Posted on 01/05/2009 4:12:21 PM PST by MplsSteve
Dear Supporter,
As you may have read or heard by now, today the Minnesota State Canvassing Board met and made their determination in the U.S. Senate Recount, effectively proving that the only declaration coming today is one of an inaccurate count.
There are a number of problems with the total certified today, including double counted votes, over 650 potentially wrongly rejected absentee votes, resulting in the disenfranchising of Minnesota voters and jeopardizing the integrity of Minnesota's election system.
Harry Reid and national Democrats have now publicly said they will try to seat Al Franken tomorrow when the 111th Congress convenes and new members are sworn in. This action, the very first action of the 111th Congress and the new Democrat leadership that campaigned on a theme of bipartisanship, will result in an historic political power play done at the behest of Al Franken. Minnesotans have the right to elect their own elected officials, just like every other state in the country, and this stunning move by Al Franken and Harry Reid strips Minnesotans of that right.
Please click here to help us continue to fight to ensure that every valid vote counts.
Coleman for Senate counsel Tony Trimble made the following statement this afternoon, raising the serious concerns our campaign has raised consistently during the recount process, and signaling our intent to file an election contest within the next 24 hours:
The actions today by the Canvassing Board are but the first step in what, unfortunately, will now have to be a longer process. This process isn't at the end; it is now just at the beginning.
We will contest the results of the Canvassing Board -- otherwise, literally millions of Minnesotans will be disenfranchised.
While we appreciate the effort of this board to do the work, the reality is that any certification of vote totals at this point is only preliminary. As this Canvassing Board has recognized, there still exist serious problems with inconsistencies in the administrative recount, and therefore in the validity and reliability of the numbers certified today.
There can be no count that is accurate or valid when 654 potentially valid absentee votes remain disenfranchised and when some votes are counted twice - leading to a violation of one of the most sacred principles of our constitution - "One person, One vote."
And, there can be no justification to report out a total when 133 votes were included in a count where there are not ballots to support them. Or when a batch of votes were not counted on Election Night, but were miraculously "found" during the recount and included.
If the Canvassing Board had resolved all these issues, then the process might be completed. But the Board has deferred the resolution of those issues for the contest phase provided for in Minnesota law.
Since the process is far from complete, there can be no confidence in the current results of the United States Senate Recount, and we will file a contest within the next 24 hours to promptly correct those problems and inaccuracies. The Supreme Court ruling today also emphasizes that that's what we must do to provide an accurate count for this election.
Senator Coleman is adamant that we not wait a moment longer than necessary to ensure that the election be completed with accuracy and validity - and most importantly, without disenfranchising Minnesota voters or having a cloud remain over the results.
The utter lack of uniformity in the treatment of rejected absentee ballots, resulting in the disenfranchising of voters, is perhaps the most troublesome aspect of the recount.
Similar ballots were treated differently by different counties. This creates an Equal Protection violation that fatally taints any result that includes these ballots.
This was precisely what the Minnesota Supreme Court order said to avoid.
Unfortunately, with this announcement today, numerous Minnesotans will be wrongly disenfranchised because their votes are not counted. Mr. Franken and his campaign for purely political reasons no longer want to "count all the votes".
And, it is with great disappointment that we've seen senior members of the Secretary of State's Office contributing to the process being broken.
When senior members of the Secretary of State's office, charged with ensuring a fair and balanced process, engage in acts which undermine that neutrality, all of us must be concerned.
The fact is the Canvassing Board's current totals are invalid and unreliable because:
· Original and duplicate ballots have been double counted - even members of the Canvassing Board acknowledge this is a serious issue, yet nothing was resolved - instead, double counted votes were simply added to their recount totals.
· Newly discovered ballots, which appeared for the first time during the recount and are included in the Canvassing Board totals without proper reconciliation to the number of voters signed into the precincts on Election Day.
· Missing ballots supposedly tallied on election night that could not be found during the recount process are included in the Canvassing Board count contrary to Minnesota precedent.
· And again, an inconsistent treatment of challenged ballots - an inconsistent treatment of wrongfully rejected absentee ballots - and an inconsistent treatment of the campaign by the very office charged with coordinating this recount simply results in a process that is broken.
The recount was supposed to be a recount - fair and reasoned - and one that would retain the credibility of the outcome of this election.
However, it ceased being that the day that duplicate ballots and "missing ballots" were included in the count, and simply became more and more broken each and every day.
We had hoped that the board would refrain from reporting out with unanimity a recount total today. Since that did not happen, we will file an election contest within the next 24 hours.
It will be based upon the issues I have outlined, as well as the lack of inclusion of 654 additional ballots that we believe should be a part of this recount and the very serious issue of included double counted votes that disenfranchises Minnesotans.
Our goal and obligation should be to get an accurate and valid vote as quickly as possible, and that is our reason for acting with urgency. Minnesotans ought to be able to expect that an accurate and valid recount would have ensured two United States Senators from Minnesota tomorrow. However, because the process is broken that will not happen.
