Bluestem Prairie: news about Tim Walz (MN-1)

It makes sense: Marcus Penny's blog

We're always on the look out for First District political blogs. A hit today on the post Coleman of Solace brought us to Marcus Penny's new blog, Making Cents, which we've added to the CD 1 progressive blogroll.

After a review of the recount, Penny sums up the new Bond movie:

Also, I promised a review of Quantum of Solace, but I don't want to do it anymore. I'll do it in sentence fragments.

Not as good as the first. Still awesome. Daniel Craig = Best Bond Yet. The Red Head? Smokin'. Countdown to next installment: ????????????

We caught the film last night and that's about right. One fragment to add: lots of broken glass.

Update: The Penny blog notes the rumors about a Walz gubernatorial bid, but suggests that Walz should develop a track record and run for Senate in six years if Coleman holds on to the seat:

If Coleman gives as stunning a performance as he did for his first term, he'll be creamed in 2014. Franken came with a lot of baggage, and I think it sunk him. A Democrat should have won that race. Tim Walz would be a good choice to run next time. I hear rumor that he wants to run for governor, which could forfeit the First to the Republicans. Walz should spend these next few years making a name for himself before launching a statewide campaign.

At Minnesota Campaign Report, Joe Bodell followed up on our post yesterday and Zack's reading of the tea leaves at MnPublius. Joe posts Walz considering gubernatorial run, with a statement from a source close to Walz about the governor's race:

A source close to Walz indicated Friday that "A number of individuals who the Congressman trusts and respects have recently urged him to consider running for Governor in 2010.  Congressman Walz values their input and is taking it into consideration."

The post notes that Bodell is waiting with bated breath for our interview. He need wait no longer.  Most of our conversation with Congressman Walz yesterday concerned his agenda for the 111th Congress, as well as ways to renew civic engagement, though we did ask about the gubernatorial rumors.

Walz's own reply--which we'll post later this weekend--was a slight elaboration on the statement published at MNCR. Our forthcoming article will be much more focused on policy and the new congress. 

In yet another update, Minnesota Central considers what might have been in Durenberger goes Country First suggesting Walz for Senate. [end update]

Image: Inspired by the title of Penny's post, we did a little Photoshopping. Update: The Uptake reports that the routine post-election audit by every county (not the coming recount)has narrowed Coleman's lead to 200 204. We've updated our poster accordingly (a second time, to reflect the correction on the Uptake's post).

Friday digest: Grand Meadow BBQ-ed Walz gubernatorial bid edition

Congressman Walz visited a class of meddling kids (his favorite kind) on Wednesday, according the Austin version of the Post Bulletin in Students grill their Congressman:

Congressman Tim Walz, who last week was re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for a second term, faced tough questions Wednesday from some of his biggest critics: students at Grand Meadow High School who wanted to know what he was going to do to secure their futures.

Walz, DFL-Mankato, spoke to students about his role in Congress, and about their own roles in the country's future. Students asked a range of questions, from where Walz lives when he spends his weeks in Washington, D.C., to what he plans to do about the national debt, failing economy and job losses. Many of Walz's responses emphasized the importance of education.

The version posted under a tamer headline, Students quiz Walz, includes an interesting Q & A session. Our friends who speculate about a potential gubernatorial bid may latch on to this item:

Walz also remained mum on whether he plans to run for governor in 2010.

"Right now I'm focusing on getting through this re-election, so no decision yet," said Walz.

Update: The Albert Lea Tribune reports in Rep. Walz speaks with high schoolers that the congressman also visited Albert Lea's high school. Walz won in school mock elections in his district, according to 75000 kids make choices in election.[end update]

Mostly, Minnesotans can't help but think about last week's election because of the Senate recount. The Mankato Free Press editorial board notes that the Acrimony over Senate race grows. Conclusion:

Voters and average citizens probably thought the political fighting and acrimony should have ended Nov. 4. Unfortunately, there appears to be a few more weeks or months of political nastiness they will have to endure.

