Funny the optical scanners at every school I went to worked just fine. Maybe only Al voters got tossed?

aren’t we getting mighty close to 60?

damn, if lieberman makes it 60 we might have to be nice to him again

you know, I am thinking I aced a few tests that they said I did not

I want a recount on my tests

Morning Attaturk,
I was a poll watcher on 11/4 and the optical scanners were used where I was. We had two sheets due to a large number of questions. Each voter would feed in their own ballots. If there was a problem with the ballot it would spit it back out and indicate on the screen the item number that it was having a hard time reading thereby allowing the voter to fix it. I was kind of impressed.

we’re up too early you know

Inspect these machines before a recount.

that sounds like a nice machine, who made it?

I say do a manual recount

Did Minnesota have such a system in place? Where there any reports of problems voting in any state? Obama has the cash he can pay for recounts and to go to court we just need complaints to get an investigation.
Maybe Karl shaved a few votes off of just a few races everyone was watching the Presidential race but how many people checked to see if a Senate race vote was off?

The last 100 votes came from a precinct that had erroneously wrote 24 instead of 124 for its total.

Norm has said that if he were in Al’s position, he’d concede. Maybe he will be in Al’s position by the time the vote is certified.

Sounds good to me.

Are they done with the vote counting yet?

That 60 number is not an absolute must. That is the number that is required to stop a filibuster and allow a vote to occur. It assumes that all Rethugs are going to vote no and all dems to vote yes. There are several Rs that can or will vote with the Ds. Regardless of where Weasleman caucuses how would he vote.

Not sure of the manufacturer I probably should have inspected the plate but I was busy.

Not sure what was going on in MN I was worried about CO.

I could check with the county clerk and get that information if it would be of help.

it would be nice to know what companies are doing it right

I will be surprised if that’s diebold

I will check today and get that info to you.

Was sitting here with a replay of KO on the tv and saw a replay of the reporter getting bit by Barney. The dummy reporter reached out with his palm down. When reaching out to a dog that is not familiar with you one should have their palm up. That is not threatening to the dog whereas palm down is.

he definately invaded the dogs space, I agree, this was a non story

off to the gym, see all later

Don’cha know the RWs are in hysterics……..Barney bit one of those librul reporters……oh joyful day!

My take is it says something about the owner(s) of said dog. Can you imagine how screwed up the poor thing must be shuttled from handler to handler with the only shrub contact as a photo-op? Wonder where Barney will wind up when his usefulness as a WH pet is gone?

New Mexico uses NO machines … not after the 2004 disaster.
Govenor Richardson fixed that little problem forever … and guess what … Just like Canada – 100% accurate. And the counting complete before most east coast states were complete.

First thing we do is get rid of those machines especially now that we have a Democrat in office.
The US election system has become a big ugly joke to every democracy in the world.

The solution is simple: A piece of paper with the candidates name on it and a red pen. Make an “X” next to your choice. (If you make a mistake, goes into shredder, start over … simple.)

Oh Barney will be fine.

George cannot afford to lose any more friends.

That sounds like a plan!

Barney will be fine.

George cannot afford to lose any more friends.

I’m not so sure barney still likes the president since he dropped the dog on his head

Good morning, pups. It’s Bobo and Krugman today. Bobo’s drooling over “Change I Can Believe In.” He says he has dreams. And right now he’s dreaming of the successful presidency — one that stretches beyond the normal Democratic base. Right, Bobo. It’s a rather sweet dream, actually. What Bobo fails to mention is that absolutely everything he dreams about is something that the Current Occupant and his gang of thugs destroyed. While Bobo cooed praises… Mr. Krugman is making sense when he writes about “The Obama Agenda.” He says right now many commentators are urging Barack Obama to think small. Let’s hope he has the good sense to ignore their advice. I’m more and more certain that the Times pairs these two just to display Bobo as the putz he is.

http://mgpaquin.wordpress.com/

The coffee, tea and hot chocolate are ready, and I’ve got apple cranberry muffins warm out of the oven. Foothillsmike is 100% right about why Barney bit. Maybe that reporter had never owned a dog?

I have an awful confession to make — I’m actually looking forward to Monday and Billy KKKristol’s column. I can’t wait to see whether he’s going to be all magnanimous in defeat and full of great advice or whether the Times will just publish a picture of what was splattered on the wall when his head exploded….

