Ramesh Ponuru is by most accounts a decent guy, and he showed it today, coming out clearly to say that it’s time for Coleman to “give up this fight.” Yes, yes: it shouldn’t have even have gone this far, but you can’t accuse Ponuru of just trying to string things out forever.
The question is how the GOP handles it now. It could take the John Cornyn approach and try to keep it going “for years,” but as this editorial from a newspaper that endorsed Coleman shows, Minnesotans’ patience is wearing thin. (h/t Minnesota Independent).
Republicans now need to consider whether the possibility of delaying Senator Franken for a few more months, or even up to a year, will be good enough if it does the GOP severe lasting damage in the state itself. During the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, it’s clear that the Republican Party — and only the Republican Party — is responsible for Minnesota being underepresented.
Karl Rove and Steve Schmidt thought that McCain could take Minnesota; it’s been thought of as a swing state for a few years now. It’s had several Republican US Senators over the last couple of decades. Does the GOP want to write it off for the next several election cycles?
