This, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition of "clusterfark".

Both sides act as if the seat goes to whomever declares victory most often.

/+1 for the headline, Subby

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what should have happened in Florida 8 years ago. That was the definition of "clusterfark".

I'm not gonna lie, I laughed.

Rufus_T_Firefly: This, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition of "clusterfark".

You obviously never had to brave the Town Hall/Prefab Mobile Home of Bureaucracy that was dealing with a traffic ticket in New Rome, OH (pops).

Mmm....Coleman fries....

With the vote this close, I say put both of them in a cage and let them fight to the death over it.

You think you're tough for eating beans every day? There's half a million scarecrows in Minneapolis-St. Paul who'd give anything for one mouthful of what you got. They've been under siege for about three months. They live on rats and sawdust bread and sometimes... on each other. At night, the pyres for the dead light up the sky. It's medieval

Rufus_T_Firefly: This, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition of "clusterfark".

Nope (new window)

Wow! Franken may win this thing?

Things must be pretty phuqued up for that to happen!

I wonder who's responsible for that?

Appears to be proceeding in an orderly and lawful manner. What's the problem? Is there some other way in which this should have been resolved?

Senator Al Franken will make C-SPAN so much more fun. It'll be even better than Senator Blutarsky.

Hilarity_N_Sues: "Mascot now cook. May cook mascot."

/obscure?

Yep. Hadn't seen that one. Beautiful.

You didn't think the land of Ventura would pass up a chance to send Stuart Smalley to Washington, did you>

It's crazy that all of this is happening. Seriously, with only a few dozen votes separating them out of the few million cast in a three-person race, why not just have a runoff? Neither one of them have will have a majority as it is now and no one is ever going to be happy with either one of them winning by less than 50 votes.

A runoff would solve a lot of this crap. Of course, it would take time to set up and get the results, but we wouldn't have all of these back-and-forth ballot challenges and shiat.

It sucks that it's not decided yet. Still, I hardly see how this is a clusterfark. This is the way things should be handled. The alternative is a hell of a lot worse.

sgilman: You didn't think the land of Ventura would pass up a chance to send Stuart Smalley to Washington, did you>

Say what you want about Minnesota...they at least have a sense of humor.

mitchcumstein1: You think you're tough for eating beans every day? There's half a million scarecrows in Minneapolis-St. Paul who'd give anything for one mouthful of what you got. They've been under siege for about three months. They live on rats and sawdust bread and sometimes... on each other. At night, the pyres for the dead light up the sky. It's medieval

You're thinking of St. Cloud.

Better go hunting. Don't get a buffalo, it's too heavy to carry back. Dammit, another of the lizard people died of cholera.

Pastor of Muppets: It's crazy that all of this is happening. Seriously, with only a few dozen votes separating them out of the few million cast in a three-person race, why not just have a runoff? Neither one of them have will have a majority as it is now and no one is ever going to be happy with either one of them winning by less than 50 votes.

A runoff would solve a lot of this crap. Of course, it would take time to set up and get the results, but we wouldn't have all of these back-and-forth ballot challenges and shiat.

Or we could just count all the votes in a transparent and semi-efficient manner.

It seems that there is a God of Justice after all.

Winning by ONE VOTE would have been nice, but less than 50 out of millions is nearly as good.

It seems that someone has learned the lesson of Gore's Florida in 2000. Actually several lessons. The most important one is "Republicans respect the rule of law only when it favors them."

I'm just waiting for the obligatory photoshop of Al Franken in a diaper, which proves once and for all that he is unfit to be a Senator.

Wow, today is full of awesome headlines and threads.

/Thanks for the laugh, submitter

IXI Jim IXI: Say what you want about Minnesota...they at least have a sense of humor.

We just like our wrestlers.

/Wellstone was a wrestler, as was Franken.
//Ventura was a "Rassler".

Pastor of Muppets: It's crazy that all of this is happening. Seriously, with only a few dozen votes separating them out of the few million cast in a three-person race, why not just have a runoff?

Because the law says that whomever received the most votes wins. It doesn't say that if it's so close that it makes people uncomfortable, we get to have a do-over. Unless there's evidence of massive fraud, throwing away the results of a valid election is just wrong.

Somalis!

AntiNerd: "Republicans respect the rule of law only when it favors them."

You noticed that too?

The Onanist: AntiNerd: "Republicans respect the rule of law only when it favors them."

You noticed that too?

It's one of the few things that make them normal people.

Pastor of Muppets: It's crazy that all of this is happening. Seriously, with only a few dozen votes separating them out of the few million cast in a three-person race, why not just have a runoff? Neither one of them have will have a majority as it is now and no one is ever going to be happy with either one of them winning by less than 50 votes.

A runoff would solve a lot of this crap. Of course, it would take time to set up and get the results, but we wouldn't have all of these back-and-forth ballot challenges and shiat.

And a friend of mine from the Cities said her vote didn't matter.

Tyrone Slothrop: With the vote this close, I say put both of them in a cage and let them fight to the death over it.

Voterdome... two men enter. One man leaves. That is the law.

Pastor of Muppets: It's crazy that all of this is happening. Seriously, with only a few dozen votes separating them out of the few million cast in a three-person race, why not just have a runoff? Neither one of them have will have a majority as it is now and no one is ever going to be happy with either one of them winning by less than 50 votes.

