Oppose Bush's Vulgar Lies and Pornographic War: Send Money to Al Franken

It is a minor journalistic cliché to call former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson "a gifted wordsmith." That he is. Gerson is the devout Christian (just ask him) whose presidential speeches contained subliminal messages to evangelicals ("wonder-working power", "an angel rides the whirlwind," etc.).

Gerson used these dog-whistle techniques to help persuade followers of the Prince of Peace to embrace an unjust, unwise, unwarranted war. A man who would contort the language of Christ and His followers to promote a war would, you'd think, have a high tolerance for how others use words. But not Mr. Gerson.

In a pompous, preening, prissy, preachy op-ed in the neoconservative Washington Post, Gerson excoriates, of all people, Al Franken. Why Franken? Well, Franken has committed a sin far more egregious than Bush, who, using Gerson's words, led thousands to a certain and unnecessary death. He told some dirty jokes.

Goody-Goody Gerson has the guts to cheer the Bush-Cheney war machine. But when Al Franken tells a poopy joke or a booby joke, Mikey gets all woozy. Someone quick get this frail flower a fan. He has the vapors.

Franken, more than most people I know, has thrown himself into supporting and comforting the soldiers whom Gerson's boss has used and abused. I can't count the number of USO trips Al has made, the troops he has entertained, the men facing death who had a brief laugh (maybe even at a wee-wee joke!) before heading back into combat. Or Al's many visits to military hospitals, the countless acts of true charity -- dare I say Christian charity? -- that this good man has committed while Gerson poses as a saintly supporter of senseless slaughter.

One of the Franken jokes Gerson is most nauseated by is Franken's 2006 monologue in which he allegedly impersonated Strom Thurmond saying, "Yeah, I screwed a woman who was vomiting once." Horrific, isn't it? But it's actually an example of satire being less shocking than truth. There is no record, (that I know of), of Strom Thurmond actually screwing a woman until she threw up. Hence Al's line was meant to be over-the-top, ridiculous, comic. But Thurmond did in fact have sex with a woman as she was being driven to the electric chair*, which I think is worse.

But that's just me. I think death is worse than sex. Perhaps for Mr. Gerson it's the other way 'round. He's clearly more comfortable putting words in the mouth of our incompetent, dishonest President; he's happy to be a sycophantic scribe for the bastards who have plunged us into this damnable war. But heaven forefend Al Franken - who opposes the war - would tell a dirty joke.

It is Mr. Gerson who is dirty and his writing which is a joke.

So I'm going to do some writing in response. Not just this post. I'm writing a check to Al Franken for Senate. Better still, I'm going to click here and donate right away. I hope you'll do the same. Stand up for good, clean dirty jokes and against sanctimonious, smug, speechwriters.

*See Jack Bass and Marilyn W. Thompson's book Ol' Strom for the full story of Strom nailing convicted murderer Sue Logue as she was being driven to the South Carolina death house in 1943. Logue's nephew said his aunt "was the only person ever seduced on the way to the electric chair." Thurmond's longtime, trusted driver, Randall Johnson, who witnessed the tryst on the highway to heaven -- or hell -- said the two were "a-huggin' and a-kissin' the whole way" to the death house.

Comments

[WinslowLeach]

Thanks for giving Franken some props. I only wish there were more like him
running for congress.

[sarimn00]

As a Minnesotan, I can say pretty easily that I think Al Franken is going to chew Norm Coleman up and spit him out on election night. Coleman has no chance. Al Franken, IMO, will be the next Minnesota senator. His jokes are not an issue, Coleman's crappy record is. Al Franken shows that he is a great at debates, so it will be fun to watch. I'm sending of a check to his campaign now.

[leftLibertarian]

Paul - Does Franken think that the criminals Bush and Cheney should be impeached?

[WinslowLeach]

No doubt. Have you read any of his books?

[leftLibertarian]

I have seen him in the movie Stuart Saves His Family. But you have to convince me he is for impeaching the criminals Bush and Cheney.