Discourse simply isn't what it used to be in the Key City. The  Free Press has shut down its online forum, the paper reports in Forum shut down after users go too far.  Money quote:

“I don’t want to tell people they don’t have a right to swear — they do. Just not at my party.” — Free Press Publisher Jim Santori, explaining the reasons behind the decision to shut down the forum on this Web site.

We'll miss the insanity. 

Coleman supporters often imply that only Franken can benefit from the recount. Not all votes will go Al's way; some shifts occurred in the recent pre-recount audit. The Cottonwood County Citizen reports in Routine audit yields extra vote for Coleman in county:

After a few days of seeing vote corrections land on the Franken side, Republican Senate Candidate Norm Coleman received some good news from Cottonwood County--he gained one vote.

The error was found during a routine audit of county scanning equipment on Wednesday. Cottonwood County Auditor Jan Johnson said a voter used a pencil (instead of a pen) and didn't mark the ballot dark enough.

Consequently, the vote was not read by the scanner. Only two of the county's 28 precincts were tested on Wednesday.

However, Johnson says the public should not expect a major change, once next week's local recount is complete. . . .

The Worthington Globe talked to auditors in Nobles, Rock, and Murray Counties for the article Ballot keepers. The county officials have been busy as bees in Buddhist eaves:

Since election night, [Nobles County Auditor Sharon] Balster has had to meet special requests from both the Coleman and Franken campaigns — including making copies of all of the tapes from the counting machines, providing information on the number of absentee ballots mailed out, returned, accepted and rejected. Both political parties had representatives present at last Friday’s board of canvass meeting and Monday’s post-election review.

“My list of things to do is enormous,” Balster said.

Newly elected GOP state rep Greg Davids puts his narrow rematch victory over Ken Tschumper into perspective for the Rushford Tri-County Record:

"We feel very fortunate (to win) because the congressional candidate (Republican Brian Davis) got 33 percent in the district, the presidential candidate (Republican John McCain) got 42 percent, and I got 51 percent. So we're excited."

The 2006 margin was so close that it triggered an automatic recount in the state house district. A Republican friend in the First shared news that Davids has been mentioned as a potential candidate to run for the congressional seat in 2010, but we've heard no more about this rumor. Since Davids retains his seniority in the Minnesota House after sitting out a term, it is likely that he will garner his share of earned media.

The 2008 GOP congresssional candidate in the First questioned the emergency food shelf aid in the Farm Bill; this may not have been the cycle to challenge such programs. Federal aid to food pantries is not enough to meet the need and is intended to be a supplement to private support. The unfortunate need for emergency food assistance is clear as we read the district's papers.

The Owatonna Peoples Press notes that about ten percent of Steele County's population is getting helping from the food shelf in Boy Scout food drive kicks off this weekend.  Steele County residents should give what they can:

On Saturday, Boy Scout troops from all over Steele County will be out in the county collecting food donations from people’s door steps beginning at 9:30 a.m. All donated food will be sent to the Steele County Food Shelf.

Tom Barry, district executive for the Game Haven Council (which oversees Steele, Dodge and Goodhue counties), said they are looking for a variety of different foods, including canned fruits and vegetables, soup, pasta and flour, to name a few.

“We hope that people have their food out by about 9 a.m. this weekend,” Barry said. . . .

. . .If people miss putting out the food for Boy Scouts on Saturday, there will be two other drop-off sites. They include the Steele County Food Shelf or at the old Century 21 Building at 1836 Cedar Ave., located next to Godfather’s Pizza. Both drop-off sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

Trom added they are looking for additional volunteers to help sort food donations at the old Century 21 building and then bring it to the Steele County Food Shelf.

If people don’t have food to donate, Trom also said monetary donations help. Because the food shelf is a non-profit, Trom said the organization is able to pay for more items at a store compared to the average dollar.

