Al Franken, part two: how he got there

(Read Al Franken, Part One: The Senator from Talk Radio).

The road from national funny-guy and Air America talk host to Senator-elect was arduous, with Al Franken facing a set of different hurdles.

Moving to Minnesota in 2007 to re-establish residency and run against the neoconservative Coleman, his campaign started inauspiciously... that is to say, low in the polls.

(photo: Star Tribune - Elizabeth Flores)

The campaign took an early hit in May when a blogger found taxes Franken had not paid for fees earned for speeches he'd made in various states around the country. He paid up, saying, credibly, he'd been unaware of the liablities.  

Just as that was dying down, a blue (omigod!) satirical piece he wrote for Playboy in 2000 was outed and decried by some Minnesota Republican women miraculously born-again as "feminists," and puffing up about Franken's "objectifying, demeaning and degrading" women; and scolding him for a fundraiser hosted by Playboy CEO Christie Hefner at her Chicago home.That took more time, 'splainin' and obsequifyin' by Franken before it went away. (You know how tenacious those GOP feminazis can be...) 

In July, former Gov.Jesse, the Ventura sucked the national media teat for a few weeks as he went on a book tour and threatened to get in the race which assured him headlines. He finally went away after milking it dry all over cable. (After all that, his book, Farting in the Hurricane, was a bust).

 September's late entrance by "independent" candidate, Dean Barkley, part of Ventura's Brain Trust made things tighter. Everyone argues about who Barkley's candidacy hurt most, but it was probably Franken. It definitely complicated matters.

Conventional wisdom had Franken busted. "He's finished," said Bill O'Reilly, his wattle wagging and cheeks puffing out the way he does when he's hyperventilating.

(photo: Jesse Ventura "loves that teat")

But  in late August things began to turn around for Franken. There was change in the land, Obama was prevailing over the hapless McCain/Palin ticket and Norm Coleman's neocon lockstep with President Bush was exploited capably by Franken.

In October, Franken gained his first clear lead, with momentum bolstered by the public reaction to a clot of negative ads by the inherently prickish Coleman's accusing Franken's wife of being an alcoholic.

Franni Franken, an entirely non-controversial and lovable figure made a highly personal, very effective ad acknowledging herself as a recovering alcoholic and speaking earnestly about how her husband has supported her battle with it for more than 20 years. Al Franken clearly adores Franni, has always  voiced his adoration publicly before he ever got into politics. They've been married since college, have nice grown kids; no matter how Franken has been viewed, his family has been above reproach. So when Franni Franken was trashed, the backlash of public empathy that hurt Coleman humanized Al, and pushed him ahead, experts say, 325 votes. 

(photo: Franni and Al Franken)

Coleman won on the election day count by 725 votes, and immediately asked Franken to step aside. Of course he did not, and began his rightful process to recount the votes. Lawyers from both parties swarmed Minnesota.

Democrats, as always, wanted to count more votes, Republicans, of course, less.

As the votes were recounted by a canvassing board comprised of people from both parties, and watched over by bi-partisan attorneys, the public could watch the tedious process ballot-by-ballot on the web.

 Democracy was served, if tediously, by Minnesotans. But hey, it was the largest recount in American history. Democrats hired Seattle firm, Perkins Coie with DC-based partner and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee lawyer Marc Elias representing Franken in the many trips to the state supreme court, and Seattle-based recount specialist, Kevin Hamilton, veteran of the 2005 Gregoire/Rossi fight. 

In January, doors to Norm Coleman's Senate offices were locked at the direction of Senate Rules Committee officials who declared his term expired. Minnesota officially had but one Senator: Deb Klobuchar.

Franken won and won and won. As the process wore on, the lead only changed hands once after election night. Coleman's margin gradually dwindled as the absentee votes were counted; while the lead Al Franken took in mid-December only grew.

Despite the millions more Republicans dumped into the legal effort. Both parties took the elongated post election as an opportunity to raise money.

As in George Bush's 2000 election where votes were left uncounted; and Governor Gregoire's election in 2004 , where they were, partisans will cling to a claim of Franken's illegitimacy until he wins a race that's settled on election day. That despite the whistle-clean bipartisan process and legal scrutiny of the Minnesota (and Washington's) elections, The Wall Street Urinal editorial page has cynically and deceptively dubbed Franken The Absentee Senator, as if absentee ballots are somehow not legitimate votes.

