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The three judges that make up the Election Contest Court sure move a lot slower than do the ones on the state Supreme Court. The votes were counted two days ago, the counting is finished, and you’d think that it wouldn’t be that tough to simply say "Okay, Franken won, Norm can appeal, the ten-day clock for Norm to announce what we all know he’s going to do starts ticking NOW" and then bang the gavel.
So while we wait and wait and wait and wait, here are some amuse-gueules to keep you entertained and fed:
– As I mentioned earlier, Pawlenty denied that he’s been contacted or pressured in any way by the national Republicans or anyone in DC. But check out his somewhat flustered responses to Rachel Maddow’s questioning on the subject. That sure doesn’t sound like a guy who’s not under any pressure now, does it?
–Billmon (h/t to Crooks and Liars) points out that if the Republicans were smart, they’d know better than to raise the Fourteenth Amendment "equal protection" argument, as Norm’s lawyers are doing: "How, for example, is it ‘equal’ for poor and urban precincts to have 1/5th the number of voting machines per capita as wealthy surburban ones? Is it ‘equal’ for election officials to routinely deny elderly, undereducated or inexperienced voters the assistance they need to understand complex, confusing and/or poorly constructed ballots? Is it ‘equal’ for prosecutors to aggressively pursue registration fraud cases against ACORN, while generally ignoring those against GOP-leaning groups?"
– From the Twitter account of the Pioneer Press’ Rachel Stassen-Berger’s Political Animal blog (as nabbed earlier this afternoon over at the liveblog of The UpTake): "Another datapoint: when #mncontest judges were considering counting ab. ballots they wanted to avoid passover. That may mean no order today." UpTake volunteer 51stWardPrecinctCaptain replied in the liveblog at 1:56: "Why would anyone want to avoid Passover? I find seders to be most enjoyable –and not a half-shabby pickup opportunity, to be perfectly candid".
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I must say that folks in Minnesota are very patient.
I saw the Maddow-Timmy interview, he seems to be a weasel.
Hey Norm: You’re not good enough, you’re not smart enough, and doggone it, people don’t really like you.
So do the right thing and GO AWAY.
Timmy did appear pretty weaselie to me.
I haven’t heard much comment on this;
It’s from the Minnesota Contest Statutes, 209.12, and though I’m not a lawyer, it looks as if it might mean that Pawlenty no longer has a strangle hold on this process?
Any lawyers out there care to comment?
But check out his somewhat flustered responses to Rachel Maddow’s questioning on the subject.
If that was TPaw’s best effort at the appearance of neutrality… well, it pretty much sucked.
… “After the time for appeal has expired, or in case of an appeal, after the final judicial determination of the contest,…
they’re playing “Define Final”.
Highly recommend clicking the graphic caption to see the full picture. Hilarious.
The reason this is taking so long is the judges are looking for anything, anything, to hand the election to Coleman, I would not be the least bit surprised if their order tried to do just that. Watching Pawlenty, I get the feeling the fix is in and he knows it. Can they get away with it? We’ll see.
It is certain if this was the other way around Coleman and the GOP would be screaming “election abuse!” and demanding all recount efforts end.
Norm Coleman really is playing the weasel in all this anymore.
Penalty.Foul.Unsportsmanlike conduct—Norm–you lost–show some decency of character. In six years you can try again. You lost–just like G.W.Bush did in 2000.
You’ve learned well, grasshopper. *G*
remember what happen in 2000. ooooops. or, rather, s**tfire.
After all the garbage that has gone on in Minnesota what would be the reaction of the citizens of the state if Coleman was handed the election? Has he lost support generally due to his cheatynish?
Lisa Derrick has a fresh thread up: “WWJT: ZOMG Y Hv U 4skn Me?”
One begins to wonder at this point how many of them even care….least that’s what it would appear from a distance. Except the staff in Klobachar’s (sp?) office who’re trying to hold the entire forkin’ state together — talk about people who deserve triple time pay!
Citizen marymccumin:
Coleman never had any real support beyond the fascist faithful in Minnesota, the Independence Party which has also facilitated Governor Smileyface in two plurality elections kept Coleman close enough to recount…the nutso pseudo feminist wing of the DFL created this problem in the Senate race and if Barkly isn’t in it and the nutso’s don’t challenge Frankin in the primary Frankin wins hands down.
WRONG!!! Apathetic in some cases. But patient? Oy!!
Citizen Waccamaw:
Minnesotans care allright but they expect their government includin’ the courts to do the right thing…if this panel threw the election at this point the entire house of cards that the Republicans and the Independence Party have built would be blown away like Hiroshima.
