are ballots that the Franken and Coleman campaigns agreed had been improperly rejcted under the Supreme Court order addressing the Coleman campaign's challenge to the procedure. After the counting of the previously rejected absentee ballots this afternoon, Franken widened his lead from approximately 40 votes to 225 votes. The recount will formally conclude on Monday at the final meeting of the Board of Canvassers that was convened to preside over this process.

Stupid Scandis.

Will Coleman even bother to sue?

Lawyers for both campaigns have laid the groundwork for lawsuits through public comments and legal maneuvering. In recent weeks, as Franken clung to a small lead, Coleman's lawyers promised a lawsuit over their claim that some ballots duplicated on election night wound up being counted twice in the recount.
He stands to lose as many as 110 net votes if the court were to take Coleman's side on the duplicate ballot issue. Coleman's lawyers could also make an issue of the loss of 133 ballots in Minneapolis, which the Canvassing Board resolved by using the election night count for that precinct. If Coleman were to prevail on that, Franken would lose 46 votes.

Even if Colman wins those 156 votes (a really big if), he'd still be down by 69 votes, which is a bigger margin than he was behind when things started today.

Did I mention those stupid Scandis?

Posted by: DrewM at 03:15 PM | Comments (131)
Post contains 271 words, total size 2 kb.

Stupid Scandis.

You got that fucking right.

Posted by: Ginger at January 03, 2009 03:17 PM (wXwtP)

2 Given the obscene level of faux-judging of "questionable" ballots, is there no recourse to this result?

Posted by: Steamboat McGoo at January 03, 2009 03:23 PM (58OxE)

3 We never should have purchased Minnesota from Norway. We should put it on ebay and maybe some rich dude in Hong Kong will buy it if we offer free shipping.

Posted by: eman at January 03, 2009 03:23 PM (9jESx)

Kind of shows just how people hate the GOP. A comedian and not a very funny one at that knocks off a sitting GOP senator.

AMAZING

Posted by: smoke at January 03, 2009 03:26 PM (6oxG5)

5 Fuck Al Franken.

And while I'm at it, fuck every one of the mouth breathing, slackjawed fucknuggets that voted for him.

Posted by: Unclefacts at January 03, 2009 03:28 PM (M+Vfm)

6 Porky!

Posted by: toby928 at January 03, 2009 03:29 PM (PD1tk)

7 What a shock. The presidential election wasn't close enough to need stealing, so the Dems found one that was. Why is this news?

Posted by: Methos at January 03, 2009 03:30 PM (Wf8fc)

8 Let's burn all the IKEA furniture in front of the capital tomorrow...

Do any self respecting GOPers actually own any IKEA furniture to burn?

I demand my fair share of the Dems IKEA furniture to burn...

Looting and pillaging... the Viking way..

Posted by: bmeuppls at January 03, 2009 03:31 PM (lNXkY)

Fuck Al Franken.

And while I'm at it, fuck every one of the mouth breathing, slackjawed fucknuggets that voted for him.

How many Republicans voted for him?

Posted by: smoke at January 03, 2009 03:31 PM (6oxG5)

10 Smoke, apparently enough to make the theft easier.

Posted by: Unclefacts at January 03, 2009 03:33 PM (M+Vfm)

11 I blame the Lutefisk. And the cold. Rots their fucking brains.

Posted by: Andy at January 03, 2009 03:33 PM (FkWbz)

12 Partial US Senate roll call: 2009 Senator Smally: Aye. Senator Kennedy_Smaltchenburger: You Know Senator Burris: Present

Posted by: eman at January 03, 2009 03:33 PM (9jESx)

13 It pains me to say it but this country and its government is a sick joke. On the other hand, every court needs a jester and with Franken the senate will have theirs.

Posted by: rplat at January 03, 2009 03:38 PM (Qrnps)

14 Maybe there's something to that Myan calendar bs after all...

Posted by: Shannon at January 03, 2009 03:40 PM (v4qA1)

15 1. This sucks.

2. Who didn't see it coming?

3. Since nothing else seems to have worked - maybe if our guys get beaten up enough in DC, they might eventually get sick of being beaten up and raise the same sort of stink that the Dem would? Let's not merely lose with our heads turned down while we sulk away - let's lose in an epic choke that would make the Yankees and Patriots proud and be sung in sagas by schoolchildren a thousand years hence!

4. On the bright side, take some comfort in the fact that while the Dems won the Senate seat, they now have to work with Al Franken.

Posted by: AD at January 03, 2009 03:41 PM (8BgQw)

16 I've never trusted these cockgobbling lowlives since they paid thirty pieces of silver to entice the fuckhead owner of the Washington Senators to move the team there (once it started to get good after years of fucking ineptitude). So now they think it's a fucking joke to send an unfunny shithead comedian from a failed radio network back to Washington as a Senator. What a bunch of cumguzzlers.

Posted by: Captain Hate at January 03, 2009 03:44 PM (ZW5eD)

17 I primarily blame the shitheads doing the actual ballot counting. When they have the leeway to count a ballot based on "voter intent," the game is up. The libs (as shown) have had remarkable success determining that a ballot with the bubble next to "Coleman" filled in is actually a vote for Freaken. Go figure.

Posted by: RoadRunner at January 03, 2009 03:45 PM (MJFrd)

Stewart Smalley will think a "Stimulus Package" means a suitcase full of free coke

Posted by: kbdabear at January 03, 2009 03:46 PM (4gHqM)

19 The Scandic Hegemony will stop at nothing.

Posted by: eman at January 03, 2009 03:47 PM (9jESx)

20 Hell, why don't we just have 20 or so more recounts? At the rate we're going, that would put Franken ahead by a respectable 20,000 votes or so, and no one could possibly question the legitimacy of his theft of... err, that is, his electoral victory.

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 03, 2009 03:48 PM (iafWn)

21 Can anyone recall a single, high-profile (US Rep, statewide, whatever) election where a Republican trailed on election night and actually came back to win the recount? In the last, oh, 40-years?

Because it's sort of astounding how every recount seems to favor the Democrats, doesn't it?

Oh, and can we give Minnesota back to Canada - by force if necessary - yet?

