Coleman's Recount Shenanigans

When Minnesotans woke up after Election Day, they were greeted by the sight of Norm Coleman proudly announcing victory in a press conference. "We wouldn't be where we are today, and where we are today, after a pretty long night, is me being humbled and grateful for the victory that the voters gave us last night," Coleman proclaimed. A press release shouting "re-elected" was sent to reporters. Coleman's website flashed the word "VICTORY." But there was just one problem: Coleman didn't win. The number of votes separating Coleman and challenger Al Franken was well within the margin required to trigger a recount, as mandated by law.

It wouldn't be the last time Coleman declared victory. Just this past Tuesday, Coleman crowned himself "winner" for at least the third time. As MSNBC.com's First Read noted, the "reason why Coleman is trying to look the part of the winner is to call into question any lead taken by Franken in the recount." (Disclosure: I worked for Franken from 2005-2007 and contributed to his campaign).

But Coleman's strategy of trying to look like the winner has gone beyond just premature victory laps. As part of his efforts to "call into question any lead taken by Franken," Coleman called for a stop to the legally-mandated recount and when that failed, floated false voter fraud stories, and smeared election officials.

After declaring victory on November 5, Coleman asked Franken to concede because "the prospect of overturning 725 votes is extremely, extremely, extremely remote" and a recount would cost taxpayers the ungodly sum of $87,000. Coleman, sounding like a certain Saturday Night Live character, added: "I just think the need for the healing process is so important."

But Coleman's declaration of an impassable "725" vote margin was premature at best. As Minnesota's Secretary of State's office explains, after November 4, "election officials proof their work and make corrections, as necessary. It is routine for election officials to discover a number of small errors, including improper data entry, transposition of digits (e.g., entering the number 48 instead of 84), and other items that affect the reported outcome." When the recount officially began on Wednesday, the ever-changing total stood at 215 votes, not 725 - a margin of only .007%. Statistician Nate Silver wrote that the difference between a 200 vote lead and 700 vote lead is "very important," since overcoming a 200 vote margin is manageable while making up 700 votes is nearly impossible.

With Franken allowing the legally-mandated recount to proceed as it should, Coleman turned to another tactic: Suggesting election officials are rigging votes for Franken.

The Coleman campaign has repeatedly portrayed Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie as a partisan Democrat who could tilt the election to Franken. Coleman's allies at the National Republican Senatorial Committee even baselessly suggested that Ritchie has ties to communists. Ritchie's sin? The Communist Party USA apparently once "wrote encouragingly of his candidacy." On Fox News, legal analyst Andrew Napolitano even falsely claimed Ritchie is a "former member of the Communist Party."

As Talking Points Memo's Zachary Roth noted, "there's no evidence that Ritchie has ever used his role as the state's top elections administrator to advantage Democrats." Indeed, when it came time for Ritchie's biggest recount decision -- appointing the board members in charge of ruling on disputed ballots -- he named two Republicans, one judge appointed by Independent Jesse Ventura, and one judge whose partisan leanings are unclear. (As required by law, he also named himself.) In other words, a bipartisan -- maybe even tripartisan -- panel.

The Coleman campaign has also gone after other election workers. The most infamous story floated by the campaign went something like this: Long after the polls closed on November 4, an election official suddenly finds and counts 32 absentee ballots found in her car. Surprise: They favor Al Franken.

As veteran Minnesota reporter David Brauer wrote, the car story emerged on November 8 from "Coleman lawyer Fritz Knaak, who, according to AP, told reporters, 'We were actually told ballots had been riding around in her car for several days, which raised all kinds of integrity questions.' Knaak never provided a source and did not return two MinnPost calls for comment. However, he was already backing off his story at the same press event. As that day's Pioneer Press noted, 'Knaak said he feels assured that what was going on with the 32 ballots was neither wrong nor unfair.'"

Brauer also noted that the election official in question -- Minneapolis Elections Director Cindy Reichert -- has emphasized that the "ballots were never in her car," the "ballots were never in anyone's car for several days," and the "ballots were never lost or forgotten, and spent Election Night until counting day in secure city facilities." Without any actual evidence to the contrary, the car ballot story should have died. Instead, it was repeated in media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Politico, New York Post, Globe and Mail (Canada's largest newspaper), NBC's Today, and MSNBC. And yes, there was also Fox News.

In 2003, Fox unsuccessfully sued Franken -- who it called "shrill and unstable" -- for using the words "fair and balanced" on the cover of his book. (Fox, apparently pessimistic about the intelligence of its viewers, claimed that Franken's use of its slogan could confuse viewers into thinking they endorsed the book.) Five years later, there's no love lost: Hosts Sean Hannity, Brit Hume, Bill O'Reilly, Megyn Kelly and Fred Barnes were among those who repeated the dubious car ballot story.

When Coleman's post-election lead shrunk by roughly 500 votes during the pre-recount audit, the Coleman campaign complained that the shift was "statistically dubious and improbable" and once again suggested election workers may be nefariously tampering with results. But as Salon.com's Joe Conason wrote, the "insinuation of cheating is utterly wrong, as Minnesota Public Radio, one of the state's most respected news organizations, discovered in a review of election results from the past 10 years. On average, the MPR analysis showed that vote totals in statewide elections changed by well over 1,000 votes -- so the 'lopsided' difference in the Franken-Coleman race so far is below normal. It is also typical for the Democratic candidate's vote total to increase, no matter which party controls the state election apparatus (although the MPR analysts didn't try to explain why)."

