StrikitRich: Except personal criticism. I don't think he can take it nearly as well as he can dish it out.

lol, keep thinking that.

Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) appeared on the Bill Press Show this morning, and responded to Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-OK) remarks about the recent election victory by "the clown from Minnesota."

"I don't know how Sen. Inhofe regards clowns, but it might be an incredible compliment," said Franken.

Senator Franken? Senator? Six year term? Yow. That's a long time to get used to hearing "Senator Franken".

LittleSmitty: PJ_the_Barbarian: keithgabryelski: Impudent Domain: Quite apart from any considerations of left wing or right wing politics, this guy is an ass clown and it's a sad day that he is a senator. Nice going Minnesota.

In what way is Al Franken an "ass clown".

Seems like a reasonable guy to me, who is concerned about the issues, educates himself on them, and certainly leans left/progressive.

I can understand some hate from people on right because he has dressed down some of their messiahs, but why do you have an issue?

He's essentially a pundit, at least I'd say that writing 3 books demonizing the right makes him one. Think of one of the more intellectually honest right-wing pundits sorry, imagine there were an intellectually honest right-wing pundit - you'd probably not be too happy if he were sent to congress.

A pundit that graduated cum laude from Harvard, with a degree in poli-sci.

I dare say he's more qualified than many

Thats if you 1.) take a poli-sci degree in general seriously and 2.) consider a Harvard degree to mean much these days. Its hard to take a lot of the big name ivy league schools seriously today given who they've been graduating and their involvement in politics. Look at how the Harvard faculty and student body handled their Prez. Larry Summers' (yes the same one on the Obama econ team) "incident" at a speech a few years ago. The PC police went after him mercilessly.

Then there was Harvard's experiment with giving muslim women on campus their own special 2-4 hours in a school gym each week so they didn't feel weird working out around men. Ahh, equality...

Control_this: Senator Franken? Senator? Six year term? Yow. That's a long time to get used to hearing "Senator Franken".

How often are we going to hear it outside of MN, though? Will he get to be more influential than most freshmen because of his media career?

Mose: I'm fairly certain your sarcasmeter is in need of calibration.

You're probably right, I'm having a helluva time distinguishing between the True Believers and the Trolls anymore.

PinkoLeftist: Look at how the Harvard faculty and student body handled their Prez. Larry Summers' (yes the same one on the Obama econ team) "incident" at a speech a few years ago. The PC police went after him mercilessly.

While I don't doubt that a Harvard education remains an extremely valuable commodity (today's upper class likes to get its money's worth, and if they weren't getting it in the Ivies, they'd go elsewhere), I do think that the Larry Summers thing was insane. I mean, he suggested that men and women think differently, and there was a conniption. Do they burn effigies of the guy who wrote "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" at Harvard, too?

All of you are incorrect. Al Franken is neither a pundit, a partisan hack nor a genius. He is in fact our country's most obvious member of the Reptilian ruling class, rendered so by the shoddiness of his disguise.

Wake up, people! No human skull could possess this geometry.

The Homer Tax: Morton_toes: I guess I did kinda' know that, and the show really was bitingly funny satire at that time, so I'll give him his due there.

Senator Franken wrote for SNL from 75-80 and 85-95. I don't think it's a coincidence that these coincide with the times that show was at its best. Agree that he wasn't the most stellar character actor on the show, but he had some great bits where he played "Al Franken" very well, if that makes sense.

Yes, I remember the "It's all about me......Al Franken" schtick. Meh.

I thought the 'Franken & Davis' bit's were kinda lame too.

prolly shoulda' stuck to writing IMO.

AntiNerd: Successful comedians tend to be very smart.

What does that have to do with Franken?

Republican Tears:Crisp, Sweet, Satisfying.

get your bottle today!

Is the Stupid tag for the submitter or his/her abortion of a headline?

Well, that settles it. Sure, the first six months of the year have been complicated enough, with the economic crisis and massive reform packages, but now, coming up this week, we finally get to focus on what's actually important, and stop navel-gazing so much.

Yes, I'm talking about the Al Franken Legislature.

This legislature will pretty much be the same for Al as before, except that he gets to vote in it. However, for the rest of our fine legislators, things will be much different. Sure, you'll have the same bills as before, but instead of asking whether your constituents or lobbies want a public option in the health care bill, our Congresspeople will be asking whether Al Franken wants a public option in the bill. Instead of wondering whether the restructuring of GM and Chrysler needs to be modified, they'll wonder if Al Franken wants it to be modified. Finally, instead of serving up massive amounts of pork to their own districts, legislators will serve up massive amounts of pork to where Al Franken wants it to go.

