CNN

Bob, I bet you failed or never took statistics. A swing of a couple hundred votes out of 3 million votes cast is nothing – no matter how perfect the system. To get it to ten votes or less like you claim is impossible.

If you want entertainment, go back and read the press accounts and press releases from the Coleman campaign since the day after the election and see how their tone has changed over the past two months. Hilarious.

Actually in FL 2000 it was the George Bush Jr. campaign that took the election to the courts first and not the Al Gore campaign as is commonly thought. This shows how [re]publican propaganda gets believed, because our lazy right wing biased media do not do their job. Also, in FL 2000 the ballots were NOT recounted, the [re]publicans on The Supreme Court stopped that.

Coleman's argument is bogus and he knows it too well. He is hoping for a judicial coup like that given to George Bush Jr. The votes WERE recounted to the agreed upon terms. Those terms were fine for Coleman while he was leading, now that he has lost the [re]publican, as usual, wants to bend the rules.

The [re]publicans are just throwing a wrench in the system, they know that they will lose, but in the meantime there will be one less Democratic Senator. {Re]publicans claim that they are patriots, but their actions prove again and again that they are nothing but fascists.

Once there was a man called Norm. He and his pal, Al contested for a senate seat. In the first round, Norm was declared the winner by 215 votes. Al asked for a recount and it turned out that there had been a mistake. It was actually Al who won by 215 votes in the first place. So, for putting him through such agony, the election officials added another 10 votes to his tally, giving him 225 votes to defeat Norm. Now, it's Norm who is asking for a recount. Me thinks this thing called Democracy does not sit well between friends.

Norm Coleman..perhaps you might want to touch base with Al Gore on how to handle a situation like this.

And you right wingers...sour grapes goes both ways! It doesn't taste so good does it?

And this election was only for senator. We had to endure an entire 8 years of arguably the worst President of all time as a result of a very similar unfair situation. Ah the irony...

Minnesota's high court denied Sen. Norm Coleman's campaign request to consider rejected ballots.It is over!!!

It is no wonder why the Republicans don't like recounts - too bad the Dems didn't push for a better one in 2000! And now we get to listen to their whining about it. Oh and is there an issue with Franken being a former actor/comedian? Wasn't Reagan a former actor?

It is no wonder why the Republicans don't like recounts - too bad the Dems didn't push for a better one in 2000! And now we get to listen to their whining about it. Oh and is there an issue with Franken being a former actor/comedian? Wasn't Reagan a former actor?

Former Republican Army Wife – WOW...your comments are full of enlightement....typical liberal dem with head in the sand.....

There Franken,.....now, let's not give the same opportunity to Coleman, especially since some liberal judge can decide....
they should hold an entirely new election from scratch...
They should throw out the rule that a recount must continue until the democrat is ruled the winner.

Ahh, the CNN moderators once again showing some PC towards the rightwingers. Certainly don't publish my few words of discouragement towrds them, it might offend the cretins and cause their panties to bunch up. We can't have them defending their pathetic policies in an open forum where they might get some feedback, now can we! Certainly their Messiah Rush doesn't operate in an open forum and accept feedback, so why should they?

This has to be a bitter pill for Senator Coleman. In a year when the Obama freight train ran over the Republicans, Coleman made it a close race. Tells me the Minnesota electorate admired and appreciated him for the most part, and he should take some pride and solace in that. In his spare time he can send a note to the Bush/Cheney/Rove triumvirate saying "thanks for nothing you incompentent morons; you cost me the election".

Enough decay Coleman! Republicans need to leave the room, its time to create some jobs.!

Sen Coleman, you should leave the state of Minnesota to the stupid liberals who would vote for a comedian as their senator. I would never consider living in such a hellhole. You can sit back and laugh at the idiocy that will come from the new MN senator, just as all his failed media ventures of the past. He appeals only to crazies.

Funny how in 2000, the Republicans were all over the Dems for going to court over the election. Suddenly, they're the ones in the court over a loss.

CAN WE SAY KARMA?!?!

I

To the person who thinks there should be another election – First, there were 3 people in the race for Senate... would you allow all three? Second – do you allow those that did not vote in Nov a chance to vote the second time around?

