# Who owns Al Franken? Not us. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 10, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193 "2007-07-10T13:52:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/1 "2007-07-10T13:52:17Z")
An article in the Star Tribune today. Over 82% of Al Franken’s campaign funds for Senate are not from Minnesota. 2.5 million of the 3 million contributed so far is from out of state. > **[The latest from the StarTribune](https://www.startribune.com/)** > > Follow the StarTribune for the news, photos and videos from the Twin Cities and beyond. This just pisses me off. The powers that be have decided to make MN their little back yard. Why us? Why him? Sounds like a bad idea. Why should I vote for someone to represent me, when he can’t even get support locally? “Oh, but he’s Al Franken!!” I don’t give a fuck if he’s the Pope, I want someone local, who’s been bought by local interests. What a complete douchebag. I hate politics. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/2 "2007-07-10T14:11:33Z")
I just hope to hell that Minnesotans wised up after the Governor Goofy fiasco so that we don’t end up with Senator Sucknuts. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/3 "2007-07-10T14:13:42Z")
Your article says that “more than 50%” of Coleman’s money came from Minnesota, which implies that somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% **did not**. I don’t know what you mean by “the powers that be have decided to make MN their little back yard.” Franken decided to run and is raising money on a national level probably due to his national profile. I haven’t seen a great deal of prompting on Daily Kos or Atrios about him. I’m concerned because Coleman has played a role in fucking up my country - he’s had a national impact. Why shouldn’t I, and others, have an interest in seeing him gone? It isn’t like I can vote for him. Only Minnesotans can do that. And, as Al has said, why not him? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/4 "2007-07-10T14:16:07Z")
He would serve the interests of Minnesotans just by getting Coleman the hell out. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/5 "2007-07-10T14:21:35Z")
Both national parties have a legitimate interest in funding senatorial election races. If a particular seat is seen as vulnerable or up for grabs, national money will pour in. And I can’t stand Franken. But this is no reason to slam him, or the process. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/6 "2007-07-10T14:36:19Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] Your article says that “more than 50%” of Coleman’s money came from Minnesota, which implies that somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% **did not**. I don’t know what you mean by “the powers that be have decided to make MN their little back yard.” Franken decided to run and is raising money on a national level probably due to his national profile. I haven’t seen a great deal of prompting on Daily Kos or Atrios about him. I’m concerned because Coleman has played a role in fucking up my country - he’s had a national impact. Why shouldn’t I, and others, have an interest in seeing him gone? It isn’t like I can vote for him. Only Minnesotans can do that. And, as Al has said, why not him? [/QUOTE] Franken did not make the decision to run in a vacuum. We’re a moderate state that has been losing it’s Dem foundation. It was a toss up in the last couple of elections, and Franken has good name recognition. Let’s put him in there, pretend he is from there, and goose the money. I just hate the presumption that we’re rubes. I am no fan of Coleman, either. Why not Ciresi? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/7 "2007-07-10T14:41:52Z")
[QUOTE=fisha] Franken did not make the decision to run in a vacuum. [/QUOTE] You’re quite correct, since a vacuum doen’t have congressional representation. Minnesota was the closest he could find. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/8 "2007-07-10T14:46:47Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] You’re quite correct, since a vacuum doen’t have congressional representation. Minnesota was the closest he could find. [/QUOTE] Ow! Ow! Ow! ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/9 "2007-07-10T14:53:20Z")
[QUOTE=fisha] Franken did not make the decision to run in a vacuum. We’re a moderate state that has been losing it’s Dem foundation. It was a toss up in the last couple of elections, and Franken has good name recognition. Let’s put him in there, pretend he is from there, and goose the money. [/QUOTE] He grew up in St. Louis Park, attended St. Louis Park High School and graduated from the Blake School. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al\_Franken](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Franken) Is he from Minnesota? Depends on your definition of “from,” I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/10 "2007-07-10T15:01:41Z")
Not born here, graduated high school from here, then left in 1969, was gone for 36 years- all of his adult life- then moved back in 2005 for purely political reasons. Um, nope, doesn’t qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/11 "2007-07-10T15:11:44Z")
[QUOTE=fisha] Not born here, graduated high school from here, then left in 1969, was gone for 36 years- all of his adult life- then moved back in 2005 for purely political reasons. Um, nope, doesn’t qualify. [/QUOTE] That’s much more connection than Hillary Clinton could claim for New York, and she’s wildly popular there. I don’t see the problem. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/12 "2007-07-10T15:27:14Z")
[QUOTE=Menocchio] That’s much more connection than Hillary Clinton could claim for New York, and she’s wildly popular there. I don’t see the problem. [/QUOTE] You’re obviously not from around here, either… :Gives Menocchio the fish eye: Seriously, don’t underestimate this. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/13 "2007-07-10T15:29:39Z")
I imagine that whoever ends up running against Bitch McConnell next year here in KY will get giant piles of cash shipped in from every corner of the nation. More power to them, I say. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/14 "2007-07-10T15:50:53Z")
Unless the money is used to buy votes, I don’t see the problem. Don’t you trust your fellow Minnesotans to vote for the best candidate? ---
**Author:** ![ForumBot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ee59a6/32.png) [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/15 "2007-07-10T15:56:10Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] Is he from Minnesota? Depends on your definition of “from,” I suppose. [/QUOTE] Al Franken is swallowing Minnesota whole? Dear god. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/16 "2007-07-10T16:06:15Z")
And Coleman, with his east coast accent, qualifies as “from” here in your definition then? ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/17 "2007-07-10T16:17:36Z")
[QUOTE=Tapioca Dextrin] You’re quite correct, since a vacuum doen’t have congressional representation. Minnesota was the closest he could find. [/QUOTE] But only because The Dakotas, Iowa and Wisconsin all suck so much. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/18 "2007-07-10T16:34:31Z")
[QUOTE=NurseCarmen] And Coleman, with his east coast accent, qualifies as “from” here in your definition then? [/QUOTE] No, obviously. But if I do the math right, he’s been here for the last 30 years. And again I am not a fan of Coleman, either. But at least he’s lived and worked here. This rant is more about outside interests trying to influence a senate campaign, than the candidates. The political machinations. Yeah, I’m naive, why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/19 "2007-07-10T16:41:22Z")
I’ve lived in the same small town for 17 years. I am still not “from” here, even though I was born about 35 miles away. A dozen years or so ago someone moved here, then immediately ran for mayor. It was just…sad. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193/20 "2007-07-10T16:51:18Z")
[QUOTE=fisha] I’ve lived in the same small town for 17 years. I am still not “from” here, even though I was born about 35 miles away. [/QUOTE] This is why I hate small towns. It is really assholish behavior that you aren’t ‘from’ the place where you have fricken lived for 17 years. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-owns-al-franken-not-us/411193.md?page=2)