Franken strikes a more casual tone at union event
July 8th, 2009 – 10:27 AM by Eric Roper
After two days of formal receptions and press conferences, Al Franken drove across town on Tuesday for a more spirited celebration at the AFL-CIO headquarters. And though many in the national media mourned the death of his wit on Monday, the senator showed he could still entertain a crowd.
Franken, who asked the union group to hold the reception, was joined by Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Vice President Walter Mondale, who had stood beside him hours earlier when he was sworn in as senator. With Walleye and fried pickles lying on nearby tables, the crowd howled as Franken entered the building, later holding up enlarged copies of his election certificate.
In contrast to the formalities of the day, the tone was decidedly lighthearted.
“I do bring you greetings from the state of Minnesota,†Klobuchar said. “Where in the words of our poet laureate Garrison Keillor: the women are strong – right Al? – the men are good looking – right Mr. vice president? – and all the recounts are above-average!â€
Franken took the stage for 15 minutes, beginning his speech by reflecting on a comment made earlier in the evening about Minnesota’s election lasting longer than the 2000 election in Florida.
“Richard talked about Minnesota taking a little bit longer than Florida. In Minnesota we counted the votes,†Franken said, prompting laughter from the packed room.
Franken also humorously thanked Klobuchar for her participation in his campaign events.
“I must have done 50 or 60 [events]. And if I did 50 or 60, Amy was at 40 of them. And if Amy wasn’t there, her husband John was there, and her daughter Abigail. And if they weren’t there her father Jim – who’s legendary in Minnesota – was there. And if none of them were there I just thought to myself, ‘Why am I here?’â€
The bulk of Franken’s speech was devoted to union-related issues. Franken, who is a member of the Writers Guild, the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists, the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild, said he and his wife would not have had health care during the campaign without his union affiliations.
“We need to level the playing field,†Franken said. “The unions built the middle class in this country and what we have seen in the last 30 years or so is the playing field become a steep hill for working families. We’ve seen a great risk shift in this country, and that’s why we need health care reform.â€
Franken emphasized that he would work to protect people’s pensions, especially those working for companies declaring bankruptcy.
“We have shifted in this country all the risks in life to working people,†Franken said. “And one of them shouldn’t be that you’re going to lose your pension after building up a pension. A hard day’s work should get a decent day’s pay, and a lifetime of work should bring a secure retirement.â€
21 Responses to "Franken strikes a more casual tone at union event"
“The bulk of Franken’s speech was devoted to union-related issues. Franken, who is a member of the Writers Guild, the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists, the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild, said he and his wife would not have had health care during the campaign without his union affiliations.”
Is this lie #1 as a senator? Al doesn’t strike me as a person who cant afford to cover himself and his wife on his own dime.
Well, it’s not if he’s using his union’s health insurance.
I know that lots of conservatives like yourself feel that rich people don’t buy health insurance, but that’s not always the case.
“Rich people” get and stay rich by watching their pennies. I knew a guy who was a multi-millionaire who owned a lot of different businesses – one of which was a truck stop. After lunch, the soup of the day would start getting low, so he’d add water to it. He was just so proud of himself for making money off water.
But I digress — rich people worry, so they’re always minimizing their risk (at least the ones who stay rich do). But the one risk they can’t control is their health. Buying health insurance is a relatively inexpensive way to minimize that risk.
“I know that lots of conservatives like yourself feel that rich people don’t buy health insurance, but that’s not always the case.”
Deacon you’re a conservative now? Wow
“I know that lots of conservatives like yourself feel that rich people don’t buy health insurance, but that’s not always the case.”
Sgt. like I said before, what you dont know about me might be squeezed into the grand canyon if the right amount of force was applied to it.
“I know that lots of conservatives like yourself feel that rich people don’t buy health insurance, but that’s not always the case.”
Read what he said Sgt. He said he and his wife wouldnt have had health care if it wasnt for the unions. Thats not true. He could have afforded to buy his won policy. He didnt need the unions for that. Saying he depended on the unions for coverage is not an honest statement.
“Buying health insurance is a relatively inexpensive way to minimize that risk.”
Yeah, something he can afford to do and doesnt depend on the union to provide to him as his only source of coverage.
