1.45 million Minnesotans care.

The problem for Coleman is that every county and municipal election official believed he/she was accepting or rejecting absentee ballot in accordance with Minnesota law. There are certainly some examples of election officials in different jurisdictions applying the standards prescribed in law differently. In retrospect, it is quite possible that the standards prescribed in statute are too subjective but,nevertheless, those were the standards in place last November.

For Karen: Nothing has happened in this election that would even come remotely close to establishing grounds for ordering a new election! Nor is there anyway to declare the seat vacant since the Canvassing Board has established a “winner”. By filing a contested election suite, the Court will decide one way of the other on which absentee ballots will be counted. In any event, the governor would not name a new senator, there would be a special election to fill the seat.

This is the stupidest thing I’ve seen said on this board in a long time. We should disenfranchise 3 million voters because MAYBE a couple of votes were tallied inconsistently with the current Court order? Brilliant. So, it’s your position that an election judge can sabotage an entire election by merely wrongly counting a single ballot, and, when the election doesn’t turn out how he likes, mentioning that he made a mistake. Void the election!

Except this never happened. Ritchie and the SoS office did not pick the judges. They sent a request, as they always do, to the Supreme Court and Ramsey county for two judges/justices. The Courts then give him two names. For example, the two Supreme Court justices for the canvassing board volunteered for the job, they were not selected by Ritchie.

Minnesotans understand that there is a human factor in all elections, and so the longer Norm pretends there isn’t, the longer he delays the inevitable.

The only special election we should have is to see if Norm is allowed to stay in Minnesota once he loses. I, for one, don’t want him bagging my groceries or washing my car.

It’s a choice (do we fund the forensic services) not a impossability by a long shot. This election contest is on its back like a turtle, its scrambling four legs in the air. Priorities….yes I think we all need to set better priorities…United States Senate elections should be very, very high on the crucial list of emergency funded priorities when needed. This is a one in 50-80 year happening for god’s…sakes can’t these judges wake up and do their jobs….do them well. I won’t hold my breath. This election is a joke.

I won’t apologize for your deafness, stupidity and blindness. There are over 100 votes that have been demonstrated to have been counted twice. It’s impossible, at this point, to pull them from the pool, however.

““And without question, inconsistent standards HAVE been applied at various stages of this ordeal.”

Again, who cares?”

You should. And you would if different standards were being applied to add votes for Coleman and take them from Franken, I know you would.

It’s o.k. though MOUTHdem, you lack the integrity it requires to be intellectually honest on the matter. For that matter, you barely have the intelligence.

“The remedy isn’t to count 100 more wrong ballots.”

That I agree with… and so stated. The remedies are worse than the complaints.

“But, what basis do you have to say Ritchie rigged anything?”

Richie cynically named the Republican judges from the Supreme Court and Ramsey Count (the only court with jurisdiction over this election contest) to the canvasing board, thus removing them from the contest phase… ensuring the bodies would be dominated by Democrats should there be a contest.

Like I said, you’re too stupid too understand. It was a calculated move by Richie… and politically brilliant too, really.

“Nor do I see how Ritchie possibly rigged the recount with 4 distinguished judges sitting on either side of him.”

I never said he did. He manipulated the contest phase, knowing full well the limits of the canvasing board… which bared out. He ran the limited functions of the canvassing board just fine. I’ve never stated other wise.

It’s o.k. MOUTHdem, I recognize the limits of your capacity as well.

Not that Al wouldn’t be doing the same thing if he were contesting the race.

Without question? I haven’t heard a single piece of evidence that without question votes were counted twice. I haven’t even seen evidence that it was probable. More importantly, this ruling by the Court isn’t even DIRECTED at Coleman’s duplicate argument.

“And without question, inconsistent standards HAVE been applied at various stages of this ordeal.”

Again, who cares? The only “inconsistencies” have been within the realm of granted discretion. Discretion is by nature inconsistent. The question is whether there has been an abuse of discretion. Tell me how you have a consistent standard related to the comparison of signatures, for example. Nor have I seen a single example where Coleman has produced ballots that have been counted in one county but rejected in another when the question isn’t one of discretion, ie, no signatures on the ballot. As you noted, to the extent they were counted, that would be error by the county that cannot be corrected (you can’t unring the bell of counted absentee ballots because you can’t match a ballot to an envelope). The remedy isn’t to count 100 more wrong ballots. Coleman’s argument is stupid and the Supreme Court, the canvassing board, and now the three judge panel have recognized that.

“More so than any of the groups you mentioned, it is Coleman’s attorneys/advisers who have been incompetent…. that, and Richie’s brilliant rigging of the contest phase have put Coleman out in the cold.”

I agree Coleman’s attorneys have been terrible. But, what basis do you have to say Ritchie rigged anything? Ritchie didn’t pick the canvassing board. The two justices on the board volunteered for the job, the SOS office merely sent a request to the Court to offer up two justices. Same is true for Ramsey County. Nor do I see how Ritchie possibly rigged the recount with 4 distinguished judges sitting on either side of him. You can argue Ritchie is a partisan all you want, but, Ritchie was one of 5 votes. He didn’t shift the recount decisions any more than the multiple republican appointee judges on the panel did.

“There are still 3500 ballots in play. His focus should be there.”

I suspect that’s a load of crap as well. There’s a reason Coleman’s attorneys as throwing a hissy fit (and, his attorneys did so in Court as well). He knows the number under the Court’s order is much much smaller.

At the same time, the remedy is a bit ridiculous. Coleman can’t necessarily identify which ballots are inconsistent anymore. So what is the remedy? To throw out the election? … Not likely.

More so than any of the groups you mentioned, it is Coleman’s attorneys/advisers who have been incompetent…. that, and Richie’s brilliant rigging of the contest phase have put Coleman out in the cold.

There are still 3500 ballots in play. His focus should be there.

In any case, even if Coleman doesn’t prevail in this contest, Franken can forget about setting his depends into a US Senate seat any time soon.

Personally, where a despicable human being the likes of Al Franken is concerned I’ll take comfort where I can.

are all incompetent.

For wanting Minnesotans to determine who Minnesota’s senator should be, he sure as hell isn’t willing to accept the decision of any Minnesotans.

Also, who’s brilliant idea is it to openly criticize judges you have an active case before?