UPDATE: Norm Coleman is a sore loser. Why won't the press say so?
April 01, 2009 5:08 pm ET by Eric Boehlert
From Minnesota Public Radio today [emphasis added]:
Though it looks like Norm Coleman will not prevail before the three-judge panel hearing the Senate election case, the battle is far from over. Coleman's side took a hit Tuesday when the panel said it would consider counting only up to 400 more votes. Coleman quickly announced plans to appeal. But is Coleman risking looking like a sore loser?
It's a start.
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Risks looking like a sore loser? He is a sore loser.
I think you missed FAWLTYLOGIC's sarcasm...
Franken has played this whole thing entirely above board and gentlemanly, which of course makes Coleman look that much more unhinged.
Franken didn't have an opportunity to concede to Coleman since the race was so close that an automatic recount was called for under Minnesota election law. Something that you conservatives usually forget about . . . the facts!
I don't understand why the Media is soft-pedaling the Coleman Case. You'd think there'd be at lest one scribe looking for a continuing story that passes the Human Interest test with flying colors.
The Election Contest was full of interesting little tid-bits. More than few Headlines and when Election Judge Howell got nabbed with the incriminating evidence; a Front Page Story about a corrupt politician trying to fix a Court decision to go his way and getting caught in the act.
The Election Contest Case the Premier Coleman Legal Team brought to the Court was several bricks shy of a load. In fact, Coleman's Big-Gun's did a fine jog of demonstrating how dedicated the Minnesota Election Officials are.
But, when Coleman began the parade of hand-picked witnesses brought-in to testify; the witnesses had spent more time counting the money than rehearsing the script. Franken's lawyers asked a few questions about how they managed to become witnesses for Coleman, and they all said it was the same Little Birdy that came to them with the idea to contact Norm.
Coleman's Star witness, the woman Election Judge who was to testify to Absentee Ballot Double Counting, actually forgot her lines. So, during a brief recess, she stayed on the stand and rehearsed with Coleman's Team, right in front of the Franken Team. (Oh, you think I have drifted away from fact and have started writing fiction,... huh?) Wanna bet? Because after the break Franken's guys ask about what they were talking about. The crap hit the fan; and the Judges all wrote-down a little note to self.
Just when you think it can't POSSIBLY get any worse than that; she's instructed to bring-in all communications with Coleman. She brings-in all the incriminating emails! What a fuggin' show it turned-out to be.
She's the Coleman Star Witness and brings-in emails showing she's on board with not letting the Franken team know about a few things, will do as she's told and what to say and not to say.
On any episode of Law & Order when what this broad did gets-out; the Judge has the Bailiff take her off the stand and into custody for Contempt of Court and admission to perpetrating a fraud and committing Perjury.
The Court let her slide and let her continue testifying. But them Judges made notes. Always with the notes. I'd have much rather seen them lock-up a few of the fibbers. And while Laws were getting broken in Court; Legislation was being Made in the Senate with a Minnesota Senate Seat -- Vacant!!
That is when everybody who was writing about watching a damn fool losing his case in Court began to realize that nothing they were writing down meant anything regarding the machinations of the Coleman Legal maneuvering. The Mission was NOT about winning. The Mission was about keeping the Minnesota Senate vacant and Democrat-free while the Landmark Legislation was being crafted. Motion after motion. Meaningless banter between Lawyer and witness. The Judges caught on and made them find the end to it. And the clock's still ticking. Franken's no closeer to being seated than he was on Day One.
Coleman's Lawyers know they can't bring this to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court clearly stated to all in the 'Bush v Gore' Ruling to NOT cite Bush v Gore and expect them to hear the case. Loathe to make broad precedents, the per curiam opinion limited its holding to the one and only case.
Now, we have a story about the Politician who took GOP slush-funds and prolonged a Court fight for a Senate Chair with every Curve-ball, Knuckle-ball, Spit-ball, Kitchen sink and made-up on-the-fly Motion to keep that seat vacant, day upon day. Because it was BETTER-OFF for the Republicans to have it be nobody's than to have Norm give-up keeping Franken out and having another vote against them.
Coleman has absolutely nothing left. He brings whatever the final result of the counting of some more Ballots brings.
He needs every single one of the first 230 Ballots opened and counted to be for him, just to catch up.
He's the only one looking for a miracle.
Everybody else hopes that each and every unopened Ballot gets opened and found to be another vote for Al Franken.
Soft peddling on the Coleman case? What do you guys want here? The President is in Europe on is first overseas visit, the economy is in shambles, congress is fighting over budgets, committee's are grilling CEO's, our automobile manufacturers are close to insolvency, we are fighting two wars in the Middle East, and you guys accuse the media of complacency because they haven't focused on a senate race in limbo nor have they called Coleman a sore loser enough????
Petty, petty, petty. Has it ever occurred to any of you that maybe most Americans don't sit awake at night thinking about this senate race in Minnesota? If you wan't more media attention about this then go on-line to Minnesota newspapers.