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Tim Kaine: Coleman Should Concede -- And GOP Is Blocking A Dem Senator
DNC chairman Tim Kaine put out a statement last night calling on Norm Coleman to concede the Minnesota Senate race -- and openly accused Coleman and the Senate GOP of keeping up this fight for the purposes of denying the Democrats a 59th Senate seat:
Leading Republicans in Washington, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republican Campaign Chairman John Cornyn, are supporting Coleman's appeals as a way to obstruct Franken from being seated to a Senate seat he has rightfully won to prevent Democrats from claiming their 59th seat in the 100 member body.
Now them's fightin' words. Then again, it was the head of the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who said that resolving this election could take years.
Full statement after the jump.
DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Released the Following Statement After a Three Judge Panel in Minnesota Declared Al Franken the Winner of the Disputed U.S. Senate Race
Kaine Calls on Coleman, Whose Vote Deficit Increased as a Result of His Election Challenge, to Concede Race and Stop Obstructing the Will of the Voters
Washington, DC - Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, issued the following statement after a three judge panel in Minnesota declared Democrat Al Franken the winner of the contested Senate race in Minnesota. Former Senator Norm Coleman challenged the result of the election after losing to Franken by a 225 vote margin. As a result of Coleman's challenge, Franken's lead grew to 312 votes and a three judge panel said tonight that Franken leads the contest and is entitled to an election certificate.
Despite losing ground in the vote count, and credibility after increasingly questionable and inconsistent legal challenges, Coleman and his attorneys have vowed to appeal the decision to the Minnesota State Supreme Court and if unsuccessful there possibly the U.S. Supreme Court. Leading Republicans in Washington, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Republican Campaign Chairman John Cornyn, are supporting Coleman's appeals as a way to obstruct Franken from being seated to a Senate seat he has rightfully won to prevent Democrats from claiming their 59th seat in the 100 member body.
"Enough is enough," said Kaine. "It is time for Norm Coleman to concede and for Al Franken to be sworn in as the next U.S. Senator from Minnesota. The voters of Minnesota months ago elected Al Franken to the Senate - and during every step in the legal process that judgment has been confirmed. Norm Coleman's own legal challenge resulted in more votes for Al Franken and now a three judge panel has ruled Al Franken the winner. Former Senator Coleman's insistence on continuing his quixotic quest for this seat at best shows that he is putting his own political ambition ahead of the people and worst that he is complicit in an effort by national Republicans to deny Al Franken this seat for as long as possible so there is one less Democratic vote for President Obama's agenda for change.
"The people of Minnesota deserve two Senators and the people of America deserve 100 in the U.S. Senate. More importantly, the voters who cast ballots on Election Day deserve to have their verdict stand. Senator Coleman may have a right to continue his legal challenges no matter how hopeless they are, but the right thing to do here is to concede defeat and allow this saga to end once and for all."
Kaine went on to say that regardless of whether or not Coleman concedes, the state should issue an election certificate based on tonight's ruling so Franken can be sworn in immediately.
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Meanwhile, Harry Reid is practically encouraging Coleman to appeal.
April 14, 2009 10:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
Evidence? Quotes? Citation?
Come on, if you've got it, out with it.
I've had it with everyone yammering on about Reid in this - the matter has not yet come before the Senate, as under MN election law, no certificate of election has been issued. Without that, much as we'd like to seat Franken, he's still in limbo. And to change Senate rules relative to seating someone without certification from their state will take a 2/3-supermajority vote, which is not going to happen.
The MN election court, and soon the MN Supreme Court, will order the issuance of that certificate, and Franken will be seated. Taking longer than we'd like? Of course. Recognizing that not everything in the world can be chalked up to Harry Reid's supposed lack of (insert anatomical reference here)? More like recognizing the reality of Senate rules and what changing them involves.
To restate: This one is not yet properly before the US Senate and will not be until the State of MN certificate of election is issued.
April 14, 2009 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not blaming Reid for everything, but as always he's horribly off-message and reinforcing GOP talking points. The message now is that a concession is the most reasonable course of action, and Reid, in contrast, is taking care to explicitly insist that Coleman is "entitled" to an appeal.
April 14, 2009 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Reid is not the problem; the MN courts are. Bear with me:
The MN courts now have to issue the certificate, along with a ruling which states, specifically, that yes, Coleman is absolutely entitled to take his dog-and-pony show to the U.S. Supreme Court, or any damned place he'd like... but as far as the legal requirements of the state of Minnesota are concerned, he has qualified to receive the certificate of election.
