Al Franken Seeks Return to Public Eye

[babylonsister]

https://politicalwire.com/2019/08/23/al-franken-seeks-return-to-public-eye/

Al Franken Seeks Return to Public Eye
August 23, 2019 at 3:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard

After resigning from the U.S. Senate at the beginning of 2018 due to sexual-harassment allegations, Al Franken is working with a Hollywood firm to make paid public speeches, Bloomberg reports.

The agency sent an email this week pitching Franken to potential bookers and promoters, touting his “unique voice,” Emmy awards, best-selling books and career in the Senate.

[samplegirl]

1. Yes! Best news

all day!

[hlthe2b]

2. I want more than paid public speeches, Al. Let's launch a political comeback.

You could always move back to NYC in time for 2022 (cough, cough, wink, wink)

[True Blue American]

22. Run against

Gillibrand?

[Zambero]

46. Primary? Why not?

Not sure where KG stands at the moment n the 6-year Senate election cycle, but that would certainly be an upgrade for New York.

[SergeStorms]

63. She started her second term...

this year, so there's 5+ more years before she runs again. We need Al back WAY before then. We need Franken to defeat a republican so we pick up a seat and remove one of those Russia/fascism loving pricks from our Senate.

[stuffmatters]

28. 2022,Against Schumer? heh,heh That would be poetic payback.

[DownriverDem]

40. Al would be great as

a member of the Biden Administration.

[True Blue American]

49. Secretary Of State?

Secretary od Defense?

VP?

Remember what happened when Republicans refused to allow Warren to run the Department she created? She ran for the Senate, knocked out Playgirl Brown.

[DemocracyMouse]

73. I'm thinking he's too advanced for Biden. Warren maybe

[AJT]

3. Yes please....

[pandr32]

4. Yay! Good start.

I was kind of hoping whoever won the nomination would choose him for VP and then he would preside over the Senate. That would sure chap some hides!

[NBachers]

47. On BOTH sides of the aisle!

[True Blue American]

50. Great!

What goes around, comes around! How sweet it would be.

[catrose]

61. THIS

[Baltimike]

5. YASSSS!!! Run for the Senate again!!! nt

[renate]

6. great timing!

We need him in the run-up to the election.

I've missed Al so much!

[mopinko]

7. it would be great if he got a teevee gig.

[Funtatlaguy]

8. I wish he'd move to New York & primary Gillibrand

He’d win big!

[a kennedy]

10. No, I love him here in Mn. it's where he belongs.

[Dave Starsky]

43. Al Franken is MISTER Minnesota.

Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone was his friend and mentor, going into politics. Franken loves his home state and would never even think about allegiance with any other.

[a kennedy]

57. Damn right......

[pangaia]

13. Me too...

[whopis01]

21. Or Maine and run against Collins. n/t

[peacefreak2.0]

42. Interesting.

Could work. He's got a Maine connection with his wife's family. And it would be a pleasure to vote for him against Susie.

[whopis01]

44. I hadn't even thought about the family connection.

I just figured it was easy to change your address from MN to ME.

[OnDoutside]

30. Da da da da da, I'm lovin it !

[MuseRider]

9. Hooray!

After everything I have read I really am honestly convinced he was framed. I love his Podcasts but that is not enough. This is great but still not enough. He is uniquely suited to all of this so perhaps we can find a way to convince him to run again.

I am happy. He seemed to really miss his job. He was really good at it too.

[Blue Owl]

11. Best news I've heard today

[MoonRiver]

12. YES!

Gillibrand is about to drop out, so Al will then have been vindicated with Dem voters!

[PatrickforO]

18. Yes, I confess I'm happy that the Gillibrand campaign came to a halt over this.

I'm happy the big donors she was counting on didn't come through because of this.

And, when she does bow out, I will be happy for that, as well.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

14. If Klobuchar becomes part of the next administration

The Minnesota governor needs to do the right thing and give Al his seat back.

[onetexan]

17. Joe Biden should appoint Franken to a position in his administration

[OnDoutside]

31. It would be great, Tommy, but why would Amy give up her seat for an Administration job ?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

34. A Senator giving up a seat for a Cabinet job is hardly unprecedented.

Think, just for example, Hillary Clinton or John Kerry.

And if Senator Klobuchar is nominated for a Vice Presidential spot--assuming she herself is not the nominee--that clearly would also be a matter of prestige.

[OnDoutside]

58. I suppose so, I was just looking at it from her being a popular Senator. I guess at some point she

would want to move on.

[mahina]

15. I love his podcast. Super climate information.

Here’s his interview with former secretary of energy Ernie Moniz
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-al-franken-podcast/id1462195742?i=1000445147462

[PatrickforO]

16. This is fantastic news!

Thanks so much for posting. I loved Franken in the Senate and I love him now. He needs to run again, if you ask me.

[Greybnk48]

19. He should have never been forced out.

I think people were and are jealous and intimidated by his intellect

[FreeLookMode]

23. I agree, but it seemed like a tricky tightrope to walk

On one hand, I'm always proud when the democratic party tries to be consistent and avoid the blatant hypocrisy of the right. So when Democrats voice their condemnation of men in power abusing that power in exploitation of women, I'm glad there is a willingness to look at hard choices when it involves our own. That's something I've not seen the modern conservative movement ever do.

On the other hand, I feel like the fear of the appearance of double-standard led to a rush to judgement that ultimately was a poor service to everyone. I get that the issue was complicated, but I also think it was got wrong in this case.

We have to be motivated to avoid actual double-standards, not fearful that opponents could cry "double-standard" when careful examination of all the facts suggests that none exists.

