The simple Minnesota patience of Senator Franken has done more to ensure future fair elections than any other single act has done. By the Coleman case being so extremely poor, it establishes a new social standard that election results can be waited for.
It was the previously "we need the results right now" standard that allowed George Bush to become a President Bush when a full fair recount was never done in Florida. In Florida, many voters were not allowed to vote because they were taken off of voter rolls "accidentally" by an independent company. Add difficult ballots in Democratic areas and even voter intimidation. A friend who moved to Florida says that it is much worse than the media reports. Even she fears to go public with what she has seen. Similar problems exist in Ohio and other places.
Equal protection and application of law will benefit all Democratic candidates much more than Republican candidates.
The questioning of Al Gore and John Kerry shows that they felt the social pressure of an orderly transition, that "we need the results right now" standard. To see the cultural change we only need to look at reports of waiting for results in a recent New York race.
No End In Sight for Tedisco-Murphy Recount
By Jimmy Vielkind
...I asked him how long this could take.
"I can't tell you," he said.
Wow, this is huge - the reassertion of law into elections. The "wait for it" attitude helps justice in contrast to the TV "24" induced crazy torture thinking! So thanks to every lawyer, every staff member, every DFLer and every Minnesota who demonstrated the ethic of patience for justice. We always expected Senator Franken to change the world with his sharp wit. We never expected that Senator Franken would change all elections in the future with simple patience.
