Paging Tim Allen!  Paging Tim Allen to the Craftsman courtesy phone!   Norm Coleman’s in need of some better tools than the ones he’s spent a few million on so far.   When all your evidence is tossed because you blatantly futzed with it, you’re very lucky your whole case hasn’t been tossed as well.

The trial proper was supposed to start up at 9: 00 am sharp, but the judges on the Election Contest Court, apparently anticipating other Coleman-camp futzery, has decided, to paraphrase The UpTake’s Noah Kunin on the liveblog, waste a little time now to save a ton of time later by carving out some ground rules:

What has happened so far?
On Day 1, the Coleman legal team called up the political director of the Coleman for Senate campaign to establish chain of custody and foundation for the evidence they wanted submitted.  In this case, they wanted to submit copies of absentee ballot envelopes the Coleman team argues were rejected improperly.  This created great contreversy during cross examination by team Franken since many of the copies where not complete copies and missing relevant information.  Later, Coleman’s team admitted to "overzealous redactors" as the cause.  Coleman staff had made indelible notes on their copies (or, in other words, their evidence) which forced staffers later to cover up the internal notes.  This situation forced the 3-judge panel to order the Coleman legal team to subpoena for the originals.  Why Team Coleman did not issue subpoena for the originals after their motion to get them all in one fell swoop last week failed, is unclear.

Why didn’t Coleman’s Hundred-Lawyer Horde immediately issue a subpoena — which they need if they’re going to have any sort of case at all — for these 10,000-odd absentee ballots that have already been legally rejected not once, but twice?  Well, there’s always the thought that the elections board people from Minnesota’s eighty-seven counties might come after them with pitchforks and torches.  Or the possibility that these same elections-board personnel will be joining with the Franken team to quash that subpoena, which would effectively kill the case anyway.

In the meantime, we find out from Robin Marty in The UpTake’s liveblog that Norm’s sent out the following letter tool to his loyal Republican troops on how to work the refs of the local media.  Let’s put this information to good use, shall we?  Talk about tools we can use!  Just follow me past the jump.

10:42 RobinMarty:  Norm is gathering the troops online:

Dear Friend,

As you know, the contest phase of the Minnesota Recount started yesterday.   Already it is clear that the Franken Campaign will continue its effort to block every valid vote from counting.   His attorneys have made it clear that they have one goal, and one goal only:   To stop every valid vote from counting, and to prevent every valid vote from counting only once.

More and more people are realizing that this election is far from over.   And, more and more people are recognizing that if this contest phase is done correctly it is very likely that the results from election night will be the same at the end of this contest:   A re-election of Norm Coleman to the United States Senate.

You’ve been so much help already, but, now we need your help even more.   As the Franken legal team ramps up its efforts to block every valid vote from counting, the collective efforts of the national Democratic machine, combined with the Franken Campaign, are doing all they can to influence public opinion.  

Whether it’s the blogs, or the newspapers or talk radio, we need your voices to be heard.   A letter to the editor.   A post on a blog.   A call to a radio talk show.   Or, even a post to places like the Star Tribune reader comment section on stories about the trial are critically important.

All it takes is a computer, and a minute or two of your time each day to let your voice be heard.   We’ve all worked so hard to make sure Norm Coleman was re-elected on Election Day.

We’ve got to keep working hard to make sure that he is re-elected…again.

Below, we’ve listed a number of links that you can access online from your computer and the internet.   Each and everyone of these publications gives you an opportunity to have your voice heard.   And, now, more than ever, we need your voice to be heard.

Please take the time to log on, and link in and give your voice the sound we need to hear!   The sound of victory and the sound of all valid votes being counted – and all valid votes being counted only once.

For example, on the Star Tribune site, www.startribune.com, you not only have the option of posting your own comment on any story that has to do with Senator Coleman or the recount — but you can vote on whether or not you like the comments others make about the story.

All you have to do is open the story, and see the reader comments on each story.   A simple log in and registration, and you are on your way to making your voice heard!

It’s a great way to have your voice heard — and make sure that someone else isn’t getting in the last word!

Thank you for your help and commitment!

Team Coleman

 

 

LETTER TO EDITOR LINKS

ttp://mpls.startribune.com/dynamic/feedback/form.php?opinion=1

letters@pioneerpress.com

 

MN NEWS

www.pioneerpress.com

www.startribune.com

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/

http://www.minnpost.com/http://www.kare11.com/

http://wcco.com/

http://kstp.com/

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/myfox/

NATIONAL NEWS/BLOGS

http://www.politico.com/

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/

http://thehill.com/

MN BLOGS

http://www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com/index.php
 
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/polinaut/
 
http://blogs.twincities.com/politics/
 
http://minnesotaindependent.com/
 
http://mnpublius.com/