GOP Senator's Ad Hits Al Franken's "Tasteless" Jokes And "Juicy Porn"
Check out this new attack ad from Minnesota GOP Senator Norm Coleman, who's locked in a tough race with comedian Al Franken -- it's Coleman's first TV spot directly attacking Franken for his history of dirty jokes:
"Foul-mouthed attacks on anyone he disagrees with," says the actor playing a blue-collar everyman. "Tasteless, sexist jokes. Writing all that juicy porn."
The "juicy porn" line is in reference to a comedy essay Franken wrote years ago for Playboy, featuring graphic sexual humor. And make no mistake: the Coleman campaign will be spending the next three and a half months mining all those jokes from Franken's career for attack material.
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God could this backfire - if people start laughing instead of being outraged, Coleman just shot himself in the back.
July 23, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hate to disagree, but I think it's an incredibly effective ad. It marginalizes Franken and mocks him for being a comedian not qualified to be a Senator, even if on a subliminal level.
I despise it, but it's a very effective ad.
http://strategy08.wordpress.com
July 23, 2008 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Dude, you're joking, I hope.
Minnesota elected Jesse Ventura, remember? I kind of doubt that Franken's being a comedian bothers many voters there, frankly. They elected a wrestler.
That ad is lame in my opinion - really lame. As lame as a Celine Dione concert.
July 23, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Ms Tena,
Better watch out a certain Canadian diva may hunt you down and stratch your eyes out for dissing her melodious musings.
July 23, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Shiela Broflovski sez:
When Canada is dead and gone,
There'll be no more Celine Dionne!
July 23, 2008 2:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Once bitten, twice shy. From what I understand, Ventura was far from the greatest governor in Minnesota history. You could almost say that's what they get for electing a professional wrestler and quite a comedian at that. Still, if people were willing to overlook feather boas and what had to be a plethora of off-color on-the-record quotes, and his participation in that godawful Running Man movie, maybe Franken's relatively mild career with SNL will also fail to get much notice.
July 23, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Juicy Porn."
Good lord.
July 23, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Coleman, I'm sure, knows juicy porn when he sees it. Probably learned it from his dad, who was caught with a prostitute in a St.Paul parking lot....
....or maybe that explains his behavior towards St.Paul waitresses and Washington DC bartenders, hitting on them, playing grab ass, ya know, being his swarmy self.
Franken's article, not so much.
July 23, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2415515
July 23, 2008 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
They'd be slightly more convincing faux blue collar workers if they weren't at a green screen bowling alley. I don't know why they had to get all "Attack of the Clones" with that.
July 23, 2008 11:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Franken has an attack ad of his own up and running...
Coleman voting with Bush 90% of the time, etc.
I want an ad on how Coleman still hasn't had one damn committee meeting on war profiteering or were the billions of dollars for Iraqi reconstruction went.
Coleman hasn't done a thing as the Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Halliburtion? KBR? Bush Admn.? Where is OUR MONEY!?!?!
How about an ad like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyEMaEqNi4w
July 23, 2008 11:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Here's another one the Franken campaign might try:
Norm Coleman wants you to know he voted for X (something Minnesotans want). But ooh, it got shot down/passed by a vote of 72-27 (or something). Here he is voting AGAINST something very similar, except this time, the vote was very close. Close enough that his vote actually mattered. Norm Coleman, representing Minnesota when it doesn't matter, supporting Bush when it does. I'm Al Franken, and I approve of this message.
July 23, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Coleman is attacking Franken becuase he writes better porn (satire) than Scooter Libby and Bill O'Reily seriously scribe?
BUT WTF! Norm Coleman brought back hockey!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VHn9sQVRVM
July 23, 2008 11:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, but voters are upset with Coleman for having installed Jacques Lemaire as head coach. The trap system he plays is sooooo boring. People in the great State of Hockey don't wanna be put to sleep!