After all these long years, the public has been desperate for a sense of moral clarity on Capitol Hill, and finally, the Al Franken Legislature will bring that clarity. We've already bought GM, so let's take a new tack and a new motto: What's good for Al Franken is good for America.

what. a. ghey.

keithgabryelski: tedbundee: Tricky Chicken:
...Tina Fey made a career out of coming up with a new way of saying Bush is dumb once a week for eight years. Don't get me wrong, I agree Bush is dumb, it is just that the same joke every week got old quick. looking like Sarah Palin.

Hey Mr. Short-term memory: Oh, HI! how are you!

Tina Fey had left SNL way before this Palin thing came out.

Oh, HI! how are you!?

She certainly nailed that character for the few weeks and guested back on SNL.

Oh, HI! how are you!?

But her career was running hot way before that.

oh, HI! how are you!?

SNL sucks and so do Tina Fey's movies. I guess I was doing her a favor by pretended she didn't exist until Palin came into play.

/shrug

Mose: The Homer Tax: Codyl: (in a heavily dem state)

A heavily Dem State with a Republican Governor?

Happens more often than you think. Take a look at my home state of Assachusetts. I mean, not currently, but the last three elected governors were R. And Mass I'd say fits the bill for being "heavily Dem."

Rhode Island (the bluest of the blue states, with something like 12 or 14 Republican members of the state legislature) currently has a Republican Governor...who's a chump.

Franken wasn't funny on SNL, and if he's spoofed by the current cast, that won't be funny, either.

SupremeLeader: Still waiting for Ben Stein to make bid for the US senate...


Oh man, he'd be unstoppable - able to kill any bill by lulling the assembly to sleep with his hypnotically somniferous voice.

tedbundee:SNL sucks and so do Tina Fey's movies. I guess I was doing her a favor by pretended she didn't exist until Palin came into play.

/shrug

Someone makes an error on Fark: OMG Retard!!!1!
Get caught making an error on Fark: shrug

Its the Fark way!

I apologize for my lack of clarity in my earlier post. My dig on Tina Fey was aimed at her time as lead writer for SNL during the Bush 8 years, where not an episode went by without a gratuitous 'Bush is dumb' joke. I honestly challenge anybody to come up with ONE episode of SNL that meets ALL of these 3 criteria: Tina Fey as head writer, W Bush is president, The absence of a joke that necessitates the assumption that Bush is dumb to be funny. Has to be thw whole episode in it's entirety.

Any successful challenges can make me add a line of their choice that wont get me banned to my profile.

Those that took issue implying that I missed the 90s weren't paying attention themselves. The vast majority of Clinton jokes were that he was smart or having sex, or the always amusing film review of a movie he loved where the president's wife gets killed.

tedbundee: SNL sucks and so do Tina Fey's movies.

Mean Girls was awesome. Your a idiot.

the opposite of charity is justice: Mose: I'm fairly certain your sarcasmeter is in need of calibration.

You're probably right, I'm having a helluva time distinguishing between the True Believers and the Trolls anymore.

I was hoping my sarcasm was strong enough to not be trolling.

MikeyistheDevil: AntiNerd: Successful comedians tend to be very smart.

What does that have to do with Franken?

How to answer that depends on whether I have to use Republican facts or real facts. If I have to use Republican facts I have to say wow you got me dood pwnde zomg huyk hyuk hyuk Air America gig didn't last..

However if I use real facts we can look at a long track record of Franken making his living in media and entertainment (SNL was only one early waypoint), author of well reviewed books, service to troops overseas, and a career culminating with a strong enough voice that he won an election for U.S. senator. If you don't like his sense of humor that's fine by me.

When I listen to Franken these days he seems very restrained and almost subdued. I suspect that he is still trying to find the right political voice to be taken seriously and actually be serious. He must be aware that his win was something of a fluke, but now that he has it I hope he makes the most of it. If he does, it is the right wing's worst nightmare.

Car_Ramrod: Your a idiot.

It's "your and idiot" moran.

PJ_the_Barbarian: See above. I have expressed the opinion that Franken is a left-wing pundit, and will essentially be little more than an extension of the Democratic Party's platform in the senate. If he winds up being more than that, I'll gladly admit that I'm wrong. I'd even apologize to him if he wanted me to.

A democratic senator following the democratic party platform?!?! Say it ain't so!

PJ_the_Barbarian: Car_Ramrod: Your a idiot.

It's Its "your and idiot" moran.

/pet peeve

ryebread: Codyl: Franken would have lost by a landslide if not for so many dems (in a heavily dem state) pushing the "straight dem ticket" button.