Posted by: DocJ at January 03, 2009 03:51 PM (2HZhO)

22 Sorry for the broken link in my last post, folks...

Posted by: DocJ at January 03, 2009 03:52 PM (2HZhO)

23 Along with Sen. Princess Caroline it will be just great!

Posted by: MAJHAM at January 03, 2009 03:54 PM (Yt4WH)

24 Coleman can also sue to have the unopened ballots not counted. Coleman can also sue to have the ballots that were plainly marked for him but counted for Franken overturned. If Coleman doesn't sue, I want everyone of his supporters to just admit Franken won the election. I will. And I fricking hate Al Franken.

Posted by: Indythinker at January 03, 2009 03:57 PM (WiIQi)

25 #14 Maybe there's something to that Myan calendar bs after all...

The way things are going, we can only hope...

I mean, how bad can it be after 2008...?

Posted by: Steamboat McGoo at January 03, 2009 04:03 PM (58OxE)

26 "Can anyone recall a single, high-profile (US Rep, statewide, whatever) election where a Republican trailed on election night and actually came back to win the recount? " Real reason is because more stupid people, elderly people, and partially disabled people vote Democrat than vote Republican, they mark their ballots in a non-standard way, and their ballots are the ones that the counting machines get wrong. The advantage of computer voting is that there are no non-standard ballots that a panel of election judges has to look at and decide what the voter's intention is. The disadvantage of computer voting is greater, however: complete unaccountability. Quit making excuses. Republicans got completely blown out in this election. The stock market crash hit a lot of voters in the pocketbook. Democrats were partially responsible for the deregulation that caused the bubble and the crash, but it was conservative ideology that was behind deregulation. Voters knew that and made Republicans pay dearly on November 4. Conservatives need to get together and do some head scratching and reconsideration of some policies, like deregulation. Job #1 should be fighting corruption, especially in light of the incoming administration, but the top layers of the GOP would have to go before that became the GOP's priority.

Posted by: Indythinker at January 03, 2009 04:04 PM (WiIQi)

27 So Indythinker, I suppose the shorter version of your answer to my question is "No". Right?

Posted by: DocJ at January 03, 2009 04:08 PM (2HZhO)

28 The stock market crash hit a lot of voters in the pocketbook.

Bullshit. The stock market only started to tank BECAUSE Obama was winning on the polls. For the first time in history, the stock market tanked after an election. The market loves certainty.

but it was conservative ideology that was behind deregulation.

Look, Talkingpointsthinker, you worthless trolling piece of shit: The only "deregulation" was of FM&FM, which were wholly owned subsidiaries of the Democrat party. Find me one, just one, of the major players in any part of the scandal who did not give campaign money 8:1 to Democrats. There are no Republicans on Wall Street. None.

Look on fec.gov. For fuck's sake, Jamie Gorelick was on one of those boards. What the hell does she know about anything, let alone finance?

Bush wanted regulation of those makework projects for Democrats and the Democrats played the race card.

Posted by: AmishDude at January 03, 2009 04:14 PM (GlrN/)

29 "Indythinker", who is anything but, spouts the same ol' tired Liberal line:Excuses Democrats who profited personally ("Friends of Angelo") while blaming "conservative ideology ... behind deregulation" and the Leftist ideology that championed throwing money at social engineering while distorting the marketl, and then ignoring the regulators when they told them things that didn't fit with their "reality."

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at January 03, 2009 04:16 PM (9p0nw)

30 That should be ...deregulation" but not the Leftist...

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at January 03, 2009 04:18 PM (9p0nw)

Look on fec.gov. For fuck's sake, Jamie Gorelick was on one of those boards. What the hell does she know about anything, let alone finance?

She knew how to fuck up our intel services and get us blowed up on 9/11.

Posted by: robtr at January 03, 2009 04:18 PM (uJzOr)

32 Franken, the Princess of Camelot and the Black Panther candidate all rise to the Senate. Obama as Prez, Hillary as SecState and Richardson and Daschle in the cabinet. Reid and Pelosi as Congressional leaders.

This group is without question the least experienced and least qualified to govern in American history.

Posted by: Evil Murderous Republican Fascist at January 03, 2009 04:19 PM (JyfVU)

33 Fuck you. Not all of us are Scandis. Some of us are just nauseous (and moving).

Used to be nice here...

Posted by: MN at January 03, 2009 04:21 PM (TbZFp)

WTF is MN good for anyway? Just give it to fucking Kanada and be done with them. Fucking barren Scandi good for nothing wasteland.

Posted by: Mr. Pissed at January 03, 2009 04:24 PM (KZKfb)

35 Not for nothing "Indy", but it's hard to take seriously anyone who thinks computer voting is more "unreliable" than political appointees and electors divining the intent of a voter from a piece of paper.

There's a simple answer for this though - fill out the damn ballot properly if you want it to count. Or get used to having more Stuart Smalley's in the US Senate. Your choice.

Posted by: DocJ at January 03, 2009 04:24 PM (2HZhO)

36 Bottom Line:

Coleman ran a "positive" campaign. Just like McCain.

And certain DC/NY fucknuts will continue to claim that's the way to win elections. They're no better than the fucking Democrats who continue to pursue policies that have been proven wrong by history umpteen fucking times.

Fucking "conservative" smacktards. If a terrorist decapitated one of them, that idiot would only get smarter.

Posted by: Oschisms at January 03, 2009 04:25 PM (MEOwc)

37 "Real reason is because more stupid people, elderly people, and partially disabled people vote Democrat than vote Republican, they mark their ballots in a non-standard way, and their ballots are the ones that the counting machines get wrong."

-

While it is enticing to see Democrats taking the "we're stupider than Republicans" defense for the first time in recorded history, I think you're expecting a little much if you expect us to go along with the idea that complaining about Franken votes being found in the trunk of someone's car after election day and counted = "making excuses" . . . Not to mention that these votes somehow amounted to more of a change in his ballot count than all other statewide offices combined.

