Ted Stevens Might Lose His Seat Before He's Expelled

The Senate may not have to deal with the difficult challenge of expelling felon Senator Ted Stevens.

It looks as if the voters of Alaska might have cleaned up the ethical and legal mess that is their senior senator by defeating him at the polls on November 4.

But it will still take awhile to know for sure.

For the first week after the election, Republican Stevens -- who was convicted prior to the election on seven counts of failing to report illegal gifts -- maintained a small but seemingly insurmountable lead over Democratic challenger Mark Begich.

But it takes Alaska a lot longer to count ballots than other states. And as election officials have finally started to get serious about reviewing tens of thousands of absentee and "questioned" ballots, Begich has rapidly narrowed the margin.

On Wednesday, after state officials tabulated roughly 60,000 absentee, early and questioned ballots, Begich moved into the lead.

The totals were:

Begich: 132,196

Stevens: 131,382

That's an 814-vote lead for Begich, a number that suggests the Alaska race could produce a significantly clearer result than the unsettled Minnesota contest between Republican Senator Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken.

The Alaskan margin will change again. The state's election division still must review as many as 35,000 additional ballots over the next week.

The bottom line is clear: Stevens is by no means reelected. Alaska is in play, and this race could yet be won by Begich.

If Democrats win the Alaska seat, prevail in the required recount in Minnesota and win next month's Georgia run-off between Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss and Democratic challenger Jim Martin -- all possible results -- the party could yet get to the "magic number" of 60.

Sixty votes are required to block a filibuster and advance legislation in the tradition-bound Senate.

Democrats went into the 2008 election with a 51-49 majority in the chamber.

The party has already won 57 seats.

Alaska's Begich would be 58.

Minnesota's Franken would be 59.

Georgia's Martin would be 60.

Stay tuned: The 2008 election season remains unfinished. And it is starting to get interesting again.

Comments (65)

1. saw it on msnbc

   HUZZAH!!!

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 11/12/2008 @ 10:36pm

2. A confirmation would be appreciated!

   Posted by HAPPYLonghorn at 11/12/2008 @ 10:39pm

   I don't need a confirmation Happy. I'll take you at your word.

   "PS to PS to PS: Anybody notice the stock market has magically shaved off 15%+ since the market close on Nov. 4th! BTW, that's ~$3 Trillion of wealth spread around in just 6 trading days....hope you Lefties are enjoying the `spread'!"

   Notice it's been rubber banding like that for the last couple months. Check your charts again Happy. On October 21st, it was lower than it is now and on October 10th it was close to this low. Look at the papers. The reason it's dropping more and more now is because even more the s*** is hitting the fan. Expect it to continue to plummet.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 11/12/2008 @ 11:37pm

3. Also Happy. Between the 8-9th of October it dropped almost 700 points. It did that again October 12-15th. Look at the October 1 - 10 spread. More than 2000 points in 10 days. So how much was lost in those many different days when the Dow dropped? Even I looking at the charts can see that it ain't the election that caused it. There was a brief pop up from the 6th to the 7th of November. This isn't the election clues. This is the auto-industry falling apart. The huge numbers of jobs just lost taking their impact and more and more companies coming forward and saying that they are failing.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 11/12/2008 @ 11:42pm

4. The DOW is fluctuating constantly ESPECIALLY every time we get news of what is being done with the tax money we are handing over to Wall Street. I think investors are waiting to see if it helps and it isn't the companies the government is giving money to are still failing and now Bush is refusing to give money to the auto-industry. Looking at the companies failing left and right and you will see the culprit.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 11/12/2008 @ 11:48pm

5. Posted by Cccomfo1 at 11/12/2008 @ 11:42pm

   Oh Leave Happy to his fantasies 3C. If he actually has to accept that conservatism is on the wane in the US, he might just have to blow up or something. And then where would we get our right-wing comic relief?

   Posted by yutsano at 11/12/2008 @ 11:50pm

6. And then where would we get our right-wing comic relief? Posted by yutsano at 11/12/2008 @ 11:50pm

   LVL?

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 11/13/2008 @ 12:30am

7. begich up by a bunch more:

   http://www.elections.alaska.gov/08general/data/results.htm

   Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 02:46am

8. And then where would we get our right-wing comic relief?

   Posted by yutsano at 11/12/2008 @ 11:50pm

   Not to worry. There are plenty of idiots on the right posting here besides Happy. Though it's been nice that he hasn't been around for a while. No doubt he's losing his shirt on his short term bets on the market.

