Coleman still tickin'

Norm Coleman's chances to overturn the announced 225 vote edge for Al Franken of the Minnesota Senate race got a life saving shot in the arm.

The Minnesota trial judges assigned to the Coleman filed recount trial have decided allow 4,800 rejected absentee ballots to be re-evaluated.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/38890229.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU

Signing off...JCB Sphere: Related Content

MN Senate Recount Trial: Day 2

The trial disputing the approved recount of the MN Senate election of 2008, by the MN Canvassing Board, has entered Day 2. All signs point to an elongated trial process to review and contest the recount procedures.

Today, Norm Coleman brought forward individual voters whose absentee ballots were rejected to ask the court to include their votes.

Signing off...JCB

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/38452259.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUec7PaP3E77K_0c::D3aDhUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090128/D95VS4P82.html Sphere: Related Content

Coleman outlines court challenges

Norm Coleman's legal challenge to the announced recount totals favoring Al Franken by the Canvassing Board appears to be proceeded in a staged approach. As presented to the 3 judge panel appointed to hear the case, the review of disputed absentee ballots would be the initial stage.

Proceeding to follow-on stages would require "a sufficient number of votes" changing from Franken to Coleman.

Some follow-on stages:

• Investigating the ballots from Minneapolis that election officials say went missing
• Review ballots with "questionable voter intent"
• Review whether some voters had more than one ballot counted (a separate legal case is being filed by Coleman supporters on approximately 150 ballots)

If the panel of judges adopts the proposed schedule in Coleman's challenge an outcome isn't expected until March. Franken is proposing a more aggressive timetable to address these same challenges.

Signing off...JCB

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Coleman is all in!

Norm Coleman is going all in with his legal challenge to the Senate election in Minnesota. Rightfully so!

There are several recounting irregularities that could change the outcome of this recount. From missing ballots, to double counting, to absentee ballot rejection criteria, to handwriting and signature verification. The list goes on and on.

Neither side will be happy with the outcome unless they have a special election. Something that is highly unlikely at this point.

More to come...

Signing off...JCB Sphere: Related Content

Um, Harry your arrogance is showing

Senator Harry Reid is lighting it up these days.

First he wants to defy the Constitution to prevent Senator Burris (D-IL) from taking his appointed seat in the U.S. Senate because Democrats can do "Whatever we want to do."

Now he makes the brazen statement that Senator Norm Coleman will "never ever serve [again] in the Senate.". Those are some arrogant words considering that the election in Minnesota is far from over, there is not a certified winner, and even if Franken is certified the winner and assumes the seat Coleman is an odds-on favorite to run again after such a narrow and disputed election.

Up for a potentially close election in 2010, the Senate Majority Leader is on the offensive before the legislative agendas have even been discussed. I doubt his actions and words will help bring cross-over Republicans when he needs it most!

Signing off...JCB Sphere: Related Content

No Franken Way!

The Minnesota state Canvassing Board appears ready to announce Al Franken as the winner of the 2008 Senatorial election over Norm Coleman. The latest media reports show a 225 vote lead for Franken. The December 30th report from the office of Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (D) shows a 49 vote lead for Franken.

According to Minnesota state law, an election cannot be certified if there is pending litigation challenging the outcome of the election. The Canvassing Board and SECSTATE Ritchie can announce Franken as the winner of the recount but that does not complete the process.

Coleman has file a lawsuit over 650 duplicate ballots that were improperly rejected. He may pursue a case against broader counting errors and the process all together. As today's WSJ points out, there is some funny business in the counting results. "...one Canvassing Board member, State Supreme Court Justice G. Barry Anderson, has acknowledged that "very likely there was a double counting." Yet the board insists that it lacks the authority to question local officials..."

Until this litigation is settled, SECSTATE Mark Ritchie is bound by law to withhold Certification. I will not be surprised if he proceeds in contradiction. However, Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) also has to sign the official Certification, which I doubt he will do unless there is absolute determination of the victor.

Meanwhile, as of this past Saturday Senator Coleman's term has expired and seat is now vacant. So the Democratic Senators, most notably Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), want to seat Al Franken until the vacancy is filled. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has said "Sen. Schumer's exultations are premature to say the least." and promises to filibuster any attempt to fill seat without state certification.

I am impressed! I figured it would take the Democrats at least 3 months to draw their divisive line in the sand. This will be the catalyst for Republican backlash against their power playing. Queue the filibusters! The honeymoon of working together under a new administration is over before it starts. Thank you!!

