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Al Franken, Giant of the Senate
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Humor (2017)From Senator Al Franken - #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum - comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that.This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect.
It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it.
It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast.
In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics.
Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.
It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it.
It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast.
In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics.
Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.
405 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2017
About the author
Al Franken
17 books651 followersAlan Stuart "Al" Franken is an Emmy Award–winning American comedian, writer, progressive political commentator, and, recently, politician. He gained fame as a writer and a performer for Saturday Night Live, eventually writing and appearing in several films. Since then, Franken has become more known for his political commentary, writing numerous bestselling books and hosting a nationally-syndicated radio show on Air America Radio.
He is currently the United States Senator from Minnesota.
On February 14, 2007, Franken announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and was nominated by that party on June 7, 2008. He won the Democratic Party primary on September 9, 2008, defeating his closest opponent 65% to 29%. He was elected to the Senate, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. In 2014 he was reelected to a second term.
He is currently the United States Senator from Minnesota.
On February 14, 2007, Franken announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and was nominated by that party on June 7, 2008. He won the Democratic Party primary on September 9, 2008, defeating his closest opponent 65% to 29%. He was elected to the Senate, narrowly defeating Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. In 2014 he was reelected to a second term.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,998 reviews
December 2, 2021
First, I want to differentiate between what I thought of the book and what I have to say about Franken’s later travails with alleged sexual misconduct, and his resignation from the Senate. That is at the bottom of the review, in a separate section.
In Giant of the Senate, Al Franken shows that not only is he a very smart, very serious student of public policy, but also that he retains the sense of humor that fueled his first career. He has been a writer for a long time. As any watcher of SNL knows, some of the entertainment pieces he wrote are wonderful, some not so much. He always had an interest in politics, and in recent years redirected his pen toward more pointed political satire. As with his less political comedic work, some of his books are more effective, informative, and entertaining than others. Thankfully, this insightful and informative autobiography is the best thing he has ever written.
Franken and comedy partner Tom Davis - image from the Post-Gazette
In Franken’s first career as a writer and performer of comedic material, for stage, TV, and cinema, he initially paired with close friend, and school chum, Tom Davis, doing live performances. Later, they worked together on Saturday Night Live. He tells of his early days in comedy, reporting on various experiences before he made it as one of our premier comedic voices. There are some tales told of his time on SNL, not a whole lot, but enough. He writes about some of the personal challenges in his life, people close to him battling substance abuse, some losing those battles. Post SNL, he wrote several films and began writing political satire. This brought him closer to the political arena. Also, his annual trips with the USO to entertain US troops abroad gave him a taste for one-on-one interaction with regular, non-entertainment industry folks. [Insert snide Leann Tweeden-related remark here]
Franken was involved with the creation of the Progressive radio network, Air America. Al had a three hour daily show and never missed a day. He and co-host Katherine Lanpher offered a combination of news reporting, interviews with politically relevant experts, and a fair bit of straight up comedy. Lampooning the George W. Bush administration was high on the agenda. Originally titled The O’Franken Factor to taunt Bill O’Reilly, it was eventually changed to the Al Franken Show. Wiki has a nice description of it. Sadly, Wiki makes no mention of a recurring bit in which Al played an old Irish lady who complained of having a “wee bit of the diarrhea.” ROFL material for me and my wife. We caught the show frequently.
Franken with Air America co-host Katherine Lanpher - Credit Ralph Barrera /The Austin-American Statesman, via Associated Press
Helping friend and political hero Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone in his re-election campaign gave Franken a great appreciation for the nitty gritty of political life. Unlike many in the entertainment world, he loved interacting with regular folks, and learned a lot through that experience. Enough so that when Wellstone came to a tragic end, Franken felt he had an opportunity to put his political words into action, and ran for Wellstone’s seat.
Franken with late Wellstone staffer Will McLaughlin and the late Senator Wellstone - from Franken’s Senate site
The bulk of this book is about his experiences leading up to his decision to run, his campaign for the Senate seat, and his steep learning curve finding his way as a newbie US Senator. A good pol could give you an informative insider’s view of being a 21st century politician in the USA, but Franken leads you to laugh along with him at many of the odd and awful things (and people) he sees, without coming across as condescending, well, mostly. He really does recognize his position as a relative rookie and seeks to learn the ropes with all due humility, even eating crow to Mitch McConnell when he transgressed, and knew it.
One of the toughest challenges Franken faced was learning to put a cork in it when he felt compelled to say something funny. Imagine a Senatorial staff attempting to intercept joke-laden speeches with the same panic faced by the Trump staff, at least those who do not reek of brimstone, attempting to keep Swamp Thing from exceeding his daily allowance of racist, homophobic, xenophobic, ignorant, insulting, and counterproductive tweets. Ok, maybe a bit less panic, but the same general condition applies, attempting to stem natural urges in a place where giving in to such impulses can often be very costly. Many of these descriptions are LOL funny. He writes with some passion about the Republican DeHumorizor machine, it’s talent for taking words out of context, and making them appear to mean the exact opposite of what was intended. It was one of the heaviest burdens he faced, having to keep his sharpest tool in the shed for so much of the time.
You could do a lot worse, looking to learn how the Senate actually works, than to check out Franken’s you-are-there descriptions. He writes a fair bit about instances in which he was able to actually get some good things done, working with members of that other party. It gives one hope, however slim since Newt Gingrich declared war on civility, that some sense of decorum and decency remains in the Senate halls.
There is much more in the book, which is not only a highly informative read, but is very entertaining. His descriptions of Ted Cruz and the reactions the ego-bloated and insufferable Cruz evokes from other senators is, alone, worth the price of the book. Whatever one’s political bent, there is good information to be had in Giant of the Senate, and he will make you laugh. Can’t ask for much more than that. Except…
=========================THE RESIGNATION
Republicans do not have to do all that much to defeat Democrats in the 2018 mid-term and 2020 national elections. The Democratic Party will do their work for them.
Al Franken resigns - image from DailySignal.com
All crimes are not equal, however much the Purity Posse pretends they are. It is possible to be a schmuck without being a serial and unreconstructed predator, and those two different sorts should be treated very differently. Should Senator Franken have been driven from the Senate for his actions? I do not believe so. The claims brought against him were far from firm, came from sources who were not always willing to be named, many, and possibly all of whom are allied with the Republican Party. Unlike the case with defeated Alabama Senatorial candidate Roy Moore, whose crimes are an entirely other order of business and whose accusers have no political axes to grind, or the case with a president who has boasted on tape of serial assault, there is considerable room for doubt concerning the charges being made about Senator Franken.
It seems clear to me that the current wave of outrage about sexual misconduct, justified though it is, will be weaponized and used to diminish the only party whose members are capable of feeling actual shame. You can expect more Democrats to be accused of such misconduct, and I would not be surprised if many of those claims were lies. People who claim misconduct, particularly those who go on the record, should definitely have their accusations taken seriously. Those claims should be investigated, with all due professionalism and speed. But unless we are eager to return to the dark days of seventeenth century Salem, it would be prudent to consider that not all claims of misconduct are necessarily based in fact. And given the right-wing’s fondness for planting false information to affect our democratic processes, the accused, this side of a confession, or a very strong preponderance of evidence, particularly in the political sphere, should be given the benefit of the doubt until proper investigations can be completed. In fact, as I wrote the beginning of this paragraph, the right had already begun, lying about Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to this December 13, 2017 article in the Washington Post - False accusations against Schumer were the latest attempt to trick the media. Schumer’s lack of support for Franken, by the way, was not surprising, given that he had opposed his run for Senate in the first place. More recently, GOP fabrications about NJ Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski continued the all-lies-all-the-time GOP brand - False G.O.P. Ad Prompts QAnon Death Threats Against a Democratic Congressman.
Tactically, the Democratic purists effectively vacated a Senate seat that was won with the smallest margin in national history, a seat that was given to a person who, although she later revised her position, initially promised not to run for election in 2020. Thankfully, she won. Please remember that it was Al Franken’s tough challenging of Jeff Sessions in Judiciary Committee hearings that led to Sessions recusing himself from playing any part in the Russia investigation, which was not nothing.
Franken questions Sessions in Judiciary committee hearings - image from c-span
So, while the purists are patting themselves on the back about what wonderful people they are, they put the entire nation at risk of accelerating the demolition of democracy that the GOP has foisted on us all. While they were busy urging voters to support them as protectors of women, Republican voters continued to support people dedicated to stripping away social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and countless smaller programs that women rely on to survive. 63% of WHITE WOMEN in Alabama voted for a pedophile rather than a Democrat. 80% of white Christians voted for the Brimstone Cowboy. At what point did the Grand Old Party stop being a political entity and take on the characteristics of a cult? Republican voters consistently vote to retain or install Senators and Representatives who will take away their reproductive rights, and pack the Supreme Court with extremist ideologues and partisan hacks who will ensure at least another generation of anti-democratic, pro-business bias on the court, and who, given time, will criminalize abortion once again. (Something all-but guaranteed, given Trump's SCOTUS nominations, and McConnell's refusal to bring up Obama's nominee for a vote) That is, when they take a break from looting the resources of every middle and working class person in the nation to stuff even more money into the pockets of the already rich, and doing their level best to ensure that there is no habitable world left for our children and grandchildren to inherit.
Politics has been called the art of the possible, not the art of the perfect. If you want to be holier than thou, join a monastery. I want my representatives to be well grounded in the real world. I am not looking for perfection. And if they behave badly, that behavior should be publicized, criticized, addressed, and, where called for, prosecuted. You don’t execute people for shoplifting, and you should not kill a very positive political career for behavior that merits a much lesser punishment. I am hardly alone in that opinion. Zephyr Teachout, a New York progressive who ran for governor in 2014, feels the same way. Here is her December 11, 2017 NY Times Op-ed on her reasoning, I’m Not Convinced Franken Should Quit. There are plenty more who share our view. I strongly urge you to read Emily Yoffe’s article in Politico, Why the #MeToo Movement Should Be Ready for a Backlash, and Andrew Sullivan's January 12, 2018 piece in New York Magazine It’s Time to Resist the Excesses of #MeToo.
Al Franken, based on publicly information available, did not deserve to be pushed out of the Senate. Censured? Definitely. Publicly excoriated for being a boor and a schmuck? You bet. But we were all put in danger of losing his very important votes on women’s, foreign policy, and other substantive issues just so some pols could preen their perfect feathers, (and establish presidential campaigns) while putting everyone else, and the very notion of due process at risk. Thanks a lot.
Review first Posted - 12/15/17
Publication date - 5/30/2017
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Did not seem much point to putting up links to Franken’s Senate-based sites. His Twitter page seems to still be live.
Other Al Franken Books
-----The Truth with Jokes
-----Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right
-----Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot
OTHER
-----One answer to a question raised in the Resignation section above appeared in the December 15, 2017 Sunday New York Times, in the form of an opinion piece by Amy Sullivan. It is definitely worth checking out - America’s New Religion: Fox Evangelicalism
-----March 26, 2019 - The Atlantic - Democrats Need to Learn From Their Al Franken Mistake - Emily Yoffe's latest take on the implications of Franken's takedown
-----July 22, 2019 - New Yorker Magazine - The Case of Al Franken - by Jane Mayer- an excellent piece on Franken and the accusations against him.
In Giant of the Senate, Al Franken shows that not only is he a very smart, very serious student of public policy, but also that he retains the sense of humor that fueled his first career. He has been a writer for a long time. As any watcher of SNL knows, some of the entertainment pieces he wrote are wonderful, some not so much. He always had an interest in politics, and in recent years redirected his pen toward more pointed political satire. As with his less political comedic work, some of his books are more effective, informative, and entertaining than others. Thankfully, this insightful and informative autobiography is the best thing he has ever written.
Franken and comedy partner Tom Davis - image from the Post-Gazette
In Franken’s first career as a writer and performer of comedic material, for stage, TV, and cinema, he initially paired with close friend, and school chum, Tom Davis, doing live performances. Later, they worked together on Saturday Night Live. He tells of his early days in comedy, reporting on various experiences before he made it as one of our premier comedic voices. There are some tales told of his time on SNL, not a whole lot, but enough. He writes about some of the personal challenges in his life, people close to him battling substance abuse, some losing those battles. Post SNL, he wrote several films and began writing political satire. This brought him closer to the political arena. Also, his annual trips with the USO to entertain US troops abroad gave him a taste for one-on-one interaction with regular, non-entertainment industry folks. [Insert snide Leann Tweeden-related remark here]
Franken was involved with the creation of the Progressive radio network, Air America. Al had a three hour daily show and never missed a day. He and co-host Katherine Lanpher offered a combination of news reporting, interviews with politically relevant experts, and a fair bit of straight up comedy. Lampooning the George W. Bush administration was high on the agenda. Originally titled The O’Franken Factor to taunt Bill O’Reilly, it was eventually changed to the Al Franken Show. Wiki has a nice description of it. Sadly, Wiki makes no mention of a recurring bit in which Al played an old Irish lady who complained of having a “wee bit of the diarrhea.” ROFL material for me and my wife. We caught the show frequently.
