AL FRANKEN, GIANT OF THE SENATE By Al Franken


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 DeHumorizerâ„¢ 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 DeHumorizerâ„¢ 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

20 thoughts on “AL FRANKEN, GIANT OF THE SENATE By Al Franken

  1. Steve Oerkfitz

    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.

    Reply
  2. Jeff Meyerson

    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.

    Reply
  3. mary mason

    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.

    Reply
  4. Patti Abbott

    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.

    Reply
      1. Rick Robinson

        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?

  5. Jeff Meyerson

    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!

    Reply

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