Signing off...JCB Sphere: Related Content

Update on Minnesota Senate Race

As the Franken campaign has claimed since recounting began, the continue their claim of a narrow margin of votes post-recount. These claims got some legitimacy this week then for a moment the canvassing board, after counting only the Franken challenged ballots, had Franken up my almost 200 votes. That has since been reverse after the counting of the Coleman challenged ballots.

The Minnesota Secretary of States office (official results) has Coleman up by 215

The Star Tribune (educated projections) has Coleman up by 188

It is difficult to dissect what the campaign and newspaper estimates contain and do not contain. Therefore it is probably appropriate to stick with the SECSTATE count reporting.

In case you didn't pay attention last week.

The sage continues....

Signing off...JCB Sphere: Related Content

Minnesota Recount over, errrr NOT!

Well, the recounting is over, if you're a State Elections official. However, there are a lot of remaining undetermined ballots.

At the conclusion of the recount, the MN SECSTATE office shows Coleman with 687 vote margin compared to the 710 margin after election day. Once disputed precincts are included projections range from a Coleman 215 vote lead (Star Tribune) to a 4 vote Franken lead (Franken campaign).

Outstanding issues that challenge Coleman's lead:

• 133 unaccounted Minneapolis ballots
• 6,665 challenged ballots by the 2 campaigns
• 1,000 absentee ballots that the Franken campaign claims were inappropriately rejected

The saga continues.

Signing off...JCB

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Georgia & Minnesota update

Congratulations to Senator Chambliss on his impressive 57.4% to 42.6% win yesterday! Welcome back for your second term. Thank you for your commitment to Conservative principles (94.19 ACU rating) and your continued fight for them in the coming years.

Coleman's lead is now at 303 votes after Franken picked up 37 unexpected votes from 171 previously uncounted ballots.

Franken got another boost when Minn. Secretary of State Mark Richie (D) asked local officials to examine the previously rejected absentee ballots (approx. 12,000). This includes the 1,000 ballots that the Franken campaign has been fighting to get recounted claiming they had been improperly rejected.

With 93% of the vote recounted, it appears the Franken is gearing up for the legal end-game in which he hopes to sway the outcome with absentee ballots and the almost 6,000 challenged ballots from the recount.

This is going to drag on for a long time!

Signing off...JCB Sphere: Related Content

Georgia & Minnesota

Georgians, get out and vote.

Minnesotans, get counting.

Coleman is now up by 340 votes with 92% of the ballots recounted. It is unlikely that Franken will overcome this margin with the 8% remaining given the % of votes that have been changed among those counted.

Coleman has seen a -2,373 vote change from election day results
Franken has seen a -2,489 vote change from election day results

It all comes down to the challenged ballots that each campaign has filed. Currently Coleman has challenged 3,050 ballots and Franken has challenged 2,573. Franken needs a greater percentage of his challenges won than Coleman to win. This will be a legal battle bonanza!!

The Star Tribune breaks down the Challenge Math for each candidate to win.

Signing off...JCB Sphere: Related Content

Georgia and Minnesota

Aside from the obvious fact that Georgia and Minnesota are extremely important to our readers, as I am from Georgia, while JCB is from Minnesota, the balance of power of our government may rest with those 2 states. With Ted Stevens losing in Alaska by a close margin, the Democrats will enjoy 58 seats in the Senate before MN and GA decide on their Senators. If the Republicans were to lose both of these seats, the consequences would be even more devastating than we imagined. A filibuster-proof majority in the Senate would basically render any futile attempt at GOP opposition pointless, muting the voice of roughly half of all Americans who think as Conservatives.

JCB, you’ll have to get something going up in Minnesota! The Frankendorks are marching in unison right towards a Senate seat theft, up north! Georgia, now that Obamania is hopefully over, perhaps you’ll do what you should have done in the first place, and re-elect a Conservative in Saxby Chambliss! I believe Chambliss will win with over 60% of the vote, and if so, it will mark the opening shot in the war of ideology by Conservatives. People are getting the idea that $75/hour union labor may not be the best thing for our country, and it is causing our nation a lot of grief. People understand that government intervention, in the name of fairness and the common good, has done nothing more than to cause our credit system to crumble. Higher taxes on productivity send jobs to more business friendly nations (can you believe we are no longer a business friendly nation?), and people are justifiably worried about jobs.

We can win Minnesota and Georgia, and thus begin the movement towards
Conservative principles. The great purge has begun, and it’s time to move in the right direction.

Minnesota, write your Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and tell him to squash Democratic voter fraud! secretary.state@state.mn.us

Georgia, get out and vote on December 2 while you celebrate my birthday and buy your new Britney Spears CD’s. (I acknowledge that you’re probably not voting and buying Britney CD’s at the same time, but it’s worth a shot). Sphere: Related Content