About Damn Time

And, so, Al Franken has been declared the victor in the long, 8-month battle for the junior Senate seat in Minnesota, and he had these words to say:

"When you win an election this close, you know not one bit of effort went to waste. The way I see it, I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th Democratic senator, I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota."

I have no idea what he really means by that statement except to say that I'm sure Hillary said something similar back when she got the Senate seat in New York. Political aspirations what?

The Democrats now control 60 seats in the Senate -- a filibuster proof majority -- which is as disturbing as it is exciting, but it also proves that Minnesotans love their outsider politicians, and 312 people in that state may be thinking, "What the fuck did I do on election day?"

Norm Coleman conceded and, I wonder, if that is, officially, the end of the 2008 election.

Coleman vs. Franken -- Still Going

All right, Minnesota legislature.

It's time to step in. Either call it for one or the other or, more likely, call a special election. This has drawn on way to long, don't you think?

It's no longer even fun anymore.

Election 2008 finally over (mostly)

The Minnesota state canvassing board has certified Al Franken as the newest Senator from that state by a margin of something like 215 or 225 votes... out of 2.9million.

It's like winning the presidency on a basis of 2000 or so votes, but smaller.

Congratulations, Senator Franken.

Norm Coleman, of course, is going to sue his tail of, but I think it's done. This is the last outstanding (major) election that we were waiting on in the 2008 election. The others -- Colorado Senate, New York Senate, etc. etc. etc. -- were not election results.

And so, finally, the 2008 election is over.

Kind of a bitch, isn't it? They wanted a filibuster proof Senate -- 60 seats for the Dems -- and they got... 59. Regardless, there's lots of play room. Lieberman often votes across the aisle, as do several southern Dems, while people like Olympia Snowe tend to be a lot more liberal Republican. It's imperfect, but, even if they had 60, it would be rare they could enact a filibuster block.

And for those who are pumped, here is the map for the Senate elections of 2010 from electoral-vote.com ... that is, these are the ones up for grabs. Color indicates strength of the party to win. Dark red means really likely Republican win, for example.



I know you're all breathless with antici...pation.

Richardson and Franken...

First of all, to the withdrawal of consideration of Bill Richardson from consideration for the role of Commerce Secretary, I say good for you. Though I love Gov. Richardson and think he would be amazing at the job, I think he is doing what is best for the country and showing the kind of intelligence and understanding that Gov. Blagojevich should have.

That is, bowing out when his personal issues seem to threaten his effectiveness as a public servant. From his statement via CNN:

"I do so with great sorrow. But a pending investigation of a company that has done business with New Mexico state government promises to extend for several weeks or, perhaps, even months," the statement reads. "Let me say unequivocally that I and my Administration have acted properly in all matters and that this investigation will bear out that fact. But I have concluded that the ongoing investigation also would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process."

I think this just says that he is looking to future plans to run for something greater (Richardson for President in 2016?). Thank you, Gov. Richardson, for putting the country above your ambition.

Also, congratulations to Al Franken for, seemingly, winning the Senate seat from Minnesota! From the Nation:

The certification should come Monday, after a final review of the tally, and Franken will likely be named the winner by 225 votes.

"We are confident that since there are no ballots left to count, the final margin will stand with Al Franken having won the election by 225 votes," says Marc Elias, Franken's recount attorney.

I mean, it's close close close, but it works :-).

On Minnessota...

...and yet another proof that no one can ever tell me that "my vote doesn't count."