On Politics and Politicians

I think Amy Klobuchar is cute.

That’s not satire, it’s not a joke, and it has nothing to do with whether I think the former Hennepin County prosecutor is a good U.S. Senator.

I just happen to think she’s good-looking. And for the record, I think it’s too early in her senatorial career to judge how effective or not Klobuchar is.

But she’s definitely a politician, someone who’s been groomed for the political arena, and she’s apparently pretty good at it, given she was elected to the U.S. Senate.

And make no mistake – being a politician ain’t easy.

Over the years of my career as a journalist, mostly in Chicago, I’ve covered more than a few politicians and political races. I like to say that I like and dislike politicians and politics with equal fervor.

Some of the politicians I’ve covered and gotten to know a little I hold in the highest regard, no matter which party they belong to; others, I consider egotistical blow-bags not worth much (again, regardless of party).

I’ve often thought about how to be a politician you have to have a sizable ego, a great touch with people, tremendous energy and a strong desire to serve the public. In the best ones, the ego is not quite as big as the desire to serve and bring about change.

But there’s no doubt how much time and effort it takes to run for office and stay in office (not even to mention the oodles of money it takes and keeps taking).

Think about it – as a politician you always have to be “on”. You can never in public let your guard down, especially in these Internet- and YouTube-fueled days. We all have our bad days, days when we’d be better off staying home because the force just isn’t with us.

But for most of us, having a bad day isn’t a make-or-break proposition; for politicians, especially candidates, a bad day can make the difference between winning and losing.

I was thinking about this last night as I observed Al Franken making his way out of the DFL’s “Unity Party” at the Mayo Civic Center Saturday about 10 p.m. after a long day during which Franken finally secured the endorsement of Minnesota’s Democratic party.

It took Franken and his few handlers a half an hour to wind their way out of the party because every few feet someone wanted to shake his hand and/or have their photos taken with him. Most of the people, I’m sure, were happy and sincere and excited to get a few moments with the U.S. Senate candidate and well-known comedian.

But then there were others, like the two young men who stopped Franken and got in his face to urgently and almost angrily make a point about gay rights. Franken’s face went from smiling-and-friendly to tense-but-still-trying-to-keep-the-smile in a few seconds. And I don't blame him.

Then there was the guy who was laughing as he walked away from using his cell phone to take a photo of himself with Franken. I asked the guy why he was laughing, and he cracked up some more and told me that he’s a Republican and doesn’t like Democrats but was going around and taking photos of himself with every DFL politician he could find and then sending the photos to his friends, just for a few laughs. He showed me a few.

Politicians are targets and spectacles – they are celebrities.

Of course, Franken has long been a celebrity, the result of years spent writing for and occasionally appearing on Saturday Night Live, the iconic TV comedy show.

That’s part of why he’s been able to jump into politics without much of a political track record. Well, that and the way his celebrity has allowed him to raise the money needed to be a viable candidate. And Franken has spent the last few years making friends by working for DFL candidates and the party and that’s helped as well.

The other side of that celebrity, though, has popped up in the last few weeks as Republicans and even a few Democrats have been slamming Franken for things he wrote years ago that some find offensive.

Most candidates wouldn’t have similar problems, which have caused some folks now to wonder about Franken’s electability in what will be a tough campaign against incumbent U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, the Republican who used to be a Democrat and got into the office mainly because very popular Democratic U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone died in an airplane crash a few days before the election.

I have not read the Franken writings that have been at the center of the controversy, but I do know that I wonder when people criticize Franken’s writings for not being funny and for being offensive. Satire is not supposed to be funny and is often supposed to be offensive; actually, the best satire is painful, and that’s the point.

I don’t know whether Franken’s writings that mention rape and violence against women and bestiality are good satire or not. Those are certainly difficult subjects.

I don’t know whether it’s appropriate to use such writings as the basis for questioning Franken’s judgment and personality.

I prefer to judge people and politicians on what they do; I frankly don’t know whether Franken would be a good U.S. Senator.

But I would hazard a guess that Franken’s opponent in the battle for the DFL endorsement, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, probably feels and lives his beliefs more intimately and intensely than Franken. Saturday during his acceptance speech, Franken himself praised Nelson-Pallmeyer for his “good soul.”

But Franken sounded like the better politician yesterday and is probably the party’s best chance to unseat Coleman, especially with his money and the usually better organization that tends to provide. If he does, I will look with fascination at how Franken turns out. At this point, Franken’s a wildcard, a guess.

Much like how Amy Klobuchar, after just two years in the U.S. Senate, still has mostly to prove whether she’s a good senator. Whether I think she’s cute or not.