We strongly believe that every valid vote must be counted. We have called for that principle to be the basis of this entire recount process, and we will not stop now. We firmly believe that once that happens, just like on election night, Norm Coleman will have the most votes in this close race, and be re-elected to the United States Senate. We know- all too well- that it has been a long road, and we value your friendship, advice and support throughout the campaign and recount.
We need your continued help as we move forward with an election contest to ensure the sanctity of Minnesota's election process. Please click here to continue supporting our efforts, and to help us maintain a strong, knowledgeable and skilled team carrying this effort forward.
I don’t blame you, I’m certain there are many other Minnesotans who are equally as appalled and infuriated.
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Most of the time, I would agree...but in some cases, you could use the analogy of the sheep and the wolf...the reason the wolf dresses in sheep's clothing is because the shepherd would shoot the wolf...our side continues to be nice, and it's not getting us anywhere. I can see both sides. (maybe that's the problem!)
Re #60 - I hope someone is preparing to defeat him in the primary next year.
And Lindsey Grahamnesty...signatory to the Gang of 14...
We're praying for you, man.
Leni
Norm Coleman’s camp had better find out how many Ahmed Ahmeds in Minneapolis voted for that socialist crud.
At least 35 states are permanently lost to conservatism. Of course, MN is near the top of such a list.Why would you write that the loss is permanent?
Yes his wife is blonde (Rexella), he is still on, I just watched him last night, his website is jvim.com and from there you can see what station he is on in your area, I am in Chicago area and he was on last night about 10 CST I forget what channel,and again at 10:30 on another channel. I like him because he knows his stuff and doesn’t ever ask for money, he sells Bibles and stuff but doesn’t beg for donations.
I hadn’t heard this - but here in Minnesota, nothing surprises me.
Back in ‘84, Reagan likely would have won Minnesota except for an extraordinary 100% plus turnout in certain precincts in the Iron Range, a heavily DFL area in northeastern Minnesota.
Okay, so the American Republic is being killed...but Saddam is gone!
Minnesota board certifies Al Franken wins recount
MarketWatch | Jan. 5, 2009 | MarketWatch
Posted on 01/05/2009 1:02:06 PM PST by rface
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2159168/posts
Well, in a manner of speaking. The ACU gives him a 73 lifetime rating, true enough (are you really satisfied with a 73? That's a low C). But take a look at his ratings from 2007 and 2006...64 and 68 respectively (even our embarrassment of a former senator, Craig, got a lifetime 93 from the ACU). Not exactly conservative, eh? Furthermore, Numbers USA gives him a C on immigration, and while the GOA gives him a B on the 2d Amendment, well, that's just not good enough.
Sure, sure I understand the "well, he's not perfect, but he's better than the Rat" argument. What has that gotten us? Increasingly liberal Pubbie candidates that get beaten anyway by the Rats. Hell's bells...we might as well just join the Rats at this rate!
They say it took 4 years of Carter to give us President Reagan. True 'nuff. But this time it's going to be worse, far worse than Carter, and it may take longer than 4 years for the GOP to finally get it's collective head out of it's collective arse, and return to its conservative roots. By continually sending RINO cave-in artists to DC, we're only prolonging the agony. I'd rather see our country hit rock bottom..now...so we can sort out the mess and get back to being the great nation we once were.
But that's okay, if you're willing to prolong the agony and settle for increasingly liberal Pubbie "leaders", go ahead. I'll stick to my principles.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Sean Hannity made it an issue today so I'm inclined to believe it is true. I just read that Sen. John Cornyn had questions concerning double-counted ballots and absentee ballots that likely favor Norm Coleman that were refused to be counted by the canvassing board. He and other pubbies intend to block any effort to seat Franken until this is resolved.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Trust me, I understand. I'm seriously thinking of following through on something I said jokingly during the campaign...that if Frankenfart "won" (which we all know he hasn't), I would send e-mails to my congressional delegation calling on them to sponsor legislation kicking Minnesota out of the Union. I can't believe I may have to put my money where my mouth is.
And while I agree that Coleman isn't as liberal as Frankenfart, he's a RINO, period. The longer we send these limp-wristed, linguine-spined jellyfishes to DC to represent us, the more we'll get the liberal agenda rammed down our throats. If we're going to stand for our traditional, conservative beliefs, it's much easier to elect leaders to do our standing for us, on the floor of Congress. We've been electing dolts who won't stand for us, so the time's a-comin' when we'll have to stand up for ourselves.
It won't be nearly as easy, safe or certain as if we'd been electing conservatives all along.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
Seeing what Pelosi did today to the Contract With America, the filibuster has no more meaning. The first time that 41 votes prevents Harry Reid from getting something passed, the filibuster rule will be discarded by a simple majority vote. The Democrats do not play fair. I pray that one day Republicans will finally realize it.
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