The thrill of Barack Obama's victory was mitigated somewhat here in Minnesota by the failure of the Dems (so far) to change the ideological composition of our state's congressional delegation. The third congressional seat, vacant on account of the retirement of Republican moderate Jim Ramstad, was won by Republican Erik Paulsen, whose record as a state legislator indicates he is less sensible than Ramstad. Meanwhile, in the sixth district, the repugnant Michele Bachmann won re-election despite defaming herself during the campaign. She'd be dangerous were she smarter--but, then, were she smarter, she wouldn't believe the things she believes. Praise the lord for his tender mercies!
Our five Democratic representatives won re-election as well. The outcomes of their races were all foregone conclusions, of course. Keith Ellison, whose district encompasses the city of Minneapolis, and Betty McCollum, whose district encompasses the city of St. Paul, both won with more than two-thirds of the total vote. Wingers complain about these two inveterate liberals but I think they have their own party to blame. Republicans have succeeded in isolating the state's urban liberals (such as my wife and me) in two densely populated but small polygons of deep blue, one for Minneapolis and the other for St. Paul. This leaves three completely suburban districts for the Republicans, including nut-jobs like Bachmann. If the districts were instead shaped like pie slices pointed at the urban core, wingers probably wouldn't have Ellison and McCollum to kick around. On the other hand, they wouldn't have three seats, either--indeed, they'd be lucky to have one.
As I write, the Secretary of State's website is showing that, in the race for US Senate, Norm Coleman is ahead of Al Franken by 708 votes, or by about one-thirtieth of one percent of the nearly 2.9 million ballots cast. All 4130 precincts are now reporting their totals. If this result holds, it will be for me a crushing disappointment: I hold Franken in high regard and consider Coleman to be nothing but a trimming calculator of his own interest, an empty vessel of ambition animated by biological processes that in humans ideally abet more elevated activities. I was home from work today so could not avoid watching him claim victory on televison this morning. He indicated that Franken should not ask for a recount, working into his statement that it would be performed "at taxpayer's expense." Here is what Minnesota law has to say on the subject. Note that, in the case where the candidates are separated by less than one-half of one percent of all the ballots cast, the recount is automatic: "the canvassing board shall manually recount the votes." There is also a provision allowing the trailing candidate to waive the mandated recount, and Coleman, as always seeking advantage, thus sought to discredit the statutory recount by connecting it to a partisan incentive. He won the first count so, naturally, doesn't want it looked into too closely. Of course the purpose of the statute is not to overturn a result but to reassure the public, in the event of a very close election, that the winner was indeed selected by the voters. It is in the interest of the person who takes office to be accepted by friend and foe as the legitimate winner of the election.
The moments surrounding ten o'clock local time, when CNN finally called Virginia for Obama just before turning the Pacific rim blue as the polls closed in the west, the announcement of the projected winner accompanied by shots of a variegated and cheering throng in Chicago, were for this dour Norwegian positively exhilirating. What a night!
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