Senator Norm Coleman has grown increasingly desperate as the recount whittled away his lead and eventually handed it to Al Franken. Here is a review of that recount.
On election night, Coleman led Franken by 725 votes.
County elections had made typos involving hundreds of votes. Correcting those dropped Coleman’s lead to 215.
A recount of all counties dropped it to 192.
The determination of the Canvassing Board of what disputed ballots to count and the voter’s intent gave Franken a 78-vote lead.
That might make Coleman think there is a conspiracy against him. Although he actually has some valid concerns, Franken does as well. Nevertheless, expect Coleman’s shrill protestations to get worse.
In Coleman’s corner is former swift boater Benjamin Ginsberg. Ginsberg advised SwiftBoat Veterans for Truth in 2004. Before that, he was a Bush lawyer in the 2000 Florida fiasco. Back then, he argued against hand recounts fearing they would lead to unequal treatment.
Coleman has claimed that the Canvassing Board has made a number of controversial decisions that have generally favored Franken. Many voters made an “X” and colored in the oval on the ballots, creating some confusion in the process. Coleman claims that when it has happened with Franken, the vote was often counted as a Franken vote. When it happened to Coleman, the vote was often counted as a vote for no one.
What neither Coleman nor his supporters have cared to mention is that examining the actual ballot itself may make a difference in awarding the vote. Whether the “X” was placed over the oval or the oval over the “X” has influenced the Canvassing Board.
Then there are the 133 missing votes from a Franken stronghold. Coleman claims the votes are duplicates. The Minnesota Supreme Court does not want to take up the matter that it believes should be left to lower courts, so Coleman sole alternative is a lower court battle. The 133 votes represent a huge mess. How does one recount votes that cannot be found? Or as Coleman argues they never were there in the first place.
Coleman has also tried re-appealing 16 disputed votes to the Canvassing Board, but the judges on it were not in the mood to review their decisions. None of the votes were changed.
Coleman’s attorneys are also pointing out “20 clerical errors” in the draft report on the vote distribution. They also expect to gain some votes when all the withdrawn challenges are reconciled.
Then there are the wrongly rejected 1,600 absentee ballots still be counted. The Supreme Court says all parties, including the candidates, have to agree to the guidelines. Imagine the fun in those negotiations.
The Republican strategy from the beginning, going back to 2000, has been to deny votes. They throw out ballots, try to strike voters from the roles, try to discourage and frighten poor people so they don’t vote. The Democrats have done just the opposite, have brought more qualified voters into the process.
The Republicans strategy is that of a loser. They are losing support, America is sick and tired of the Republicans economic philosophy and of they vision for organizing America into a few very rich, and the great masses very poor. The Republicans are being rejected by America, and the only way they can survive is to try to chop away at the Democrats’ lead.
The Republicans are losers, operating like losers.