Food shelves across the district need donations.  The Waseca County News looks at local demand in Food shelf stocked, but empties fast.

Photo: Walz returning to his Mankato West classroom in his first term.  Washington's got nothing on the tough crowd in the public schools. Photo cribbed from the NYTimes.

Thursday digest: no meowing over spilled joe edition

One of the kittehs knocked half a cup of coffee into our ex-keyboard, so posting has been delayed today.  As readers can see, Oscar gets a little jumpy sometimes.

The St.Paul Legal Ledger reports the Wellstone legacy lives on in the election of Camp Wellstone graduates like Tim Walz.  Rochester area organizers will be recognized for their successes, according to TakeAction Minnesota Announces 2008 Progressive Leadership Awards:

Leaders and organizations from throughout Minnesota will gather on December 6 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in St. Paul to honor the Transit Partners Coalition and the Progressive Movement of Rochester with the 2008 Progressive Leadership Awards. Sponsored by TakeAction Minnesota, the dinner celebrates the accomplishments of these organizations as well as the collective contributions of the leaders and organizations supporting progressive ideas in Minnesota.

. . .In the last six years, politics in Rochester has been undergoing a sea change. After more than 30 years of Republican dominance, in 2004 Rochester elected State Representatives Tina Liebling and Andy Welti. They expanded the Democratic delegation in 2006 with the election of State Representative Kim Norton, State Senator Ann Lynch and, in a surprise win, Congressman Tim Walz.  Expanded margins of victory in 2008 races proved these elections were not a fluke.

These successes are the most visible result of years of organizing work. The city has a longstanding, committed and politically engaged community of peace activists, progressive leadership in the Somali community, a solid history of environmental wins, sustainable development advocates in Livable Rochester, and recent state leadership on a county-based purchasing health care reform initiative. Many individuals and organizations deserve credit for these remarkable achievements, including AFL-CIO Southwest Area Labor Council, AFSCME Council 5, Coalition for Economic Opportunity, ECCO: Earth Community Coalition of Olmstead County, Livable Rochester, Olmsted County Based Purchasing Effort, Olmstead County DFL, SEIU Healthcare MN, South East Minnesota Alliance of Peacemakers and UNITE HERE Local 21. Together they have transformed a city that progressives all but deserted just a few years ago.

“Our recent wins come after years of work” said Abdifatah Abdinur, an organizer and leader Rochester’s Somali Community.  “People knocked on a lot of doors and organized a lot of meetings to get us where we are today.  That people kept pushing, even when the outcome was uncertain, says something about people’s commitment to each other.”

MPR reports that Kids also voted, and they favored Obama, Franken and Tim Walz in mock elections.

The Fairmont Sentinel notes in Counties readying for Senate recount:

Auditors from Martin and Faribault counties don't anticipate the numbers will change much from the original count on Nov. 4, election night.

"There's a chance we might see a little difference because of how people marked them, but I cannot imagine there will be a big difference," said Martin County auditor James Forshee.

The reason the tallies have changed so much since election day - with Coleman's lead narrowing by several hundred - is in part due to absentee votes that were still being counted after Nov. 4 in larger precincts, according to Forshee.

In Martin County, Forshee himself delivered all 970 absentee ballots to the appropriate precincts on election night, and the judges ran them through the voting machines, so they were processed the same day. . . .

. . .This is Thompson's first recount of this magnitude, though he has had to recount ballots for local elections. The same is true of Forshee. The most significant recount prior to this was the one for his own election, back in 2002 when he ran against Jim Hallstrom. Forshee had a 13-vote lead prior to the recount. In the end, he won by five votes.

"Every vote does count," he said.

In Winona, the Daily News says Local election officials on the front lines of recount of 2.9 million votes in Senate race It concludes:

. . .[Winona County Auditor Cherie] MacLennan said her office changed the Winona County vote total on Nov. 5 after discovering four uncounted absentee ballots: two cast for Franken and two for Coleman. Franken topped Coleman by 12,755 votes to 11,316 votes in Winona County, or 46.8 percent to 41.6 percent.

