Do you think Al Franken should be seated before a victor in MN is certified?

[RiverStone]

Poll question: Do you think Al Franken should be seated before a victor in MN is certified?

I'd love for Al to eventually get his Senate seat, but I wonder if Coleman were in the lead (by approximately 50 votes) if we would be OK with him being seated before the election is certified?

I think not.

It still looks good for Al, but I think he needs to wait till the contested issues run their course. Of course, this will all be on a legal fast track, but we may need to wait a couple of months for full resolution (so the talking heads say).

What do you think? :shrug:


On Edit: That's Franken with an E (not I)

[thunder rising]

1. The certification will happen in a few days ... Norm's court challenge may take weeks.

[RiverStone]

3. I read that differently here --- yet I am far from a poltical science expert

The Coleman campaign has publicly guaranteed that they will file an election contest, challenging the result in court. That would be a key development because Minnesota law actually prevents the issuing of a certificate of election to the winner until a contest proceeding is settled (unlike other states that will certify a win, and then allow the loser to pursue legal challenges if they want).

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/12/minnesota_recount_almost_over_but_coleman_could_keep_a_franken_win_bottled_up_for_weeks.php

[elocs]

4. That's exactly what I heard on MN Public Radio today. That's the way they operate MN.

So, that's right, how about following their rules?

Just for the sake of consistency, if the results were the other way around, how many here would favor the seating of Coleman right away?

[thunder rising]

8. We have suffered worse defeats than that which you describe. When it's over it's over.

[rwheeler31]

2. Let Minnesota decide this. They do well.

[dflprincess]

5. I'm more concerned with John Cornyn's (R-Texas) threat to filibuster if they try to seat Franken

provisionally (which is an option) while there are still court challenges.

Interesting, the first day or so of the new session and the Republicans are all aready threatening a fillibuster. So much for bipartisanship. I think it's time for Reid to start thinking about the nuclear option.

[BzaDem]

6. I actually don't know if there can be a filibuster for seating a Senator. n/t

[book_worm]

7. Nope, and neither should Coleman.