Michael Steele on Coleman conceding: "No, hell no."

By GottaLaff

Let's keep a tally: Which Rushpublic gives us the most material for posts, Palin or Steele?

In an interview with The Hotline, RNC Chairman Michael Steele said that if the Minnesota Supreme Court doesn't rule Norm Coleman (R) the winner of the U.S. Senate race, "then it's going to the federal courts."

Asked if Coleman should concede if Al Franken (D) is deemed the winner, Steele said, "No, hell no. Whatever the outcome, it's going to get bumped to the next level. This does not end until there's a final ruling that speaks to whether or not those votes that have not been counted should be counted. And Norm Coleman will not, will not jump out of this race before that."

Meanwhile, Rick Hasen has the latest on the court case: "I still think Coleman has an uphill battle here. It would not surprise me if Franken won in an unanimous decision at the state Supreme Court."

Depriving Minnesota of a senator, depriving the Senate of a full vote, depriving America of democracy... Ladies and gents, the chair of the Rushpublic party.

Minnesota Senate race inches toward (non) resolution

By GottaLaff

It's been six months:

Democrats, for now, show no indication they will try to force the issue in Washington by attempting to seat Al Franken, the comic turned politician who has been declared the winner by 312 votes over incumbent Republican Norm Coleman.

Instead the contest will be allowed to play out in Minnesota where a final resolution at the state level may come in about six or seven weeks. Coleman has asked the state's supreme court to reconsider the ruling from a special judicial panel that declared Franken the winner.

What happens after Minnesota's high court rules sometime in June is less clear. The loser could appeal to federal courts but the state's Republican governor, Tim Pawlenty, would be under pressure to certify a winner as required by state law.

"We are taking this one step at a time and are confident that the Minnesota Supreme Court will rule in our favor," Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson said.

Some-bo-dy has toked up once too often. Memo to Toker Norm: You lost. Get over it. Move on. Give Minnesota full representation in the U.S. Senate. There's a good little patriot.

[David Schultz, a professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota] said if Pawlenty signs the certificate he would hurt his standing among Republicans as he weighs a possible run for president in 2012. Refusing to sign could put him in contempt of court and harm his chances of winning re-election as governor in 2010.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has said there would be all-out war if the Democrats try to seat Franken should he win in the Minnesota court, suggesting that all federal appeals should be exhausted first. [...]

Whoever wins will go to Washington with a poor approval rating and the knowledge that they were elected with a minority of the votes cast.

A recent poll in the Star Tribune newspaper showed Franken with a 43 percent approval rating and Coleman with 38 percent. "Both really only have the support of the base of the two parties," Schultz said.

VIDEO-- Al Franken: "Why am I grumpy? Oh, I know why."

By GottaLaff


Al Franken did an interview with the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He's a lot more patient than I am at this point:

His recently-hired staffers, a state director and a chief of staff, are actually working for free, because Franken has no office budget. When Franken has traveled to Washington, he's either paid out of his own pocket or from the campaign's legal fund -- which itself has been the focus of a lot of fundraising activity. And he really does wish he could be involved in the important decisions being made in Washington.

Franken had a funny take on it, saying it was odd but not the worst personal crisis that can happen. "And every once in a while I'll find myself, I'll get grumpy," he said. "And I'll go, why am I grumpy? Oh, I know why -- waiting for five and a half months to see what happens! (laughing) That's why."

All thank-you cards should be directed to Toker Norm Coleman for depriving his state of a U.S. Senator, depriving Senator Al Franken of his voice and vote, and therefore depriving his country of democracy.

UPDATE: For GOP, It's Coleman or Bust

VIDEO: Ad urges Pawlenty to certify Al Franken

By GottaLaff



Pawlenty: Minnesota's interest? Self interest. Hmmm. Weighing.. weighing...

Try putting America first, Tim. Let your state have its elected senator.

Coleman scores one: June 1

By GottaLaff

What does this court have against taxation with representation?

