Posted: Saturday, 16 December 2006 11:06
By Christopher Truscott
I (naively) hope Michael Brodkorb is the only one taking the prospect of an Al Franken Senate candidacy seriously.
Brodkorb, whose Minnesota Democrats Exposed blog is a repository of Republican talking points, has spent part of the post-election lull documenting some of the more inflammatory anti-Franken evidence available.
In his own way he makes a reasonable argument against the comedian. But Brodkorb's litany of posts (with information gathered from media accounts) about Franken's past drug use and dismissive attitude toward using politics as a means for good represent only the tip of the iceberg in the case against the Air America radio personality.
Minnesota DFLers are coming off a banner year, winning a new congressional seat, an open Senate seat and gaining complete, overwhelming control of the Legislature. Contrary to GOP blather, this didn't happen solely because of the unpopular Iraq War or Republicans betraying conservative values. Democrats in Minnesota and nationally were successful because they offered a reasonable (but clear) alternative to continued GOP rule.
Franken worked hard for Minnesota DFLers, using his Midwest Values PAC this year as a vehicle for distributing cash to candidates statewide. He played an important support role in the party's landslide, but his reward should be our gratitude, not a U.S. Senate seat.
The next election cycle will be tough. When you lose almost everything you can lose, you can't possibly do worse the next time. Like the DFL in 2004, the GOP in 2008 has only one way to go: up.
Incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman is no Mark Kennedy. The ex-DFL St. Paul mayor is a skilled politician (or sleazy), able to recreate himself to meet popular demand. Nevertheless, Coleman is beatable, but he won't be a pushover. The DFL needs a serious candidate with a serious record.
In two years, Democrats won't be able to win by saying "give us a chance." They'll have to defend the record of the 110th Congress and present a clear vision for further improvement. The next Minnesota DFL Senate candidate will also have to explain why voters are better off casting their lot entirely with the Democratic Party, rather than reserving one of the state's two seats for someone who presents an opposing viewpoint (assuming the chameleon-like Coleman occasionally does that between now and Election Day 2008).
In short, it'll take a candidate as agile as Coleman to navigate the electoral tight-rope the presidential election year will present. Franken is as subtle as Jesse Ventura and nominating another celebrity-politician because it feels good effectively guarantees Coleman another term in office. Franken's role in the next election cycle should be the same as it was this year: activist extraordinaire. He can raise money and rally the base like few others, but a critical Senate contest is no place to see if he can play the role of an Amy Klobuchar-style consensus candidate.
I know, Franken supporters will argue that limited experience and plenty of publicized ethical transgressions didn't stop George W. Bush from reaching the White House, but that model hasn't worked well over the last six years, has it?
Christopher Truscott can be reached at chris.truscott@gmail.com . He hasn't checked, but he's pretty sure Klobuchar is prohibited from holding two Senate seats simultaneously.
Coleman's beatable, he positively stinks of Bush.
I think Franken's a riot and he's fine voice for liberalism against conservative BS-- keep him where he is, give him the respect he's due--but don't give the Senate seat away before it's begun!