Franken Gains 28 Votes in Day One of the Recount

As we predicted, democrat Al Franken is picking up votes in the Minnesota recount.

The ballot boxes are being "unstuffed." Somewhere out there in the precincts is the mother lode of republican hanky-panky and when discovered that will finish the story.

StarTribune:

The contentious fight for a U.S. Senate seat between incumbent Republican Norm Coleman and Democratic challenger Al Franken inched into the recount phase today as election workers across Minnesota began retabulating more than 2.9 million ballots -- one by one.

Coleman held a 215-vote lead heading into the process.

In several precincts in the Democratic stronghold of St. Louis County, Franken made a net gain of 28 votes today that officials said were faintly marked and therefore not originally picked up by an old brand of optical scanner.

Elections officials said the votes were missed by a small number of outdated "Eagle" scanners still in use in 18 of the large county's 184 precincts...more

In other Minnesota politics news....

human loon Michelle Bachman has been named the new Minnesota state bird, replacing the avian loon. She now says on FOX that what she said on national TV on MSNBC she did not say and she says on FOX that the story that she said it on MSNBC is an urban legend. See the details and have a laugh.