Big Al! Al Franken, Minnesota Senator

Salon.com News | Senator Franken?

Salon has a nice fluff piece on Franken and his ambition to run for the Senate in Minnesota in 2008. He is moving to Minneapolis (and bringing his Air America radio show with him) in order to meet the residency requirements for the office.

The Republicans are already scared. You can tell by the zeal with which they attempt to dismiss him at this point.

Publicly, at least, Minnesota Republicans say they're looking forward to running against Al Franken, star of television and radio, darling of the Hollywood left. "I would love to see Al Franken in rural Minnesota standing in the cornfields with farmers and talking to them about farming and agriculture prices when he's spent the last 20 years in New York City in a very elite, sort of liberal environment," Minnesota's Republican Party chairman, Ron Eibensteiner, says. "Minnesotans experimented with a comedian-type unprofessional public servant with Jesse Ventura, and it didn't work out very well."

For those who are playing from home, "New York City" is Republican code for "JEW." If you can't beat him on the merits, clarify the "Jews don't farm" meme for the prairie knuckle-draggers. Let them know where they should stand.

I'll support Big Al for Senate to whatever extent I can from outside Minnesota if and when the time comes. He's smart, liberal and funny and he performs well in front of the camera and is, by all accounts a man of strong convictions - all things the Senate Democrats could use a great deal more of as soon as possible.

---