Comic Franken Becomes Serious Contender

Washington Post: Actor/Writer/Talk Show Host Turned Politician Leads In Tense Minnesota Senate Race

(Washington Post)  This story was written by Paul Kane.

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Al Franken settled into the Wagon Wheel Cafe and for 45 uninterrupted minutes talked with a handful of Minnesota farmers about the promise of cellulosic ethanol, the impact of the sinking dollar on crop prices, and his pledge to secure a seat on the Agriculture Committee if he is elected to the U.S. Senate.

Then the Democrat worked the diner crowd, shaking hands and asking for support like a seasoned statesman, betraying no hint that he was once a longtime writer and actor on "Saturday Night Live" and a sharp-tongued liberal talk-radio host.

Nevertheless, after Franken left, Jodi Dickey dismissed his candidacy, saying it was "like Tina Fey running for office." But then the undecided voter thought a bit more about the state of the country and reconsidered. "Actually, maybe that's not such a bad idea."

The political climate this year is such that Franken - best known for starring in an "SNL" skit in which his character stares into a mirror and attempts to reassure himself that, doggone it, people like him - has pulled ahead in his Senate race against Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.

Just weeks ago, Coleman appeared to be headed for victory, one of a handful of Republicans expected to win in a tough year for the GOP. But then a bad economy turned grim, the public's faith in Congress cratered, and support for Franken started to grow. The latest poll, a University of Wisconsin survey that came out Thursday, showed Franken ahead of Coleman 40 percent to 34 percent, his biggest lead of the race. Independent Dean Barkley was favored by 15 percent of those surveyed.

As the race has tightened, its importance nationally has increased greatly. Leaders of both parties see the contest as one of a critical few that will determine whether Democrats win a filibuster-proof 60 seats in the Senate, so both parties are directing high-profile supporters and millions of dollars to Minnesota.

Officials at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, fearful of a union-friendly Democratic Senate, have dubbed the race "ground zero" in the effort to stop a 60-seat majority. The chamber and its affiliates have spent more than $3 million on ads designed to scare voters about Franken and Democrats, according to sources on both sides.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is on the air with an ad called "Character," in which Franken's past satirical work is attacked for allegedly demeaning women and minorities. An angry Franken is shown on a blood-red screen, pumping his fist at a political rally.

On Franken's side has been Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who has campaigned with him and appears in one of his latest ads. Last month former vice president Al Gore headlined a Franken rally, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has run more than $6 million worth of advertisements, almost all accusing Coleman of being a close ally of the Bush White House, according to an estimate from a Democratic source monitoring media purchases.

On the campaign trail, the race is largely about Franken, with the Democrat trying to convince voters he is a serious candidate and Coleman attempting to cast him as too inexperienced and insincere to help solve their problems.

"Serious times require serious leadership," Coleman told two dozen voters Monday in Glencoe, a conservative town about 45 miles from the Twin Cities.

Franken, 57, grew up in St. Louis Park outside Minneapolis and moved to New York in the mid-1970s to begin his career as a comedy writer for "Saturday Night Live," for which he won five Emmys. By the 1980s he was appearing on the show as Stuart Smalley, a self-help guru who became the linchpin of the 1995 film "Stuart Saves His Family."

Thirty years after leaving Minnesota, Franken returned home in late 2005 and began laying the groundwork for the race against Coleman. Franken's outspoken critiques of conservatives - his mid-1990s book "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" was a bestseller - made him a hero among liberal activists. But having never run for office, and having written decades worth of pieces that were funny but sometimes inflammatory, Franken was considered a long shot.

Franken said he believes that his comedic past and his time as a talk-radio host helped attract initial attention to his candidacy, but that to win he will have to demonstrate a grasp of the impact of two wars and a global financial crisis on voters' lives.

"I think the people that are paying attention - the reason I'm doing so well right now - they understand that I'm talking about the issues that affect them and that I'm a serious guy," he said in an interview outside the Wagon Wheel.

To that end, Franken campaigned Tuesday as if he were an old farmhand. Sen. Tom Harkin (D), the Agriculture Committee chairman from neighboring Iowa, appeared at the diner to promise Franken a seat on his committee. Franken took notes on a yellow pad as the farmers discussed biofuel production and, in vowing more funding for wind farms, he informed them that the state's 1st Congressional District is the sixth windiest in the nation.

In the spring and summer, Franken was on the defense, dealing with criticism that he failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in taxes earlier this decade and for writing an article in Playboy that some said was derogatory toward women.

Coleman has dealt with controversy, too. Minnesota Democrats have questioned whether he is getting an unduly favorable deal on his $600-a-month Capitol Hill rental, which is owned by one of his political consultants. The senator said he has only a small bedroom in the apartment and pays a fair amount. And he recently denied allegations that he received free suits from a longtime campaign contributor.

