Al franken takes hit from playboy porn-o-rama

As if he didn't have enough problems, former comedian and radio talk host Al Franken, U.S. Senate candidate in Minnesota is playing defense again for a satirical piece he wrote in Playboy magazine in 2000.
The one-time Saturday Night Live writer and performer wrote "Porn-O-Rama!" about visiting a made-up sex institute with a voluptuous futurist where he has sex with humans and machines. Franken wrote in the tongue-in- er, cheek narrative explaining: "[s]ince I've been married 23 years, I naturally chose" the virtual blowjob. He then describes the experience in explicit detail.
 

Minnesota Republicans, miraculously born-again as "feminists," are all puffed up about Franken's "objectifying," "demeaning and degrading" women," and are scolding him for a fundraiser hosted recently by Playboy CEO Christie Hefner at her Chicago home.

Meanwhile, Franken is demanding that Republican incumbent Norm Coleman divest his campaign of nearly $10,000 received from the PAC and employees of a lobbying firm that represented Myanmar's military junta, and once furnished the McCain campaign with ethical counseling.

(photo: the happy junta)

"Al had a long career as a satirist," said Jess McIntosh of the Franken campaign. "But he understands the difference between what you say as a satirist and what you do as a senator. And as a senator, Norm Coleman has disrespected the people of Minnesota by putting the Exxons and Halliburtons ahead of working families. And there's nothing funny about that."

The creepy George Allen in his unsuccessful bid for the Senate in 2006, released a list of explicit passages from opponent Jim Webb's novels to smear with the realistic passages such as in Webb's novel "Something to Die For," in which Webb describes a female stripper performing sexual acts with a banana. The attempt had no effect on voters.

At least we know Franken's work was well-written; Webb's novels sell, and are critically acceptable -- unlike his smut-writing GOP counterparts.

But dirty right-wing novels are almost a genre -- and would be if anyone read them but political commentators, they weren't quickly remaindered. They seem to get published with no apparent harm to their authors' reputations and eliciting little more than a few laughs by critics.

Bill O’Reilly’s novel, Those Who Trespass was noted for its "wooden," writing ("His intense sexual hunger was apparent to anyone who bothered to notice," or the sensual: “Okay, Shannon Michaels, off with those pants”).

Lynn Cheney's 1981 novel Sisters has been repressed, but contained stilted Lesbian scenes that might not play that well at the National Prayer Breakfast ("The women who embraced in the wagon were Adam and Eve on a dark cathedral stage--no, Eve and Eve, loving one another as they would not be able to once they ate of the fruit and knew themselves as they truly were.") In another Cheney book, a Republican vice president died of a heart attack while having sex with his illicit lover.

Star felon Scooter Libby's 1996 The Apprentice is simply bizarre in a way that makes us understand why some Republicans go for sex in public restrooms. ("At age ten the madam put the child in a cage with a bear trained to couple with young girls so the girls would be frigid and not fall in love with their patrons. They fed her through the bars and aroused the bear with a stick when it seemed to lose interest").

Franken has other problems: he's behind in the polls, and he's had trouble focusing the attention on incumbent Norm Coleman who's been a rather ineffectual Bush apparatchik.

(photo: Jesse the body)

Franken can pray that Jesse Ventura will get into the race as he has been threatening.

Comments

[joanie hussein]

I can't imagine a state who voted for Wellstone wouldn't vote for Franken.

What's happened to us? All the right wants is war?

Air America has a stupid habit of replaying shows too many times. They replayed Richard Greene's Clout and he had an interesting talk with a Republican. The guy was even-mannered and well-spoken.

He is a Christian and the idea of gays marrying is anathema to him. So, Greene asked him a lot of questions without judgment and with lots of time to talk and answer. He tried to make the case that Republicans - the whole bunch of them - were immoral.

What was interesting is that the guy agreed, as they were talking, to everything Greene pointed out including the fact that the guy himself admitted to being scared to death his sons were going to end up fighting for something this guy doesn't believe in either. He admitted he thought the war was wrong.

He proceeded to agree with a lot of the examples Greene put forth. To hear him, you'd wonder why in the heck he's a Republican.

But, in the end, I guess, it came back to gays and marriage and his belief that the Bible makes it a sin.

Can someone explain this kind of thinking, please?

[joanie hussein]

chucks:...Having to grow up and learn that it was all bull crap sucks.
RFK becoming POTUS and what could have been still haunts to this day.

If it still haunts, why do you veer the other diretion. If you know what could have been is better, why do you disdain it so now?

That is the conundrum. You know it can be better yet you stick with what is...

I guess I never grew so old.

[Gay Gary]

O/T - Congrats to the Rattlesnakes!

http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=91

BTW, is it just me or is Dori looking pretty good lately? He looks like he's lost a lot of weight and his arms seem semi-toned. It looks like he's smoothed out some of those fine lines and wrinkles too which goes over nicely. Too old (and too married) for me but I'm liking it, Dor! Keep it up, whatever you're doing!

