Breaking: Al Franken To Run For US Senate (Minnesota)

[VolcanoJen]

Al Franken has officially announced he will seek the US Senate seat currently held by Norm Coleman. Breaking now on CNN.

Here's the AP Link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070214/ap_en_tv/senate_franken_1

[krispos42]

1. Woo-hoo! n/y

[edbermac]

2. Go Al Go!

Can't wait for BillO to address him as Senator Stuart Smalley.

:rofl:

[maddezmom]

3. Hey you

Happy Valentine's Day!! K&R

[VolcanoJen]

4. Happy Valentine's Day to you as well!!!

:hug: maddezmom :hug:

[madame defarge]

5. Oh man, you spoiled it!!!

I'm listening now to the final show & I've been waiting in anticipation to find out if he will run or not. He's so cagey about it... :sarcasm:

Seriously, I'm pretty excited that he's running. I think he'd make a great senator. Not only is he good enough & smart enough, doggoneit people just like him... And they definitely can use his sense of humor on the senate floor!

[VolcanoJen]

10. I'm so sorry!!!

Thought I'd heard he announced it on his show. Didn't mean to spoil your fun! ;-)

[madame defarge]

11. Just kidding...

I knew he'd go for it. It's really no surprise. I'm just glad he's going for it.

(Listening now to him talk about how he came to AAR. He's such an emotional guy. Love it.)

[ElizabethDC]

6. Fantastic!

Al is awesome!

[The_Warmth]

7. He's got my vote!

woohoo

[hlthe2b]

8. Ummm, I'm listening live to his show, where he will announce...

He has broadly hinted, but won't do so until the end of the show. Are they scooping him or did he send out a press release?

No matter, really... I'm pleased.

[tridim]

9. I still think he'll make a fantastic Senator

Even though his radio show was pretty lame.

[journalist3072]

12. I'll miss him on AAR, but I'm happy for him! I hope we'll be able to

call him Sen. Franken!

Best wishes to you Al!

[Divernan]

13. Campaign link: His wife's family background is spot on Dem all the way, baby!

www.alfranken.com

When she was seventeen months old, her dad – a decorated veteran of World War II – died in a car accident, leaving her mother, my mother-in-law, widowed with five kids.

My mother-in-law worked in the produce department of a grocery store, but that family made it because of Social Security survivor benefits. Sometimes there wasn’t enough food on the table, sometimes they turned off the heat in the winter – this was in Portland, Maine, almost as cold as Minnesota – but they made it.

Every single one of the four girls in Franni’s family went to college, thanks to Pell Grants and other scholarships. My brother-in-law, Neil, went into the Coast Guard, where he became an electrical engineer.

And my mother-in-law got herself a $300 GI loan to fix her roof, and used the money instead to go to the University of Maine. She became a grade school teacher, teaching Title One kids – poor kids – and so her loan was forgiven.

My mother-in-law and every single one of those five kids became a productive member of society. Conservatives like to say that people need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps – and that’s a great idea. But first, you’ve got to have the boots. And the government gave my wife’s family the boots.

They've been married for over 31 years, "many of them happy," as Al likes to joke. They have two kids. Thomasin, 26, graduated from Harvard and became a teacher, working in a public high school in the Bronx. Joe (named after Al's dad), 21, is a senior at Princeton working on a degree in electrical engineering.

[NewJeffCT]

58. wow, his mother-in-law is one impressive woman

raising 5 kids on her own and all 5 getting into college. And, to get into the Coast Guard is really impressive.

[connecticut yankee]

62. What a wonderful story!

she's an inspiration, and it obviously rubbed off on her five kids.

Obviously, Al fits right in.

[Bretttido]

14. Horray for Al

I just heard his announcment live during the final 15min of his show. It was very touching, both because of its content, and because I will miss listening to him each day. He has 100% of my support!

[Robert Oak]

15. CSPAN will become interesting

Can you see Franken's floor speeches? Oh, the power of presentation, would make for a most
interesting Senate!

This is good, run Al, run!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

16. Best damn announcement video...

I have ever seen. Period. It's real. He talks with people, not at them.

Welcome to The Wonderful World of Chronic Incontenence, Normie.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

17. Go Al go!

Love the photo they included with the article.

[DWilliamsamh]

36. I love to think of his brains and humor in the senate

I'm happy about his running too... almost as happy as I am to know almost every Line of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension.

Nice NIC!!!

