Last year I wrote a thesis on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as part of the honours year of my B.A. degree.
Much of my time was spent looking at the point where pop culture and politics meets. Not politics like identity politics (gender, race, sexuality etc, which is usually what people write about when they talk about popular culture.. unless they're in England then its mostly about class) but politics like John Edwards announcing his candidacy for presidency on The Daily Show in 2003. Or the then-current prime minster of Pakistan making an appearance in 2006, McCain and Obama multiple times in the last few years, plus all the outgoing Bush Press secretaries at one point or other. All important people that stopped by a basic cable comedy show.
Looking back on it now, I'm grateful I started it when I did. If I had done my thesis this year, I would have had to deal with all that Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live stuff, not to mention the more recent bickering with Letterman. Which would have been waaaaay more work.
But by far the most satisfying foray of politics and pop culture is the story of Al Franken, one of the founding writers of Saturday Night Live, author of such hilarious and illuminating tomes as Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right and The Truth: With Jokes, co-founder of Air America Radio, and now Democratic Senator of his home state of Minnesota.
After an incredibly tight election in November, and a months long, drawn out struggle of court battle after court battle issued from ousted Republican Norm Coleman, Franken was finally granted his rightful victory by the Minnesota Supreme Court on June 30th. Though it seems he is best remembered from his years as a professional comedian as his Saturday Night Live character Stuart Smalley, I know him more as an author and radio host. And his brief but gripping cameo as Mayor of Leonardo in the brilliant, short lived animated 2000 Clerks TV-Series, pictured below. (Franken is the one on the left. Or, my left but your right when you look at it. Or, no, uh. Look, Franken is the one with the glasses, the one that is dressed as Mayor McCheese is his animated character. It shouldn't really be that hard to figure out, geez!)
Naturally there have been outcries from the right, and unease from those on the left with no sense of humour. But celebrities in the political sphere isn't always the best fit, so I will give some credit to his critics, hoping that most of them are not simply using New York comedian as code for "Jewish" (wasn't that in an episode of the West Wing? Or something very similar...) But Franken is no ordinary "Hollywood type" throwing his two cents in. He isn't Jeremy Piven galavanting around India with an "Eat Carbs" T-Shirt on, nor Sharon Stone suggesting that earthquakes in China might be karma exacting its revenge for the Chinese government's treatment of Tibet (or, for that matter, demogogue Pat Robertson calling for the head of Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez).
Plus, Franken may have a smug smile, but in his defense, his smugness is a lot more lovable than, say, Bill Maher. And he doesn't have the same despair behind the eyes that Jon Stewart does. No, Al Franken really believes in America, ya know. And is quite funny too.
In fact Franken seems perfectly suited for the job, and certainly ticks all the big boxes for the wholesome American Family Man. He's been married for over 30 years now, has a daughter teaching elementary school in the Bronx and a son recently graduated with a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Princeton.
Plus he's done service in Iraq and Afghanistan and Kosovo. How many sitting senators can say that? Granted, he was on a USO tour, entertaining the troops. But again, how many sitting senators could entertain the troops? Or anybody? Not many I'd wager.
In any case, he's a Senator now whether you like it or not!
-hobospaceman
say yes!
