Al franken and minnesota voters: will the joke be on them?

Writing in Slate, our old pal, Michael Kinsley has written a cogent commentary about the Al Franken's problems in Minnesota.

"Any joke that doesn't offend at least a few people is unlikely to be funny," he writes. "You have to hope that many more will be amused than are offended. You have to come as close as you can to the line of justifiable, widespread offense without crossing it."

Franken who worked as a comedian for over 30 years before getting into politics is getting the full brunt of the "culture of umbrage" we're living in this year.

"Everybody is on hair-trigger alert. And once a voter is offended, he or she is probably lost. On the other hand, keeping the voters amused is difficult and probably not worth the trouble. A voter who is amused may vote against you anyway or may seize an opportunity to take offense and turn against you tomorrow."

And Franken has a resume full of jokes he has told, and written on the national stage in such cathedrals of irreverence as Saturday Night Live back when it was at its funniest.

Franken's been recently booed in Minnesota for a joke he didn't tell, but rather was reported as part of a session from a long-forgotten SNL joke-jamming staff meeting. Also a satirical essay about 3-ways with sex-bots he wrote in Playboy magazine has been offered up as proof that he hates women.

"None of Franken's rude fantasies made it onto the air," writes Kinsley, "and there is no evidence that he especially wanted them to. He was thinking out loud, an activity vital to professional comics and fatal to professional politicians."

Of course the misogynistic, femiNazi-baiting Republicans who must truss up their pristinely shellacked wifeys in flour sacks and probe their nether parts with a marshmallow fork in order to get a boner are suddenly born-again feminists taking Great Umbrage at Franken's alleged disrespect for women.

Franken's campaign has been wounded, he's down in the polls.

Comedy would suffer if not die off completely if comedy writers, as Kinsley suggests, must think, "'I'd better not say that because it may not be funny and in 13 years I may decide to run for the Senate.'"

We fear for Franken's future; it will be hard to shed this problem. As Kinsley suggests, Franken will be dead for sure if he must defending his jokes one at a time.

(photo: the Norm back in the day)

"Minnesota voters will have to decide whether their dislike of professional politicians trumps their enjoyment in taking umbrage or vice versa. Coleman is a man of no interest, a run-of-the-mill political hypocrite who started out as a standard-issue long-haired student rebel leader on Long Island in the 1960s and surfed the zeitgeist: Now he is a standard-issue pro-war, tax-cut Republican. Franken, by contrast, needs no introduction and would be one of the most interesting people in the Senate from day one. Interesting isn't the most important quality in a senator. Honest, smart, and (for my taste) liberal are more important. But interesting would be nice.
[...]
  If the voters of Minnesota would rather be represented by a hack like Norm Coleman than laugh off a few jokes that didn't work, then they should stop complaining about being stuck with professional politicians. And the real joke will be on them."

Comments

[sparky]

"...probe their nether parts with a marshmallow fork in order to get a boner.."

You have such a way with words, Bla'M. heh,,,

How a state that elected a professional wrestler as governor, has a problem with someone who tells jokes is beyond me. Had Paul Wellstone not been killed, Norm would be home in Minnesota right now, BBQing for the neighbors.

[Malthusiastic]

Interesting trumps most everything as far as I'm concerned in politics. It's a rare trait in politicians. Even the ones i vote vofor are dull people with not much else to recommend them outside the fiedoms of their office. Would you invite Pattty Murray to dinner if she eres still an elementary teacher?

[joanie]

I didn't even like - much - Franken on SNL. But I love him as a politician. Why can't people separate the two.

And a state that voted for Wellstone can't suddenly be so stupid and heartless as to think an overtly and deliberately politically-incorrect show reflects a man's true politics.

It is all so discouraging.

I, too, admire your wordsmithery. I hope, Michael, you're never planning to run for political office.

[sparky]

I wouldn't invite Patty Murray to dinner as Senator, or dogcatcher.

[joanie]

Who? Ms. Earmarks herself?

You know, that's the difference between us, Sparky and Michael.

I'm sort of willing to lose it all and force a huge revolt that gets us back to integrity on both sides. It would take a long time but it would be what the citizenry of this country deserves.

My hope is currently in Obama and that he is much more liberal than appears on the surface. Strategic or not, if he doesn't come through, I'm done with the Dems. I'll go libertarian or green or anything else. No more watching this country move further and further right however slowly.

[joanie]

and more and more corrupt... I'm looking much further forward than the next four or eight years. It is not going to be easy to reverse this trend and as former Rep. Padilla said last weekend on CSpan, when he got to Congress he found out they were all corrupt.