Franken with Air America co-host Katherine Lanpher - Credit Ralph Barrera /The Austin-American Statesman, via Associated Press
Helping friend and political hero Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone in his re-election campaign gave Franken a great appreciation for the nitty gritty of political life. Unlike many in the entertainment world, he loved interacting with regular folks, and learned a lot through that experience. Enough so that when Wellstone came to a tragic end, Franken felt he had an opportunity to put his political words into action, and ran for Wellstone’s seat.
Franken with late Wellstone staffer Will McLaughlin and the late Senator Wellstone - from Franken’s Senate site
The bulk of this book is about his experiences leading up to his decision to run, his campaign for the Senate seat, and his steep learning curve finding his way as a newbie US Senator. A good pol could give you an informative insider’s view of being a 21st century politician in the USA, but Franken leads you to laugh along with him at many of the odd and awful things (and people) he sees, without coming across as condescending, well, mostly. He really does recognize his position as a relative rookie and seeks to learn the ropes with all due humility, even eating crow to Mitch McConnell when he transgressed, and knew it.
One of the toughest challenges Franken faced was learning to put a cork in it when he felt compelled to say something funny. Imagine a Senatorial staff attempting to intercept joke-laden speeches with the same panic faced by the Trump staff, at least those who do not reek of brimstone, attempting to keep Swamp Thing from exceeding his daily allowance of racist, homophobic, xenophobic, ignorant, insulting, and counterproductive tweets. Ok, maybe a bit less panic, but the same general condition applies, attempting to stem natural urges in a place where giving in to such impulses can often be very costly. Many of these descriptions are LOL funny. He writes with some passion about the Republican DeHumorizor machine, it’s talent for taking words out of context, and making them appear to mean the exact opposite of what was intended. It was one of the heaviest burdens he faced, having to keep his sharpest tool in the shed for so much of the time.
You could do a lot worse, looking to learn how the Senate actually works, than to check out Franken’s you-are-there descriptions. He writes a fair bit about instances in which he was able to actually get some good things done, working with members of that other party. It gives one hope, however slim since Newt Gingrich declared war on civility, that some sense of decorum and decency remains in the Senate halls.
There is much more in the book, which is not only a highly informative read, but is very entertaining. His descriptions of Ted Cruz and the reactions the ego-bloated and insufferable Cruz evokes from other senators is, alone, worth the price of the book. Whatever one’s political bent, there is good information to be had in Giant of the Senate, and he will make you laugh. Can’t ask for much more than that. Except…
=========================THE RESIGNATION
Republicans do not have to do all that much to defeat Democrats in the 2018 mid-term and 2020 national elections. The Democratic Party will do their work for them.
Al Franken resigns - image from DailySignal.com
All crimes are not equal, however much the Purity Posse pretends they are. It is possible to be a schmuck without being a serial and unreconstructed predator, and those two different sorts should be treated very differently. Should Senator Franken have been driven from the Senate for his actions? I do not believe so. The claims brought against him were far from firm, came from sources who were not always willing to be named, many, and possibly all of whom are allied with the Republican Party. Unlike the case with defeated Alabama Senatorial candidate Roy Moore, whose crimes are an entirely other order of business and whose accusers have no political axes to grind, or the case with a president who has boasted on tape of serial assault, there is considerable room for doubt concerning the charges being made about Senator Franken.
It seems clear to me that the current wave of outrage about sexual misconduct, justified though it is, will be weaponized and used to diminish the only party whose members are capable of feeling actual shame. You can expect more Democrats to be accused of such misconduct, and I would not be surprised if many of those claims were lies. People who claim misconduct, particularly those who go on the record, should definitely have their accusations taken seriously. Those claims should be investigated, with all due professionalism and speed. But unless we are eager to return to the dark days of seventeenth century Salem, it would be prudent to consider that not all claims of misconduct are necessarily based in fact. And given the right-wing’s fondness for planting false information to affect our democratic processes, the accused, this side of a confession, or a very strong preponderance of evidence, particularly in the political sphere, should be given the benefit of the doubt until proper investigations can be completed. In fact, as I wrote the beginning of this paragraph, the right had already begun, lying about Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to this December 13, 2017 article in the Washington Post - False accusations against Schumer were the latest attempt to trick the media. Schumer’s lack of support for Franken, by the way, was not surprising, given that he had opposed his run for Senate in the first place. More recently, GOP fabrications about NJ Democratic Congressman Tom Malinowski continued the all-lies-all-the-time GOP brand - False G.O.P. Ad Prompts QAnon Death Threats Against a Democratic Congressman.
Tactically, the Democratic purists effectively vacated a Senate seat that was won with the smallest margin in national history, a seat that was given to a person who, although she later revised her position, initially promised not to run for election in 2020. Thankfully, she won. Please remember that it was Al Franken’s tough challenging of Jeff Sessions in Judiciary Committee hearings that led to Sessions recusing himself from playing any part in the Russia investigation, which was not nothing.
Franken questions Sessions in Judiciary committee hearings - image from c-span
So, while the purists are patting themselves on the back about what wonderful people they are, they put the entire nation at risk of accelerating the demolition of democracy that the GOP has foisted on us all. While they were busy urging voters to support them as protectors of women, Republican voters continued to support people dedicated to stripping away social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and countless smaller programs that women rely on to survive. 63% of WHITE WOMEN in Alabama voted for a pedophile rather than a Democrat. 80% of white Christians voted for the Brimstone Cowboy. At what point did the Grand Old Party stop being a political entity and take on the characteristics of a cult? Republican voters consistently vote to retain or install Senators and Representatives who will take away their reproductive rights, and pack the Supreme Court with extremist ideologues and partisan hacks who will ensure at least another generation of anti-democratic, pro-business bias on the court, and who, given time, will criminalize abortion once again. (Something all-but guaranteed, given Trump's SCOTUS nominations, and McConnell's refusal to bring up Obama's nominee for a vote) That is, when they take a break from looting the resources of every middle and working class person in the nation to stuff even more money into the pockets of the already rich, and doing their level best to ensure that there is no habitable world left for our children and grandchildren to inherit.
Politics has been called the art of the possible, not the art of the perfect. If you want to be holier than thou, join a monastery. I want my representatives to be well grounded in the real world. I am not looking for perfection. And if they behave badly, that behavior should be publicized, criticized, addressed, and, where called for, prosecuted. You don’t execute people for shoplifting, and you should not kill a very positive political career for behavior that merits a much lesser punishment. I am hardly alone in that opinion. Zephyr Teachout, a New York progressive who ran for governor in 2014, feels the same way. Here is her December 11, 2017 NY Times Op-ed on her reasoning, I’m Not Convinced Franken Should Quit. There are plenty more who share our view. I strongly urge you to read Emily Yoffe’s article in Politico, Why the #MeToo Movement Should Be Ready for a Backlash, and Andrew Sullivan's January 12, 2018 piece in New York Magazine It’s Time to Resist the Excesses of #MeToo.
Al Franken, based on publicly information available, did not deserve to be pushed out of the Senate. Censured? Definitely. Publicly excoriated for being a boor and a schmuck? You bet. But we were all put in danger of losing his very important votes on women’s, foreign policy, and other substantive issues just so some pols could preen their perfect feathers, (and establish presidential campaigns) while putting everyone else, and the very notion of due process at risk. Thanks a lot.
Review first Posted - 12/15/17
Publication date - 5/30/2017
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Did not seem much point to putting up links to Franken’s Senate-based sites. His Twitter page seems to still be live.
Other Al Franken Books
-----The Truth with Jokes
-----Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right
-----Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot
OTHER
-----One answer to a question raised in the Resignation section above appeared in the December 15, 2017 Sunday New York Times, in the form of an opinion piece by Amy Sullivan. It is definitely worth checking out - America’s New Religion: Fox Evangelicalism
-----March 26, 2019 - The Atlantic - Democrats Need to Learn From Their Al Franken Mistake - Emily Yoffe's latest take on the implications of Franken's takedown
-----July 22, 2019 - New Yorker Magazine - The Case of Al Franken - by Jane Mayer- an excellent piece on Franken and the accusations against him.
June 4, 2017
I would almost consider moving to Minnesota in order for Al Franken to be my senator.
March 18, 2020
I wrote this review more than two years ago, before Alyssa Milano weaponized #Me Too and Harvey Weinstein came crashing down. Good for her, for Weinstein was a monster. Still, I can't help but mourn the loss of Franken, who--in spite of his minor (but real) sexual transgressions--was one of America's most accomplished progressive senators. Re-reading this old review made me realize all over again how much I miss him.
At last, here is a book which answers the burning question: why is Al Franken not funny anymore?
The short answer, of course: he’s a senator, and senators aren’t supposed to be funny. The long answer—the central idea of this thoughtful (and funny) autobiographical narrative—is that he’s still very funny, very funny indeed, but, for most of the last ten years, has tried his very best not to be. His fellow Minnesotans, like most regular Americans, want elected officials who keep their heads down and work hard, not needy jokesters who keeping calling attention to themselves. And Franken—who is just as serious about being a senator as he once was about being a creator of comedy—has labored for a decade to be a workhorse not a showhorse, doing whatever he can to make life better for the people of his home state.
Franken puts it better himself: “[this book is] the story of how, after spending a lifetime learning how to be funny, I learned how not to be funny.”
But the book is, of course, about other things too: his mentor Paul Wellstone, what a political campaign is like, the policy issues (health care, gun control, campaign financing) Franken cares deeply about, his incremental legislative victories, how the senate changes your sense of how Washington works, and how “you must work hard to make sure that it doesn’t change who you are.”
I finished this book in the days following the congressional baseball shooting, and I was heartened to read of Al’s friendships with Republican senators: writing country songs with Orrin Hatch, listening to “Bob and Ray” tapes with Pat Roberts, trading amiable quips with Jeff Sessions (Jeff’s wife Mary—friends with Al’s wife Franni—knitted Al’s grandson Joe his favorite baby-blanket.) In fact, Al seems to have good things to say about most of his Republican colleagues. (Except for Senator Ted Cruz. One must have standards, of course.)
The best thing about this book, at least for me, is that Franken, after all these years, has finally become comfortable enough with himself to be both funny and serious at the same time. He can follow an exposition of public policy with a devastating witticism (or a dumb joke) and both seem equally appropriate expressions of a complex, interesting man. Franken takes pleasure in publicly uniting the comedian and the senator, and his obvious pleasure in this process makes the book more serious—and much funnier too.
July 28, 2017
Al Franken: Giant of the Senate is a 2017 Twelve publication.
It’s always a slippery slope when reviewing a non-fiction politically based book. However, in the states, the current political polarization makes it even more of a challenge.
But, never fear, this review will not be a political commentary. Franken's views fall within party lines, and if you are a democrat you will agree with him on most issues, and if not, you do know going in what his values are and what his political opinions will be, so I won't delve into those here.
‘They tell you in this country that you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. And we all believe that. But, first you’ve got to have the boots”
Al Franken wasn’t really on my radar, politically, until after the 2016 election. I watched all the confirmation hearings, and of course anyone following politics will know Franken asked some pretty tough questions and caused quite a stir by asking what on the surface were pretty innocuous questions. He had done his homework, which is more than I could say about most participating in those proceedings. And...
I loved it!!
I knew Franken had been a writer for Saturday Night Live and had been elected to the senate, representing the state of Minnesota. But, since he does not represent my state, I never heard much about him or how he was doing in his job as senator.
But, once I saw him in action, I was very impressed and couldn’t wait to read more about his life.
Franken is naturally funny. He doesn’t have to work at it at all, coming up with hilarious quips right off the top of his head. However, in Washington, these folks are not exactly known for their sense of humor. Therefore, Al has had to tone down his humor in order to be taken seriously, to appease other members of his party, and of course to keep himself from saying something that might get him in hot water.