Just out of curiosity Sgt, what makes me a conservative?
“Deacon you’re a conservative now?”
Remember the days when you thought I was an old 60s hippie with a straw hate because I was anti Bush, Iraq War and pro muslim foot baths?
hat, straw hat. Hat with no E.
“a lifetime of work should bring a secure retirement.â€
I realize he is talking about vanishing pension funds with this comment, but pensions are dinosauers. We need to figure out how to get the dollars to those who worked their lives under the promise of those dollars, but the majority of employers have already moved away from pension plans in favor of retirement accounts that the employee is in control of. As it should be.
The government doesn’t need to guarantee us retirement. In fact, no one guarantees a retirement of any kind. Retirement is what hard working people who are responsible enough to save their money, earn the option of doing. It is a reward for good behavior.
Those who choose to piss it all away on booze and strippers will need to work until they die. The Constitution says nothing of a retirement promise or obligation.
Read what he said Sgt. He said he and his wife wouldnt have had health care if it wasnt for the unions. Thats not true. He could have afforded to buy his won policy. He didnt need the unions for that. Saying he depended on the unions for coverage is not an honest statement.
Yes, well, clearly he’s not qualified to be a US Senator because of that. I’m glad you’re pointing that out — his position on the issues don’t matter. It’s whether or not he “lies” in a speech to some union Rangers.
If you’re not a conservative, why don’t you tell me some of your liberal leanings? Because we certainly don’t hear about them here.
I got a friend who thinks she’s liberal because she’s in favor of pot legalization and is pro-choice.
Oh goody……a who’s-more-liberal contest. i can hardly wait.
“Yes, well, clearly he’s not qualified to be a US Senator because of that.”
Hold on there turbo. I never said that. My My My you’re a sensative liberal today arent you? I merely pointed the lying has begun. Didnt take long.
” Because we certainly don’t hear about them here.”
This blog might encapsulate your entire life, but thats not the case for all of us. Off the top of my head though without much detail lets see….. I support gay marriage, legalized abortion, getting out of Iraq and reduced military spending, spending tax dollars on R&D for green energy, a path to citizenship for illegals, universal health care for kids under 18 etc etc.
What makes you a liberal? Keep in mind I dont consider myself liberal or conservative.
“Just out of curiosity Sgt, what makes me a conservative?”
Because you’re to the right of Marx.
I’m really not that much of a “liberal” — but because political debate in this country has been engineered to be polarizing, that’s pole I most identify with. If I were of voting age in the 60s, I’m sure I would have been a Nixon supporter – I probably would have voted for Reagan in 1980 as well. But neither Reagan nor Nixon would have been allowed in today’s Republican party, because they’d be too liberal.
I was a Republican until a few years ago, but my feeling is that the GOP took such a hard turn to the right, it’s no longer representative of my values.
I’m very conservative when it comes to foreign affairs, but the GOP ain’t what it used to be in this area either, and ceased being my party when it adopted the Neoconservative ideology of George W Bush. Obama’s actually pursuing a somewhat conservative foreign policy that more resembles Nixon’s than Clinton’s. But Conservatives who were duped into becoming Neocons, so they think we need to bring democracy to the world…at the end of a bayonet.
It makes me laugh when I hear people like Rush and Bobby Jindal saying the GOP lost so much ground because they weren’t conservative enough. They’ve pushed too hard to the right, and that’s alienated people like me…and now I’m never going back.
never going back.”
Never say never. Its the same story every time Sgt. One party wins and takes control and pushes too far. Then the pendulum swings back again. It’s the hallmark of the two party system. You’ll be a republican again before you know it.
As for me Ill always be unaffiliated.
“it’s no longer representative of my values.”
All you really pointed to was teh foreign policy of Bush. Anything else? Or is the extent of your liberalism just simply disagreeing with that guy on that issue? You poked fun at an acquaintenance earlier for claiming to be liberal based on just a couple of superficial social issues…got anything deeper than that yourself?
I’m not trying to be an ass, I’m just curious. Good to force people to examine themselves once in awhile.
