LJWorld.com / Franken’s Senate candidacy is no joke

Archive for Sunday, July 6, 2008

By David Shribman

July 6, 2008

St. Paul, Minn. — So it’s come to this. You can spend the better part of an hour with Al Franken and hardly laugh at all.

Franken is, of course, one of the funnier men of our time, a “Saturday Night Live” veteran, and the author of a number of books whose titles alone likely made you laugh (“Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot” and “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right”), though not enough to make you actually read them.

Now he is running for the Senate and, suddenly, with the one-time funny guy in possession of the Democratic endorsement for the seat held by Sen. Norm Coleman, his political prospects are no laughing matter.

Regardless of where you stand in the cultural wars (or the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq), you may concede that it might be healthy for the country to have a Democrat in the Senate with a decent sense of humor. There are few funny people in that cave of winds, and the last two genuinely witty ones, Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Bob Dole of Kansas, were resolutely Republican.

But right now Franken is deadly serious — about health care, Iraq, the economy, and the power of the big drug, auto and energy companies.

His campaign is serious, too. He could win. And though many a serious point has been made in jest — consult Will Rogers, for example, and his remark that he wasn’t a member of any organized political party, just a Democrat — Franken is not running as a joke, to tell a joke or to be a joke. He wants to be a senator like Edward M. Kennedy or, to be more precise and geographically relevant, like Hubert H. Humphrey.

Franken’s is a Minnesota story, and by that I do not mean to suggest that the state that once elected a wrestler who favored a pink boa to the governor’s office is especially fertile ground to elect someone closely identified with “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update. It’s that Mr. Franken’s political identity was created in the old progressive Democratic-Farmer-Labor crucible that made Humphrey, Eugene J. McCarthy and Walter F. Mondale national figures and liberal icons.

But it was a fourth Minnesota Democrat, the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, who may have had the greatest effect on the party’s 2008 Senate candidate. Mr. Wellstone died in a plane crash during his re-election campaign in late October 2002, a moment of immense shock and emotional power for Minnesota liberals, and when Franken returned to the state for an event saluting a book of Wellstone photographs, he found himself deeply moved — and surprisingly vulnerable to entreaties that he himself should run for the seat.

“For me it’s a natural progression in my career,” he said during a recent noon hour in his campaign headquarters in a small strip mall here. The candidate was wearing jeans and a salmon-colored cotton shirt. He is smaller than he appears on television, and yet his head, shaped much like an organic seedless watermelon, seems outsized. He combs his hair back, and the reverse-bang effect that creates is about 2, maybe 3 inches high.

“I know that this is not what people think. I’ve been doing comedy and satire my whole life. In ’95, when I left ‘Saturday Night Live,’ I started writing, pointedly, about the Gingrich revolution and the rise of talk radio and how it changed the civility of discourse.”

Then he took to the airwaves himself, with a radio show on AirAmerica, and his listeners discovered an Al Franken who was more a serious guy than a wiseguy. (This part of the conversation, deep in Minnesota’s tuna hot-dish casserole belt, produced the only funny line of our entire session: “The funny-to-serious ratio was smaller than the tuna-to-noodle ratio.”) He clearly liked the new persona. Now he is taking it on the road.

Even so, he is known as a comedian, and his rivals are throwing back some of his funnier and cruder lines at him, recently resurrecting a 2000 Playboy column called “Porn-o-Rama!” This sort of thing is a disadvantage for anyone in the creative arts, for as a gubernatorial and presidential candidate it was no advantage for Ronald Reagan to have to defend his role in “Bedtime for Bonzo,” just as it will not be pretty to see Sen. James Webb of Virginia defending the sex scenes in his novels should he become the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee this summer.

“Obviously I’ve written stuff they’re going to use against me,” he says. “I did comedy for 35 to 40 years. I started in high school. I think most of what I did was really funny. (Here begins a cascade of belly laughs.) So much of it is part of the public record. Have I told some jokes that were not funny? You bet. Have I told jokes that are offensive to some people? Sure. But they’re not representative of my work.”

