Two quick updates to the Coleman/Franken Election Contest/Mini-Series playing out in Minnesota, both via TPM’s Eric Kleefeld, since we’re on another deadline today…
1) All of a sudden yesterday, the trial began rapidly picking up pace for some reason. A record “nine and a half” officials were “sworn in, direct-examined, cross-examined, re-direct-examined and excused”
2) Coleman may be setting an all-time flip-floppery record, as he has changed positions, yet again, on originally rejected absentee ballots that he agreed should be counted during the post-election hand-count. The counting of those ballots resulted in a 176 net gain for Franken, leading to his final 225 vote lead over Coleman at the end of that hand-count. As Kleefeld, who details the back-story here, describes it: “Coleman was originally against counting them, then for it, then against it, then for it, and now against it, in that order.”
While the new position seems nearly insane (both on a legal, and practical level), the method to the madness is becoming clearer and clearer: Coleman, and his top legal hatchet-man/arsonist, “Swiftboat” Ben Ginsberg, are setting up the case for an appeal to higher authorities, to argue that the election was simply too close to call, the results within the “margin of error”, beset with “illegally” counted ballots, and otherwise “fatally-flawed”, and the election contest trial itself “a legal quagmire”. All in hopes of asking somebody, anybody, (SCOTUS please?) for a do-over election.
We discussed that gambit, and its likelihood of success in this previous article. All of Coleman’s moves, of late, seem to support that same general legal strategy.
Amusingly and ironically enough, it was Franken who the nutty Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) recently described as “desperate”. Go figure.
Poor silly Coleman. He keeps getting confused. Of course, it’s understandable since he has spent his political career asking people to vote for him, but now, he’s all confused because the Republicons‘ new strategy is to not count the votes unless of course, the counting is done in secret.
The fuckin (RNLA) recently described as “desperate”.
We ARE DESCRIBED AS A ROGUE GROUP OF CITIZENS THAT WANT ALL ELECTRONIC VOTE TABULATION DEVICES OUTLAWED!
Anyone else sick of this shit?
Why don’t you SAY SOMETHING?!
this is outrageous.
It’s obvious that Coleman’s election contest is shaping up not to be in the best interests of Minnesota citizens, but for the national Republican party. As indicated in the Politico article, the National RNC has sent $250,000 to the Minnesota Republican Party with an understanding that it was to be used to help pay for Coleman’s legal fees.
Brad.
I am glad you are covering this issue. No one else in the mainstream media is.
Pretty funny. What has Franken got to be desperate about? He ain’t the one who’s losing. If you watched the body language of the two with the sound turned off, it’s easy to see whom the “desperate” party is. The loser.
Coleman could simplify his position tremendously by simply stating the facts: “Whatever it takes for me to come out ahead in this vote – that’s what I’m really shooting for”.
It reminds me of when we were children, and the youngest, who is usually the star of the family, gets the lion’s share of attention, decides to play too in a game the family is engaged in, and of course, the lil’ guy loses, and can’t stand it. He doesn’t get to be the “fairest of them all” anymore. Hence a big tantrum follows.
Coleman is used to being the “king” (Senator), and now he’s not the “fairest” of them all,anymore, and he won’t accept the rules of the game, thus, having his tantrum, all rules be damned. He’s a child, without a shred of decency, or honor, by all that he has exhibited. It’s pathetic, shameless, and repulsive.
As I’ve been saying, like a broken record perhaps, and as I published a chapter on in “Loser Take All” (ed. Mark Crispin Miller) Bush v. Gore remains the ace in the hole argument (together with other legal options) with which they can intervene and either change election outcomes outright (Florida, 2000) or, even in losing, delay the swearing in of a Senator with a number (59) that makes this seat of more than the usual importance. Buy the book (i get no royalties) or if you can’t afford it email me at lehto.paul@gmail.com and I’ll email you a pdf of my chapter.