Franken wins by 312 votes!
The rest is commentary, waiting for the appeal to the MN Supreme Ct. (MNSC).
Take a look if you like........
TODAY is DAY 3 since the ECC handed down its decision in Coleman v. Franken. Coleman has 7 days left to file an appeal with the MN Supreme Court or the decision becomes final.
And what if Norm doesn't? Could happen you know. This entire thing ends.....with a whimper, a quiet "for the sake of the people of Minnesota I choose to step back" sort of speech. Unlikely? Yeah. Impossible? Not sure I'd go that far.....I mean Norm IS a bend-in-the-wind sort of politician and he has been....um, EXPEDIENT and flexible in his political path. But he has been visible (Franken has been much wiser in this regard) and been visibly unhappy. Of course kowtowing to the likes of McConnell, Cornyn, Steele, & assorted members of the Goebbels' School graduates on the air would be miserable. Having to be around a sheet of human sandpaper like Tony Trimble or downwind from the human feedlot that IS Ben Ginsberg would be adding lutefisk to the lash wounds.
But can he be pushed "too far"? Does Norm have it in him, either from being whored one time too many, or from some tattered sense of human dignity or personal self-worth, to tell these meretricious marble-brains to go to hell and call off the whole sorry mess short of the Supreme Court? I don't think so..... but I might put it at a 20% chance this morning. Just saying......
Minnesota Opinion I
One factor that may be making its weight felt is public opinion in MN. David Brauer writes over at the MN Post. Back in the fall he was tracking newspaper editorial endorsements around the state. In late October Norm had an 11-0 endorsement lead until Winona's daily paper weighed in for Franken.
Well Brauer has been calling around the state the last couple weeks as the ECC trial ended and as the decision came down Monday asking those same editorial boards where they stand on should Norm call a halt.... or go on through the court system?
Call it off:
♦ Worthington Daily Globe
♦ Albert Lea Tribune-- we heard from them the other day
♦ Winona Daily News
♦ Faribault Daily News
♦ Owatonna People's Press-- sounds like a name the Right would hate
Battle on:
♦ Minneapolis Star Tribune
♦ Mankato Free Press
♦ Crookston Daily Times (with plenty of snark)
♦ New Ulm Journal
Overall, like the election itself, slight edge to Franken.
Fun little piece here, including several yet outstanding (Like absentee ballots, editorial boards can be late in arriving):
http://www.minnpost.com/...
Minnesota Opinion II
Public Policy Polling (is this PPP in the Nate Silver nomenclature?) took a MN survey of 805 people, Tuesday and Wednesday morning (AFTER the ECC decision came down Monday evening). 63% of Minnesotans would like Norm to concede: virtually all voters who voted for Franken and Dean Barkley (42% & 15% respectively) and 1/3 of those who voted for Coleman! Margin of error 3.5%.
Minnesota Independent has a short story and a PDF link to the survey results here:
http://minnesotaindependent.com/...
Zack Stephanson at MNPublius has more here:
http://mnpublius.com/
So, for what its worth, here's another piece of info for Norm to add to his calculus (or at least his algebra.)
Other Voices
The BigE over at MN Progressive Project disagrees with me in thinking Norm might quit. He leads off:
Those of us who have been following the Minnesota Senate race (MN-SEN), it's recount and subsequent election contest suit know former senator Norm Coleman's chances of overturning Al Franken's victories in the recount and election contest are extremely slim. Of course, we also know that winning is no longer the point.
No real disagreement here, just thinking out loud about another scenario. BigE does a swift but pointed rundown on just how much a lapdog Coleman has been in his term as Senator and so rates his likelihood of "doing the right thing" as nil.
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/...
The BigE is also willing to slap around a decayed Pioneer Press columnist named Joe Soucheray. Joe just came out with an opinion piece that is heavy on delusion (Coleman's chances of getting to the Senate are close to 50-50.... uh huh!) and the usual Ginsberg pack of lies and talking points. BigE gives him what for (and what five and even what six; whatever it takes.)
http://www.mnprogressiveproject.com/...
Paul Begala of CNN but writing for Huffington Post opens his piece with a line sure to tip you off his column will not end well for a former senator:
If character were oil, Norm Coleman would be a quart low.