[UCLA Dem]

18. Loved his talk on his website! Go Al!

[Prophet 451]

19. Gonna be interesting to see how this plays out

On the one hand, he's smart, knowledgable, liberal on the right things (gay marriage for example) and I'm told he's very eloquent. On the other, he's odd looking and he's made a career out of convincing people to not take him seriously.

I'm sure he'd be a bloody good senator and hope he gets elected, if for no other reason that to watch the kerfuffle when he insists on taking his oath on the Torah.

[FredScuttle]

56. Odd looking....

Yeah, Al doesn't stand a chance against a matinee idol like Norm Coleman


"You want me to put that WHERE, Mr. Warhol?"



This is my imitation of one of the aliens from "V"



DURRRRRRRR....

[Prophet 451]

59. LOL, good point n/t

[PinkyisBlue]

83. Hmm, he's smart and knowledgeable. Maybe he's overqualified to run for office.

I suppose one has to be a bit player in bad movies, or be an alcoholic under-achiever with several failed businesses under his belt, in order to be taken seriously as a political force.

Go, Al! And Rush Limbaugh is STILL a big fat idiot!! (In fact, he's even bigger and fatter than he was before. Maybe he needs to get back on his drugs).

[Botany]

20. Go Al!

Al is a master @ Jew Jitsu



Look out Norm he is coming to kick your butt.

[confludemocrat]

21. Norm Coleman is a total asshole, Franken is not. So the choice is easy

between these two. Franken will protect stuff like Social Security and Medicare for starters. A solid mainstream Dem: will vote the AIPAC line, never against any defense spending. Don't know his position on so-called free trade agreements. But again, he's not Norm Coleman and so we'll take it.

[The Wizard]

46. Kindly refrain from making asshole

sound worse that it is by connecting it to Norm "Chicklet Mouth" Coleman. Norm is a hickey on a hemorrhoid. There's a visual for ya.:puke:

[confludemocrat]

51. I stand corrected

:rofl:
OK, "asshole" for Norm would be "guilding the lilly" or some such metaphor, I guess.

[Zambero]

22. Frank talk from Franken

"The subcommittee's chairman, Minnesota Republican Norman Coleman, is one of the administration's leading butt boys," Franken wrote. "He hasn't held a single hearing on postwar corruption."

That's what happens when the fox guards the chicken coop!

[AngryOldDem]

23. Best of luck to Al.

I was hoping someone like him would eventually enter politics at some point.

[AtomicKitten]

24. My second favorite Al.

I really admire people putting their money where their mouth is and stepping into the arena to participate in the circus in Washington. Go Al.

[IWantAChange]

25. The video 'talk' was tremendous - Franken will be a great campaigner.

[NYCGirl]

26. Go Al!

[sodenoue]

27. Franken is the Man!

You suck O'Reilly, It was a POLK (the year before you arrived anyway)

Al Franken tells the truth, something so vital yet so scarce in our politics today.

Don't pander to anybody, be the best Franken we know you can be!

You're good enough, smart enough....Go AL!

[bjobotts]

28. No Other Democrats

Poor Al. Just can't see himself. Just doesn't know his limitations. Poor choice for "Senator" and what is really pathetic is he's ten times better than Coleman and that's not a compliment. I really wondered how so many idiots got to be senators and now I know. No matter how under-qualified most were just the lesser of two demeaning situations. Always liked Al and respect his contributions to society but always thought of him as "average". Well here's hoping he took his self-esteem pills 'cause he's gonna need 'em.

[onehandle]

31. Say goodbye to oxygen. nt

[MaineDem]

32. Just what are the limitations you speak of?

And welcome to DU. I look forward to reading more insightful posts from you.

[VolcanoJen]

33. Welcome to DU!

Enjoy your, ummm, stay.

[HughMoran]

39. Don't misunderestimate him

I actually think he'll be more successful as a politician than a talk-radio host.

[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

70. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Diane R]

29. His announcement was very touching. He's a true Dem....he has emotions.

[onehandle]

30. Donate Here -------->

Early and Often.

http://www.alfranken.com/

[RL3AO]

34. He's got my vote

2008 will be the first time I can vote, and if he makes it to the ballot, he has my vote.

[renate]

52. welcome to DU!

:hi:

Glad you're here!

[Kixel]

35. Minnesotans are weird

We elected Jessy, for goodness sake!

Al has been really good about supporting smaller races in Minnesota and he's been every where that DFLers go. He's a progressive, and we tend to have a progressive streak. It's going to be interesting to see who ends up with the endorsement.