He does a great job of balancing his gregarious personality with the seriousness of his job, and frankly, it’s too bad, other members of Congress worry so much about making jokes or laughing at the absurdity of politics, or at their own party.
But, Franken is able to release a bit of his pent -up humor in this book, which detailed his very interesting journey into politics, the messiness of campaigning, raising money, mistakes he made, the challenges he faced, and his hopes for the future.
I was impressed by his sharpness, his work ethic, and how he plays the political game. It is obvious he and his wife have a strong relationship, and he enjoys his family, which was very refreshing.
Al will surprise you with how prepared he is, how serious he takes his responsibilities, his willingness to work with those on the other side of the aisle, his openness, and sense of fair play.
Al is a democrat through and through, but even if you are not, you have to love the dedication, the sincerity he exudes and believe me, with only one notable, (and spot on), exception, Al gets along, and is respectful to his Republican counterparts, working side by side with them to actually see results.
I thoroughly enjoyed Al’s humor, the glimpse into his personal life, looking back on some memorable SNL skits and personalities, and reading about Al’s tenuous political beginnings. His journey has been very interesting! Al has a larger than life persona and I believe his state is lucky to have them on their side.
This book also has some marvelous personal photographs, and his grandchildren are simply adorable!!
It’s always a slippery slope when reviewing a non-fiction politically based book. However, in the states, the current political polarization makes it even more of a challenge.
But, never fear, this review will not be a political commentary. Franken's views fall within party lines, and if you are a democrat you will agree with him on most issues, and if not, you do know going in what his values are and what his political opinions will be, so I won't delve into those here.
‘They tell you in this country that you have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. And we all believe that. But, first you’ve got to have the boots”
Al Franken wasn’t really on my radar, politically, until after the 2016 election. I watched all the confirmation hearings, and of course anyone following politics will know Franken asked some pretty tough questions and caused quite a stir by asking what on the surface were pretty innocuous questions. He had done his homework, which is more than I could say about most participating in those proceedings. And...
I loved it!!
I knew Franken had been a writer for Saturday Night Live and had been elected to the senate, representing the state of Minnesota. But, since he does not represent my state, I never heard much about him or how he was doing in his job as senator.
But, once I saw him in action, I was very impressed and couldn’t wait to read more about his life.
Franken is naturally funny. He doesn’t have to work at it at all, coming up with hilarious quips right off the top of his head. However, in Washington, these folks are not exactly known for their sense of humor. Therefore, Al has had to tone down his humor in order to be taken seriously, to appease other members of his party, and of course to keep himself from saying something that might get him in hot water.
He does a great job of balancing his gregarious personality with the seriousness of his job, and frankly, it’s too bad, other members of Congress worry so much about making jokes or laughing at the absurdity of politics, or at their own party.
But, Franken is able to release a bit of his pent -up humor in this book, which detailed his very interesting journey into politics, the messiness of campaigning, raising money, mistakes he made, the challenges he faced, and his hopes for the future.
I was impressed by his sharpness, his work ethic, and how he plays the political game. It is obvious he and his wife have a strong relationship, and he enjoys his family, which was very refreshing.
Al will surprise you with how prepared he is, how serious he takes his responsibilities, his willingness to work with those on the other side of the aisle, his openness, and sense of fair play.
Al is a democrat through and through, but even if you are not, you have to love the dedication, the sincerity he exudes and believe me, with only one notable, (and spot on), exception, Al gets along, and is respectful to his Republican counterparts, working side by side with them to actually see results.
I thoroughly enjoyed Al’s humor, the glimpse into his personal life, looking back on some memorable SNL skits and personalities, and reading about Al’s tenuous political beginnings. His journey has been very interesting! Al has a larger than life persona and I believe his state is lucky to have them on their side.
This book also has some marvelous personal photographs, and his grandchildren are simply adorable!!
June 4, 2017
Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Al Franken is a book I was so ready to read and it did not disappoint. He started the book by going all the way back to his beginnings in comedy then on up to being a Senator. The reason for this was to show how hard it was to run for office after being a comedian and having every joke thrown in his face by both parties. This was an excellent book about how the inside of politics work and doesn't work. The inside of how corrupt some of these guys are. It told of Franken's tough times and his good times. You laugh with him and laugh at him. You laugh at the goofy politicians that think they are better than everyone else. The best chapter in the whole book is the one on Ted Cruz. Oh my gosh! Loved it. During the election, my family called Cruz the 'pedophile' because he looks like what we imagine a pedophile would look like. In Franken's book, he calls Cruz the 'pedophile' and I laughed so hard. Definitely worth the money and the time. Love his books anyway but this is just awesome.
September 7, 2017
I'm sure I'm not the only non American who has become obsessed with American politics over the last year or so. At first it was close to a prurient interest. As time goes by, it feels increasingly like what's happening in the US is relevant to my children's future environmental, economic and physical well being, so the interest feels more real and more personal. And I know I'm not alone...
So it's some comfort learn more about Al Franken -- to know that there are dedicated people willing to serve in public office with reason, compassion, common sense and the long view.
I listened to the audio, and it held my interest from beginning to end. I'm not sure there's any particular organizing principle to Franken's memoir. It is part personal history, part gossipy anecdote, part random thoughts about politics and life, and part pointed thoughts about politics and the future. It's not funny, but there's a lot of humour sprinkled throughout.
It left me thinking that Franken is someone worth watching. It left me thinking about the importance and meaning of public service. It left me thinking that it's important not to give in to an overwhelming sense of cynicism when thinking about contemporary politics. It reminded me to speak positively to my kids about the importance of political engagement.
I'm sure Franken has some flaws, but as you can see the audio of his book hit all the right notes for me and made me a true fan.
So it's some comfort learn more about Al Franken -- to know that there are dedicated people willing to serve in public office with reason, compassion, common sense and the long view.
I listened to the audio, and it held my interest from beginning to end. I'm not sure there's any particular organizing principle to Franken's memoir. It is part personal history, part gossipy anecdote, part random thoughts about politics and life, and part pointed thoughts about politics and the future. It's not funny, but there's a lot of humour sprinkled throughout.
It left me thinking that Franken is someone worth watching. It left me thinking about the importance and meaning of public service. It left me thinking that it's important not to give in to an overwhelming sense of cynicism when thinking about contemporary politics. It reminded me to speak positively to my kids about the importance of political engagement.
I'm sure Franken has some flaws, but as you can see the audio of his book hit all the right notes for me and made me a true fan.
August 13, 2017
I had never heard of Al Franken before he became a U.S. Senator. He had been on Saturday Night Live in the 70's- early 90's, before I started watching SNL. So I had no knowledge of him before 2009 when he became a Senator.
Al Franken Giant of the Senate is a perfect mixture of comedy and politics. Senator Franken tells of his humble upbringing in Alberta Lea, Minnesota ( Yeah, I've never heard of it either), meeting his wife at a dance in college ( they've been together for over 40 years), getting his start in comedy, his eventual multi decade run on SNL, all the way through the worst day of his life..Watching The Alt- Rights fave be sworn in as President in 2017.
Senator Franken had a great life before he ever ran for Senate and did so because he truly wants to make life better for the people of Minnesota and the rest of America. I wish Senator Franken was my Senator ( no really I do I'm stuck with Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul). He not only cares about this country but he actually gets along with and tries to work with Republicans( the exception being Ted Cruz, but hating Ted Cruz is bipartisan).
Hey Fun Fact: Did you know Al Franken wrote the movie When A Man Loves A Woman?( if you've never seen it What's Wrong With You?)He was also a creator of the radio station Air America.
He also called Bill O'Reilly out for being awful 20 years before Fox News fired him for being an awful person. Basically Al Franken is the best!
Who do I recommend this book to?
Political junkies, lovers of old school SNL, people who think Ted Cruz is the worst, people who think white nationalist Trump is THE WORST, people who just like good books about politics mixed with fart jokes. Basically everyone.
Al Franken Giant of the Senate is a perfect mixture of comedy and politics. Senator Franken tells of his humble upbringing in Alberta Lea, Minnesota ( Yeah, I've never heard of it either), meeting his wife at a dance in college ( they've been together for over 40 years), getting his start in comedy, his eventual multi decade run on SNL, all the way through the worst day of his life..Watching The Alt- Rights fave be sworn in as President in 2017.
Senator Franken had a great life before he ever ran for Senate and did so because he truly wants to make life better for the people of Minnesota and the rest of America. I wish Senator Franken was my Senator ( no really I do I'm stuck with Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul). He not only cares about this country but he actually gets along with and tries to work with Republicans( the exception being Ted Cruz, but hating Ted Cruz is bipartisan).
Hey Fun Fact: Did you know Al Franken wrote the movie When A Man Loves A Woman?( if you've never seen it What's Wrong With You?)He was also a creator of the radio station Air America.
He also called Bill O'Reilly out for being awful 20 years before Fox News fired him for being an awful person. Basically Al Franken is the best!
Who do I recommend this book to?
Political junkies, lovers of old school SNL, people who think Ted Cruz is the worst, people who think white nationalist Trump is THE WORST, people who just like good books about politics mixed with fart jokes. Basically everyone.
June 10, 2017
In the current political climate with congressional hearings, a special prosecutor, and a chief executive who demands fealty as if he were a "godfather" it was good to read a political manifesto in the form of biography that with drips with sarcasm and humor. When one thinks of Al Franken, Saturday Night Live (SNL) comes to mind, and the “serious” laughter his writings, i.e., RUSH LIMBAUGH IS A BIG FAT IDIOT, and appearances produced. His new autobiography is in the same vein as he uses his life story as a clarion call for a progressive agenda and a fight against alternative news and/or reality and the lies that are perpetrated regularly by certain politicians and supposed news outlets.
AL FRANKEN: GIANT OF THE SENATE describes the evolution of a belief system that began at an early age, particularly as a young teen reacting to Lyndon Johnson’s work to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act signed into law. From that point on we witness Franken’s intellectual growth using his comedic sense through high school, college, a career on SNL, and a second career in the United States Senate. As Franken matures emotionally and politically his commitment to a progressive agenda for the American people (as well as Minnesota!) emerges. But make no mistake for Franken to be successful he had to suppress his public humor to avoid political pitfalls
The key event in his career was the death of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone; his mentor, teacher, and intellectual role model. For Wellstone “politics was about improving people’s lives.” Franken presents a wonderful chapter encompassing Wellstone’s life’s work and positive goals for the American people. Franken explains the type of person he was and how he was influenced by his progressive agenda. Once Wellstone and his family are killed in a plane crash he was replaced in the Senate by Republican Norm Coleman who stated “I am a 99% improvement over Paul Wellstone.” For Al Franken it was “game on.” Franken believed in Wellstone’s core, that “we all do better, when we all do better,” a mantra that Franken has worked for since his time in the Senate.
Franken explores in detail his campaign against Norm Coleman. Faced with Republican obfuscation, distortion, and outright lies Franken was welcomed to the wonderful world of what he calls the “Dehumorizer,” or how his opponent would do or say anything about his opponent’s past and present be it fact or fiction, in the 2008 campaign, mostly fiction. Franken would defeat Coleman by 312 votes, but it took over eight months to finally join his Senate colleagues as Coleman’s team dragged the results through the courts and in the end never really conceded. Fast forward, eight years later Franken was elected by a 10% margin. It is interesting how the Obama people did little to assist Franken, no matter what he did even Democrats could not wrap their heads around a former SNL comic becoming a serious politician.
The most interesting aspects of Franken’s story rests on the legislative process which is bound in hyprocracy by both major parties, though perhaps a bit more by Republicans. He cites a number of examples dealing with the 2009 Stimulus package which finally passed despite Republican opposition which led to a slower recovery than was necessary. This allowed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell to blame the slow recovery on President Obama. This is the same Senator who stated once Obama was elected in 2009 that it was his primary purpose to make sure that the new president would not achieve any successes. It is also fascinating that certain congresspersons who voted against the stimulus took credit for it when it created benefits for their own districts.
Franken takes the reader behind the scenes as the Senate votes on legislation. In particular a “disclosure bill” designed to offset the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. The cavalier attitude of a number of Republicans is offered in their own words, of course funded by the Koch Brothers and their “Federalist agenda.” Franken goes on to eviscerate Texas Senator Ted Cruz in a chapter entitled “Sophistry.” Franken is proud of the fact that he hates a colleague who in two short months managed to turn almost his entire party against him. As is Franken’s methodology throughout the book his comments are sardonic, humorous, and sarcastic, but below the surface the Senator from Minnesota is seething.
