Franken Still Hasn't Won

Despite Al Franken's supposed lead over Senator Norm Coleman, the fight isn't over yet. This Senate seat battle has been marked by votes "appearing" and accusations of double-counting. We're pulling for Coleman, even Joe C.

The panel also rejected Franken's attempt to limit any court review to verifying math and other technicalities of the recount and canvass, clearing the way for the judges to consider Coleman claims that some votes in Democratic areas were counted twice, that some absentee ballots from GOP areas were wrongly rejected and that there were other irregularities.

The panel noted that the Minnesota Supreme Court had ruled that while those claims shouldn't be decided during the recount, they "would be properly heard in an election contest" in court.

Coleman lawyer Ben Ginsberg called the panel's decision "a stinging defeat for Al Franken. It underscores that the Coleman contest will proceed, that there will be a trial."

It appeared that Franken pulled out all of the stops in order to win the seat. These included shady performances and all the lawyering a man can buy. But the best candidate may just win, after all.

Oh Snap-- Pawlenty to Franken: Thanks But No Thanks

Minnesota's Governor has flatly refused to sign off on Al Franken's Senate Seat. The Governor and the Secretary of State are not signing the certification for Franken to take office.

While this will not stop the comedian, it will likely delay his taking office. This may be enough time for challenger Norm Coleman to launch an appeal. Franken was behind by about 200 votes and after some votes 'mysteriously' appeared, he is ahead of Coleman by 225.

Coleman is suing over the result, claiming there were irregularities on Election Day and during the recount.

Minnesota law prevents officials from issuing an election certificate until legal matters are resolved. But Franken's legal team argues that federal election law entitles Franken to receive the certificate before the lawsuit is settled.

"The people of Minnesota are down a senator in the U.S. Senate. This is an opportunity for Governor Pawlenty and Secretary Ritchie to ensure the interests of all Minnesotans are represented in Washington," Franken lawyer Marc Elias told reporters in a conference call. He didn't rule out a lawsuit.

RIP, Franken's Senate Hopes

It appears that Al Franken's hopes of becoming the next Senator from Minnesota are falling dramatically. Despite the fact that the vote count was moving his way, Franken's deficit has grown as the recount continues.

And now it appears that Franken's last ditch efforts to add votes into the wider pool has failed. Without more ballots to count, and the recount at 88%, the chances of a legitimate Franken comeback appear slim.

Still, the Democrats are calling foul, even though it appeared that earlier, votes were just "appearing" for Franken:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., termed the Canvassing Board's decision "cause for great concern" and called on Minnesota officials to "ensure that no voter is disenfranchised."

So hopefully Norm Coleman can sleep a little easier.

So Has the Right Wing Conspiracy Ended?

So, now that Barack Obama has won the White House and the Dems almost have sixty seats in the Senate, does that mean that the vast, right-wing conspiracy has finally ended?

It was about a decade ago that Hillary Clinton said that phrase on the Today show, so let's look at all of the things that should disappear due to the Obama victory:

1. No more 9/11 Truth stupidity
2. No more 'No WMD' stupidity
3. Any more impeachment talk?
4. Wait, I thought Bush was going to name himself President for Life?
5. Cheney's not ruling anymore (I guess)
6. Troops out now-- oh, Obama's not doing that?
7. Just the rest of your run-of-the mill slabber, as Father McQuarters would say.

Franken Stealing Election in Minnesota?

Considering that Al Franken hasn't been funny in about two decades, this funny business should come as a surprise. As the Wall Street Journal points out, Norm Coleman's lead appears to be shrinking despite the fact that the official recount hasn't even begun.

Considering how Bush "stole" the election in 2000, this should come as a surprise:

Mr. Ritchie is also an ally of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or Acorn, of fraudulent voter-registration fame. That relationship might explain why prior to the election Mr. Ritchie waved off evidence of thousands of irregularities on Minnesota voter rolls, claiming that accusations of fraud were nothing more than "desperateness" from Republicans.

Something's fishy and it appears that the Democrats are likely to pick up another seat in the Senate at any costs.

Now that Obama's Won, I Hope Al Franken Loses

Okay, Obama has won. It's over. In this late hour, all I can hope for is that Al Franken loses in a very tight race in Minnesota. He hasn't been funny since the early eighties, and although I don't really know Norm Coleman's policies, I'm sure he'd be a better choice than Franken.