Screwed up in Minnesota

Looks like it’s just about over for Norm Coleman:

In a potentially decisive ruling, a panel of three judges today ordered up to 400 new absentee ballots opened and counted, far fewer than Republican Norm Coleman had sought in his effort to overcome a lead held by DFLer Al Franken.

The ballots appear to include some that Franken had identified as wrongly rejected as well as ballots that Coleman wanted opened in his quest to overcome a 225-vote lead that Franken gained after a recount.

About half come from Hennepin, Ramsey and St. Louis counties, places Franken won by significant margins, though many of those are from suburban precincts that the Republican carried in November.

“We are very pleased,” said Franken lead lawyer Marc Elias shortly after the ruling.

Coleman legal spokesman Ben Ginsberg all but conceded that the Republican lost the seven-week trial and was prepared to appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court.

“It is pretty much of a longshot with that few ballots being put in play,” Ginsberg said, comparing the Republican’s odds of winning the trial to someone betting on the winning team in the NCAA basketball tournament. “We are disappointed. But we feel the court is wrong and we will appeal.”

The ruling is not a final order and it’s not clear for which candidate the ballots were cast.

Ambinder points out that the appeals process could last 6 weeks.

I think it’s all over but the crying at this point for the Coleman campaign. The deck just continues to be stacked against him.

My mind continues to be blown at how the hell Minnesotans could possibly come even close to electing a jerk like Al Franken, a humorless “comedian” and bullying pundit who doesn’t deserve to step one toe into the esteemed halls of the US Senate. What the hell is wrong with people? Coleman certainly wasn’t a dreamboat Senator, but I can’t believe anyone outside of the most diehards of Democrats would prefer Franken over Coleman.

Then again, that assumes the people who voted for Franken knew exactly what kind of person he was when they went into the voting booth last November. Sadly, as with what we saw over how mislead and clueless so many people were over Obama to the point of voting for him in November, I suspect the case is true with what happened in MN. Ideally, we’d all like to believe that everyone who goes to vote has done their homework on who/what they are voting for/on. Unfortunately, all too often that is not the case.

Tonight, as I did the night of the presidential election, I weep for our republic.

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