A major theme of the book is a clarion call for Democrats to turn out and remove Republicans from power. If it is not done soon, Franken argues President Trump will continue to dismantle the achievements that Obama was able to attain. Franken tries to be upbeat throughout as he rests on his comedic talent. But, after watching the Senate Intelligence Hearings and Trump’s response congressional hearings televised on what seems to be a daily basis, a special prosecutor, and a chief executive who demands fealty as if he was “the godfather” it was good to read an uplifting political manifesto in the form of a biography that the past few days we all must be careful because what we are witnessing cannot be good for our country, which seems to be what motivates Franken each day-what is good for our country.
AL FRANKEN: GIANT OF THE SENATE describes the evolution of a belief system that began at an early age, particularly as a young teen reacting to Lyndon Johnson’s work to get the 1964 Civil Rights Act signed into law. From that point on we witness Franken’s intellectual growth using his comedic sense through high school, college, a career on SNL, and a second career in the United States Senate. As Franken matures emotionally and politically his commitment to a progressive agenda for the American people (as well as Minnesota!) emerges. But make no mistake for Franken to be successful he had to suppress his public humor to avoid political pitfalls
The key event in his career was the death of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone; his mentor, teacher, and intellectual role model. For Wellstone “politics was about improving people’s lives.” Franken presents a wonderful chapter encompassing Wellstone’s life’s work and positive goals for the American people. Franken explains the type of person he was and how he was influenced by his progressive agenda. Once Wellstone and his family are killed in a plane crash he was replaced in the Senate by Republican Norm Coleman who stated “I am a 99% improvement over Paul Wellstone.” For Al Franken it was “game on.” Franken believed in Wellstone’s core, that “we all do better, when we all do better,” a mantra that Franken has worked for since his time in the Senate.
Franken explores in detail his campaign against Norm Coleman. Faced with Republican obfuscation, distortion, and outright lies Franken was welcomed to the wonderful world of what he calls the “Dehumorizer,” or how his opponent would do or say anything about his opponent’s past and present be it fact or fiction, in the 2008 campaign, mostly fiction. Franken would defeat Coleman by 312 votes, but it took over eight months to finally join his Senate colleagues as Coleman’s team dragged the results through the courts and in the end never really conceded. Fast forward, eight years later Franken was elected by a 10% margin. It is interesting how the Obama people did little to assist Franken, no matter what he did even Democrats could not wrap their heads around a former SNL comic becoming a serious politician.
The most interesting aspects of Franken’s story rests on the legislative process which is bound in hyprocracy by both major parties, though perhaps a bit more by Republicans. He cites a number of examples dealing with the 2009 Stimulus package which finally passed despite Republican opposition which led to a slower recovery than was necessary. This allowed Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell to blame the slow recovery on President Obama. This is the same Senator who stated once Obama was elected in 2009 that it was his primary purpose to make sure that the new president would not achieve any successes. It is also fascinating that certain congresspersons who voted against the stimulus took credit for it when it created benefits for their own districts.
Franken takes the reader behind the scenes as the Senate votes on legislation. In particular a “disclosure bill” designed to offset the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. The cavalier attitude of a number of Republicans is offered in their own words, of course funded by the Koch Brothers and their “Federalist agenda.” Franken goes on to eviscerate Texas Senator Ted Cruz in a chapter entitled “Sophistry.” Franken is proud of the fact that he hates a colleague who in two short months managed to turn almost his entire party against him. As is Franken’s methodology throughout the book his comments are sardonic, humorous, and sarcastic, but below the surface the Senator from Minnesota is seething.
A major theme of the book is a clarion call for Democrats to turn out and remove Republicans from power. If it is not done soon, Franken argues President Trump will continue to dismantle the achievements that Obama was able to attain. Franken tries to be upbeat throughout as he rests on his comedic talent. But, after watching the Senate Intelligence Hearings and Trump’s response congressional hearings televised on what seems to be a daily basis, a special prosecutor, and a chief executive who demands fealty as if he was “the godfather” it was good to read an uplifting political manifesto in the form of a biography that the past few days we all must be careful because what we are witnessing cannot be good for our country, which seems to be what motivates Franken each day-what is good for our country.
September 21, 2017
Description: From Senator Al Franken - #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum - comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that.This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast.
In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.
Just for the Ted Cruz chapter alone, this is worth it. Heads up - found the audio on Youtube: https://images.gr-assets.com/books/14...
:O)
In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves.
We all do better
when we all do better
Just for the Ted Cruz chapter alone, this is worth it. Heads up - found the audio on Youtube: https://images.gr-assets.com/books/14...:O)
December 7, 2017
Check out a better-spelled version of this review on my very cromulent blog
UPDATE 12/6/17: Life is the worst. That said, I stand by my review and this book. Al behaved badly and he's going to resign because that's what you do. I hope he goes back to writing and works hard to be a better person. Or just writes a tell all book about how awful Ted Cruz is. I'd read that. We'd all read that.
"I can't tell you I'll always get it right. But I'll tell you this: I'm going to keep fighting as hard as I can in the coming months and years to protect our children, our values and our future from Donald Trump." - Al Franken, from Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, by Al Franken.
This is absolutely the book America needs to read right now. I want to just acquire a crate full of copies of this book and pass it out to people. Franken manages to be both hopeful, realistic and funny all at the same time when writing about the inner-workings of the US government. It's amazing.
It is difficult for me to write an unbiased review of anything Franken has written - he has been a major influence in my life. Growing up, I watched Saturday Night Live reruns with my parents. I saw a lot of classic SNL - Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Jon Belushi, Steve Martin, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, Will Farrell, Tina Fay...wow, I just started naming SNL people off the top of my head and just kept going, there. But yes, and, of course, Al Franken.
I can't even begin to describe how much of an influence Lies and the Lying Liars that Tell Them was on my political development. I borrowed the book from my dad because a) it looked funny and it was by a guy I knew to be funny and b) the title. Seriously, how could you not read a book called Lies and the Lying Liars That Tell Them? As I made my way through the book it was like a veil was being ripped away from my eyes. I suddenly became interested in the political. I suddenly started watching the news and actually paying attention to what they were saying. I started reading the newspaper and Newsweek - the actual content, not just looking at the pictures and reading movie reviews. I got really into this TV series called The Daily Show. I started noticing the every day hypocrisies in my rural hometown. I started questioning the official narratives we were fed every day. I started questioning the narrative I was fed in Lies, and started fact-checking the claims within the book myself. This, incidentally, is how librarians are created, children.
Lies woke me up and shoved me into politics. My terrible hometown, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Dan Rather and my local library did the rest.
Al Franken: he's good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like him! Especially me.
I was naught but a wee little teenage girl in one of the reddest counties of my traditionally blue state. In 2004, there was not much I could do politically, except go to a Kerry rally and then be sad when he lost. And be horrified at how happy my oblivious classmates were that Bush had been reelected. Really, guys?
Anyway! This brings me, finally, to Al Franken: Giant of the Senate.
When I heard Franken was running for Senate in Minnesota I thought "hell yeah!" And then proceeded to stop caring because a) college and b) I do not now, nor have I ever, lived in Minnesota. I was too busy paying attention to local news, getting kicked out of my room by my evil freshman roommates, and worrying about whether or not the economy was going to get so bad that my parents would lose their jobs and I'd have to withdraw from college and go straight to work. And, if that happened, would there even be any jobs left for me? Ah, 2008. What a crap year. Anyway, I squeaked through 2008 and didn't have to leave school, and next I heard, Al Franken won! Yes! Awesome! I immediately stopped paying attention. Then I heard there was a recount? Oh no, how dare they try and steal Al's victory from him! ...and then I stopped paying attention because school. I was glad when I finally heard that Al got his seat in the senate, but I didn't pay too much attention because a) not from Minnesota and b) college. What does this have to do with the book? Well, the book covers pretty much everything that I missed - why he decided to run for senate, what the campaign was like, and just how difficult it is for a comedian to adjust from being a professional funnyman to a superserious political-type. No eye rolling during terrible speeches. No snarky comments during a hearing.
This book is for everyone - it's for anyone who is frustrated at the gridlock in Washington, who is sick of partisan malarkey, or who have lost faith in our democratic process. It is for anyone who watched the disaster that was 2016 unfold with tears in their eyes. It's for anyone who has ceased to see their representatives as human beings and more like soulless ghouls who feed on campaign donations.
The best thing about this book is how Franken portrays his colleagues across the aisle not as demons, but as people making decisions he disagrees with (and think are evil). The sight of certain Republicans makes my blood boil, but Giant of the Senate reminded me that, as much as I dislike them, they're still people, and we need to work together if we're going to help everyone. At the same time, though, he fights for truth in politics:
"[I]f we don't start caring about whether people tell the truth or not, it's going to be literally impossible to restore anything approaching a reasonable political discourse. Politicians have always shaded the truth. But if you can say something that is provably false, and no one cares, then you can't have a real debate about anything."
Amen, Al.
Thank you, Al Franken. Don't ever stop fighting for the people, for our country and don't ever stop being funny, even if you have to wait five years and put it all in book form. And don't ever stop telling stories about how awful Ted Cruz is, I could read those all day. Like, in book form. Nudge nudge.
(my thanks to NetGalley for indulging my crippling ARC habit in exchange for some semi-coherent ramblings).
UPDATE 12/6/17: Life is the worst. That said, I stand by my review and this book. Al behaved badly and he's going to resign because that's what you do. I hope he goes back to writing and works hard to be a better person. Or just writes a tell all book about how awful Ted Cruz is. I'd read that. We'd all read that.
"I can't tell you I'll always get it right. But I'll tell you this: I'm going to keep fighting as hard as I can in the coming months and years to protect our children, our values and our future from Donald Trump." - Al Franken, from Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, by Al Franken.
This is absolutely the book America needs to read right now. I want to just acquire a crate full of copies of this book and pass it out to people. Franken manages to be both hopeful, realistic and funny all at the same time when writing about the inner-workings of the US government. It's amazing.
It is difficult for me to write an unbiased review of anything Franken has written - he has been a major influence in my life. Growing up, I watched Saturday Night Live reruns with my parents. I saw a lot of classic SNL - Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Jon Belushi, Steve Martin, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Molly Shannon, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, Will Farrell, Tina Fay...wow, I just started naming SNL people off the top of my head and just kept going, there. But yes, and, of course, Al Franken.
I can't even begin to describe how much of an influence Lies and the Lying Liars that Tell Them was on my political development. I borrowed the book from my dad because a) it looked funny and it was by a guy I knew to be funny and b) the title. Seriously, how could you not read a book called Lies and the Lying Liars That Tell Them? As I made my way through the book it was like a veil was being ripped away from my eyes. I suddenly became interested in the political. I suddenly started watching the news and actually paying attention to what they were saying. I started reading the newspaper and Newsweek - the actual content, not just looking at the pictures and reading movie reviews. I got really into this TV series called The Daily Show. I started noticing the every day hypocrisies in my rural hometown. I started questioning the official narratives we were fed every day. I started questioning the narrative I was fed in Lies, and started fact-checking the claims within the book myself. This, incidentally, is how librarians are created, children.
Lies woke me up and shoved me into politics. My terrible hometown, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Dan Rather and my local library did the rest.
Al Franken: he's good enough, smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like him! Especially me.
I was naught but a wee little teenage girl in one of the reddest counties of my traditionally blue state. In 2004, there was not much I could do politically, except go to a Kerry rally and then be sad when he lost. And be horrified at how happy my oblivious classmates were that Bush had been reelected. Really, guys?
Anyway! This brings me, finally, to Al Franken: Giant of the Senate.
When I heard Franken was running for Senate in Minnesota I thought "hell yeah!" And then proceeded to stop caring because a) college and b) I do not now, nor have I ever, lived in Minnesota. I was too busy paying attention to local news, getting kicked out of my room by my evil freshman roommates, and worrying about whether or not the economy was going to get so bad that my parents would lose their jobs and I'd have to withdraw from college and go straight to work. And, if that happened, would there even be any jobs left for me? Ah, 2008. What a crap year. Anyway, I squeaked through 2008 and didn't have to leave school, and next I heard, Al Franken won! Yes! Awesome! I immediately stopped paying attention. Then I heard there was a recount? Oh no, how dare they try and steal Al's victory from him! ...and then I stopped paying attention because school. I was glad when I finally heard that Al got his seat in the senate, but I didn't pay too much attention because a) not from Minnesota and b) college. What does this have to do with the book? Well, the book covers pretty much everything that I missed - why he decided to run for senate, what the campaign was like, and just how difficult it is for a comedian to adjust from being a professional funnyman to a superserious political-type. No eye rolling during terrible speeches. No snarky comments during a hearing.
