No More Frankens? The Real Story.

Image from Politico

The Republicans are still sore about the Sen. Al Franken (DFL-Minn.) victory after a long recount in 2008.  All through the state-mandated procedure, they were crying foul, claiming dirty tricks and cheating. Former Sen. Norm Coleman played along, going so far as to pretend that he'd won, and that Franken was a sore loser who should give up. Then, after it was all said and done, Franken won, and Coleman got involved in organizations that make those charming political ads we've been treated to for the last several months.

There's a group out there called No More Frankens determined to stop a similar thing from happening again. Which is puzzling, since what happened in Minnesota is what is supposed to happen, by law. But the "voter fraud" bogeyman--though he is rare indeed--is a prime issue for a lot of conservatives. I think it's mostly a pretext for voter intimidation from the right, but hey, just my opinion.  But before we get into what are sure to be several contested races on Tuesday (and bellyaching likely from both sides), what really went down in Minnesota in 2008?  Here's one take.

[Excerpt]

NoMoreFrankens? A Closer, Factual Look At The Minnesota Senate Recount



It seems almost certain that there's going to be a recount - or two or three -- come Wednesday somewhere in the United States, maybe in Nevada for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, maybe in Alaska where write-in ballots could determine Sen. Lisa Murkowski's fate, and even, some pundits believe, Sarah Palin's.



It's going to be fun. . .

Read more at:  TPMCafe

Impropriety in Al Franken/Norm Coleman Election?

Image from Raw Story

Well this is interesting. Tuesday's election results left my friends and I mostly jubilant, ecstatic. . .relieved. But there were some disappointments, particularly the anti-gay ballot measures that passed in Florida, Arizona, Arkansas and California. And there were a few favorite candidates who did not fare well, like Scott Kleeb in Nebraska. And in Minnesota, Al Franken.

Franken was running against incumbent Norm Coleman, who is vaguely creepy. And Al put up quite a fight for a comedian/writer/radio host. He was originally announced to be ahead, then was declared the loser. Not so fast! In an election where millions of votes were cast, Al only lost by a few hundred votes. No concession by Franken is forthcoming, because the narrowness of the loss automatically throws the state into a mandatory re-count. A wise move, especially if there are outstanding provisional and absentee ballots.

But there is also a new wrinkle here, potential voter intimidation by a Coleman staffer. Naturally, Coleman's side is trying to muddy the waters by saying Franken's side did the same thing, but no evidence of that is presented here. Anyway, they're saying that this thing could go into December, which I don't understand, but whatever. I'm still pulling for Franken!

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Could Allegations Invalidate Senate Results?

Allegations have surfaced of voter irregularities involving a paid staffer of Sen. Norm Coleman, and the ramifications could have a profound effect on the outcome of Coleman's race against Al Franken.

A reporter for the Minnesota Independent, a progressive online publication, was working on a story about voter turnout when she overheard that Republican poll challengers monitoring voting at the precinct had brought in Mahamoud Wardere to help voters translate. . .

Read more at: WCCO

Young Turks: More Voter Suppression in Georgia

Why don't you find any stories like this on The Drudge Report, FOX "News" or FreeRepublic.com? Gee, I wonder. . .