MacLennan said Winona County officials haven’t participated in a recount since 1990, when Democratic state Sen. Steve Morse beat Republican challenger Greg Abnet by 113 votes.

The Jackson County Pilot looks at The War on Ethanol, Part 1. Interesting article, told from the perspective of a small town weekly.

This YouTube excerpt from Renaldo and Clara is dedicated to Oscar:

Minnesota recount newsladder

What to help keep track of news about the Minnesota Senate recount? Via an email from Joe Bodell, here's the interactive MN Recount Newsladder. Southern Minnesota's busy bees should go check it out and add what stories, commentary and LTE they find in local papers.

Wednesday digest: waspy Buddha nest buzz edition

Yet another suggestion that Southern Minnesota is on the cutting edge of the universe. The Rochester Post Bulletin reports that local Monks see Buddha in wasp nest:

Experts are skeptical, but the Cambodian Buddhist community is abuzz over what they believe is a miracle at their temple in southeast Rochester: A wasp nest in the shape of a seated Buddha.

The nest, which is nestled in the eaves high above the entry to the Buddhists' one-story gathering hall, was spotted last week during a large celebration in which community members give monks new robes.

"Instead of the celebration we were having, we were paying attention to the beehive," said 35-year-old monk Sokunthea Thun.

Elder members of the Cambodian Buddhist community said they have never seen an apparition of the Buddha in their lifetimes.

"The Buddha is trying to tell everybody to seek peace in their lives," said 70-year-old Voeun Sor of Rochester, a Cambodia native who has lived in the United States for 20 years.

The location of the nest is typical for paper wasps, said Kirk Payne, a naturalist at Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester.

"They'll make a comb that can be kind of be wave-like," he said. "I can imagine how they could make a shape like an undulating, Buddha-like figure." . . .

. . .The Buddha wasn't trying to send a message with the nests, but the insects were trying to communicate a Buddhist message, Thun said.

"Bees can do this kind of miracle, so humans can also do miracles," he said. "Everywhere in this world, we humans need to follow in the bees' path to make peace and serenity."

Were world history more shaped by those serene wasps, we might not need a Veterans Day. Instead, we take a day to remember the sting of sacrifice.  In Veterans Day tradition continues at courthouse on Owatonna, the Owatonna People's Press reports:

Newly re-elected U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., also made a stop into the American Legion Tuesday to pay his tributes to Owatonna veterans.

“Every year we try to get to as many of these as we can,” Walz said.

Walz, a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard traveled from a Veterans Day celebration in Waseca as he was on his way to spend the afternoon in St. Paul with hospitalized veterans.

More about Waseca vets from KEYC-TV in  New Generation of Veterans Take Up  Duty at VFW. The Waseca County News takes a close look at one reservist's experience in To Iraq and back: A young soldier’s life in the military.

Former State Senator Steve Kelley raises some interesting alternatives in Minnesota needs to adopt a majority-vote requirement. The MinnPost piece originally appeared in the St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report. The New Ulm Journal suggests a tongue-in-cheek solution for dueling Coleman and Franken press releases in Maybe a gag order would be in order.

In honor of Rochester's diligent paper wasps, a lovely song by The National:

Tuesday evening digest: shifting a little to the left edition

The Waseca County News reports in Waseca County voters shift a little to the left:

WASECA — Is it a trend? The traditionally Republican Waseca County voters appear to be moving slightly toward center.

Throughout the county on election day 2008, the vote between the two major candidates for president was split 52.71 percent for Republican John McCain and 44.50 percent for Democrat Barack Obama.

The presidential vote in 2004 was split 54.95 percent for Republicans George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and 42.07 for Democrats John Kerry and John Edwards. And in 2000, the margin between Republican Bush and Democrat Al Gore was 10 percent, 51.35 percent for Bush and 41.17 percent for Gore.