The jokes and the comedy routines began in St. Louis Park, the Minneapolis suburb where Mr. Franken, now 57 years old, grew up. There he wasted endless hours on mindless television, plus the Dick Van Dyke, Carol Burnett, Danny Kaye, Alan King shows and others. Buddy Hackett was a particular favorite. Franken was marked by all of them, but he also was marked by Wendell Anderson.

Today Anderson is all but forgotten outside Minnesota, but 35 years ago this summer he was on the cover of Time magazine, the poster child of innovative progressivism (plus, particularly important in Minnesota, a member of the 1956 U.S. Olympic hockey team). Mr. Anderson’s greatest legacy is his overhaul of the state’s education and finance system when he was governor. It is known in state lore as the Minnesota Miracle of 1971.

What Mr. Franken is trying to pull off is the Minnesota Miracle of 2008. Right now he’s within the margin of error of doing it.

— David Shribman is executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Discussion

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6 July 2008 at 8:11 a.m.

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cato_the_elder (Anonymous) says…

Remarkably, Shribman fails to mention the fact that, unlike Ronald Reagan or James Webb, Franken is an admitted 17-state tax evader. He is also a failed political talk show host whose financial dealings involving “Air America” have been seriously scrutinized for some time. The fact that Franken was particularly fond of Buddy Hackett, one of the foulest people ever to speak into a nightclub microphone, says a lot about him. Franken is, frankly, an embarrassment to many Minnesota Democrats who regret that they were not able to put forth a more worthy candidate, whether or not he has ever been capable of being elected.
6 July 2008 at 9:23 a.m.

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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

And fortunately for you, cato, after he's elected senator, you'll get to piss and moan about him for years to come.
6 July 2008 at 9:32 a.m.

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madmike (Anonymous) says…

Franken is nothing more that an unemployed radical. That being said, after seeing what that state has elected in the past, it wouldn't surprise me if that moron got elected. Maybe Bozo can move there to his leftist utopia.
6 July 2008 at 9:33 a.m.

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Jcjayhawk1 (Anonymous) says…

Franken is a Fool. Is his tax record any indication of how he plans to run the Minn. government?
6 July 2008 at 9:51 a.m.

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The_Original_Bob (Anonymous) says…

“Franken is, of course, one of the funnier men of our time,…”

I don't care if you are liberal or conservative, but that is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read. Franken may be a lot of things; funny is not one of them.
6 July 2008 at 10:53 a.m.

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jocknavals (Anonymous) says…

Jc…if the dude is elected senator, he won't run the Minnesota government, he'll be part of the federal government in Washington DC.
I think Al Franken was as funny as George Carlin, but not as funny as Malaprop George Bush can be.
What I want to know is what was his draft lottery number back in the day? Same as CheyneyBush's?
6 July 2008 at 11:06 a.m.

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RestoreReason (Anonymous) says…

Great points, cato. In addition, the liberal Shribman failed to mention that Franken's “Air America” had one host who advocated the assassination of George W. Bush. So the same Franken complained about the lack of civilty on talk radio?

Personally, I find Franken's senatorial run far more hilarious than anything he did on SNL. In the process, he's turned the whole Democrat Party in Minnesota into a bigger joke than it already was with Keith Ellison.
6 July 2008 at 11:08 a.m.

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RestoreReason (Anonymous) says…

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
6 July 2008 at 11:52 a.m.

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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…

And while boohoozo is sitting there, he may want to broaden his selection of information sources than the message boards of the award-winning LJW.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/…
6 July 2008 at 12:04 p.m.

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Jcjayhawk1 (Anonymous) says…

“Jc…if the dude is elected senator, he won't run the Minnesota government, he'll be part of the federal government in Washington DC. ”-jocknavals

Thanks for correcting me. This will still lead me to where I want to go. The failure of Franken to pay taxes is an insult to anyone who pays their own. Running for congress and disobeying the law on purpose? He needs to pay up. Wether he agrees with the law or not he will help vote on future laws. This is an outright disregard for the very job the people will employ him to do.
6 July 2008 at 12:11 p.m.

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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

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6 July 2008 at 12:13 p.m.

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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…

“the liberal Shribman failed to mention that Franken's “Air America” had one host who advocated the assassination of George W. Bush.”

