What the... he's not being funny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJj0OMdZT4w
Here's my new favorite (or maybe, "favorite new") senator. On substance, this speech was perfect. I am glad to see that Democrats are pushing back against the idea that "strict interpretation of laws" = "conservative" and "judicial activism" = "liberal." The Rehnquist-led court ruled against established precedent many times.
Now, on style... I know much has been made of "comedian-turned-politician" Al Franken. (I maintain that it should be noted that he is "comedian-turned-author-turned-radio talk show host-turned-politician" Al Franken, but that appears to be too much turning for some people.) There seem to be two schools of thought on how Franken will approach his new job, and it seems entirely dependent on whether or not you liked him in the first place:
- "Woah [sic] dude, Al Franken's gonna be crazy, man! He's a comedian and will therefore make a joke out of the Senate!"
- "Whoa, man... Al Franken is going to have to be overly serious all of the time or people will think he's trying to make a joke out of the Senate!"
Can we please have somewhere in the middle? Maybe I shouldn't be criticizing the guy five days into his job and only hours after his first speech that received national attention, but I hope once he settles into his position he is able to use his humor on the Senate floor to effectively illustrate his points as he did so well on the Al Franken Show.
