Al Franken US Senate Run, Mainstream Media

MILKING THE FRANKENCOW

Finally, An Official Senate Announcement!







We'll give Al Franken credit for one thing: he sure knows how to manipulate the news media.

For over a year, he's been milking this cow for publicity, all the while refusing to say whether he would actually take the plunge against US Senator Norm Coleman (R- Minn).

Now, after keeping speculation running in overdrive since the beginning of the year, he's finally made his intentions clear.

And sure enough, a fresh truckload of Stuart's now- legendary Frankenfluff has been delivered to the mainstream media, with eager reporters all too happy to distribute it to the public.

Need examples? Here's one from ABC News:

Funny Man Franken Will Run for Senate

Comedian Turned Activist Trades Radio Talk for Action with Minnesota Senate Bid

Feb 14, 2007— First came Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Now it is Al Franken's turn.

Minnesotans, who elected former pro wrestler Ventura to serve as their governor in 1999, will have another unorthodox candidate asking for their vote.

Comedian and liberal talk-show host Al Franken announced Wednesday that he is running for U.S. Senate, seeking to win the seat currently held by Senator Norm Coleman, R-Minn.

Franken hosted his final "Air America" radio show Wednesday, during which he announced his Senate campaign, also unveiling a campaign web site including an announcement video in which Franken admitted, "I'm not a typical politician," and acknowledged, "Minnesotans have a right to be skeptical about whether I'm ready for this challenge, and to wonder how seriously I would take the responsibility that I'm asking you to give me."

Signing off his radio broadcast, Franken added, "I think I can do more and so I'm going to run for the United States Senate."

"I'm not a professional politician," he said. "I know I'm going to make some mistakes and this is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done, but I'm going to work hard."

The comedian turned activist concluded, "I know I have an awful lot to learn from the people in Minnesota. Fixing this country is going to take a lot of work from all of us."

Franken will be hoping that Minnesotans are ready to entrust that job to a political outsider for the second time in the past decade.

But where Ventura was better known for body slams and head locks before taking the helm of state government in a tumultuous independent term, Franken has long been a figure in the political world.

Franken, a former "Saturday Night Live" writer and performer, has been the signature voice of the liberal Air America radio network since its inception in 2004 and formed the Midwest Values Political Action Committee, of which Andy Barr is the political director.

Franken's a funny man? Perhaps in the seventies, but not too much since then.


And from CNN, here's a version complete with a sob story from Stuart's wife:

(CNN) -- Outspoken comedian and liberal radio host Al Franken announced Wednesday that he intends to run for the U.S. Senate from his home state of Minnesota.

On his Web site -- al franken. com -- the NBC "Saturday Night Live" veteran said he will vie for the seat now held by Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.

Franken also confirmed that he is running for Senate during his final show on the liberal Air America radio network. He announced last month that he was leaving Air America after his February 14 broadcast.

During his announcement, Franken cited the late Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone as his political hero.

Wellstone, who first won election to the senate in 1990, died in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 elections. Coleman was elected to take his place.

Franken has been a commentator on Air America Radio -- a liberal response to conservative talk radio. He has written several books, including "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" and "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them."

"I'm not a typical politician," Franken said in an 8½ minute video message on his Web site. "I've spent my career as a comedian. Minnesotans have a right to be skeptical about whether I'm ready for this challenge, and to wonder how seriously I would take the responsibility that I'm asking you to give me."

Franken said he takes such issues seriously because of his background -- growing up in a working-class family that moved from New Jersey to Minnesota when he was 4 years old -- and his wife's family background -- she grew up with a widowed mother and four siblings who lived on Social Security survivor's benefits.

"That's what progressives like me believe the government is there for," he said. "To provide security for middle-class families like the one I grew up in, and opportunity for working poor families like the one [my wife] grew up in."

From here, the real question is whether Franken's past, including his questionable antics while at Air America, can be kept from the voters of Minnesota. Remember, he first needs to beat several Democrats before he even gets the opportunity to take on Coleman.

But Frankenfluff is his secret weapon, one the others simply don't possess. With that, he may be laughing all the way to November, 2008.

Frankenfluff: Pete at IHillary, Franken image: Boston.com


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