Secrets of the City

I think he would win if he did run, but that’s another story.

I hope he runs. He has no chance on earth of winning. How do you think his personality will go over in rural Minnesota? About as well as his message, which is to say not very well.

I believe Franken is planning on running against Norm Coleman in 2008. As I understand it, there’s nothing Franken would like more than to win back Wellstone’s place in the senate.

As for rural Minnesota: I guess the question is, “how would he fare against Norm?”

Umm.. how did that whole Air America loan scandal thing turn out?

Al has so far claimed to out of the loop with the loan scandal, which wasn’t even that big an issue. Regardless of whether or not he does in fact run, Franken can be used by the state DFL to raise funds for whoever does run against Stormin’ Norman.

For all their faults, (and I criticize and poke fun at them as much as anyone), real politicians all have something Franken can only make snarky remarks about, and that’s guts.

Wow – that headline is pretty sensational. I think it’s a little misleading – is he lying or do you just think he’s lying?

Um, he wrote a book called Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot.

I heard him just a couple weeks ago mention that he was moving the show to MN…why the hell else would he move here? Maybe to save money….

What’s more interesting, to me, is that Katherine is leaving the show (or has left).

I think he’s safe, even with the book. Everyone knows he’s a lefty, he’s got nothing to lose.

Rex – I’ve read the book. And Limbaugh is a big, fat idiot.

Boy, as Red McCombs would say: what was Katherine Lampher smoking when she quit her gig at MPR and hooked up with such a loser like Franken and the dumbest idea in America. She must be kicking herself.

hmmm let’s think about this for just a moment…Al Franken doesn’t appear to be successful at anything for the long term and Rush Limbaugh has been and continues to be successful at what he does.

Who’s the idiot?

It’s so ironic how liberals portray themselves as nicey nicey people that care about everyone and here’s their golden boy, Al Franken with a book title that calls someone big and fat. How childish and hurtful to negatively affect someone’s body image. Al must not have listened to his kindergarten teacher very well. I have found liberalspeak to include some of the most hateful mean-spirited statements I’ve ever heard. Makes you wonder about what truly lies in their heart.

Actually, Franken has had a succesful career in the entertainment industry for 30 years – from Saturday Night Live to a number of bestselling books to his radio show. He has also won three Emmys and written and starred in a bunch of movies. His success, however, is no excuse for overgeneralization. And Rush Limbaugh? Talk about hateful and mean-spirited.

Agree with him or not Limbaugh is one sharp S.O.B. with one hell of a successful radio show (a respectable show – so don’t anyone say ‘well – what about howard stern…?”)

Franken on the other hand is a miserable kook who’s had some success in the whacky world of comedy/entertainment. He’s got no chance as a serious guy with serious things to say.

He resorts to name calling and physical threats/assaults when he starts losing and argument – does Limbaugh do that? My eight year old does…

I think I saw Al Franken testifying in front of congress once. It was about as unbelievable as when I saw Larry King interviewing the Dali Lama.

So only serious actors like Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger should move into the political realm?

oh here we go ….. Katie, let me guess, you hate SUVs, anyone living in the suburbs, big corporations, the President, hunters, fur wearers, the USA, guns, the pledge of allegience, smoking, pro-life people…….. and I’ll bet you’ve never listened to one Rush Limbaugh program.

Anyone who is absolutist about any of this is a moron. We elected Jesse Ventura, fer chrissakes.

I think Franken could win, but I would never claim anything more than that. And anyone who claims more — or claims its absolutist inverse — is merely a blowhard.

anyone who has an alter ego/persona should probably not run for political office.

if franken were serious, he would have moved on this awhile ago. there are many other names being discussed that have nothing to do with him.

i also truly believe we learned our lesson with Ventura (aka Jesse The Body, not to mention whatever his birth name was, which i forgot). once 9/11 happened we reprioritized, at least in MN.

Franken would have to get REALLY busy and tone it down if he were to become a viable candidate. party politics, especially the DFL, would not simply embrace him based on recognition.

using him as a fundraiser makes sense, though.

anyone who has an alter ego/persona should probably not run for political office.

if franken were serious, he would have moved on this awhile ago. there are many other names being discussed that have nothing to do with him.

i also truly believe we learned our lesson with Ventura (aka Jesse The Body, not to mention whatever his birth name was, which i forgot). once 9/11 happened we reprioritized, at least in MN.

Franken would have to get REALLY busy and tone it down if he were to become a viable candidate. party politics, especially the DFL, would not simply embrace him based on recognition.

using him as a fundraiser makes sense, though.

Unfortunately in order to get elected anymore I think most politicians have to develop an alter ego/persona not avoid one.

I’m quite certain Minnesota could use a strong voice for the progressive issues we care about to replace Paul Wellstone on the national stage.

I’m also quite certain Minnesota does not need to elect a lightning rod for hysteria and rabid foaming at the mouth that Al Franken would necessarily create. The only good thing that might come out of an Al Franken campaign would be bleeding the coffers of the NRC.

I’m pretty discouraged that there will ever be an informed political discourse in this country again in my lifetime. All this, hey look at how empowering the internet thing is for politics is a complete lie. All these blogs do is push average people to extremes and give them gossipy half-true sound bites to spew.

It’s depressing.

There’s no reason for Franken to quit the paying gig (and Air America is making money) quite yet. He’s talking 2008 and it’s still 2005.

Just reading the previous comments makes it clear why Franken would be a great candidate. The right hates him, and by 2008 anyone the right hates will be a shoo-in.

