Al Franken, Giant of the Senate

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.

It is terribly important that the most trusted figures in American politics right now are comedians: Al Franken, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert. It is important that our newest president has only ever actually been professionally successful as a television character.

Don't get me wrong: I don't think actors, performers, and certainly not writers are somehow less valid as elected officials. While the primary business of senators and congress people is lawmaking, I recognize that they themselves don't (possibly ever anymore) write the laws; federal laws are written by interested parties, think tanks, and congressional staff. So it isn't necessary to be a lawyer in order to shape laws. What is necessary: I think a broad, general interest is show more good; literacy is useful; the ability to listen is huge; one has to judge sources, because I'm sure there's never less than two sides to any issue, and all of them purport to have data backing them up, of which some must be less valid or useful than others; a willingness to admit ignorance and to learn is key, because no one is an expert in everything, and hastily-formed judgements are unlikely to result in successful solutions to complex problems. And of course, one has to be able to work with many difficult people, but that's true of all work, isn't it? That list of qualities leaves previous work experience pretty open.

It's important that our emperor is naked, and that as many people as possible are pointing at the bare ass he's waggling at us, and laughing. It's not possible to bring him down by arguing with him or fact-checking him: he's a shameless liar, he just makes shit up, most of his shtick is just childish insults. You can't argue with him. He doesn't believe in the idea of a fair fight. But you can point and laugh: he has no defense against mockery.

Franken is a mensch. I would give that man an organ I can't spare, secure in the knowledge that he would use it only for good. He is everything one could hope for in an elected representative, just once I would like to vote for someone who was so progressive and also so pragmatic. Harvard has gone up in my esteem by being Franken's alma mater. If you've never read any of Franken's political books you're in for a treat.

Library copy show less

I read this slowly on my Kindle app, starting before Franken resigned from the Senate and finishing it after, and my big takeaway is that I wish he hadn't resigned, because we need him, or someone like him, or many someones like him in government.

The book covers his early years, with a whirlwind tour of his formative years, a few chapters on his comedy career (including some nice behind-the-scenes looks at "Saturday Night Live"), then following with his entry into politics, and finally, his time in the Senate. What I most want is a follow-up that includes his resignation and how he feels about the current state of the US.

The insights into how government works, or doesn't, and his opinions of his fellow senators are worth the price, show more alone. This is a funny, serious, snarky, wise, and important book. I highly recommend it. show less

Reading this book reminds me that you can both be a good and competent politician (which is quite an accomplishment) and still fail to further meaningful work. In particular, what I'm speaking to here is that, although Franken has pushed forward a number of perfectly fine bills, such as on therapeutic dogs for veterans, he hasn't made any real progress on the climate change front, despite the fact that he reiterated the existential importance of this numerous times throughout the text. One poignant simile people use to illustrate a lack of prioritization: "like reorganizing the deck chairs on the Titanic."

You might say I'm being unfair to him; "even senators aren't gods." Maybe. But I don't think so. We all have a responsibility to put show more ourselves to a highest and best use, as discerned by reflecting on our values and vocation. I don't think Franken has yet found this vocation in his life as a politician.

One missing component seems to involve his insecurities surrounding his primary asset—his sense of humor. These are weird times. Trump's election should have dispelled any sense of normality. And yet, for whatever reason, Franken still seems to feel that he needs to "uphold the honor of the office." I think that's pompous, conservative, and irresponsible. Franken should be using whatever tools are at his disposal to accomplish his aims—first a foremost, a biting sense of humor, which he should be deploying without remorse.

I'd like to add that I don't think everyone should believe global warming is our most pressing issue—I don't. But Franken said he does, and I find it disappointing that his actions as an elected leader don't reflect this sentiment. This sort of inconsistency leads to impotence.

Additionally, I was also disappointed by Fraken's partisanship: "democrats are good, republicans are bad." This false dichotomy lacks the nuanced understanding that both parties dominantly fall within an extremist ideology known "neoliberalism." That this kind of political analysis wasn't once brought up during the pages of this text speaks to Franken's naïveté. He didn't really even talk about about Bernie (although this would just be the easiest point of entry for such a discussion, and not mandatory). He's not seeing the forest for the trees in the realm of social theory.

