Disgusting Franken

Lori Sturdevant: Franken's 'I'm sorry' was a key first step
Franken still has work to do among skeptical DFL legislators -- and a recent rival might help.

ROCHESTER - Officially, Al Franken was endorsed by acclamation at the DFL state convention Saturday. That's the nicety that happens when the loser at these affairs is as classy as Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, and responds to defeat with a graceful motion for unanimity.

As a result, the tally on the one and only ballot wasn't announced. But as authoritatively whispered at the media tables, it contained an oddity: 2.9 percent of the 1,274.5 votes were cast for "no endorsement."

It's rare that "none of the above" does that well early in a major state party endorsement fight. For an explanation, I headed to the clusters of state legislators that formed and reformed all day at the back of the convention hall.

A half-dozen of them -- products of the endorsement system all -- were known to have preferred to let the primary voters decide the party's Senate nomination this time. Why?

"I'm already hearing about this at the door," said Rep. Jeremy Kalin of Lindstrom.

He has heard voters react to references to sex and rape in the 30-year body of work Franken produced as one of the nation's leading jokesters. The "ouch" that material causes has escalated to the political danger level in recent weeks.

Kalin, a first-termer in a swing district, said he isn't worried about how a poor Franken showing would affect his own prospects. His support isn't dependent on coattails.

"Legislators are nervous about this, but not for themselves," he said. "We're worried that, in what should be a good year for the DFL, we won't be able to win this Senate seat."

Party endorsement brings Kalin and most other good-soldier DFL office-holders at least nominally into the Franken fold. Still, some of their support has a tepid, tentative quality to it that could be trouble for the Senate endorsee -- especially if he pays it no heed.

Read the whole editorial in the Strib.

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The recent DFL endorsement of Al Franken was less than enthusiastic. Some delegates did not vote for either Franken or Nelson-Pallmeyer, a rarity.

Rep. Jeremy Kalin (D-17B) acknowledged he was hearing that some at the convention ". . . preferred to let the primary voters decide the party's Senate nomination this time . . . " That speaks of great enthusiasm for their candidates, doesn’t it? That’s what you get when your candidate moves to Minnesota to enter politics without moving up through the ranks and writes vile stuff.

Kalin spoke of hearing voters react to Franken’s sexually explicit and debasing writing that has riled so many. Kalin stated, "We're worried that, in what should be a good year for the DFL, we won't be able to win this Senate seat." There is reason to worry. People want a statesman, not a sexual fantasizer and classless jerk to represent them in the US Senate.

But Kalin isn’t worried for himself— "Kalin, a first-termer in a swing district, said he isn't worried about how a poor Franken showing would affect his own prospects. His support isn't dependent on coattails." Apparently Kalin doesn’t believe Mark Foley had any coattails either. Or maybe those kinds of coattails affect only the Republicans. If Franken doesn’t have any coattail affect on Kalin, then we will know once again that the Party that claims to stand up for women, actually doesn’t.

Kalin did not stand up for women against Franken in this interview. All he is concerned about is winning his seat. Sturdevant herself did not report that Rep. Betty McCollum was booed by her fellow Dems when she disavowed Franken for his vile writing. Dem women speaking up for women are harried. Where were you Kalin? If you won’t stand up for Dem women against a man who obviously disturbs you (politically, not morally), you will certainly not stand up for women.

Where is your courage? Where is your character? We will not forget.