Norm Loserman
by digby
I am always hostile to those who say that candidates must concede elections before they have been decided. (I’m especially hostile to those who say that candidates should concede elections before people have even voted, but that’s another story.)I believe in democracy and I think people should vote, that all their votes should be counted and that if there is a dispute it should be decided in a fair and dispassionate way. I don’t believe that these things should be decided by media spin or political pressure.
But this is getting ridiculous. Norm Coleman has lost his election. Everyone knows it. It’s been six months. He’s just dragging things out to keep the seat empty and in the vague hope that somewhere along the line he’ll get a favorable ruling from a partisan court or muddle public opinion enough that the voters will call for a re-vote. None of it is democratic, mature or responsible. But that’s nothing new. That’s how they roll.
Poor Norm, the former Democrat, cast his lot with the Republicans at their peak and now he’s paying the price. He and Dennis Miller can go on the road together and play tea parties when all this is done. But enough is enough:
Republicans in DC know Al Franken won.Give a dollar a day to make Norm go away.
But they are bankrolling Norm Coleman’s continued court challenges in Minnesota and are encouraging him to drag this thing out forever. For them, it’s worth it to keep shelling out money to block the seating of Senator Franken.
Put simply, the incentives are all wrong. So let’s set the incentives right.
Today, we’re teaming up with Howard Dean’s Democracy for America to launch the “Dollar a Day to Make Norm Go Away” campaign. We’re asking people across the country to donate $1 to help progressives defeat Republicans in 2010 for every day that Norm Coleman refuses to concede.
Click here to sign up at NormDollar.com!
Donations will go to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee — our new group (formed by former MoveOn.org and labor organizers, Democratic campaigners, and the co-inventor of RSS & Reddit) to help bold progressive candidates run effective campaigns and win.
You can choose to limit the number of weeks you donate, in case you worry Norm is completely delusional. 🙂
Think about how this Dollar A Day will change the game. If thousands of people sign up, and Republicans up for re-election in 2010 see the progressives who are out to defeat them get an infusion of donations each day that Coleman is obstinate, what do you think will happen?
First, they may be in denial. But after a couple days, and as more and more progressives encourage their friends to hop on board, you’ll have Republican Senators, House members, strategists, lobbyists, and funders all calling Coleman saying, “Your time is up. Concede!”
Rep. Tom Perriello, the progressive Virginia Democrat who won an upset victory in 2008 over right-wing bigot Rep. Virgil Goode, said that if the PCCC had been around in 2008 more progressives like him would have been elected.
We need Al Franken — and more bold progressives like Al Franken — in Congress. You can help achieve both goals today.
Click here to join our “A Dollar a Day to Make Norm Go Away” campaign.
Then, please tell your friends. Thanks for being a bold progressive.
You can donate a dollar a day for a week and put the price of two lattes toward sticking it to Norm Loserman for the good of progressive candidates, thus indulging your loathing for Republican election tactics and fighting the good fight at the same time. It’s a win win.
Update: HuffPo has more.