Republican strategist Alex Castellanos writes:
Minnesotans eat lutefisk, not for its taste, but from a sense of cultural responsibility. After all, the delightful state staple is fish prepared in lye. Who would want to miss “All You Can Eat” night?

“Minnesota Nice,” however, can expose the soft underbelly of the state to self-interested politicians. This year, it may allow comedian Al Franken to walk away with one of the state’s highest public offices and the U.S. Senate might finally gain what it has always lacked: a clown who is a credentialed professional.

Democratic strategist Paul Begala writes:
You know you’re low when you have lower ethical standards than a convicted felon, but that’s where former Sen. Norm Coleman finds himself.

Stevens had little realistic chance of overturning the result, and Alaska needed both its senators as hundreds of billions of dollars were being spent by Congress. Even though he betrayed the public trust, Stevens’ last public act put his state first.

Me? After all of this hurry up and wait, lawsuit upon lawsuit, and punditry galore, I’m considering the implications of just having one senator for another six years.

Click to watch: 23/6

Are you into the election equivalent of watching paint dry? The Senate recount is finally upon us and while everyone will be covering it, your best bet for the quickest non-stop coverage will be the local independent media that are all over it.

The UpTake will have live video and live-blogging of the recounting process on their front page, and you can follow along on Twitter by watching the hashtag “#mnrecount” or individual accounts: @theuptake, @chuckumentary. Of course, you can always show up in person to watch the recount, which is open to the media and the public. (If you really like The UpTake, you can hang out at their Fall Fundraiser on Friday! Disclosure: I ran around with them during the RNC.)

Jesse Ventura can pretty much go first name only these days. At least in Minnesota.

So he’s officially entering the Senate race, pitting himself against Norm Coleman and Al Franken.

I’m officially ambivalent. On the one hand, I’m all for more options to choose from. On the other hand, what a fucking spectacle (and I suspect Norm Coleman will be the benefactor of it all).

We officially have the most ridiculous senate race ever.

(via @solace)

UPDATE: Okay, maybe not. I wouldn’t put it past him, though. Next Tuesday is the filing deadline. Man, everyone ran quick with that one. Interestingly, now the story is the coverage (i.e., ABC News’ initial interpretation of Jesse’s comments).