Norm Coleman Legal Fight To Bring In Cash For Dems

For the first time since the Minnesota Senate recount began, national Democrats are raising money off of Norm Coleman's numerous legal appeals and political obstinacy, urging people to donate a dollar a day until the former Senator concedes the election.

The "Dollar a Day to Make Norm Go Away" campaign is being launched by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a newly formed group designed to get progressive candidates into elected office. But it's getting a friendly push by Democracy for America, Howard Dean's political arm, which will blast the petition to its more than one million members (PCCC will send to an additional 23,000).

The goal is two-fold: capitalize off of the brewing anger among Democrats over what's happening in Minnesota while cleverly pushing up the incentives for the national Republican Party to abandon Coleman's appeal effort.

"Think about how this Dollar A Day will change the game," reads the email being sent to DFA and PCCC members. "If thousands of people sign up, and Republicans up for re-election in 2010 see the progressives who are out to defeat them get an infusion of donations each day that Coleman is obstinate, what do you think will happen?"

"Republicans in DC know Al Franken won," says the email. "But they are bankrolling Norm Coleman's continued court challenges in Minnesota and are encouraging him to drag this thing out forever. For them, it's worth it to keep shelling out money to block the seating of Senator Franken. Put simply, the incentives are all wrong. So let's set the incentives right."

The process by which the Dollar a Day campaign emerged is worth noting, and indicative of the diverse strategies Democrats have pursued in a recount that has largely been in the hands of the courts. Adam Green, co-founder of PCCC, had pitched the idea in an entry on the progressive website Open Left, primarily as a critique of the type of call to actions that were coming out of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Officials at Democracy for America saw his complaint, Green said, and latched onto the campaign, not only offering their vast email list but agreeing to send the proceeds PCCC's way.

The outcome of the campaign is, of course, dependent on Coleman's internal political calculations. The former Senator is expected to appeal the latest three-judge-panel ruling that Al Franken won the most votes to the Minnesota State Supreme Court. From there he could take it to federal courts, in which case the process might drag out for weeks if not months.

So could the Dollar A Day campaign drive some Democratic donors into poverty? Not likely. The petition allows you to "limit the number of weeks you donate, in case you worry Norm is completely delusional."

Comments

[HuffyAmy]

I don't understand why they can't go ahead and seat the winner, Al Franken, since the thing has been appealed anyway. You can be sure that repubs would be out there with their bibles swearing in Coleman if he had a rat's chance of winning.

[rich misty]

Norm Coleman is a dingleberry.

[Jforbes4]

Please call-out the Minnesota "traditional newspapers" on their biased attempts to skew public opinion against Al Franken!

Both the Pioneer Press and StarTribune endorsed Norm Coleman and their coverage is ludicrous in their attempts to sway public opinion as a factor in the blocking of Franken from his senate seat. Especially the StarTribune, which was sold by local interests to a New York investment firm.

This week's court ruling clarified that Coleman is liable for Franken's legal fees. So what is the lead story in the Star Tribune Saturday? Al Franken owes 1.4 million for legal fees.

http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/senate/43205717.html:

Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that: 1) Contestants' (former Senator Norm Coleman) Notice of Contest is dismissed with prejudice. 2) Contestee's counterclaims are dismissed without prejudice as moot; 3) Pursuant to Minn Stat 209.09, subd 3, costs of the contest must be paid by Contestants, and Contestee (Senator-Elect Al Franken) and the Court shall prove up the applicable costs by avidavit after all proceedings in this matter are concluded; and 4) For the reasons stated in the Court's Order of March 2, 2009, imposing a sanction on Contestants, Contestee is awarded his reasonable costs and attorneys' fees in connection with Contestants failure to disclose, such costs and fees to be proved up by affidavit. 5) Any request for relief in these proceedings not specifically granted herein is denied, let judgment be entered accordingly.

[bjbold]

I have noticed recently that Norm has not been able to look into the cameras. Hmmmmmm.
I live in Mn. and so there is lots of coverage of him. Hmmmmmmm.

[Cynth]

Even if remotelt or hypothetically succeeds, it will be a phyrric victory at this point. Coleman and his GOP backers can't see the forest for the trees.

[Aquest]

I agree that Franken won the election and needs to be seated.

However, I'm positive that Coleman knows he has lost the election (he has taken a new job). He is conspiring with Republicans to delay Franken being seated as long as possible. I'm sure Coleman has been promised something, which will be 'disclosed' sometime after Franken is seated.

In addition, the people of Minnasota have been poorly represented a lot longer then 5 months. They have been poorly represented since Coleman has been a Senator.

[blaising]

Grow a pair, dems! Franken won. Get Coleman the hell out of my government!!

[HLL]

A few days ago Coleman complained that the media shouldn't have reported that he funneled campaign money into his wife's bank account. Then we heard his legal bills were galactic. But obstructionism cuts three ways: It penalizes the people of Minnesota who have not been properly represented in the Senate for 5 months, it penalizes the state of Minnesota who will have to pay the freight on much of Coleman's spurious legal appeals, and it penalizes the rightful Senator from Minnesota, Al Franken. Coleman lost 3 expensive and painstaking re-counts, and he lost the judges decision. He has lost this Senate race and the only who doesn't know it is him. Coleman has put his own ambition above his state and his country. Time to concede. SEAT SENATOR FRANKEN NOW.

