Setbacks for Coleman grow at Senate recount trial

[kpete]

Source: Star Tribune

Setbacks for Coleman grow at Senate recount trial

Judges allowed marks to be removed and heard other ballots were properly rejected.

By PAT DOYLE and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: February 24, 2009 - 11:49 PM

Ballots that Norm Coleman wants to count took a beating in testimony on Tuesday, while ballots he thinks are illegal were protected by the judges hearing the U.S. Senate trial.

In the latest in a series of setbacks for Coleman, the three-judge panel refused to preserve identifying marks on counted absentee ballots that he claims have been rendered illegal by recent rulings of the court.

The decision hampers the ability of Coleman, a Republican, to challenge ballots tallied in the final phase of the recount, when DFL Al Franken took a 225-vote lead.

In rebuffing Coleman, the panel noted that he and Franken had agreed three weeks ago to allow the secretary of state to redact information identifying 933 absentee ballots approved by the state Canvassing Board on Jan. 5. Both campaigns had accepted those ballots, but Coleman last week said about 100 are invalid under the panel's recent rulings.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/40227807.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUZ

[billybob537]

1. I think congradulations are in order

So take your sour grapes WHINE and go hame Norman.

[peacetalksforall]

2. All afternoon yesterday, my mind kept thinking about Al being denied the

the opportunity to be in that first Address to Congress.

[sledgehammer]

3. True

But I'm willing to wait this out patiently (as hard as it is!), because I know we will have him in Senate till Jan 2015!

Also, when he does officially come to DC, he will get so much attention since he will be the new man in town, and a lot of the fireworks of the new President and Congress would have died down. It will almost be like a new celebration for Democrats.

I wonder if BillO will bring him on his show at some point. I would love to see Colbert and Franken though - surely that will happen soon!

[LynneSin]

24. who care about Al being denied. How about Minnesotians being denied 2 senators

So many critical vote and only only voice in the senate.

[peacetalksforall]

25. You're right. The citizen angle. The personal Al Franken angle is more fleeting.

[LynneSin]

26. Don't get me wrong- I can't wait to see Al in the Senate

But ultimately those that are suffering the most are the voters.

[gratuitous]

4. No problem

Norm will simply filing a brief arguing the exact opposite of the position that was just ruled against. As long as the process continues, Franken can't take his seat, even provisionally. And since there's no penalty or sanction against Coleman for filing nonsense motions, he can do that as long as his benefactors want to deny Franken his rightfully-won seat in the Senate.

The court, of course, could bring this in for a landing and set a deadline or two for filing motions, but they seem to be enjoying the circus as much as Normie the Clown, so Minnesota can just get used to having half its Senate allotment remain vacant.

[Seedersandleechers]

19. I agree

Mn will not see Coleman nor Fraken in the Senate until the next election provided either will run. I hate Republicans.

[barbtries]

5. i wish he'd give up

and go slither back under his rock

[BlueIdaho]

6. Time to turn up the heat on the Governor...

Time to embarrass the shit out of the state as well. Lets point the lens of the media directly at this little freak show and see how much longer it lasts. Fuck Coleman his goose is cooked - but there are a few others in that state including Timmy boy that have further political aspirations. Lets make their future look a little bleaker and see if this doesn't resolve itself rather quickly. Bring on a progressive Brook's Brothers Riot at the state capitol and invite the media!

[Stuckinthebush]

7. I wonder if Norm is continuing this futile quest for two main reasons..

1. The GOP is pushing him to continue because it keeps a vacancy in the Senate which helps their side. They know it is futile, but by continuing the legal option they have a better margin than if a Dem took the seat.

2. Norm simply won't or can't believe that he was beaten by a liberal comedian. I bet he is furious.

[robinlynne]

11. I vote with #1. absolutely positively.

[Cha]

23. Of course it's the first one..

This is thrawting Obama and the country in its own way and the repukes will do anything to screw with Obama.