1,818 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Attaturk and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

I’ve commented on this before but it’s worth repeating because what has happened in the last 12 years in Minnesota politics is a typical fascist trick. That is, since the 1990’s the Minnesota DFL (Democratic Farmer Labor) Party has been faced with a third party, fascist stalkin’ horse called the Independence Party. Ronnie Reagan and the fascists made Democrats around the country gunshy about their brand and the Independence party and the Republicans took advantage and the third party actualoly won the governorship with Jessie the Bullethead Ventira. The one of the cheif achitects of the Independence Party was, you guessed it, Dean Barkley, the same Dean Barkley that got 15% of the votes in the Minnesota Senate race. In fact, even after Ventura left office, the Independence Party succeeded in gettin Palwenty elected with a plurality TWICE. Furthermore, the guy that was able ta snatch defeat from the jaws a victory against Michelle Batshit Crazy Bachmann was the Independence Party Secretary of Transportation under Governor Bullethead.

This divide and conquer tactic has been quite successful in Minnesota in splitting off jest enough Democratic votes ta enable the fascists to control the state for 12 years. The next governor’s race , the DFL is gunna hafta go hard after the Indepence bastards…the Republicans will not be a problem if the DFL ken take care of the third party.

Herein endith the lesson…

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION…NEVER LET A FASCIST DATE YOUR DAUGHTER!!

good morning marion

good morning dogs

I thought I was going to the gym when I heard a caller bring up a great point and I just had to post a diary about how to stop the president from pardoning himself and his treasonous cohorts

Is it possible for him to pardon himself? The legalities aside, I don’t think he sees himself as ever having done anything that would require a pardon…

Citizen Perris:

There is an echo in here…I been shoutin that anti-pardon strategy for two years here and haven’t had a single legal Beagle respond.

RAND promotes starting a new WORLD WAR to get US out of financial crisis:

http://www.infowars.com/?p=5654

I take credit even though you thought of it two years ago and I only repeated it today

anyway, please come to my house and add your unmistakeable style

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/1534/

yes, it is possible to pardon himself, I make the point over at my house

come by, bring the times I will supply the coffee and wireless internet

I don’t believe he thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong, I believe he thinks a president can’t do anything wrong, he is so short sited he didn’t realize he wouldn’t be president for ever

that reality is before his nose today and I believe he is quaking in his boots

unless barack brokered some kind of deal, which I do not put past our new president

So much for the trip to the gym?

ya, had a jones to write an oxdown and couldn’t resist

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/1534

come to my house as say hi, I have the coffee, I think marion is bringing the times

Rahm Emmanuel’s sponsor strikes again:

‘Foreign entity’ staged cyber attack on both campaigns

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/….._1106.html

Read the comments and you’ll note that the cybercommunity is totally hip to Israel spying on its “host.”

Been over there. Has everyone gone to the gym?

Citizen perris:

I don’t need no credit, I jest need an opinion from someone with some legal chops…my reading of the good book of American democracy leads me ta believe that all that’s necessary is for the Hose of Representatives ta vote out a Bill of Impeachment in the rump session…the Senate doesn’t hafta take it up but the chimpenfeuhrer would be under its sanction until he leaves office. Has anyone else with legal cred offered opinion on this?

I read yer diary…good stuff.

Good morning everyone! *waving*

When this recount is over, Al Franken will be the victor. Coleman used the oldest trick in the book by exclaiming he was the winner and asking his opponent secede. And I’m so thrilled Franken isn’t falling for it! Nope, he’s demanding democracy. Bah hahahahahaha! Poor Norm.

you already have credit, I edited it in on my dairy

great post norske here, it would be more on topic over at my place though, I would like to get as much internet traffic as I can on that idea, we can create some kind of pressure me thinks

“Hose of Representatives” how appropriate

I’m going now, be back in a few

I was taught always to present a closed fist to a dog that doesn’t know you. It’s saved my fingers on more than one occasion.

As to Franken, I think he will make it, keeping my fingers crossed of course.

The Myth of 60:
That a Democratic majority requires a filibuster-proof majority while Democratic minority exercise of a filibuster is a ‘nuclear option’.
I call bullshit.
And a *real* Democratic leadership should too.
If a Republican minority wants to obstruct the will of the people, they damn well better be able to justify it back home.
And they *will* have to.

