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.

Franken Wins in Minnesota

We've been doing a lot of writing about this subject. After months of contentious fighting, it appears that Al Franken (D) has defeated incumbent Norm Coleman (R). This comes after a lot of "funny business," including 'misplaced ballots' and poorly marked votes.

Of course, this 225 vote lead comes despite the fact that at least 650 absentee ballots were not counted. This is suspicious and comes after votes for Franken began "appearing" after the November 4 election.

Naturally, it's not totally over, but it appears that it is for all intents and purposes. Coleman's chances appear to be nil.

The court ruling suggested Coleman's latest request should be a post-election consideration. The Coleman campaign, meanwhile, said it was determined to take the question to court.

"Today's ruling, which effectively disregards the votes of hundreds of Minnesotans, ensures that an election contest is now inevitable," said Coleman attorney Fritz.

Well, things don't always seem too good. We'll see where it goes.

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.

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.