If that's really the case, then he's in prison, right?
6 July 2008 at 12:40 p.m.

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leftlawrenceafter30years (Anonymous) says…

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6 July 2008 at 1:43 p.m.

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Tom Shewmon (Tom Shewmon) says…

Agreed. There is absolutely nothing humorous about the idea of Al Franken entering into American Politics. It carries at least a half dozen indictments of the state of America and how far down we've sunk with the extremist, radical left.

Hopefully its 'faddish'. I really hope.
6 July 2008 at 1:50 p.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

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6 July 2008 at 1:59 p.m.

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Tom Shewmon (Tom Shewmon) says…

How does beobachter continually get away with excessive abuse of conservative users, LJW monitors?

Why do you allow this to go on and on and on?

Beobachter is the single most abusive user on this forum, hands down.
6 July 2008 at 2:48 p.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

Problem nancy, email me. we can talk
6 July 2008 at 2:50 p.m.

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beobachter (Anonymous) says…

ps, nancy, who is this kevin you are so defensive of?
6 July 2008 at 4:27 p.m.

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RestoreReason (Anonymous) says…

leftlawrence:

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?”

I can't speak for Kevin, but I'm tan and thin.
6 July 2008 at 4:29 p.m.

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RestoreReason (Anonymous) says…

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6 July 2008 at 5:09 p.m.

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beatrice (Anonymous) says…

Go Al, Go!

cato: “The fact that Franken was particularly fond of Buddy Hackett, one of the foulest people ever to speak into a nightclub microphone, says a lot about him.”'

I'm curious, which words did that foul, foul man Buddy Hackett use that haven't been used by Dick Cheney?
6 July 2008 at 6:10 p.m.

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yourworstnightmare (Anonymous) says…

Cato said:
“Franken is, frankly, an embarrassment to many Minnesota Democrats who regret that they were not able to put forth a more worthy candidate, whether or not he has ever been capable of being elected.”
-That's Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL), not democrats. Get it right, Cato.

Jcjayhawk1 said:
“Franken is a Fool. Is his tax record any indication of how he plans to run the Minn. government?”
Just who is the fool here? Jcjayhawk1 seems to think that senators run the Minnesota government. Jcjayhawk1 is the fool, apparently.
6 July 2008 at 6:24 p.m.

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yourworstnightmare (Anonymous) says…

Franken's opponent is sitting IR (Independent-Republican) senator Norm Coleman.

When Coleman came to St. Paul from the east, he was a democrat. He soon realized that St. Paul was flush with DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Laborer) political talent and he would stand no chance as a DFLer.

So, he changed his affiliation (and many of his positions) so that he could run as an IR. He has been posing as a conservative IR ever since, taking on more right-wing positions by the day.
6 July 2008 at 6:31 p.m.

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Jcjayhawk1 (Anonymous) says…

“Just who is the fool here? Jcjayhawk1 seems to think that senators run the Minnesota government. Jcjayhawk1 is the fool, apparently.”-yourworstnightmare

Ya I already addressed my foolish remark and oversight. I need to familiarize myself with the topic better next time. The fact remains……His failure to pay taxes is indefensible.
6 July 2008 at 6:43 p.m.

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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…

“St. Paul, Minn. — So it’s come to this. You can spend the better part of an hour with Al Franken and hardly laugh at all.”

Pretty sure I could spend a lifetime with Al Franken and not laugh at all.

The people who think he'd make a good candidate for our nation's legislature are a different story, however - I never cease to be amused by them.
6 July 2008 at 8:20 p.m.

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terrapin2 (Anonymous) says…

We lived in Minnesota for 9 years and I wish we were still there to vote in this next election. Norm Coleman needs to go. The overwhelming majority of people in MN are democrats and have wanted a good candidate to take him down for a long time. I hope Al wins. Whether you think he's funny or not really doesn't matter. You conservatives like Ronald Reagan's high quality movies do you? Arnold's acting isn't exactly Oscar worthy either. Maybe you should look into Al's politics more. You might learn something. His books are very funny. Of course they point out some things that the right would not want to admit are true.
6 July 2008 at 8:26 p.m.