All this means Al Franken has extra political work to do. About 14% of the vote was given to Ventura clone Dean Barkley. No one can say for sure who Barkley's votes robbed, but it does mean that nobody got a clear majority in Minnesota.

Expect Franken to disappoint on the entertainment level- Stuart Smalley is dead. "A number of people have told me to study the Hillary model of being a senator," Franken said after meeting in February with Tamara Luzzatto, Clinton's chief of staff. "Put your head down and do the work."

Republicans have already lined up to make, Franken a piñata for their strategies in media and fundraising. And Senator Franken will be in the high headlights soon: he's on the Judiciary Committee who will be grilling Sonia Sotomayor in hearings within a month or so.

We can't wait until al Franken gets settled in and recovers his voice. After watching Sarah Palin give up the political goat last weekend, we appreciate the significance of Al Franken's feat, and that he's got all the makings and more to be an enduring American pol.

Comments

[joanieandsparkyforever]

hope everybody had a great 4th of july..we know we did because we read on the news this morning that sarah palin was going to be sticking around and she might even do something on a national level and we are so glad to hear this about sarah palin... go sarah!! we love you!!..

[mrogi]

Franken got to the US Senate because he is a better baby kisser than Coleman.

[joanie]

Would you want to be kissed by Norm? Ew.

[LucasFoxx]

Nice reporting on this. But I'm still laughing at the openner to the last post: "We bet she'd be a one-termer. We were wrong."

[sparky]

I am going to make up some Presidential campaign bumper stickers that say:

"Sarah Palin 2012-2014.5 "

[sparky]

Al is going to be great. He is not as liberal as some on the right are trying to paint him. I remember being irritated at him for supporting the Iraq war for awhile. I admired him for going over there to do Christmas shows for the troops. I don't think he is a blue dog, but he is not as liberal as someone like Ted Kennedy.

[Tommy008]

I read that Franken graduated from Harvard with a degree in public policy.

[oda231]

From her highness Randi R:

RHODES (34:52): The reasons that I have for thinking he (Franken) will make a terrible Senator are really valid. I’ve kept them to myself. I’ve not put them on the air. I let the man run without the burden of what I know, which is all documentable and researchable and you can find it on the Internet. Never said a word. Left it to the voters in Minnesota to find out. Left it to Norm Coleman to expose it if he did some background operational research he could have found a lot of stuff. Didn’t bother to do it.

It’s Norm Coleman’s fault. I tell you that I think Norm Coleman is a horrible Senator. I think he’s a horn dog. I think he’s a womanizer. I think he’s a liar and I think he’s a terrible senator.

On the other hand, I’ve got plenty of reasons to believe that Al Franken is not going to be the type of honest senator, the kind of transparent operator that were were voting for. The kind of transparency and accountability that we voted for, he doesn’t fit that mold. I know some stuff. I choose not to put it on the air.

Full article at Newsbusters

[Duffman]

What say ye Joanie...you da expert of R/R and I'm guessing you also support Franken. Have you got the goods on this.

[Drew]

No "goods" to get. It came from newsbusters. If it was a print media, it would be useful for wrapping fish, and not much else.

[sparky]

It is no secret that Randi is no fan of Al. It has to do with the fact that she was the only person initially hired by Air America that had any radio experience, but the media focused on Al because he was the one who was well-known. There is a movie about how AAR got started and the crew was still celebrating Al's premier appearance when she went on the air.
It is hard to be the work horse when everyone gushes over the celebrity.
That doesn't mean that Al will be a bad Senator. Randi used to hate Ed Schultz with a hot white heat, and they are best buds now. I have a feeling that Randi and Al will bury the hatchet and will become friends.

[oda231]

No doubt the recording at the website that you can listen to her flaming franken is a fake, Drew?

[sparky]

Odie, would you believe what Daily Kos or Democratic Underground had to say about Sarah Palin?? It's the same thing.

[M.Steele]

I agree with Drew, it is inane to confuse conjecture with truth. For example here is a quote from Levi Johnston, “She had talked about how nice it would be to take some of this money people had been offering us and you know just run with it” speaking of Palin.

[oda231]

I dont read the DK or DU so I have no idea what they may or have said about Sarah.

I offered a website of a voice recording of Ms Rhodes stating her opinion of Sen Franken. Wheather you accept it or not, I really dont care.

Even the Enquirer gets it right sometimes-ask John Edwards.

[sparky]

And I told you I agreed with the premise that she doesn't like him. Counting on a news source that "gets it right sometimes" seems short-sighted.