Oh – and for those that think Dems "stole" this election, please review how many judges to the MN Supreme Court were appointed by (or tied to) Republican Governors.

Coleman the sore loser. YAY!!!!

Coleman, give it up already! You and the GOP are through, admit it and move on, or should I day go home.

What happened to all the dems talking about count every vote. It was just a few weeks ago you were all talking about how every time that we have a recount repubs try to only count some of the votes. You even used 2000 as an example until many people reminded you that bush wanted to count all votes.

Anyway they should institute a rule saying that all votes must be in by election day at the time the pols close. they should also institute a rule that sates that nay questionable ballots are a non vote. That would stop all this crap. Bush won fair and square in 2000 and i bet that Franken won fair and square this time. I can't stand Franken but if he won, he won.

I am a republican, but Mr. Coleman, it's time to give up. YOU LOST!
It doesn't matter if you lose by one for or 10,000. All it takes as one vote to lose. Get over it, if the people of Minn. want you again, there is another election you can run in.
Enough already!
The republican party has really turned me off to the point where I'm ready to turn in my republican affiliation and go over to the Dem side.

Norm, You lost! Bow out now and forego the lumps you will certainly take if you pursue the matter. The people have spoken and your backing of GW Bush cost you another term. How could anyone be so naive or stupid to endorse the worst president in the history of the US.?

FRANKEN IS A GOOD POLITICAN. HE KNOWS HOW TO STEAL ELECTIONS.

Typical GOP. If ya can't win at the ballot box, take it to court.

Isn't banning frivolous lawsuits part of the Republican mantra?

What a bunch of whiners and hypocrites.

Fat ladies do sing in Minnesota after all. adios!

Democrat or Republican...no one can deny this recount was beyond shady.

Change has found its way to Minnesota...YIPPIE, kick the bum out!

Democrats; Keep counting till ahead then stop. Get buddies on the bench to block.

We can send folks to the moon but cannot perfect our voting system....

let every vote count at least once or twice to be safe.

Even had Coleman won, it was a blow to Republicans that Al Franken had come so close. Now he needs to buck up, be a man, and take his place among the constituents again until such time as the Republicans can come up with a reason why anyone would vote for someone from their party again.

Its just amazes me how hard either side is fighting to gain this senate seat which leads to me think what is a senate seat worth? Why do they and why are they fighting so hard for it? I bet it all has to do with money first and power second. What's your take?

What dont you understand Coleman THE COUNTRY IS DONE WITH REPUBLICANS FOR NOW give it up already!!

Hey Stormin' Norman. you lost .....it's done......move on!

Good grief!!! I hate desperate politicians!

I would hope Franken would give a weekly commentary of the Senates proceedings and expose how deals are brokered before they get to a vote, comment on how many lobbyists make it to the senate floor and do live interviews with lobbyists.....now that would be good humour.

Oh Kevin from OH: If the dems did steal the election, they learned it from the best stealers (repubs). The dems has stolen nothing, the American people are just sick and tired of what they have been getting for the past 8 years, it is as simple as that!

Your worst nightmare has come true.

Uh Ken, it was Al Gore in 2000 who took Florida 2000 to the courts after losing the initial count, the first recount, the second recount. He wanted to change all the counting rules in select counties. The initial Florida court denied Al Gore's request, the Democratic Florida Supreme Court ordered another recount with a change in the the counting standards state-wide (which is what Norm Coleman wants to do here), then the US Supreme Court effectively told the Florida Supreme Court they could not do that. So substitute Norm Coleman for Al Gore and that's what we have here.

For the love of God Coleman, GIVE IT UP! The Republicans are such sore losers... Franken beat you and your time is up! Gosh the elections are over and it's time to heal this country. We need to get every representative, senator, congressman in place so we can be ready to hit the ground running Jan. 20th...

Enough is enough and the fat lady has sung.

Since the decision cannot be made who won the Senate Seat, I suggest that they have another election with Franken and Coleman, but monitored by local voter's to ensure honesty. I'll bet the results would shock most people in Minnesota. Frankenstein would end up the loser, which he already is.

HAHAHA Kevin in Ohio, all you comments on all these articles blast the Democrats and add nothing of any value to any of the conversations. A little bitter are we?