Now, if Minnesoootans could just find somebody with the balls to call out those lying politicians for the lying liars they are, they'd have a great candidate!
July 23, 2008 2:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
While I want the dems to have a filibuster proof senate, they really should have put up a better candidate than Al Franken. The guy has way way to much baggage and it will all come out against him over the next few months.
What should have been a relatively easy election against Norm Coleman is now a squeaker because of the a poor candidate choice.
July 23, 2008 11:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
Pretty sure Franken campaigning and criss-crossing the state like a SOB the last year+ had something to do with it.
July 23, 2008 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Look into Franken. He is a true progressive and through his PAC helped a number of good Democratic folk gain seats last election season. Franken has strong bona fides and is a good choice. Heck, Franken is a Whelstone Democrat.
July 23, 2008 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
norm coleman would like you to believe otherwise (and apparently he's done a good enough job of convincing you) but franken has no more baggage than anyone else. certainly less baggage than norm coleman has.
the fact is al franken is very likable, incredibly intelligent, and devastatingly witty to boot. what's more: he's good people. maybe not as nice to republicans as coleman is hoping minnesotans would like, but the more they get to know him and hear him speak, the more likely they will be to vote for him (just as dfl voters did when they nominated him).
July 23, 2008 12:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, at least, I have not heard Coleman call his wife a c*** yet. So tell me, which is more egregious?
July 24, 2008 4:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
Franken needs to do a "seriously, folks" straight-into-the-camera talk to the voters of Minnesota and make the sale on his viability as a US Senator.
Don't know that he can pull it off, but it is his only shot at getting rid of the just-a-comedy-writer tag.
July 23, 2008 12:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
and nobody VETTED franken before they decided to nominate him?
as much as i like him, he just doesn't make a very good candidate.
July 23, 2008 12:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
He was nominated because he can raise money like a SOB, as well. He has one of the best funded campaigns this election, as far as the Senate goes.
He was and is a good candidate. If everyone is soooo "concerned" how about cutting him a check?
July 23, 2008 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
if he's such a great candidate why is norm coleman kicking his ass in a state that will probably go overwhelmingly for obama?
July 23, 2008 12:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
we are a purple state. and as for polls, bleh!
July 23, 2008 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
....of course those same polls are also not taking into account that overwhelming support for Obama, namely what will be massive Democratic turn out here.
Franken will squeak it out and depending how he campaigns in the fall may very well do more than that.
No one is even talking about the Senate here yet (in part do to horrible local press coverage). Wait until we have more campaigning, some debates, etc. Then, we'll see.
July 23, 2008 12:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
"kicking his ass"?
I doubt it.
you don't run these types of ads when you're ahead.
Methinks any polls showing Coleman "way ahead" are bullshit.
July 23, 2008 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Who are you really? Eric Mische? Or Patrick Seeb?
July 23, 2008 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Primary voters nominated him, not the party machine. There is a big difference.
July 23, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
what does that even mean??? nobody vetted him???
dfl voters vetted him. that's why they nominated him.
July 23, 2008 1:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
well they didn't do a very good job then.
nobody stopped to think, hey, maybe nominating a pornographer isn't a good idea?
I like al franken, i do. I just don't think he makes a very good candidate. he may well win and he may make an excellent senator, but in my opinion, he's a lousy candidate.
just like john kerry. he would have made an excellent president, but he was a lousy candidate. and it cost him. and us.
July 23, 2008 1:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
'al franken is a pornographer' is just a ridiculous republican attack. parroting it nullifies any legitimacy your criticism might have. and it was an attack that coleman was putting out well before dfl voters nominated franken. voters know it's bullshit. they aren't as stupid as you are accusing them of being.
July 23, 2008 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Writing an essay for Playboy makes one a "pornographer"? Really? I guess you must be one of those hyper-sensitive types that Coleman's trying to target with this ad.
