A comedian in the Senate

Eight months later

Al Franken prevails at last in Minnesota

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Readers' comments



A victory for highly irregular counting methods, laughable ballot "discoveries", and disreputable standard-switching from precinct to precinct until Democrats finally eked out a majority.


Hey Kelly, do not be like the Democrats in Florida!

a win is a win, it does not matter how you cheated to get it!

Conrad Zbikowski

Being from Minnesota, reading an article about your home state in a British magazine is a little unusual. I find it interesting how outsiders have tended to focus on this whole "60th vote" magical number of political power and the great fight between the reds and the blues. Like about 16% of my fellow Minnesotans, I didn't vote for either Coleman or Franken. Instead I voted for Dean Barkley, the only candidate who actually answered reporters questions and didn't sound like a broken record of policy soundbites. Minnesota has a long tradition of going for the independent when the grand old parties are less than lackluster. Remember "The Body", "The Great", "The Star", "The Mind" and "The Governing Body"? Not too long ago Jesse Ventura, who stared with another muscular future governor in the scifi flick Predator, won against two boring and ball-less choices of the Republican and DFL parties. He actually turned out to be one of, in my opinion, our best governors.

In his new position as our second senator, Mr Comedian will have to prove that he is working for the Great State of Minnesota and not his liberal soulmates in the backrooms of Washington. He didn't win more than half the vote, and if the DFLers want to be able to win big again in 2010 they will have to work hard and stop diddling around. The DFL is now talking about suing the governor for balancing the budget (that they couldn't complete) using his rights of unallotment. Oh brother.

hf howard

Al Franken stole the election?? Prove it or shut up.

Al Franken won the election with a smart strategy, a lot of hard work, and politics that truly represents the good people of Minnesota. He will be a successful senator, especially as the right wing radio machine's nonstop screed from Fox, Billo, Limbaugh & the rest has set the bar so low. Thanks guys!!!


Senator Coleman won on election day, but found that the Democrats were much more prepared with a strategy to snatch a close election away by getting to the courts first to get votes recounted the way they wanted. By the time the hapless Republicans realized that a Demcoratic Secretary of State and corrupt legal strategy were indeed stealing the election from them it was too late. In the U.S. we call what happened in MN "Stealing an election fair and square". However, Republicans can console themselves that they've hopefully learned a lesson, and if Sen Franken stays true to form he may be better for the Republicans over time than Sen Coleman could ever have been.

Lou Garner

DELIGHTED to see Franken in the Senate! He will help the country recover from eight years of Republican lies, deceptions and perversion of the national interest.

Chad Miller

Good to finally get this election behind us and that Minnesota will now have equal representation in the Senate as the other states. As for Franken being the 60th Dem – I doubt it will actually end up as big as impact as the media hypes it up as. Anyway, the tough bills such as health care and energy will not be decided strictly on party lines.

And Conrad, Jesse Ventura was a complete failure as Governor of Minnesota. He is a great example of how uneducated voters waste their vote on a third party candidate simply because they didn’t like the other two only to find out later that they elected someone who couldn't lead his way out of a paper bag. Can’t believe it happened in my home state. Lawmakers should consider banning the sale of alcohol on election days or at least give people a breathalyzer before entering the poll booth.

Conrad Zbikowski

To Mr. Chad Miller,

Although Governor Ventura did not always follow through on all of his policy positions and personally failings hurt the state, he did lay groundwork for the future. Although the tax refund was short sighted, his support of light rail, gay rights, and abortion rights was a bit ahead of its time for Minnesota. Today we have the Hiawatha light rail line, soon will have two other lines, and are moving closer to equal rights for gays. Ventura was an advocate of instant-runoff voting, which will be soon used in Minneapolis city elections. You cannot deny that, as an independent, he brought many fresh ideas to St. Paul.

Incumbents love the status quo, voters do not. The 16% vote for Barkley should be a sign to the grand old parties that they are not coming up with the best candidates. It annoys me that the Republicans and the Democrats continue to vie for first place instead of reforming our country so that all may live better.


As I saw noted elsewhere on the web, Norm Coleman now has the distinction of having been beaten in elections by a former wrestler, and now by a former comedian.


From the state that gave us Jesse "The Body" Ventura for Governor...they now have picked Stuart "I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me" Smalley as their Senator. I understand Ronald McDonald may be available should the job of Attorney General become vacant. Same crowd that reviles Sarah Palin and attacks her personally. Consider the source.


Just as married Republican politicians are allowed to have girlfriends (but nobody else) -

It appears that Republicans are also allowed to steal elections (see "US Presidential Elections, 2002"), but nobody else.


Whoops, make that "US Presidential Elections, 2000".

I've had either too much caffeine this morning, or not enough...


Your article fails to mention one of the senator's most important books: "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: a Fair and Balanced Look at the Right".
Despite the satirical title, obviously designed to sell books, it was an detailed and serious account of how the major "talking heads" in America consistently mis-represented reality and the Democratic opposition during the Bush years (Fox News sued and was practically laughed out of court). The book was partisan, but well-documented, and demonstrated Mr. Franken doing all the necessary homework for the Great Debate of politics. I would heartily recommend this work to readers throughout the English-speaking world, especially since this phenomenon, perfected in the United States, will be recognisable to voters in places like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.K.


Al Franken, as Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live, always ended one his segment with the following sentence;

"Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit, people like me!"

Pretty much sums up why he won.


WellSpring13 wrote:
July 4, 2009 13:54


In all fairness the right wing opened the door by worshiping a man who starred opposite a chimp.


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