And so, Minnesota's long national nightmare is over

By Michael J.W. Stickings

As I'm sure many of you have heard by now, the 2008 Minnesota Senate election is finally over. The state Supreme Court, which had become the locus on the ongoing fight, has ruled 5-0 in Franken's favour. And with Franken declared the winner, Coleman conceded.

While we covered the whole saga extensively here at The Reaction, -- including something like 15 updates on the recount -- I don't have much to add to what has already been said. What I will say is that I'm relieved, even if, to me, this outcome was not just long overdue but pretty much inevitable: Coleman may have "won" the first count, but Franken surged ahead during the recount, even if the margin of victory was astonishingly narrow, and it was just a matter of time until Coleman's legal challenge either ran out of steam or ran into a decisive decision against him.

And why did Coleman lose? Politico attempts to answer that question, explaining away his legal defeat by pointing to his "pocketbook," as well as to his "political future." But Politico's GOP/Coleman-friendly piece misses the crucial fact: Coleman lost because he didn't win as many votes as Franken did. All legal wrangling aside, that's all there was to it. Yes, yes, I know, it was all about those absentee ballots, about what ballots should have been counted, but it was clear that the recount was conducted fairly and that Coleman lost. This was confirmed by a unanimous ruling of the state Supreme Court.

And so, that's it. Once Franken is sworn in, the Democrats will have 60 senators -- and a possible filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. But will it make a difference? Not really. The 60 includes the likes of Lieberman (a non-Democrat), Specter (a pseudo-Democrat), Bayh and Nelson (quasi-Democrats), and various others who don't, and won't, vote strictly along party lines, including on key issues like climate change, energy, health care, and the economy.

Still, I'd rather not let my pessimism get the better of me tonight. It does mean something that the Democrats have achieved that magical 60, and perhaps, just perhaps, Franken's victory will encourage them to pursue a more ambitious agenda. Even if not, though, at least the 2008 Minnesota Senate race turned out as so many of us had hoped.

Welcome, Senator Franken. It's good to have you aboard.