So, without singling out any particular TV personalities (*cough* Tucker Carlson *cough*), when you mockingly talk about Al Franken's candidacy in comparison to other "celebrities" like Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Jesse Ventura, I think you need to do a little more homework first...I'm just not sure that it's accurate to compare Mr. Franken's political resume to individuals who's political qualifications include "blowing up terrorists in movies" and "wrestling with sweaty men while wearing spandex".
Friday, February 16, 2007
Can I Vote In Minnesota, Too?
It's very exciting to finally see Al Franken officially declare his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota for the 2008 election. His declaration video perfectly demonstrates how Mr. Franken's intelligence, wit, and compassion will make him a very attractive candidate to Minnesota voters.
A note to political pundits on 24-hour news channels: when you scoff at the idea of Al Franken as a politician, and refer to him as "just some stand-up comic", you only make yourself look foolish. Yes, Al Franken is a comedian and was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from the late 70's to the early 90's. He's also a Harvard University graduate with a B.A. in government studies. He's also a political humorist with multiple best selling books, including two of my favorite reads of all times 'The Truth (with jokes)' and 'Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them'. He's been heavily involved in USO tours for many years, traveling to Iraq several times over the past years to entertain the troops. And, most recently, he's been a radio talk show host for Air America, heading an admittedly liberal political talk show program.
So, without singling out any particular TV personalities (*cough* Tucker Carlson *cough*), when you mockingly talk about Al Franken's candidacy in comparison to other "celebrities" like Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Jesse Ventura, I think you need to do a little more homework first...I'm just not sure that it's accurate to compare Mr. Franken's political resume to individuals who's political qualifications include "blowing up terrorists in movies" and "wrestling with sweaty men while wearing spandex".
So, without singling out any particular TV personalities (*cough* Tucker Carlson *cough*), when you mockingly talk about Al Franken's candidacy in comparison to other "celebrities" like Arnold Schwarzeneggar and Jesse Ventura, I think you need to do a little more homework first...I'm just not sure that it's accurate to compare Mr. Franken's political resume to individuals who's political qualifications include "blowing up terrorists in movies" and "wrestling with sweaty men while wearing spandex".
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3 comments:
The thing that needs to be considered when comparing Franken to Arnie and The Body is thata when each of them ran the first time, they were not the leading candidate from the get go in a Dem vs. Rep election. Ventura won as a third party candidate since the Rs and Ds split the vote, he received far less than anything resembling a majority, And Arnold, he won due to a recall where something like 55 other candidates were on the ballot. Diluted fields make it much easier for first timers like that to win. Hell, a diluted primary is the only reason Brendan Byrne won a second term to NJ Governor in 1977. If it's Franken vs. Coleman one on one, the win goes to Coleman.
That may be true, unless Franken is able to overcome his "celebrity" status and establish himself, in the eyes of voters, as the politically-enthused individual that he is; in this scenario, he doesn't need to be a third party candidate or involved in a recall election to win, because he just might actually become the leading democratic candidate. Needless to say, it's an uphill battle for him as of now.
Celebrities in major parties are ALWAYS the leading candidate from the get go -- Arnold was way out in front when there was mere SPECULATION he might run. Celebrity status is not something that needs to be overcome -- it is an asset that leads to party bosses seeking them to run in the first place, ESPECIALLY for someone whose "celebrity" is so wound up with his political ideology in the first place. Sorry "Anonymous", but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree -- in a liberal haven like Minnesota, Franken's a lock.
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