The court adopted the proposed briefing timeline from the Coleman campaign, allowing them more time to formulate their arguments: Coleman's brief is to be submitted by next Thursday, April 30; Team Franken will submit its brief by May 11, and a reply brief from Coleman is to be submitted by May 15.

On top of that, oral arguments have been scheduled for June 1 -- a month and a week from today.

Team Franken had called for a much quicker schedule, on the grounds that greater speed was needed in order to seat a second U.S. Senator from Minnesota, and that Coleman had already had plenty of time to come up with his arguments. But the court didn't go for it.

Vandals hit Coleman's house again -- this time with eggs

By GottaLaff

How this one got by me for two days, I'll never know:

A week that started out badly for Norm Coleman went further downhill Tuesday night after a vandal lobbed eggs at his house in St. Paul, according to a police report.

Police reported that the egging occurred about 9: 20 p.m. Tuesday, when an unidentified person in the house saw a man outside of it. [...]

The vandalism occurred one day after a three-judge panel ruled that Democrat Al Franken won the race for the Senate seat Coleman used to hold.

It's not the first time his home has been vandalized. Last fall, Coleman's house -- and those owned by five other members of the state's congressional delegation -- were spray-painted with graffiti.

Toker Norm should be walking on egg shells. Instead he's scrambled around, egged on by his lawyers, trying to deprive Minnesota of their senator. The yolk's on him, though. The election may not be over easy, but even some hard boiled Rushpublics are realizing that it's Toker Norm who has ended up with egg on his face.

Yes, I'm done. But now I'm really in the mood for an omelet.

Poll-itics: Minnesota Voters Want Election Settled Now

By GottaLaff

Toker Norm is destroying whatever possibly remains of the tatters that were once his reputation, and Pawlenty may not be helping his either:

A new Public Policy Polling survey in Minnesota finds that 63% of voters think that Norm Coleman (R) should concede the U.S. Senate election now.

In addition, 59% think Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) should certify Al Franken (D) as the winner of the election immediately and not wait for Coleman's appeals.

Final Ruling Is In: Coleman vs. Franken

By GottaLaff

Via The Up Take:

The three-judge panel has issued their final ruling in the Minnesota Election Contest. The Coleman case has been "dismissed with prejudice." Document is here. The live blog will be open until about 7 PM CDT tonight (Monday) to discuss the ruling, and starting at 11 AM CDT tomorrow morning. We'll also have in-depth analysis from The UpTake team, live press conferences from the campaigns and other live coverage.

I'll update soon. Let's see how long Toker Norm can drag this out with his appeals.

UPDATE from the Up Take, via Twitter:

tribunal does NOT order issue of election certificate but does posit Franken is "entitled to it"

Somebody who knows the law... please explain in English what the document says?

UPDATE via Commenter David G.: The justices awarded Al Franken court costs. Hellz yeah!

Judge Who May Decide Senate Race Donated to Coleman

By GottaLaff

That foul odor you smell? That's Toker Norm:

Senate Guru notes that one of the five Minnesota Supreme Court Justices who will likely decide the U.S. Senate race is a Norm Coleman donor. Justice Christopher Dietzen has contributed to a number of Republican candidates and committee -- including two $250 contributions to Norm Coleman, one in 2001 and one in 2004.

Meanwhile, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune looks at the possibility of Coleman taking his legal challenge all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. "While some election law experts say it's unlikely that Coleman, a Republican, could win in federal court, his party might have much to gain. A federal challenge could leave a Minnesota U.S. Senate seat vacant for another six months or more, depriving Democrats of a vote needed to pass some of President Obama's agenda in the event of GOP filibusters."

Once again, all things Toker Norm are steeped in the stench of Rushpublic flatulence.

VIDEO: MN GOP Refers To Al Franken As "Elected Representative"

By GottaLaff

Whoopsie daisy:

Freudian slip?

It may have been just a bad choice of wording, but Minnesota GOP Chairman Ron Carey confered the title of "elected representative" on Al Franken Thursday.