A runoff would solve a lot of this crap. Of course, it would take time to set up and get the results, but we wouldn't have all of these back-and-forth ballot challenges and shiat.

That's only true, if the election is a slaughter. But if it's close, we would go through this all over again.

kpottruff: Tyrone Slothrop: With the vote this close, I say put both of them in a cage and let them fight to the death over it.

Voterdome... two men enter. One man leaves. That is the law.

I'm all on tenterhooks waiting to see which New Yorker will represent Minnesota.

Eddie Adams from Torrance: Because the law says that whomever received the most votes wins. It doesn't say that if it's so close that it makes people uncomfortable, we get to have a do-over. Unless there's evidence of massive fraud, throwing away the results of a valid election is just wrong.

Now, I'm a Franken supporter but even I think they ought to do a run-off. Fifty votes is well within the margin of error. The goal is to get the peoples' choice to represent them, we can't say with any certainty who it is. At a fifty point (or even a hundred vote difference), it's the same as a coin toss

It winds up in court, whoever wins the count.

Who knows what happens after that? Tina Fey does a wildly overrated impersonation of the judge on SNL, Chris Matthews gets a thrill up his leg and the media whine until it is given to Al Franken.

Then it will be the beginning of the Al Franken Senate Term, just like the old Al Franken Decade.

nicedream Quote 2008-12-23 12:44:56 PM
I'm just waiting for the obligatory photoshop of Al Franken in a diaper, which proves once and for all that he is unfit to be a Senator.


Seriously though, what an embarrassment for Minnesota that this guy is even in the race let alone may well represent them in the U.S. Senate. The guy truly is mentally ill.

AntiNerd: It seems that there is a God of Justice after all.

Winning by ONE VOTE would have been nice, but less than 50 out of millions is nearly as good.

It seems that someone has learned the lesson of Gore's Florida in 2000. Actually several lessons. The most important one is "Republicans Democrats respect the rule of law only when it favors them."

FTFY.
For an example of a WTF moment, scope out this ballot decided for FRANKEN....

I hope this somehow ends in a tie.

Seriously, I'm not ever sure I've seen a Senate race with TWO candidates as inept as Coleman and Franken.

Eddie Adams from Torrance: Pastor of Muppets: It's crazy that all of this is happening. Seriously, with only a few dozen votes separating them out of the few million cast in a three-person race, why not just have a runoff?

Because the law says that whomever received the most votes wins. It doesn't say that if it's so close that it makes people uncomfortable, we get to have a do-over. Unless there's evidence of massive fraud, throwing away the results of a valid election is just wrong.

It's not 'throwing away the results of a valid election', it is merely adding to and refining the results with another valid election.

There are more than a few states where a majority, not a plurality, is needed to claim victory. In a three-or-more-person race, the top two move on to the next round. This isn't rocket surgery. Just because Minnesota doesn't have anything in place to deal with this doesn't make it 'wrong' or mean that runoffs are inherently a bad idea..
It won't happen in this case b/c they would have to change their voting statutes, but that doesn't mean someone won't look at this mess and look for other solutions to prevent this in the future.

bmasso: AntiNerd: It seems that there is a God of Justice after all.

Winning by ONE VOTE would have been nice, but less than 50 out of millions is nearly as good.

It seems that someone has learned the lesson of Gore's Florida in 2000. Actually several lessons. The most important one is "Republicans Democrats respect the rule of law only when it favors them."

FTFY.
For an example of a WTF moment, scope out this ballot decided for FRANKEN....

That was simply a website mistake by the Star-Tribune. (new window)

solokumba: Go Franklin!

Sorry. Pet peeve.

I knew a chick from Minnesota. Hot.

Her family liked to eat paper towels soaked in vinegar. Like a snack.

oooookay. I hope the comedian wins.

bmasso: FTFY.
For an example of a WTF moment, scope out this ballot decided for FRANKEN....

Check out the one after it that Coleman challenged. Looks like both sides are going a bit wonky.

bmasso: For an example of a WTF moment, scope out this ballot decided for challenged by FRANKEN but decided for Coleman by the canvassing board....

FTFY

Supes: bmasso: For an example of a WTF moment, scope out this ballot decided for FRANKEN....

That was simply a website mistake by the Star-Tribune. (new window)

He doesn't care if it's true or not. It's something negative he can say.

bmasso:
For an example of a WTF moment, scope out this ballot decided for FRANKEN....


NO, it wasn't.

Cervantes3773: Pastor of Muppets: It's crazy that all of this is happening. Seriously, with only a few dozen votes separating them out of the few million cast in a three-person race, why not just have a runoff? Neither one of them have will have a majority as it is now and no one is ever going to be happy with either one of them winning by less than 50 votes.

A runoff would solve a lot of this crap. Of course, it would take time to set up and get the results, but we wouldn't have all of these back-and-forth ballot challenges and shiat.

And a friend of mine from the Cities said her vote didn't matter.

So if a person votes for someone who doesn't win, their vote doesn't matter?
I don't understand her point. I'm assuming she voted for #3 in this race and a runoff would take her candidate off the ballot. Sorry to tell her that her candidate isn't going to win anyway, but her vote has been counted and did matter. In a runoff, she can vote again and her vote will count just as much as it did last time.