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Minnesota Secy of State Not Happy with 'Premature' Franken Claim
December 31, 2008 3:16 PM
The podcast is available on iTunes or HERE.
As I mentioned a little while ago, in our ABC News Shufflle Podcast interview, Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie didn't quite care for Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken's comment that "it looks like we’re on track to win. ... Now, there’s more to do before it’s over -- there are still some Minnesotans whose voices haven’t been heard yet because their absentee ballots were improperly rejected. But when those votes are counted and the recount is complete, I believe we will have won this election.”
Said Ritchie, after I read him Franken's statement and asked him if it was premature, "No human being can predict the future or what's going to happen with the one thousand three hundred some still unopened wrongly rejected absentee ballots so I would say yes, it's premature but from the first night our office has said clearly there is no current person ahead or behind, there is no way to predict who will win or lose, only when the final ballot is done can you say this."
"But that hasn't stopped the campaigns from making claims for fundraising and other purposes," Ritchie said. "So this claim is just another claim by the lawyers of the candidates and by the candidates themselves that cannot be substantiated, cannot be backed up by any facts. So it is premature and, you know, I've not been happy that the campaigns have continued to make these claims but there is really nothing I can do about it."
(We should point out that Coleman has prematurely declared victory a number of times as well. The morning after election night, after the unofficial canvass of counties, and after a canvassing board ruling.)
Ritchie and I discussed a number of issues relevant to the recount. Some items of note:
I read Mr. Ritchie part of an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that described him as having been "endorsed by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now -- Acorn -- a group under investigation in several states for suspected voter registration chicanery," and noting that Ritchie's "election campaign in 2006 was funded in part by something called 'The Secretary of State Project.' This latter group, founded by MoveOn.org's former grass-roots director, exists solely to install far-left candidates as secretaries of state in swing states."
What did Ritchie -- who talked a lot about the State Canvassing Board being non-partisan -- think of such a description?
"I haven't seen it," he said, "I never respond to personal attacks or that kind of, you know, shenanigans in newspapers like that ... I think people are very proud of the way we do elections in Minnesota and that pride and that trust is reflected in the fact that we are always number 1 voting in the nation and we're 5 percentage points above the state that is number 2. People trust our elections in Minnesota because they're run on a fair and non partisan basis and because they trust that they turn out and vote."
Of a recent Miami Herald editorial that assured Floridians that Minnesota recount compared similarly with the Sunshine state's 2000 debacle, Ritchie was concise: Florida, he said, "didn't do a recount so there's really no discussion here. Florida aborted the recount they didn’t do a recount. That's a disaster for Floridians and too bad for the nation 'cause it created such a bad impression of local election and state election officials. Florida did not do a recount and so there's really nothing to compare to our system."
Having written a book about the Florida recount, I recalled how local officials suffered through all sorts of personal attacks during that state's recount.
How is Ritchie holding up?
"The thing that's been unfortunate has been the kind of abuse that staff and especially local election officials have had to suffer," he said. "And when some editorial in, say, a national newspaper that comes out and makes a partisan kind of attack or makes a claim then we might get up to thousand emails from people all over the country or they generate death threats which of course are alarming to everybody so folks here have just had to put the blinders on to the outside world, the death threats, the attacking partisan editorials and just say, 'Look, the people of Minnesota are who we serve, they have had a close election, we often have a close elections because we've got six political parties, we are gonna find out how did the people of Minnesota voted on Nov. 4 and we're gonna do that out in front of everybody so that everybody -- maybe they're gonna be disappointed but they're gonna say, "Yeah, I am disappointed but that’s how we as a state voted."'
Ritchie said that "people are tired, this week has been particularly hard because everyone's having to work through holidays and we had some big holidays making things complicated. I am personally very proud and pleased as to how everyone has been able to hold up and to ignore the attacks."
You can listen to the full podcast on iTunes or HERE.
-- Jake Tapper and Huma Khan
December 31, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (208)
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sam,
there is dem control of two branches of government. the legislature is a branch as a whole, the supreme court is the third branch, which many would not consider to be ruled by democrats.
Posted by: Jim | Jan 1, 2009 5:49:35 PM
When Richie said that Florida did not do a recount he had to be referring to a state recount. Gore had the choice of going with a state recount but chose not to, against the advise of his advisors. Instead, Gore chose to go with selected counties that historically were strongly Democratic. Also, I still do not understand how Coleman's ~ 750 vote lead dwindled to ~ 200 votes before the recount started.
Posted by: Richard, Dubuque | Jan 1, 2009 5:38:55 PM
Franken=schlossberg=burris=kaufman(beau biden)= obama=progressive evil
Posted by: Schlossberg / burris | Jan 1, 2009 5:13:01 PM
MN senate reults=third world voting
Franken=insane=joke=progressive evil
Iam sure once in the senate, franken will agree w/ the new current occupant to spread your wealth around.
Posted by: Schlossberg / burris | Jan 1, 2009 5:06:58 PM
I served 21 years... Al's big trip to the green zone doesn't impress me in the least. However, if he had been outside the fence hunting IEDs or guarding convoys then I'd show some respect.
Posted by: Bemused | Jan 1, 2009 4:56:49 PM
Wow, if going to Iraq is what you think makes a great politician, then I'm sure you think George W. Bush is the greatest right? How many times has the Messiah been there now? Once?
Posted by: Dan In SC | Jan 1, 2009 4:16:13 PM
"Al Franken has actually gone over to Iraq to entertain our troops, which is a whole lot more than most of the people who have been slandering him on this page has ever done for our country I bet."