Here is an interview were he is against it.

http://www.democrats.com/node/8851

[RPLinNYC]

Great post.

[AnotherHuddy]

Wow, Paul; bringing out the election season cajones!
Clearly, the republicans have nothing on Al; they just take his normal stump speech and run scary music under it in the hopes that people won't pay attention, but the good people of Minnesota will know better in November.

Battleground people, please help get out the vote for Al Franken, Ronnie Musgrove, Mark Udall, Tom Udall, Mark Warner, Mark Lunsford, Kay Hagan, Rick Noriega, Jeanne Shaheen, Larry LaRocco, and Jeff Merkley for Senate.

~s~

[despike]

Breaking news!!!!!!! FROM AP

Sam Nunn and John Edwards on the list of Obama VEEP.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_VEEPSTAKES?SITE=VTBRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[JBCinSD]

Al Franken is a smart guy who is running a great campaign and deserves our support. Having listened to his radio show for many years, I know what good judgement and thoughtful analysis of the issues he has.

I have given to his campaign and hope many others will send a contribution. The race is a tight one and Coleman has had Bush raise fundsfor him behind closed doors. Let's outdo them to get Al's voice in the Senate. We've seen so many close Senate votes and every seat really counts.

[TonalCrow]

Thanks for the inspiration. I just kicked in some cash for Franken. He seems likely to remain a true progressive when he attains office.

[zull2]

The thing is, most folks who haven't been living under a rock KNEW Al Franken was a comedian. Even Bill Cosby has told an off-kilter joke here and there. Most folks knew he was a commentator on Air America. All of this stuff is in his bio and people are reminded of it every time he speaks in Minnesota. This is even a bigger stretch than it was for Obama's opponents to dig bits from his autobiographies and try to integrate them into attack ads. Al Franken was on SNL! Nationally televised. Compared to that, a small handful of folks ever read Obama's books, and even then, people realized the attacks were ridiculous and they failed.

The funniest thing about those attacks is that the only people who'd actually agree with them would be people who were going to vote for Norm Coleman in the first place. These are people who are so out of touch with the rest of society that they don't realize that Al Franken was once a comedian, and he wrote and told jokes for a living. These would also be people who'd have no idea who this Al Franken would be, and would most likely vote for the incumbent anyway.

[audiophileguy]

Thanks, Mr. Begala. When I read Gerson's article this morning, I was disgusted and angry for all the reasons you articulated----but I was unable to pen a response as meaningful as your words here. Thanks for writing a post that reflects the truth about this sorry article and the sorry paper that published this trash.

[hoopesaz]

His sin is simply that he isn't appealing to people who want someone serious to run for office. Dirty jokes or note, we've all seen and heard plenty from Al Franken.

[WmC]

Someone serious? Like, maybe, someone who's written 5 best selling books--including 3 that made it to the the #1 place on the NYT's best seller list?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Franken

[editorjuno]

Spoken like someone whose most recent exposure to Al Franken was his cameo in "Trading Places" a full quarter-century ago. Care to join the rest of us in the here and now? I didn't think so......

[kellygrrrl]

DONE!

and I will continue to support Franken's Campaign

unless and until we get Progressive Leadership in the Middle of America
we will always be on the outside.

as a Californian I will always support good people like Al Franken in any state

[steamboat]

His dirty jokes are NOT an issue.........His cheating some of his employees on workers comp and oweing taxes in several states ARE an issue.

[Johnagain]

They would be much more of an issue if any of these allegations were true. Do you have any source for this, besides Rush Limbo?

[TonalCrow]

I expect a newsmax.com cite referencing a worldnetdaily.com article any time now.

[davesnothere]

you have your facts wrong willie

[Atone]

'...cheating some of his employees on workers comp and oweing taxes..' is far worse than his opponent, Norm Coleman, bolstering the lies that killed thousands of American soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, right?

[kellygrrrl]

links?