Recount judge blasts Wall Street Journal
Judge Edward Cleary
On Monday, the Wall Street Journal published another fact-challenged editorial questioning the integrity of Minnesota's U.S. Senate election — specifically, the actions of the State Canvassing Board.
One of the board's members, Ramsey County Judge Edward Cleary, decided to fight back. Here's the text of a letter he sent Tuesday to the paper's editors; it's much more entertaining than your usual judicial opinion:
Dear Sirs:
As a subscriber of your newspaper for almost three decades, I don't expect to always agree with your editorial viewpoint. Yet I am nevertheless very disappointed when I read an editorial long on partisan tone and short on accurate reporting.
As a member of the Minnesota State Canvassing Board, appointed pursuant to statute, I have attended all nine Board open meetings held the past seven weeks. I am knowledgeable about the proceedings as well as Minnesota's election laws. Our members (two Supreme Court Justices, two District Court Judges, and Secretary of State Ritchie) came from all political backgrounds, openly expressed our opinions at the meetings, and can hardly be accurately described as "meek", unless you mean "meek" by New York in-your-face standards. Your groundless attack on Secretary Ritchie reflects poorly on the author; Ritchie worked assiduously at avoiding partisanship in these proceedings.
As to the Board as a whole, all of our major votes were unanimous. We consistently followed the law in limiting our involvement to a non-adjudicative role, declining both candidates' attempts to expand our mandate. Further, we painstakingly reviewed each challenged ballot, some more than once, to confirm that we were ruling in a consistent manner.
One can only assume, based on the tone of the editorial, the numerous inaccuracies, and the over-the-top slam at Al Franken ("tainted and undeserving?") that had Norm Coleman come out on top in this recount, the members of the Board would have been praised as "strong-willed, intelligent, and perceptive."
We won't hold our breath waiting for that editorial to appear.
Edward J. Cleary
Assistant Chief Judge
Second Judicial District
Minnesota State Canvassing Board
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Comments (11)
Hats off to Judge Cleary. Too often errors in fact, blatant distortions and thinly concealed political bias are passed off as authoritative commentary. As a former Minnesotan I am a proud observer of the senatorial recount process and the way in which the State Canvassing Board has handled this difficult process.
Well done, Judge Cleary. However, after subscribing to WSJ for 30 years, you should know better than expect other than duplicitous propaganda from their editorial page. I guess this one just struck a little too close to home.
Personally, I think he came off sounding like a small-town judge they assume he is.
"I am knowledgeable about the proceedings as well as Minnesota's election laws." Uh, yeah, I hope so.
"[U]nless you mean 'meek' by New York in-your-face standards." Take THAT you big city types!
I guarantee you they are chuckling in the WSJ offices.
Thank you, Judge Cleary, for your fine service in the cause of modeling, upholding, and enhancing the democratic process. I thank you also for defending the many honorable, dedicated, and hard-working people who played such an important part in providing the citizens of Minnesota, the nation, and the world with a shining standard of excellence in manifesting the often challenging task of determining the will of the people. The ill-informed and ill-considered slurs exemplified by the article in the Wall Street Journal reflect more on the person uttering them, and the people who applaud such scurrilous behavior, than the process in which you played such an important part. Fortunately, while such attacks can muddy the waters for a while, and make the democratic process both more frustrating and painful, they cannot stand long against the enduring light of truth, and the efforts of thoughtful, clear-sighted, and courageous people like you. Thank you again!
Right on, Judge Cleary. Beautifully said. Not "meek" at all, not even by New York standards. Clearly, the Wall Street Journal is biased towards Republicans. The Minnesota Canvassing Board did a superb job of counting the votes, as could be seen by anyone watching the Board's proceedings on the Internet. The problem is that the Wall Street Journal and the GOP have become so used to having elections stolen by Republicans -- Ohio ('04) and Florida ('00) -- that they can't handle an honest recount -- where the Democrat usually wins. As recent history shows, when votes are counted honestly (Minnesota '08), the Democrat wins; and when votes are not counted (Florida '00), the Republican wins. In 2000, Bush was appointed president by a 5 to 4 vote. The Wall Street Journal clearly prefers that system where "activist judges" appoint the winner, and the votes of the people don't count -- so why bother counting them?
All I can say to Judge Cleary is: "Aww, snap!"
Perhaps Cleary should seek an op/ed response in his fact-challenged hometown newspaper, which reprinted the WSJ piece today. But that might mean the crack editorial page staff would have to move "Bulletin Board" somewhere else for a day.
Did the 'urnal print the letter?
Is Judge Cleary aware that Rupert Murdoch now owns the Wall Street Journal? I think we can now expect the news sections (instead of just the editorial pages) to reflect a right-wing worldview.
Whenever I forward anything from the WSJ opinion page, I find myself always starting with "Consider the source ..."
Hey Judge, sometimes it is better to say nothing at all. When your state is about to fraudualently elect to the senate one of the biggest buffoons in political historical, I am not sure you want to wave the Minnesota flag right now. Your image as a state is tarnished by this so you might want to keep a low profile. What a joke you to have Al Franken in the senate. Who is next, Jim Belushi. Get back on the ice and fish a little hopefully Al will not do more damage to the reputation of "The great state of Minnesota!!!!"