Al Franken and Norm Coleman

I never did think that Al Franken was very funny when he appeared many years ago on Saturday Night Live. And, a few years later, I was taken aback at his bad taste in titling one of his books Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot. So the guy already had two strikes against him, as far as I was concerned. But about four years ago, I was getting so sick of hearing only one side (the conservative side) of the issues on my radio that one day, while browsing through my local Books-a-Million (sipping on my flavored coffee), I actually picked up his (then) new book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them and began to thumb through it. A few minutes later it was mine, in the car with me on the way to my workplace, where I proceeded to read it from cover to cover on my breaks. It radically altered my opinion of Mr. Franken.

I still believe that Al Franken has a mean streak embedded within him, and he’s not beyond tweaking the facts to emphasize a point. For example, he criticized right-wing extremist Ann Coulter because she once incorrectly referred to a journalist (with last name Thomas) as Socialist Norman Thomas’s son. But he failed to mention that the journalist was actually his grandson, which would have showed her slip to be minor. Instead, he implied that the two were unrelated (slyly, without coming out and saying it). Because of this sort of thing, I don’t entirely trust Franken at his word. But when he defends the actions of those whom he supports (such as liberal politicians and others), his words resonate with more meaning. He has eloquently defended the Clinton Administration’s policies concerning the military and terrorism, showing that the former President placed both at a high place of importance in his priorities. Franken was also a friend and ardent supporter of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone and his 2002 bid for reelection to another term.

During that campaign, Wellstone was running neck-and-neck with Republican (former Democratic Minneapolis mayor) Norm Coleman. The campaign was winding down to the last few days. Then, Wellstone was killed in a plane crash while campaigning. Former Senator and Vice President Walter Mondale was picked to replace him on the ballot. Wellstone’s memorial service was very emotional, and some of his supporters got a little carried away when they got before the microphone. The right-wing media turned the memorial into a last-minute election issue against the Democrats. Coleman defeated Mondale in the election while the Republicans narrowly regained control of the Senate. In Lies, Franken correctly defended the Wellstone memorial service but incorrectly criticized Coleman (whom he derisively referred to as a “suit”) for resuming the campaign after Mondale was selected as Wellstone’s replacement. Of course, Coleman had to campaign!

Now, after another book (The Truth) and a stint on Air America as early afternoon host, Al Franken has apparently decided that he is going to run against Norm Coleman in 2008 for that Senate seat. I don’t know how he stands within the Democratic Party (or whatever goofy name they call it there) in Minnesota. He may have some opposition there. But if he does get the nomination, it should make for a very interesting campaign. Franken is very witty at times, but he’s going to have to watch his language and also tone down the rhetoric if he wants to be taken seriously. His strength, as I see it, lies with his passionate promotion of liberal values, while his weakness shows when attacking his opponents on a personal level. As for Coleman, he always sounds like a Bostonian who took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in Minnesota. He is a very good speaker and, although (in my opinion) he tends to tow the Republican and Bush Administration line on too many issues, I believe that he is a decent, hardworking public servant who has made a good case for reelection. I was impressed a few years ago how he went after the United Nations in the so-called “Oil-for-Food Scandal”. In any case, I think that Al Franken is going to find out that Norm Coleman is much more than a “suit”. It’s too bad that they’re running for the same seat; I’d like to see them both in the Senate!