Republicans: Al Franken Is Too Serious

[babylonsister]

http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/12/23/72053/289

Republicans: Al Franken Is Too Serious

by Josh Orton, Wed Dec 23, 2009 at 07:20:53 AM EST


Yeah, that's their new line. He's intense! About issues!

On a meeting with Senator Corker and his staff, who oppose Franken's anti-rape amendment:

The meeting quickly deteriorated when Franken began berating one of Corker's aides, according to GOP aides familiar with the incident. Franken's sally was so harsh that Corker told Franken to lay off his aide and direct the comments at him instead.

Nothing says "uncivil" like a passionate argument in favor of the rights of rape victims.

On Iraq and obstruction:

Another GOP staffer, an aide to a Senate Republican leader, found herself at the sharp end of Franken's wit at a recent reception in the Senate's Mansfield Room. The tongue-lashing took place at an event to celebrate the swearing-in of GOP Sen. George LeMieux (Fla.).

After the conversation began ordinarily, Franken started to grill the aide about what he sees as the failings of the GOP. Franken demanded to know why it had become the "Party of No" and had exaggerated facts in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, according to another GOP leadership aide.

The horror, those poor Senate aides.

First they called him a clown. Then they smear him as too passionate. Look, they probably just believed their own prejudices, and now they can't handle the reality that Al's actually brilliant and dedicated.

Go Al.

[Frank Cannon]

1. You bet your ass he's serious

And he's going to be a Senator for a long, long time. So get used to it, 'pubbies.

[BOSSHOG]

2. Al's serious about telling the truth

and the truth to a conservative is sunshine to a Vampire.

[derby378]

3. Translation: The Repukes want Franken to be their trained monkey

Someone who will sing, dance, and tell jokes on command. I seem to remember Jon Stewart brought down Crossfire on CNN when Tucker Carlson tried the same thing on that program.

[madaboutharry]

4. When he was running for Senate, they made him

out to be a "comedian" and a clown. They left out that he is a Harvard graduate.
Also, he scored 800 on the math section of his SAT. They're the clowns.

[Catshrink]

6. 800 on the math SAT?

Day-um. I knew he was smart but that's ludicrously smart. Yep, he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him.

[itsrobert]

5. The aides/staffers are young republicans who have

grouwn up in Conservatie/Right Wing Households who went to shcools like Oral Roberts University. They have never been confronted with their brainwashed beliefs before.

[bluedeminredstate]

28. Exactly.

My daughter-in-law was raised by rightwing X-tians who placed her in crazy Bible-thumping schools her whole life. After college she went from a job at the Family Research Council into a job for a lunatic rightwing senator who shall remain nameless. She is so brainwashed and her education was so limited that she didn't know who JFK was and never heard of Bobby Kennedy. Can you imagine such a thing? When she asked me about JFK and didn't know he was assassinated I about fell over. When I brought up Bobby Kennedy she said, "Who?"
Now, she's a sweet girl but watching SNL with her is an exercise in frustration because cultural references go completely over her head and I spend most of the time explaining what the jokes mean instead of watching what's going on - it drives me nuts. Her parents think they raised a fine, upstanding Christian but what they did was raise an ignorant child who happens to be 31 years old.

[NNN0LHI]

7. Franken introduced Barrasso as Guest Chaplain for U.S. Senate the other day

Barrasso mentioned it on Tweety the other night. He didn't seem amused.

:rofl:

Sen. Barrasso as Guest Chaplain for U.S. Senate Dec 18, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3P3DBMwfkc&feature=youtube_gdata:rofl:

[Frosty1]

12. I really don't understand this

They have banned prayer in schools but they can pray in the senate? What happened to separation of church and state?
It's only for some?
Why do we have to listen to their crap?

[existentialist]

17. For what it's worth, Congress has had a chaplain

from the beginning. Therefore it's hard to criticize Congress having a chaplain as a violation of the separation of church and state when the founders instituted a chaplain.

Therefore the argument actually goes the other way, and it is necessary to defend other holdings of violations of the establishment clause in spite of the fact that Congress has always had a chaplain.

I remember hearing the late Justice Goldberg justify the distinction between Congress and public schools on the basis of children having impressionable minds whereas congress critters clearly don't. I does make sense, it's just a bit awkward.

[GoCubsGo]

35. They haven't banned prayers in schools

They only banned forcing students to pray. They are perfectly free to pray on their own there.

[SoCalDem]

43. Can't spell Barasso, without ASS n/t

[Skidmore]

49. That was funny.

Barrasso was placed in a position where he had to behave as a Christian after a whole lot of ugliness. Kinda hard to reconcile the two, particularly in a head with only one hamster wheel.

That was brilliant.

[Stinky The Clown]

8. When Franken was a working comedian he was serious. Why do they expect a change?

Republicans are genetically predisposed to douchenozzlitude and assholery.

[itsrobert]

22. Most Comedians do take their work seriously

And laughter is the best medicine for the world.

[rucky]

9. He's not there to join the Boys' Club

he's made that clear

:thumbsup:

[HughMoran]

10. Don't ever back down Al

Franken is a good Senator - others could learn a thing or two from him.

[gratuitous]

11. "Franken demanded"

I wonder how a third party observer might characterize the exchange? One person's "demand" might be another person's polite inquiry or casual observation. But being called to account for their political thuggery is always an uncomfortable experience for the GOP.

