It’s sad to see that U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum has trouble with context switches. Yes, 8 years ago Al Franken wrote an off-color piece for Playboy. She said:
“As a woman, mother, a former teacher and an elected official, I find this material completely unacceptable,” McCollum told the Star Tribune.
I bet you don’t subscribe to Playboy then, huh? Good! That’s how the marketplace of ideas works. If you don’t want to read things like people joking about pornography, you are not required to read it.
Franken’s office responded:
“Al understands, and the people of Minnesota understand, the difference between what a satirist does and what a senator does,” Franken campaign spokesman Andy Barr told the Associated Press. “It’s unfortunate that she’s trying to create divisions in our party rather than working with other DFLers (Minnesota Democrats) to take on the special-interest senator.”
Listen up, Democrats: you’ll recall we had a governor in this state named Jesse Ventura. You floated up a limp whale of a candidate against him and you lost. The people of Minnesota are real people and we don’t mind that our elected officials are real people. Al Franken is a huge liability if you think like the people who lost against Jesse Ventura. He’s a huge asset if you think that honesty, humor and non-career politicians are a good thing. Franken will trounce Coleman unless you guys keep on this puritan bullshit. Al Franken has spent most of his life being a comedian. There are all sorts of off-color remarks in his past. We don’t care.
lolife 
mnphenow,
I really don’t care either, and that is not the point I am trying to make. I am just saying that there are certain behaviors, attitudes, world views, etc. that once illuminated, will prevent a person from being electable in the USA in the year 2008. Maybe the country someday will be changed enough to not care about this sort of thing but it’s not there yet. The left is hoping for that change, the right is dreading it. I’m looking for a little bit of change in that direction but probably not as much as those on the far left. I think that whether or not the Obamessiah is elected will go a long way to gauging how much this country is changing.
I know I would certainly be a hypocrite if I were to say I would not vote for Franken simply because of this! I just wouldn’t vote for him because I don’t agree with his views or the policies that he would initiate and support.
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I see this as being closely related to your recent Experience article. I’m so sick of people pissing and moaning that every politician isn’t some kind of Perfect Platonic Puritan. Again–of the people, by the people, for the people. People drink, smoke, cuss, screw, and engage in all manner of unsavory behavior. Certainly, we would like to have competent, effective, educated, people of honesty and integrity, but when you get down to it, I don’t give a flying fuck what a politician does on their own time if they do their job well.
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Dude, no matter what, Franken’s candidacy is DOA. Everybody on the inside knows his to be the case. As a result, you probably will get Jesse as a senatorial candidate. As a matter of fact, I have a pretty good source who is quite confident he will run. And if Jesse doesn’t run, there will be a different 3rd party option. Franken cannot win.
Now, I am not saying anything about whether or not his previous writings should or shouldn’t derail his chances. What I am pointing out also goes to why you Obama cultists are so clueless. You all do not understand America, or the American electorate. You elitists long for this coutnry to be something that (hopefully) it will never be. You don’t understand the majority of “gun-loving, bitter, religious, stupid people” that must be won over in order to be elected to lead them. You just do not get it. You all are so smart you’re stupid. You live in these bubbles where your views are continually reinforced, so much so you start to believe they are mainstream.
Guess what, you will never win until you understand this. That’s why Kerry lost, that;s why McGovern lost, that’s why Carter was not re-elected and that’s why Obama will never be elected President.
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