[Hulk]

24. I'm really a bit disappointed in Al...

He WAS a powerful and important voice for Democrats and the progressive movement. I know he got screwed over with that phony BS, but he just sort of put his tail between his legs and walked off stage. I get that it's unfair and would have drug on for months and months..but still, to disappear? Just my 2 cents.

[wellst0nev0ter]

25. Schumer essentially forced Franken out

From the Jane Mayer's New Yorker article:

Franken asked to meet with Schumer, who suggested talking at his apartment in downtown D.C., in order to avoid the press. “It was like a scene out of a movie,” Franken recalled. Schumer sat on the edge of his bed while Franken and his wife, who had come to lend moral support, pleaded for more time. According to Franken, Schumer told him to quit by 5 p.m.; otherwise, he would instruct the entire Democratic caucus to demand Franken’s resignation. Schumer’s spokesperson denied that Schumer had threatened to organize the rest of the caucus against Franken. But he confirmed that Schumer told Franken that he needed to announce his resignation by five o’clock. Schumer also said that if Franken stayed he could be censured and stripped of committee assignments.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Franken told me. “I asked him for due process and he said no.”

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/29/the-case-of-al-franken

Chuckles needs to resign as minority leader.

[StevieM]

35. Thanks for posting this.

Schumer should be ashamed of himself for the way he treated Franken.

[NBachers]

48. I have consistently been underimpressed by Schumer.

[True Blue American]

51. Shame, shame!

[OnDoutside]

32. When 38 of your Democratic Senatorial colleagues press gang you to resign, I guess a man of

principle like Al felt he had nowhere to go. I wish he hadn't because most people regretted it afterwards. When you look at Bob Menendez in NJ....

[catrose]

62. Yes, I felt like it was his fellow Democrats that led him to resign

And now we know Schumer told him to resign by 5:00.

[SharonAnn]

64. He "went dark" for a while. It was the right thing to to do till it was time to come back.

I was disappointed that he didn't have the opportunity for the Ethics committee to act. But given the situation, the right thing to do was to go dark for a while. Wait, and see what the opportunity might be for him to come back.

Now is the time. Being a "voice" with a platform is a good thing. And he can control how he presents himself. It's a good thing.

He was treated badly. And I take particular exception to how Kirstin Gillibrand treated him.

[Clash City Rocker]

26. MSNBC should give him a show

He would kick ass. He’s hilarious and politically knowledgeable.

[Hoyt]

38. That would be great. Used to love him on Air America.

[renate]

39. OMG that would be heaven! nt

[True Blue American]

52. Replace Chuckie!

[ReformedGOPer]

27. YES!! We need him.

[ehrnst]

29. Politics isn't the only place that he could contribute.

We could use him as a more politically connected and experienced Jon Stewart.

[Skittles]

33. YES

I would LOVE to see him back; heck, I think he should run for office. GO AL!

[StevieM]

36. I would love it if he ran for president. (eom)

[PennyK]

41. yes

tRICKY -- but what was he accused of that Trump wasn't?
he could give ten times better than anything Trump slings at him.

[FakeNoose]

37. Why doesn't MSNBC grab him?

Franken could be a regular show host and he'd be a huge hit. He could start out as a commenter on other programs and eventually get his own show.

Cut Morning Joe down to 1 hour and give the other hour to Al Franken.
I'd love it! C'mon MSNBC!

[Pinkflamingo]

69. He already has a podcast. Check it out.

[FakeNoose]

71. Yes I have already - it's great

He'd get a lot more bang-for-the-buck on MSNBC or another major cable news show, don't you think?

[calimary]

74. Get RID of Andrea "oh but her emails" Mitchell! Franken could take over there.

OR give him “MTP Daily” and ease him in on the Sunday version. Chuck Todd has never impressed me. Especially since he was quoted as saying he believed his job was to let the one side say its piece and then the other side say its piece, and voila! Job done. Easy-peasy.

Fucking lazy-ass JERK. Sometimes you have to bear down and ask more questions and challenge your guests’ positions. Especially when one side (the GOP) is usually lying.

[Dave Starsky]

45. He was one of the best Senators we ever had.

I am still mad that he felt that he had to be forced out of office.

He truly was one of the smartest, best people who ever served as Senator.

[calimary]

53. Going! He's comping to Portland in October and five of us just got tickets!

Four of us Indivisibles and one husband (mine)!

Can’t wait!!!

[smirkymonkey]

54. Yay! Al was one of the most intelligent, most humane voices that we had in congress.

I am so happy to see him back. We need him now more than ever. I don't know if he will ever have the chance, but I would love to see him as president some day.

[Jimvanhise]

55. Al should return to radio

I listened to his Air America show every day and there is clearly an opening for a show like his. When Ed Schultz abruptly bailed on his syndicator they had no replacement. It could be argued that Randi Rhodes has finally filled that space but considering all of the right wing noise out there, a show like Al's is still needed.

[NNadir]

56. I personally would be gratified if he were restored to the Senate.

I agree with Harry Reid on this point. He was a great American Senator.

[saidsimplesimon]

72. I also agree with Harry Reid.

[spanone]

59. K&R...

[dlk]

60. Can't Wait to See Him Back in the Public Eye

He has been missed!

[SansACause]

65. He should run for Senate

I think he'd win.

[Roy Rolling]

66. No Apology Needed

I though he was railroaded, I don’t get the careful easing back into the public eye.

But at trust Al. I just want 2020 to be the Al Franken Decade like the 1980s.

[Gothmog]

67. I applauded Al Franken's return to the public eye

[SleeplessinSoCal]

68. Heidi Heidkamp admitted "group think" and made a mistake.

Re: Franken ouster. Said so on Bill Maher last night.

[Nitram]

70. I support Franken's return from an exile he probably didn't deserve in the first place.