For the love of God Coleman give it up! The Republicans are such sore losers... Franken beat you and your time is up! Gosh the elections are over and it's time to heal this country. We need to get every representative in place and ready to hit the road running Jan. 20th...

Yep, count the votes until their guy gets ahead and then deny all further vote counts, just like they did in Washington state 2 years ago.

Why not count ALL of the votes for a change??????

And this from the state that elected Jessie "The Body" Ventura to be their govenor a few years back.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

All I see are voices from everywhere besides Minnesota. Where are the Minnesotans? It was their votes and their rules that have allowed this to get as far as it has.

See ya, Norm. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Buh bye!!!!

If we consider Al Franken won due to popularity, then why are we not allowing the Military Ballot's to be counted which would place Coleman up by 400+votes. Al Franken is a joke (always has been and always will) and funded by big money (Soros) which is the reason this decision will continue being hammered in the courts.

Oh, dear God... amke it stop already!!

Not only has Coleman lost fair and square, but he owes it to the American voters to step aside after he and his fellow Republicans failed to protect us on 9-11, rushing us into a foolish and needless war, and for running up record deficits and driving our economy into a ditch.

To Tired of this: What the heck do you think Al Gore was trying to do when he wanted to do recounts ONLY in the three heavily democrat counties in Florida?

It is now absolutely clear that the dems have stolen this election.

GOOD, IT'S OVER TO THE WINNER GOES THE SPOILS AL FRANKEN HAS WON FAIR AN SQUARE AND TO COLEMAN THE PEOPLE SAY (ENOUGH)!!!! THIS THING HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH !!!! YOU LOST !!! AL FRANKEN IS THE NEW DEMOCRATED SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA !!!!

Seems like the night of the election, Coleman said that to drag this on would be bad for the voters......Now that he lost, he wants to DRAG IT OUT further........Funny how his perspective changed when he was the one that lost.................Typical

"Democratic voting irregularities"? Coleman ALLEGEDLY won the election at first, didn't he? And now, after a meticulous hand recount observed by both parties, and close scrutiny of all the ballots, FRANKEN has more votes. So that indicates REPUBLICAN IRREGULARITIES in the INITIAL tally. But after the microscope and bright lights were put on this contest, it looks like this is one the Republican cheaters won't be able to steal.

enough, now it is time for your trial

Mike, Syracuse NY January 5th, 2009 1:33 pm ET

OK Dems, let's hear your outrage on not counting all the votes? Oh, I guess that only applies if your guy is behind, huh?
--------------------------------
Have you not been paying attention? Franken has been saying this whole time that we should count all the votes. The ones not being counted here are ones that come from Coleman-leaning districts. The rules were set a while ago, stating that improperly rejected ballots would be counted if both parties and the board agree they should be counted. These 650 are only wanted by Coleman.
Also...

Kenneth January 5th, 2009 2:38 pm ET

Count all the votes and let the chips fall where they may but in my opinion neither of these gentlemen should be afforded a voice in the Senate.
-------------------------------
They counted the votes, the chips fell, and we want Franken in there. So, we in MN don't get a voice because you don't like how things went? Grow up.

In any election, if a recount produces a final tally greater than 10 votes, then there is something inherently wrong with the way votes are collected and tallied. Regardless of who is seated, someone needs to review thier procedures. This should have been decided Nov 4th with no questions.

As an American, I am disheartened. As a Taxpayer, I am outraged !

Mike from NY: You got now clue. Coleman lost a lot of support in Minnesota due to how he handled the recount which was showed a total lack of respect for democracy.

@Mike, Syracuse NY: Under the rules of consensus, agreed to by both campaigns, all the valid votes WERE counted. Your buddy Norm is trying to change the rules he had already agreed to. But I can see why you agree with Norm: changing the rules, and playing by your own set, has worked well for you hypocritically self-labled "contructionists".....including the FLA 2000 debacle where the [R] Supreme Court conveniently ruled for the [R] presidential candidate that citizens have no standing in court to sue to have their votes counted, let alone counted uniformly (which is the complaint du jour from Norman's camp). So Norm and YOU are hoisted on your own pitards....and I dance a joyful and smug jig to both of your political corpses!!

I find it so very hard to believe that people really want rotten mouth Frankin to represent this state.