Mornin’. Been lurking a little. Hadn’t had tome to comment what with working for our new President & VP and dealing with an overflowing e-mail box with messages a joy and disbelief at the latest palin revelations. Hope you’re right Attaturk. I don’t get MN. I had always thtought it wqas very progressive what with HHH & Mondale and others Ventura. Not really “progressive but not an R, at least.). But i guess there are conservative areas./ Don’t know who the three-way race benefitted.

I never ghet my hopes up on recounts though.

We have those same ballots in FL. The people here are happy with them but I don’t thibnk it takes much to be an improvement over past methods of vote tabulation down here. I always thought the optical scanners suck. O mean, in my precinct we had a few overvotes (3 or 4) and I thought the machine is supposed to reject them. I was also concerned about the big turnout resulting in a shortage of balck pens as people, asccidentally or otherwise, pocket them or drop them, or ink runs out. And the ballots here were 2 sided. Could ink on one side bleed through to the reverse side? What about people who go outside the circle or don’t color it enough? Also, I saw the machine eat two ballots. Things basically were considered to have gone off without a hitch. But if it was close enough for a recount, there would have been plenty of questionable ballots staewide to at least possibly make a difference. A few here, a few there, it adds up. MN is probably going to be a zoo, huh? I had hoped and probably deep down expected that Franken would win a close one but not this close.

Good to be back.

Oh. And speaking of MN being weird….. Michelle Bachman.

Here’s a question….can Harry Reid change the rules of the Senate to reflect a majority of 51 will pass a bill making Joe Lieberman a worthless human being and not needed? To me, this would be the best strategy right off the bat to get the bills passed that are for getting our country back on track.

Already? Are you crazy? i wish I had tiome tot get there in te a.m. Too often I don’t get tome at night either.

The NY Times? Duh, BFL. What other Times is there? That was stoopid. What about the Disgrace, Marion? Didja see the lines for papers yesterday? Especially in Chi.

Good question. My guess would be that he can’t do that himself but would need a vote.

A plea from down Georgia way — MaxMarginal posted an Oxdown diary about “The Max Cleland Vengeance Fund” that he set up at ActBlue. If anyone has a spare nickel left over we would surely love to kick Saxby’s butt out of the Senate.

First Harry would need a Spine. If we assume he gets one all he has to do is talk to Joe about how nothing for his state will get passed unless he plays ball.
Then we mention that Foreign aid to Israel can be restricted to humanitarian aid like food and medicine to help/bribe Palestine into being nice.
Joe’s friends in Israel need American aid to buy American weapons we tell Israel and the American Military Industrial complex to lean on Joe to make him play ball.

I suspect that Addington has his finger in the wind to see which ways the winds are blowing in the beltway. If they think everyone is so pleased as punch that all they want to do is party, they try to slink away and not do anything.

If they pull a fast one on the last day in office I suspect some legal eagles will sharpen their fangs and go after these SOBs. But taking pre emptive move now may seem like the Ds are being spoil sport vindictive asshats.

I would like to see the administration criminals be brought to the bar of justice. The president is a citizen not a soverign and his seconds are certainly not “protected” by any executive shield – that’s BS.

Start the proceedings after the new admin comes in and let it be tested by the Supremes… after the court has been rebalanced of course.

Rahm is an Israeli citizen… how bout that!

Norm, of course, is full of shit.

Rahm I think wants to stop the Saudis from getting Nuclear Reactors from America so I think he might lean on Joe unless he is as big a Traitor as Joe is.
A just Peace in the Middle East is the only option if Rahm can’t back that then lets get rid of him now.

Here is a link

http://oxdown.firedoglake.com/diary/1302

If the Middle East goes Nuclear then the time to stop pussyfooting around is over we might have to force a peace on both sides. Or send in more troops into a nuclear war?

Matthews is just incredulous about Palin. Alot of people are but his utter disdain is obvious. He’s been pretty good the last few weeks. I’ve enjoyed watching him.

I notice the wingnuts are talking about how best to regroup and oppose Obama and make life difficult for him. No matter he hasn’t done anything yet except a couple appointments. they’re opposed to it. whatever it might be, they’re opposed. Losers. I know we’re not supposed to gloat and we’re supposed to act like we wish they had acted. No reason we can’t express out happiness. in their faces.