Twenty plus years of honorable service world-wide in the United States Navy. Retired, and now working at a State Job next door for the past 11 years.
What are your qualifications, Skip?
Posted by: Outsider | Jan 1, 2009 3:50:12 PM
it takes a state to raise an idiot, and the circus needs a clown. this is what this country has come to be. no wonder we are being marginalized on the world stage. democrats rejoise in our decline.
Posted by: kevin | Jan 1, 2009 3:42:13 PM
Al Franken has actually gone over to Iraq to entertain our troops, which is a whole lot more than most of the people who have been slandering him on this page has ever done for our country I bet.
Posted by: Skip | Jan 1, 2009 3:09:54 PM
When will we learn that when a Democrat wins, we all lose.
Posted by: Republiker | Jan 1, 2009 2:36:29 PM
It is obvious from reading this article that it is a fluff piece with no teeth designed to keep too much attention from being focused on the Dem fix.
It is also evident from the comments that the libs have no idea about history and have been spoon fed their talking points. Chambliss did not mock or denigrate Cleland's service or patriotism. just his voting record.
The Republicans have not been in charge for the last 8 years, we have had a Republican president for 8 years. The leadership in the Senate has changed back and forth and the Democrats have controlled the last two years, the two where all the financial and economic trouble manifested. Sure, the actions of Democrats from Carter on led to it but it was current big names taking all the money and covering for friends.
As for Franken, he is an idiot who physically attacks people with whom he disagrees. If he ever attacked a real man he would get his ass handed to him. Funny though, the libs say Bush stole an election (he did not) but are OK with the shenanigans going on with "found" unsecured ballots.
For those of you who think God is taking care of us by putting Democrats in charge, you libs have taken God out of school, out of public life and out of everything else. What makes you think that he is doing us a favor by putting Dems in charge?
He is punishing us.
Barack and his peeps are certainly punishment enough but God will pile on with Franken...
Posted by: Big Dog | Jan 1, 2009 2:18:08 PM
Another democrat stealing another election.
You democrats are getting good at wide open thieving.
Rome is falling - and you're smashing the columns and calling it justice.
I can't stand the demcorats anymore - they are a SHAME.
Posted by: Slickico | Jan 1, 2009 2:15:10 PM
From a State that elect Jesse the Body as gov, why not a proven liar, Air America Jock and all around wrong person. Lets get Al on board the "Jimmy Carter II" train and then in two years we get rid of all the Democrat's, control Congress and in four years Jimmy Carter can say he was not the worst President ever! With a few weeks until Obama takes over, the Office of the President Elect as folded like a cheap shirt in world events. Still hoping that the disproven Keynes Economics of FDR will start the economy, he is ready to bring socialism to the USA and handouts to everyone that failed in Business. Good news is that we will not have to worry about it, just the next ten generations.
Posted by: Steve | Jan 1, 2009 2:13:18 PM
Why is it, that when the name Al Franken is mentioned or read, the word "buffoon" immediately comes to mind?
PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA: He's a failed comedian, how do you think he will do as a politician. I will join you in laughter at the outcome, and it will be the first time I have ever laughed at something he's done.
Posted by: Steve | Jan 1, 2009 2:11:45 PM
If he's not happy with Franken declaring victory then maybe he should stop coordinating his efforts with the Franken campaign. Ritchie is a partisan hack and this "recount" was just a vote hunt for Franken.
Posted by: Bo Darville | Jan 1, 2009 2:08:25 PM
Since Franken is currently ahead, I'm surprised they haven't stopped counting already. That's what happened in Washington. Maybe the election stealers don't want to be so obvious this time.
And don't give me any BS about Florida. Gore was never ahead, not after the first vote and not after any recount, despite all the fraud that was being perpetrated on his behalf.
Posted by: Roxanna | Jan 1, 2009 1:49:34 PM
Wow, what a complete joke Minn is, first electing Jesse then this debacle with Al and Ritchie... Who's next a fictional character?
Posted by: Bemused | Jan 1, 2009 1:49:11 PM
George Carlin would have made a great senator with his unique powers of observation coupled with his ability to "dumb down" and interpret what the pols are really doing. Not to mention he'd be nobody's toady.
Al Franken--well at least he'd be funny and honest. And you have to be smart to be a comedian. Better than most pols.
Norm Coleman--Oh well, he'd be neither.
Go get him Al, we could all use a funny senator with a brain.
Posted by: Larry | Jan 1, 2009 1:40:00 PM
Franken has on his staff, the man who engineered the current Washington governor's stealing of the election in 2004. This man uses the same tactics Gore wanted to use in FL - recount only ballots from heavily democratic districts, allow questionable ballots to be counted, even if they went against state laws, and they had to have at least an 80% favorability towards the Democrat candidate.
With those criteria, Gregoire won in Washington, and Franken is ready to steal the election from the Minnesota people in 2008.
Posted by: JoshuA | Jan 1, 2009 1:19:50 PM
What an amazing statistical feat!
Some 800+ (lost ballots but miraculously found, "misplaced" ballots, etc.) overwhelmingly going for Franken.
Nevermind the date issues for some of the ballots.
Funny the Presidential vote in those same counties didn't have the "count" issues, just the Senate seat.
Sorry Florida, Minnesota has upstaged you. Albeit without the hanging and dimpled chads.
Posted by: MN | Jan 1, 2009 1:12:43 PM
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