In the 2008 U.S. Senate race, the split was 42.87 percent for Republican Norm Coleman, 33.08 percent for Democrat Al Franken and 23.18 percent for Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley.

This year Democratic incumbent Tim Walz took 62 percent of the District 1 votes for U.S. Representative over Republican Brian Davis who received 32.81 percent. Four years ago, Republican Gil Gutknecht won re-election with 61.66 percent of the vote but lost to Walz in 2006.

The District 26A representative in the Minnesota House of Representatives will be Democrat Kory Kath, replacing the retiring Republican Rep. Connie Ruth. In Waseca County, Kath took 56.68 percent of the vote over his Republican opponent Tom Kuntz’s 43.21 percent.

Even in the District 24B race, which was held by incumbent Republican Tony Cornish, Democrat John Branstad closed the margin by getting 47.74 percent of the votes to Cornish’s 52.16 percent. Four years earlier, Cornish received 59 percent of the vote.

So does it all add up to a changing of the political landscape in Waseca County?

Interesting question. Read the whole article; the winners are suggesting that discussions of issues are causing area voters to tilt left. In Election reflection, former Congressman Penny observes:

By historic standards, the issues we face today are as large as any in recent memory: a war in Iraq and other challenges in that region of the world; a financial industry meltdown here at home and a deepening recession; a fossil fuelish energy dependency highlighting the urgent need for energy alternatives; a health cost crisis that is squeezing the middle class as well as government budgets; a babyboom generation of retirees (twice as large as the current population of retirees) who will soon overwhelm our federal budget.

These are truly historic times with challenges of historic proportions. Let us trust that our new President, the new Congress – and most importantly – “we the people” are up to the task.

The WCN news articles mentions John Branstad's come-from-nowhere strong close. Branstad's late-blooming challenge--which received little attention from outside the district--brought incumbent Tony Cornish to his narrowest margin of victory ever in terms of votes, closer even than  when he captured the open seat vacated by Henry Kalis in 2002. This will be a seat to watch in 2010 if Branstad runs again.

In Is one Minnesota Congresswoman going too far to say Thank You ?, McPherson Hall at Minnesota Central asks why Michele Bachmann is going on another junket.

The Mankato Free Press looks at a slice of Minnesota's history in Dakota trace ancestors' steps; Walk is to commemorate 1862 forced trek.

We hope all our readers drive safely if they must drive on the area's slippery roads. Remember your winter driving skills.

The Strib reports Coleman to deploy lawyers for recount. A headline like that calls for a little ditty from Warren Zevon:

Trendlines in southeastern Minnesota: independent, with a small purple "i"

A few newspaper pieces caught our eye this morning. The Post Bulletin reports in Rochester drifts away from Republican Party:

In the battle for the area's political soul, the Rochester area took a definite leftward lurch on election night.

It was illustrated in Rochester at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center, where area Republicans had gathered to watch the election returns. And as it became clear that the GOP would suffer its worst drubbing in decades, one disheartened woman couldn't help but note the party's fallen state.

"For eight years, we never had the defeat. We always had the party," she said about previous presidential elections.

Olmsted County not only voted for the Democratic presidential candidate -- 50 percent to 47 percent -- for the first time in 44 years. But area DFL incumbents for the Minnesota House of Representatives won with the kind of commanding margins that Republicans used to enjoy when their party dominated the area.

DFL Reps. Tina Liebling and Kim Norton each captured 62 percent of the vote in their successful re-election bids, and freshman DFL Congressman Tim Walz captured 61 percent of the vote in Olmsted County in his crushing defeat of GOP challenger Brian Davis.

Have Democrats become the entrenched, permanent majority in the Rochester area? Not necessarily, most observers say.

While the DFL has strengthened its position here, most local political observers believe that what the area has become is more independent. . . .