Now, at THAT point... the ball is in Reid's court.
Reid must proceed at that juncture to take the certificate and just seat Franken, period.
What will happen? Oh sure, we know the R's will threaten a filibuster. Reid must anticipate this and warn... publicly, and in very specific language... that the only thing the R's are doing now is to deny unconstitutionally the seating of a United States Senator, and that will not be tolerated.
Note the language; it isn't the conciliatory Democratic crap we've come to know. At this point, the Democrats have the law clearly on their side, and the Republicans have not an ideological leg to stand on. They must be told... publicly!.. that if they persist, the rules will be changed overnight, and the Republicans will end up with no say whatsoever in the lawmaking of this country, and having their party powwows in the basement of the Capitol.
And I dare you to tell me the public at large wouldn't support the Dem position, at this point.
April 14, 2009 12:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
People who ought to know better blame Harry Reid for everything that goes wrong. Their laundry comes back dingy? Reid's fault. Dandruff? Blame Harry. No parking available within a 50-foot walk to the grocery store? Must be Harry Reid again.
I'm getting bloody sick and tired of it. All he was doing was recognizing that Coleman was most likely going to appeal, and that seating Franken would not be in front of them until that appeal was denied. As it will be denied.
And yes, Reid's a bit too devoted to "process" for my taste, I just don't think of blaming him if it's raining when I want to take a nice long walk.
April 14, 2009 1:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, "some people" make an argument that I'm not making. Crack analysis, Katie Couric.
April 14, 2009 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, you sure showed that straw man who was boss.
Once again, I didn't say Reid is the cause of the problem, I just think he's just an idiot who isn't helping.
April 14, 2009 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's what Reid should have said:
"Norm Coleman should concede and Gov. Pawlenty should immediately issue an election certificate so we can finally bring an end to an episode that has left the people of Minnesota without full representation for too long and has cost taxpayers too much money."
What's so hard about that? I have never been a politician and even I can figure this one out. Regardless of anything else the Senate may or may not be able to accomplish, there's no reason for Reid to encourage Coleman to file an appeal.
April 14, 2009 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
Reid is setting up a realistic ending point. Of course Coleman is going to appeal; does anyone think his douchebaggery will suddenly stop after five months? MN law is clear that the certificate will be issued once the appeals process is done, but it's unclear whether that means MN appeals or federal appeals. I think it's fine that Reid concedes the appeal, which Coleman will do anyway, as long as he makes a fuss when Coleman decides to press on to the Supreme Court.
April 14, 2009 3:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
The wierdest (saddest?) thing is that there's a possibility that Coleman actually thinks that the national GOP is in this to get him in the senate. I hope he understands that Corn-hole doesn't actually give a rats ass about Coleman.
April 14, 2009 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Coleman doesn't think that. He knows he's being used to delay Franken's seating. That's fine with him; it's no skin off his nose since the RNC/GOP is footing the legal bill.
But Coleman doesn't realize he's doing irreparable damage to his political career going forward.
In a race with a comedian, Coleman became the joke.
April 14, 2009 2:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
He does not have a political future to protect. Even had he won this election. He knows that the allegations against him are true and that he has nothing to loose.
April 14, 2009 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sen Amy Klobuchar is the only sitting Senator in Minnesota, and thus is representing all 5.2M Minnesotans. However California has their two Senators seated, but has 36M constituents to represent between them. So while every State should have it's Senators seated, Sen. Klobuchar's increased workload shouldn't be much of a concern.
April 14, 2009 11:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm much less enthusiastic about Ms Klobuchar's outlook and politics than I would be about Mr Franken's, but would be willing to forgo full representation in the Senate in exchange for anyone removing Ms Bachman from office! I realize that she was voted in in the most gerrymandered district outside of Texas that currently exists, but she seems to have become the bride of Rushenstien!
Thank God that we were able to get Mr Ellison elected to save us from total buffonnery.
On a more serious note, Norm will have his appeal to the Minnnesota Supremes and I believe that they will rule decisively, and in the event that Teflon Timmy Pawlenty does not issue a certificate, his contrived mainstream presidential hopes will take a horrible beating!
One can only hope that a month or so from now there will again be a Liberal senator from Minnesota!
April 14, 2009 7:10 PM | Reply | Permalink