Link. Not long ago, I would have thought it was crazy to pick Al Franken. Now it may not be too bad of a choice, and I think the article makes a good case.
Two points the article didn't make directly that I think are noteworthy. First, when he ran for Senate, Franken was commonly viewed as an attention-seeking, hacky comedian who wouldn't take his job seriously. If you look at his record, he has actually kept a fairly low profile, has taken on some issues that shallow, self-promoters don't care about (like financial regulation and binding arbitration), and has done a respectable job. (Note - when I say "respectable," I don't mean any endorsement of his ideology.)
Second, most conservatives think Franken is just another elitist liberal jerk who has no respect for middle America. He isn't. Believe it or not, back in 1996, I went to the Christian Coalition national convention in DC with my dad. There were obnoxious protestors who tried to disrupt the convention and hassle attenders.
Guess who showed up. Al Franken. He told the protestors they were being obnoxious and got them to tone it down. He also came in and spoke one-on-one with several attenders, including a 45 minute theological discussion with my dad. I expected hostility, and he was very respectful but not patronizing. He also showed up to a midnight breakout session with Bob Dornan, and they joked around and BSed for a couple of hours - basically just entertained everybody. Many at that convention probably hated Al Franken when he came in. Nobody hated him when he left.
The point is that Franken would come across to many the same way Bernie Sanders came across to Liberty University. People who were expecting hostility would find someone respectfully seeking common ground. That would stand in stark contrast to Trump, who acts like a raging prick even to those who have significant agreement with him.
Like article says, he won't attract Latinos the way Julian Castro would, but Trump is more than enough to turn out Latinos for the Democrats in big numbers. What they're going to need is someone to attract populist white voters who might otherwise consider Trump. Franken can do that.
Two points the article didn't make directly that I think are noteworthy. First, when he ran for Senate, Franken was commonly viewed as an attention-seeking, hacky comedian who wouldn't take his job seriously. If you look at his record, he has actually kept a fairly low profile, has taken on some issues that shallow, self-promoters don't care about (like financial regulation and binding arbitration), and has done a respectable job. (Note - when I say "respectable," I don't mean any endorsement of his ideology.)
Second, most conservatives think Franken is just another elitist liberal jerk who has no respect for middle America. He isn't. Believe it or not, back in 1996, I went to the Christian Coalition national convention in DC with my dad. There were obnoxious protestors who tried to disrupt the convention and hassle attenders.
Guess who showed up. Al Franken. He told the protestors they were being obnoxious and got them to tone it down. He also came in and spoke one-on-one with several attenders, including a 45 minute theological discussion with my dad. I expected hostility, and he was very respectful but not patronizing. He also showed up to a midnight breakout session with Bob Dornan, and they joked around and BSed for a couple of hours - basically just entertained everybody. Many at that convention probably hated Al Franken when he came in. Nobody hated him when he left.
The point is that Franken would come across to many the same way Bernie Sanders came across to Liberty University. People who were expecting hostility would find someone respectfully seeking common ground. That would stand in stark contrast to Trump, who acts like a raging prick even to those who have significant agreement with him.
Like article says, he won't attract Latinos the way Julian Castro would, but Trump is more than enough to turn out Latinos for the Democrats in big numbers. What they're going to need is someone to attract populist white voters who might otherwise consider Trump. Franken can do that.
