If I make the obligatory "he's good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like him" joke, that means no one else has to, right? And also the THIS IS GREAT NEWS... FOR NORM COLEMAN! joke?

(Just thought I'd get that out of the way.)

Also, YAY!

Yippee!!!!

The Coleman campaign still seems likely to file an election contest, challenging this result in court. This would bottle up Franken's victory for weeks or even months, and delay Al Franken from being able to take his seat in the Senate. But at this point it's difficult to see how they could have much of a leg to stand on.

Sour Grapes. It's what's for dinner, Norm.
~

Senator Al Franken!!

One day this year the Dems will have 59 Senators!!!

Oh I am soooooo Happy!

Somewhere the liberal gods are smiling! Paul Wellstone is avenged!

You must read "LIES, and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" to understand just how smart Al really is and how well he understands the real issues at stake. He knows how the games are played and is absolutely fearless in the face of bullshit. He is the hardcharging loudmouthed progressive of your dreams.

I am sooooo Happy!

It's time for Coleman to do an Al Gore.

I saw Al when he did a live AAR radio show from Lane County Community College in Eugene OR. After the great show he signed his books. I stood three feet from him for an hour while he signed books/talked to people. He is just so cool and honest. (I wish TPM allowed the ability to post pics in comments cause I have a bunch of pics.)

But for me the worrying begins. After listening to Al for years on the radio, seeing him live... I know this guy really has integrity. He's going to do what's right and he's not going to listen corporations, defense contractors... if the FBI/CIA do something wrong Al will go for the truth. If Al was a Senator in 2001 Bush/Cheney would DEFINITELY had him murdered. I believe this will all my heart and sixth sense. Even with Obama as President, I still have extreme fear Al will be murdered by a Defense Contractor, Wall Street brokerage house, Media Whore Corporation, Oil Corporation, Israel, or the FBI/CIA. If Al acts/votes/calls attention to issues like he did on AAR, I'm very frightened for his safety!

It's a no-brainer that he should never never never get in a small private plane.

May the God's protect you Franken!

This is such fabulous news! Thanks so much to Kleefeld for all he's done on this story over lo these many months.

Coleman hasn't much impressed the supremes yet, so it seems unlikely that his last-gasp efforts will do any good.

If the Dems in the Senate decide to seat Franken provisionally next week (or the week after), I'm hopeful a few Republicans will prevent the filibuster. It's such bad form!

The Constant Weader at www.RealityChex.com

Oh happy day!

Oh, and fuck you, Norm.

I'm very happy about this, too. I listened to almost all of almost every episode of the Air America Radio show, and I know Al is a smart and very clever person who is obsessed with truth and doing the right thing. He's a funny person by nature, but he's not a comedian, not any more. I don't think anybody would take this job any more seriously than will Al, who will wear it as a huge responsibility. That said, he's going to add a clever-response dimension that is generally not found in the Senate. His wit is clever, and he has a talent for turning the opposition's logic back on itself and exposing its weaknesses. It will be well focused on the issues, though, because that's what he really cares about. So, I'm looking forward to this. He may make some mistakes, and probably say some things that he'll want to take back, but his heart will be in the right place, and he's going to land some verbal punches that will be delicious.

Couldn't have happened to a bigger asshole.

This is almost as good as Santorum losing... not quite as good, but very close!

Somewhere, ol' Dandy Don is singing: Turn out the lights, the party's over...

Whether Coleman can bottle up the proceedings depends about 100% on whether he can get this into the federal courts. On a state level, court challenges have gone straight to the supreme court, and they have cleared their schedules to hear these. If Coleman can get the federal courts to take this up, let's just say I have limited trust in the federal courts, especially the supreme court. I'm just hoping they don't want another partisan ruling on an election recount.

I'm struck by the swing in votes and how it's almost a mirror image. After the election

Coleman with a 215 vote lead: "Franken should not call for a recount. It's divisive."

After the recount

Coleman behind by 225 votes: "We will contest ad nauseam. The process is broken."

Yay Senator Franken! I'm very happy that he won but you are all forgetting the most important factor governing Franken's seat: Harry Reid will do EXACTLY what the Republicans tell him to do, regardless of the law, regardless of precedent and absolutely regardless of what Democratic voters want. Franken won't be seated until all the court challenges are hung ad perhaps not until we have a real Senate Majority Leader.

Poor Norm, even his fellow MN citizens don't like him. But, then what is there to be liked about an asshole idiot?

He's COOL enough, he's SMART enough and gosh darn it we LIKE him! God bless you, Al.

I'm betting Coleman contests the election. I'm betting that the RNC has offered to pay his legal bills on his corruption trial if he does. There's certainly nothing in it personally for Coleman to contest this defeat.

You all forget so much. This is the modus operandi of the corporate plutocracy, to fight every inch in keeping power as long as possible and not accepting democracy until it is in their favor.

OKAY fine, Coleman fights, uses resources that they think is a constant cash flow. Eventually MN and Pawlenty is left to certify the election and Franken is seated, probably by March 1st. The state courts have little patience for stopping the will when it is established. Fed Courts will hear and then not let it pass Appellate as Coleman offers no standing except it was close.

The thing is Coleman has a cloud hanging over him with another investigation.

I hope Obama and Holder really let the justice department do their thing and work towards attacking the plutocracy's corruption across the entire front, that will suck their resources.

As for Coryn this reminds me of the early FDR era.

Most of the Minnesota Recount Law is derived from a State Supreme Court decision, Anderson v. Rolvaag, that ended the Great Minnesota Recount in 1963 -- a Governor's race. At the time, we did not have a clear recount law, and had to more or less invent one from bits and pieces, but after that, the State Legislature imported into state statutes most of the Anderson v. Rolvaag process and criteria for recounting a very close race. We have done it for smaller races many times over the years -- legislative districts, school board races, and just this fall, a state wide recount of a primary vote for Supreme Court Justice.

The key to Minnesota being able to do this fairly smoothly is experience in exercising our law, and when necessary, and not in the middle of a process, making small alterations and clarifications. Our message is very simple, the person with the most votes as understood by our rules and laws about intent of the voter -- that person wins. The process is designed to be slow and deliberate because the point is to count every possible vote. It isn't about a fast and dirty outcome -- it is about very careful counting of votes.

You cannot argue it is "subjective" when it is all done in public -- in fact with a live video cam over your shoulder -- and with all sides and interests represented at the counting table. The point was to measure the voter's marks with the state law that defines voter intent. And yes it matters much that it is in state law, and not just in rulings here and there.

Mark Richie came out looking great largely because he did nothing that went outside the statute laws he is sworn to use in an election.

I actually don't think Coleman will, in the end, contest the election in court. Our Law also has provisions that in a post certification contest the burden of proof goes to the one bringing the contest -- and that all legal and court costs have to be born by the one bringing the appeal.

And if you dig into Bush v. Gore you will find that the court actually had to argue its self around the Anderson v. Rolvaag decision in order to bring it before the US Supreme Court, and the only thing they could come up with was time -- things had to be settled (ballots counted) before the electorial college met. That will not apply here. In fact, in 1963 effort was made to take it into Federal Court, and we have a nice affirming decision from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals saying that election law belongs in the States, and that decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court when they rejected the appeal to the Supreme Court. No, I don't think the Supreme Court will consider the Coleman-Franken case.