Posted by: AD at January 03, 2009 04:25 PM (8BgQw)

It's funny when the criminal democrats get involved in a recount there always seems to be thousands of votes 'found' in the trunk of election officials cars. This just falls in line with the most criminal election in the history of the country. I think when Hussein O gets done screwing up (and he'll be done, shot when the blacks figure out he's not black and they aren't getting all the freebies from him, nothing free but BS anyway) there won't be a democrat elected for centuries.

I read that the elitest in D.C. are fighting to see who can kiss his ass the longest without losing suction. I think they're fighting for the 'under the desk' position. Lots of knee pads on order. Just like Rodney Dangerfield, he ain't gonna get no respect.

Posted by: Scrapiron at January 03, 2009 04:26 PM (XWJh5)

39 Obama will attempt to triangulate against his own administration, but he won't be able to keep from getting the stink off of himself.

Nobody will admit to voting for him.

Posted by: AmishDude at January 03, 2009 04:30 PM (GlrN/)

40 Quit making excuses. Republicans got completely blown out in this election. The stock market crash hit a lot of voters in the pocketbook.

I thought McCain had a good shot going out of the convention with Sarah's star power carrying him.

When Lehman Bros crashed on 9/14 and took AIG down with it, I knew that the public would go into apeshit panic mode. The October Surprise hit in September. From that point on I thought of Goerring looking up and seeing the American bombers being escorted by long range fighters. The war wasn't over yet, but he knew they were pretty well fucked.

Posted by: kbdabear at January 03, 2009 04:31 PM (miw86)

41 WTF! Constitutional democracy (little "d") is done in this country. Anymore, it only provides a none-too-plausible smoke-screen for the big-D Dimmocrats to steal power (followed by money, freedoms, et cetera).

The big question is what alternatives are left to us. If the ballot-box is a farce, and the constitution is a "living document", what remains for us in protecting our God-given rights and freedoms?

Posted by: demontjoie at January 03, 2009 04:38 PM (QXgVC)

42 Minnesota: An entire state of cockholsters.

Posted by: V the K at January 03, 2009 04:40 PM (d2fuu)

"Senator Al Franken."

hysterical laughter, which slows and devolves gradually into pitiful muttering and requests for a stiff drink

Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at January 03, 2009 04:40 PM (VT7Ub)

44 Mac had only one chance against Team Obama. He had to hit Barry low and hard, again and again. The MSM would use it against Mac, but in doing so the word about Barry's faults and shortcomings would be showcased, too. I think the single most important thing Barry did to win was to shut up and just read the tele-prompter. He was hurting himself pretty bad before his campaign pulled the plug.

Posted by: eman at January 03, 2009 04:40 PM (9jESx)

Apparently this country needed a big dose of bad. So we got it.

Pity party's over on my end, we've already started the recovery process on my admittedly LOCAL level.

Only thing that really bothers is will we be able to undo the worst of the damage. I confess I haven't a lot of confidence in that respect.

Posted by: irongrampa at January 03, 2009 04:41 PM (ud5dN)

Democrats were partially responsible for the deregulation that caused the bubble and the crash, but it was conservative ideology that was behind deregulation.

Absolute, complete, utter bullshit. How exactly is the government telling banks to "Go ahead and make these high-risk loans (or else), we will cover any bad loans via Fannie and Freddie" deregulation? If they had kept their big bazoos out of the housing market to begin with and not removed the risk element that would have prevented these bad loans and ARMS, this never would have been an issue. I have no problem with blaming banks for not pushing back at the government hard enough on the CRA and letting the absence of supposed risk blind them to the potential long-term consequences, but to argue that the housing bubble is the result of conservative economic policies shows a complete lack of understanding of the terms "regulation" and "deregulation".

The government mandating that banks make home loans to high-risk credit consumers and then trying to remove the risk element via Fannie and Freddie is the result of leftist hyper-regulatory economic theories, not conservative deregulatory ones, no matter how bad the left wishes it to be so. And they know that is the case, because they repeat the same lies and nonsense over and over vis-a-vis your post, in the hopes that people will be too lazy and/or stupid to actually examine the facts.

And they are usually right.

Posted by: A Lock of Che Guevara's Chest Hair at January 03, 2009 04:42 PM (lDBP4)

47 Coleman ran a "positive" campaign. Just like McCain.

And certain DC/NY fucknuts will continue to claim that's the way to win elections. They're no better than the fucking Democrats who continue to pursue policies that have been proven wrong by history umpteen fucking times.

That's the way it's won, you hayseed inbred rednecks!! Dave, Kathleen, Christo, and Bill were saying at our wonderful dinner party in Georgetown that if McCain would just listen to us that we'd have an unbeatable team with Mitt. My wonderful friends at MSNBC told us that Americans would shine to Mitt's tailored suits and CEO charm. Instead he picked that survivalist Eskimo humper with the hicktown cheerleader face, who didn't know how to properly drop her r's and retain her g's. Oh, and that little breeder brat of hers slicking the hair of that mongoloid baby....YECHHH

Posted by: Miss Peggy Noonan at January 03, 2009 04:42 PM (miw86)

48 I hope the Eagles kick the Vikings ass tommorow.

Posted by: Ginger at January 03, 2009 04:43 PM (wXwtP)

49 Just remember, people get the government they deserve, and if those fucking idiots voted for Franken, so be it. Hope they picked up a supply of KY jelly. Their gonna need it.

Posted by: GarandFan at January 03, 2009 04:46 PM (237hA)

50 I hope the Eagles kick the Vikings ass tommorow. Posted by: Ginger They will, but three field goals and two touchdowns will be found behind the Viking's gatorade stash.

Posted by: eman at January 03, 2009 04:46 PM (9jESx)

51 48 I hope the Eagles kick the Vikings ass tommorow.

Please noooo!! I can't take much more of Troy Aikman or Moose Johnson slobbering all over McNabb. Geez Troy, if you love him that much cut a glory hole into Donovan's locker and spare the rest of us the drool...

Posted by: kbdabear at January 03, 2009 04:47 PM (miw86)

Al Franken: if it's impossible to win on ability, steal it.

As far as I'm concerned, Franken is not a senator. He stole this election pure and simple.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 03, 2009 04:51 PM (fnoZ9)

53 There's a tactic of actually rebutting your opponents attack and, for that matter, bringing up your opponent's dirty laundry that I thought could have served McCain well between the Convention and Nov. 4. Since the guy decided against that, we'll never know, but I'm not willing to say it was a fait accompli.