We agree--all parties will have to work to get Rochester's vote. And we're willing to bet that Coleman's aggressive campaign, as well as his breaking from pals John Thune and Kevin Schieffer on the DM & E issue, probably worked for him in the medical city.

The PB also reports that Obama captured 5 of 8 counties in southeast Minnesota:

In five of the eight southeastern Minnesota counties, Democrat Barack Obama received more votes than Republican John McCain in Tuesday's presidential election.

That reversed the results of four years ago, when five counties favored Republican George W. Bush and three favored Democrat John Kerry.

This year, Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted and Winona counties went for Obama, and Dodge, Goodhue and Wabasha counties favored McCain. In 2004, Fillmore, Mower and Winona counties went for Kerry.

Hard, well-organizing grassroots campaigning looks to be the order of the day outside of Rochester as well. The Fillmore County Journal reports in Fillmore County voters choose candidates over party:

Fillmore County voters crossed party lines in voting on Tuesday, choosing Democrats Barack Obama for president and Tim Walz for Congress, then switching parties to support Republicans Norm Coleman for Senate and Greg Davids for State Representative 31B.

Obama out-polled John McCain in the county by eight percentage points, 5,921 (52%) to 4,993 (44%). This followed a national trend, with Obama capturing 53-percent of the popular vote to McCain's 47-percent. State-wide, Obama won by 10 percentage points, winning Minnesota's 10 electoral votes. . . .

. . . In Fillmore County, voters followed a state-wide trend, with Coleman outpolling Franken by one percentage point, 4,771 (42%) to 4629 (41%). Independent Party candidate Dean Barkley received 1,604 votes (14%).

Walz took 63-percent of the vote in Fillmore County, compared to 62-percent district-wide. Walz received 6,991 votes in-county to Conservative Republican Brian Davis' 3,593.

Eight-term Representative Greg Davids of Preston reclaimed the state house seat he lost to Democrat Ken Tschumper in 2006. . .

An editorial in the Owatonna People's Press, Steele County votes their conscience, observes:

At first glance, Tuesday’s election results in Steele County seem to signal a shift in the politics of Steele County as voters here threw their support behind two DFL candidates for the Minnesota House of Representatives, Kory Kath and Patti Fritz, and the DFL candidate for the state’s First Congressional District, Rep. Tim Walz — something that would be unheard of in past elections. . . .

. . .On Tuesday, voters supported Mr. Walz’s re-election bid by a whopping 2-1 margin over challenger Dr. Brian Davis. Mr. Kath also won a strong victory over Tom Kuntz, defeating the Owatonna Mayor by a 57 percent to 43 percent margin. Does this mean the county is turning from red to blue?

One might draw that conclusion, except that in two other races — the presidential election and the U.S. Senate contest — Steele Countians stayed true to their history and supported Republicans, opting for John McCain and Norm Coleman. . . .

. . .It suggests that Steele Countians are not just people who follow the party line, but are serious, independent-minded voters who look at the issues and the candidates and decide who will best represent them and the interests of Steele County. The party is less important than the person. . . .

Interesting stuff indeed-- and we hope to hear fewer knee-jerk statements about how "conservative" Southern Minnesota is from metro liberals after this election.  On the other hand, we hope the platform Republicans in the area keep telling themselves that old line (no one else much seems to be listening).

Photo: Obama campaigning for Amy Klobuchar and Tim Walz in Rochester in 2006. Yes, they could--and did.

And as Socks sez, it's a good time to be a Democat (h/t Mercury Rising). BTW, though his health is waning at age 19, Socks is still among the living.

Robowalz and a Walz-Penny comparison

Found in Mark Fischenich's political notebook at the Mankato Free Press:

Walz offers coattails

The one candidate area counties were unanimous on was Democratic Congressman Tim Walz of Mankato. He won ’em all on his way to picking up 63 percent of the vote to 33 percent for Republican challenger Brian Davis of Rochester.

