I still don't understand the reticence of Al Franken to get out there in front of the public in the months since the election.
Now that he's won the election constest,
he should start asserting his rights.
Yes, Coleman can appeal, but that's the case with any lawsuit, but the assumption is generally that a verdict will stand--unless there's something obviously outlandish about it.
Here's what I think Al should do:
Give interviews. Praise the Minnesota court and praise the voters and people for their patience. Praise Coleman for his spirited campaign. Acknowledge that the vote was so close that it easily could have gone either way--but say that he's profoundly grateful that it went his way and that he looks forward to serving the people and hopefully winning over many of those who voted against him.
Al should also say that while Coleman certainly has the right to appeal, he hopes that the Coleman team will read the judgment carefully and not appeal for the sake of dragging it out if there are no meaningful issues to appeal.
And Al should state categorically that when the Minnesota courts have decided the case, the winner must be seated. He must put pressure on Pawlenty to not try to delay the seating for federal litigation.
Al holds all the cards now and has no reason to shrink back. He can be mangnanimous, but at the same time should make the point that he's won.
So far the right wing media--who have a lot of scores to settle with Franken--have been covering this race consistently from the vantage point of Coleman partisans, vituperatively attacking Franken; and the mainstream media have not shown any interest in the race. The result is some vague impression that the Franken side is somehow trying to pull some shenanigans.
Franken should try in the next few days to get on CNN, MSNBC and even a FOX show that might be suitable (if O'Reilly would be too over-the-top, maybe he can trust Greta to do a reasonably straightforward--and-civil--interview.)
Can somebody tell me how Franken BENEFITS from keeping such a low profile?