# How's Al Franken's Senate bid going? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 12, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239 "2008-02-12T01:57:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/61 "2008-11-04T15:21:20Z")
[538.com](http://538.com) has this as the only close Senate race, giving Franken a 52% chance as of this morning. If he wins, is this the Al Franken Century? ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/62 "2008-11-04T15:26:24Z")
I voted for Franken this morning. I usually vote Repub (but not always)…but if I want a Democrat I will vote Democrat. If I want a Republican, I will vote Republican. In this race 2 Democrats are running (Coleman and Franken). One calls himself a Republican but he sure doesn’t act like it. So…if 2 Democrats are running I’ll vote for the one with D by his name. Hopefully a real Republican will run next time and I can make an actual choice. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/63 "2008-11-04T15:31:28Z")
I voted for Franken. A couple bits about his campaign… he started out really stiff in his speaking because he was trying to downplay his comedian/SNL background, and wanted people to take him seriously. He seems to have gotten over that. He also seems to be adept at figuring out how to point out the idiocy in a situation in a way that makes sense, because of his writing/comedy background. He also does a great Kissinger impersonation. And, I just have to vote for a man who’s willing to publish a book titled “Rush Limbaugh is a big, fat idiot.” ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/64 "2008-11-04T15:46:23Z")
Voted for hlim, but still wish he hadn’t run. Any of a thousand American cheese on white bread with mayo Lutherans could have rolled over Coleman and squashed him like a bug. So I’m in the strange position of being pissed at him for running, and maybe really _really_ pissed if he loses. ---
**Author:** ![IClaudius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c37758/32.png) [@IClaudius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IClaudius)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/65 "2008-11-04T15:55:37Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > [http://www.college.harvard.edu/academics/resources/honors\_faqs.html](http://www.college.harvard.edu/academics/resources/honors_faqs.html) > > Cum laude is only the top 50% of the class. I don’t think that is anything special. never mind ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/66 "2008-11-04T16:06:14Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Voted for hlim, but still wish he hadn’t run. Any of a thousand American cheese on white bread with mayo Lutherans could have rolled over Coleman and squashed him like a bug. So I’m in the strange position of being pissed at him for running, and maybe really _really_ pissed if he loses. It’s not like there was never a Jew in that seat before. I remember Garrison Keillor’s eulogy on Paul Wellstone: “The Norwegians voted for him because he wasn’t Swedish . . .” ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/67 "2008-11-04T16:38:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It’s not like there was never a Jew in that seat before. > > I remember Garrison Keillor’s eulogy on Paul Wellstone: “The Norwegians voted for him because he wasn’t Swedish . . .” Before Wellstone’s two turns the seat was held for two terms by Rudy Boschwitz who was also Jewish. An astonishing run in a state that does not have a large Jewish population. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/68 "2008-11-04T17:10:44Z")
Coleman is Jewish too. That is an odd run, isn’t it? Especially for Minnesota, of all states. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/69 "2008-11-04T17:14:32Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > [http://www.college.harvard.edu/academics/resources/honors\_faqs.html](http://www.college.harvard.edu/academics/resources/honors_faqs.html) > > Cum laude is only the top 50% of the class. I don’t think that is anything special. Wiki says it is 65 percent. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/70 "2008-11-04T17:14:46Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Al Franken had his decade. He proclaimed it himself on SNL - the Al Franken Decade kicked off in 1980 and ran out ten years later. > > We’re now almost nineteen years past the expiration of the Al Franken Decade - and this campaign has demonstrated that. If you think the Franken campaign has been bad, you should have seen Coleman’s. I voted for Franken today, and I think he might get in on Obama’s coattails. Without the superstar at the top of the ballot, I think Norm would have pulled it out, but with the numbers That One is pulling into the polls… ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/71 "2008-11-04T17:18:21Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > I can understand **fisha’s** impression, he’s not nearly as articulate a speaker as you’d think. If you read anything he’s written though, the intelligence behind it is unmistakable. I agree with this. **The Truth (With Jokes)**, more than his other books, revealed just how scary smart the man is. Plus, I think you’ve got to have a pretty hefty intellect to be a truly effective comedian. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/72 "2008-11-04T17:23:10Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Wiki says it is 65 percent. You take Wikipedia over Harvard’s own website? Sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/73 "2008-11-04T19:44:01Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > I’d agree with that. > > He had some pretty lame ads. “Only 1 candidate for senate _hasn’t_ voted for a congressional pay raise.” :rolleyes: That’s because only 1 candidate hasn’t been in a political office. > > All kinds of crap like that. “Al Franken called for a $5000 tax credit!” Oh really? Where? On his radio program? > > Maybe if he, i don’t know, was on a school board or something, I’d give him benefit of the doubt on stuff like that. But I think he just makes shit up and no body can really call him on it because he doesn’t actually have a record either way. Franken has a lengthy record. Books, radio, recordings. It’s all there. If you think that doesn’t count then why does Coleman throw things he said in those forums against him so often? Rush Limbaugh has never held office, but he has a lengthy record of stands on the issues should ever decide to seek office in whatever state he lives in. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/74 "2008-11-04T23:12:09Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > You take Wikipedia over Harvard’s own website? Sweet. Then why does it matter when McCain was 481 out of 485 at Naval Academy. Franken got into an Ivy League school and did well. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/75 "2008-11-04T23:26:17Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Voted for hlim, but still wish he hadn’t run. Any of a thousand American cheese on white bread with mayo Lutherans could have rolled over Coleman and squashed him like a bug. So I’m in the strange position of being pissed at him for running, and maybe really _really_ pissed if he loses. I hadn’t managed to put it into words, but this pretty well fits how I’m feeling. About the only opponent that would have made me vote for Coleman would have been Ventura. (I’m actually happy that Ventura had his term as governor. I just wouldn’t put him back into office again.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/76 "2008-11-05T02:11:20Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Then why does it matter when McCain was 481 out of 485 at Naval Academy. Franken got into an Ivy League school and did well. Things are different at the military academies - the “anchormen” or “goats” often turn out to be quite good leaders, and they are pretty well respected by their peers. Of course this isn’t universal. And good leaders come from the top of their classes as well. But Jimmy Carter had a high class rank in his academy class, and he isn’t remembered for strong presidential leadership. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/77 "2008-11-05T02:20:28Z")
Well me missed out not voting for the 3 in back of him didn’'t we. Why do you say things like that? Grasping and hanging on to illogic is not becoming for you. ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/78 "2008-11-05T06:13:15Z")
With 84.6% of precincts reporting: Independence DEAN BARKLEY 357934 15.32% Republican NORM COLEMAN 984357 42.12% Democratic-Farmer-Labor AL FRANKEN 974198 41.69% ---
**Author:** ![The\_Understander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3da27b/32.png) [@The\_Understander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Understander)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/79 "2008-11-05T06:15:54Z")
_sigh_ Don’t look good, but c’mon Al!!! It would just be too perfect to have to have the Big Fat Idiot have to force his porcine lips and swinish voice to pronounce the words “Senator Al Franken”. Get on your game, Minnesota! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2008, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239/80 "2008-11-05T06:17:14Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Well me missed out not voting for the 3 in back of him didn’'t we. > > Why do you say things like that? Grasping and hanging on to illogic is not becoming for you. If a low class ranking can be twisted into a positive, well a lower one must be even better. Of course that makes no sense,just like your original premise didn’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hows-al-frankens-senate-bid-going/437239.md?page=5)