snips From AP
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Minnesota-Senate.html?_r=1The state Canvassing Board denied Franken's request to factor absentee ballots rejected by poll workers into the recount. He sought to overturn the exclusions in cases where ballots were invalidated over signature problems or other voter errors. Coleman's campaign maintained the board lacked power to revisit those ballots.
The ruling wasn't a complete victory for Coleman. The board left open the possibility of examining ballots that were set aside for errors outside of the voter's control.
Franken's campaign had made the push to factor in rejected absentee ballots key to its recount strategy, even going to court to force county officials to turn over data on voters whose ballots didn't count.
Marc Elias, the legal chief for Franken, said the campaign won't appeal the board's ruling but it could seek intervention of another kind once the recount wraps up. ''Whether it is at the county level, before the Canvassing Board, before the courts or before the United States Senate, we don't know yet. But we remain confident these votes will be counted,'' Elias said.
The board's decision drew a response from the Senate's top Democrat, Majority Leader Harry Reid, who called it a ''cause for great concern.'' ''As the process moves forward, Minnesota authorities must ensure that no voter is disenfranchised,'' Reid said in a statement. ''A citizen's right to have his or her vote counted is fundamental in our democracy.''
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I am not saying Reid is abjectly wrong. I want every vote counted too... But the Senate should not attempt to rule on the the legitimacy of ballots thrown out by the people who set the rules long time ago, Refusing to seat Coleman on that basis would have a devastatingly corrosive effect on moving Obama's agenda forward, It would sour the entire post-election tone in Washington. That is not what we need .....It is certainly not what Obama needs. Let alone the seething RW pundits would rally the base to re-enforce the GOP senators on every piece of close legislation,
Talks about cutting of your nose despite your face.
Franken should win or lose on the besides of legitimate votes casts. If he is still down after the recount is done and after the Board gets through the Disputed ballots. he should throw in the towel.
Senate interventions just is not worth the whirlwind it will reap/
It would be easier to get Collins or Snowe to come across the aisle on cloture anyway. Let's be real there is always some crossover on cloture votes anyway It is not worth poisoning the well to get to 60 Dems who are never going to walk in lockstep on Reid's orders anyway.
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