July 23, 2008 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Al Franken is not a pornographer. He wrote an article for Playboy magazine. Whoopity-do. It had sexual references in it. Oh my god, S-E-X in a Playboy article, who'd a thunk? I mean anyone could've read that article, anyone. Anyone that reads Playboy. And they wouldn't be offended. You know why? Because it's effing Playboy!
SEX, why do people even partake in that stuff? It's no good for anybody. Really. Right? Right?
Congrats on buying into all of Coleman's and the Republicans bullshit.
Franken is a good candidate. You know why? He's knowledgeable about the issues and as anyone who tuned into his program on Air America knows, he actually READS the bills.
You yourself said he he'd be a great Senator. He's great at fundraising. He's criss-crossing the state campaigning. He knows the issues. He's vocally against Coleman and Bush. He's Progressive (won Feingold's Progressive Patriot Award). He's proposed a bill banning Senators and elected officials from becoming lobbyists.
What more do you need?
Higher poll numbers? That's a pretty lame excuse for thinking he's a bad candidate.
July 23, 2008 1:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also, he doesn't except lobbyist money and most PAC money (the Progressive Patriot Fund is a PAC after all). No oil or special interest money for Franken.
Coleman can't say the same.
July 23, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm with you, freaktown. I love Al Franken, both as a pol and as a comedian (Stuart Smalley... good lord, hilarious!).
But, electoral politics is about winning, right? Franken's weaknesses as a cnadidate were on display for everyone to see, including Franken. 30 years of dirty jokes and unrestrained insults toward political enemies does make for a good deal of otherwise avoidable electoral friction. If the DFL and Al Franken were serious about increasing the Senate majority by beating Norm Coleman - an eminently beatable guy if the DFL picked the right candidate - they would have gone with someone who shared Franken's views, but who unlike Franken did not have as much baggage as MSP International Airport. Instead, they decided to go with Franken, and went into the race with one hand tied behind their backs.
July 23, 2008 2:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
...and a butt load of cash.
July 23, 2008 3:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fine. He would have been a better fundraiser for another candidate.
July 23, 2008 3:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Why should he be a fundraiser for someone else when he can raise the funds for himself?
I'm really glad all the "concern" is from out of state. We don't really need it here in MN.
July 23, 2008 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think you have any basis to doubt the reality of my concern about the Democrats maximizing their majority in the Senate, regardless where I am from. And, for that matter, I sincerely hope that Al Franken is the next Senator from MN. Whether or not my or others' electability concern proves justified will become clear as the campaign season continues.
July 23, 2008 4:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I do not doubt your concern or that you are a good Democrat. I'm sure we'd probably agree on most of the big issues. My problem is with all the concern for Franken. He is doing fine, he is up in recent polls, fundraising is really good. In fact he just really kicked off the fall campaign THIS WEEK. Yeah, this week. The season has barely just started. But, no rest for the concern. In fact the only real story on Franken and his "problems" is the concern that is out there. Concern that many here feel the need to perpetuate and THAT really doesn't help us in the fall.
July 23, 2008 5:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, that's really quite fair, and your point is well taken. The appropriate time for concern is the primary, and the appropriate place to register concern is the DFL primary. After that, there's a nominee, and it's full steam ahead, guns blazing.
Norm Coleman is a slime ball (see Rachel Paulose debacle). He needs to lose, and he deserves to lose to Al Franken.
July 23, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. Whew!
July 23, 2008 5:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Given the choice between "pornographer" Franken and possible wife-beater Coleman, I think I have a fairly easy choice.
July 23, 2008 9:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I do think this has some backfire potential. It is obvious that Franken is serious about this, and he was a COMEDIAN, and the fact that Coleman can't beat him on the issues, and has to resort to attacking JOKES to win makes Coleman look pathetic. Franken just needs to come back with a really brilliant response to turn it around, like something Obama would come up with. It needs to be like his "Kennedy Catholic speech" moment, where he just puts it all behind him. He just needs to smack it down once and for all and embarrass Coleman in the process.