Funny, in 2000 and 2004, Democrats cried "Every vote counts!"

Tell that to the 650 people whose votes were relegated to the scrap heap by a Minnesota court.

This guy looks dead and the embalming fluid failed.

I don't know if Franken will be good or not, but Coleman should just accept this and move on. He will be plenty busy defending himself in court soon enough.

It appears Coleman only wants to count the ballots he thinks might be in his favor. Maybe this is pay back time for the Republicans for the travesty of the Florida and Ohio election counts in 2000 & 2004???

Mike, Syracuse, NY
were you so vehement about Ohio vote counting in '04?? After all, there were several precincts where bush received more votes than registered voters.
Just asking.

I think the better question is WHY were those ballots rejected in the first place.

way to go al franken..now we have a senator with a higher I Q than bush ,cheney and palin and mc cain combined

This is a sad day in MN politics. My vote is being diminished! Coleman you better fight this to the bitter end. Do not let this go!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope Minnesota can just move on. It's not like there haven't been other actors or TV personalities in office before. I'm thinking Al Franken will make as good a Senator as Jesse Venture made Govenor...

Count Dracula just need to thrown in the towel. It's over.

Coleman owes it to the people who voted for him to root out any Democrat voting irregularities.

Let's publish the names of all 654 disenfranchised voters and allow them to sue Franken for the right to be counted.

Turnabout's fair play, GOP. Don't choke on it.

Funny...in 2000, Republicans were outraged that en election could go to the courts. A travesty, they said. Let the process run its course, they said. Don't sully the election with court battles, they said. Hmmmm, it seems the shoe is on the other foot now, and thay don't like it. NOW they think the courts should decide. Can't have it both ways, guys. Y'all lost. Give it up and move on!!

Thats right , Dems only want all votes counted if it benefits them. Hypocrites as usual. Thats ok though, because they can't handle power. They are already imploding. The Republicans won't have to get their act together because the Dems are so crooked they will oust themselves. Bush will be gone and the Dems will be without their favorite excuse to lean on. Franken is an idiot . He will implode too. Oh boy, this is going to be fun to watch. He He He....

Now that being a Republcian is no longer useful to Coleman, maybe he will switch back to being a Democrat. This bandwagon rider is as phony as a 2 dollar bill.

Boy, does this whole thing reek. Something is just not right with this mess. There looks to be some fraud by both sides. Power corrupts.

Sorry Norm no gravy train for you, looks like you may have to work for a living. ha ha ha

I believe we are overlooking the "BIG" picture. Are either of these candidates really capable of representing their constituents? It appears to me that there is an air of self-servitude instead of constituent-servitude. These actions do not comply to the change that we need but to the politics as usual adage. Count all the votes and let the chips fall where they may but in my opinion neither of these gentlemen should be afforded a voice in the Senate.

Just like Joseph Stalin said: "It's not the people who vote who count. It's the people who count the votes."

A profound comment that holds true again and again in our elections.

Apparently losing in court doesn't faze lawyers who have sworn to uphold the decisions of the court? I guess that stealing votes has become an honorable way of contesting an election. They won in Florida in 2000, why not in Minnesota in 2008?

Well, I'm afraid not this time. The court doesn't seem to be amenable to prolonging an election. They're saying, seat the senator first, then contest the validity of the votes. My guess is that the fional score will be: Frankin 1; Coleman 0. A great day for Minnesota and America.

good bye coleman and good ridance

This process was going to continue until Franken won. That's what people wanted the outcome to be. Its amazing what a discrace our democratic process is.

another republican "bites the dust"

Coleman, give it up, ok? You lost! Talk about somebody feeling a strong sense of entitlement! Very arrogant man!

The fat lady is singing Norm.......can you hear her song???

I agree, Senator Coleman...your term has expired. Move on and maybe learn something from what this election should have taught you. Run again the next election, and maybe you'll get your seat back - if you can convince your electorate that you will really represent THEM and not the big business whose pockets you've been in.

Come on Mr. Coleman, don't be like someone esle we all know!

Justice will pervail, eventually. Way to go, Franken. Tell all the Republicans to turn out the lights in their Headquarters when they retire from the fray. Their day is ended for many, many years.

strike 3..you're out!!!