   Posted by Wolfgang1 at 11/13/2008 @ 04:08am

9. Well HAPPY, that is the MAGIC of 7 1/2 years of your boy giving you the guvt you asked for.

   Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 07:22am

10. Stevens main support comes from the "bible belt" of Alaska, including the once unknown village of Wasilla. What is it about the bible thumpers that allows them to vote for a convicted felon? What kind of values do they intend to pass on to their kids? That the Ten Suggestions are only suggestions after all? That it is OK to lie and accept bribes as long as you accept Jesus and toe the party line?

    too rich! It pretty much sums up the group that brought us Tom Delay, JAck Abromoff and calls Chimpy McFlightsuit a hero after he abandoned his country to go drinking in Alabama.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 07:27am

11. Posted by HAPPYLonghorn at 11/12/2008 @ 10:39pm

    Well, first, like a man who honors his debts....I'm sure "TN" appreciates it.

    Second, how is it that the Market HALVED its value....before Obama was even elected, HAPP?

    Did the brokers KNOW that he was going to win back in August...and just didn't let poor McCain and Palin know it was assured and let them waste their time campaigning?

    BTW, speaking of bizarre blame games, did you hear from Limbaugh that Hank Paulson has been President of the United States for the past few weeks....responsible and accountable to nobody higher?

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 09:06am

12. It's "tradition-bound," not "traditional-bound."

    Posted by cka2nd at 11/13/2008 @ 09:57am

13. FWIW: On Democracy Now on Tuesday, there was a discussion with an Alaskan journalist about why Stevens came out ahead despite trailing badly in the polls. The journalist noted that the early count came largely from voting done on Diebold touch screen machines. The vote now being tabulated comes from paper ballots. Also according to this report, the computer system used to process the count at least until recently (not sure if it's still this way) could be accessed by the same username and password so any manipulation could not be tracked back to any particular person (although I suppose they should be able to track it to a particular terminal).

    Anyway, the Alaska vote smelled pretty bad. It's at least somewhat reassuring that Begich looks like he'll win anyway. Pure speculation: perhaps Palin squelched an election steal on her return to Alaska out of fear that a controversy would jeopardize her political future (real or imagined)

    Posted by toodleoh at 11/13/2008 @ 10:19am

14. Posted by lvliberty1 at 11/13/2008 @ 10:29am

    LVLIB, whose dictates were Bush and Paulson obeying when they put forth the bail-out? I'm curious.

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 10:32am

15. Why does it take so long to count votes in Alaska? Do they use a team of moose each counting ballots a hoof clomp at a time?

    Posted by RobVukovic at 11/13/2008 @ 10:46am

16. Luvvy, McCAin shares the top donors with Obama, that dog won't hunt.

    Unions are full of people. People that had contracts negotiated in good faith. Somehow I imagine that mgmt and the top execs will get a chunk of the bailout, if it happens

    Unions do not control the dems anymore. Another dog that will stay in the truck.

    You live in 1972. It is time to "move-on".

    Maybe you could tell us why it is that the bible belt of AK went so strong for a convicted felon? Was it because of unions, liberal media or a vast left-wing conspiracy?

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:10am

17. NAFTA seems to be working according to plan. Except for the American jobs it was supposed to create, and the Mexican immigrants it was supposed to keep in Mexico, and the Mexican corupption it was supposed to quell.

    Other than that, Mission Accomplished.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:13am

18. "I also seem to recall that the top 4 donors to the Obama campaign came from Wall Street"-LUVVY

    But, you called Obama a Marxist, Communist and Socialist!!!

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:15am

19. Here you go Rev, AGAIN...If you are going to spread lies, please do it from the pulpit, not in a forum read by kids.

    "I also seem to recall that the top 4 donors to the Obama campaign came from Wall Street"-LUVVY

    I think you meant to say the TOP 4 DONORS FROM MCCAINS..."