A total of 16 states presently offer straight-ticket voting (STV). (new window) Guess which one isn't on the list?

I notice Cody completely ignored this post. I wonder why? Oh wait, no I don't wonder. I know why, it makes him look more stupid than he already did himself.

Tricky Chicken: The vast majority of Clinton jokes were that he was smart or having sex, or the always amusing film review of a movie he loved where the president's wife gets killed.

The earlier ones were about his eating habits.

Jackpot777:
Still butthurt, i see. ""Crisp Sweet Satisfying. Necon Tears""

I really like how the "opposition to bush" (and for some reason not congress from 2006-2008) celebrate using THE BOOT which they so rigorously complained about during the Bush years.

I also enjoy seeing the useful idiots sanction THE BOOT, the crushing boot of authoritarianism, autocracy and totalitarianism to create a new government which is more overbearing, centrally controlling everything from food production to health-care-rationing, and is fare more tyrannical and despotic than the one just 6 months ago, with massive arbitrary expansion in executive powers and a nearly vestigial congress rubber stamping the most radical legislation in US history.

Its sad to see how people would rather control THE BOOT of Autocracy on their perceived enemies rather than REMOVING THE BOOT of Autocracy. [the cabals and the inner circle elite love identity politics, race and class wars because it keeps the sheeple fighting with each other rather than deposing them.]

Oh well, unemployment at 9.5% and 450-475k jobs lost last month, and corporate paper gives 9.2% return while the Fed has the rates set effectively at ZIRP levels.

the opposite of charity is justice: tedbundee:SNL sucks and so do Tina Fey's movies. I guess I was doing her a favor by pretended she didn't exist until Palin came into play.

/shrug

Someone makes an error on Fark: OMG Retard!!!1!
Get caught making an error on Fark: shrug

Its the Fark way!

What error? Saying Tina Fey made it big impersonating Sarah Palin? That was no error, I intended to say that, and stand by it.

dittybopper: Tricky Chicken: The vast majority of Clinton jokes were that he was smart or having sex, or the always amusing film review of a movie he loved where the president's wife gets killed.

The earlier ones were about his eating habits.

That Phil Hartman sketch of him as Clinton stopping at a McDonalds was pure gold.

/there's a lot of things we won't be telling Mrs. Clinton

Why Would I Read the Article: Franken wasn't funny on SNL, and if he's spoofed by the current cast, that won't be funny, either.

he was a writer -- so, mostly, he was getting the lulz through other performers.

But, I'm guessing you never saw his "trickle down theory" sketch. It was later in his SNL career and much better than the stuart smalley character.

Caligula sent a horse to the Senate. Minnesota is just sending part of the horse.

SupremeLeader: Jeff73: SupremeLeader: Still waiting for Ben Stein to make bid for the US senate...


Oh man, he'd be unstoppable - able to kill any bill by lulling the assembly to sleep with his hypnotically somniferous voice.

And we'd finally get to see the bipartisan Franken-Stein bill and finally make reanimation legal again.

Ok, I think that deserves a golf clap, I chortled a bit.

Tricky Chicken: I apologize for my lack of clarity in my earlier post. My dig on Tina Fey was aimed at her time as lead writer for SNL during the Bush 8 years, where not an episode went by without a gratuitous 'Bush is dumb' joke. I honestly challenge anybody to come up with ONE episode of SNL that meets ALL of these 3 criteria: Tina Fey as head writer, W Bush is president, The absence of a joke that necessitates the assumption that Bush is dumb to be funny. Has to be thw whole episode in it's entirety.

Any successful challenges can make me add a line of their choice that wont get me banned to my profile.

any episode that occurred with-in one year of 9/11/2001

Car_Ramrod: dittybopper: Tricky Chicken: The vast majority of Clinton jokes were that he was smart or having sex, or the always amusing film review of a movie he loved where the president's wife gets killed.

The earlier ones were about his eating habits.

That Phil Hartman sketch of him as Clinton stopping at a McDonalds was pure gold.

/there's a lot of things we won't be telling Mrs. Clinton

Now there's a fellow I miss very much. That dude was born to parody Clinton.

Morton_toes: Now there's a fellow I miss very much. That dude was born to parody Clinton.

You might remember him from such nature films as "Earwigs, eww!" and "Man vs. Nature: The Road to Victory!".

Just want to note here that the Franken haters have yet to put up a single example of his alleged bad behavior.

Despite repeated calls from a number of people that they do so.

What are we to make of that?

I think he scored well with the bow tie.

Tricky Chicken: Tina Fey as head writer, W Bush is president, The absence of a joke that necessitates the assumption that Bush is dumb to be funny

Seriously, were you living in the same world I was, spanning the two years after 9/11?