This book is for everyone - it's for anyone who is frustrated at the gridlock in Washington, who is sick of partisan malarkey, or who have lost faith in our democratic process. It is for anyone who watched the disaster that was 2016 unfold with tears in their eyes. It's for anyone who has ceased to see their representatives as human beings and more like soulless ghouls who feed on campaign donations.
The best thing about this book is how Franken portrays his colleagues across the aisle not as demons, but as people making decisions he disagrees with (and think are evil). The sight of certain Republicans makes my blood boil, but Giant of the Senate reminded me that, as much as I dislike them, they're still people, and we need to work together if we're going to help everyone. At the same time, though, he fights for truth in politics:
"[I]f we don't start caring about whether people tell the truth or not, it's going to be literally impossible to restore anything approaching a reasonable political discourse. Politicians have always shaded the truth. But if you can say something that is provably false, and no one cares, then you can't have a real debate about anything."
Amen, Al.
Thank you, Al Franken. Don't ever stop fighting for the people, for our country and don't ever stop being funny, even if you have to wait five years and put it all in book form. And don't ever stop telling stories about how awful Ted Cruz is, I could read those all day. Like, in book form. Nudge nudge.
(my thanks to NetGalley for indulging my crippling ARC habit in exchange for some semi-coherent ramblings).
June 12, 2017
I thought Al Franken was funny on Saturday Night Live (“When you point your finger at someone else, you point three fingers back at yourself. And your thumb at God, I guess”), but as far as I’m concerned his work as a pundit is where he’s really distinguished himself—both as host of his own radio show on Air America and as the author of Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, and The Truth (With Jokes) (all of which are excellent and worth your time). Reading and/or listening to Franken for any length of time makes it pretty obvious that he’s a person who values honesty and accuracy, and he’s clearly carried this quality into his work as a senator.
Franken is a very good, very funny writer, and you could absolutely do worse than getting your facts from him. (Back when Republicans wanted to privatize Social Security to “keep it from going bankrupt,” for instance, it was Al Franken who did the math that convinced me that Social Security was in fact in no danger of going bankrupt, and I’m quite comfortable having him as my source.) Giant of the Senate is more of a straightforward memoir than any of his previous books, and all of it was interesting—the parts about his childhood, the chapters about SNL, etc.—but nothing was more fascinating than when he decided to enter politics. The chapters recounting his first campaign, the recount, and his time in the Senate were completely riveting to me, in addition to providing a lot of valuable info about how Washington actually works. In this age of Trump, a lot of us are spending at least a little time trying to influence our elected officials, and if you’re looking for an overview of the whole situation, again, you could do much worse than reading Al Franken.
A lot of politicians “write books” while they’re in office, or running for office, and these are mainly just boring PR tools ghostwritten by someone else, but that’s not the case with Giant of the Senate. For one thing, Al Franken wrote this himself, as he’s done with all of his books. For another, this book is totally honest, contains a fair amount of cursing, and pulls no punches when it comes to Trump or (most hilariously and informatively, in my opinion) Ted Cruz. The book also talks a lot about the art of and necessity for compromise. Franken is realistic about this as well—he knows that compromise is sometimes frustrating, but he also knows it’s the only way to make things happen. He quotes Barney Frank: “The only person I’ve ever voted for who I’ve agreed with one hundred percent is myself. The first time.” But ultimately Franken’s stories of reaching across the aisle are more encouraging than dispiriting. I’ve heard he doesn’t plan to run again in 2020, so here’s hoping he goes for broke in the time he has left in office. We need more elected officials like him.
Franken is a very good, very funny writer, and you could absolutely do worse than getting your facts from him. (Back when Republicans wanted to privatize Social Security to “keep it from going bankrupt,” for instance, it was Al Franken who did the math that convinced me that Social Security was in fact in no danger of going bankrupt, and I’m quite comfortable having him as my source.) Giant of the Senate is more of a straightforward memoir than any of his previous books, and all of it was interesting—the parts about his childhood, the chapters about SNL, etc.—but nothing was more fascinating than when he decided to enter politics. The chapters recounting his first campaign, the recount, and his time in the Senate were completely riveting to me, in addition to providing a lot of valuable info about how Washington actually works. In this age of Trump, a lot of us are spending at least a little time trying to influence our elected officials, and if you’re looking for an overview of the whole situation, again, you could do much worse than reading Al Franken.
A lot of politicians “write books” while they’re in office, or running for office, and these are mainly just boring PR tools ghostwritten by someone else, but that’s not the case with Giant of the Senate. For one thing, Al Franken wrote this himself, as he’s done with all of his books. For another, this book is totally honest, contains a fair amount of cursing, and pulls no punches when it comes to Trump or (most hilariously and informatively, in my opinion) Ted Cruz. The book also talks a lot about the art of and necessity for compromise. Franken is realistic about this as well—he knows that compromise is sometimes frustrating, but he also knows it’s the only way to make things happen. He quotes Barney Frank: “The only person I’ve ever voted for who I’ve agreed with one hundred percent is myself. The first time.” But ultimately Franken’s stories of reaching across the aisle are more encouraging than dispiriting. I’ve heard he doesn’t plan to run again in 2020, so here’s hoping he goes for broke in the time he has left in office. We need more elected officials like him.
July 27, 2017
I wish all politicians had the same dedication and loyalty to their constituents as Senator Al Franken. I've always liked him, whether on SNL in the 70s or more recently grilling Trump's unorthodox cabinet nominees. He is not supposed to be funny or swear now that he is in the Senate, but I would say he just can't help it. So many examples given of what he was aching to say at certain times, things he was sure would have just killed. He restrained himself then, but shared the lost opportunities in the book. Laugh out loud funny.
He is what he is. Since he joined the Senate rather late in life, he isn't a career politician and actually cares more for the people who elected him than he does about the politics. He cares more about providing people with health care than about getting re-elected or any sidestepping agendas like keeping the Koch brothers happy. And most of all he cares about the truth -- you lie and he'll call you out, show the evidence of it being a lie, and will probably write a book about what a lying liar you are (I'm talking to you, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly). And to our Liar in Chief, to whom the last chapters were devoted. (Al's worried but also optimistic. I'm just worried.)
Another excellent audiobook read by the author!
He is what he is. Since he joined the Senate rather late in life, he isn't a career politician and actually cares more for the people who elected him than he does about the politics. He cares more about providing people with health care than about getting re-elected or any sidestepping agendas like keeping the Koch brothers happy. And most of all he cares about the truth -- you lie and he'll call you out, show the evidence of it being a lie, and will probably write a book about what a lying liar you are (I'm talking to you, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O'Reilly). And to our Liar in Chief, to whom the last chapters were devoted. (Al's worried but also optimistic. I'm just worried.)
Another excellent audiobook read by the author!
June 12, 2017
It had never occurred to me that reading the memoirs of a sitting senator could be an interesting and informative way to spend time. Congress has infuriated me for awhile now. Before I became laser-focused on politics in Washington, listening to the “can’t manage it” complaints from Democrats really burned me up, so the thought of giving a Congressperson more time to blather at me was unappealing.
Since I have been paying attention, however, I can see lots of areas where “can’t manage it” complaints are perfectly in order, leaving me free to be angry with the GOP and their many allied organizations, e.g., far right, libertarians, religious right, etc. Franken points out many ways the best laid plans go awry, and suggests those who are tempted to complain about politics try it themselves. Not a bad idea. It may be time we send our best to Washington to try to make some headway.
So why does sitting-Senator Franken write a book now? He began it in 2015, shortly after he won his Minnesota seat by a comfortable margin for another 6-year term. He points out that Congresspeople do not make a large salary, but he’d better not say that too loudly in this climate where the enormous wage differentials between different types of work are an enduring and growing source of confusion, contention, and anger.
A congressperson doesn’t make as much as a Hollywood celebrity, no. So? He has trouble living on his Senate salary? Anyway, he may have written the book because he can, because it is a something he is good at, and because his books are bestsellers, bringing in real income. I doubt it will allay the need for more fundraising, but it would be nice if it did. It may simply mean campaign funds do not become a temptation.
But I think he also wrote it also to stir the pot and make sure we've heard the message that we need to work hard on our side to become involved and not allow the current administration to go beyond 2018. He's doing what he can to keep our spirits up. As Bernie says, now is not the time to throw our hands up in despair and resignation.
Franken spent most of thirty years trying to be funny and after he became a senator, he had to cap the well so that he’d be taken seriously. After his re-election Franken thought he’d earned the right to be funny again in public, and the truth is, we yearn to find something funny about Washington. We know it is absurd. We want to hear a professional’s take.
It seems effortless for Franken to be funny, to make jokes about the ridiculous posturing and outright lies, to recognize his fellow performers in the Senate as a kind of troupe, some of whom are easier to work with than others. And it is a kind of a relief to look at these politicians as humans, with human foibles. But no matter how many times I hear about the humanity of some folks, my heart is hardened when they repeat demonstrable lies to me.
Everywhere I turn I see Franken promoting this book, so I’m sure everyone has some idea what is in the book itself. I was more interested than I thought I would be to hear how it is to campaign every day and every night, to win an election, to suffer through a recount and a challenge, to find co-sponsors for bills, to sit on committees, to fundraise constantly, to answer to constituents, etc. It does sound as though they are pretty busy, and Franken tells us the best way to help, rather than hinder, their efforts to conclude legislation that makes an impact. Calling one’s representatives does help, it appears, useless as it seems at the time.
Anyway, this is not a struggle to listen to—Franken himself reads the audio—and it made me laugh aloud in places. I learned a lot, and find myself interested to look at his earlier work, Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right. Let’s hope Franken doesn’t fall for the really ridiculous claim that Minnesotans are going to gain a lot of long-term well-paying jobs if the Keystone Pipeline from Canada’s tar sands goes through. It would make me happy if he could convince his people that pipeline is not going to save them and it will probably ruin the rest of us.
I know senators represent their states, but those states are in a nation. I’d be happy to carve out a Minnesota-shaped space (or an Idaho-, Florida-, etc. -shaped spaces) if they think their needs more important than those of a nation. There is a balance between needs, and this is another thing getting out of kilter in Washington these days.
An audio clip is available on my blog review of this title.
Since I have been paying attention, however, I can see lots of areas where “can’t manage it” complaints are perfectly in order, leaving me free to be angry with the GOP and their many allied organizations, e.g., far right, libertarians, religious right, etc. Franken points out many ways the best laid plans go awry, and suggests those who are tempted to complain about politics try it themselves. Not a bad idea. It may be time we send our best to Washington to try to make some headway.
So why does sitting-Senator Franken write a book now? He began it in 2015, shortly after he won his Minnesota seat by a comfortable margin for another 6-year term. He points out that Congresspeople do not make a large salary, but he’d better not say that too loudly in this climate where the enormous wage differentials between different types of work are an enduring and growing source of confusion, contention, and anger.
A congressperson doesn’t make as much as a Hollywood celebrity, no. So? He has trouble living on his Senate salary? Anyway, he may have written the book because he can, because it is a something he is good at, and because his books are bestsellers, bringing in real income. I doubt it will allay the need for more fundraising, but it would be nice if it did. It may simply mean campaign funds do not become a temptation.
But I think he also wrote it also to stir the pot and make sure we've heard the message that we need to work hard on our side to become involved and not allow the current administration to go beyond 2018. He's doing what he can to keep our spirits up. As Bernie says, now is not the time to throw our hands up in despair and resignation.
Franken spent most of thirty years trying to be funny and after he became a senator, he had to cap the well so that he’d be taken seriously. After his re-election Franken thought he’d earned the right to be funny again in public, and the truth is, we yearn to find something funny about Washington. We know it is absurd. We want to hear a professional’s take.
It seems effortless for Franken to be funny, to make jokes about the ridiculous posturing and outright lies, to recognize his fellow performers in the Senate as a kind of troupe, some of whom are easier to work with than others. And it is a kind of a relief to look at these politicians as humans, with human foibles. But no matter how many times I hear about the humanity of some folks, my heart is hardened when they repeat demonstrable lies to me.