[mzmolly]

66. As a fellow Minnesotan, I concur.

:hi:

[sarcasmo]

37. Franken in a landslide. A prediction of course.

[SlowDownFast]

42. CNN just had a segment on Franken

and one of their political analysts said the same thing: Franken's a pretty sure bet against Norm Coleman because he's got the fund raising and the celebrity status (SNL skits, AAR, etc), not to mention Minnesota's pentient for picking out-of-the-ordinary candidates - ie: Jesse Ventura.

The segment was definitely favorable to Franken.

[HughMoran]

38. Now there's a surprise

I hope he wins.

Is AAR officially dead yet or ? All of the local stations have jumped ship here in NE.

[Totallybushed]

40. You go,

boy. Show 'em your stuff. You're good enough; you're smart enough, and doggone it, people like you.

[lovuian]

41. Woohoo!!!

:woohoo:

[Jagger69]

43. Goodbye Norm!

Al's the man!

[Auggie]

44. Makes me almost wish I lived in Minnesota so I could vote for him

[cynthia]

45. The MN affiliate is so lame!

Franken's show is on tape delay so we hear it from 2 -5 pm. So he hasn't announced yet, or so we are supposed to think, and on the headlines between segments the news announced that "Al Franken announced on his radio show his intention to run for the senate".

I'm glad he's running. This is going to be interesting!

[donheld]

47. He's sure to win because, he's good enough, he's smart enough

and doggone it people like him. :evilgrin:

[SquireJons]

48. Franken graduated from Harvard!?!

Damn... I never knew. Of course, so did shrub, but he probably never attended a single class. And he probably only got in on a legacy acceptance.

But still, I'm very impressed Mr. Franken.

But there is this...

"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."

Yes, they do. Has a comedian ever been taken seriously as a political candidate? And is he too polarizing to win a state wide election?

Only time will tell. But, yahoo!

I'm only sorry he didn't take Stephen Colbert's offer to announce on the Colbert Report. He might need that Colbert Bounce.

[BadGimp]

49. I CONTRIBUTED - somebody blow me a Valentine kiss :)

$50.00

Thanks -- your contribution has been processed!
Thank you for helping us win this race. Your gift will help us feed our volunteers, buy our banners, pay our phone bills, and hire our staff. If this were a Republican campaign, you'd probably be in line for a big tax cut or a subsidy for your company now, but since it's not, please accept our gratitude.

I wanna get him started right.

I listened to the show today and he was very hearfelt. This is a sincere American who wants to make a difference. He needs our support.

Let's get to work!

[ScottytheRadical]

61. Here ya go

:loveya: :hug: :toast:

I like the commentary they give you after they process your donation. That's probably pretty true of the Republican Party, although I'm guessing you'd need to give about $2000. Reminds me of when I was volunteering for a Democratic candidate in Idaho in 2002 - she was holding $25-a-plate fundraisers that people from the community actually attended and learned about her campaign at, and the Republican ("Butch" Otter) was doing $1000 photo-ops with business execs.

[scarface2004]

50. and zippy the pinhead for vice president!!!

am i elected yet?!?!?!

[stevedeshazer]

65. Have a nice day, scarface2004

Those scars must be really painful.

[maddezmom]

53. Be sure to check out sabra's linik in the video forum!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x16589

[Yukari Yakumo]

54. How vulnerable is Norm Coleman anyway?

Some stuff from Wiki...

Pro-life
Anti-gay rights
opposes embryonic stem cell research
voted in favor of efforts to prolong the life of Terri Schiavo
Opposes the surge
voted in favor of CAFTA
opposes drilling in ANWR
supports privatizing Social Security in the stock market

[LuckyLib]

71. Coleman was annointed by Cheney and the boys to run for Senate. He wanted to run for governor.

The Repugs have had their eye on him for awhile now, think he's "going places." I'd like to see him going right out the door of the Senate and onto the golf course. I think given the climate these days, he's vulnerable. Let's hope so.

[MiniMe]

87. He won only because Paul Wellstone was killed in a small plane accident

Stay our of small planes Al.

[lutefisk]

57. The attack ads against Al should be amusing-

But I'm sure he and his people have a good strategy to address the soon to come attacks. He khows how the smear machine works.

They certainly have a huge amount of video and audio to work with. My guess is they will try and construct Al as an unstable cry-baby by flooding the airwaves with images and sounds of Al getting choked up. And they must be giddy over the hundreds of hours of Air America audio they can edit and present out of context.

