Paging Minnesotans and others in the know: How the hell long is the

[cali]

Coleman/Franken battle for the Senate seat going to go on? Is there an end in sight? Will it be over before the daffodils bloom? The election was nearly 3 months ago. Why can't this just be settled?

[KharmaTrain]

1. As Long As Partisan Courts Will Play Along...

I think it's Cornyn and the Senate repugnicans who are behind the shennangans here. They loathe the thought of Franken being seated (imagine how pissed many of us would be if, say, Dennis Miller had been elected)...and are trying hard to make Al's election look as illigitimate as they can. The longer they bottle it up, the more it will cost Al...both in money and in getting any traction once he is seated and try to make him a lame duck from day one. Normie's going along cause his nest if feathered and he's gonna need this sham to distract from his own legal problems.

I hear the current case could drag on for 4 to 6 weeks...and then it could again be appealed to the state Supreme Court...so it could drag on for 2 more months. A cynical game being played by the repugnican party that has little else to fight for these days.

[Mister Ed]

5. Minnesota courts have so far proved nonpartisan

As A Minnesotan who's been watching carefully, I'm proud to say that the courts have so far been totally nonpartisan in their decisions. Republican-appointed judges have upheld the rule of law as carefully as has our Democratic Secretary of State.

Apart from that point, though, I think your post is spot-on in its analysis.

I anticipate that the Minnesota court will very quickly shut down Norm's suit for lack of evidence. The burden of proof is upon him in this matter, and he simply has no proof.

That won't be the end of it, though. From the comments and actions of Norm's legal team, I think they're trying to find some way to get it to the US Supreme Court, where they might find favor with some of the infamously partisan conservative justices on that bench.

[KharmaTrain]

6. The Count Was Very Non-Partisan

I probably broad-brushed to widely. I was refering more to the legal phase of this circus...and the current court proceeding that I think is being dragged out too long and prevent the results from being certified as long as possible. As long as the SOS is prevented from signing the certification, the Senate won't let Al in...(similar to what they tried to do with Burris). Again, I think 6 weeks to run through what are a small number of contested ballots that won't overturn the results is a purely spiteful and partisan game at work here.

As far as going beyond the State courts...I think if it's thrown the SCOTUS, this would happen after the SOS finally certifies and the Senate can then seat Al "provisonally" based on that certification. It would be similar to how they seated Mary Landrieu back in '96 as her election was being contested in the courts. All Al needs is that certification....and Cornyn, Palwenty and Normie are trying to drag this out.

Cheers...

[Dennis Donovan]

2. Norm's lawsuit hits the courts tomorrow...

Minneapolis Star Tribune link
Both Pawlenty & Mark Ritchie have said they won't issue the election certificate to Franken until this lawsuit is resolved. x(

[cali]

3. thanks and yikes. looks like this could drag on and on.

[glowing]

4. Reality is Sen Reid is an asshat. If he had any backbone, he'd stand in front

of the cameras and proclaim to everyone loudly everyday that the election has been resolved and they are seating Franken. The recount was a hand count. Its done and over. Besides Coleman is up for some ethics violations.. if I was Reid, I'd be dragging those issues out about Coleman's corruption. He just doesn't know how to use what he's got.. I know they are supposed to have this knew bi-partisan love.. but the pukes are holding up nominations left, right and center. Reid is the worst Majority Leader in my life-time. He has no idea how to use his power. Obama is the person to rule over all. The congress can do as they like to impose their own power. They need to start asserting their 3rd branch status. Thank God we have an Obama in the Executive office, otherwise, the Dems would still roll over like they have for Bushie. Did they or did they not hear the people on the lawn singing good-bye to Georgie. Hello, I think many of these idiots have been in D.C. for far too long.

[ThomWV]

7. I expect that some time very soon the State's Court is going to ask itself the same question

And then it will end and Al Franken will be the most junior of Senators, but he'll be our most junior of Senators.