Everywhere I turn I see Franken promoting this book, so I’m sure everyone has some idea what is in the book itself. I was more interested than I thought I would be to hear how it is to campaign every day and every night, to win an election, to suffer through a recount and a challenge, to find co-sponsors for bills, to sit on committees, to fundraise constantly, to answer to constituents, etc. It does sound as though they are pretty busy, and Franken tells us the best way to help, rather than hinder, their efforts to conclude legislation that makes an impact. Calling one’s representatives does help, it appears, useless as it seems at the time.
Anyway, this is not a struggle to listen to—Franken himself reads the audio—and it made me laugh aloud in places. I learned a lot, and find myself interested to look at his earlier work, Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair & Balanced Look at the Right. Let’s hope Franken doesn’t fall for the really ridiculous claim that Minnesotans are going to gain a lot of long-term well-paying jobs if the Keystone Pipeline from Canada’s tar sands goes through. It would make me happy if he could convince his people that pipeline is not going to save them and it will probably ruin the rest of us.
I know senators represent their states, but those states are in a nation. I’d be happy to carve out a Minnesota-shaped space (or an Idaho-, Florida-, etc. -shaped spaces) if they think their needs more important than those of a nation. There is a balance between needs, and this is another thing getting out of kilter in Washington these days.
An audio clip is available on my blog review of this title.
June 1, 2017
Disclosure: I am Minnesotan and a Democrat (if I am in MN, I would be a DFLer).
Funny. Smart. Very Minnesotan. Dry humor. Very Al Franken.
Chapter 37 is the Ted Cruz chapter. (Worth it.)
Honestly, Al Franken has a knack for explaining government. I knew what he was talking about, but it felt nice reading it from someone on the inside which made it understandable. Franken is smart and willing to be a Senator for the state of Minnesota.
Funny. Smart. Very Minnesotan. Dry humor. Very Al Franken.
Chapter 37 is the Ted Cruz chapter. (Worth it.)
Honestly, Al Franken has a knack for explaining government. I knew what he was talking about, but it felt nice reading it from someone on the inside which made it understandable. Franken is smart and willing to be a Senator for the state of Minnesota.
November 20, 2017
Well, that was prescient timing. Finished this about a week before "Al Franken, Infamous Groper" exploded across the news.
I've been vaguely interested in Al Franken because his name has been floated repeatedly as a potential 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, and as long as we're headed in the direction of political farce, there's something delicious about the idea of a 2020 election composed of "SNL" versus "The Apprentice."
I listened to this book on audio, and I have to say that if you plan on reading it, definitely go for audio. Al Franken does the narration, and I think a lot of the jokes just work better when he's reading them. Apart from anything else, his Mitch McConnell voice is hilarious.
When I started the book, I excitedly told a friend who is from MN that I wanted their senator to be my president. As I actually started to delve in deeper, though, my opinion on the matter shifted. Part of it was the partisanship. Anyone who write a book called Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right is perhaps not the best person to bring the country together. But what impressed me more is that he genuinely seems to think that "Democrat" means inherently good and "Republican" means inherently evil, to the point that his plan to save America involves Democrats as supermajority in all branches of government. Anyone who has spent much time with my reviews probably knows where my political leanings are, but I don't think that DNC automatically makes you on the side of the good and the just.
But -- and again I feel quite smug about my prescience, and only wish I'd written this review two weeks ago-- one of my bigger complaints about him actually had to do with his treatment of women during the "Porn-o-rama" fiasco of his first run for office. If you weren't aware, Franken nearly lost the election because of a story that broke about an article he wrote for Playboy magazine called "Porn-o-rama" and featuring a certain amount of degradation of women. Oh, and the rape jokes he made during his time at SNL. Franken, after whining that the Republicans took his jokes out of context and put them through their industrial-strength "dehumorizer", defends himself with the argument that nothing--including rape--should be off-limits for comedy. And even when he talks about his apology for the "Porn-o-rama" thing, he doesn't seem to really get it. He talks about pacifying humorless feminists (TM) without really seeming to understand why anyone is upset.
For the record, I am a humorless feminist. And even though the only side of the story I've heard is Franken's, I was totally unamused and unmollified by his "I'm sorry some people were offended"-type "apology," which is not actually an apology for his actions but rather a regret for our overreaction and too-tender feelings. So anyway, I ended up being vaguely irritated with Franken, all the more so because it seemed to me that he just didn't get it. You don't get to proclaim that you "respect women" and pull out your wife and daughter as exhibits A and B. You don't get to blame it all on context and Republican Dehumorizers. And you don't get to nominate yourself as Defender of Women. It's your actions--and history--that will decide that.
So, long story short, even though I did like him, I'd already given up on Franken as a nominee before the story of his sexual harassment of Tweeden. From what I learned from his book, the idea of him groping an unconscious woman as a joke strikes me as entirely in character, as does his initial "I'm sorry you're a liar and you're making a big deal out of nothing"-style apology. As for his second apology, he did finally get one thing right: it doesn't matter what he remembers or what he intended. And I hope that this time, that lesson sinks in.
It's a sad truth that much of comedy has been at the expense of women and often involves their objectification and degradation, and that rape culture has invaded almost every aspect of our society. Given the current environment and various dark hints, I'm genuinely betting on who will be the next to fall. I worry that prosecuting past non-criminal aggressions will stoke resentments and worsen the inevitable anti-feminist backlash. (Although if we keep pushing in this direction, we might find ourselves with an almost empty and almost entirely female congress, which would be kind of interesting.)
As for me, I've had "Well, he's never gon' be President now / That's one less thing to worry about" stuck in my head intermittently since I heard the news. I've had enough of presidential farce as it is.
I've been vaguely interested in Al Franken because his name has been floated repeatedly as a potential 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, and as long as we're headed in the direction of political farce, there's something delicious about the idea of a 2020 election composed of "SNL" versus "The Apprentice."
I listened to this book on audio, and I have to say that if you plan on reading it, definitely go for audio. Al Franken does the narration, and I think a lot of the jokes just work better when he's reading them. Apart from anything else, his Mitch McConnell voice is hilarious.
When I started the book, I excitedly told a friend who is from MN that I wanted their senator to be my president. As I actually started to delve in deeper, though, my opinion on the matter shifted. Part of it was the partisanship. Anyone who write a book called Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right is perhaps not the best person to bring the country together. But what impressed me more is that he genuinely seems to think that "Democrat" means inherently good and "Republican" means inherently evil, to the point that his plan to save America involves Democrats as supermajority in all branches of government. Anyone who has spent much time with my reviews probably knows where my political leanings are, but I don't think that DNC automatically makes you on the side of the good and the just.
But -- and again I feel quite smug about my prescience, and only wish I'd written this review two weeks ago-- one of my bigger complaints about him actually had to do with his treatment of women during the "Porn-o-rama" fiasco of his first run for office. If you weren't aware, Franken nearly lost the election because of a story that broke about an article he wrote for Playboy magazine called "Porn-o-rama" and featuring a certain amount of degradation of women. Oh, and the rape jokes he made during his time at SNL. Franken, after whining that the Republicans took his jokes out of context and put them through their industrial-strength "dehumorizer", defends himself with the argument that nothing--including rape--should be off-limits for comedy. And even when he talks about his apology for the "Porn-o-rama" thing, he doesn't seem to really get it. He talks about pacifying humorless feminists (TM) without really seeming to understand why anyone is upset.
For the record, I am a humorless feminist. And even though the only side of the story I've heard is Franken's, I was totally unamused and unmollified by his "I'm sorry some people were offended"-type "apology," which is not actually an apology for his actions but rather a regret for our overreaction and too-tender feelings. So anyway, I ended up being vaguely irritated with Franken, all the more so because it seemed to me that he just didn't get it. You don't get to proclaim that you "respect women" and pull out your wife and daughter as exhibits A and B. You don't get to blame it all on context and Republican Dehumorizers. And you don't get to nominate yourself as Defender of Women. It's your actions--and history--that will decide that.
So, long story short, even though I did like him, I'd already given up on Franken as a nominee before the story of his sexual harassment of Tweeden. From what I learned from his book, the idea of him groping an unconscious woman as a joke strikes me as entirely in character, as does his initial "I'm sorry you're a liar and you're making a big deal out of nothing"-style apology. As for his second apology, he did finally get one thing right: it doesn't matter what he remembers or what he intended. And I hope that this time, that lesson sinks in.
It's a sad truth that much of comedy has been at the expense of women and often involves their objectification and degradation, and that rape culture has invaded almost every aspect of our society. Given the current environment and various dark hints, I'm genuinely betting on who will be the next to fall. I worry that prosecuting past non-criminal aggressions will stoke resentments and worsen the inevitable anti-feminist backlash. (Although if we keep pushing in this direction, we might find ourselves with an almost empty and almost entirely female congress, which would be kind of interesting.)
As for me, I've had "Well, he's never gon' be President now / That's one less thing to worry about" stuck in my head intermittently since I heard the news. I've had enough of presidential farce as it is.
August 11, 2017
“God Grant Me the Serenity to Accept the Things I Cannot Legislate
The Courage to Legislate the Things I Can
The Wisdom to Know the Difference
And the Patience to Explain the Difference to My Donors”
I don’t believe that reading this book will change your mind about Al or his politics so I will just list a few of the things that I enjoyed while reading his account of his life both before and during his time in the U.S. Senate.
1. He is funny, self-deprecating and satirical
2. He seems willing to highlight his shortcomings as well as his successes
3. He answers a lot of my questions about what life was like during his time with Saturday Night Live
4. He answers more of my questions about how the Senate and the legislative process really work
5. He shares his analysis of what is important for the future of the USA
6. He discusses some of the most important votes the Senate took (and a few that could never get that far) during the years he has been a part of it
I am going to wrap this up without pasting in all the funny and insightful parts of this book that I have underlined. I have read enough autobiographies by politicians, but none that are this clear and honest. I have read other books by Franken that were funnier. I recently finished Eliot Nelson’s The Beltway Bible, a book that provides all the terms and catch phrases for how the U.S. Congress gets on with business. When you drill down to the core of Giant of the Senate, what you get is the best book on Civics that I have ever read. Your political point of view should not get in the way of reading this book because it will be time well spent.
You, me and the rest of the country need to have a better understanding of how our legislators work and should work on the issues that affect our day-to-day quality of life and what will be our future. Whether you laugh at the parts I found funny or not, you will be better off for reading what Franken shares with us.
The Courage to Legislate the Things I Can
The Wisdom to Know the Difference
And the Patience to Explain the Difference to My Donors”
I don’t believe that reading this book will change your mind about Al or his politics so I will just list a few of the things that I enjoyed while reading his account of his life both before and during his time in the U.S. Senate.
1. He is funny, self-deprecating and satirical
2. He seems willing to highlight his shortcomings as well as his successes
3. He answers a lot of my questions about what life was like during his time with Saturday Night Live
4. He answers more of my questions about how the Senate and the legislative process really work
5. He shares his analysis of what is important for the future of the USA
6. He discusses some of the most important votes the Senate took (and a few that could never get that far) during the years he has been a part of it
I am going to wrap this up without pasting in all the funny and insightful parts of this book that I have underlined. I have read enough autobiographies by politicians, but none that are this clear and honest. I have read other books by Franken that were funnier. I recently finished Eliot Nelson’s The Beltway Bible, a book that provides all the terms and catch phrases for how the U.S. Congress gets on with business. When you drill down to the core of Giant of the Senate, what you get is the best book on Civics that I have ever read. Your political point of view should not get in the way of reading this book because it will be time well spent.
You, me and the rest of the country need to have a better understanding of how our legislators work and should work on the issues that affect our day-to-day quality of life and what will be our future. Whether you laugh at the parts I found funny or not, you will be better off for reading what Franken shares with us.
January 9, 2018
This book is an engaging mix of polemical comedy and political memoir. I doubt that a more entertaining book can be found written by a sitting member of Congress. Coming from a progressive/liberal point of view, I found this book to be a reaffirming articulation of progressive political values which seem to receive mostly scorn and indifference from many current political office holders (a.k.a. Republicans).
The first half of the book is mostly personal memoir with minimal comment about politics other than some remarks about the skits written or performed for the TV show "Saturday Night Live." After he tells the story of his 2008 election—and extended recount—to become Senator from Minnesota, the narrative evolves into an account of his job of being a congressman.
