Comments on: Franken’s gay humor resurfaces as a campaign issue

By: Andy Birkey

Andy Birkey — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:35:05 +0000

Thank you Sen. Spear Thanks for your comment and clarification. Maybe it was my own bias at the event -- while I don't think Franken's past humor reflects on his ability to effectively advocate for LGBT folks at the Senate level, every time I hear the jokes or read them it leaves me a little queasy. So that was my frame when listening to you talk about his jokes.

I get your point now, and have to say it's a good one. The focus SHOULD be on Norm Coleman. As Eva points out, Coleman has some horrendous black marks regarding LGBT people.

By: Allan Spear

Allan Spear — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:40:11 +0000

Franken's jokes Andy, you missed my point. Of course the issue of Franken's jokes is being generated by Republicans and many of them are being taken out of context. And that is exactly what will happen in the general election if Franken is the DFL candidate. What I said in introducing Ciresi is not that the GLBT community should be offended by Franken's jokes but that we should be worried about his ability to beat Norm Coleman. I said that to win we will need to focus on Coleman's record and make that the issue and not have a candidate whose own record will become the issue. Franken has just said too much on the record for too many years. His jokes and satire can too easily be taken out of context and used in a constant barrage of attacks against him. He will be on the defensive throughout the campaign. I want the campaign to be about Norm and his terrible record in St. Paul and in Washington and not about what Al Franken said on SNL or in one of his books. So the fact that all this is coming from MDE stengthens not weakens my argument.

By: lloydletta

lloydletta — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:01:33 +0000

Was there any attempt to get a comment from the Franken campaign? Good story, Andy, and I'm glad the story was published prior to the caucuses.

Franken should be prepared for a collection of his anti-gay "jokes" to show up in an ad in Lavender paid for by the Minnesota Republican Party or the Coleman for Senate campaign. The ad would show up in the last issue before the general election.

The Coleman campaign should be prepared for his anti-gay flyer from the 1998 campaign to be reproduced in Lavender.

There is strong support for Al Franken in the gay community. However, I do know from talking to some Stonewall DFLers on background, this issue affected their vote on endorsement.

By: Andy Birkey

Andy Birkey — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:27:28 +0000

I agree to a point He already got what he wanted when the media carried his water. I've seen it as a non-issue for almost a year, and found little newsworthy about it.

It became apparent to me that it was an issue for discussion when political opponents on the DFL side were talking about it, and members of the community bringing it up in discussions of candidate support. Even that the Stonewall DFL would bring it up shows MDE's (unfortunate) impact.

By: s4xton

s4xton — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:38:21 +0000

Exactly what MDE wanted. Turning something that is a non-issue into an issue is exactly what MDE/Republicans are great at. To position Franken as weak on GLBT issues by any means based off of this kind of stuff out of context is the kind of stuff that caters to the sound-bite crazed folks… but yet people keep turning it into baseless “news.” It's upsetting that the media and bloggers consider this kind of crap worthy of even writing about. That and he's a proven liar over and over again. Yet bloggers, and even the Star Tribune, TPT's Almanac and other sources still regard MDE as a source of information. Drives me up the wall that people give him so much unworthy attention.

By: s4xton

s4xton — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Exactly what MDE wanted. Turning something that is a non-issue into an issue is exactly what MDE/Republicans are great at. To position Franken as weak on GLBT issues by any means based off of this kind of stuff out of context is the kind of stuff that caters to the sound-bite crazed folks… but yet people keep turning it into baseless “news.” It’s upsetting that the media and bloggers consider this kind of crap worthy of even writing about. That and he’s a proven liar over and over again. Yet bloggers, and even the Star Tribune, TPT’s Almanac and other sources still regard MDE as a source of information. Drives me up the wall that people give him so much unworthy attention.

By: Andy Birkey

Andy Birkey — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I agree to a point He already got what he wanted when the media carried his water. I’ve seen it as a non-issue for almost a year, and found little newsworthy about it.

By: lloydletta

lloydletta — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Was there any attempt to get a comment from the Franken campaign? Good story, Andy, and I’m glad the story was published prior to the caucuses.

Franken should be prepared for a collection of his anti-gay “jokes” to show up in an ad in Lavender paid for by the Minnesota Republican Party or the Coleman for Senate campaign. The ad would show up in the last issue before the general election.

The Coleman campaign should be prepared for his anti-gay flyer from the 1998 campaign to be reproduced in Lavender.

There is strong support for Al Franken in the gay community. However, I do know from talking to some Stonewall DFLers on background, this issue affected their vote on endorsement.

By: Allan Spear

Allan Spear — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Franken’s jokes Andy, you missed my point. Of course the issue of Franken’s jokes is being generated by Republicans and many of them are being taken out of context. And that is exactly what will happen in the general election if Franken is the DFL candidate. What I said in introducing Ciresi is not that the GLBT community should be offended by Franken’s jokes but that we should be worried about his ability to beat Norm Coleman. I said that to win we will need to focus on Coleman’s record and make that the issue and not have a candidate whose own record will become the issue. Franken has just said too much on the record for too many years. His jokes and satire can too easily be taken out of context and used in a constant barrage of attacks against him. He will be on the defensive throughout the campaign. I want the campaign to be about Norm and his terrible record in St. Paul and in Washington and not about what Al Franken said on SNL or in one of his books. So the fact that all this is coming from MDE stengthens not weakens my argument.

By: Andy Birkey

Andy Birkey — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thank you Sen. Spear Thanks for your comment and clarification. Maybe it was my own bias at the event — while I don’t think Franken’s past humor reflects on his ability to effectively advocate for LGBT folks at the Senate level, every time I hear the jokes or read them it leaves me a little queasy. So that was my frame when listening to you talk about his jokes.

I get your point now, and have to say it’s a good one. The focus SHOULD be on Norm Coleman. As Eva points out, Coleman has some horrendous black marks regarding LGBT people.