The Franken campaign may have given a pre-election hint of what internal polling was showing about Walz’s popularity. Walz’s voice was used in a robo-call to district residents, urging them to “please vote for Al Franken,” promising Franken “will work with Barack Obama to bring fundamental change.”

The call gave Walz a chance to return the favor from two years ago when he was a little-known candidate and Franken brought his celebrity power to several Walz events, including walking with him in the St. Peter Fourth of July parade.

Walz and Franken also rallied supporters in a final-week tour in Rochester, Owatonna, Faribault and Mankato.   Other sections of the Fischenich article note that Franken carried Blue Earth and Nicollet Counties, though underperforming Walz and Obama in south central Minnesota.

Another interesting comparison in a different section of Fischenich's article:

A record total
Did Walz set a record for number of votes received by a 1st District candidate? Walz’s percentage of the vote received was the highest since former Democratic Congressman Tim Penny won 74 percent of the ballots in drubbing Republican Tim Droogsma in 1992, substantially higher than Walz’s 63 percent.

But Walz picked up 207,749 votes, according to the unofficial final tally, compared to Penny’s 206,369 in 1992.

Both tallies were chalked up in presidential election years, so we suspect that Walz's number reflects higher turnout this year. The First in 1992 is also not the First in 2008 because of re-districting.

And in honor of all those roads no longer in the First (and Rick, who wrote he's traveling on a lost highway), a little roots music from Hank:

Fairmont Sentinel scolds Coleman on recount

The Fairmont Sentinel is arguably the most conservative newspaper among the First's many weeklies and double-handful of dailies. When its editors scold Norm Coleman for his opportunistic calls for no recount, that's saying something.

As the following editorial observes, it's hard to believe they're writing this:

This newspaper endorsed U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, a Republican, but it cannot agree with his pronouncement Wednesday that he has "won" his race against Democrat Al Franken and Independent Dean Barkley. With more than 2.9 million ballots cast, Coleman received a slim 438 votes more than Franken. The incumbent suggested Franken forego a recount and let the race end.

But that ignores the law, which provides for automatic recounts when the margin is so close.

Franken told Minnesota Public Radio on Thursday that "candidates don't get to decide when an election's over - voters do."

Franken added that if the recount determines he lost, then "I'll be the first to congratulate Senator Coleman."

It's hard to believe we're writing this, but it's clear that Franken - known for his over-the-top humor and partisan antics - is the one acting with class in this serious situation. [emphasis added]

Voters, indeed, deserve to know the outcome of a recount. It's not up to those who may or may not be the winner.

            

Minnesota Central on the paucity of third-party ads in the First

The ever-sharp McPherson Hall of Minnesota Central writes in Club For Growth TV Ad for Doctor in the First District that that ad hasn't been aired--nor have many others. He contrasts the First's political ad environment with that in 2006:

. . . unlike last election where there were a number of independent groups (such as Chamber of Commerce) running television ads in the First District supporting Gil Gutknecht, that this year they are absent ? . . .

Our favorite retired accountant worries that Walz supporters will gain a false sense of security:

. . .The evaluation of the District’s newspaper editorial boards is that Moderate Everyman Tim is deserving of a second term and that the unabashedly conservative, political novice Dr. Davis is the one that is out of sync with the district.

So is the election is over, right … hardly. 
Unlike other states, Minnesota does not have an early election period … as the media continues to report that Obama will win Minnesota’s electoral college votes and voters see long lines at the polling booths, there is the temptation to turn back when the lines begin to expand. Apathy is Walz’s main challenger … and the lack of independent expenditures lulls the voter into a state of [complacency].

That could be so--but we have to believe that the importance of the up-ballot choices will stoke voters' drive to go to the polls--and the Democratic GOTV efforts across the board are in overdrive.

Photo: Our little friend Felix isn't old enough to vote, but once he learned about the complacency of the frontrunner's supporters in the 1948 election, he's been putting in triple shifts at the local DFL phonebank.