Menendez and Schumer call on Coleman to concede

by: Jason Springer

Tue Apr 07, 2009 at 04:20:05 PM EDT

Minnesota has just finished counting the 351 previously-rejected ballots approved by the three-judge panel as having been legally cast and rejected in error. The numbers: Al Franken 198, Norm Coleman 111, Other 42.
This means that Al Franken's lead has increased from the 225 he had going into today, up to 312 votes out of roughly 2.9 million. We still need to wait for the judges to rule on the remaining issues, but the vote-counting during the election contest-proper is done.

That news prompted these statements calling for Norm Coleman to put an end to his challenge:

U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2008 cycle, released the following statement:
"When you contest the results of an election, and you lose ground, you ought to know time is up. The people have spoken, and now that the courts have spoken, Norm Coleman ought to let the process of seating a Senator go forward."

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, current chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released the following statement:
"Today everyone saw proof of what we have known for a long time: once all the properly cast votes were counted, Al Franken won the election. The people of Minnesota deserve their second Senator and it is time to stop holding the seat hostage to pursue an ideological agenda. We have always said Norm Coleman deserved his day in court - he got two months. It is now time to move on, and let Senator-elect Al Franken get to work for the people of Minnesota."

But the Coleman campaign still isn't ready to accept reality:

Coleman's lawyer, Ben Ginsberg, told the newspaper he will appeal the case to the Minnesota Supreme Court. One of the grounds for the appeal will be unequal treatment of the ballots, Ginsberg said.

It's been pretty clear all along that the Republicans would do whatever they could to block the seating of Al Franken as the Senator from Minnesota. At this point, the Republicans seem content with trying to continue having one less vote for the Democrats in the Senate. By all indications, there will be a Senator Franken. The question is when.

Jason Springer :: Menendez and Schumer call on Coleman to concede

Tags: Bob Menendez, Chuch Schumer, DSCC, Al Franken, Minnesota, Norm Coleman, (All Tags)

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Menendez and Schumer call on Coleman to concede | 2 comments

For the party that gave us... (0.00 / 0)

"Sore Loserman" (haha) it really is disgraceful, though redundant proof of their remorseless hypocrisy.

by: EWO @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 01:43:59 AM UTC

Out here on the prairie (0.00 / 0)

You east coast liberal elites sure do seem bent on messing around in Minnesota's business. Out here on the prairie, the general feeling is that Norm Coleman is dragging this out and keeping us short of representation at a time when the state has a budget deficit and there's lots of federal money (borrowed from China) being divvied up, so we aren't at all happy about it, but we're mindful of the process and proprieties. We prairie folk can look after ourselves, thanks, and we'll wait for the State Supreme Court to deal with it, if they do, in fact, take the case. They might not. You never know.

I spend a lot of time in bars and casinos playing poker these days and I can tell you that the senate whoop-te-do is not being discussed much at all. Folks around here seem to be as fed up with the Republicans as folks are across the country, and hoo-boy you should have heard the catcalls and comments when George Bush was still in office and would appear on the television. For a state where people are noted for being "nice", not a lot of nice was being directed at W. But Norm, well, he did get very nearly enough votes to win, so we're willing to give him his months in court. We're patient. Minnesota isn't going anywhere, and the process is there to make things fair. We're fair. We're nice and fair. Just don't you east coast liberal elites come messing in our process, though. We can manage without you. Thanks. Have a blueberry muffin.

DBK

by: DBK @ Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 15:39:37 PM UTC