I donated $21 to the cause of ending this farce now. Here's the link to A Dollar A Day To Make Norm Go Away: https://services.myngp.com/NGPOnlineServices/contribution.aspx?X=EjMWbGdwzawSctQo5b28qonrR4zZ72jHJx%2bkZkPSHMY%3d

[mouselion]

This isn't about Norm Coleman making it to the senate. It's about the GOP keeping a duly elected Democrat from his seat. It's just more of their historic dirty tactics -- they would never have been in power the way they are without this approach.

[Cynth]

Good points. Can someone tell this non-Minnesotan how their citizens are viewing/responding to this circus?

[SangZe]

Perhaps the dims will get some cash, but they aren't going to get another senator this term.

[Mustang Sally]

Look who's dim...

[manicore]

The longer Norm. holds on the more Long term Damage he is doing to his So called
Political Career. Right Now as it stands most Minnesotan's would not Elect him for
the City Dog Catcher.

[BiffThiele]

I am fairly certain that Joseph Upton doesn't know anything about Al Franken, any more than he can recognize hypocrisy. He is simply a sore loser, like Norm Coleman and rather than accept that his party screwed things up, he is struggling to find fault with Liberals, in order to justify his closed minded principles and make himself fell better. You can't fault these people's limited ability to view the world as it is. It's who they are. They will always focus on what they want, whether it is rational or not, because they have been programmed to ignore their own party's hypocrisy. They can't think for themselves, so they have to follow the party. Sad as it is, I am perfectly content to sit back and watch them and their tea party/Terri Schiavo/Glen Beck mentality follow Rush Limbaugh right off the cliff.

[miketothad]

Norm is effectively ratcheting up Al Gore's cool points. You all are crackin me up.

[bigben1986]

Come on Minnesotans demand to end this nonesense. You don't have representation in the senate because of Norm Coleman. Demand that he step aside so you can continue your business in Washington. It's been 4 months already.

[Joseph Upton]

As little respect as I have for capital hill, it just dropped dramatically, now that Al Franken is there.

[miketothad]

Sounds like you should brush-up on yer' Franken. An excellent debater with battle-axe wit, and a little Harvard elitist book-learnin'.

[TrooAmerican]

most small animals would do a better job serving the people than republicans do.

[nick1936]

Unlike Senator Franken old Norm never took USO trips to our troops in Iraq and Afghan . Norm and his wife were to busy taking money under the table. So unlike you my opinion of capital hill has risen since this crook along with the other Repuks who got their asses kicked out by true Americans.

[Mustang Sally]

All name calling and innuendo. If you cannot provide a rational and intelligent (as if) discussion, go back to Michelle Malkin and leave us alone. You have a singular OBSESSION with Franken. Did he neglect to recognize you in a crowd?

[OhComeOnNow]

Maybe his advances were spurned.

[thenorthshore]

"By the end of the recount, the state was awash with evidence of duplicate ballot counting, newly discovered ballots, missing ballots, illegal voting, and wildly diverse standards as to which votes were counted. Any one of these issues was enough to throw the outcome into doubt."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124000875842430603.html

[309blank]

yeah, wsj says so and FOX agrees, what more prove do you need :P

[miketothad]

I think I see your sarcasm, and you just mad me laugh. Thank you.

[miketothad]

Minnesota's a BLUE state. The entire recount was TELEVISED. The Wall Street Journal is owned by RUPERT FOXNEWS MURDOCH. Your Republican investigative journalism savvy is RARE AND GREATLY APPRECIATED! ROFL!

[TrooAmerican]

Actually none of that is really true, and the state board found little to no irregularity, and is bipartisan. As well the recent Judge ruling was by a Norm Coleman Donor judge, so i guess if there was any doubt as to the legality of Franken winning, they'd have come up with it by now.

Unless the state's republicans hate coleman more than franken.

Maybe they know coleman should have been indicted long ago.

[Cinnamonape]

The Courts dealt with all these points...f­ound most of them exagerated or false...of­ten based on hearsay, or contraverted evidence.

Duplicate ballots- the count matched the poll sign in sheets and count of absentee ballots recorded for the precinct. There was no discrepancy.

Missing ballots- True an envelope did go missing from a strongly pro-Franken University precinct managed by a Republican who actually challenged several resident dorm students. But these were ballots that had already been counted. So the lost envelope number, when added to the sign in matched. The vote count on that day also matched the sign in sheet.

Newly discovered ballots~ Sorry didn't happen. The ballots in question were in a locked room in a sealed envelope in a locked desk. They were placed aside to be counted the next day. There was no "car trunk", no loss for three days. No "loss" at all.

Diverse standards? In the recount the courts standardized these, with the concurrence of BOTH campaigns,and allowed challenges if the parties disagreed with variable standards. The recount of challenges was observed on public TV and on websites.

[tomasedison]

OBSTRUCTION is the newest republican game

[Aquest]

Good point. Republicans - the party of NOPES.

[4evryoung]

Nothing new about it.