Double Standard
By Mitch Berg
John Lott on the canvassing board’s curious vote-counting “standards”.
While I’ve labored not to act like those liberal ninnies who’ve been belching and geegawing about “stolen elections” for the past eight years, this recount is turning into a bigger embarassment than the Ventura Administration.
December 24th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Man, this one is a real mess. Even if one or the other wins by a few votes, the margin of error is laser-thin. How this ultimately gets decided is anybody’s guess at this time. My solution would be to have a special election, but I’m not in charge – they won’t let me near authority. I blog.
December 24th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Mitch,
As compared to 2000 Florida, this is peanuts. No one suggests 14,000 people were denied the right to vote improperly.
In fact, mostly we’re getting pretty good marks for being civil, thorough, and fair. I know it may not feel like it to you because Coleman has fallen behind, but I venture(a) a guess that should Coleman win, you’ll celebrate it as vindication. I’d also suggest that since Coleman campaign challenges were sustained half as often as Franken campaign challenges – perhaps the issue isn’t the conduct of the recount, but the conduct of those who have a vested interest, or axe to grind.
December 24th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
“this recount is turning into a bigger embarassment (sic)”
Only cause your guy is losing even after trying to game the system. Me suspects you would be proclaiming what a spic and span process this is, and what a great non partisan SoS we have if the numbers were reversed. Yeap, no spin could change that reality.
The biggest difference between here and Florida is we have the law to guide us, not some partisan office holders. But it would seem now that the reality of what really did happen on Election day looks to not be in your favor I hear from you, and most of the Right – “We don’t need no stinking laws”
Flash
December 24th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
The biggest difference between here and Florida is we have the law to guide us, not some partisan office holders.
Flash, did you even read the Lott piece? Clearly partisan decisions by the canvassing board are precisely the problem.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Mitch admitted: “While I’ve labored not to act like those liberal ninnies who’ve been belching and geegawing about “stolen elections” for the past eight years”
You should try harder. You’re not doing a very good job of it.
Senator Franken? Hahaha! Couldn’t get Lovitz?
December 24th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Sorry, here’s the link to Lott’s analysis:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,470892,00.html
December 24th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Couldn’t get Lovitz?
Who?
I was hoping for Nora Dunn or Jan Hooks at least.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
No one suggests 14,000 people were denied the right to vote improperly.
Heh.
OK. I’ll ignore what was likely a sloppy slip.
Thanks for proving my point, in any case.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Only cause your guy is losing
No. Only because Minnesota might be on the brink of sending Al Franken – an arrested adolescent with obvious serious emotional problems – to Washington during a time of war and fiscal crisis.
There is evidence that even Harry Reid doesn’t want Franken there.
As much a legislative non-entity was Paul Wellstone was, he at least was of his right mind.
Franken is a buffoon, and he belongs on the evening talk show circuit with the Scarboroughs and Colmes and Huffingtons and Stewarts. Not in Washington.
Minnesota has morphed from Hubert Humphey to low comedy in my lifetime.
December 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The difference between Fla in 2000 & MN in 2008 is that in Fla Bush was never behind in the count. It was obviously a case of Gore trying to count votes in different ways until he was ahead — then calling a halt to recounts.
This is being repeated, with somewhat greater success, by Franken in MN.
The constant refrain of ‘count every vote’ is a joke. The idea, obviously, is to count more and more votes that were rejected for various reasons. It is a way to lawyer your way to a victory that simple vote counting has denied you. No matter who is finally declared the winner the legitimacy of their victory (as in Fla) will be questioned.
Isn’t it possible for the senate to bypass the screwy recount procedure (& MN state law) by simply refusing to seat either Franken or Coleman until they have had a runoff election?