The fun read rest, and some fine related links (see bottom of first page) here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
UPDATE: h/t to Tenzen for a link to Jane Hamsher at FireDogLake for a story on the money raising being vowed for Coleman:
http://firedoglake.com/...
Yet Other Voices (YOURS)
On the personal/professional front THANK YOU to so many of you who generated possible Title for the forthcoming book collecting these diaries together (along with choice comments.)
Today I'll ask again if you could share thoughts either in the comment string or by e-mail of what you think might be a good title for such a book.
You came up with dozens of ideas and they will keep the 4 Amazon editors (my nickname for the 4 female wordsmithers who have agreed to take this on) scrambling to sort them out. We hope you'll keep us jumping for a 2nd day as well. Here's a partial reprint from yesterday:
We are looking for a TITLE for the book of these collected diaries (with selected comments). From a marketing/commercial standpoint, what could the book be called?
A couple parameters. The general feeling among the Amazons is a "Main Title: Longer Sub title" might be the best formula. No need to come up with both ends of that; we might find a pairing from 2 different people works best.
Also, my own feeling is the focus of these diaries has been a defense and explication of democracy in action. Obviously Coleman and Franken are the main players and just as obviously my partisan leanings toward Dean Barkley have been pretty evident;-). But ultimately the story is NOT about them. Its about a free people choosing someone in a fair, transparent election to represent them at the national level, and the intricacies of dealing with a hair-breadth close outcome.
So a title like, "Senator Horse Dentures, Go Home!" while emotionally satisfying, rather misses the point. So does "Franken Fools the Frozen: Laughing to the Senate."
Many of you have said kind things about the uniqueness of these diaries, how they have captured a certain je ne sais quoi of being on-line, a kind of distillation of what blogging is. We are working hard to keep that lively, urgent, semi-snarky, thoughtful tossed salad mix going in the book and it might be good to think of a title or subtitle that notes or alludes to that. "A blogger's view of politics"/"blogging to the Senate"/"Recounting in the Internet Age"/..... something along those lines to maybe jog your thinking?
Anyway, if you have an idea: a) post it in the comments today; or b) shoot me an e-mail (click on "winerev" at the top right of this page and my address is on the click thru page.)
Put in as many as you like.
We'll sift through the ideas and either Friday or Monday put up a poll of the best ones. So YOU will help pick since YOU helped make these diaries what they are.
AND........ to quote the governor of Alaska......
ALSO: We are looking for folks who can do some fact checking in these diaries (starting in May sometime). We have some blessed volunteers already but a few more would spread the load out nicely.
AND...... would there be someone out here who does graphic design? Once we get a title we want to work on a COVER for the thing which would be crucial. An illustrator might also be of great help; if we could have the occasional cartoon or sketch of some egregious moment it might give some comic relief to the text. (There has been SO little humor in these diaries....)
But title ideas first. Many thanks for your ideas so far and for those you are tossing into the fray today.
Thursday Morning Minnesota Media
The MOST important news breaking today is of course the big spring WINE SALE starting down at the shop! Having dealt with dozens of customers yesterday who looked at our pretty posters that say "STARTS APRIL 16" and said, "You mean thats not today?" we move onto the intelligent stuff. There will be hundreds of shelf tags across the shop, several signs hanging from the ceiling and a huge red-on-white one tied to the side of the building with the identical marketing words: "All wine on sale!" And from the several customers/hour about 3 customers/hour will come shopping, pick out any bottle they think worthy of their interest and walk up to one of us, point to the label and earnestly ask, "The label doesn't say "ALL." Is this an "all wine" and part of the sale?"
SIGH!! Its that kind of mental process that has brought us to the current economic crossroad.
Diaz & Von Sternberg put together a story for the Star Tribune noting both sides combined have raised about $12 million SINCE election day to pay for things Recount related (I am STILL waiting for my cut!) They also go over the PPP results.
http://www.startribune.com/...
And shooting down my idea at the top of this diary is RAchel Stassen Berger's story in the Pioneer Press. Norm sounds like he's going to appeal and they are "working on the briefs right now." Coleman sat down with the P-P editorial board for a talk and RSB writes it up here: (P-P wins the Twin cities newspaper competition by default since the Pioneer Press got an exclusive.)
http://www.twincities.com/...
OK, a fast shower, some coffee, and then off to face the public... (Lord give me strength!) Hope this will hold you with some of the latest from yust southeast of Lake Wobegon.
Shalom.