One of the hurdles Franken was forced to overcome was the perception that his past career as a comedian would prevent him from being able to deal with the serious—i.e. not funny—business of politics. In many ways it was more important for him to not tell jokes while in Congress than it would have been for a person with a different past career. Of course this required him to NOT tell many jokes or satirical comments that he thought of while performing his duties as Senator. One of his staff's most important jobs was to thoroughly "de-humorizes" any of his prepared remarks and to scold him if any slipped out impromptu.
But that didn't prevent him from including many of those long repressed jokes in this book. Thus this book has plenty of humor, and it is possible that even readers who are politically conservative will find themselves involuntarily smiling at his humor.
Franken is generally gentle in his comments about his political opponents—at least by name—with the notable exception of Ted Cruz.
Anyone who follows recent news will know that Al Franken has resigned from his Senate position as a result of some past allegations of sexual misconduct. These became public after this book was published, thus it's not addressed in this book. If you want to know my opinion you can read this:
The first half of the book is mostly personal memoir with minimal comment about politics other than some remarks about the skits written or performed for the TV show "Saturday Night Live." After he tells the story of his 2008 election—and extended recount—to become Senator from Minnesota, the narrative evolves into an account of his job of being a congressman.
One of the hurdles Franken was forced to overcome was the perception that his past career as a comedian would prevent him from being able to deal with the serious—i.e. not funny—business of politics. In many ways it was more important for him to not tell jokes while in Congress than it would have been for a person with a different past career. Of course this required him to NOT tell many jokes or satirical comments that he thought of while performing his duties as Senator. One of his staff's most important jobs was to thoroughly "de-humorizes" any of his prepared remarks and to scold him if any slipped out impromptu.
But that didn't prevent him from including many of those long repressed jokes in this book. Thus this book has plenty of humor, and it is possible that even readers who are politically conservative will find themselves involuntarily smiling at his humor.
Franken is generally gentle in his comments about his political opponents—at least by name—with the notable exception of Ted Cruz.
Here's the thing you have to understand about Ted Cruz. I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.I found the following quotation from the book to articulate a question that's been much on my mind recently.
But now we seem to have entered an era where getting caught lying openly and shamelessly, lying in a manner that insults the intelligence of both your friends and foes, lying about lying, and lying for the sake of lying have all lost their power to damage a politician. In fact, the "Trump Effect" yields the opposite result: Trump supporters seem to approve of the fact that he lies constantly, including to them. Like a movie that is loosely based on a true story, Trump's fans seem to feel that he is making the dull reality of politics more fun and interesting by augmenting it with gross exaggeration, and often utter fantasy.Franken elaborates on this observation but provides no answer as to how we can rise back up to the low-bar level of normal rational interactive communication.
Anyone who follows recent news will know that Al Franken has resigned from his Senate position as a result of some past allegations of sexual misconduct. These became public after this book was published, thus it's not addressed in this book. If you want to know my opinion you can read this:
September 18, 2017
Dear Senator Franken:
Many people have read "Al Franken, Giant of the Senate" but I bet I'm the only one who read it in a dark shuttered house with a tiny flashlight as Hurricane Irma raged on, pounding trees and battering utility poles until they were just poles. Luckily, I had saved your book for a rainy day (the rainiest), which was also the longest day of my life (excluding childbirth).
Like millions of Americans, I've suffered anxiety, anguish, and angst since Election Day. Okay, I'm completely freaked out--and the bad news just keeps on coming. I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't thought much about how government functioned since passing civics class in junior high so I had a lot of catching up to do. With the help of Wikipedia and other non-fake news, I got up to speed and then prayed our checks and balances would protect us from the ignorant, pernicious grifter whose favorite hobbies were bullying and sexual predation. And Tweeting.
Desperate to do something, anything, I joined an army of other middle-aged women who wanted to fight back. (Our motto: "We're not paid protesters, we're your mother.") After participating in the Women's March in Miami I joined the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, and Indivisible and then sent money everywhere--Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Sierra Club, NRDC, the ACLU again, and so on. I went to rallies, signed hundreds of petitions, joined activist FB groups, sent e-mails, made phone calls, mailed postcards, and registered people to vote. I spoke at a rally and even organized a protest! My husband of 30 years didn't bargain for a 56-year-old hippie activist with radical bumper stickers on her car, but for better or worse, right?
If there's any silver lining to all of this, it's that people are waking up and fighting back. Personally, I've gone out of my comfort zone so many times I couldn't find it with GPS. Still, it's daunting, depressing, and so, so difficult. Your book made me laugh and gave me hope. It inspired me to keep going. If you can do it, I can do it! If nothing else, the fact that I've gained fifty new Facebook friends since November tells me one thing. I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!
Many people have read "Al Franken, Giant of the Senate" but I bet I'm the only one who read it in a dark shuttered house with a tiny flashlight as Hurricane Irma raged on, pounding trees and battering utility poles until they were just poles. Luckily, I had saved your book for a rainy day (the rainiest), which was also the longest day of my life (excluding childbirth).
Like millions of Americans, I've suffered anxiety, anguish, and angst since Election Day. Okay, I'm completely freaked out--and the bad news just keeps on coming. I'm ashamed to admit that I hadn't thought much about how government functioned since passing civics class in junior high so I had a lot of catching up to do. With the help of Wikipedia and other non-fake news, I got up to speed and then prayed our checks and balances would protect us from the ignorant, pernicious grifter whose favorite hobbies were bullying and sexual predation. And Tweeting.
Desperate to do something, anything, I joined an army of other middle-aged women who wanted to fight back. (Our motto: "We're not paid protesters, we're your mother.") After participating in the Women's March in Miami I joined the League of Women Voters, the ACLU, and Indivisible and then sent money everywhere--Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, Sierra Club, NRDC, the ACLU again, and so on. I went to rallies, signed hundreds of petitions, joined activist FB groups, sent e-mails, made phone calls, mailed postcards, and registered people to vote. I spoke at a rally and even organized a protest! My husband of 30 years didn't bargain for a 56-year-old hippie activist with radical bumper stickers on her car, but for better or worse, right?
If there's any silver lining to all of this, it's that people are waking up and fighting back. Personally, I've gone out of my comfort zone so many times I couldn't find it with GPS. Still, it's daunting, depressing, and so, so difficult. Your book made me laugh and gave me hope. It inspired me to keep going. If you can do it, I can do it! If nothing else, the fact that I've gained fifty new Facebook friends since November tells me one thing. I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!
June 23, 2017
Who would have dreamed a comedian from “Saturday Night Live” would end-up as a United States Senator? Franken states he realized early the value comedy has in explaining polities to the average voter. Franken states he is an old-fashioned Democrat whose Jewish parent instructed him in the importance of supporting the Civil Rights Movement. He was inspired by Paul Wellstone his Minnesota Senator who died in a plane crash in 2002. Franken ran for the Senate office and won.
Franken tells of turning into a deep policy wonk because he was so determined to convince the voters that he could be serious enough to do the job. He said he studied and worked hard to learn how the Senate worked. He was appointed to a number of committees. He serves on the Indian Affairs Committee. He states he was appalled that the Native Americans receive less than half per capita on health care than the average American. He tells how he tried to improve dental care for Native American children.
I found it interesting that he spent a large amount of time discussing the importance of telling the truth. He says we have to start caring about and insisting on the truth from everyone. He writes about his disgust with the current state of politics in Washington.
The book is written in a most humorous manner. This is the first time I have read a book by Franken and I found him easy to read. I enjoyed the combination of serious material and humor. He tells of his role in government and about the general working or not of the government in Washington in a very funny way. I learned about the inside workings about how a bill is created, written and past in the Senate.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is about twelve hours long and Franken narrated the book himself which added another delight to the book.
Franken tells of turning into a deep policy wonk because he was so determined to convince the voters that he could be serious enough to do the job. He said he studied and worked hard to learn how the Senate worked. He was appointed to a number of committees. He serves on the Indian Affairs Committee. He states he was appalled that the Native Americans receive less than half per capita on health care than the average American. He tells how he tried to improve dental care for Native American children.
I found it interesting that he spent a large amount of time discussing the importance of telling the truth. He says we have to start caring about and insisting on the truth from everyone. He writes about his disgust with the current state of politics in Washington.
The book is written in a most humorous manner. This is the first time I have read a book by Franken and I found him easy to read. I enjoyed the combination of serious material and humor. He tells of his role in government and about the general working or not of the government in Washington in a very funny way. I learned about the inside workings about how a bill is created, written and past in the Senate.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is about twelve hours long and Franken narrated the book himself which added another delight to the book.
June 29, 2017
"This is gonna suck for a while. But not forever."
A big hearted, hilarious, hopeful book. I'm not from Minnesota, but I'm proud we have people like Al Franken looking out for their interests - and for all Americans. If you're feeling down, you know, all the time, about the current state of affairs in the U.S. of A. - this might go a long way towards soothing that furrowed brow.
Also, lots of great Ted Cruz stories.
A big hearted, hilarious, hopeful book. I'm not from Minnesota, but I'm proud we have people like Al Franken looking out for their interests - and for all Americans. If you're feeling down, you know, all the time, about the current state of affairs in the U.S. of A. - this might go a long way towards soothing that furrowed brow.
Also, lots of great Ted Cruz stories.
December 16, 2017
”I don’t know what’s going to happen going forward. Heck, I don’t even know what’s going to happen between the time I finish this book and the time you read it.”
I added this book back in the early days of September, and have been on the waiting list at my library since then.
Between then and now, things were brought to light, certain allegations of sexual misconduct, and Al Franken resigned, and around that time, of course, was when this book became available to me, which made me question somewhat if now was the best time to read this, but I also knew that if I didn’t read it ‘now,’ chances were that I never would.
I remember the first season of SNL, unlike the majority of people out there. I’ve enjoyed some of all the seasons, but there was a quality in the first season that faded away a bit as years passed, and I missed that. So, I knew who Franken was, but not all that much about him during the time he was on the show. I wouldn’t have read this except for the fine review my goodreads friend Esil had written, which compelled me to want to read it.
For a man whose life, prior to campaigning for the Senate seat, was filled with so much comedy, Al Franken didn’t approach politics with anything but the most serious of plans: to improve the lives of his constituents whose lives needed assistance of one kind or another. And while his team may have been challenged a time or two by his need to find a way to insert a joke, get a laugh, here and there, I think he seems to have tackled his job seriously and with a passion that seems a bit incongruent for a man who seems to need humour like I need coffee.
This covers a lot of territory, from his story through working on SNL, from going to writing political lampoon / skits, to working inside politics. How things work in Washington. What he sees as our prospects for the future. For everyone who thinks about doing what Franken did – and I’m talking about changing from whatever work they’re doing to going into politics – this has a wealth of information, not only on what to do, but what to avoid doing / saying. Why he wanted to run, everything leading up to his campaign, and then the campaign. Once he was elected, finally, after winning by the smallest of margins, there was that gigantic step to learning everything you ever needed to know about politics at the Senate level, but never thought to ask.
An enjoyable read, educational and enlightening.
Esil’s review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Also my goodreads friend Will’s review, which says everything:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Many thanks, once again, to the Public Library system, and the many Librarians that manage, organize and keep it running, for the loan of this book!
I added this book back in the early days of September, and have been on the waiting list at my library since then.
Between then and now, things were brought to light, certain allegations of sexual misconduct, and Al Franken resigned, and around that time, of course, was when this book became available to me, which made me question somewhat if now was the best time to read this, but I also knew that if I didn’t read it ‘now,’ chances were that I never would.
I remember the first season of SNL, unlike the majority of people out there. I’ve enjoyed some of all the seasons, but there was a quality in the first season that faded away a bit as years passed, and I missed that. So, I knew who Franken was, but not all that much about him during the time he was on the show. I wouldn’t have read this except for the fine review my goodreads friend Esil had written, which compelled me to want to read it.
For a man whose life, prior to campaigning for the Senate seat, was filled with so much comedy, Al Franken didn’t approach politics with anything but the most serious of plans: to improve the lives of his constituents whose lives needed assistance of one kind or another. And while his team may have been challenged a time or two by his need to find a way to insert a joke, get a laugh, here and there, I think he seems to have tackled his job seriously and with a passion that seems a bit incongruent for a man who seems to need humour like I need coffee.
This covers a lot of territory, from his story through working on SNL, from going to writing political lampoon / skits, to working inside politics. How things work in Washington. What he sees as our prospects for the future. For everyone who thinks about doing what Franken did – and I’m talking about changing from whatever work they’re doing to going into politics – this has a wealth of information, not only on what to do, but what to avoid doing / saying. Why he wanted to run, everything leading up to his campaign, and then the campaign. Once he was elected, finally, after winning by the smallest of margins, there was that gigantic step to learning everything you ever needed to know about politics at the Senate level, but never thought to ask.
