The Nation has a profile of Al’s campaign, written by John Nichols. He came to Minnesota a few weeks back, hung around for the Progressive Caucus debate at Augsburg, and talked with a few Minnesota DFLers.

Franken is not playing catch-up. He is not learning the ropes. Yes, of course, his celebrity helps. Not every first-time candidate is greeted by spontaneous chants of “Al! Al! Al!” while working the crowds at the Twin Cities Gay Pride Parade and “Franken! Franken! Franken!” along the route of the Fourth of July parade in rural Brainerd. But when Franken is asked what he will do about healthcare or free trade or ending the war in Iraq, the fun and games stop. He does not “de-humorize” himself; there are still flashes of wit. But there is, as well, a depth of knowledge and a sense of purpose that makes it clear Franken has no taste for campaigning as performance art. “Ask Al about an issue, any issue, and he’ll give you chapter and verse,” says Niel Ritchie, executive director of the Minneapolis-based League of Rural Voters. “That’s what strikes people. After they get over the fact that he’s this guy they’ve seen a thousand times telling jokes on TV, they start to notice that he knows more than some senators, maybe more than most senators. And that he’s connecting what he knows about policy to their experience. It’s powerful stuff.”

Click here to read the profile.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 19th, 2007 at 17:30 and is filed under News Clips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.