In recent weeks, I have been thinking of writing a blog titled, "My Thoughts on the Coleman/Franken/Senate Situation." The body of the article would have been left completely blank. But that isn't exactly constructive, is it? So, I thought I would discuss the topic a little bit.
To be completely honest, I think I quit caring about this election a couple of months before Election Day. The negative campaign advertising and the brutal personal attacks were embarrassing and infuriating. Voters learned that each of the candidates had enough character flaws to make Percy Harvin look like a saint.
It is now nearly six months later and still there is no resolution. At one point, Norm Coleman was said to have more votes and was named the winner. But then, "ironically" several other ballots were found, similar to the classic Chris Farley/David Spade movie Black Sheep, and based on a shady recount process, Al Franken appears to be the likely winner. There are now several legal steps yet to explore.
I wanted to find out if I was the only one who was turned off and annoyed by this entire situation and process. So, I put together a little survey and sent it to a lot of people around the state. There were 45 respondents, and the group included men and women from ages 21 through 65. People from the metro area and the outstate areas were included. Respondents were both liberal, conservative or anywhere in between. There were people from various economic and ethnic backgrounds. Here are some of the results:
The first question was simply "Do you care which candidate wins the vacant US Senate Chair?"
I was actually a little surprised when 30 people (out of 45) told me that they do care. 15 said that they really don't care. Three of those said that they didn't care anymore, that this process was just too long.
The second question was "In a typical day, how much time do you spend thinking about this situation?"
Nearly half (22 of 45) said that they spend no time thinking about it. 19 more said that they spend between one and five minutes each day thinking about it. Two people said that they thought about it five to 15 minutes a day. One person said that they thought about it 15-30 minutes a day. One person said that they think about it 30-60 minutes a day. But I think the general theme is that whether people care who wins or not, most simply don't put a lot of time or thought into it.
The third question was "Do you think your life will be affected by this election?"
My thought when I asked the question was that it really wouldn't. My day to day would not change. I may get an extra $7 a month out of a pay check. The Economic Stimulus Package would have passed whether Norm Coleman or Al Franken had a vote. Would Arlen Specter have stayed a Republican if he thought Coleman would be joining them in Washington, or was he a Stuart Smalley fan all along? But those who responded to my survey told a different story. 22 of 45 said that "Yes" there would be change to their lives. Another six said there would be some little changes. Just 17 of 45 said that this decision would result in no change to their lives.
I asked for those who took the poll to give "one word that describes your thoughts on the Coleman/Franken situation."
My word was "Annoying." Two others chose that word. The word used most (7 times) was Ridiculous. Politics was mentioned three times. "Enough" was mentioned three times, but you could probably add Finalize, Drawn-Out, IsItOverYet, Prolonged and Stop(!) to that category. There were 45 responses, and not one of them was even a little positive. There were a couple of words that I simply would not put into this blog as well. Words like Disgusting, Waste, Frustrating, Stupid, Circus, Criminal, Childish, Shameful, Crazy and Shady were mentioned. I think the big picture summation of this category is that Minnesotans are not at all happy with this situation. This is the type of situation that gives Politics a bad name. One respondent called it "a black eye for the state."


Finally, I left available a section for "Open Comments," a place that people could get something off of their chests, if they wanted. There were some excellent comments. One person told me that they didn't think they should fill out the survey because they don't really follow politics. I responded that this person should be included just as equally as someone who dedicates their life to politics because they are likely a very representative person in a Senator's constituency.
Many people are disgruntled by this process, however, one respondent commented, "The system is working. The law states a mandatory recount when less than one percent difference. Minnesota law is based on voter intent which means people will be asked to make judgment calls. It is not a perfect system, but you can't let perfection get in the way of good."
I would think that most people would agree that it is working as it is mapped out currently, but that doesn't mean that this situation should not lead to election process change in the near future. As one person said, this "shows the need for tightened election standards like picture IDs, and better absentee voter standards." Several people called for a recount process. "It appears that Georgia has it right. Any election with the final vote within 0.1% of each other results in an immediate run-off between the top two candidates. Georgia did this, and they had a winner in early December." Another person added, "We are now letting a panel of judges pick our next senator, not the people, so no matter what happens now, somebody is going to say that three guys picked our Senator."
Of course, another person may have put forth the best idea, "Throw away the ballots. Ban both of them from running again. Hold a new election… Does anyone really feel that either candidate would properly represent them?"
On one side, someone wrote, "Franken has shown how corruption can taint the will of the people." On the other side, "Coleman is the one who has complained the most… why not be gracious, save face and concede?" One person wrote simply, "Al (Franken) is crazy!" The same person added, "Just finish it already and move on! Being a cry baby is a loser mentality!"
Voters should be asking themselves a ton of questions. For instance, what will cost more? Democrats raising our taxes, or Norm Coleman's appeals?
To close, here is probably the best comment I got on what Minnesotans should do. "I feel all Minnesotans should continue to have an interest in this situation and not just dismiss it as too-long-drawn-out political event. Was the recount handled fairly? Which candidate more closely resembles our values as Minnesotans? What will it mean to the state of Minnesota and our country when this race is decided?"
All I know is that this situation, like Brett Favre rumors, simply will not go away!!
Now it is your turn. What are your thoughts on the questions, or anything you have read here?
Oh, maybe the best response I got to the survey read, "Why aren't you writing about baseball?" Excellent point!
By the way, please be sure to tune in to www.MNGameNight.com tonight at 10:00 when I will be co-hosting the Twins podcast with Twins lefty starting pitcher and Minnesota native, Glen Perkins. The show should be very good.