Al Franken's response to Trump's comments on McCain

[Honeycombe8]

This was posted on Al Franken's FB account today:

Former U.S. Senator Al Franken
59 mins ·

Pretty much everyone agrees that right after someone dies, it’s very bad form to say something bad about them. That’s why it’s admirable that Donald Trump waited a full seven months to say horrible things about John McCain.

First of all, and I know most Americans feel this way, it’s a disgrace that McCain allowed his plane to get shot down, broke both his arms and a leg ejecting from the plane, and then was beaten and bayonetted by North Vietnamese before being dragged to a POW camp, where he was starved and tortured for five-and-a-half years. As far as Trump is concerned, McCain sat out the war.

Yes, it’s seems heroic that after his father was named commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, McCain refused his captors’ offer of early release. McCain claimed he refused because the early release of the admiral’s son would be a huge propaganda victory for Hanoi and demoralize his fellow American POWs. But how do we really know that? Other than that’s what all the other POW’s who were there with him say, and also that there seems to be no other explanation?

Why in God’s name is Donald Trump so obsessed with John McCain that he feels the need to attack him even when he’s dead? I mean other than that John McCain is kind of a perfect example of everything Trump is not?

I usually don’t like bullet points, but here goes.
- Endured tremendous pain for his country vs. venereal disease was his personal Vietnam*
- Told a nut that Obama wasn’t a Muslim vs. Told every nut that Obama was a Muslim
- Graduated last in his class at the Naval Academy vs. Probably graduated last in his class at Penn, but we’ll never know because Trump goon Matty Calamari visited the registrar. “Nice university you got here. Be a shame to see whoever keeps the records get roughed up. Capiche?”
- Hated tyrants vs. Loves, loves, loves tyrants!
- Tortured vs. Tortured
- Student of foreign affairs vs. Affairs
- Laughed a lot vs. Is “The Man Who Never Laughed”

I have never seen Donald Trump laugh. Have you? In fact, I think that would make a good children’s book. In the story, Ivanka would offer a prize to any American who could make her father, the President, laugh. The prize would be the most valuable Trump property the family owns! (The Trumps would double its value on paper, take a huge write-off, sticking the winner with an enormous tax bill.) Americans would line up outside the White House during executive time – comedians, mimes. magicians, storytellers, contortionists, acrobats, jugglers, impressionists – but no one could get the President to laugh. I even got an illustrator for the book. I can’t think of an ending.

Humor was another great thing about John McCain. He loved to laugh. A few years ago, John and I were asked to tape an opening before a Vikings-Cardinals game for Thursday Night Football. They put us in a Face the Nation set with former host, Bob Schieffer, interviewing us. John was fine with the script, but I wasn’t and started rewriting. John saw me scribbling away and said, “Hey, do I get to see it?”

I finished up and ran it over to him. He read it, chuckled, and gave me the thumbs up. We started with the usual generous collegial niceties, “Well, I disagree with my good friend about the Vikings running game…” and “John and I are very good friends, but Arizona’s secondary...” “My very good friend” turned into “my very dear friend” which became “my very close dear friend” which became “my extremely close dear friend” and then to me saying, “Yes. John and I are extremely close dear, dear friends. In fact, our families vacation together.”

Schieffer gave us an astonished look. “Your families vacation together?!”

“That’s right,” John deadpanned to Bob, then turned to me slightly miffed, “You know it wouldn’t hurt for you to pick up a check every once in a while!”

John and I shared a somewhat dark sense of humor. After he was diagnosed with brain cancer, John continued to come back and forth between DC and Arizona. When I thought it might his last time in DC, I went up to John and said, “Say, John, I thought I’d send you a ‘Bad News – Good News’ joke every week or so.”

He laughed and said he’d look forward to that.

A week or so later, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin speculated on a radio show that McCain had given his famous thumbs down on the Republican health care bill because he was confused from his brain cancer. I wrote John: “The bad news is that you have brain cancer. The good news is that Ron Johnson’s butt cancer has moved to his mouth.”