    Obama

    Goldman Sachs $874,207

    Harvard University $717,230

    Microsoft Corp $714,108

    Google Inc $701,099

    JPMorgan Chase & Co $581,460

    Citigroup Inc $581,216

    National Amusements Inc $543,859

    Time Warner $508,148

    Sidley Austin LLP $492,445

    Stanford University $481,199

    Skadden, Arps et al $473,424

    Wilmerhale Llp $466,679

    UBS AG $454,795

    Latham & Watkins $426,924

    Columbia University $426,516

    Morgan Stanley $425,102

    IBM Corp $415,196

    University of Chicago $414,555

    US Government $400,819

    McCain:

    Citigroup Inc $296,151

    Morgan Stanley $262,777

    Goldman Sachs $228,695

    JPMorgan Chase & Co $215,042

    US Government $195,505

    AT&T Inc $185,063

    Credit Suisse Group $178,053

    PricewaterhouseCoopers $166,470

    Blank Rome LLP $161,826

    Wachovia Corp $159,107

    US Army $158,170

    UBS AG $147,465

    Bank of America $143,026

    Greenberg Traurig LLP $142,137

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:21am

20. I also seem to recall that the top 4 donors to the Obama campaign came from Wall Street.

    Yes, that means that Bush was a sellout on this issue. I've never hesitated to criticize his actions that I disagree with.

    Posted by lvliberty1 at at 11/13/2008 @ 10:53am

    Or, more likely, "Bush was a sellout" to his own Treasury Secretary, whose ties to Wall Street run a lot deeper and involve a lot more money than anything Obama had to do with.

    It's hard for me to imagine that Obama was on the phone with Bush and/or Paulson from the campaign trail to say "You know what'd be great? $700B to Wall Street. Hank, you there with me, buddy? I know it goes against your better judgment as the Secretary of Treasury to socialize corporate losses, and god knows that your ties to Goldman Sachs had nothing to do with letting competitor Lehman Brothers die, but is there anything I can do to convince you to drop your morals this one time? While your at it, throw in some sweeping, nearly unchallengeable powers for yourself too. Oh, and slip in that change to section 382 for that extra $140B giveaway that Republicans have been angling for, too. "

    Somehow methinks Bush with Paulson were much closer to this than Obama with Paulson.

    I'm prima facie against bailouts as well, but were I to choose between the two, I'd choose the auto industry and the potential protection of thousands of blue-collar jobs over what Wall Street has heretofore done with our tax dollars.

    However, I'll admit to being uneducated on the whys and why nots for bailing anybody out, from airlines to banks to autos to mortgage-holders, so if anyone has info I could use as a primer, it'd be appreciated.

    Posted by ender21 at 11/13/2008 @ 11:22am

21. ""Just say no!"....national socialism is on the march! -HAPPYRACISTCOWARD

    Brought to us by Merril Lynch, Goldman Sach, Wachovia and the people that voted for George W. Bush...twice.

    "This analogy is to explain low risk-taking among the typical small biz start ups....the Plumber Joes of the US. "Another gem from HAPPYRACISTCOWARD

    Do you mean the unlicensed plumbers that really are NOT planning on starting their own company because they don't have the 250k they asked about? So, again, you are talking about fairy land.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:25am

22. Bush was "helping" the Democrats.

    That made me laugh out loud, LIBERTY.

    Almost 8 years of a White House acting as if it was running a perpetual campaign and little effort to reach across the aisle, and now Bush is going to "help" on his way out the door.

    What's his motive you think?

    Posted by Hman23 at 11/13/2008 @ 11:31am

23. Magic...what?

    Finish the phrase racist coward.

    Taxes are low, low low...

    In Iraq.

    Investment opportuities abound. Security has not been better for years. Right?

    ---

    HMAN, up is green, left is grain prices in Guatamala, Palin lost because of her liberal running mate.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:35am

24. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:35am

    Where did the story originate?

    Move-On?

    ACORN?

    NYT?

    FOX....

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:37am

25. "Border relations between Canada and Mexico have never been better"-GWB

    Gonna miss that guy. We could always count on the absurd being true with him. Not like the stories coming out of the McCAin campaign about Palin. She NEVER asked for those clothes, except when she asked for them. She wouod not accept anymore gifts from the RNC, except for the gists she accpeted after she said she would not accept them.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:40am

26. Yeah, well that's what happens, when you let conservatism sway you all into believing it's conservative, while all those Republican pigs gorge on your ignorance. He deserves every charge he gets, and should be banished from politics altogether. There is no excuse for our leaders to cheat us, lie to us, and take more money than they need. If these old school Republicans don't start realizing we live in the INFORMATION age, where Johnny Dimeadozen can get any information he/she wants about the actions of their political leaders, then that party is going to fade away sooner rather than later.

