Al Franken. Love him or hate him, he’s a popular guy with a lot of opinions that he doesn’t hesitate to share. The former Air America host and now Democratic candidate for the Senate from Minnesota is the subject of a top ten list compiled by Human Events Assistant Editor Amanda B. Carpenter. Here’s her list, with my personal comments included.
10. I’m Al Franken. I hate you, and you hate me. This Franken quote from Newsweek is actually kind of amusing. Franken was quoted as saying this to Karl Rove, and it’s probably true. The two of them probably do despise each other. At least he was up front and honest instead of engaging in the traditional fake niceties.
9. I’m a bit of a shill for the Clinton Administration, which has its perks. I’m invited to all the inaugural balls. This quote, which came from the Buffalo News in 1998, is one I would have kept to myself if I were Franken. The Clintons are powerful in the Democratic Party, but they are despised by a lot of folks on the left. Being associated with them is not always a good thing.
8. When I was first asked to speak at Hartford State Technical College, I jumped at the opportunity. Because, you see, I thought I had been asked to speak at Harvard, which would have been quite an honor. But instead, I am here with you, the nation’s future air conditioner repairmen. This excerpt from Franken’s commencement speech shows both his ability to insult the school at which he was invited to speak and his elitism. Not bad for a couple of sentences.
7. Making jokes about Terri Schiavo is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as a humorist. From The Truth (with Jokes). I’m not going to touch this one.
6. Nobody likes getting an abortion. Except, perhaps, rape victims. From The Truth (with Jokes). Is this how he plans on addressing abortion as a campaign issue? It’s a technique, I guess.
5. If I put myself on the ballot and even 50 people voted for me, it’d be a travesty. This is a quote from an interview with the Oregonian from 1999. The truth is that the contest between Franken and Norm Coleman for the Senate is likely to be very competitive, given Franken’s name recognition and popularity with the left.
4. During Vietnam, I was in college, enjoying my student deferment. The government wisely felt that, in my case, military service was less important than completing my studies to prepare me for my chose career: comedian. From The Truth (with Jokes). The government probably didn’t want a socialist leftist in the ranks, considering we were fighting the Communist North Vietnamese.
3. I’m neutral in this race but I’m for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble to speak without being shouted down. This quote from the New York Post allegedly was said after Franken tackled a heckler at a Howard Dan speech. I guess that freedom of speech only applies to the folks Franken wants to hear from.
2. Minnesota Republican Norman Coleman is one of the administration’s leading butt boys. From The Truth (with Jokes). Is this the kind of discourse we can expect from his campaign?
1. Republicans are shameless dicks. No, that’s not fair. Republican politicians are shameless dicks. From the Truth (with Jokes). Again, is this what we can expect in a Franken campaign?