Morning Joe was still having a melt down about Rahm today. Rahm must be doing something right. Wasn’t Joe in Congress during the Clinton years. Morning Joe’s animosity sound personal. The AJC cartoonist (Luckovich) has a great cartoon of Joe today. You have to have an account to view it.

hehehe

Too bad he doesn’t go into full combustion mode so someone at the studio can sweep his miserable remains out the back door.

Dr. Brzezinski up on JoeScar – Mika, as always squirmy.

I love the Doc – he makes so much sense….

Marion, If you are still lurking, I read that Sarah might campaign with Saxby. Also, did you read Judith Warner’s column on the oped pages of the NYTimes today. That might be a good one to share with us in the morning. It’s definitely a one hankie.

There’s lots of things to hang over LIEberman’s head right now. I hope Harry takes advantage of it too. Honestly, I don’t like the idea Joe is controlling the Democrats by acting like he’s the victim in all of this. Personally, I think Harry should strip him of all power and then when Joe starts jumping on Harry’s back like the little dog in the Kibbles ‘N Bits commercial, Harry should ignore him and move forward.

I just want to see LIEberman suffer. Is this too much to ask? ;-)

I wonder if Rahm knows something about the dead intern in Scarborough’s office years ago? If so, won’t it be nice to see Scarborough meltdown from paranoia on our tvs? I think so.

Again, I just want to see some right wing suffering in any form I can get!

Norm Coleman is a slimey stupid unethical git…his performance against Mondale as a petty anti choice Calvinist has now been exceeded by his smarmy duplicitous rant pimping his love of democracy. When he loses his senate seat will he have to give back his veneers?

It’s the beginning of a new election cycle on Wen. morning and there are quite a few Republican Senators who won’t be so rabid and fall behind Mitch. It’s a cover your ass type of awakening, right Arlin?

Good morning. Watching FoxNews again. Loving the long faces. Michelle Malkin was just on. I put it on mute.

Ding
The Republican ‘leadership’ is third-string at best.

Back to the Franken race. Did any big-name dems help him campaign?

Better to toss Liarman out and work with Susan Collins and Olympia Snow. Traitors should not be rewarded.

AJC claims you have to register but this one opened for me (and it *is* a great ‘toon):

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/con…..index.html

Morning Joe interrupted Brzezinski several times to offer his views on foreign policy. After the discussion Mika did say Joe, zip it (mouth not pants) Joe said telling him to zip him to zip it is like telling Putin to stop being a egomaniac. From now on I am changing his name from Morning Joe to Narcissistic Joe.

Right wingers and any corporate media hack that’s been in the tank for the Republicons should be denied access to this administration. Without access they will suffer.

When all else fails, create a new Project of the New American Century to make yourself feel better:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/06/kristol-pnac/

Loved the cartoon. Let’s not forget that this recent betrayal isn’t the first time. He did quite the number on Clinton, too.

President Obama has made it very clear….no lobbyists will be working for him or will be allowed within a 15 mile radius of the White House. LOL Poor republics. What will they do now knowing they can’t lobby President Obama? Suicide? I mean, really, money is their blood.

Oh, Gawd, they’re showing Hillary drinking beer from the bottle and Obama bowling. My hope is that I never have to see a dem pandering like that again. I like my leaders to be elite.

Joe showed his true colors during the 2000 recount.

Swim’s up.

IMHO Obama should go to Georgia and campaign for Martin. Can you imagine the crowds? Tell the people of Georgia he needs Martin in the Senate to insure the U.S. moves forward. Of course the pundits, newsreaders and media blowhards would have a fit saying there is no precedent blah, blah, blah. The response to the media hissy fit should be framed in such a way that it embarasses the media and/or shows them as being more concerned with preserving the status quo. Obama can say that in these deeply troubled times there is an imperative to do things differently.

When does the fighting over the provisional ballots begin?

Head, what head? Surely he has none as it is documented that he “lost his head” over Palin while on his Alaska cruise.

Unsnarkily, I would love to see a timeline of his comments on Palin since the RNC convention. We know BoBo turned against her pretty early. And Kristol?

The battle is not in the recounting, it’s in the ballots you chose to count, which is where most of the legal wrangling goes on — and it’s evidently what’s happening now.

Fortunately, Mark Ritchie is Secretary of State. He’s a great guy. No Katherine Harris here.