I love it. Norm agreed on the 950 that were counted. They counted them. He lost. Now he wants another 650 recounted. Face it, Norm. you lost. Get over it. Quit wasting the time and money of the MN tax payers, don't take this to court and let us have our second senate seat occupied.

Norm Coleman fought a good fight.
But he was unable to keep his lead in the recount...plain and simple.
You could draw this out longer with messy legal battles Norm.
But the honorable thing to do is to bow out gracefully.
Like Al Gore did.
At least you had the benefit of a recount Norm.
The democratic party had to swallow that painful jagged pill, and it has stuck in their throat ever since.
Count your blessings Norm, and bow out gracefully, with dignity.
You lost Norm.
It's ok.

HMMMM he was ahead in the original count, but behind in the re-count?? That just doesn't seem right?

Ah, I love it when crooks lose.

time to leave with what dignity, a man being investigated by the feds,has left.
You would have had Franken leave w/o the recount ,as required by law, showing you for the scofflaw you are.

I wish they would count all the rejected votes, but the Court said no Coleman. TIime to move on and take it like a man.

Let's see what Republican Facist Party member John Cornyn tries to pull, if he tries to do something as constitutionally illegal as Bill Frist's Terry Sciavo legislation was.

Coleman should concede the election – as he had originally recommended that Franken to do.

What a bunch of whiners. Coleman lost, and that's that!

I love how missing ballots showed up in people's trunks or in other random places, but so many people don't see anything fishy taking place. Coleman won, but Franken stole the election.

Why can't rethuglicans for once do what is right for this country and play by the rules...

At some point it's best to accept the situation with dignity and professionalism. Apparently this is not something Coleman is not capable of.

Ha! Ha! It's called karma, baby! Give it up, or just get the Supreme Court involved. They might appoint you. LOL

8 years ago, when the Democrats filed legal challenges to continue counting in Florida, the Republican party painted them as sore losers... and continued this argument until very recently. Now, when the same thing happens to them, all of a sudden its the Democrats who are stealing the election and there needs to be more litigation.

Face it, thanks to Bush v. Gore, the precedent is set. Sorry Coleman, your time is done.

George Soros & ACORN win another one. Now can the libs stop their whining about the 2000 election. How many appointed libs are there in Congress now?

Let's all sing: "Another one bites the dust"

Whether it's Coleman of Franken, the people of Minoseta will still be represented in Washington. So why is Coleman so avid to be the winner? Sorry, I forgot, power, money, lavishness, no tax, call-girls, extorsion, embezzlement, everything, but the people of Minoseta.
Go ahead guys, do your things.

Frankenstein goes to Washington.

Hey!.., maybe they'll do a reality show, the misadventures of the Munsters who never quite realise why people react to them so strangely, oh wait..

Wow!!!!

It's time to move on Coleman. You lost, show some dignity and congratulate Franken.

Wait a minute, Al Franken won then? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's it!! That's my day for today, I'm done! LOL!!

Senator Al Franken....see Bill O'Reilly & Fat Limbaugh's heads explode...

When a republican says he wants all valid votes counted, you should be very cautious...remember Florida 2000?

Naa Naa na na Naa Naa na na, Hey Hey GOODBYE........
Coleman has done nothing for the great state of Minnesota. He has been a totally inept Senator. I am no Franken fan, but it speaks VOLUMES ABOUT WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK ABOUT COLEMAN, for him to be beaten by a hack comedian. Give it up Comena, you had you chance in office and you failed the people who elected you. Franken, this is a gift to you, do your best, the standard Coleman has set these past few years won't be hard to beat.

Good riddance, Coleman! All you ever did was kiss up to Bush and Cheney anyway, the absolute last thing we needed then OR now!

Anyone else here circus music?

Looks like great minds think alike Deb.

“The Coleman campaign has consistently and continually fought to have every validly cast vote counted", of course, NOW we fight to count votes, but when you're ahead, you fight counting absentee votes and even holding the recount in the first place. It's time you listen to what everyone is saying and bow out gracefully.

Now, maybe this dweeb will finally take a hike.

another of bushes croneys bite the dust.good bye coleman another bush looser.

Time to go back to eating corn through a picket fence Norm.

another of bushes croneys bite the dust.good bye coleman another bush looser.