The campaign also let virtually every smear against Sarah Palin go unanswered outside of bitching about the NY Times once in a while. If you're not going to counter rumors spread through the internet and bled over into the press about your running-mate, then those rumor become your running-mate. You don't want to fight back when Axelrod's minions say she's an adulterer? Then you have an adulterer as VP. You don't want to fight back when they say she's a religious nutcase? Then you have a religious nutcase as VP. Add to that racist, anti-Semitic, etc.

By mid-October, instead of having a wildly popular reformer who was incredibly effective as Governor, he had some incompetent hick. That's not who Sarah Palin was, but that sure as hell was who John McCain's running-mate was. Nobody outside of the Republican base knew about her key selling points because they wouldn't stick their necks out and hit back. With Joe Biden, Obama had a guy who was almost kicked out of law school for plagiarizing, a guy who went to an undergrad hardly better than Sarah Palin's alma mater, but nobody knew about any of it because McCain and co. were busy trying to gain points for form.

Posted by: AD at January 03, 2009 04:51 PM (8BgQw)

54 Minnesota begs irrelevancy. Franken is a joke and so is the state for electing him.

Posted by: ErikW at January 03, 2009 04:58 PM (hKtiw)

55 The crime scene is contaminated. There never will be a good outcome to this election. This is just like the bidding process---when you start making exceptions to the rules, you open up a can of worms, and the whole process and the outcome goes down the drain. All you will have in this election now are lawsuits over big piles of sh*t.

Nobody should win this one. The electorate in a significant number cannot read and carry out the directions in the election. The poll workers cannot carry out the directions of accepting and rejecting ballots to be counted. We are down to reading data out of noise. Everybody in the whole country loses when dumbsh*t stuff like this goes on.

Posted by: Alaska Paul at January 03, 2009 05:07 PM (iFhup)

56 May I be the first here to welcome, The esteemed Sen. from Minnesota, The Hon. Mr. I'd like to slap the taste of dick's out of your mouth, into the Senate.

What? Am I the only one?

Posted by: Blazer at January 03, 2009 05:08 PM (+FzLa)

If Coleman doesn't sue the life out of this election sham, it will be yet more proof that the RNC is made up of sackless metrosexuals.

And I will not be even the slightest bit surprised.

Posted by: Barbelle at January 03, 2009 05:11 PM (qF8q3)

Note to the world:

Democracy doesn't work when the integrity of the vote is corrupted.

Any semblance of integrity flew out of the US when a photo ID was labeled as intimidation at the voter's booth.

Now look where we are, placing our faith in the sanctity of a car truck lest we be berated with accusations of disenfranchisement.

Can't Republicans stand up to anything anymore?

Posted by: Barbelle at January 03, 2009 05:19 PM (qF8q3)

So which bit of socialist horror can we look forward to first? My bet? Universal Health Care, baby! Just wait until the Government starts mandating euthanasia to get skyrocketing costs under control.

You all wanted this, theyll scold, well this is the cost. Now be good patriots and let Democrat bureaucrats kill you.

Awesome.

Posted by: Kensington at January 03, 2009 05:34 PM (fhJCy)

60 Does MN have a recall procedure?

Posted by: chsw at January 03, 2009 05:36 PM (6KFZ+)

61 With Joe Biden, Obama had a guy who was almost kicked out of law school for plagiarizing, a guy who went to an undergrad hardly better than Sarah Palin's alma mater

Oh yeh? But I knew that when the Titanic sank, President Lincoln sent videostreaming over the internet and took a Chinook helicopter over the site of the sinking, then went on satellite to reassure us in the Colonies that all would be well.

I'll match my IQ to yours any time you want buddy!!!!

Posted by: Vice Chancellor Joe Biden at January 03, 2009 05:44 PM (miw86)

62 60 Does MN have a recall procedure?

You broke it, you bought it

Posted by: kbdabear at January 03, 2009 05:46 PM (miw86)

63 We were thinking about going to Mall of America for our next vacation. Now that is crossed off our list. San Antonio is looking pretty good right now.

Posted by: Ginger at January 03, 2009 05:52 PM (wXwtP)

64 I won! I won! You Rethuglican fascist kitten rapers!!

You think I'll make an ass of myself and the Senate, but just you wait! Amerikkka will see my genius when I'm speaking in the Senate. They'll love it when I tell a joke that's way over everyone's head but mine, and when no one laughs I'll reel them in with my adorable Fozzie Bear facial expression.

Side note to the esteemed Senator from New York: I know they're your cousins Caroline, but if they help themselves to my stash just one more time without asking, I'm going seriously neanderthal on them. I MEAN IT!!!!

Posted by: Senator Al Franken at January 03, 2009 05:53 PM (miw86)

BTW, obama is coming to D.C. I hope you morons have your palms ready for his entrance, ala Jesus coming into Jerusalem.

Oh and I think some cop tapped me on my ass today.

Posted by: Ginger at January 03, 2009 05:55 PM (wXwtP)

66 First, Jesse Ventura.

Now, Al Franken.

What's up with the people in Minnesota. There's a pattern here. And it's not very pretty.

Posted by: SlaveDog at January 03, 2009 05:56 PM (6Gy0q)

67 Nuke MN. Warmer weather pattern for New England. Besides, the goddam intifada in MN sucks donkey dicks.

Posted by: Corona at January 03, 2009 05:57 PM (pI8vF)

40 .
I thought McCain had a good shot going out of the convention with Sarah's star power carrying him.

When Lehman Bros crashed on 9/14 and took AIG down with it, I knew that the public would go into apeshit panic mode. ... From that point on I thought of Goerring looking up and seeing the American bombers being escorted by long range fighters. The war wasn't over yet, but he knew they were pretty well fucked.

I recall Goering looking across the channel watching his planes fly the other way to attack the British Island, dancing a joyful little jig and remarking that: if we lose now, we deserve to get our arsses kicked!

