you skipped professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor...or Lincoln, who was also a wrestler, for that matter

good points and a fun article

This article could use more Wikipedia sourcing.

Franken could hardly be worse in congress than he is on the air and I bet he could set new records for long boring filibusters.

Franken might not be as bright or as talented as Lumpy but he still managed to make a name for himself. Right Lumpy?

Couldn't follow Frankin on Air America. He sounded drunk all of the time.

He should have used Limbaugh's prescription.

The reason the line quoted in the title was and remains funny is that people don't actually LIKE Franken OR his alter ego Stuart Smalley.

Dave

Rush Limbaugh, now there's a guy you can REALLY laugh at.

Franken is a pompous liberal douchebag who's in love with the sound of his own voice. Congress already has enough of those....Schumer, Biden, Clinton.....


Fuck Al Franken.

Nalle and Driveby were busy here on Saturday night. Nalle's still here but his buddy Driveby got "edited"... as usual. Below is the original message in the #7 slot.

#7 -- February 3, 2007 @ 23:40PM -- Driveby
UP YOURS FRANKENSTEIN

Don't you think that if Chris Rose deleted the driveby comments he's going to be annoyed that you're now reposting them?

Dave

Shucks Dave, why don't you do Chris a favor, or did the cat get your "editorial powers"?

Realist, this is a pretty well written little article, but it doesn't address the real issues of a Franken candidacy at all. Sure, he's got as much resume qualification to be a congressman as most members. But all actor politicians ain't the same.

I'll love Al Franken forever for his SNL work, particularly the classic "Limo for the Lamo" sketch lo those many years ago. But he's absolutely unfit to hold ANY public office - much less US Senator with serious life and death decision making power.

Regardless of liberal vs conservative, Al Franken has become a totally disreputable and utterly partisan figure since he's become involved in politics. He constantly says stuff that's either not true or grossly misleading, typically justifying it as supposedly giving the right wing a taste of their own medicine. He's hostile, hysterical, dishonest, ridiculously partisan, and in short, a demagogue.

Other than that though, he'd be a fine US Senator.

He's hostile, hysterical, dishonest, ridiculously partisan, and in short, a demagogue.

Other than that though, he'd be a fine US Senator.

Or, maybe, because of that he would be. At least he'd fit right in...

Those negatives don't sound like disqualifications to me. We could use more hostile, ranting, big haired buffoons in congress.

"Franken is a pompous liberal douchebag who's in love with the sound of his own voice."
- Arch/Bing

Yeah, he's far worse than those conservative chickenhawks like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Reagen.

MCH - Name calling aside, on their worst day, neither Limbaugh nor Reagan begin to approach Franken for dishonest partisanship and hysteria. They just don't. Plus, neither of them are actually running for US Senate.

Hey, I love Ann Coulter, but she wouldn't be a good senator.

One likes to think that Minnesotans know the difference between a comedian who takes himself too seriously and a politician - though the difference seems to get smaller all the time. And Minnesotans were taken in by Jesse Ventura - a man who turned out to be a selfish gig-oriented small time suburbanite asshole with very little sense of understanding what a leader really is.

On the other hand, Norm Coleman is nothing more than a former roadie who got in good with the mob in St. Paul and now can call himself "senator".

One likes to think that if the DFL is to make Norm Coleman "ex-senator," they would get someone better than Al "me generation" Franken to do it.

Clavos

You are displaying wit, charm and independent thought. Did you find a way to break the Dave Nalle spell?

Seriously I'm enjoying your zingers.

Al Franken is an articulate and passionate Minnesotan who would like the opportunity to serve his home state. This isn't a power grab, Franken is already rich. He isn't swooping into Minnesota like a Clinton carpetbagger only to hold office.

let the voters decide. your hate is overwhelming and unnecessary. You hate him because he is famous, he didn't do anything to you. You all must admit that he loves America and is passionate about it. You can hate his politics, that is fine.. but dude cares. Franken also routinely tours Iraq to support our troops, that isn't a commie move. I haven't seen Rush or Ann Coulter traveling the world.

ease off Al, unless you are from Minnesota.