Look, maybe progressives find a book like this cathartic during these difficult times, and that's fine. But we can't stop there, and our senators definitely can't stop there. Now is a time for grand vision, stalwart resolve, and decisive action. show less

Al Franken and I are virtually entirely in sync in our political philosophy—and I believe that his ouster from the Senate was more about power politics than it was about accusations of poor behavior, which I'm skeptical of. On top of that, I think he's about the most talented writer to have worked on Saturday Night Live, right up there with Bob Odenkirk and Jack Handey. So you're free to take my review with a grain of salt. All that said, I can't believe that a book this funny was written by a sitting member of the U.S. Senate. It's hilarious. It's also candid and almost unbelievably plain-spoken about what's right and what's wrong about American politics right now. Only a politician with Franken's wry sense of irony could win my show more heart as fully as he has, particularly since he combines that sense with a completely sincere passion for using the mechanisms of government to do good.

I particularly appreciate his stories of working across the aisle, which in these times can only be accomplished by someone with a genuine liking for others very different from oneself. Those stories aren't completely self-serving, as they would be in another politician's book. They're a guide to what we should expect of our elected officials in dark times. show less

Surprisingly, I have a vague desire to go live in Minnesota now. Franken is funny, but that's expected. He also has a very firm handle on the issues and a clear way of communicating, as well as a lot of heart and genuine caring for America and Americans.

I have a confession: I never much liked Al Franken as a comedian back in the early days of Saturday Night Live. His brash style somehow didn't click for me. But Senator Al Franken? I like him a great deal. The candid, open, sometimes a bit crude style that didn't win me over then now strikes me as a refreshing difference in a politician. Not only that, I've seen him stand up for things that are right and get away with it (his question to Betsy DeVos about growth versus proficiency comes to mind). And he is very clear about his mission, and its limits, as an elected official.

The book describes a profoundly dissonant world of politics where you can spend three hours a day fundraising and the rest of the day being friendly with people who show more are actively trying to ruin everything you stand for; where your staff is there to save you from yourself and make it possible for you to function, but you are accountable for everything you say and do - including any controversial out-of-context things you may possibly have done in an earlier career.

The candor of the book is sometimes unsettling, though he inventively replaces foul language with words like "nincompoopery" (he explains, "Because I'm a United States senator, I can't use the word bull____"). He cheerfully mixes insults with praise, and gets along with some pretty repellent people. Franken's criticism of Mitch McConnell, for instance, is accompanied by affection. The same for many others. The only people he clearly has absolutely no patience for are Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, and he says so bluntly. His encounters with Cruz have been covered in many other reviews of the book. About Trump, he says, after the inauguration, "it began to dawn on many Americans, including a number of my Republican colleagues, that the new leader of our country was, indeed, unbalanced."

The book has plenty of flaws. He blows his own horn a good bit, pointing out his wins in show business and in the Senate, yet he also tells the stories of his defeats and naive assumptions with the same relish. His jokes remind me of why I didn't much like him as a comedian. They are brash and jarring, not subtle or unexpected. But again, he tells as many jokes on himself as on others. The book is written in a cheerful, chatty mass-market style, and like his other books, has a title that made me scratch my head and wonder why his editor let him get away with it. Obviously, though, that kind of titling has worked for him in the past, and is consistent with the way he thinks.

Near the end, he tells his readers, who for the most part are going to share his views, to keep showing up, keep being a pain in the butt, and become advocates. The book came at a good time for me. I recently finished reading Elizabeth Warren's most recent book and came away discouraged by her relentless exposition of how banking and big business have destroyed the common man. Al Franken offered a more cynical and cheerful take on the same injustice, and made it easier for me to keep going. Your mileage may vary. However, I recommend the book, especially if you have enjoyed Senator Franken's time in the Senate or if you want a better idea of the reason that august institution so often seems dysfunctional. show less