At 1:10 into the video Carey says "These Minnesotans deserve to have elected representatives who will stand up and fight for them when their rights are being trampled upon. That's why I'm calling on Al Franken to publicly join (former) Senator Norm Coleman in demanding that each and every ballot that was legally cast on election night be opened and counted so we can finally learn who truly won this election." [...]

It's pretty obvious from the rest of the news conference that Carey is arguing that Franken has not yet won the election for US Senate in Minnesota. Yet it is interesting to note that even in the GOP news conferences, language that portrays Franken as a US Senator is starting to creep in. Carey also talks about Franken's "potential constituents".

Yes, we all realize it was not his intention to refer to Al Franken as an elected representative. But it's interesting that he let that one get by, knowing that he was being televised, and that every syllable would be scrutinized.

Who Sits on the Minnesota Supreme Court

By GottaLaff

Senate Guru sent us an excellent e-mail:

With Republican Norm Coleman poised to shift his endless appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court, Senate Guru profiles the state Supreme Court Justices who will rule on Coleman's latest appeal, analyzing the Justices for partisan leanings. Senate Guru finds that, based purely on partisan backgrounds, Norm Coleman should have nothing to complain about.

Now, the post:

That naturally got me thinking, who else sits on the Minnesota Supreme Court? The Court has seven members. [...] In addition to the two recusing themselves, there are Justice Alan C. Page, Justice Paul H. Anderson, Justice Helen M. Meyer, Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea, Justice Christopher J. Dietzen. What do we know about the possible partisan leanings of these five Justices?

Justice Christopher J. Dietzen has the clearest partisan background of any of the Justices, and he appears to lean Republican (emphasis added by me):

He was appointed to the court by Governor Tim Pawlenty after the resignation of Justice Sam Hanson. Before joining the Supreme Court, Dietzen served as a judge on the Minnesota Court of Appeals from 2004-2008. He was likewise appointed to that judgship by Governor Pawlenty, and then elected to it in 2006. ...

Dietzen also served as an attorney for Pawlenty during his gubernatorial campaign in 2002.

So, Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty's campaign lawyer is one of the five judges that will decide Republican Norm Coleman's appeal. Nothing wrong with that.

Although Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea didn't work (so far as I know) as a campaign lawyer for a Republican statewide candidate for office in Minnesota, she was also appointed to the state Supreme Court by Republican Gov. Pawlenty. Also, Gildea's husband, Andy, is "a top staffer in the Minnesota House Republican Caucus." So, that's two out of five appointed by Republican Pawlenty.

Justice Paul H. Anderson was appointed to the Court in 1994 by Republican former Gov. Arne Carlson. This Minnesota Public Radio story describes Anderson as "active in Republican politics."

Justice Helen M. Meyer was a Jesse Ventura appointee.

Justice Alan C. Page was never appointed; he was first elected to an open seat on the state Supreme Court in 1992. However, in the mid-80's, he was appointed to multiple roles in the state Attorney General's office under Democratic then-Attorney General Hubert "Skip" Humphrey III. Further, Page's name was raised early in the 2006 cycle as a possible Democratic candidate for Senate, coincidentally.

So that's how the judges who will rule on Republican Norm Coleman's appeal break down. Three are Republican appointees (at least two of whom have been active in Republican politics, and the third of whom has a spouse who is a top staffer for state Republicans). One is an independent appointee, for whom I am unable to find indications of partisan leanings. And just one of the five appears to be Democratically-inclined.

Does this mean that I expect the three Republicans to rule in Coleman's favor? Absolutely not. [...]

That said, if/when Norm Coleman loses his appeal before the state Supreme Court, Republicans won't be able to suggest that Coleman didn't get a fair hearing on partisan grounds. And, when Republican blowhards suggest that Senator-elect Al Franken is "stealing" their Senate seat away from them, this will stand as yet another reason that they are full of it.

Thank you, Senate Guru. Go here for the rest. I edited the post down.

