A Recount in Minnesota: The Sequel

Image from the Washington Post

One of the stories I followed closely on the blog was the 2008 Al Franken/Norm Coleman battle for US Senator from Minnesota. I've been a fan of Franken's since the early days of Saturday Night Live, and followed his political career from his series of books, to his radio show on Air America Radio. Were it not for that, I probably wouldn't have known who Norm Coleman was.  But reading about him after hearing who he was, my opinion of his was rather low. Rhymes with coosh.

Anyway, in the epic battle that followed the 2008 election, the votes were so close (with Coleman marginally ahead), a state-required recount was ordered. Along the way, Coleman loudly played the victor, and Franken was a bit more subdued.  Franken eventually prevailed, and eight months later was seated as a Senator.  Right-wing world spun off its axis declaring dirty tricks, voter fraud and anything else they could think of, though evidence doesn't support that conclusion.  They're still sore about it.

But did you know that it's happening again, in the same state? Me either. This time its the governorship, and isn't making much of a media splash. But the story--and its players--is a pretty interesting read. If the Democrat wins, the Republicans will squeal that he stole it. If the Republican wins, they'll high-five and have libertygasms all over the place (and they'll claim the Dems tried to steal it).  Either way, it could be interesting to watch.

[Excerpt]

Lights! Camera! Action! 'Recount'

Now playing in a political theater near you: "Minnesota Recount: The Sequel."



Like most sequels, the cast might not be quite as star-studded as the original, and the plot lines and the suspense might be, well, lamer. . .

. . .Democrat Mark Dayton leads Republican Tom Emmer by close to 9,000 votes, or 0.42 percentage points — according to unofficial results from Tuesday's gubernatorial election, a difference that requires a state-funded hand recount of every ballot. . .

Read more at: TwinCities.com