Once you get there, you have to play the game. Maybe I think the game needs to be stopped altogether.

I think Al is that kind of person. He would get there and jokingly tell them to F off. That's what I think. Wouldn't that be great?

He's not pleaser like Coleman. He doesn't have to be.

[chuck]

Now, I think I remember a few people getting their panties in a twist over VP Cheney telling some idiot on the floor of the Senate to "fuck off".
It is just one of those things that needed doing.

[KS]

That was Pat Leahy - D. Another worthless member of the Senate along with this state's contingent, but we get who we deserve. Not a fan of Darth Vader Cheney either. Did you see that the Senate has an approval rating of 9% - an all time low ! Yeah, this is going to be some f'ing election come November.

[joanie]

I'd rather hear it from Al.

Randi keeps repeating that Clear Channel lost $30 million last year and that Rush's mega deal is a cover up to make things look good.

She said she operates out of a clear channel office and she sees what's going on. That their stock which was over a hundred dollars last year is now down at $36. Kind of interesting.

[joanie]

Sixty-one year old librarian carrying a sign "McCain equals Bush" questioned by police at McCain stop. She wasn't trespassing but just carrying a sign.

SEDER'S ON FOR MALLOY!

[sparky]

but she got a ticket for trespassing--this at a rally, on public property, that McCain advertised as being for everyone. Uh huh. Sounds like a President I know who filters his audiences so that only people who agree with him are allowed to attend.

What a great way to prove her sign to be true...

[joanie]

and to prove that there are special rules for some of us.

I guess McCain's a decider, too.

[KS]

Anyone who really equaled Bush would stand no chance. Romney = Bush and would not have made a good candidate this year. McCain is his own person and it cannot be proven that he equals Bush - up to a point in Iraq - but with a better strategy, not in spending, alternative energy sources, offshore drilling and yes, global warming.

Of course, the rest of the story from Randi would not support her agenda, so she didn't pay attention to it, like what was the entire reason the police questioned her ?

[joanie]

Oh, did you get the story from Randi?

[sparky]

I dont listen to Randi and I heard about it on tv
She was questioned because someone in the McCain camp saw the poster and told the police to make her leave. Even the police told the lady they felt she had the right to free speech, but they were following orders from the people who brought them in to do security. The police were very nice to her, and sounded almost apologetic.

[nevets]

And where would a nice lady like that hear that "McCain=Bush" phrase over and over to make her go out and protest against McCain. Lefty Radio maybe. Again now, who are the ones acting out what they hear on the radio. Not the Right. Now lets hope Liberal Radio hosts don't browse this blog or they might broadcast Joanies calls for a revolution ala Fidel Castro.

[nevets]

Sparky, the video I saw only said the "Secret Service" asked her to be removed. remember, the "Secret Service" is there to protect McCain.

I can see this as a set up, with this Progress Now Action group calling in a threat about an elderly woman who wants to harm McCain. Knowing the Secret Service would keep her out of the event they could get great footage showing McCain as an evil person. Plausable?

[joanie]

I got it from Seder.

A set up? Just when did we lose the right to carry signs, Steven?

Just like you guess about the oil companies and their leases, you guess about old ladies carrying signs.

Do you have any facts at your disposal at all? Even...one?

She's a peaceful citizen who was lawfully carrying a sign...

Plausible?

[nevets]

Carol Freck, not your ordinary Librarian. No, a 20 year reporter for the Denver Post. Set up indeed.

[nevets]

So Joanie, you don't think its "plausable"

[sparky]

SuperrrrSteven: Able to make giant leaps of assumptions in a single bound.

The man I saw had a POLICE badge on his upper arm and a gun in his holster. Totally, like, missing the cool sunglasses and earpieces of the SS.

[Puget Sound]

"She said she operates out of a clear channel office and she sees what's going on. That their stock which was over a hundred dollars last year is now down at $36. Kind of interesting.

Posted by: joanie | July 08, 2008 at 09:02 PM"

The Radio Equilizer -the fellow that speaks authoritatively on Radio per Mr. Blam- has been running some articles on how much envy is out there amongst the lefty's.

"Your Radio Equalizer could find no record of Clear Channel shares ever trading at $100, though they did reach $85 during the market bubble of 1999."

Anyway, I checked the stock price on Clear Channel and it hasn't even sniffed $50 a share since mid 2002. So much for the Unamazing Randi.
Hey, a $400 million deal with a $100 million signing bonus is a lot unless you are damn sure it will pay off. Lots of 'flanking' no doubt.