Coleman, who this month pulled his negative advertising, said he hopes voters will consider his background as a prosecutor, city councilman, mayor and senator. He also encourages voters to consider Franken's background.

"What have you done for middle-class families in the state of Minnesota; what have you done in the last 30 years? I can point to 50 things I've done. ... Tell me one thing. You're running for United States Senate. This is serious - that's a fair question for folks to ask," Coleman said in an interview after campaigning at Gert and Erma's coffee shop in Glencoe.

But Coleman is struggling to get that message through the anti-Republican mood among Minnesota voters, particularly since the financial markets collapsed and he supported the $700 billion rescue plan. Franken was opposed to the bailout and rails against it on the stump.

In conservative Glencoe, the type of town where Republicans need to do well to offset Democratic strength in cities, Coleman faced heated questions about the bailout. "If I lose this race, it's because of the American economy and voting for a rescue package," he said afterward.

At several stops Monday, Coleman did not mention his party's presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain. A poll this week showed McCain trailing Sen. Barack Obama by almost 20 points in Minnesota. And the only sign of President Bush was a Franken staffer wearing a Bush mask outside a Coleman event in Redwood Falls in southwestern Minnesota, an ever-present attempt by the Democrat's campaign to remind voters of Coleman's once-close ties to the White House.

Even as Franken tries to convince voters he's sincere, the comedian in him still emerges. At a rally Tuesday with 2,000 supporters at the University of Minnesota, he ad-libbed jokes throughout his 20-minute speech and poked fun at Clinton. He urged voters to get "Franken for Senate" bumper stickers, but to not cut off other drivers until the election is over.

Franken then started bantering with the crowd as he recited positive economic statistics from the Clinton White House era, rhetorically asking the audience if they recalled those times. "Vaguely," a man yelled, prompting laughter.

"I'll do the jokes, sir," Franken replied, drawing even more laughs.

After the rally, Ann Jaede, 73, said she had been very hesitant to support Franken in the spring because of "the comedian aspect of it."

Now, Jaede said: "He's become more serious. I think he's taken the edge off. That's his personality. He's made it work for him, not against him."

[mbourn2]

I think that this article glosses over the fact that Al Franken graduated *** laude from Harvard with a political science degree.

----------

And yet he still comes off as a flake....

[kamknauss]

Hahaha, I think it''s so funny that the filter took the c*m out of c*m laude.

[kamknauss]

I think that this article glosses over the fact that Al Franken graduated *** laude from Harvard with a political science degree.

[tawpdawg111]

I hope Minnesota voters who appreciate what farmers contribute to our economy were paying attention to the debate when McCain said, "The very FIRST place I would cut spending is, in fact, the ethanol subsidy."

Throw McCain and Coleman and ALL Bush lapdogs out and CELEBRATE on Nov 4th! CHEERS!

[jamurphy4]

Al Franked will be a great Senator, he''s smart, much smarter then any Republican running in the State. If you want to fix all the problems that bush/cheney, and their administration has brought open us, then send Al Franken to the Senate. Al is a man for the People, and what we the People need.. Vote for Al Franken.

[actornaught]

Blame that actor Ronald Reagan for giving show biz types credibility, such as it is.

[thepitbull13]

If elected he will not last long, he''s a narcissistic loose cannon that has a career of spouting profanity and insulting others, and that won''t be tolerated. He will be removed from office probably kicking and screaming in need of a police escort.

[karlosaka]

Franken: Is more than serious. Why? He is more than serious if you remember those hectic days when you came back from a very hard day%u2019s struggle and needed some thing to make you smile, laugh or take your mind of the uneasy situations you face. You remember those days when all around you was blue but his show provided you with reasons to laugh. Now today the same Franken has decided to take his role to a higher level and fight so that your challenges are finally taken care of, do not let anyone fool you about the entertaining qualities that Franken possess. If al these years he has had the privilege and honor to make people smile or laugh, why now are those who have made millions sad now think he would not do a better job? Can they give any real reason why they have failed to put smiles on the faces of million American? Why are we in these present difficult times? Coleman stated: "Serious times require serious leadership," Coleman told two dozen voters Monday in Glencoe, a conservative town about 45 miles from the Twin Cities. Who is that serious leader? Was it not under his watch that we got into this economic turmoil? What did Coleman do to prevent the turmoil? Who is that serious leader? FRANKEN IS THE SERIOUS LEADER WE NEED DURING THESE SERIOUS AND DEFIFULT TIMES. VOTE and VOTE FOR FRANKEN. HE IS A SERIOUS LEADER WHO UNDERSTANDS OUR CHALLENGES AND CAN JOIN HANDS WITH OTHER TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO OUR PROBLEMS.