"MCH - Name calling aside, on their worst day, neither Limbaugh nor Reagan begin to approach Franken for dishonest partisanship and hysteria. They just don't."
- Al Barger

Speaking of dishonest, you forgot to mention Limbaugh's medical deferment from Vietnam...for a PIMPLE ON HIS ASS!!!

Bwaaaaaa-hhaaaaa-hhaaaaaaaa!!!

Limbaugh's medical deferment from Vietnam...for a PIMPLE ON HIS ASS!!!

Wish I'd thought of that...

I'm not following how a pimple on someone's ass can have a political allegiance or be partisan.

Dave

Yes MCH, that's cute. But Rush Limbaugh isn't running for US Senate. I doubt I'd vote for him, either.

Plus, Limbaugh's MUCH funnier and more entertaining as a political commentator than Franken. That's why he's got the audience.

But I'll concede that Rush Limbaugh is a big doo-doo head. Does that satisfy you?

MCH what were you doing on Rush Limbaugh's ass during the 60s?

Now that y'all pinkos has done gone and got me started thinking about it, US Senator Ann Coulter does sound pretty HOT. Imagine her with a vote and the right to speak on the floor of the senate.

I'd bet Ted Kennedy would get about two sentences into some of his typical pinko claptrap, and Coulter would raise one eyebrow - and Teddy would shut up and sit down.

She'd make Harry Reid her bitch in about 60 seconds, I reckon. Yee, haw!

I find the fascination with Coulter absolutely incomprehensible. She makes Franken seem personable and appealing.

Dave

Lono,

I lived in Minnesota for twenty years, participated in the politics of two senatorial district clubs of the DFL, and have some understanding of the state where I lived, admittedly unwillingly, for a time.

The kindest thing I can say about Al Franken is that he is a comedian who takes himself too seriously.

Of course, it is possible that Franken always harbored ambitions to enter politics, and is using what little fame he has to jump in at a higher level than school board, which is where most Minnesotans would have to start...

I can't see such a man having more than a carbon copy of the left wing of the DFL's mantras as his platform, and what good that would do the state is seriously open to question.

I voted for Paul Wellstone in 1990 and was happy to see Boschwitz go. Wellstone was a genuinely nice guy, a man of the people, but so was Boschwitz. And I made a big mistake to vote against him, something I only learned about later.

ease off Al, unless you are from Minnesota.

I second that motion, but it has nothing to do with either Al or the notion that non-Minnesotans have no right to debate the matter. It's because, not being from Minnesota, I couldn't care less who Minnesota chooses as their Senator. That's up to them.

The primary way it affects me is that, living in D.C., it opens up the possibility of having Al Franken as my neighbor. And while I happen to agree with his politics, personally he comes off as a jerk. I'd rather not have him as a member of my condo association.

"MCH what were you doing on Rush Limbaugh's ass during the 60s?"
- Matthew T. Sussman

You should know, you were his toilet paper.

MCH #30:

You've sunk to new lows of infantilism, even for you.

Thanx for noticing, Clavos...I learned a few lessons from your "mature" rebuttals to Moonraven and Emry.

Glad to be of service, MCH.

"what were you doing on Rush Limbaugh's ass during the 60s?"
[insult to Blogcritics writer deleted]

You should know, you were his toilet paper."

And there we have it, folks!

The appropriate end to a discussion about Al Franken - somewhere between the ass-crack and the toilet paper...

Thanks Arch...Franken is a pompous liberal douchebag who's in love with the sound of his own voice. Congress already has enough of those....Schumer, Biden, Clinton.....

Plus he is one more religious phony who needs to be put out of our misery


Fuck Al Franken!

Gotta check your facts. Jim Ryun was neither a gold medalist (silver, '68) nor in Congress anymore. He got swept under last November.