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beatrice (Anonymous) says…

notajay, I'm shocked. You missed a perfect opportunity to mention kool-aid. You must not be on top of your game right now.
6 July 2008 at 9:34 p.m.

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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…

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6 July 2008 at 9:39 p.m.

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cato_the_elder (Anonymous) says…

Youareyourownworstnightmare, the same Terrapin 2 who tells us that he or she lived in Minnesota for 9 years also refers to the same group of misguided folks, i.e. the ones to whom I was referring, as “democrats” - as the result of which I presume that you will also want to correct Terrapin in the same nightmarishly sophomoric fashion. On the other hand, it's not really necessary due to the fact that virtually every major news source that has covered this race over the last 6 months, both inside and outside of Minnesota, has used the terms interchangeably when referring to Democrats in Minnesota. Get a life.
6 July 2008 at 9:44 p.m.

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cato_the_elder (Anonymous) says…

Beatrice, did you ever see (and, unfortunately, hear) Buddy Hackett in a live performance, especially in a nightclub? Or are you of a sufficient age to have had that opportunity?
6 July 2008 at 10:05 p.m.

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Marion Lynn (Marion Lynn) says…

Frnaken's candidacy may be no joke, but he, Al Franken, certainly is!

The coud have found a better candidate than…

Al Franken.

I am not aware of a more liberal looney than….

Al Franken.

There was a guy a long time back who whined about not getting the SNL producer's position and it was…

Al Franken.

An entirely new network sprang up but went bankrupt because of…………..

Al Franken.

America is now faced with the prospect of an arrogant commie nutball possibly being elected to public office and that arrogant commie nutball is………………..

Al Franken.

Tell me that I don't know my SNL!
6 July 2008 at 10:54 p.m.

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notajayhawk (Anonymous) says…

“did you ever see (and, unfortunately, hear) Buddy Hackett in a live performance, especially in a nightclub?”

Buddy's not-for-television act was pretty filthy.

Pretty f'ing funny, too. Unlike Mr. Franken.

By the way, I saw Jerry Lewis in person back in '85 or so. Let's just say he's a lot more raunchy than the funny guy sharing billing with Dean Martin in the old movies when he's live. Bob Hope was on the same ticket, and Bob was at the other end of the spectrum - not a single foul word out of his mouth, not one, and he still had the same audience going wild.
6 July 2008 at 11:43 p.m.

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RestoreReason (Anonymous) says…

terrapin:

“Of course they point out some things that the right would not want to admit are true.”

Share an example.
7 July 2008 at 5:51 a.m.

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Marion Lynn (Marion Lynn) says…

notajayhawk:

Yeah, it is very interesting that Bob Hope, like Bill cosby kept it pretty clean throughout thier comedy careers.

Danny Kaye was another who had a dual performing personality. If you ever get the chance to see any of Kaye's USO tour films, you will see what I mean. Most of Kaye's “dirty” comedy was physical and he was literally laughing his heart out with the troops and everyone understood that iot was all in great fun!

Never overtly raunchy like Redd Foxx, for example, Kaye had the ability to make even the most exhausted and battle-weary troops laugh at him and themselves, so that soon everyone was laughing together and the horror of war could be forgotten, if only for a while.

Kaye was frequently accompianied by Dinah Shore who served as his fall girl and was hilarious as well. They did “Up In Arms” together in 1944 and entertained troops in Korea and elsewhere in the 1950s.

Anyway, I have always ben impressed with Danny Kaye's work and regard him as one of the truly great funny men; a category in which I do not include………..

Al Franken.
7 July 2008 at 6:44 a.m.

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cato_the_elder (Anonymous) says…

Marion, Danny Kaye was indeed a consummate artist. His wonderful movie “Hans Christian Andersen” is a great film for kids and adults, and “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” is still a classic.
9 July 2008 at 10:06 a.m.

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terrapin2 (Anonymous) says…

RR-Read them yourself. You might learn something.
9 July 2008 at 10:30 a.m.

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Poon (Anonymous) says…

For whatever it is worth, it has been rumored that Jesse Ventura may jump into the race with the Independence Party. Can you imagine Jesse and Al in the same race? I would pull up my Larryville stakes and move to Minnesota just to watch the fun.