The Sentatorial race in Minnesota has been a mess since the night of the election. It was too close to call and there have now been multiple recounts and judge rulings. Finally, on Tuesday after yet another recount, a three judge panel was created to declare a victor. Thus, it was announced that Al Franken (Democrat) had won. But was that the end of it? Of course not! Norm Coleman, the Republican running against Franken, has proclaimed that he again is going to appeal the decision, citing that 4,000 absentee ballets have not been counted. And yes I recognize that all votes should be counted and every voice heard, but seriously, what month are we in? At this rate they are never going to have a Senator.
Additionally, the win has to be certified by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican. Gov. Pawlenty of course has stated that he will not certify anything until all of it is out of the legal system. Which could take at least a couple weeks, if not months. So where does that leave us? The recount led to more votes for Franken, the judges have multiple times ruled that Franken is the winner, and the loser, Coleman, with the help of his buddy Pawlenty, is just dragging his feet and depriving his state of a Sentator. I mean seriously Coleman, maybe it is time to bow out gracefully and let the state's interest come before your own!
Franken has the most votes
Another article on this debacle
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2 comments:
I don't want Coleman to win, but I don't have a problem with him exhausting his legal options. The race was really close, and considering the current balance of power in the Senate, the results are critical. If the initial court decisions were going the other way, I'd want Franken to keep fighting.
Whoever wins will have a six year term, so even if this drags out a couple more months it won't be the end of the world.
Last year in the Democratic primaries, I think Obama made the right decision by not pressuring Clinton to bow out even when her chances of victory were slim to none. Supporting (at least publicly) her right to campaign until the bitter end probably made the post-primary healing process easier for many Clinton voters.
Similarly, I suspect that Franken's low profile during Coleman's extended court battles will earn the respect of some voters that might not have originally supported him.
Way to back me up NYT!!!! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/opinion/16thu4.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
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