Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

September 5, 2008 12:26:33 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

The Real Joke May Be on Minn. Voters

Posted Jul 7, 08 11:03 AM CDT in Opinion,  Politics 

(Newser) – Voters always say they’d rather support “real people” than “professional politicians.” But Al Franken is having trouble in Minnesota precisely because he hasn’t spent his life reading a political script, Michael Kinsley writes in the Washington Post. Instead, he told jokes for a living—jokes his opponents are now trying to transform into political gaffes, and it seems to be working.

Jokes almost always offend someone, making them far too dangerous for typical politicians. Politicians, that is, like Norm Coleman, Franken’s incumbent opponent. Coleman “is a man of no interest,” writes Kinsley, “a standard-issue pro-war tax-cut Republican.” If voters choose him because they can’t laugh off a couple jokes, then they had better stop complaining about professional pols, which is what they deserve.

Source Washington Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Is Franken Too Vulgar for Politics?

    Jun 18, 08 6:51 AM CDT
    Is Franken Too Vulgar for Politics? Al Franken was cracking tasteless jokes for decades before entering politics, but it may be his opponent in the Minnesota Senate race who'll be accused of coarsening debate if he dares to brings them up, Michael Gerson writes in the Washington Post. Franken calls his work "provocative, touching, and funny" satire—but Gerson doesn't think it's worthy of the name. More »

  • Sex Robots Haunt Franken's Senate Bid

    Jun 9, 08 12:39 PM CDT
    Sex Robots Haunt Franken's Senate Bid It’s not easy being a comedian-turned-Senate candidate. Al Franken’s bid to replace first-term Minnesota Republican Norm Coleman has hit some speed bumps lately, Bloomberg reports. Though Franken has nabbed the party’s endorsement, he’s been dogged by bits from his past—like a 2000 Playboy article entitled Porn-O-Rama, which describes human-robot sex in graphic detail—and the GOP isn't hesitating to dredge up more. More »

  • Doggone It, Will People Like Sen. Franken?

    Nov 5, 07 8:53 PM CST
    Doggone It, Will People Like Sen. Franken? Al Franken’s thus far successful run for US Senate has seen the comic playing a careful hand, getting serious on the trail but bringing along just enough humor to be himself. Politicians “need to be entertaining. But not too entertaining,” says New York’s Ariel Levy in a profile of the would-be gentleman from Minnesota. More »

  • In Minn. Senate Race, Joke May Be on the GOP

    Sep 7, 07 12:29 PM CDT
    In Minn. Senate Race, Joke May Be on the GOP The Minnesota GOP, facing an unexpectedly strong challenge from would-be Democratic nominee Al Franken, is turning some of his humor around on him. Immediately after the actor-author announced his US Senate candidacy, the GOP released a list of what it called “mean-spirited and divisive partisan” wisecracks, the Journal reports, and a GOP tracker is filming his every campaign move. More »

Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer enjoy a laugh during a question and answer session, June 7, 2008 at the state Democratic convention in Rochester, Minn.   (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Norm Coleman, shown in this March 19, 2008 file photo, is a career politician if ever there was one.   (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Comedian Al Franken smiles during his radio show in Washington, in this file photo from Feb. 10, 2005.   (AP Photo)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

Senate  • Minnesota  • comedian  • Al Franken  • gaffes  • Norm Coleman


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular


Other Politics Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »