If there’s a close election in Minnesota…then Fox News is all over it, and going after the Democrats. Check out this amazing interview that Heidi Collins, formerly of CNN and now an anchor on the local Fox station in her native Twin Cities area, did with Democratic Secretary of State Mark Ritchie on Wednesday night. Among the suspicious points she raises against Ritchie regarding the gubernatorial recount is that…his office was prepared for a recount!
In the race to succeed Repubican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Democratic former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton currently leads Republican state Rep. Tom Emmer by slightly under 9,000 votes, a percentage gap of 0.42% out of about 2.1 million votes. Though this figure is within the 0.5% margin that would trigger a mandatory hand recount, past experience from the state’s long-running 2008 Senate recount and legal contest — in which the margins were only ever a few hundred votes out of 2.9 million ballots — would suggest that the outcome is highly unlikely to switch to the Republicans.
Collins opened the interview by playing a video clip of state GOP chair Tony Sutton blaming Ritchie for the recount, and saying that it should be “a process that’s dominated by an ACORN activist who happens to be the Secretary of State.”
Ritchie initially brushed off Sutton’s remark, calling it a partisan attack, and he touted his re-election this week as Secretary of State as proof that the people of Minnesota approved of his handling of the 2008 recount. Collins pressed the point again, asking Ritchie if he was involved with the dreaded ACORN.
“Oh sure, many years ago they in fact were a supporter, just like the Star Tribune was a supporter, just like the Pioneer Press,” said Ritchie. “But I do think there’s a kind of disrespect of constitutional officers that sounds very un-Minnesotan. It’s kind of name-calling, and really a recount is a very careful, constitutional process.”
At this point, Collins cut off Ritchie. As he attempted to continue, she said: “Secretary Ritchie? Could I ask the questions? I ask, you answer. Yes?”
(Republicans have been attacking Ritchie ever since the beginning of the 2008 Senate recount. Among their main bullet points were that he once “led a voter registration coalition that included ACORN,” and that ACORN supported his 2006 campaign when he unseated the Republican incumbent.)
When they moved on, Ritchie explained the recount process — the structure of the county canvassing boards, the state canvassing board, the order of operations, etc. Then Collins asked an interesting question.
“You told me that it seemed like you were ready for this, prepared for this type of thing to happen. I think if voters hear that right now, they’re going to be saying, ‘What? Are you kidding me? You knew this was going to happen again? You were prepared for it?'”
Ritchie then explained that the state always has a dozen to two dozen recounts in every election cycle. (That is, local-level, judgeships or the state legislature — it is quite unusual that the state is now having two statewide recounts in a row.) As such, he said that “the local election officials are very very familiar with this process. And I think it reflects that active Minnesota civic culture.”
The interview ended on this fun exchange:
Collins: Our leadership, but we’re also making headlines here across the country.
Ritchie: Well headlines are great for news organizations. Headlines are what you live for.
Collins: Well people read them, and they’re curious as to why it continues to happen in Minnesota. Last question for you tonight, Mr. Secretary–
Ritchie: Because we as citizens are very active people.
Umm…maybe the reason they keep having recounts is because they keep having close elections?
(Via Minnesota Independent)