    Posted by cj5 at 11/13/2008 @ 11:42am

27. jcewfi e fporonfo4hrkgmir3j3

    nfjr313h4

    nf43ht4ho

    jvnrohg

    nirhgoh!!!jfghgohr?

    I can speel fien! Thank you!

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:42am

28. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:40am

    Yes, that is correct Darin. FOX hired Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum as "experts" on election night because they are in Obamas Marxist camp, along with L. Summers, C. Powell, Mr. Rubin etc etc.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 11:44am

29. unions

    Posted by lvliberty1 at 11/13/2008 @ 10:29am

    larry, i've been nice too long. you've called me names and i've just kinda smiled.

    but this is too much.

    so now,

    i'm calling you an idiot.

    yep, idiot.

    sorry, but idiot strikes me as the best choice.

    if only y'all had listened to mr. carter........

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 11:46am

30. It is too incredible to be belived.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:35am

    yep, conservotives are smartur.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 11:48am

31. I never believed it for a second. It is too incredible to be belived. Yet many of you fell for an obvious hoax because you desperately wanted to believe it because it reinforced your world view of Dems/Libs smart and Reps/Cons dumb.

    Are any of you appropriately ashamed of your gulibility? Are you appropriately ashamed that you let your hatred and other emotions cause to to believe a ridiculous lie? No, no you aren't.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:35am

    The hoax was that Martin Eisenstadt had come out as being the source of the Palin smears, not the smears themselves.

    But thanks for assuming things as facts without evidence to support them, just as you accused others of doing.

    Posted by ender21 at 11/13/2008 @ 11:49am

32. I guess you believe the reports saying that Obama believes there are 57 states in the US of A.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:56am

    Well, since you've given up on making sense and are resorting to grasping at straws, I'll take your name at face value and stop giving you any credence whatsoever.

    Posted by ender21 at 11/13/2008 @ 11:59am

33. Darin, basic question-

    Is Fox News a reliable source of news?

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 12:10pm

34. Well, Darin, when the VP candidate says she does not know what the job of a VP is, that she will get back to an interviewer about McCains economic credentials, that she was against the BTNowhere when she ran on a campaign of building said bridge and she built a municiapl building on land without clear title...

    then someone from the campaign allefdges she didn't know about Africa...and the first to report it is FOX News...yes, until I see the retraction you suppplied I believed it. Do I feel bad? Not even a little. Will I change my news source from FOX to The Onion? you bet I will.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 12:11pm

35. Darin, you need to see a priest or one of the Wasilla Assembly of God traveling "ministers" so that you can get PONTIFICUS exorcised from your mortal coil.

    Sooner better than later.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 12:13pm

36. For clarification purposes, huff post is reporting that Martin Eisenstadt is a fictional character made up by filmmakers looking to pitch their film.

    "However, while MSNBC -- which ran with Eisenstadt's story, along with The New Republic and Mother Jones -- has retracted the story (that Eisenstadt was the McCain camp leak), Fox News won't be retracting Carl Cameron's original report about the Palin/Africa flap, because it did not come from Eisenstadt -- which the Huffington Post was told on background earlier this week and which the filmmakers confirmed to TVNewser Thursday"

    If and when the Palin/Africa flap is debunked, I'll believe it. Until then, ones record speaks for itself, and she hasn't done herself many favors. So since she never earned the benefit of the doubt from me prior to the Africa leak, I won't give it to her now. To me, it's plausible that it actually happened. Doesn't mean I know *for a fact* that it did. And one way or the other, I didn't really care about the story when it broke. "M'eh, that's not surprising," was my reaction... and then I moved on. But since it's a topic for discussion....

    Comparing rumors spread about Obama to rumors spread about Palin is apples to oranges. There are facts present to refute rumors about Obama (citizenship, Muslim, et al), but precious few facts in Palin's favor other than her denials. Yet her former campaign associates' silence speaks volumes, also not in her favor. And considering the purported sources for the rumors, the plausibility of their truthfulness either grows or shrinks accordingly, again, until such time as facts come to light to sway the story one direction or the other.

