“Because I’m good enough, liberal enough, and doggone it, Minnesotans will vote for me.”

In a state that has elected a former professional wrestler and the first ever Muslim (and a cigar-hatin’ cop callin’ one at that), to prominent government positions, it’s not a stretch to assume that a writer and occasional performer on Saturday Night Live could get a nod from voters.

Al Franken has announced that he will seek to unseat Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman in 2008. Franken’s pulling a Hillary in northern reverse and has moved from New York to Minnesota.

The announcement came on Franken’s final day on his Air America radio show. Air America was recently sold, as their listenership was dropping faster than participants in the jumping-jack competition at fat camp, not to mention having a debt was so high that AA execs thought they were accidentally being sent Michael Jackson’s credit card bills. Air America once owed Franken over $360,000, and the chances he was ever paid that money are slim given AA’s financial non-position.

Then again, liberals are more into compassion than greed, so I’m sure the lack of payment doesn’t bother Franken in the least (pause for laughter).

Realizing that liberals will never be able to make it big in the non-federally funded syndicated radio business until a fairness doctrine is in place, Franken now moves on to politics, maybe in part to attempt to bolster any future return to radio.

From a Republican perspective, they’ll need to treat Franken as if he’s any other liberal candidate. No, not by caving in to him, but by confronting him on the facts, something many Republicans have somehow forgotten how to do.

Franken says he’ll seek universal health care and alternative forms of energy. Quite possibly he can figure out how to combine these two issues and invent automobiles that burn doctors for fuel.

As long as Norm Coleman doesn’t try to be as funny to Republicans as Franken might be to liberals, he’ll hold his own. Something people often try is to keep up with zingers that are going over with a particular candidates crowd by coming up with their own, and that’s when it starts getting embarrassing. All too often it ends up sounding like, “no… you are!”

From Franken’s perspective, he’ll need to realize that there’s a good reason Congress, and politics in general, has been home to a broad spectrum of careers — from actors to lawyers to business people — but never comedians. At least not those who are comedians on purpose (which is a thin yet relevant distinction).

But, since the Democrats are in a world of “firsts” early in this new millennium — first Muslim congressman, first female frontrunner for the nomination, first black man who is a serious contender for the nomination — why not the first comedian in Congress?

Then again, there’s that word that is thrown around when discussing Franken: Comedian. The definition is in the eye of the beholder, as Al Franken often comes across as an angry person — one who, if elected, might make Minnesota’s national bird “the finger.” He can hurl insults, get furiously in-your-face and even come up with his own lies and half-truths – in other words, he was made for Congress, especially the left side of the aisle. 

So yes, Al Franken could very well be elected. Will he be? The usual political promises to “take from them and give to you” combined with a bit of well-timed jocularity might sell – and if anything has been proven in recent years, Minnesotans are open to trying just about anything.

One passing thought. If Franken should ever find himself behind in the polls to Coleman, Al should simply shed a few pounds, take the glasses off, and hope that voters confuse the two (vice-versa for Coleman):

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