[...] situation in Iran is getting worse, although it was already pretty bad. (And yes, it is worse in Iran than it is in Minnesota. I still think the state should have someone representing their interests in the Senate. Crazy, I [...]

Also, so far as I am aware, there haven’t been any riots in Minnesota.

LOL Knitty. Nicely rioting. That’s a hilarious visual!

“Are there charges of irregularities in the MN election?” The election was over 200 days ago and they haven’t declared a winner. As far as I know, they’ve counted more than once and declared the winner to be Franken. Norm Coleman is challenging those results. Presumably he thinks something happened. There were at one time charges of absentee ballots being hidden in the trunk of a car, which I believe have now been discredited. Personally, I think this is more serious than a “crazy Senate race.” The state of Minnesota is absent a representative. No, that’s not the same thing as rioting. But I’m genuinely disturbed that something like this can happen in America. Shouldn’t we be able to figure out who won?

Let me add that I don’t mean my politics comment as a remark on yours or anyone’s political leanings, except to point out that someone who is liberal (which I believe you are from your previous writings) would be less inclined to understand or welcome the time consumed by the challenges. I don’t mean to suggest that you are not concerned with seating the candidate who actually won. Basically I am not trying to drag politics into it, except to suggest that one’s leanings may predispose one to think the process is “too long” or “not long enough,” depending on the side one prefers.

What Patricia said. Thanks, Patricia. Also, if the recounts in 2000 had dragged on for 200 days, I doubt that Gore voters would’ve been complaining. Just sayin’. And by the way, I read not too long ago an account of the 2000 Florida debacle that showed that the rules that were on the books in FL were followed during that whole process and that it was Gore, etc who were essentially trying to break the laws to push their suits through. One can argue, of course, that the rules themselves weren’t/aren’t fair, but that’s what was on the books and legally the courts had no choice but to rule as they did. Assuming that the courts are also checked and balanced by the legislative branch.

Look, I really regret having brought your personal politics into it, Brett, because it truly wasn’t my intention to politicize the discussion (if I never hear the words “Bush v. Gore” ever again, it will be too soon!). My point was that it takes as long as it takes for the candidates and the Minnesota election officials to be satisfied that there is a clear winner by the local rules. I haven’t been following it that closely and don’t know exactly where it stands now, but I have little doubt that everything is being done by the book in terms of challenges to votes and challenges to local voting rules. I COMPLETELY agree with you that the fact that Minnesota is without a senator is a problem, one that the Minnesota state legislature probably ought to address (by legislating a quicker end point) as soon as this thing is concluded. Our representative democracy is still a work in progress; one of the things that I continue to marvel over in my study of our Constitution is just how visionary and flexible a document it is. (I just took the Foreign Service Exam, so the Constitution is pretty fresh for me right now- it’s not like I studied that randomly as a 30 something whose formal education is well behind me at this point). We as a government are a work in progress and likely will remain so for all the days the United States remains a fundamentally sound political institution. My point, however clumsily made, was just that I don’t think there is any real comparison between Minnesota and Iran. I don’t like that the Minnesota senator hasn’t been seated yet, but I do like what the process says about the US and the state of Minnesota- that we take our elections seriously, we take our laws seriously, and we make every endeavor to figure out who really truly won, giving each challenge and side due consideration. While there ultimately needs to be an endpoint- which Minnesota will no doubt consider shortening after this- that the law is working as designed (even if not exactly as intended) gives me great pride in the way we manage such transfers of power.

OK, fair enough. And can I just say that this was a nice civil discourse and I appreciate that? I still think that the rhetoric could be toned down, on both sides. Fox News, CNN, etc. should book you, Patricia, to give the explanation you gave here.