Deacon- the two sides in politics today are not Democrats and Republicans. The two sides are the group-thinkers and the non-group thinkers. I suspect you and I may be in the same group…..parthian, Dora, dare2, and CNC are all in the other one.
Deacon, are you also writing on PFT? Dude, you get around!
PFT?
Re. Franken’s comments:
“… We’ve seen a great risk shift in this country, and that’s why we need health care reform.â€
Why shouldn’t the private health insurance providers compete against the “inefficient and bureaucratic” public option ? According to free market theory they would win the competition, at least for the best risks wouldn’t they? What’t the REAL downside for them?
they?
“We have shifted in this country all the risks in life to working people,†Franken said. “And one of them shouldn’t be that you’re going to lose your pension after building up a pension. A hard day’s work should get a decent day’s pay, and a lifetime of work should bring a secure retirement.â€
Are there some laws already on the books requiring employers to provide retirement plans with alternatives to profit sharing or holding shares of the employing company’s own stock? If not there obviously ought to be. Anyone can see how the employees could be left with little after a hostile takeover forces their company to layoff the workforce, and force the CEO and CFO to deploy their golden parachutes equalling the equity these former workers thought they had earned for
their retirement.
I’m not trying to be an ass, I’m just curious. Good to force people to examine themselves once in awhile.
Well it was the Neocon foreign policy, but also the wild spending spree that the Republican house went on when Tom Delay was in there. I used to think that the Republicans were the more fiscally responsible party — clearly, it’s neither.
I don’t want to spend a bunch of time going through psychotherapy on this point — but I think you can get the idea. I also have a son with cerebral palsy. We would have definately gone bankrupt if we hadn’t gotten a little help from the State at a crucial time. Made me understand the value of those types of programs…and I thank God we live in Minnesota.
SgtPendleton says:
It makes me laugh when I hear people like Rush and Bobby Jindal saying the GOP lost so much ground because they weren’t conservative enough. They’ve pushed too hard to the right, and that’s alienated people like me…and now I’m never going back.
Wow. This is why politics is endlessly fascinating, as I couldnt stand Reagan. Unlike Sarge.?.
And I would define conservatism as a very limited government type of role–
no budget deficits or debt, drill in ANWAR, dont nation build, keep lawyers at bay with massive tort reform, dont fund “no child left behind,” state’s rights on abortion law, close borders etc etc
And in these areas, the Repubs have been like Dem-lite this decade, not hard right…..Mccain was almost a Dem for pete’s sake.
Sorry Sarge, I couldnt disagree more, can you explain what you mean with these spineless Repubs of 2002-9 being “too hard right?”
ie where were the Repubs to far right?
This is a place where open-minded critical thinkers of all political persuasions encounter information and arguments that both support and challenge their preconceptions. The goal is not to eliminate differences but to narrow and clarify them. We begin with a bedrock agreement that the search for insight and clarity is important, serious - and fun.
We ask commenters to be civil and substantive and, if possible, good humored. We reserve the right to delete comments that disregard this request.
Do you use Twitter? Follow The Big Question.
Subscribe to The Big Question
Learn more about RSS
Politically Connected Blogs
Archives
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
Categories
- 1st District (3)
- 2nd District (2)
- 3rd District (9)
- 4th District (2)
- 5th District (5)
- 6th District (1)
- Al Franken (27)
- Amy Klobuchar (1)
- Barack Obama (7)
- Collin Peterson (1)
- Conventions (7)
- economy (9)
- Erik Paulsen (2)
- Fred Thompson (2)
- health care (15)
- Hillary Rodham Clinton (6)
- House (3)
- In Congress (1)
- Iraq (14)
- John Edwards (3)
- John Kline (2)
- John McCain (11)
- Keith Ellison (1)
- Main (1184)
- Michele Bachmann (22)
- Mike Ciresi (10)
- Mike Huckabee (1)
- Mitt Romney (3)
- Norm Coleman (33)
- Presidential (26)
- Presidential Democratic (16)
- Presidential Republican (19)
- Ron Paul (4)
- Rudy Giuliani (2)
- San Brownback (1)
- Senate (17)
- State (11)
- Tim Pawlenty (13)
- Tim Walz (1)
- Tom Tancredo (1)