I read Al Franken, Giant of the Senate chiefly for the chapter on Ted Cruz. Everyone in the Senate hates Ted Cruz, but Franken is less hateful than most. I was never a big Al Franken fan when he performed on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. And, I was surprised as most people were when Franken won his Senate seat in Minnesota. Yet, the cliche that people grow into the job happens to be apt in the case of Al Franken in the Senate. Recently, he asked Jeff Sessions during his hearing about Sessions’s involvement with Russians. Of course, Sessions lied under oath. But it was a key moment in what could be the unraveling of the Trump Administration. If you’re looking for a breezy political biography, I recommend Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. It has humor, wit, and a lot of insight into life in the U.S. Senate. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword
1 Why I’m a Democrat 5 (5)
2 How I Became a Comedian 10 (11)
3 Saturday Night Live (Not the Drug Part) 21 (9)
4 Saturday Night Live (The Drug Part) 30 (9)
5 Saturday Night Live (The Part Where I Leave) 39 (7)
6 Paul 46 (5)
7 A 99 Percent Improvement 51 (12)
8 Year of the Bean Feed 63 (12)
9 The DeHumorizer™ 75 (11)
10 I Attempt to Litigate Comedy 86 (5)
11 Hermann the German and the Pull-Out Couch 91 (7)
12 No Joke 98 (2)
13 Harry and Chuck 100 (9)
14 Icarus Soars 109 (5)
15 Twixt Cup and Lip 114 (5)
16 Public Opprobrium 119 (17)
17 My First Powwow 136 (9)
18 Tax-Dodging, Rape-Joking Pornographer for Senate 145 (7)
19 Franni Saves the Campaign 152 (8)
20 “Has It Gotten That Bad?!” 160 (8)
21 “It’s Close, It’s Very Close” 168 (4)
22 The Recount 172 (10)
23 Welcome to the NFL 182 (4)
24 I Actually Become a Senator 186 (4)
25 My First Big Win* 190 (6)
26 What Gets Me out of Bed in the Morning 196 (3)
27 The Case of Perry Mason’s Lost Case 199 (4)
28 The Angel and the Devil 203 (9)
29 Never Give the Staff Credit 212 (7)
30 Letting My Id Run Amok 219 (10)
31 I Screw Up 229 (6)
32 Operation Curdle 235 (12)
33 Health Care: Now What? 247 (20)
34 I Meet George W. Bush 267 (4)
35 The 64 Percent Rule 271 (12)
36 My Republican Friends 283 (10)
37 Sophistry 293 (15)
38 Bulletproof 308 (6)
39 Cracks in My Soul 314 (15)
40 The Koch Brothers Hate Your Grandchildren 329 (6)
41 No Whining on the Yacht 335 (9)
42 I Win Awards 344 (5)
43 We Build a DeHumorizer™ 349 (10)
44 I Get Reelected 359 (8)
45 Lies and the Lying Liar Who Got Himself Elected President 367 (9)
46 I Attend a Presidential Inauguration 376 (10)
47 Being as Good as the People We Serve 386 (7)
Acknowledgments 393 (4)
Index 397
I like Al Franken but was disappointed when he pulled out of the Bill Maher show the other week because of Maher using the n word which was much ado about nothing.
Steve, Al Frankenstein seems to be everywhere on this book tour. Sales are strong.
Fat chance!
Bob, you would enjoy Franken’s chapter on Ted Cruz.
Jackie is a big Al Franken fan too. I agree with you. I was never a big fan of him on SNL but he has definitely grown into the job. I’d think a sense of humor would be necessary to survive in Congress these days.
Jeff, GIANT OF THE SENATE shows the growth of the comedian turned politician.
I wasn’t a fan of his stuart smalley character on SNL, but I did like Franken & Davis, though that’s just a memory with no specifics that I remember.
I really admire him as a senator. He is one of the most honest ones around, and one to keep trying to bring clarity to the current administration. I didn’t hear about him cancelling Maher. I remember hearing the comment, and taking it for what how it was meant. I’m sure he’ll be back on the show later on, at least I hope so.
If you want a laugh, google his Mick Jagger impression
I hope he has aspirations to higher office, maybe Veep.
Maggie, I’d vote for Al Frankenstein.
If I could bear to read anything about politics, this would be it. And I too never much cared for him on SNL. He always seemed rather mean. Guess that was a facade.
Patti, the meanness you sensed about Frankenstein might have been the effects of the drugs he was on at the time.
He had a very entertaining radio show on Air America, back when that was a thing.
Dan, I think Rachel Maddow got her start on Air America, too.
Poliics? NO THANKS. However, if he’s stupid enough, and a bully and greedy buffon, maybe he could run for President in 2020.
Rick, that bully and greedy Buffon slot is already taken.
Not for 2020, though the present guy will run (or try to if he’s still in office then), he will have competition.
Rick, Trump would insist he has no competition.
Jackie heard this morning that The Rock might run in 2020
Jeff, and Mark Zuckerberg and Kanye West, and Oprah, and…
I guess the office of President of the United States is to become a laughingstock. I mean, not just this once, but from now on. I’m reading a boom about the Civil War. Where are the our Lincoln, our Jefferson Davis, our Kennedy?
One of my favorite Presidential slogans was:
Dave Barry for President [Your Beliefs Here]
Also:
Dave Barry for President – Yes, of the United States
And Happy Birthday to Dave today. He’s still younger than Trump!