Posted by: 7HEAVENS at January 03, 2009 05:58 PM (/rN8m)

69 Um, is it a fucking trend to be a Senator from a state where you never really lived?

Posted by: Ginger at January 03, 2009 05:58 PM (wXwtP)

Looks like the projection for paranoia starting after Dec 30 was about right.

Posted by: katya at January 03, 2009 05:59 PM (oRJZj)

71 Senator Smalley? Really? Bwahahaha. Ugh, I think I've already had too much popcorn. I'm switching to taco chips & salsa for a while. But keep the beers coming....

Posted by: Che Pizza at January 03, 2009 06:03 PM (RLBRw)

You morons gotta learn to look for the silver lining. 1) How much can one senator fuck up in 6 years? Not counting Ted Kennedy. 2) Maybe Stuart becomes the face of the democratic senate and America gets a bit of perspective on the seriousness of the democratic party. 3) Maybe American voters smarten up a bit because of it.

OK. I'm reaching there on #3.

Posted by: pendejo grande at January 03, 2009 06:04 PM (tlpWV)

73 If I hear another GOP candidate talk about running a "positive campaign", I swear I'm going to become a liberal and vote for the Democrats.

At least I'll get to vote for someone who actually has a clue about how to win an election.

Posted by: SlaveDog at January 03, 2009 06:15 PM (6Gy0q)

What's the over/under on the first Franken/Webb fistfight?

Posted by: AmishDude at January 03, 2009 06:25 PM (GlrN/)

75 First, Jesse Ventura.

Now, Al Franken.

What's up with the people in Minnesota. There's a pattern here. And it's not very pretty.

Fucking assholes. I don't give a rat's fuck what they do with their Governor's house. Just don't take an Al Franken shaped shit on the US senate floor.

Posted by: Dang at January 03, 2009 06:37 PM (Y5LIx)

I'm moving out of MN. Recommendations anyone?

Posted by: spurringirl at January 03, 2009 06:40 PM (dclu1)

77 Florida. No state income tax.

Posted by: eman at January 03, 2009 06:44 PM (9jESx)

"I'm moving out of MN. Recommendations anyone?"

Hurry!

Posted by: Kensington at January 03, 2009 06:50 PM (fhJCy)

79
Texas. No state income tax here either. Also no Disney World - wait a minute, that part sucks.

Posted by: Dang at January 03, 2009 06:51 PM (Y5LIx)

80 It's not really Al Franken that bothers me as much as the fact that A.C.O.R.N. controls Minnesota's elections through our Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie.

Franken is a ridiculous, pathetic buffoon, but A.C.O.R.N. just might start working on that third Death Star . . .

Posted by: Chris S. at January 03, 2009 06:56 PM (34aun)

81 "Texas. No state income tax here either. Also no Disney World - wait a minute, that part sucks."

Avoid Austin: it's Moonbat Central South.

Posted by: Kensington at January 03, 2009 07:10 PM (fhJCy)

82 Hey, relax everyone. Our betters, like Kristol, Krauthammer, Ed Morrissey, and the three piece suit Pollyannas at Powerline will probably teach us that everything is fine, because we have to respect the process. And the process gave us Stuart Smalley as the new senatorial spoogebucket from Scandiland. Therefore it is good. Sort of like the argument that OJ was acquitted in criminal court... so he must be considered innocent by every decent citizen, despite any contradictory evidence. Is there any way to sterilize Minnesota? We could use some giant chrome robot bulldozers with gamma-ray lasers right now. Descending upon Minneapolis.

Posted by: George Orwell at January 03, 2009 07:12 PM (AZGON)

83 Honestly, I just looked at Powerline and the attitude of those guys is "Hmm, we expected this but gosh, not a margin this big. How 'bout that? Guess Coleman didn't get aggressive enough. Oh, well." Silly me, I used to think Powerline was a partisan group rather than a pushover. And the pitiful comments section? We have TEN times the comments here, and they're funny. At the same time, Powerline had only four or five dreadful comments, two from trolls. Is it just me, but have the "blue chip" alternate media outlets like Powerline become suddenly anemic? As if they have a very short half-life?

Posted by: George Orwell at January 03, 2009 07:32 PM (AZGON)

84
Everyone gets everything he wants. Minnesotans wanted Franken, and for their they got him.

Posted by: Johnny Too Bad at January 03, 2009 07:40 PM (0/ykL)

85
... for their [sins] ...

Posted by: Johnny Too Bad at January 03, 2009 07:41 PM (0/ykL)

86 Minnesota deserves Franken, and America probably does too at this point. Time to drink the whole bottle of cod liver oil.

Posted by: SamIam at January 03, 2009 07:42 PM (jl7C/)

87 Prediction: In 2010 Powerline, Kristol and their ilk will say Franken has "grown in office" and become a "legit statesman, even if we disagree." Then they will bend over yet again, hankering for some Dummycrat sodomy.

Posted by: George Orwell at January 03, 2009 07:54 PM (AZGON)

88 I guess Coleman must have been in on the plan to steal the election too. Afterall, he approved all the ballots that were counted today that expanded Franken's lead to 225, although he did successfully keep hundreds of other legitimate ballots from being counted (including one from an election judge from Duluth who actually had voted for him!!). And to those of you who keep complaining about ballots found in a car. That story was debunked in mid-November by Gov. Pawlenty and even Fox news. Please do more research and less name calling.

Posted by: Chris W at January 03, 2009 07:57 PM (1zcje)

89 Minnesota is the worst state in the union and everyone from there can go straight to hell. They elect professional wrestlers, (Ventura) Islamists, (Ellison) Shitheads (Frankin)... It is a flat, frozen wasteland full of white trash and Somali cab drivers who wont carry seeing eye dogs in their cabs. It is bitter cold or blazing hot. The state bird is the mosqueto. Their bridges fall down because of pigeon crap. They think Prince makes good music....

I wasted 4 years of my life on a girl from Minnesota who turned out to be a perfect microcosom of the crappy hellhole; Flat, stupid, cold and liberal.

Minnesota sucks.

Posted by: Bill Grant at January 03, 2009 08:16 PM (HnZIs)

90 Minnesota, the cockholster state.

Posted by: Warden at January 03, 2009 08:20 PM (KXbGD)

Please do more research and less name calling.