There was barely a peep of criticism of W and, besides Bill Maher (and possibly Gilbert Gottfried) there was barely a joke made about the event or anyone in leadership at the time.

Car_Ramrod: dittybopper: Tricky Chicken: The vast majority of Clinton jokes were that he was smart or having sex, or the always amusing film review of a movie he loved where the president's wife gets killed.

The earlier ones were about his eating habits.

That Phil Hartman sketch of him as Clinton stopping at a McDonalds was pure gold.

/there's a lot of things we won't be telling Mrs. Clinton

I agree there were food jokes, but even these often referred to him getting some strange.

Upon further thought though, I do have to correct my self. There have only been 3 democrat presidents in the history of SNL and only one of those was overloaded with sexual innuendos. Carter was portrayed as brilliant (watch Ackroyd talking a guy down from a bad acid trip-pure gold) So far Obama is portrayed as just the smartest guy ever.

Spitzer and Patterson are lampooned, but are still portrayed as smart. Dumb is reserved for republicans.

Armisen's Patterson wandering around aimlessly is always hilaroius.

Tricky Chicken: Car_Ramrod: dittybopper: Tricky Chicken: The vast majority of Clinton jokes were that he was smart or having sex, or the always amusing film review of a movie he loved where the president's wife gets killed.

The earlier ones were about his eating habits.

That Phil Hartman sketch of him as Clinton stopping at a McDonalds was pure gold.

/there's a lot of things we won't be telling Mrs. Clinton

I agree there were food jokes, but even these often referred to him getting some strange.

Upon further thought though, I do have to correct my self. There have only been 3 democrat presidents in the history of SNL and only one of those was overloaded with sexual innuendos. Carter was portrayed as brilliant (watch Ackroyd talking a guy down from a bad acid trip-pure gold) So far Obama is portrayed as just the smartest guy ever.

Spitzer and Patterson are lampooned, but are still portrayed as smart. Dumb is reserved for republicans.

Armisen's Patterson wandering around aimlessly is always hilaroius.

It seems art immitates life, after all.

Tricky Chicken: Dumb is reserved for republicans.

And wet is reserved for water.

/kidding on the square

Jeff73: SupremeLeader: Still waiting for Ben Stein to make bid for the US senate...


Oh man, he'd be unstoppable - able to kill any bill by lulling the assembly to sleep with his hypnotically somniferous voice.

I would like to introduce this bill that would give a tax cut to....anyone?...anyone?... The rich.

SupremeLeader

Was not aware of that, never paid much attention to either of them. Ben Stein I have ignored since I found out he's a creationist.

Deucednuisance: He's intelligent, well-spoken, and does thorough research. WTF is the problem with that?


The three biggest problems that I can see with Senator Franken are that he's intelligent, well-spoken, and does thorough research.

Tricky Chicken: Dumb is reserved for republicans.

You've missed the Reagan sketch where he seems doddering in public but a super-hero of strength and intelligence once the oval office door is closed.

Dana Carvey did a great H.W. Bush and never made him seem dumb -- arm motions and the words "wouldn't be prudent" were the base of most of them. That and the classic: "what did they [iraq, hussein] do? BOMB 'EM" (as he is cleaning off his desk to leave the whitehouse)

now... I RTFA and the posts, and still never saw the "senator" he spoofed mentioned!

wasn't it Paul Simon? so disappointed!

Cat Food Sandwiches: tedbundee: ZekeMacNeil: OMG that's like so intertextual and postmodern and stuff :-p

Intersexual? Al Franken is a hermaphrodite?

Have you seen his wife/husband?

Have you seen Governor Sanford's wife?

neither has he.

whiny neocons are whiny

/Franken won, so Suck It, repiglicans.

ryebread: The Homer Tax: A heavily Dem State with a Republican Governor?



/She sees what you did there...

You can't catch batshiat crazy right?
/Bet she gives great helmet...

tedbundee: keithgabryelski: tedbundee: Tricky Chicken:
...Tina Fey made a career out of coming up with a new way of saying Bush is dumb once a week for eight years. Don't get me wrong, I agree Bush is dumb, it is just that the same joke every week got old quick. looking like Sarah Palin.

Hey Mr. Short-term memory: Oh, HI! how are you!

Tina Fey had left SNL way before this Palin thing came out.

Oh, HI! how are you!?

She certainly nailed that character for the few weeks and guested back on SNL.

Oh, HI! how are you!?

But her career was running hot way before that.

oh, HI! how are you!?

SNL sucks and so do Tina Fey's movies. I guess I was doing her a favor by pretended she didn't exist until Palin came into play.

/shrug