    Posted by ender21 at 11/13/2008 @ 12:15pm

37. Posted by ender21 at 11/13/2008 @ 12:15pm

    See Darin, I trusted you to come through with the WHOLE truth, and it looks like you failed. Now my whole world is coming down around my ears.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 12:22pm

38. Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 12:13pm

    You forgot he could get Bobby Jindal, too, crab.

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 12:24pm

39. You just have to want to believe it.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:52am

    darin, i was making fun of your bad spelling.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 12:26pm

40. darin,

    i am the ultimate conservative because i want to CONSERVE!

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 12:26pm

41. Is Fox News a reliable source of news?

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 12:10pm

    i thought it was called FOXGNUS.

    wow, you learn something gnu everyday.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 12:28pm

42. But Palin? She's an effin retard.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll

    so how in the world could you vote for her?

    (i told you b.o. would win n.c.)

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 12:30pm

43. Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:34:56 PM

    hey, look. it's my favourite time of day.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 12:36pm

44. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:58am

    I own a 1949 ____ Duogyral globe. Can you imagine SP's consternation if the same globe were in her possession?

    "The negative feedback directed at me, a harried executive decision maker, is horrendous. If mistakes are made in my application of our global defense systems when I become president, that company HQ'd in Indiana is to blame. You know they went demo! Remember the buck stops with me! I'll take full responsibility for any fallout this may precipitate!"

    Posted by Sorelish at 11/13/2008 @ 12:58pm

45. Darin:

    Stop your whining. Palin is slow. Whether she knows Africa is a continent or not. She would catch a break if she was not so clearly deficient. And quit equating this minor story to widespread and false allegations made during the campaign that Obama is a Muslim. Quite different.

    Posted by Hman23 at 11/13/2008 @ 1:36pm

46. I guess there could be a disgruntled staffer who said (falsely) that Palin didn't know Africa wasn't a country.-------Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 1:26pm

    So Carl Cameron...one of their chief correspondents...is a "disgruntled staffer"?!?!?!

    and isn't THAT with THIS a bit contradictory?

    Is Fox News a reliable source of news?------Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 12:10pm

    Yes they are.-------Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 1:26pm

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 1:39pm

47. so how in the world could you vote for her?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 11/13/2008 @ 12:30pm

    Because she's more representative of average Americans.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 1:30pm

    Nice to see DARIN's high standards for the world's most important job: average.

    And we are all somehow elitists for demanding a bit more than that.

    Posted by Hman23 at 11/13/2008 @ 1:40pm

48. Posted by Hman23 at 11/13/2008 @ 1:40pm

    Seems even if you want a RIGHT-WING President and Veep, you'd want THE most qualified and intelligent...rather than somebody "average"?!?!??!

    If given a choice between an "average" Joe the Plumber...

    or a William F. Buckley Jr. or even Thomas Sowell, wouldn't Darin pick Bill or Tom over Joe?!?!???!?

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 2:14pm

49. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 1:55pm

    Okay, Darin..."a joke".

    So WAS Sarah Palin the most qualified and most intelligent pick that a 72 year old, history of melonoma John McCain could pick to be a heartbeat away or not?

    (no jokes please....so we know for certain)

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 2:19pm

50. "PS to PS to PS: Anybody notice the stock market has magically shaved off 15%+ since the market close on Nov. 4th! BTW, that's ~$3 Trillion of wealth spread around in just 6 trading days....hope you Lefties are enjoying the `spread'!

    Posted by HAPPYLonghorn at 11/12/2008 @ 10:35pm"

    this reads like ditto-head dreck. the junior senator from illinois hasn't yet taken office and already he's "responsible" for wall street declines, falling GDP, and the global recession.

    how do your kind keep your heads from exploding from all the cognitive dissonance?

    after 8 long years of bush-whack that were, by the way, preceded by many more long years of partisan grid-lock, can we at least give the guy a year in office before scapegoating him?

    If you can't exercise a little grace, just do what so many 'lefties' have done through the dark days of w: suck it up.