Actually the entire process thus far has been very open and transparent. Thanks to Minnesota’s clearly written election laws.
The judges have conducted themselves in such a way as to leave Coleman very little upon which to build an appeal. Basically, by bending over backwards to give his lawyers what they ask for. It is even possible that because of this, the Minnesota Supreme Court may refuse to hear an appeal. Which would leave Coleman one last chance, trying to launch a federal case of some sort, which because election law is left to the individual states, is a slim chance?
Would the SCOTUS decide to ignore their history as champions of state’s-rights by intruding on this matter? Maybe, but I doubt it.
Are the “conservatives” SCOTUS appointees suffering the same maladies as the rest of the GOP? Will they be irrational and throw another election? Talk about a tipping point.
Stoic MN Swedes (my people) plod along. Sometimes we raise our eyebrows as a measure of our disdain for the Senate election from hell, as sponsored by the RNC.
Is there impeachment for Supremes? Just askin’. Can’t remember how unassailable those life terms are.
Citizen Walt4Bob:
You are absolutely correct, “Minnesota the state that works” respects the rule of law and has had an honest conservative party until the Fascists took it over…if Governor Smileyface were to not sign the certificate of election, he would be going on record in opposition to the laws and practices of his own state and defyin’ the federalism of his own party…the Governor is in a box and he knows it but if he were smart he could lead a resurgence of the Republican Party in the state and nationally by refuting the fascists and honoring the laws of the state…I think he could then lead a real honest conservative party and build a base in Minnesota ( I worry about this happening, because the Democratic Party majorities are now too big and carry the weight of the real conservatives who also believe in the rule of law).
What I’m saying is that when this thing runs it course in the courts, which is fast approaching because of the care that this court has taken in it’s process, (There may be insufficient grounds for appeal to the state’s supreme court.) the statute seems to say that the court (no mention of Pawlenty) must forward it’s certification to the Congressional leaders.
I realize it’s not 100%, but the word ‘must’ sure jumps off the page the way I read it.
Citizen barbara:
Well the Minnesota Norskies that I come from are stoic too but they don’t plod along and they along with the Finns don’t mind a good street fight if it means knockin’ a few fascist goons around and scarin the pants off the bosses.
I remember signs in the south to impeach a liberal justice. Warren?
I’m quite proud of the way our state has handled this mess, and yes, the messy part has been totally the doing of the GOP.
Of course the MSM has done it’s all to make it seem as if we are just like Ohio, but from up close, it’s clear that we have probably the best, most honest election process in the country.
Citizen barbara:
The Minnesota Supremes are pretty secure from impeachment and they like it that way…the history of the court in Minnesota is that even the Republican appointees come from the honest conservative rump of the party which has kept the court relatively insolated from politics if not ideology.
I’m guessing you have roots on the Iron Range Norske, where people understand politics a bit more completely than most places in the country.
Citizen Walt4Bob:
Whatchu say Brother Walt, whatchu say commrad!!! Pawlenty knows that to defy the laws and practices of his state would be his political death warrent… Minnesotans may be the last Americans who believe in political pluralism under the rule of law.
Citizen Walt4Bob:
Right on Brother Walt, my Grampa Ole was a CPU organizer (for a minute or two) in the lumber camps accross the northern tier that clear cut all the White Pines well into Canada. If you read any histories of the Iron Range and politiics of the late 19th and early 20th centuries you will learn about all the Gampa Oles and their brother Finns who didn’t back down from the eastern bankers and lumber barons who tried to take ownership of the state.
In the end we still remain a 50/50 nation, as the latest election in NY shows. So this election in “progressive” MN-ever notice just how many rethugs get statewide office there?-is no different. It will play out as long as coleman and the rethugs milk it and the dems allow it. BTW, whatever happened to that criminal probe of coleman? Was is federal? Bush DoJ? Look at their track record,Stevens debacle, Wisconsin-a dem state employee jailed. When applete court gets case, releases state employee and looks like would like to jail USAA. MN-head of DoJ USAA office in MN proves to be an incompetent disaster. Miami Fl. USAA bring 141 charges against pain Dr. Found innocent of all charges, Judge fines USAA/DoJ $600,000 + for screw ups. 7 USAAs refuse to bring false charges against dems and are fired. Why weren’t the other 86 fired? Did they all go along with the rove doctrine of persecuting/jailing dems? How many were grads of Liberty U and other evangelical colleges? How long will it take to root out not only the stay behind moles but the cases where they jailed the innocent or tried and broke dems?