That's not our way, dicksmoke.

Posted by: Empire of Jeff at January 03, 2009 08:23 PM (nchur)

"Is it just me, but have the "blue chip" alternate media outlets like Powerline become suddenly anemic?"

They have day jobs ("careers" ISTR), and identifiable personas, and they live in his state. He has a reputation for being vindictive as hell. I can only hold so much against them: they really do want to live. It's that bad, and you're seeing it happen.

Posted by: comatus at January 03, 2009 08:25 PM (6Ag/r)

And to those of you who keep complaining about ballots found in a car. That story was debunked in mid-November by Gov. Pawlenty and even Fox news.

Hey dummy, it was an analogy. Must've gone over your head when it was in mid-bob.

Posted by: Barbelle at January 03, 2009 08:38 PM (qF8q3)

94 We love calling names here. And Coleman's actions prove our implicit point: He didn't really want to win, or he would have put up a fight. He would have disputed the ballots that gave Al Flatulence this lead, he would have raised holy hell if he were serious. But like many Repugs, he cowers and runs in order to preserve the precious, truffle-like taint of Bipartisanship which has turned the GOP into a club for pasty, whining catamites. Meanwhile, what really frosts the few of us left who like democracy, is that none of these "questionable" ballots should have been reconsidered in the first place. We have seen on the intertubes the news stories, showing the kind of inscrutable ballots reproduced as jpegs. And this is pure, uncut, Bolivian Bullshit. If you can't fill out a ballot for an optical machine correctly, fuck you. Your vote goes in the landfill. But no, that wouldn't be "bipartisan." So if anyone thinks Coleman's approach to this farce was mature, measured, and conducive to Repugnican success, I invite you to watch the death of the GOP in Minnestupid. It will live on in zombie form, if only to give Hugh Blewitt someplace to destroy a rental snowmachine. But it will be dead. Pawlenty better start looking for a job slinging cheese curd unless he is ready to take no prisoners next election.

Posted by: George Orwell at January 03, 2009 08:43 PM (AZGON)

95 Forget about Coleman suing - are the Lizard People going to sue? Or will they just disintegrate Franken with their disruptor beams?

God damned Lizard People always wimp out in a crisis. Maybe the cold weather up there has made the cold-blooded bastards lethargic or something.

Posted by: Jim62sch at January 03, 2009 09:12 PM (6rQXk)

96 "I wasted 4 years of my life on a girl from Minnesota who turned out to be a perfect microcosom of the crappy hellhole; Flat, stupid, cold and liberal." And yet you wasted 4 years of your life on her. So who's stupid, again? And how much of your opinion of Minnesota is formed by the fact that about 42.5% of the voters voted for Al Fanken, and how much by the fact that you got dumped by a flat, stupid, cold, liberal scandi chick whom you "invested" four years of your pitiful life on? Just curious. Remember, 57.5% of Minnesota voters voted for someone other than Franken for Senate.

Posted by: notropis at January 03, 2009 09:17 PM (Ew9a7)

97 "Meanwhile, what really frosts the few of us left who like democracy, is that none of these "questionable" ballots should have been reconsidered in the first place." Don't blame Coleman for that. That's the (pitiful) state of the law in Minnesota (and most other states, for that matter.) There's nothing in that ridiculous law that Coleman can challenge in court. The legislature made that ridiculous rule, and no court will (or should) overturn it. That has to be done at the legislative level. Maybe if we end up with enough total doofuses in office, there might be some public pressure to return a bit of sanity to the vote counting. Or at least, maybe more states can adopt the "50% +1 or runoff" employed by Georgia and other states. Guarantee, Franken's total would not have gone up from the 42.5% he pulled first time around, with no Obama to usher in the mindles (mostly non-scandi, by the way) minions.

Posted by: notropis at January 03, 2009 09:25 PM (Ew9a7)

98 "Pawlenty better start looking for a job slinging cheese curd unless he is ready to take no prisoners next election." Pawlenty's done. He's term-limited out in 2010. I suppose he could challenge Amy Klobuchar in 2012, or more likely depose Franken in 2014 (Gawwwd, six freaking years of that vile piece of filth....). More likely, he'll spend the 2010 election cycle campaigning for other Republicans throughout the country, and then test the waters for a Pres/Veep run in 2012 (which he'd lose as surely as the Vikings lose Superbowls, unless he's the undercard for Palin 2012.) You might remember also that Norm Coleman was never exceptionally popular in Minnesota. Pawlenty wanted to run for the Senate in 2002, but the RNC and Karl Rove talked him out of it, believing that Coleman had the better shot at defeating Wellstone. Given that Pawlenty's approval rating stays well in the 60's, and Coleman has almost never broken 50%, I'm guessing that Pawlenty would have annihilated Franken. None of which excuses the 42.5% of Minnesota voters who are total freaking morons (and not in a good way) and the other 15% who are just idiots for voting for a third party candidate who had no chance in hell of winning.

Posted by: notropis at January 03, 2009 09:39 PM (Ew9a7)

99 No one is awake now so I'll say what I really think. The is no blog, merely HAL talking to his many made up man personalities. A few of them are really nasty too. At least ACE is not as long winded as Freeper is. I'm nodding out from Valu Rite. Merry xmas and easter.

Posted by: crusty smelly hippie at January 03, 2009 11:13 PM (/bkjg)

100 It should not be allowed to "find" ballots in the trunk of your car after the election is over. if it is, the GOP needs to get some of those ready for next time, too.

Posted by: Aaron at January 04, 2009 02:04 AM (W0UzR)

101 Pawlenty can forget it. Nothing but turds come out of Minnesota.

Posted by: Liberace at January 04, 2009 02:15 AM (sKPmg)

102 Doesn't Abu Franken actually mean "Father of Turds" in Arabic? Oh well, let's look at the bright side: asking as he's in the Senate, he won't be hanging around OUR kids' playgrounds. Anymore.

Posted by: Albert Gore at January 04, 2009 04:15 AM (iafWn)

103 Nah, Bill Grant is right.

Minnesota does suck. Like a friggin Hoover.