[skydotcom]

whosaid1: We''re not disagreeing on everything, but... Having a Harvard MBA does NOT elevate anyone above being judged as dumb in my book. Not even close... Backtracking to what I said ---that Bush 2 is the dumbest PRESIDENT of the last 50 years--- gives him a benefit of doubt by only comparing him with other presidents. (I could have EASILY said he''s not as smart as many High School students without risk of being too far off.) Going strictly on my own observation of the two men--- I have NO DOUBT that Franken, himself a Harvard grad, is intellectually superior to GW Bush. And good leadership has NOTHING to do with having an MBA!

[shockolit]

Might as well put the comedians in office and skip the middle man, go right to the parodies. Go Al.

[ioweign]

Its Saturday morning, here in Southern California, and I''''m at work, or at least think I am, at a Chevy Dealership, along with ten other salesmen, and guess what? Not one customer has stepped onto the lot. Know why, because everyone is worried about whether or not they''''re going to have a job; in the near future. So, electing Democrats, who are generally more behind the "little guy," like car salesmen, and in this case the very manufacturers who make them, is the only prudent thing to do. We can''''t have GM, Ford or Chrysler, become company''''s of the past. They need to become, what they''''ve always been, economic forces, meant to be reckoned with, not squeezed; even if a lot of the blame can be laid squarely on their own shoulders. I''''m forty-seven, and for thirty, count''''em 30! years they''''ve been talking about making more fuel efficient cars; where are they? Go Al Franken! Make these idiot automakers realize that their financial mess is their own doing. That we''''re still dependant on oil, most of it foreign, and that after thirty years of both parties "lip service," its time to go GREEN!!! I can think of nothing better then for farmers, and farming, to be the catalyst that drives new fuels in this country. They''''ve done it in Brazil, why not here? Minnesota, could be the next Saudi Arabia!

Posted by amurguz at 12:53 PM : Oct 25, 2008

Jimmy Carter wanted a fleet average mpg of 42 and the year was 1977.

That was gutted by a Republican...

[likeitis5050]

And so, Olivia, what will the MSM''''s narrative be when (that''''s a "when," not an "if") Obama wins? And I''''m even more curious, what will your narrative be?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by canislupus16

As close as this race is...only an idiot says ''when''....

[likeitis5050]

Franken is right up there with Pelosi and Reid. If they elect him they deserve all the c.rap he dumps on them!!!

[heidimt]

sukit......remove Al from your post and replace it with McCain. It reads far more accurately that way.

[pvperson]

You neo-cons support Bachmann and Bush but call Franken a "joke", talk about being confused. She and you are the real "jokes".

[billpl-2009]

Al Franken makes Michael Moore look intelligent

[heidimt]

I am from MN. First off.....Norm Coleman was elected to Mayor of St.Paul. As a Democrat. As soon as he was elected, he set his sights on a higher office. He followed the money and went Republican. Norm Coleman and his wife Laurie have a long and most unflattering history in MN. They are not respected, especially by the democrats that he first used to get elected, and then turned his back on.

As for Michelle "McCarthy" Bachmann.......she is probably the MOST despised politico in MN.

[gjennings55]

How is it that Obama can run illegally. He is deffently not a born U.S. citizen.That is the main thing running for President. I believe this race has been illegal from the begining ,vote frauds and all.I have read the federal laws and you deffently have to be born a U.S. citizen to run. Obama was born in Kenya and adopted Indoniesia.Does this country change the contitution and federal laws for this certain canidate. This is illegal as hell.If this is the case a terroist could come over here in run.Thats an example. I think Obama should be suspened and HRC should be legally the nominee.This is all wrong.CNN is covering alot of illegal corruptions that Obama is in.

[canislupus16]

Posted by Olivia4441 at 12:25 PM : Oct 25, 2008:
______________
"....Of course, we all know what the mainstream media''''s "narrative" will be if (I believe, when) John McCain wins the election:...."
___________
And so, Olivia, what will the MSM''s narrative be when (that''s a "when," not an "if") Obama wins? And I''m even more curious, what will your narrative be?

[amurguz]

Its Saturday morning, here in Southern California, and I''m at work, or at least think I am, at a Chevy Dealership, along with ten other salesmen, and guess what? Not one customer has stepped onto the lot. Know why, because everyone is worried about whether or not they''re going to have a job; in the near future. So, electing Democrats, who are generally more behind the "little guy," like car salesmen, and in this case the very manufacturers who make them, is the only prudent thing to do. We can''t have GM, Ford or Chrysler, become company''s of the past. They need to become, what they''ve always been, economic forces, meant to be reckoned with, not squeezed; even if a lot of the blame can be laid squarely on their own shoulders. I''m forty-seven, and for thirty, count''em 30! years they''ve been talking about making more fuel efficient cars; where are they? Go Al Franken! Make these idiot automakers realize that their financial mess is their own doing. That we''re still dependant on oil, most of it foreign, and that after thirty years of both parties "lip service," its time to go GREEN!!! I can think of nothing better then for farmers, and farming, to be the catalyst that drives new fuels in this country. They''ve done it in Brazil, why not here? Minnesota, could be the next Saudi Arabia!