Poster Steve of The Last Chance Democracy Cafe wrote of humorist Al Franken's soon-to-be-announced bid for a seat in the Senate, "I’m just not sure that being a political humorist (and a damn funny one, by the way) will be that good a background for mounting a Senate campaign." Why not? Franken's background is as least as good as too many other non-politicians who ended up in Congress.
Ignoring those Hollywood luminaries who ended up in the Oval Office (of whom veteran actor and former SAG president Richard Masur said "[His] career was basically over when he went into politics", and of whom movie director William Wyler lamented, "If we had only given him a couple of good parts!"), or those who ended up in a state version of the same, we'll stick to the US Congress for our examples of why Steve should rethink his position about Al Franken.
We'll breeze through the House examples of Hollywood and media professionals to get them out of the way: singer and TV personality Sonny Bono, and The Love Boat's "Gopher", Fred Grandy, both elected as Republicans. On the Democrat side, there are Dukes of Hazzard's "Cooter Davenport", Ben Jones, and going back way back into the film vault, Helen Gahagan Douglas, Broadway actress and star of She, who represented California's 14th District in the House for three terms, only to defeated by the hero of "Nixon apologist" and Watergate naysayer (and himself a frequent movie and television actor) Ben Stein, who went to Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Springs, MD with actors Goldie Hawn and Sylvester Stallone. 'Nuff Said!
In the Senate, California once sent actor and Republican Senator George Murphy to represent them, opening the door for everyone else to follow in a way that Helen Gahagan Douglas could not. But when Douglas was in office, it wasn't yet fashionable in the partisan political circles, as former actor and current California State Senator Sheila Kuehl recently suggested, to be a "personality" representing one's self as someone lacking in political experience, "fresh and unspoiled" as it were, running on an "anti-government" platform to save America from itself.
Such a pose might well be why former Major League Baseball pitcher and current Republican US Senator Jim Bunning holds down a seat in the Congress. Despite holding a degree in economics, his sports career is what people know of him. A similar reputational advantage was enjoyed by former New York Knicks forward and retired Democratic US Senator Bill Bradley, who can claim a Rhodes Scholarship as his academic credential, but most of his supporters probably didn't know that. Bradley was succeeded in representing the NBA in the Senate by former Milwaukee Bucks owner and current Democratic Senator Herb Kohl, which puts the NBA ahead of MLB by one.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - jaz
you skipped professional wrestler Jesse Ventura as governor...or Lincoln, who was also a wrestler, for that matter
good points and a fun article
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
This article could use more Wikipedia sourcing.
3 - Lumpy
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.
4 - Emry
Franken might not be as bright or as talented as Lumpy but he still managed to make a name for himself. Right Lumpy?
5 - Zedd
Couldn't follow Frankin on Air America. He sounded drunk all of the time.
6 - Emry
He should have used Limbaugh's prescription.
7 - Dave Nalle
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
8 - Emry
Rush Limbaugh, now there's a guy you can REALLY laugh at.
9 - Arch Conservative
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.
10 - Emry
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 â€" February 3, 2007 @ 23:40PM â€" Driveby
UP YOURS FRANKENSTEIN
11 - Dave Nalle
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
12 - Emry
Shucks Dave, why don't you do Chris a favor, or did the cat get your "editorial powers"?
13 - Al Barger
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.
14 - Clavos
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...
15 - Lumpy
Those negatives don't sound like disqualifications to me. We could use more hostile, ranting, big haired buffoons in congress.
16 - MCH
"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.
17 - Al Barger
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.
18 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
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.
19 - Zedd
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.
20 - lono
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.
21 - MCH
"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!!!
22 - Clavos
Limbaugh's medical deferment from Vietnam...for a PIMPLE ON HIS ASS!!!
Wish I'd thought of that...
23 - Dave Nalle
I'm not following how a pimple on someone's ass can have a political allegiance or be partisan.
Dave
24 - Al Barger
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?
25 - Matthew T. Sussman
MCH what were you doing on Rush Limbaugh's ass during the 60s?