Norm Coleman says ...

8 Words of Stupidity for 2/12/2009 #7

God wants me to serve.

- Former Senator Norm Coleman as reported by Crooks and Liars.

Wow. If that's so, he should have thrown more votes your way because Al Franken has won the election. Perhaps Mr. Coleman you should spend less time trying to determine the will of God and spend more time trying to stay out of jail, you corrupt bastard.

The Honrable Norm Coleman

8 Random Items for 1/22/2009 #1

Here's an update from brownsox at Daily Kos on the current status of the Al Franken, Norm Coleman Senate battle in Minnesota.

The idea of Norm Coleman doing anything honorable is laughable. What a loser.

Norm Coleman Calls for the Disenfranchisement of Minnesota Voters

8 Random Items for 1/7/2009 #7

Norm Coleman's solution to his electoral woes is to not count the votes of voters who did nothing wrong. A solid, typically Republican strategy.

Congratulations again to Minnesota's Senator-Elect, Al Franken.

A Deeply Stupid Man

8 Random Items for 1/6/2009 #3

Watch this video and wonder exactly why Bill O'Reilly said what he said. At no point has Norm Coleman ever been certified the winner of this election. Incidentally, videos like this one from Jed L at Daily Kos are what makes the web so great as a political and news tool.

Senator Al Franken

8 Random Items for 1/6/2009 #1

The recount is over and Al Franken has won the election in Minnesota. Norm Coleman will fight the result in court, but this will do nothing more than delay Franken's entry into the Senate. I do, however, commend Norm Coleman's new found belief in counting every vote. It's about time you came around to that opinion sir.

Not Just Yet

8 Random Items for 12/23/2008 #1

We can't say Senator Al Franken just yet, but the day is coming. I believe that the State of Minnesota needs to call the race for Mr. Franken. Mr. Coleman can work out any issues he has in court.

Norm Coleman Needs a Lawyer

8 Random Items for 12/16/2008 #4

Even better, it has nothing to do with the recount! Things are going to get very ugly for Mr. Coleman. Even if he manages to hold off Al Franken in the recount, it is doubtful that he will continue to serve for very long.

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.

Big Day Today

8 Random Items for 12/12/2008 #3

The Minnesota State Canvassing board meets today to discuss many of the absentee ballots that were thrown out during the initial counting of the Franken - Coleman Senate race. These ballots were mishandled by the election board, but the voter did nothing wrong. The side in favor of voting inclusiveness would like to see these ballots counted. The other would not. Guess which is which?

One Thing to Remember

8 Random Items for 12/9/2008 #1

No matter how this thing turns out, Al Franken was fighting to count the votes, Norm Coleman was against it.

The Voter's Voice

8 Random Items for 11/20/2008 #3

No one has a claim on the seat. The voters have a claim on the seat. The candidates will not decide this, the voters will decide it. That's the beauty of it. (Source)

Al Franken would make a great Senator. I have no doubt of that. Put aside his comedic persona you've known in the past and marvel at the class of the man. While his opponent, Norm Coleman,is doing everything in his power to shut down the recount, Al is simply making sure the voters voice is heard. This race was decided by 215 votes. There were 2.19 million votes cast. Doesn't that warrant a recount? By law, in the state of Minnesota, it does.

Coleman is simply taking a page out of the Republican playbook. This is a historically Republican act, and it goes back much further than the 2000 debacle where the Republicans shut down the recount in order to silence the will of the Florida voters. Republican success depends upon as few people voting as possible. They continually put up as many roadblocks to voting as they can, and when those don't work, they aren't above a few dirty tricks to game turnout. (In 2002, for example, the Republicans jammed the phone lines of a New Hampshire Democratic Get Out the Vote effort. A number of GOP officials were convicted.)

It is Republicans, such as Georgia congressman Lynn Westmoreland, that have tried to dilute the Voting Rights Act of 1965, because, you know, states like Georgia are no longer racist in their policies. I guess all those long lines in predominantly black areas are just a coincidence. I guess that predominantly black precincts receiving fewer machines and older machines is also a coincidence.

It is time for the federal government to pass an affirmative right to vote for all citizens of age. It is time that any attempt to infringe on this right be punished with as much severity as the law will allow. Disenfranchisement, in a Democracy, is perhaps our worse punishment. After all, the government does not represent the disenfranchised.

Count the votes. Get them right. That's more important than the cost or the time involved.