A Modest Proposal For The Coleman-Franken Minnesota Senate Race: Flip A Coin

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

Here we are some three months into the 111th Congress and Minnesota still has only one Senator. Former Sen. Norm Coleman and former comedian Al Franken are still duking it out in court about who won. Originally, Coleman won by 700 votes, but an automatic recount trimmed his win down to a mere 215 votes and a hand recount showed Franken pulling ahead by 225 votes.

There are many more state and possible federal court appeals ahead, or both men could agree to Senate arbitration about who's best qualified. That would be a non-option for Coleman, as Democrats control the Senate and we know which way the body would probably vote.

Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" comic, entered the Senate race more than two years ago. A third-party candidate's strong showing left Coleman and Franken virtually deadlocked on Election Night, triggering an automatic recount of 2.9 million ballots. ...Coleman's trial began in January and his appeal could push the race into May or beyond.

Coleman's lawyers have said their appeal will mostly center on violations of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection, arguing that counties had differing standards in treating absentee ballots.

What about flipping a coin and doing away with this whole protracted mess? Heads, the funniest man wins and tails, the less funny man wins. C'est tout, n'est pas?

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By Bonnie Erbe