July 23, 2008 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, and here's yet another one:
Norm Coleman wants to make this election about whether or not I'm funny. This is because he voted with George Bush over 90% of the time, and that's, uh, not funny at all. I'm Al Franken, and I approved this message.
July 23, 2008 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's good to see Coleman is planning to run an issues-oriented campaign.
July 23, 2008 12:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
The HORROR:
A Republican source who attended a small private meeting with John McCain yesterday in New Hampshire tells CNN that "the GOP candidate dropped a serious hint about Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty" becoming his running mate.
The source said "out of the blue" McCain told the gathering that he thinks they are "really going to like" Pawlenty.
"This GOP source noted that McCain also said nice things about Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani, but those appeared to be standard lines he says about former rivals."
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2008/07/23/mccain_drops_hints_about_pawlenty.html
Of course with such an underwhelming VP choice, I think McLame has solidified his loss. No-mentum, indeed.
July 23, 2008 12:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, if this is an issue, I'm sure that Republicans won't mind if we explore some of the humor that their presumptive nominee enjoys. Whether it's rape or mass murder or just insulting teenage girls and non-glamorous women in positions of power, that McCain is a laugh a minute.
The real kicker is that McCain tells his jokes for free.
July 23, 2008 1:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
people need to not be such fucking chicken shits about republican attack ads.
my guess is that the people who are most worried about franken beating coleman are the people who don't really know al franken. and won't know al franken as well as minnesota voters will. i can't imagine anyone who has listened to al's radio show (or watched any of the sundance channel episodes) doubting that al franken is an excellent candidate.
July 23, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
of course, there are also plenty of chickenshit dems who think playing not to lose is the best dems should ever aspire to. always worrying about what republicans might say. the same sorts of folks who defended obama's FISA sell-out as 'politically necessary' to prevent mccain from saying obama is weak on national security... the sort of dems who imagine that the only dems who can get elected are the ones who pretend to be republicans.
July 23, 2008 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
FYI. I was "up north" in Minnesota, in Bemidji, on the 4th of July weekend. Franken was in the parade and had a great reception from the on-lookers. I got to shake his hand myself. Lots of cheering.
Coleman had one sign stapled to a float on another Republican's float. And all the Republicans floats had a lukewarm response at best.
For those that do not know Northern MN is one of the rural areas that will be crucial for Franken this year.
Looking good!
July 23, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
FYI. I was "up north" in Minnesota, in Bemidji, on the 4th of July weekend. Franken was in the parade and had a great reception from the on-lookers. I got to shake his hand myself. Lots of cheering.
Coleman had one sign stapled to a float on another Republican's float. And all the Republicans floats had a lukewarm response at best.
For those that do not know Northern MN is one of the rural areas that will be crucial for Franken this year.
Looking good!
July 23, 2008 1:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Al Franken will not win or lose because of any ad Coleman runs or any remarks Coleman makes about him - he will win if there is a Democratic sweep and lots of Obama voters in MN make it to the polls on election day. If they don't, he will lose.
July 23, 2008 1:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
DKDC is probably right. I do think that if Franken keeps hammering Coleman as a Bush lackey, he will have some success.
When gauging this race, keep this stat in mind. In 2002, Norm Coleman, won exactly zero (as is 0) precincts in St. Paul, the city where he was once was mayor.
He may be popular in certain parts of this state but the people who know him best -- the folks where he served as mayor -- aren't big fans.
July 23, 2008 2:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
The only real question here is not whether or not this ad works. The question is how will Franken come back?
If Al seizes the bull by the horns and comes back swinging instead of whimpering some sort of typical DC Democratic apologia then he'll be fine. Remembering Jesse, "The Mind", Ventura for a moment, I'd say the best thing to do is respond by calling this bullshit what it is: bullshit, And pointing out that if the people of the state are as dumb as Coleman's ad men think they are then they will decide this election based upon some jokes a comedian told. But if they are as smart as Al Franken knows they are, they will realize this is only an attempt to distract them from the rotten job Coleman has done and from the rotten things he has supported like the war in Iraq, lowering taxes for the rich and so forth.