Al will be a great Senator. He is a man of integrity, intelligence, and compassion.

[ScottytheRadical]

60. So I guess this means we'll have 52+ Senate seats in 2009?

I don't see Coleman holding onto his Senate seat very easily, in a state like Minnesota. I wish we had a candidate like him in my home state of Oregon - I want to see Gordon Smith go down as well.

[against all enemies]

63. Do Minnesotians (sp) consider him one of their own?

To us outsiders he seems like he loves the place. Can he connect with them?

[dflprincess]

64. Right now we're assuming he'll do well in the Minneapols/St Paul area

how well he'll do outstate is something everyone is debating. As we are a caucus state, we'll get a good idea of that by how well he does at the precinct caucuses and district conventions that lead up to the state endorsing convention - especially if there are several candidates running by the time caucuses roll around next March. As 2008 is also a presidential year, I'd expect we'll have a good turn out at the caucuses (like the unbelievable one we had in 2004) so it just won't be the same old die hard party activists showing up. If Franken marches into the state convention in June with a good mix of delegates from urban and rural areas, he'd probably have a good shot.

P.S. Close, but it's Minnesotans.

[mzmolly]

67. He grew up locally, so I certainly do. I thought he was born in MN but he was not.

He moved to MN at four. However, Wellstone was born elsewhere, and became a "Minnsotan" to us all.

[Placebo]

68. I guess this means 52+ Democratic senators in 2008...

:patriot:

[Canuckistanian]

69. Gee, Minnesotans, who do you like, Franken or Coleman?

I still can't believe that the only state to reject Reaganism would elect Norm (abnormal) Coleman.

Is Coleman still spouting lies about the Oil-for-Food program?

Go, Al, Go!

:toast:

[cynthia]

85. The only reason Coleman got in was Wellstone was killed

Those who don't live here might forget that Coleman was way behind in the polls and Wellstone was sure to win his 3rd term in the Senate, despite his own pledge to run for no more than two terms. Paul, his wife, his daughter and several campaign staff were killed when his plane went down 10 days before the election. If it weren't for that tragedy, Coleman would never have become our senator.

[Canuckistanian]

86. Minnesotans should have pulled an Ashcroft

And voted for the dead candidate anyway. But I don't blame them.

But it's too bad Mondale pulled out.

[Maat]

72. I'm getting ready to contribute!

Go, Al!!!

[cascadiance]

73. This is normally something hard for a Univ. of Iowa graduate to do...

... to root for a Minnesotan (like Al) to beat a University of Iowa graduate (Norm Coleman). But in this case I make a strong exception and FULLY want one of the few poor excuses of alumni from our institution to get pummelled!



The wrong U of I grad won in recent congressional elections up there. Would have much rather seen Colleen Rowley win there last election instead of Norm Coleman! I would hope that good Minnesotans would have rooted for her too in that instance! :)

[Wetzelbill]

74. dude, the state elected Paul Wellstone and Jesse Ventura...

They have a maverick streak like no other, Al Franken is a perfect fit for Minnesota voters. That Coleman is such a weasel only adds to Al's appeal. Coleman lost to Ventura in the governor's race, he's always ripe for a beating by a unique candidate.

[Contrite]

75. He's good enough, he's smart enough and doggone it

people like him!

[lynch03]

76. man franken would be so great and unique in the senate

the unprecidented humor and wit he could employ in his campaign then his senate speeches would make things so interesting

[MiniMe]

88. Can't wait for his floor speeches!

[tblue]

77. Kick Butt, Al! I met him at a book signing, and he was such a nice guy! Just the same as he seems

on tv and radio. Now, here's a candidate I can get really, really excited about.

[benny05]

78. Great Idea and I mean it

If AF has great ideas to represent Minnesota, he should do it.

[Legate]

79. great

Good luck Al, treat him well Minnesota.

[Mad_Dem_X]

80. Go, Al, go! n/t

[SheepyMcSheepster]

81. Go Al!

He is one guy that I really have faith in. He seems so down to earth and compassionate.

[Seabiscuit]

82. "I'm Al Franken, and I'm running for U.S. Senate. And you're not."

[DirtyDawg]

84. How to Guarantee Victory...

If Al will announce that he intends to fly all over Minnesota
in a King Air (I believe that's the same type plane that Paul
Wellstone was flying) for his campaign appearances...and
assuming he survives it...no way that lame-ass Coleman can
touch him.  By the way Al, I wouldn't take my family along
with me on any of those trips...these guys are ruthless.