Why Vote for Al Franken?

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I just got home from the Get Out The Vote Rally in Minneapolis. There was a fine group of speakers giving engaging speeches including Walter Mondale, Amy Klobuchar, Keith Ellison, and of course Bill Clinton. They were all there to support Al Franken for Senate. The message was clearly spelled out on the jumbo-trons and the blue waving fliers “Obama + Franken = Change. In short, if Obama is elected President, he will need a supporting Senate that will not filibuster the changes he will be trying to accomplish. That is why it is so important for the democrats to have at least 60 seats in the Senate.

Kay and I have been fans of Franken for a long time. I happen to think he is incredibly smart. I maintain that in order to be a good political humorist, you need to fully understand both sides of an issue. You also have to have the ability to see what you are satirizing in clear terms, and then be able to convey these concepts in a concise manner. If you do not have the fundamental essence of the difference between two opposing views, then your humor is not going to be very funny. Unfortunately, if you then decided to run for office, there is an entire archive of material that can be used out of context to discredit you by your opponent.

While following him throughout this campaign I would like to add other characteristics that I would use to describe Al Franken:

Sincere. Al Franken speaks from the heart. He is touched by the struggles of the middle and working classes in Minnesota, and he wants to do everything he can to make their lives better.

Honest. Al Franken tells it like he sees it, whether or not he might have the most popular view. You know he is not going to say one thing and then turn around and do something completely different when it comes time to cast his vote.

Compassionate. Al Franken thinks we can do better as Americans when it comes to health care, education, meeting our energy needs, and taking care of our environment. He wants to make Minnesota an industry leader in renewable technologies, he wants to provide tax credits for college education, he wants to prevent the privatization of social security, he wants to repeal the law preventing Medicare from negotiating drug costs with drug makers, he wants to propose a “Credit Card Customer Bill of Rights,” he wants to end the war in Iraq and make sure our veterans receive the care they earned, he supports the Employee Free Choice Act. In short he wants to put the individual over the corporation, improve the lives of our citizens, regain our status in the world community, and be a steward of the environment.

Al Franken wants to continue the movement that was started by Paul Wellstone.

And, oh, by the way, he wants to get back the seat that once was held by Paul Wellstone. The seat that was, under tragic circumstances, obtained by Norm Coleman. Norm Coleman shares none of the values that were held so dear by Paul Wellstone.

I am a proponent of people making up their own minds regarding who they decide to cast their vote. However, when I talk to folks about Al Franken, too often I hear their concerns about him echoing the different rumors I have heard in the campaign ads ran by his opponents. If you are on the fence, or considering a vote for Barkley (who has 18% of the vote as of an October 30th poll), please visit Al Franken’s website http://www.alfranken.com/ and get to know him and hear who is endorsing him. And, equally important, remember that Barack is going to need Al’s vote in the Senate!