Mr. Coleman is correct when he claims that there is/was no uniform state-wide standard for handling these ballots. The standard (or standards) are set at lower levels in that state. But the time to change such standards is before the election, not after the election when you have lost given those standards.

IMHO the court made the correct ruling. But I am highly amused because this is the exact scenerio from Florida in 2000, when the Florida Supreme Court decided to supercede existing law and attempt to recount the ballots using newly imposed standards, which the US Supreme Court (by a 7-2 vote) shot down.

The Republicans will whine that they got screwed here. But hey, the Democrats have never stopped whining about Florida 2000.

Ha-Ha – American courts are no longer going to allow themselves to be used so you Idiot Republicans can steal an election. Bye Bye Coleman go hang-out with the rest of the losers.

Can we say cry baby republicans.

so Coleman wants to just keep on counting until he wins?
Oh yea, he's a republican...how typical!

Sounds like Sen. Franken is coming to town. Good for him!

If you don't election results, simply "recount" until you win!

Good job Minnesota! I think you folks got yourselves an excellent candidate because ole Al isn't for that BS! Coleman your time is up...

Franken's 50 ballot lead is now 250+. Coleman, if you play nice and concede, maybe just maybe you will get an invitation to Obama's inauguration, hee hee!

First he didn't want to count any additional ballots. Then when he started losing, he wanted his areas' votes counted only. What a loser, in more ways than one!

Coleman wanted to cherry pick? What about Al "Count Every Vote...Unless They Didn't Vote For Me" Franken? Hypocrisy at its worst. I'd feel sorry for Minnesotans except you brought this on yourselves. Unfortunately it's ultimately going to affect the country as a whole.

Why is it that this party has a newfound love of disenfranchising voters?

Now Minnesota joins Michigan and Florida among the ranks of the States whose votes simply don't count...and they don't care about you.

If every vote counts, why not count every vote?

This has gone on long enough. Get over it – you've lost.

Senator Al Franken........it has a nice ring to it!

Now, the real "Al Franken decade" can finally begin!

Good luck with your legal problems citizen Coleman.

"It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes." (Josef Stalin)

ok so Franken won, but he had to cheat to win. Crooked as usual! Another comic in the seat! Republicans don't need to do anything to the Democrats, they are destroying themselves. Let's see what Harry Reid does next with Burris.

I wonder if he has nothing to fall back on or if hes interested in the recent raises that the congress just approved for themselves. Why is he fighting so hard for a post that doesn't belong to him?

Its time someone ask him this question. If half the folks of MN didnt vote for him, he should know that hes not so deserving of the post after 4yrs in the Senate. He should have won by a landslide.

Its time for him to go away...unless hes got some promises to the contractors that fixed his house that hes trying to fight for...say another BAILOUT to them.

move on it is over.............

Franken has gotten more votes than voters

Coleman will do anything to win, but he's gonna go.
I can't wait to hear the rage on rush limbaugh's lips when his arch rival for several years becomes a senator and he himself becomes more and more irrelevant as time goes on.

Coleman Go Home Al Franken won fair and square

Minn elected Al Franken... LOL

Says a lot about the education system in those parts... welcome to the Democrat party Al... should be a blast having you in DC's inner circle... ha ha... this is rich... Bet the Kennedy's, Kerry's, Clintons, etc will have the welcome wagon out... BE PROUD MINN... YOU DID IT!

It was close, but you lost, Coleman.
The era of Republican wins based on close losses are over.

Ohhhhhhh!

sa-winng and a miss........

Just give it up Coleman. You lost. Now put on your big boy pants and concede.

Coleman could always change parties again and run for Minnetonka Dog Catcher.

“The Coleman campaign has consistently and continually fought to have every validly cast vote counted"

Was Mr. Knaak able to say this with a straight face?

Coleman turn the lights out....it's over

Turn out the lights Coleman......the party is over for you.

With that, Pete Tagliani has officially become part of the U.S. Senate. Yea! Goodbye Winfield Adcock.

OK Dems, let's hear your outrage on not counting all the votes? Oh, I guess that only applies if your guy is behind, huh?

Coleman wanted to cherry-pick ballots in areas he did well in. Play by the rules, Mr. Coleman. You lost this thing...