    Posted by michigan-t at 11/13/2008 @ 2:36pm

51. here's what you do Dar, next time you go into surgery, be sure to ask for a more average surgeon, one that is more representative of average americans. the job that Palin was applying for is to be able to become president of the US at a moments notice. you know, like Lyndon Johnson or Harry Truman

    Posted by emile duBois at 11/13/2008 @ 2:37pm

52. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 3:07pm

    But after they had won, you'd feel "safe" with Palin a 72 year old heartbeat away from the Oval Office?

    or not so much?

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 3:25pm

53. BTW, DTT, as much as she might have "helped" with the base...

    read Bob Moser's "New Blue Dixie" article about Palin's visit to your Guilford County-

    "It was in Guilford County, North Carolina, where Sarah Palin made her controversial proclamation that she was happy to be in "Real America." On election day, Guilford County went 59 to 41 percent for Obama, a nine-point swing from 2004."

    Note that..."a nine-point swing from 2004".

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 3:29pm

54. Jesse Ventura was Governor of MN for four long embarassing years, but the planet didn't spin off it's axis.-----Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 3:47pm

    "Governor of a modestly populated Upper Midwest state"....

    "President of the United States with 10,000 nukes at her neatly polished fingernails"....Hmmm?

    Yeah, I see the equivalency.

    And do you REALIZE what you just said with these two lines....back-to-back, no less?

    "Look, W was President for 8 years, and he even picked his own cabinet. Just how much damage could she do?"

    I don't know 5 Trillion in debt and 4100+ dead GIs kind of damage, maybe?

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 4:33pm

55. Go on. Make my day and shred your credibility by saying you don't believe there is fraud involved in the Franken recount.

    Go ahead, say there is no fraud occurring. Say Franken isn't stealing the race.

    Wow! Those Nation readers sure scatter like cockroaches when confronted with facts.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 4:29pm

    Look before you leap DARIN.

    http://tinyurl.com/5cfmtx

    http://tinyurl.com/5uxu6c

    "But as MinnPost's David Brauer reported yesterday: the story of the 32 absentee ballots is flat wrong. He called up Minneapolis election director Cindy Reichert to get the facts. She (Pawlenty during two Fox appearances in as many days called her "he") attests the car-ballot story is "just not true": She never had the ballots in her car -- nor were they in anyone's car for several days -- and they were kept in secure facilities between election day and vote counting. It was Coleman's attorney, Fritz Knaak, who told reporters, "We were actually told ballots had been riding around in her car for several days, which raised all kinds of integrity questions." From there, the Wall Street Journal picked up on it and reported it as fact; similar to Hannity's on-screen graphic (shown above), the error appeared in a story headlined "Mischief in Minnesota?"

    "In the end, Franken claimed 18 of the 32 votes and Coleman got seven. The rest were non-votes or for other candidates."

    Thanks for the statistics though.

    Posted by Hman23 at 11/13/2008 @ 4:44pm

56. I still say Palin was a the best pick, not because she was most qualified (she wasn't) not because she was the smartest person (she wasn't) not because she was the best leader (she isn't)...

    The reason she was the best pick is because she energized the base.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 3:07pm

    Thus, proof that the GOP base has subpar standards. Thanks for making my point.

    Posted by Hman23 at 11/13/2008 @ 4:47pm

57. The cockroach is gone.

    I was hoping he could wax more eloquent about being taken in by a fraudulent news story. Anyone that did that would be an kool-aid drinker.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/13/2008 @ 7:18pm

58. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 4:46pm

    Didn't say ANYTHING about Obama, Darin.

    Just pointing out how you're wrong about "How much damage could she do?"...when you linked that directly with Dubya.

    Posted by Mask at 11/13/2008 @ 7:47pm

59. Are any of you appropriately ashamed of your gulibility? Are you appropriately ashamed that you let your hatred and other emotions cause to to believe a ridiculous lie? No, no you aren't.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 11:35am | ignore this person | warn this person

    .

    But 32 ballots were "found" in the trunk of a car several days after the election.

    All 32 of them were for Franken.

    Go on. Make my day and shred your credibility by saying you don't believe there is fraud involved in the Franken recount.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/13/2008 @ 4:11pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    .

    Nobody could shred their credibility more than YOU just shredded yours Darin!!

    Where did you get your "32 ballots were 'found' in the trunk of a car" story, Darin? And the part about how all the votes were for Franken - that set you to 'ciferin' like crazy about the 'odds'?