Jesse Ventura? Check
Al Franken? Check
The Vikings? Check
Stupid Scandis? Check

Posted by: MrDIe at January 04, 2009 04:16 AM (MrDIe)

104 Ties go to the democrats.

Posted by: East Bay Jim at January 04, 2009 05:18 AM (pn8Yw)

105 OMG LMAO@ some of your comments (not the leftard gloating over yet ANOTHER stolen election)

Yes, sending Stuart Smalley is to Washington is positively revolting. The image of that buffoon swishing around the Senate floor is an image I'd soon like to forget. It does make sense though. Minnestupid does have a history of elected idiots, fruitcakes and hate mongers, and Smalley's "cough" election certainly fits with Caroline "I hated politics before I liked it" Schlossberg (oops, sorry I forgot to use YOUR MAIDEN NAME), skipping all the way to D.C. Stuart will join Harry Reid, hoodlums Barry Obama and the shadow government of George Soros, RahmBo "You sleep with the fishes" Emanuel and the rest of those nitwit Dems.

Look, the DemocRATS have a working system now. If they can't buy the seat, they'll recount until they win it.

I have to go take an Obama now, and I'll wipe my ass with the constitution. Long live Amerikkka.

Posted by: Sarah Becker at January 04, 2009 05:27 AM (C3qa2)

106 81 "Texas. No state income tax here either. Also no Disney World - wait a minute, that part sucks."

Avoid Austin: it's Moonbat Central South.

It's no coincidence they have the world's largest urban bat colony living there.

Posted by: Dang at January 04, 2009 05:38 AM (Y5LIx)

107 "I'm moving out of MN. Recommendations anyone?"

Illinois.The political jokes are funnier and last longer. We got one called Daley that has been running for about 50 years.

Posted by: M. Simon at January 04, 2009 05:59 AM (OANt1)

108 Look, I'm kind of looking forward to the new congress. Sure they are going to pass all sorts of vomit the American People will be horrified and repelled by, but think about it.

Led by the hapless incompetent Reid and the shrieking moonbat mannikin Pelosi, this congress consists of a host of corrupt scum and freakish clowns like Franken and Caroline Kennedy.

This is going to be better than watching the Marx brothers. The Democrats, convinced they've won the final battle and crushed conservatism are going to demonstrate in less than four years just why people threw them out of power for over a decade.

Posted by: Christopher Taylor at January 04, 2009 06:03 AM (PQY7w)

109 Franken couldn't buy an audience on Air America. So he goes to Minnesota and they don't think he is a joke.

So let me explain it to the people of Minnesota. Politics is serious. Comedians are supposed to be funny. The idiots got it backwards.

One thing for sure - the people of Minnesota have earned their lesson.

Posted by: M. Simon at January 04, 2009 06:10 AM (OANt1)

110 MN has prided itself in several things, a liberal government that works, a clean environment and clean government. Unfortunately, the liberal policies were paid for with business taxes. MN residents never knew what hit them when businesses started leaving the state as they are in Michigan. The clean environment is a cover for bureaucratic excesses which do nothing for the environment and put lots of money into the pockets of the politically connected. The Coleman/Franken election has shown the clean government fable to be a lie. Much like Zell Miller, Hubert Humphrey would not recognize his home state or his much beloved Democratic Party today. I'd say welcome MN to the ranks of Illinois.

Posted by: Jerry in Detroit at January 04, 2009 06:28 AM (dvFJb)

111 I am a liberal, kind of, but I am much, much closer to you than to Barack Obama. I deeply want conservatives to get their act together and challenge Obama and his cronies. If not, we will have an incredible amount of corruption. Conservatives have succeeded in American politics most when open-minded. Getting crushed at the ballot box in 2008 was a sign that something was wrong with the GOP's platform, more than a sign that McCain was weak and ineffectual and a liar (all true). People were willing to overlook McCain's problems and vote for him anyway, but not after the stock market imploded. Conservatives need to open their minds, find their own mistakes, and correct them. Please keep fighting hard. Give Obama the toughest fight you can. You can defeat him, and defeating Obama is very important. I'd much rather see a President Palin, for example, in 2013 then four more hellish years of Obama.

Posted by: Indythinker at January 04, 2009 07:17 AM (WiIQi)

112 Minnehaha is a freakin' joke. Not a funny one.

Posted by: nikkolai at January 04, 2009 07:24 AM (G8d+5)

113 66 First, Jesse Ventura. Now, Al Franken. What's up with the people in Minnesota. There's a pattern here. And it's not very pretty. Wait until you see Franken in Ventura's old leotard out on the floor of the Senate...

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 04, 2009 07:45 AM (iafWn)

114 Franken couldn't buy an audience on Air America. So he goes to Minnesota and they don't think he is a joke.

They've been stuck with unfunny skidmark Garrison Keillor for decades when even the real Scandis couldn't stand him and put a "Return to Sender" stamp on his fat ass.

Posted by: Captain Hate at January 04, 2009 07:51 AM (ZW5eD)

115 Well, let's not get too discouraged: with Senators Franken, Burris, and Caroline K., we're only a Senator Marion Barry short of a full horn blowing quartette that would make theStar Warsbar scene proud!

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 04, 2009 08:03 AM (iafWn)

116 But let's all repeat after me: Sarah Palin was not qualified... Sarah Palin was not qualified... Sarah Palin was not qualified...

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 04, 2009 08:07 AM (iafWn)

117 "I deeply want conservatives to get their act together and challenge Obama and his cronies. If not, we will have an incredible amount of corruption." Indy, if you want us to fight corruption, when votes are found in the trunk of someone's car, added to the vote tally, and all these sorts of things added together wind up giving a Senate seat to a guy who otherwise would have lost it - we're going to raise a stink about it. If you want to fight corruption over the next four years and ignore things like that, good luck.

Posted by: AD at January 04, 2009 08:11 AM (ZRFFS)

118 Franken is a vindictive bastard, too. I bet he shows up his first day in the Senate in a crotchless Thor costume...

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 04, 2009 08:25 AM (iafWn)

119 So I guess the next Senatorial outrage will be Chris Matthews? Are the American people taking collective leave of their senses?Another decade of this, and we'll have Senators Gary Coleman and Britney Spears in the docket...

