Comments on: I give you Senator Al Franken

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:43:47 +0000

BTW, Frannie is somewhat funnier than Al.

By: Ian

Ian — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:19:54 +0000

You’re talking like the Republycans care.

They don’t.

And no, it won’t be remembered forever. It’ll be forgotten by the time of the next election because their behavior then will be even more outrageous than it was this time around. This is politics, Greg. It has nothing to do with realistic expectations or reasonable standards.

By: toby

toby — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:24:32 +0000

I love Al Franken because of the funny and courageous books he wrote in the gloomiest days of George W. Bush: “Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them”! and “The Truth with Jokes”.

Recently, a Republican sorehead called him “a clown”. My reply: “Ronald Reagan made some pretty clownish movies. When did he ever write books as good as Frankens’?”

By: Kammy

Kammy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:22:36 +0000

@Mike Haubrich, FCD: Too right. Franni is the best. I was their dog walker for several months before he declared and then a few after he declared and I remember chatting with Franni so many times in the kitchen while she made pies and such. She is dear. I couldn’t believe how she actually wanted to talk to me, to ask about how I was doing, how my little boy was, etc. The thing I always want people to know about both of them is what decent and kind and truly caring people they really are.

By: Lisa A

Lisa A — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:21:58 +0000

Senator Franken. Has a ring to it. A step up for Minnesota to be sure.

By: Monado

Monado — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:21:43 +0000

Congratulations to everyone who worked to make this happen.

It was an attack ad like this that lost the Conservatives not only an election but their status as a national party some years ago, as they won only two seats. Unfortunately, the Reform Party–their right-ring rump–reconstituted itself as the Conservatives, named, for a short & glorious time until someone looked at the acronym, the Conservative Reform Alliance Party. And then the object of the attack ad, Prime Minister Chretien, hung on to power for so long that everyone was sick of him and the Conservatives got in. We still have them.

By: thom

thom — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:19:47 +0000

It looks like they did not let the Republicans in the room during this ceremony.

By: Ang

Ang — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:17:53 +0000

Good going Al! Yay!

By: Kammy

Kammy — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:15:43 +0000

@Stephanie, awww!! I used to say when Franken finally won, I was taking full credit for it. 😀

Reading that article you linked and another one linked from it, got me so mad. They’re going to pick him apart because on the day he is sworn in as one of only one hundred people in the entire known universe to hold that position, the achievement of a lifetime, he cracks a few jokes and “laughs ebulliently”. Like every other senator throughout history has never cracked a smile and has been 100% serious all the time…

Gah! Where the hell is my vodka!?!?

By: Mike Haubrich, FCD

Mike Haubrich, FCD — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:13:26 +0000

I think that this is a good day for Minnesota. It was about two years ago when I sat down at Sweeney’s in St. Paul and chatted with Al and told him that I would phone bank and caucus for him in the northern suburbs.

In subsequent campaign events I never got to talk to Al all that much, but I had a lot of good chats with Frannie as we both snuck outside for cigarettes. She’s a wonderful person, and I am glad to have her in Washington.