The 2 different justice systems continue to operate in the US. One for the rich and powerful(rethuglician) the other for the rest of us.
What happens re coleman v Franken will not ever be decided on legal grounds. It is totally political. The rethugs will play hard ball politics while the dems wring their hands and send in petitions to people who throw them away without looking at them. Other than the hand wringing, where is the anger? the daily news briefs? the interviews on TV? going to the people and getting them stirred up? Dems-nope, nowhere to be found, depending on the “legal” system to “do the right thing”; rethugs-right out there fighting, calling the dems liars and thieves, repeating the big lie over and over, getting into the apathetic minds of the sheeple. Who then say, wow, the rethugs are sayin some pretty strong stuff, the dems are in hiding, hmmmm, maybe the thugs are right. Face it, the rethugs fight dirty, the dems don’t fight at all-except for a very few-so how in the hell are the dems gonna ever win anything? Spineless twits. Reid could do what the rethugs did for 6 years, but first he has to grow a freekin spine.Force the damn rethugs to do what they threaten. Bring in the damn cots, force them to act instead of caving and saying oh, I don’t have 60 votes. Crap, he can’t even keep the dems lined up . Pelosi, where is she coming from? Saw her on TDS. Did nothing. Danced around. Biggest problem with all dems is that blogs and everywhere in print the dems whine about how the MSM would be treating the (fill in the blank) dem different if said person was a rethug. Hell yes, they do. Because the spineless dems allow the rethugs to walk all over them. See any TV “debate” the rethug talks over the dem, yells if dem attempts to say anything, hogs all the airtime, does not “allow” the dem a word. IDIOTS.The MSM “debates” are ment for the soundbite and showing everyone how easy it is to kick around the dems. jeeze. They need to get the balls to fight back. Yell, scream, don’t stop talking. interrupt. Copy the rethug. Same thing is happening in the house. Cantor is boasting about how he ties the dems in knots, how he primes the thugs to ask the same Q and never allow an answer. How the hell is it that the damn thugs understand how to play dirty and the dems don’t? Points are not awarded for being nice.
digg!
and Thanks, PW.
Yes, SCOTUS can be impeached in Senate and tried and convicted in house.
Citizen timr:
I’m callin’ yer bullshit…the last election in November showed what we have known for 30 years: that this country is NOT split 50-50 between radical fascist ideology and democratic principle and political pluralism under the rule of law. If the NY20 election proves ANYthing, it’s that the new radical Republicanism of the last 38 years is being refuted by the very conservative constituencies that gave the old Republican Party it’s strength in the last century.
Enough of this hogwash…we are in a tub of shit because there is no outlet for real American conservatism and the fascists have taken the institutional power of the Republican Party and driven us all over the fuckin’ cliff with it.
citiZEN nft,
well put.
thanks
Yes! Repugs were always going about shouting “Impeach Abe Fortas” and “Impeach Earl Warren” back when I was a lad. It was their anger at the “activist court” actually ruling that the 14th Amendment had power over the State legislatures and their “Jim Crow” laws.
But I think that it would be a big stretch to find anything in the Constitution that would allow them to interfere with this Minnesota election and the MnSC decision…unless it was wildly at variance with the election results found in the rules that they they, themselves, authorised.
Thanks, PW. This will become an outrageous two-fer! When the governor delays or denies Franken’s election certificate, the good people of Minnesota will have two major rethuglican heads on political pikes — Coleman & Pawlenty.
Then, a big Fox News breaking news cut-in: Bachmann’s congressional district secedes from the Union — All hail the Kingdom of Freep-donia!
It makes me wonder if all that remains of HHH is his dome?
You have the process backwards.
Impeachment happens in the House and trial in the Senate. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the presiding judge.
Federal judges have been impeached (and convicted and removed from office) in the past. The most recent was Alcee Hastings of Florida, impeached and convicted for accepting a $150K bribe. The most interesting part of that debacle is that Hastings was subsequently elected to the House, because the Senate refused to bar him from ever seeking Federal office again. Go figure…
– From the Twitter account of the Pioneer Press’ Rachel Stassen-Berger’s Political Animal blog (as nabbed earlier this afternoon over at the liveblog of The UpTake): “Another datapoint: when #mncontest judges were considering counting ab. ballots they wanted to avoid passover. That may mean no order today.” UpTake volunteer 51stWardPrecinctCaptain replied in the liveblog at 1:56: “Why would anyone want to avoid Passover? I find seders to be most enjoyable –and not a half-shabby pickup opportunity, to be perfectly candid”.
…and, he might have added, he’s not even Jewish. Oy gefalt!