Posted by: CoolCzech at January 04, 2009 08:40 AM (iafWn)

120 Soooo...are you guys a 'Banana Republic' yet? I mean is there going to be an official announcement when that happens, or do we have to guess?

With the Democrats in charge the chance of getting anyone elected in 2012 is going to be a tough job. What with Kinko's and car trunks how exactly does the GOP stage a comeback that doesn't involve M1 tanks and soldiers?

The worst part is that most people don't even give a shit! As long as they can download porn, drink beer, watch the game on TV and go shopping, all is right with the world.

Posted by: Travis at January 04, 2009 08:41 AM (VLxLX)

121 As long as Minnesotans don't elect a black man,I don't care!

Posted by: Harry Reid at January 04, 2009 09:29 AM (iafWn)

122

If Coleman doesn't sue, if he just goes along to get along, I will leave the Republican party. There won't be anything left anyway. I'd rather vote for a Democrate who shares a tiny bit of my views, but will fight to get elected. And if he uses dirty tactics, like Franken, I know it won't matter because the media won't report it.

I would like to point out something, however. As someone noted, Franken is known for being vindictive, and this should give pause to us all. Because what was Franken's most recent spectacular failure?

Air America.

To him, I'm sure it didn't fail because no one wanted to listen to an unintelligent, unfunny prick make stupid pronouncements while being unable to pay his bills. No, I'm sure to him there's one reason and one reason alone that Air America bit the dust. And he'll do his part to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Prepare for the revival of the Fairness Doctrine.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 04, 2009 10:15 AM (kLWtB)

123 I think we can safely say that we have officially become a Third World shithole.

Posted by: OlympicLeprechaun at January 04, 2009 10:41 AM (Iy4aW)

124 re.notropis.

A quick trip through the mall of America and seeing you cheese eating, mouth breathing, lips moving while you read, NPR lisening subhumans in your own environment is enough to convince anyone with a triple digit IQ that you are somewhere on the scale of evolution between Canadian and palestinian.

"Remember, 57.5% of Minnesota voters voted for someone other than Franken for Senate."

Perhaps if instead of posting your lame assed, unread letters to the editors and your photos of Barack Obama on your shitty website (By the way, if your kids "look a lot like" Obamas they got hit with the ugly stick.) and dug out anyone with a little common sense from their snow cave you might have been able to keep Franken out... But you would still be advocating for a state that voted in a wresteler, an islamist and even worse: Paul Wellstone. Minnesota sucks.

Posted by: Bill Grant at January 04, 2009 10:50 AM (HnZIs)

125 If I was half the man I was 5 years ago, I would take a flame thrower to the state.

Posted by: Col. Slade at January 04, 2009 11:05 AM (E3ea4)

126

"Perhaps if instead of posting your lame assed, unread letters to the editors and your photos of Barack Obama on your shitty website (By the way, if your kids "look a lot like" Obamas they got hit with the ugly stick.) ..."

Wooah. Guess she dumped you pretty hard, huh?

I'm guessing it really hurts to be such a loser, so I won't add to your pain.

Posted by: notropis at January 04, 2009 11:09 AM (q7STS)

127 "Wooah. Guess she dumped you pretty hard, huh?"

Broke up with her. And don't worry, no one holds you responsible for any involvement in the way your kids look.

"I'm guessing it really hurts to be such a loser"

I am sure that passes for a great retort where people have to travel to Fargo once a month to stock up on bug repellent. You might try the 'ol "I'm rubber you're glue"" gambit next. By the way, you "winner" do you just sit here and hit "refresh" all day?

so I won't add to your pain.

Too late, you already have: Thanks for electing Stuart Smalley.

Posted by: Bill Grant at January 04, 2009 11:59 AM (HnZIs)

128 By the way, you "winner" do you just sit here and hit "refresh" all day? And do you English? Not that I care. Kinda funny that someone who got dumped by a flat-chested, stupid, frigid Scandi would be dumping on someone else's minor kids; whether mine or Obama's. Someday, maybe, you'll fool some woman into allowing your seed to take "root." Pity the gene pool once that happens. I don't fault you. The world is filled with retards. You're just one more.

Posted by: notropis at January 04, 2009 02:54 PM (Ew9a7)

129 Conservatives have succeeded in American politics most when open-minded. Getting crushed at the ballot box in 2008 was a sign that something was wrong with the GOP's platform

What's the GOP's platform?

(I won't even go into how the GOP isn't conservative and how foolish it is to conflate the two).

Posted by: Christopher Taylor at January 04, 2009 04:06 PM (PQY7w)

130
And do you English? Not that I care.

Perfect; the Jessie Ventura voter wants to lecture about something to do with the English language. I thought you said that you were done being a pain? "And do you English?" Please....

" Kinda funny that someone who got dumped by a flat-chested, stupid, frigid Scandi would be dumping on someone else's minor kids; whether mine my meter reader's or Obama's."

Fixed it for you you flaccid, lake Wobegon dwelling, duck decoy decorating half-monkey-half Canadian. And once again, it isn't my fault that yours or Obamas kids are ugly. I wouldn't do Michelle Obama or anyone who was missing enough chromosomes to share your welfare check. You ought to track down that meter reader and punch him in the nose. Probably your kids as well, it might help them get a prom date.

" Someday, maybe, you'll fool some woman into allowing your seed to take "root." "

Nice analogy farm boy. No wonder your kids look like Obamas, you have been spilling your seed on the ground again and the wife got fed up. Well, you are from the wanker state.

" I don't fault you. The world is filled with retards. "

Filled? Guess you "don't English", Jethro. Hey douche bag, once again, thanks for Al Frankin, Keith Elleson, Jessie the mind and Prince. Face it, your state sucks and you have demonstrated that you belong there. :-D

Posted by: Joe mamma at January 04, 2009 05:58 PM (HnZIs)

131 "And you do English" reminded me of "Where is pancakes house"... I had almost forgotten that I needed a Minnesotan to human, human to Minnesotan dictionary to converse with you people.

Posted by: Bill Grant at January 04, 2009 06:08 PM (HnZIs)

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