[4_TN_TITANS]

29. "won't or can't believe that he was beaten ..."

His complete denial that he's not a member of 'the Club' anymore sure makes me believe that he was promised that the 'fix' for the election was in, but something went wrong. He's still holding out for a 'fix'.

[damntexdem]

8. Sorry, Norm, but a U-turn is illegal here -- here's your ticket.

And it's a ticket out of the Senate.

Although he'll appeal all the way to the SCOTUS to try to delay the inevitable. Hmm, I wonder if he figures he could then go on to the World Court. ;-)

[KamaAina]

12. The Senate Rules Committee gave him that ticket last month.

They booted him out of his office as soon as his term expired.

What we really need is to have him sittting outside the Senate office building wearing a cardboard sign that says, "Will Pontificate For Food".

[progressoid]

9. What an ass.

He can't possibly think he'll pull this off.

[lark]

28. He knows his only chance is with SCOTUS

MN judges aren't corrupt enough to throw him the election illegally. SCOTUS has no such compunction.
They also set their cases pretty far out, so that's anohter delay even if the justices don't go to the dark side again this time.

[Gregorian]

10. Maybe he's better suited as mayor of some small town.

Or maybe selling used cars. No offense to honest used car salespeople.

Now do people see just how addictive the power of a Congressional seat is? This is not good. These people aren't gods, but our servants. That is most likely shortsighted. But in effect it's the truth. We rule this country. But from the likes of these idiots who want to drown this country in a bathtub, it's far too big a deal. Power and money. Screw these clowns.

[madrchsod]

13. maybe he can run in the next iraqi elections

[tclambert]

16. I don't thnk Wasilla would have him.

Even they have SOME standards.

[no name no slogan]

22. Not after what St Paul's had to deal with

Yes, he balanced budgets and got things done, but this was in the 90s when everybody ran surpluses, and a trained monkey could've made the city work.

But thanks to his tax-slashing, spending-gutting legacy, St Paul is struggling to pay the bills. City services have dropped off, and isn't able to balance its books.

Send Norm somewhere, as long as it's not St. Paul.

[Janice325]

14. Maybe Normie can bankrupt those idiots (Repukes) who I figure keep

dumping money his way. How much is this crap costing, anyway? How much of this waste of time is actually out of Normie's pocket?

Hang in there, Senator Franken!!! We're rooting for you!!! Go, Al!!

[starroute]

15. This may have to do with the Employee Free Choice Act

Front groups for the Chamber of Commerce and other pro-business organizations were campaigning heavily in Minnesota last summer against the EFCA and against Franken for his support of it -- and they still have plenty of money to throw around. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the primary funders of this nonsense, and if the real motive was just to keep Franken out of the Senate long enough to make it easier to defeat the EFCA.

On edit -- found this:

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/labor/blue-dogs-to-house-dem-leaders-hold-off-on-employee-free-choice/

02/18/2009

Blue Dog Democrats in the House have asked House Dem leaders to postpone a vote on the Employee Free Choice Act until after the Senate votes on it, and the Democratic leadership has agreed, a senior House Dem aide tells me.

The discussions are likely to disappoint some in the labor movement, who see Employee Free Choice as their top priority and had hoped the House would act quickly and pass a strong bill before the Senate passes a weaker version. Proponents and foes of the measure alike say the Senate is expected to be the major battleground over the bill because of the tight Dem majority.

[Texano78704]

17. Let them filibuster

[Deep13]

18. "setbacks" = "he lost the goddamn election"

:nopity:

[happygoluckytoyou]

20. COLEMAN claims the count is unfair because ---> --> -->

after he counts to 10 he has to drop his shorts to continue

[bdamomma]

21. watch RW heads blow up when Franken is finally seated in the Senate.

[Deep13]

27. We need high-speed panaflex cameras to capture that.

I will want to see it over and over again and in slow motion. I would like to get more than one angle for Bill O'Reilly.