As of this morning, Al Franken got 361,954 votes LESS than Obama. That means that almost the population of Minneapolis was happy to vote for the skinny freshman senator for Illinois for President but could not bring themselves to vote for the buffoon for Senate.

Al Franken’s campaign was a disaster. Even if he gets lucky on the recount, that fact does not change.

“Back to the Franken race. Did any big-name dems help him campaign?”

Yes, Hillary was here twice, including the Election Eve, and Bill came once for a rally. Hillary did a great gig up on the Iron Range in mid October. Howard Dean showed up a couple of times. Tester was here, Dorgan, and Barbara Boxer — and there were others. Before he got sick, Ted Kennedy was here for Franken.

Let me fill in a little about the Minnesota Recount. Yes, what you are seeing now is adjustments in the numbers as they were recorded on Tuesday in the in-precinct scanners. We have about 4400 precincts in the state, thus 4400 scanners — all ballots in the state are laid out in the same design (by law the design must be tested), and under normal circumstances the scanners are the most accurate mass counting method available. Hennepin County has, for the past ten years, had the lowest error rate for large metro areas using this system in the US, First in the top 49 Metro areas. But no system is perfect, thus our State Law considers a Recount by hand a normal part of any election if the margin between two candidates is less than .05. We will, for instance, be recounting three legislative races that show from the preliminary count, margins of less than 100 votes between candidates.

The Process of the Recount is all in State Law in great detail. We became rather famous in 1962-63 when we had a five month recount of a Governor’s race — Elmer Anderson v. Karl Rolvaag, and after having argued the issue in courts for six weeks, they finally settled down to a real recount, and didn’t finish up till March. From Jan 1 till mid March we just had two Governor’s, one in the formal offices, and another in the basement of the Capitol in a temp office. The one in the Basement ultimately won by about 123 votes, with a total of 17 ballots that no one could agree on the intent of the voters. Anyhow, that process led the Legislature to consult widely, and then write a very clear recount law dealing with every possible contingency, and then when we redesigned the elections system in the late 1980’s, the Recount Law was simply made part of the system. It is also well tested in the courts, because local units of government frequently have recounts — and any important court ruling goes into the state codes in the next legislative session. That is how you keep the loud lawyers and courts out of your soup — you have clear law.

Because a recount is mandated if the margin is less than .05 (and in the Franken-Coleman race that would be about 16,000 votes) just think of what we are doing as a continuation of counting the ballots. What will happen is that in each of the 88 counties a public counting facility will be set up, teams of counters will be recruited — many will be trained poll workers, others may be party volunteers, and each precinct will be counted by hand by a team of two representing opposite parties. They will sort the ballots into piles, Franken, Coleman, Barkley, Other, no apparent vote, markings outside of the norm. They will count each pile, with each counter writing the number on a talley card. A Clerk will compare the two cards, if they agree, then they agree. If they don’t agree, the piles go to another team for another count. Markings outside the norm — well we have state laws to guide us in interpreting the intent of the voter. Voter circled name and didn’t fill in oval — vote counts. voter made light check mark in oval not picked up by machine — vote counts. Voter drew funny face on ballot — doesn’t count. Such intrepretations of intent of voter can be appealed to the county canvas board if the counter’s don’t agree — and their ruling can be appealed to the State Canvas Board chaired by the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court. All this is done in public, lawyers and candidate reps can watch it all, but if they appeal, it has to be in writing. It won’t look anything like Florida — it will rather be more like a sunday night potluck in your local Lutheran Church.

Yesterday, Norm Coleman jumped the gun and announced that Tom Hefflefinger, the former USAttorney who was on Bush’s firing list probably because he did not go along with an effort to disenfranchise students voting at their college residence, would be his legal rep for the recount. A couple of hours later Hefflefinger took himself off the case. Make of it what you will, he is also chair of the commission reviewing the security arrangements at the Republican Convention, and didn’t think he could take both jobs. Personally, I don’t think he wants to work for Norm in this case. The Recount will be in 88 locations (some very small counties) so they will need 88 candidate representatives, not one big name guy.

Will Franken pull it out? Well, I hope so, but most of all I really believe our system is very good, and in the end will produce an accurate result. My guess is it will be wrapped up before Xmas.

Any more questions — want to know more about that Anderson/Rolvaag recount? Just ask.