Surprise - False story re: Absentee ballots in MN election director car started by Coleman's lawyer

[sabra]

http://www.minnpost.com/davidbrauer/2008/11/12/4565/minneapolis_election_director_speaks_ballots_in_my_car_story_false

Minneapolis election director speaks: 'Ballots in my car' story false

You'd think Democrats would be content with last week's electoral rout. But judging from the odd doings in Minnesota, some in their party wouldn't mind adding to their jackpot by stealing a Senate seat for left-wing joker Al Franken. ... For example, there was Friday night's announcement by Minneapolis's director of elections that she'd forgotten to count 32 absentee ballots in her car. — Wall Street Journal, Nov. 12

--

Mark Twain’s quip is that “a lie travels halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes” is proving apt when it comes to Minnesota’s recount.

The “car ballot” anecdote has become the tent pole for Republicans and allies raising doubts about the recount’s fairness. Sometimes, re-tellers get Minneapolis Elections Director Cindy Reichert’s gender wrong — as in this Toronto Globe and Mail story, or on Fox News Wednesday, when our own Gov. Tim Pawlenty said:

“As I understand it, and this is based on news accounts, he claims that even though they were in his car, that they were never outside of his security or area of control, so the courts allowed that. It seems a little loose to me.”

Asked host Megyn Kelly, “What were they doing in his car?”

Pawlenty: “There has not been a good explanation for that, Kelly. That’s a very good question, but they’ve been included in the count pile which is concerning.”

...

The “car ballot” story emerged Saturday from the mouth of 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.”

Still, the lie that won’t die is that Reichert toted around ballots like an empty McDonald’s bag thrown into the back seat.

[Morning Dew]

1. the explanation is at the link and is worth the read.

Before getting into the details, she makes three fundamental points:

1. The ballots were never in her car.

2. The ballots were never in anyone’s car for several days.

3. The ballots were never lost or forgotten, and spent Election Night until counting day in secure city facilities.

it's too many paragraphs for snipping.

[krispos42]

2. This is good to know

A co-worker asked me about it yesterday.

[sabra]

3. did her/she see it on Fox or hear it on RW radio?

[krispos42]

6. I didn't ask but probably on talk radio

He listens to a local guy on AM during his drive to work, but he also sometimes listens to the local RW FM station. Our Air America affiliate only has 1,000 watts and doesn't reach this far outside the Cities.

We had a 2 hours political discussion on election day. Halfway through it another guy who's a conservative came down on a forklift, shook my hand, and said "your man won". :-)

[Critters2]

4. Doesn't a lawyer lying so blatantly risk losing his license?

This guy needs to be held accountable.

[Overseas]

5. Lee Atwater politics from Norm Coleman-- faking news stories to smear an opponent

That Lee Atwater technique was most famously copied by Karl Rove when he charged his candidate's opponent with bugging his office, even though he himself planted the bug. Rove timed his news story to come out too close to the election to be cleared up and his candidate won.

To learn more about Lee Atwater's ruthless campaigning in which The Ends Always Justified the Means you can check out the documentary "Boogieman, THe Lee Atwater Story" now playing as part of the Frontline series, I hear. It is spelled as Boogie because he played the blues quite well as his hobby.

Or get the documentary for your permanent collection as I have at www.boogiemanfilm.com

He really revved up lying and stirring up racial tension as campaign tactics. One of his great achievements was destroying Dukakis' candidacy, with the Willie Horton ad and other smears.