Norm Coleman's Chances Not So Good at Supreme Court

By GottaLaff

Remember "One is the Loneliest Number"? Apparently "59 is the Scariest Number":

With Al Franken (D) increasing his lead over Norm Coleman (R) yesterday, Bloomberg skips ahead to evaluate Coleman's odds if he appeals all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Coleman's dwindling chances of reclaiming his U.S. Senate seat largely depend on a broad reading of the Supreme Court's Bush v. Gore decision, a ruling the court itself said should be applied sparingly... Indeed, the high court has yet to cite Bush v. Gore in the 600-plus rulings it has released since then, and lower courts generally have proven reluctant to use the ruling as grounds for invalidating state voting procedures."

And yes, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports Coleman will appeal the final vote tally.

Stop. Just stop. Losers have to know when to stop. So.... stop.

Republican: "Somebody has to deal with what's the will of the people of Minnesota."

By GottaLaff

This quote is from Rushpublic, not a Democrat. Yes, you read right, a Rushpublic:

"I don't know how the Democratic Party operates because I'm not one of them, but every time we had an opening, somebody like Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman and the Republican apparatchiks in the White House decide who is going to represent Minnesota. Closed out the party, closed out everybody else. That's what's going on now... 'We will continue to fund you, just to keep the Democrat out of the Senate.' At some point, somebody has to deal with what's the will of the people of Minnesota."

-- Former Sen. David Durenberger (R-MN), quoted by MinnPost, on the meddling of the RNC in the disputed Minnesota Senate race.

312

By GottaLaff

Toker Norm, take a hint, and take a hike:

Al Franken (D) extended his lead over Norm Coleman (D) in the U.S. Senate race, "following the counting of about 350 formerly rejected absentee ballots this morning by a three-judge panel," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

"Unofficially, Franken took 198 of the ballots, while Coleman added 111. The ballots added about 87 to Franken's recount lead, enlarging his margin over Coleman to more than 312."

The "D" after Toker Norm's name is part of the original post. I'm sure they'll correct it soon.

Pawlenty: ‘A Few More Months’ to Resolve Franken-Coleman Standoff

By GottaLaff

So this is how Tim hopes to achieve greatness:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) said today that he won’t validate a winner in the long-running Senate standoff between former Sen. Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (DFL) until “we get a proper result” — a process that will likely take “a few more months.” [...]

Asked if he would sign the election certificate if that panel finds Franken the winner, Pawlenty said he would not, instead waiting on the likely appeals process to play itself out.

Now he'll be the most popular boy in the class(less)! All the Rushpublics will fawn and slobber and buy him gifts galore. After all, who could resist the Big Man on Campus who assists the effort to deny Minnesota their Senator, and the Democrats their 59th vote?

387

By GottaLaff

Yes, today is Mysterious Numbers Blog Title Day:

The pile of unopened absentee ballots that could be added to Minnesota U.S. Senate totals for Al Franken and Norm Coleman is now down to 387, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Last week, a panel of judges identified 400 ballots for possible counting -- but it's now been determined that "13 of the ballots on the judges' list had already been counted -- on Election Day or during a statewide recount."

Franken leads by 225 votes with these final ballots left to count.

But none of that matters. It's much more important to drag this out for the next eight years. I hope that will never become the title of a blog post: 8. That would be a very, very bad thing.

Norm Coleman faces hot seat even if he wins

By GottaLaff

Toker Norm better take a few more hits, because he's about to take a few more hits:

Even if Norm Coleman pulls off a long-shot legal victory in the extended Minnesota Senate race, Democrats are vowing to make him wish that he hadn’t.

Separate and apart from the ongoing legal dispute over November’s election, the Minnesota Republican faces several unresolved investigations: a reported FBI probe into his dealings with Nasser Kazeminy, a friend and benefactor; a potential Senate Ethics Committee inquiry into his Capitol Hill living arrangements; a federal elections investigation into his use of campaign donations for legal expenses; and a possible state probe into his campaign’s handling of donors’ financial information on its website.

