Bob CollinsThe Norm Coleman – Al Franken recount story is a hit — sort of — in Europe.
On Wednesday, MPR’s Mark Zdechlik was on the BBC’s Up All Night. Once you get past the mangling of Mark’s name, it’s even more interesting to hear the questions. The host apparently thought the race between the two was over. But when you hear Mark explain the process, one wonders how anyone overseas can wonder what’s wrong with Minnesota.
“Why didn’t anyone weigh into this long before?” the commentator asked, referring to the Supreme Court ruling in the Gore-Bush clash in 2000 49 days after the election. “There is no sense of a clock running here at all,” he said incredulously.
“We urge more patience on you,” he said.
Meanwhile, All Things Considered host Tom Crann was on the radio in Dublin. The host on RTE Radio 1wondered why a Democrat in “one of the bluest states in the union” couldn’t easily win an election in which Barack Obama swept to victory.
Told by Crann that Coleman was appealing this week’s decision, the host intoned, “Oh, good lord.”
Why does Europe care? Is it a fascination with the democratic process in the colonies? Or the fact it involves a former comedian?
