How the GOP threw the 2008 presidential election (sort of)

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Barack Obama will soon be inaugurated as the United States’ 44th President, a feat of unparalleled significance in our history. I don’t want to take anything away from this monumental victory, but there is a reason that McCain didn’t win (and it’s not Sarah Palin). After eight years of a Republican administration that devastated so many aspects of our nation (no need to repeat the list), the GOP knew it would be a losing battle trying to put another Republican in the White House. Furthermore, why would they want to? With our economy in dire straights and a foreign policy situation long out of our control (and is tenuously looking to get worse), another Republican president in 2008 would run a tarnished administration from the start. Continue Reading

Following the Franken/Coleman recount/lawsuit news

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15 • Statewide election results — posted on the Secretary of State’s web site. Canvass is the county-by-county vote report turned in to the Secretary of State’s office, and reflected in the figures on the Secretary of State’s web site.Audit is the legally-required hand recount of selected precincts to make sure that machine totals are not significantly different from actual totals. This is done after every election. That just-completed audit resulted in the change of ony six votes in the Senate race.State Canvassing Board, made up of two Supreme Court judges, two District Court judges and the Secretary of State, will meet on September 18 to certify the count and official election results.Recount will begin AFTER the State Canvassing Board meets on November 18 and officially orders a recount. The recount takes place in more than a hundred locations across the state, conducted by local election officials and then reported back to the State Canvassing Board. Continue Reading

VOICES | Election will inspire Blacks regardless of outcome

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It is generally agreed among all sides that this year’s presidential election will find its place in history as one of the most talked-about elections in the annals of American history. And for African Americans, it could prove to be the most meaningful event since the Emancipation Proclamation. At this writing, I have no idea who the winner will be, whether Senator John McCain or Senator Barrack Obama. Either way, it will have historical significance, so I decided to envision a scenario for both sides. If Obama wins
The immediate effect will be jubilation among many diverse supporters throughout the country. Continue Reading

November 6 and still counting: Coleman leads by 336, three seats in state legislature also up for recount

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Here’s the scoop on recounts in Minnesota: Four races are so close that they have triggered automatic recounts. State law requires a recount in races within a margin of victory of 0.5%..At close of day on Thursday, Norm Coleman led Al Franken by 336 votes in the Senate race. CORRECTION 11/9/08: Two Minnesota House races must have recounts. In District 12B up in Morrison County, DFL incumbent Al Doty leads Republican candidate Mike Lemieur by 76 votes. In District 16A, DFL candidate Gail Kulick Jackson leads Republican candidate Sondra Erickson by 99 votes. Continue Reading

Obama win prompts nighttime dance-party in the streets of Minneapolis

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By far the most exuberant election party of the night was along Cedar Avenue, right in the middle of the street. People from the Somali community, the Nomad Pub, and the nearby Bedlam theater led groups of little kids, young adults, immigrants and older folks–more than 250 people in all–in chants and dances. One guy appointed himself traffic director, ensuring honking cars were able to weave through the rivers of dancers. Another was a self-appointed band leader, blowing a whistle that turned onlookers into instant dancers and marchers. When I first arrived at around 11:15, one man, a Somali immigrant, told me he had been dancing in the street for an hour. Continue Reading

Minnesota Senate, Congressional, judicial, and school elections

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Here’s a round-up of the past two days of election news stories: • Recount ahead for Minnesota’s Coleman-Franken Senate race• Bachmann, all Congressional incumbents win; Paulsen defeats Madia• Minnesota judicial elections: Incumbents and Gail Chang Bohr, Jane Ranum• Minneapolis: Bates, Davis and Lee win school board seats, both referendums pass• African immigrant citizens challenge GOP challengers, celebrate election day in Minneapolis• Election excitement in North Minneapolis• Pictures at the polls• Full text: Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama, as prepared for delivery on Election Night, November 4th, 2008, Chicago, Illinois Continue Reading

Recount ahead for Minnesota’s Coleman-Franken Senate race

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UPDATED 2:15 p.m. Although AP called Norm Coleman the winner in the Minnesota Senate race, Franken trailed by only 462 votes out of almost 2.9 million cast, with all but one precinct reporting. That razor-thin vote count triggers an automatic recount under Minnesota law, so the winner will not be known for some weeks. The recount will not begin until after the November 18 meeting of the state canvassing board, which will officially direct the Secretary of State’s office to conduct a recount. Senator Norm Coleman’s campaign website proclaimed “VICTORY,” and Coleman for Senate Campaign Manager Cullen Sheehan released an official statement saying, in its entirety:
“The Senator is thrilled and humbled to be given the opportunity to serve the people of Minnesota for another six years. Today is a time for us to come together as a state and a nation. Continue Reading