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Tuesday, October 2, 2007
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Franken figures people know difference between joke and real thing
Associate Editor U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken's efforts to translate fame as a comic and satirist to political success may hinge on whether Minnesotans can distinguish between humor and policy discourse.
The former "Saturday Night Live" performer and writer who visited Brainerd Monday said he's not overly worried that immoderate excerpts from his best-selling books or comic performances may be used against him.
"The stuff they've come up with is pretty weak," he said. "I think Minnesotans know what a joke is."
Franken, 56, of Minneapolis, was in central Minnesota to address the National Association of Letter Carriers at the group's meeting at Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge near Deerwood.
He said critics twist comments of his that were clearly jokes to discredit his campaign. One example Franken cited was his comments on David Letterman's late night show that former presidential adviser Karl Rove would have to be executed for his role in the outing of a CIA agent. The audience laughed at his comments and it was clearly meant as a joke, Franken said, and critics failed to convey the true nature of the remark.
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Democrat Al Franken, who's running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., smiled as he talked about the progress of his campaign for the Democratic endorsement in 2008. Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls
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"What it was, was satire," he said.
He predicted that continued attempts by opponents to portray his humorous comments as sincere policy statements will grow old with the voters.
Franken similarly dismissed results of a Star Tribune Poll that showed him as being viewed favorably by only 27 percent of Minnesotans. The Minnesota Poll also found that fewer than half of DFLers view him favorably and more than a third of Minnesotans hold a negative opinion of him.
"When people get to know me they like me," he said. "I'm not worried about it."
His campaign is focusing on Democratic voters right now since he and the other DFL candidates have all pledged to abide by the endorsement.
"Among them we seem to be doing extremely well," he said.
As evidence of progress Franken points to his ability to raise money from 12,000 Minnesotans and from 60,000 people nationwide. Franken said he's received 43 endorsements from lawmakers, with about half of them from outstate Minnesota.
Franken said his entertainment background is complemented by his political books and his commentary on a short-lived radio network that was designed as an answer to the conservative political voices on radio. In a reference to President Ronald Reagan's show biz career, Franken said the skills of a satirist would be useful in the Senate, contrasting them with "acting with chimpanzees."
While conceding there are parallels between his political activity and the career of former Gov. Jesse Ventura, Franken said he wants to use the U.S. Senate seat to help people as Sens. Paul Wellstone and Hubert H. Humphrey did previously.
"I want to make people's lives better," Franken said.
The first-term incumbent he's challenging, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., has not done his job and has worked on behalf of special interests, Franken said.
Improvements Franken wants to see if he's elected include veterans' and children's health care and education. He's pleased with the House agriculture bill's provisions that call for more renewable energy. He's also calling for the beginning of U.S. troop withdrawals in Iraq.
Impending troop withdrawals, Franken said, would be the only leverage the U.S. has as the war goes on.
"No other country is going to go in there and save our bacon," Franken said. "We need to get out with more thought and more planning than we went in. That's not a high bar."
He criticized Coleman for not exercising enough oversight on the reconstruction of Iraq when he was chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
The Iraq war, Franken said, has an impact on every issue because of the staggering costs. Franken is a proponent of universal health care and an opponent of privatized Social Security accounts who would rather increase the cap so that higher income taxpayers would have more of their income subject to Federal Insurance Contributions Act or FICA.
The Democrat said Bush and the Republicans in Congress were anything but conservative when it came to restraining spending when Republicans controlled Congress during Bush's first six years.
"They really just went nuts," he said.
He praised the Democrats for reducing earmarks and operating in a "pay as you go" mode in the current congressional session.
Also seeking the Democratic endorsement for the U.S. Senate in 2008 are Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.
MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.
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