(For awhile that's always been my major complaint about Seattle, people aren't willing to invest time and money into personal appearance. A lot of other radio types from both sides of the band around here could afford to take DMs lead. The #1 job of people in the broadcast media is to set standards of appearance that commoners can aspire to and, sadly, it's a job most don't take all that seriously or give only lip service toward. If you plan to be ugly, go write for the PI!)

[Duffman]

He's done, put a fork in him. History! He & L Craig should get together and write a book on how to totally 'lose it' - by one's own hand.
C'mon Hillary, no more untimely remarks - keep plowing aways and make a case for yourself utilizing Fla and Mich; they can be had.

[Upton]

New Rasmussen poll released this morning shows Franken only 2% behind Coleman.

[chucks]

Maybe Frankens uncle was in the Russian army and liberated Auschwitz with Barry's uncle. Maybe that is all he needs to regain the trust of the people. A good hero story.
Maybe after two or three years as a Senator (snicker snicker) Al Frankin can run for President and dethrone McCain. Maybe he can get Dennis Miller as a running mate. At least when those two clowns screw it up, we can laugh out loud.
Joanie,
I am no longer a 16 year old idealistic kid. Long ago (under idiot Jimmy Carter's failed presidency), I learned that putting your hopes and dreams in government to cure life's woes was and is counter productive.

[PugetSound]

Chucks
You moved from Carter 'gov't is the answer' to Reagan's 'gov't is the problem.'
I caught the latest Indiana Jones movie. The Joanie types of this world won't like it as the USSR doesn't come off well.
The best part was having to explain to a ten year old what the USSR was.

Thank You Ronald Reagan!

[Duffman]

Yeah Puts saw that I.J. movie this w/end also w/g-kids...one of my g/daughters was pretty spooked by the 'army-ant' segment; wasn't that somethin. Haha...ain't computer graphics great.

[chucks]

I am looking forward to that movie as well. Am do for some mindless entertainment (beyond this of coarse). Was going to see it Weds, but I have been reminded that I get to go on a field trip with the fifth graders. Yippee!! Well, at least it helps me understand a teacher posting here by spending time with the angels of elementary school.

[PugetSound]

Hey Duff
The deal with the ants was amazing and the
computer graphics are great.
But having to explain to a young child that the USSR is no longer around is even better.

[joanie hussein]

chucks: I learned that putting your hopes and dreams in government to cure life's woes

You were a fool if you ever believed such a thing. So, you continue to be one.

[Tommy008]

Jesse Ventura went on Phil Hendrie to plug his new book and tried to be a verbal bully with him like he always does with interviewers, but Hendrie stood up to him. "You sound like a guy who's used to talking over people, but you're on my turf now, pal," Hendrie jousted. When Hendrie called him a "former wrestler" Jesse the Boob taunted him that he didn't have the courage to go into a wrestling ring. When Hendrie correctly noted that Ventura was "losing his ass" in the debate, Ventura resorted to schoolboy mockery ( "oh, you're tough, too! hahahaha) in that heavy, doltish Minnesota accent of his. Sadly, Ventura is another moronic "911 truther" and tried to talk over Hendrie with his blather about "building number 7" a standard canard of the propellor beanie and tinfoil hat "truther" crowd. Hendrie pointed out that all of the truthers claims and myths about the fall of the buildings on 9/11 have been disspelled in a book put out by Popular Mechanics Magazine, using top experts. Ventura showed himself in his outing with Phil to be an obnoxious, vacuous oaf and buffoon. He should be grateful for the couple of helpings of 15 minutes he's already had and fade back into the shadows.

[Tommy008]

Jesse Ventura went on Phil Hendrie to plug his new book and tried to be a verbal bully with him like he always does with interviewers, but Hendrie stood up to him. "You sound like a guy who's used to talking over people, but you're on my turf now, pal," Hendrie jousted. When Hendrie called him a "former wrestler" Jesse the Boob taunted him that he didn't have the courage to go into a wrestling ring. When Hendrie correctly noted that Ventura was "losing his ass" in the debate, Ventura resorted to schoolboy mockery ( "oh, you're tough, too! hahahaha) in that heavy, doltish Minnesota accent of his. Sadly, Ventura is another moronic "911 truther" and tried to talk over Hendrie with his blather about "building number 7" a standard canard of the propellor beanie and tinfoil hat "truther" crowd. Hendrie pointed out that all of the truthers claims and myths about the fall of the buildings on 9/11 have been disspelled in a book put out by Popular Mechanics Magazine, using top experts. Ventura showed himself in his outing with Phil to be an obnoxious, vacuous oaf and buffoon. He should be grateful for the couple of helpings of 15 minutes he's already had and fade back into the shadows.