    Are you now "appropriately ashamed of your gulibility? Are you appropriately ashamed that you let your hatred and other emotions cause to to believe a ridiculous lie?"

    No, I didn't think so.

    HAHA!

    Posted by Lillian at 11/13/2008 @ 9:10pm

60. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/14/2008 @ 08:03am

    And I think you UNDERESTIMATE the powers of the President to dismissively say that a "President Palin" couldn't do a lot of damage. Every Executive agency falls under the direct leadership of the President....throw in "Executive Orders" (in the news lately)...as well as judges/Justices....as well as the War Powers Act....

    she could do a lot of damage.

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/14/2008 @ 08:54am

    Darin, who did you vote for....and what was his position on the validity of man-made global warming?

    Posted by Mask at 11/14/2008 @ 09:27am

61. ou are dishonest if you kid yourself into beleiving Bush was single-handedly responsible for "lying" 210 million Americans in supporting invasion.)-Cockroach

    Sure Cockroach, the people came to the conclusion that Iraq would be the central front of the GWOt ALL BY THEMSELVES with no help from ChimpCo.

    You drink more kool-aid than anyone but Ponti.

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/14/2008 @ 09:57am

62. Look! More of Obamas handywork?

    "WASHINGTON – Retail sales plunged by the largest amount on record in October as the financial crisis and the slumping economy caused consumers to sharply cut back on their spending.

    The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales fell by 2.8 percent last month, surpassing the old mark of a 2.65 percent drop in November 2001 in the wake of the terrorist attacks that year. "

    so far you cons are batting about .025.

    No wmd's in Iraq

    Al Qaeda is still around

    the economy IS in recession, even though most of you claimed it wasn't and isn't.

    McCain got thumped, even though you claimed Obama didn't have a chance

    Terrorism is UP, not down.

    Baghgdad is a battlefield, still.

    Obama is not a mooselum

    He will not open re-education camps

    He will not create a civilian army.

    Rep. Paul Broun, Nov. 10: It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's [Obama's] the one who proposed this national security force. ... That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did.

    Obamas relationship[ with Bill Ayers is the same as many republicans, in fact the Annenberg group was FOUNDED by a republican and others that served on the board include officials from UBS and BP. Are they domestic terrorists, Cockroach? Are there 8 republican domestic terrorists floating around ?

    than there was Ponti and his Prof Khalidi/Obama/Palestinian terrorist connection, which went dead silent when it was learned that McCain forwarded 450k to the "terrorists".

    SO COCKROACH, DO YOU FEEL ASHAMED OF YOUR HATRED ? ARE YOU RECALCITRANT AT ALL ABOUT HELPING TO SPREAD THESE LIES? Are you reevaluating your prognosticating abilities?

    Posted by crabwalk at 11/14/2008 @ 10:16am

63. Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/14/2008 @ 12:07pm

    Darin, didn't you just admit that Bush used 9/11 to "sell" a war with Iraq?!??!?!

    Why would he need to "sell it", if there was merit?!?!?!??

    Posted by Mask at 11/14/2008 @ 12:50pm

64. "We didn't know about his very close association with Tony Rezko, or Bill Ayers."

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/14/2008 @ 08:13am

    And after all the fauxnews coverage, we know what, about their relationship? All that poking around found which smoking guns?

    "British and Canadian experts warned the big freeze could bury the east of Britain in 6,000ft of ice."

    Have you ever actually read the <i>whole</i> article, when reading about climate change?

    Look at a globe. The UK should be cold...draw a line around with your finger.

    The atlantic gulf stream carrys heat off of the African deserts, in a big loop to the UK. Why do you think it is so foggy there.

    The earth's ecocsystem is complex and difficult to model. So feel free to try to utterly simplify everything, before you form an opinion.

    I like my gas sucking truck too, (even though I mostly drive my civic anymore). Doesn't change reality.

    Posted by Malcontent at 11/14/2008 @ 1:15pm

65. That said, an eleven vote pickup to one candidate when both are at 42% statewide is "unlikely" but not "fantastically improbable".

    Posted by Darin_the_Troll at 11/14/2008 @ 07:47am

    Your premise based on comparing to statewide votes is wrong. The votes came from a county that historically leans Democrat.

    Posted by Hman23 at 11/14/2008 @ 3:02pm