Wowzers, but that's a lot of unresolved investigations. Where does he find the time... and funds?

Of all the issues facing Coleman, none is more potentially explosive than the Kazeminy investigation, and the Senate Ethics Committee also has been requested to look into the matter.

Last fall, a former associate of Kazeminy’s filed a lawsuit accusing him of trying to funnel $75,000 to Coleman’s wife, Laurie, through a Texas oil-rig company.

The FBI is reportedly investigating the claims — and the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a liberal nonprofit, has filed a federal elections complaint alleging the senator is misusing campaign funds by paying legal fees.

Coleman has dismissed the complaints as “sleaze.”

What a coincidence. We dismiss Coleman as sleaze.

But questions about the matter flared anew when another former company employee reiterated the charges in a civil court deposition made public last month.

In addition, a complaint is pending in the Senate Ethics Committee by the left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington about Coleman’s $600-a-month room in the Capitol Hill apartment of another Minnesota donor and friend, Jeff Larsen.

And officials with the Minnesota Democratic-Farm-Labor Party have filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission alleging Coleman accepted soft-money donations from a group that receives corporate contributions, a potential violation of federal campaign finance law.

Now see, if a Democrat were in as much hot water as Toker Norm, he'd probably be impeached of indicted. Oh. Wait. He was. So what's holding up the works in Minnesota?

What is Norm Coleman's End Game?

By GottaLaff

And here we thought we had Toker Norm all figured out:

My very simple theory is this. Norm Coleman has personal debts (and will continue to grow that debt through additional legal bills) that may very well approach one million dollars. Coleman turns 60 years old this August. There is no way that Coleman can pay off his debts (including that 30-year mortgage for $775,000 that Coleman took out just two years ago) on a Senator's or Governor's salary. And I don't think Coleman plans on paying that mortgage every month until he is 88 years old. Simply put, Coleman needs a very high-paying salary. I'm not an accountant, but, if Coleman wants to enjoy his retirement years and not worry about that massive debt he has accrued, he'll need to start making salary of around half a million dollars a year - which means having conservative power brokers (who are pleased with his efforts to keep another Democrat out of the Senate) hook him up with a lucrative lobbying gig.

There you have Coleman's real end game. It's not to win back his Senate seat or serve the public in any way. Norm Coleman's end game is to intentionally force Minnesotans to be underrepresented in the U.S. Senate for as long as possible through endless appeals of the election result and parlay that into subsequently securing a high paying lobbyist job for a special interest that could care less what the average Minnesota family needs. However cynical this may sound, it is, quite frankly, the most logical conclusion based on Coleman's actions. We'll see.

That's not nearly the entire piece, just the last two paragraphs. Go read the rest of this very smart analysis here.

H/t: Chris

It's almost over in Minnesota!

By GottaLaff

Via Tweets from The Uptake:

Right now the noodling says Coleman will need 313 out of 400 ballots to overcome Franken

Ballots will be counted on April 7th.

Kos' Tweet says the same:

400 absentee ballots need to be counted. Coleman would have to win 313 or so of them to overtake Franken.

More from DKos. Here's a sample:

“It’s not looking good,” said a GOP staffer close to Coleman.

It never was, Toker Norm staffer.

UPDATE via Uptake Tweet:

Coleman attorney Ginsberg says the decision will be appealed to the MN Supreme Court.

Oy.

Norm Coleman Dismisses Idea of Taking Case to Supreme Court

By GottaLaff

Roll Call is subscription only, but...

Ex-Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.), at the Capitol on Tuesday to lunch with his former GOP colleagues, said he does not expect to take his election recount battle all the way to the Supreme Court.

We have a winner. Welcome to the U.S. Senate, Al Franken.

So what's Toker Norm been smoking this time? Whatever it is, keep it up.

UPDATE: On the other hand, appealing to a federal court isn't out of the question...