An enjoyable read, educational and enlightening.
Esil’s review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Also my goodreads friend Will’s review, which says everything:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Many thanks, once again, to the Public Library system, and the many Librarians that manage, organize and keep it running, for the loan of this book!
December 7, 2017
I always liked Al Franken. Now I can say I also admire him. I admire his passion for honesty and his disdain of liars. I admire the work he does as a U.S. Senator. I admire the sense of humor he brings to his life and work. I admire the way he maintains collegiality and even friendship with his Republican colleagues while at the same time opposing their agendas. I admire the way he tries to find common ground with his political opposites. I admire the way, in this book, he explains the workings of the Senate. I admire the way in this book he calls Americans to action in supporting the causes they believe in. I admire his narration of this audiobook.
Minnesota, and the United States in general, are lucky to have him.
May every decade be an Al Franken decade!
Edit: This review was written before the recent revelations of Franken's misconduct. I hope he manages to redeem himself and obtain forgiveness, because he possesses great and necessary qualities in today's political world, that, in my view, more than counterbalance his wrongdoing.
Minnesota, and the United States in general, are lucky to have him.
May every decade be an Al Franken decade!
Edit: This review was written before the recent revelations of Franken's misconduct. I hope he manages to redeem himself and obtain forgiveness, because he possesses great and necessary qualities in today's political world, that, in my view, more than counterbalance his wrongdoing.
July 18, 2017
Full review at TheBibliophage.com
I bought Al Franken, Giant of the Senate after binge-watching the latest season of House of Cards. And, of course, during all the shenanigans created by the 45th President’s administration and family. I needed to feel something other than horror about politics. Thankfully, this audiobook did the trick.
Not only is Franken a great comedian and writer, he’s a great audiobook narrator. (Um, and a great Senator.) Since audiobooks are typically released after the print book, I even think he might have made a few relevant impromptu asides you wouldn’t see in print. But I haven’t confirmed that so don’t quote me.
Every chapter includes wry humor, progressive values, and a smattering of high school civics class. It’s the perfect blend!
I bought Al Franken, Giant of the Senate after binge-watching the latest season of House of Cards. And, of course, during all the shenanigans created by the 45th President’s administration and family. I needed to feel something other than horror about politics. Thankfully, this audiobook did the trick.
Not only is Franken a great comedian and writer, he’s a great audiobook narrator. (Um, and a great Senator.) Since audiobooks are typically released after the print book, I even think he might have made a few relevant impromptu asides you wouldn’t see in print. But I haven’t confirmed that so don’t quote me.
Every chapter includes wry humor, progressive values, and a smattering of high school civics class. It’s the perfect blend!
August 29, 2017
There is absolutely only one way to read Al Franken, Giant of the Senate, and that is in audiobook form, read by The Honorable Alan Stuart Franken himself. As anyone who’s ever read Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot: And Other Observations or Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right already knows, the book is, of course, hilarious. But, more importantly, Franken gives a mostly unvarnished look at what it’s like to run for office and to toil in the Senate. Even those who aren’t policy wonks will enjoy this one.
June 1, 2017
I loved this book! I haven't read Al Franken's previous books before, but they will certainly be on my "To Be Read" pile as soon as possible. He has a very honest take on politics which as we all know is extremely rare. He is just as willing to call himself a jerk and to admit if he made a mistake as he is to call out his colleagues on their contradictory or ill-informed opinions. I also appreciated that his take on the state of our government and political system now was not all doom and gloom. If you feel discouraged by how things are going, get involved! Find a cause that is important to you and help in any way that you can.
January 30, 2018
This book brought up a lot of emotions!
I have to say it--I think we were wrong to railroad Franken. And by we, I guess I mean Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand? *Sigh*
Look, the Republicans are a bunch of misogynist moral hypocrites. We all know this, even as the party that fights harder for women's rights and more accountability for abusers suffers the penalties of its scruples. But do Al Franken's churlish acts--all of which occurred before he was a Senator--justify not only his resignation as a powerful and compelling United States Senator and champion of women, but also the unforced error of having to run another election in 2018, when control of the Senate could alter reproductive freedom for a generation? I really don't think so.
We have an accused rapist in the Oval Office, and a party full of doubters of victims of sexual harassment and assault controlling both branches of Congress. I like to think that if the Dems were faced with losing the Senate or Presidency because they had to support a credibly accused serial sexual assaulter, they would choose integrity over expediency, as the Republicans have so cravenly failed to do. But the Democrats were not faced with that decision in Franken's case--his behavior was regrettable but it came from before he was in the Senate and at a time when mores about making light of sexism were behind the times for everyone. So the only way Franken's decision can be rationalized is as a reprieve from the distraction that bad-faith actors propounded, and would have continued to harp on even as they do nothing to probe the moral horror presented by their own party's president. I just hope that we remember that Franken is a good man who understands how these things work, which is why he resigned, despite massive popularity and strong progressive (and pro-women!) bona fides.
But Jesus fucking Christ, when will the left in this country realize that you can't win a fight with a hand tied behind your back?
I have to say it--I think we were wrong to railroad Franken. And by we, I guess I mean Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand? *Sigh*
Look, the Republicans are a bunch of misogynist moral hypocrites. We all know this, even as the party that fights harder for women's rights and more accountability for abusers suffers the penalties of its scruples. But do Al Franken's churlish acts--all of which occurred before he was a Senator--justify not only his resignation as a powerful and compelling United States Senator and champion of women, but also the unforced error of having to run another election in 2018, when control of the Senate could alter reproductive freedom for a generation? I really don't think so.
We have an accused rapist in the Oval Office, and a party full of doubters of victims of sexual harassment and assault controlling both branches of Congress. I like to think that if the Dems were faced with losing the Senate or Presidency because they had to support a credibly accused serial sexual assaulter, they would choose integrity over expediency, as the Republicans have so cravenly failed to do. But the Democrats were not faced with that decision in Franken's case--his behavior was regrettable but it came from before he was in the Senate and at a time when mores about making light of sexism were behind the times for everyone. So the only way Franken's decision can be rationalized is as a reprieve from the distraction that bad-faith actors propounded, and would have continued to harp on even as they do nothing to probe the moral horror presented by their own party's president. I just hope that we remember that Franken is a good man who understands how these things work, which is why he resigned, despite massive popularity and strong progressive (and pro-women!) bona fides.
But Jesus fucking Christ, when will the left in this country realize that you can't win a fight with a hand tied behind your back?
July 5, 2017
Al Franken, comedian turned politician, decided to write a book about his own life. Franken's memoir starts with his childhood, talks about his career as a comedian, and finally turns to his political journey. I am sure this is of interest to many Americans and those who follow the nitty-gritty of American politics keenly. I don't - not to this extent.
But apart from this, the writing was intensely boring. Franken's life was just not interesting enough for me to finish the book. And what's more, the comedy was excruciatingly painful. I can hardly believe Franken did this successfully for more than 20 years! The jokes he gave as examples were nowhere close to funny. I am genuinely flummoxed why he is considered a comedian.
I give an extra star because Franken's political views are just what the doctor ordered for the US under the current circumstances. Let's just say that Franken is a much better politician than he is a comedian or an author! Better to just read the news and follow his exploits.
But apart from this, the writing was intensely boring. Franken's life was just not interesting enough for me to finish the book. And what's more, the comedy was excruciatingly painful. I can hardly believe Franken did this successfully for more than 20 years! The jokes he gave as examples were nowhere close to funny. I am genuinely flummoxed why he is considered a comedian.
I give an extra star because Franken's political views are just what the doctor ordered for the US under the current circumstances. Let's just say that Franken is a much better politician than he is a comedian or an author! Better to just read the news and follow his exploits.
October 2, 2017
A straight-forward, mid-western attitude comes through as Al Franken tells the story of his two careers. He gives you get a glimpse of how the original and early SNL shows were put together and what it is like to campaign for and then be a US Senator. While there is humor throughout, it often appears as a professional evaluation of the jokes he has used at opportune (and inopportune) moments (and some he wished he could interject).
While I’ve read a number of Senator bios and autobios, Franken brings new concepts. There are Washington conventions like never credit the staff and its OK to blame them with “staff error”. I never heard of a call time manager, and it is fascinating what they do. Speaking of managers, Franken shows that the value of having a good campaign manager is well beyond turning out crowds, I lost track of the tough calls and tougher phone calls Stephanie Schrock had to make.
The 8 month recount was even more vicious than I remember. Norm Coleman's statement on his narrow election night win was that Franken should concede because “the healing process is so important.” Then, when he was lost the re-count, healing was no longer important. He kept appealing to keep Franken from being seated and Minnesota from having a second Senator for 8 months. He shows how this was part of the larger Republican strategy to block President Obama from accomplishing anything, thereby setting him up to lose re-election.
Franken shows how his first career informs his second. He knows the communications business so when giant mergers that would consolidate media titans, while on the losing side, he was able to know what kind of restrictions would help mitigate corporate control of what we watch and how much we pay for it. He also shows how he makes alliances and breaks tense moments with humor.
Franken is realistic about what can be accomplished. While it is nibbling at the edges of larger issues, he has been able to make the lives better for some people, for instance getting better dental care to reservations in Minnesota, forbidding defense contractors from forcing arbitrated settlements on employees who are victims of sexual assault and allowing service dogs as a legitimate claim for VA benefits.
It is refreshing to read of the men and women in Washington who work to make a difference. For too long they have been tarnished with the “they all do it” meme, which has served to the advantage of those who run for the career and not for service to the country. I hope in the next election we see more who like Franken, take their fundamental role as seriously as he does.
If you don’t think that the government can and should be used to make lives better for people you should skip this book. You will not understand Franken and why he is passionate about his job.
If you are interested in public policy and understand the world he must operate in, while not a “must read”, you will like this book.
While I’ve read a number of Senator bios and autobios, Franken brings new concepts. There are Washington conventions like never credit the staff and its OK to blame them with “staff error”. I never heard of a call time manager, and it is fascinating what they do. Speaking of managers, Franken shows that the value of having a good campaign manager is well beyond turning out crowds, I lost track of the tough calls and tougher phone calls Stephanie Schrock had to make.
The 8 month recount was even more vicious than I remember. Norm Coleman's statement on his narrow election night win was that Franken should concede because “the healing process is so important.” Then, when he was lost the re-count, healing was no longer important. He kept appealing to keep Franken from being seated and Minnesota from having a second Senator for 8 months. He shows how this was part of the larger Republican strategy to block President Obama from accomplishing anything, thereby setting him up to lose re-election.
Franken shows how his first career informs his second. He knows the communications business so when giant mergers that would consolidate media titans, while on the losing side, he was able to know what kind of restrictions would help mitigate corporate control of what we watch and how much we pay for it. He also shows how he makes alliances and breaks tense moments with humor.
Franken is realistic about what can be accomplished. While it is nibbling at the edges of larger issues, he has been able to make the lives better for some people, for instance getting better dental care to reservations in Minnesota, forbidding defense contractors from forcing arbitrated settlements on employees who are victims of sexual assault and allowing service dogs as a legitimate claim for VA benefits.
It is refreshing to read of the men and women in Washington who work to make a difference. For too long they have been tarnished with the “they all do it” meme, which has served to the advantage of those who run for the career and not for service to the country. I hope in the next election we see more who like Franken, take their fundamental role as seriously as he does.
If you don’t think that the government can and should be used to make lives better for people you should skip this book. You will not understand Franken and why he is passionate about his job.
If you are interested in public policy and understand the world he must operate in, while not a “must read”, you will like this book.
June 3, 2017
Al Franken is one of the few really decent, sane and uncorrupt Congressmen. Totally committed to doing what is best for his constituency and the country. We need a LOT more politicians like him. Read this book you will hate the Republicans and that orange haired, red assed baboon in the WH even more. But finish the book and you just might be filled with optimism and the urge to resist and fight the good fight. Once I cleared away my tears that's the way I felt.
Al Franken for President (in my dreams)
Al Franken for President (in my dreams)
December 15, 2017
This was both funny and inspiring. I really like Al Franken and I'm so glad he's in the senate. It's too bad he can't be as funny as he wants there, but he seems like a genuinely good human being. And his hatred of Ted Cruz knows no bounds.
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