Franken's team says they are in the lead...
By John Amato Wednesday Dec 03, 2008 5:00pmAl Franken's campaign announced on Wednesday that, for the first time since the Minnesota recount began, the Democrat has actually pulled ahead of Republican Sen. Norm Coleman. Speaking on a conference call with reporters, Franken's chief counsel Marc Elias said the campaign's own internal count showed them up 22 votes, a jump from the 13 vote deficit that they faced on Tuesday.
"We have approximately 138,000 ballots left to count," said Elias. "94.3 percent of the state has now been counted... Obviously that number is going to change, but we are pleased thus far with how things are going."
Nate Silver's math is a little tricky for me, but he is predicting a Franken win by 27 votes...
I obviously want Franken to win for many important reasons, but if he does, watching BillO's never ending freak out would be an extra added bonus too..
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To Billo's head going volcanic! I'll drink to that.
I'll add to that toast.
On the rocks.
Go Al Franken!!! Rock Norm Coleman's world!!!!
even if it isnt true...get it in the minds of the people that you are in the lead
went out of their way to stab Franken in the back.
It seems it is deemed impolite to challenge republicans.
Franken and I are the same age +- a couple months. Which means he left his inner-beltway prep school for Harvard and points beyond while Hubert Humphrey was still alive and before Minnesota seceded from the union and voted for McGovern. Which, honestly, means he has to have even less feel for the Minnesota of _today_ after our years of Republicanism and less feel for "Greater Minnesota" than immigrant Norm Coleman. I never thought Franken was an electable match for Minnesota and quite the opposite of the "Dem establishment" stabbing Franken in the back I think he really does qualify as a carpetbagger nearly four decades out of his "home" state who persuaded people outside Minnesota to give him the money to match Coleman TV ad for TV ad.
While I fully expected Coleman to soundly beat him as late as August, don't the Democratic victories on the coattails of Obama's landslide following the economic collapse in _contrast_ to Franken's struggle to survive prove that I was right? If Franken wins by even twice 22 votes out of 2.6 million that is hardly a glorious victory. You're talking the most expensive campaign in our state history where he brought in Hillary for a rally a month before the election, rally with Bill the next week, rally with Hillary again the following week and rally with Senator Klobuchar the last week. And he's still struggling to beat a Senator widely publicized in the state to have been hand-picked by Dick Cheney. Franken _owes_ the "Dem establishment" for a ton of support. Franken will prove to be either a _very_ expensive and troublesome win or a very expensive and troublesome loss. If he wins, I hope he is worth it.
I think Franken is funny and smart and would make a great senator but I think it was a mistake for him to run for the senate in Minnesota. If the dems had put someone a bit more middle of the road they would have won the seat easily on Obama's coat tails. I still wish him well and hope he wins.
Trust me, she will fly off the handle.
Where you goin with that youtube in your hand.
Are goin to see some crazy lady,with a big mouth and no brains in her head?
Excellent vid Joe. good work.
I just saw some crazy lady,with a big mouth and no brains in her head.
Nate's no longer standing by that prediction as far as I know, and Ramsey County just turned up another batch of uncounted votes, giving Coleman another 44 on balance.
It all comes down to the challenged ballots, and nobody knows how those'll be ruled on. The one thing that's encouraging is that Coleman is making a *lot* of obviously bogus challenges, including any ballot that split McCain/Franken, no matter how clearly marked. Plus of course he's challenged many, many more ballots than Franken has. So the 6,000 yet to be added to the tally may split dramatically in Franken's favor if the courts see the light of reason.
Now we only need a fat lady that sings.
I rather see the Fat Man sing. You Limpy.
Whatever floats your boat. ;)
Roseanne Barr?
Al Franken.
GO AL!!!!!
I like Franken a lot, but I don't believe it, just like I don't believe that norm thinks he is in the lead. Truth is no one knows who is in the lead and we all have to wait.
Oh I hope Al wins. Just would be wonderful to see O'Reilly lose it again. I will never forget the day watching a Book TV formum and O'Reilly was upset at Al because of his book cover. He yelled at Al and told him to shut up right there and then. Al looked at him and told him that the formum wasn't his show. It was funny as hell. He really got under his skin.
Al would take his work seriously but, I predict he'll say something really funny on the senate floor.
Franken/Ventura 2016
Coleman is so fucking smug too. Typical Repuke . Go Al !!
You just know if Al won Bill's gigantic ego and tiny penis would immediately force HIM to run for some sort of office. It would be a hoot if Franken went on O'Really's show and forced Bill to call him "Senator."
I really hope this is the Al Franken decade.
(yes, I'm a masochist that loves agony!)
"Al Franken is losing and he is trying to steal the election"
When will we all get to celebrate a Sean Hannity brain tumor?
I'm sorry, the guy is FUCKING EVIL.
told me just before the election that she could never vote for Franken because he was a vile anti-christ who would bring devil worship to the Senate.
So I just wanted to say that I hope Franken FIGHTS TO THE DEATH to win this seat away from the REAL SENATOR ANTI-CHRIST. It's no wonder that Coleman felt he had to apologize for the low level of his advertising just before the campaigning was over. My sister was obviously blinded by his hate-speech and lies.
FIGHT ON, AL... don't give up.
If Al end up winning it could be very interesting on how his talk would go in the form of satire to make his point. I think what been lacking is the connection of this generation to the Senator in DC.
I really became a fan of Franken from his many appearances on Letterman, the guy speaks the truth and he does it with razor sharp wit and insight, precisely the kind of people we NEED in our govt.!
Remember, "of the people, by the people, for the people" and I can only hope enough Minnesotans remember that too. GO AL!!!!!!
Just because the guy can be funny doesn't mean he isn't a serious intellectual. Al is a good progressive and we need his representation in the Senate.
Definitely a bonus. If Olbermann could then book Al for a regular weekly segment a la Thom Hartmann's Brunch with Bernie (Sanders) you'd have some unbeatable entertainment, especially if the two of them devoted at least half of each segment to mocking Bill-O the Clown.
Are they afraid the election is getting radioactive?
I'd like to see Franken win, but it's so close. These things go back and forth. After Chamblis (GA), I'll be surprised if the Dems win another one. Keeping it real. Coleman is slimy. When the Repubs want something bad, they do anything they can to get it.
> I obviously want Franken to win for many important
> reasons, but if he does, watching BillO's never
> ending freak out would be an extra added bonus too.
That would be fun, Billo shitting out his internal organs in anger and frustration. That would be the comedian's finest moment.
Franken wins, I'm gonna just drop dead from the happy.
Totally.
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