[NJmaverick]

13. Yeah Al Franken took the rape of women too seriously in their view

[existentialist]

14. You mean being a United States Senator is serious?

Who would a thunk it?

[MineralMan]

15. They accused Franken of being a clown. They used images of

him in the Stuart Smalley character in the campaign. Franken has always been a serious man. He is a satirist, not a yuck-yuck comedian. They misunderstood him, and underestimated him. If he sticks to the job, he promises to be a very influential Senator. I think he'll do just that.

[existentialist]

19. Franken for President 2012.

[change_notfinetuning]

34. I'd certainly have more hope if Franken were president now. n/t

[MineralMan]

38. He's more important in the Senate. It's more Senators

like him that we need. I doubt that he'd even consider running for President.

[spanone]

16. go al...these pricks only have name calling to turn to

[old mark]

18. Not like the birthers, the Death Panels, Death Tax, praying tor Democrats to die,

praying for Obama to die, and Sarah Palin as VP material.....He's very serious compared to their capers and pranks.

I love how they get so offended when someone points what criminals and perverted pinheaded thugs they really are.

Oh, excuse me - I didn't mean to be serious.....

mark

rec.

[Froward69]

20. Comedians Feel

Comedians Feel emotions stronger than most... thats why they are Comedians... Making jokes to lighten the burden of pain and helplessness.

Thus it goes the other way. seriousness is also a result of strong emotion.

Franken especially knows were that line is. He knows he is not in a position of helplessness. he is in a position of leadership and action.

so his seriousness about the role of Senator is stronger than possibly the rest of the senate body.

typical republican cares less about others plight or especially Feeling. so they are taken aback by someone who has a stronger sense of urgency than they do.

[Major Hogwash]

21. He's serious about beating them to pieces with the facts.

That's for sure.

[malaise]

23. Go Al

Rec

[bullwinkle428]

24. Yeah...I can't think of a funnier topic than rape!

:eyes: :eyes: :eyes:

ASSCLOWNS.

[RetroLounge]

25. Seriously kicking some GOP ass

:applause:

RL

[bdamomma]

26. good he should be serious and not frivolous like the stupid repigs.

[Tanuki]

27. It the sounds as if spin machine is trying to make him out to be a bully,

picking on un-named aides and junior staffers. I would anticipate that this is going to be the theme of a well-orchestrated smear campaign to neutralize him. They will try to use his fearlessness and sharp wit against him.

[Mari333]

29. wtf.

[Vickers]

30. "according to GOP aides" "according to another GOP leadership aide"

Just a couple of neutral observers.

:sarcasm:

Fucking whiny-ass Repuke cry-babies, who've never had the truth thrown in their faces before.

[corpseratemedia]

31. he's not the "conciliatory" dem of the past decade that the repugs are used to bullying around

and I love it!

we need more Frankens!

[meow2u3]

32. If the repukes think Franken is too serious about issues

think if Sen. Franken uses his comedic genius to mock and mimic them on the Senate floor. I can just picture Franken mimicking the likes of McConnell, Sessions, etc., making fun of their extremist views for C-SPAN viewers to see. Then he'll really piss them off! :evilgrin:

:think:

[Initech]

33. Thank god at least someone in the senate is.

[fascisthunter]

36. lol.... more Orwellian Statements from the uncreative minds

there reverse logic is getting old, boring, sophmoric and too predictable.

"While I say goodbye, you say hello..."

[WeCanWorkItOut]

37. He supports some good causes. But I suspect it's because

he knows what some idealists respond to.

I expect that there are political consultants
out there who advise our representatives to cultivate
a "patch" of idealism. So the reps become
the Advocate of this or that Great Cause, and
many naive idealists see this and their suspicions melt away.

So they don't notice what else the rep is up to,
to help their friends and relatives, social class,
local developers and other special interests.

I don't want to hurt the any feelings.
But please, idealists, be cautious. They're on to you.

[existentialist]

39. Have you read any of his books?

[ljm2002]

40. What an odd response...

...to a post talking about how the right is trying to portray Al Franken as too serious, or too bullying.

Instead, you say he is simply using a pet issue to cover up his real motives which are as venal as the next guy's. Oh, yeah, and you get in a jab at the "idealists" (== progressives) on the board.

Way to support one of our progressive Democratic Senators! Well done! :sarcasm:

[Mr. Sparkle]

41. Go Al! it is great to see he has hit the ground running. n/t

[Laelth]

42. k&r for Al Franken. n/t

Kill the bill.

Forcing people to buy insurance is no more the answer to a failed health care system than forcing people to buy houses is the solution to homelessness.

:dem:

-Laelth

[Incitatus]

44. I guess they think rape and war is something to take lightly and joke about.

:eyes:

[the blues]

45. They fear his intelligence and dedication.

Go Al! :headbang:

[LoZoccolo]

46. A friend told me that a common Rovian tactic is "attack their strength".

Looks like what's happening here.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

47. Oh man, just a few months ago the Republicanites were complaining in the

Minneapolis Star-Tribune that they were ashamed to have a comedian in the Senate.

Now he's "too serious."

It just goes to show you. Trying to please the Republicans is a lost cause. Don't even try.

[Canuckistanian]

48. Shocking. How "uncollegial"

Good for him!