Senator Al Franken?

8 Random Items for 12/12/2008 #6

Well, things are going Stuart Smalley's way in Minnesota today. First, in a ruling on the precinct with missing ballots, the state canvassing board voted unanimously to restore the election night totals for Franken for that precinct. This prevents what would have amounted to a near 50 vote loss for Franken.

As to the issue of the uncounted absentee ballots, the board again voted unanimously to request that the counties count the votes. (They cannot force the counties to do so, but they can bring about pressure.) Since the board is made up of members of both parties and independents, there should be a limit to Norm Coleman's whining.

None of this guarantees an Al Franken victory, but it makes it a little bit more likely. Coleman was certainly a bit more moderate than many Republicans, but he was an odious freak none the less. It will serve this country well to have him out of the picture for the next six years.