Paul – lay off of Katie. She’ll come around. As soon as she gets a real job and accumulates some wealth, has a family and pays some taxes – she’ll see the light>

Al Franken would be perfect to replace Paul Wellstone if you ask me. Dems: just keep doing what you’ve been doing – aligning yourselves with crackpots has worked out fine in the last 2 national elections. (for me anyway)

Loser … blah blah … hate the USA … blah blah … crackpot … blah blah … hateful liberalspeak conservatives are so much nicer … blah blah

The conservative political baiting in this thread is sooooo boring and predictable.

You people are ruining a perfectly good blog.

“predictable” – Sort of like the law of gravity.

Being right can often be boring. I even get a little tired of it

Calling people you disagree with crackpots has nothing to do with being right…

She’ll come around. As soon as she gets a real job and accumulates some wealth, has a family and pays some taxes – she’ll see the light

I always appreciate comments like that, because 99% of the time they are being made by some dude who I might pay to shovel my driveway.

Calling crackpots “crackpots” is right

Rush Limbaugh is a drug addict AND a convicted criminal. These are his good qualities.

sounds like Bob needs to get off the couch and stop listening to Air America

looks like rex wants everyone to stop writing comments. I guess he wants his toys back and he’ll be going home now.
bye bye now

Rollie Fingers, is that you old buddy?

Rex is just disenchanted with the “political blogosphere” and feels frustrated that people from all all sides of the political spectrum think that spewing partisan platitudes accomplishes anything.

I mean, seriously… I dare anyone to read this post and say “Yep, I’ve changed my mind on this issue. The blogosphere sure is conducive to productive political debate.”

That’s all.

hey it’s a Oakland A’s reunion over here

I’ve changed my mind about a lot of things reading blogs (but i’ll never admit it)

By the way, this entire post is false

“This entire post is false.”

I give.

Seriously dude

Start a string about about someone like Al Franken and this is what you get.

Tomorrow try a topic on abortion and see what happens…

So Mike, what would be a more palatable topic to the blogosphere? “Are puppies cute?” Talk about politics and people will have opinions. However, they don’t have to be such childish jerks about it, not to name names. Rex doesn’t have any problem with people being riled up (neither do I), just in their inability to act like grownups. Seriously, what have you or just about anyone else (from either side) said on this thread that you can truthfully say was insightful or productive? Oh yeah, that comment about calling crackpots crackpots…

Well the thing is, this kind of behavior is no longer limited to the blogs or online forums either.

Even people in Minnesota are slashing tires on party buses, stealing signs and mailings, etc.

I’d be surprised if in the next couple of elections someone doesn’t get caught committing some serious vote fraud.

Pretty vitriolic.

I think people would even argue about puppies.

I, personally, don’t believe that anonymous commenters are likely to have constructive political discussions. Even established communities with static userbases and quasi-identifiable users (e.g., MeFi) tend to go to hell in a handbasket when someone raises a divisive political topic.

Yes and no. I truly believe we started out here pretty good — one could discuss political issues as a non-polemicist. Something has gone awry, and I think it’s because the “political blogosphere” dominates the internet right now. I fucking hate that.

Wait, let me say that again: I fucking hate that “blog” is now equated with “political opinion.”

So – who defines what is constructive political speech?

I know it when I see it…?

I dunno, but this ain’t it.

(Some background: I was interviewed today by a paper doing a story on the local political blogosphere. I ranted a bit about how blogs might actually be less constructive than talk radio. So I’m jaded today — tomorrow, I could be a blog propogandist again, who knows.)

Well, I’ll admit that calling Rush Limbaugh a big, fat idiot wasn’t necessarily constructive by my own standards. But my point was just that Rex was outlining a theory that Franken is a liar, whereas Franken’s assertion that Rush is a BFI is a fact.

Actually, Rush is now quite thin. So if you want to call him something, call him a big idiot.

The real problem is people can’t laugh anymore – at themselves. They can’t admit that the world doesn’t revolve around them and think that every statement in opposition to what they believe is an invitation to fight.

Certain people, on whatever side of the aisle, have made it impossible to agree to disagree. It’s their fault.

He did look rather trim … I don’t really want to call him anything, I was only kidding. But I agree – people need to be able to laugh at themselves.

Tonight on the Daily Show, Al Franken was on. Quote:

“In it [his new book], I tell about how in the future we take back America. Part of it is that we win one of the houses [of Congress] in 2006, and we get to investigate this guy [Bush]. [Applause] And in it I run for the senate in 2008 in Minnesota. [More applause] No, no, in it I say I don’t make the decision until 2007.”

There we go, question answered.

I HATE PUPPIES!

(That’s a complete lie.)

Try sweater puppies. They are adorable.

There is a great Al Franken cartoon here:
PUNCH
Check it out…. !

I liked puppies before I decided to hate puppies…

And who the hell is saying Franken has a sucessful career ?!?!…He keeps whoring himself to pay for his overdue library fines…

How can anyone seriously get political enlightenment from a SNl character…..and yes, he’s a character…

‘Nuff said

For those of you who bemoan the book Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot, perhaps you are not in on the joke.

If you know Rush Limbaugh, you know that he uses Ad hominem attacks all the time. The title of the book is a play on that theme, and used against him.

Is this a case of the right dishing it out, but they cant take it?

I have listened to Al Franken on the raido for the first time. That guy makes me so mad. I will never listen to him again. Seems to me like this guy is a comic trying to spread his lies to Americans. I want to see Al Franken debate Rush Limbaugh. Rush will kill him in debate.

How’s about this for a title – “Katie Is A Big Fat Imbecile, Who Couldn’t Get A Guy If She Gave It Away”?

You had two years to come up with a retort and that’s what you produced?