In the end, Franken may very well lose, but that decision is for the voters and their ballots, not politicians. Coleman's repeated attempts to stop the recount and tarnish the process are not only undemocratic, they're examples of why Minnesotans -- and the rest of the nation -- should hope the recount finds for Franken.

Eric Hananoki is a senior researcher for Media Matters for America and a former researcher and segment producer for The Al Franken Show. The views expressed here are his own and do not reflect those of his employer, Media Matters.

Comments

[lj9283]

Thank you for reporting on the Franken side of this story.

The reporting by the MSM has been so extremely Coleman centric, and so vilifying of Mr. Franken's campaign that it has been difficult to find Mr. Franken's side of the story.

When I worked with the "Brown for President" campaign in 1992 the most thoughtful, inclusive, and intelligent thinkers were those workers, and volunteers who came from Minnesota. I was in awe of them.

It is a sad statement that what I had thought of as the Center of Intelligent Liberalism, the State of Minnesota, seems to have become the Center for Commie Baiting in the country.

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

I love the way Republicans like to taint recounts generally, even the ones mandated by law.

[kylennblack]

Dino Rossi, republican candidate for governor in Washington State, tried to pull the same stunt back in 2004. Typical.

[apoyo]

Coleman is only acting out the behavior that he saw happen in Florida in 2000. By his standards that behavior worked.

[TimmySlagle]

"It is also typical for the Democratic candidate's vote total to increase, no matter which party controls the state election apparatus"

Kind of a false suggestion, since the Democrats have controlled the state election process in Minnesota for close to a hundred years.

[blindjester]

They mean in general, not just in Minnesota.

[mom2luke]

Just an observed generality, like higher turnout generally favors democrats.

When you make sure that EVERY SINGLE VOTE IS COUNTED, that means you go back and look at the ones the machines rejected...ALL the votes are counted including undervoters, those not exactly following directions but where voter intent is clear (x in box rather than filled in completely), etc etc this means essentially "higher turnout" which favor democrats

[blindjester]

Except for your candidate repeatedly declaring that Franken should stop it.

[wm1066]

Ya right, Mary Kiffemeyer( Minnesotas Ken Blackwell) was a Democrat! sheesh!
Once again you are trying to make up stuff.

[davezavu]

This is only more proof that the GOP believes in conditional democracy and that is democracy works when it works for them.

[FYIifyourinterested]

I think it's pretty funny Coleman expressing concern about the estimated 87k will cost. Considering he's trying to raise a million dollars to drag out the recount further. He could help out his state by instead funneling the donations to Minnesota, instead of furthering his own campaign.

[Hawkman4]

Well, maybe if Franken doesn't win, they could name him to head the FCC.

Look out Faux News!

[JePenseDoncJeSuis]

Sounds like someone is advocating censorship.

[JimGroom]

If Coleman ends up the victor he will always have a problem explaining how is barely beat a political nobody. Franken ran a good campaign and coming as close as he did says much more about Coleman than it does Franken. I certainly hope that Al is found to be the winner, but it is not looking that way at this time. Coleman has shown himself to be an insufferable ass of the first order and I'm sure that many who voted for him would change their vote if they could. BTW, if Coleman returns to Washington do you believe he will represent all the people of his state? Probably the usual suspects.

[ElBruce]

I'd be interested to hear from people who did vote for Coleman but are sorry they did due to his actions since election night and now. Some MSM reporter get on it.

[johnnyjust]

So far there have been repeatedly no attempts at anyone stopping the recount.

[DMSmith]

Gosh, a Republican claiming voter fraud trying to stop recounts in order to falsely win. Where have I hear that story before?

[karela]

Would Colemon happen to be the same guy who has "friends" who buy his clothes, provide his D.C. housing and pad his income, poor boy? If those things have been neither proven or dis-proven and are pending federal investigations, it is not hard to imagine that the man who tried to subvert the will of the people might all be capable of other activities that wouldn't please us to know about. I'm praying for Franken. Join me if you can. And while we're at it, don't forget Martin in Georgia. It will take the Senate seats in Minnesota and Georgia to make a eunich out of the republican senate leader, McConnell. McConnell initiated and ramrodded the last two years of nearly constant republican senate fillibusters to prevent any bills that might have helped Americans from ever coming to the vote. And today he's giving press conferences threatening more of the same. Send money and volunteer to get the vote out in Georgia. The republicans are dumping millions into these two races, but we have an even chance at winning both of those seats if we fight for them. Georgia is totally a matter of get out the vote because low voter turn out is their usual problems with run off elections. One last time to the breaks my friends if victory is to be outs!

[gretchenart]

considering the assassination of Wellstone paved the way for Coleman to come to power, we can expect the GOP thugs to do everything possible to hold onto power no matter what.

[RickCoMatic]

Isn't Coleman the Senator who was supposed to looking-out for our best interests with all the money and contracts directly connected to Bush's illegal war in Iraq?
Where did all that money go?
Could you have him show us some receipts?
We all know what Sen. Coleman has been doing as the watchdog of loads and loads of money that got funneled over to contractors in Iraq. He made millionaires out of no-bid contractors who stuffed tons of cash into offshore accounts; then sent him a note to send some more dough.
Somebody needs to start a major investigation. Get some hard answers about where all the money that Sen. Colman is supposed to have receipts for ... went!
Don't get too nit-picky about it. Sen. Coleman gets worked-up when you as about the fine details.
Just try to see if he can give us an idea of where it all went down to the nearest $500,000-Dollars.
You don't need to be exact.
Just close enough for Government Work!