July 23, 2008 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Franken's respone is ridiculously easy:
My opponent wants to you to be offended by some of the jokes I told when I was a comedian. But you know what's really offensive? Coleman's votes on issues that really matter to Minnesotans. [Insert several egregious examples here]
Some voters may think my jokes were lame, but we can all agree that Norm Coleman's George Bush-like political ideology is no laughing matter. Minnesotans deserve better, and I take my promise to represent my state in the United States Senate very seriously.
July 23, 2008 3:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Al Franken standing up for striking workers...
and speaking on the economoy and jobs....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ty0XWYBJw
July 23, 2008 3:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about something on the order of:
I used to make my living writing jokes. I even made jokes about politics. But with (housing crisis, banking crisis, inflation, cost of gasoline, 4,000+ dead soldiers, destruction of the rule of law - fill in the blank) nobody is laughing anymore. Now I'm running for the US Senate because Norm Coleman and his party have refused to solve these problems. It's time for a change, in America and in Washington."
Huh, not bad, maybe Al will hire me.
July 23, 2008 4:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well despite all the mistakes Franken has made in his campaign so far, the GOP brand's problems are stronger.
Franken now leads this race 49% - 46% over Coleman according to the just released new Rasmussen poll. If after all his bad press in the last few weeks, he is still ahead then he has a great chance to win. Obama is doing very well in the state and DEMS are on the upswing there.
Coleman has tons of money but Franken has a good bit. The DSCC will kick in a much as is needed to win here.
July 23, 2008 4:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
:) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
July 23, 2008 4:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think Franken should challenge Coleman and his team of bowling buddy actors to a Bowling match.
July 23, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
I live in Minnesota, and there's a few thing you should know about this race:
1. You can't compare Ventura and Franken. Ventura's win was sparked by at-poll registration of first-time voters (primarily males in the 20s). It was also a three-way race, which made getting elected as a fringe candidate much easier.
2. Even though Ventura was nationally know for his wrestling and acting, he was a well-known Minnesotan. Most Minnesotans didn't realize Franken was from this state until he moved here in order to qualify for the Senate residency requirements.
3. The Republican candidate that Ventura beat in the governor's race was (drum roll please) ... Norm Coleman.
4. Coleman was a long-time Democrat, who switched parties prior to running for Governor. He's best known for being a Democratic mayor of St. Paul.
5. During his tenure as mayor, the NHL awarded St. Paul a franchise. As an incumbent senator, Coleman is highly touting himself for returning professional hockey to Minnesota as the St. Paul mayor, rather than his record as a senator.
6. Coleman was elected senator during another high profile race. Incumbent Paul Wellstone, a well-loved and very liberal senator, died in a plane crash a couple of weeks before the election. At the last minute former VP and presidential nominee Walter Mondale stepped in, but didn't have time to campaign (I believe Wellstone's name was still on the ballot). Coleman basically won a close race to a deceased candidate.
7. Franken hasn't been fully embraced by DFL (Democrats in Minnesota are known as the Democratic Farm Labor party). So there is another former DFLer running as an independent, who should take away a large portion of votes from Franken.
Basically, Coleman should be a vulnerable incumbent, but I fully expect him to win because he's hiding from his record and Franken hasn't drawn the Democratic voters full support because he appears to be an outsider (ironic because he's really from Minnesota, but Coleman is from New York), who doesn't represent Minnesota voters. That's why the porn angle is being played up by Coleman.
July 23, 2008 5:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
actually i think the porn and sexist joke angle is about the wedge within dfl between real feminists and humorless PC hillary dead-ender 'feminists'.
July 23, 2008 6:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not that it matters much, but Franken is +3 (49%-46%) in the latest released this afternoon.
July 23, 2008 6:20 PM | Reply | Permalink