Every once in a while, I’d switch things up and send John a ‘Good News – Bad News’ joke. His favorite was: “The good news is that your mother is 105 and sharp as a tack. The bad news is that you have brain cancer.”

Fortunately, John came back to DC one more time. When he saw me in the well on the Senate floor, he grinned and put his arm around me, announcing to the Senators around us, “This man earned every dollar he ever got. At Saturday Night Live!”

Maybe that’s why Trump also attacked Saturday Night Live this week. Maybe he has a point. Sure, the show has made fun of every president since Nixon. But the only one SNL actually treated with complete contempt has been Donald Trump.

And Nixon.

* May 7, 1998 interview with Howard Stern, discussing the dangers of dating.

[gratuitous]

1. I've made Franken's point a few time: Trump never laughs

As for Trump, the fact that months later he's still grinding away on McCain and his funeral service, Trump really does care (even though he says he doesn't).

[Honeycombe8]

16. I noticed that, too. He smiles sometimes when he's saying nasty things about people....

but he never laughs, that I can recall. No sense of humor. But then, most conservatives don't have a good sense of humor.

[Blaukraut]

25. That's not even a smile. It's a grimace trying to look like a smile. n/t

[erronis]

57. It's called a rictus. Most sphincter muscles do it - the mouth, the duodenum, the anus.

Dump's are all connected - when he contracts his anus the oral sphincter contracts and it can be taken as a sick/forced smile.

When he opens his anus his mouth also opens. Shit spews from both directions.

Now, if we could put diapers over his faces/feces?

Extra pay for the cleanup crew!

[pansypoo53219]

60. smarmy asshole 'smile'.

[Honeycombe8]

80. You're right. It's not really a smile. It's something else. nt

[sacto95834]

101. Hmmm.

I can see him laughing at the misery of others though.

[Honeycombe8]

102. Me, too. "SAD!" nt

[leftieNanner]

28. And maybe deep down in that sad puny heart of his

(if he even has one) he knows that his own funeral will never be as well attended as John McCain's and the eulogies (if there are any) will be short and meaningless.

[LuckyLib]

58. And he might even have heard that there will be dancing in the streets.

[japple]

99. There will also be people dancing on his grave and/or pissing on his grave.

Might even be some of his family members!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

69. The eulogies will be fake and delivered by his cult. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

"Greatest businessman ever. Best dealmaker. Cheated out of a Nobel Prize. Nearly the biggest Electoral College win ever. He had such big hands! He single-handedly cleaned up the economic mess Obama left him and turned it around and made America as great as it was in the 1950s! Raised revenue with large tariffs. Instrumental in getting Nebraska farmers whole new careers recycling used electronics instead of sending it to China. Built a wall of drilling rigs around all the coasts of the US."

(I could go on, but the Trumpanzees definitely will.)

I only hope he dies out of office, otherwise the hagiography, sanctification, and celebration of 'martyrdom' will be really noxious.

[leftieNanner]

88. Well said Bernardo

But be careful. After writing that, you may be tapped to deliver the eulogy yourself!

[Nasruddin]

37. Can't

Mr Trump wouldn't pass the Voigt-Kampff test (Bladerunner)

[RussellCattle]

66. Had to look up Voigt-Kampff test. It was a machine used to tell if someone...

...was a replicant and not a real human being. In the movie it took numerous questions to reveal a replicant, Trump would go down after two or three, tops.

[olegramps]

81. How can he smile. He is so damn evil, he hates himself.

He has morning sickness, every morning. When he looks in the mirror he vomits. You know why he has the combover. It hides the horns. It explains why he is afraid of wind.

[IronLionZion]

82. You'd think he'd at least manage a villain's evil chuckle now and then

but no, just that smug shit-eating grin when he's insulted someone.

Dude lives a tortured, joyless life

[NewJeffCT]

91. I know

not even a "mwuah ha ha" evil laugh.

I can't imagine how painful that stick up his ass must be.

[mackdaddy]

96. That's not true. He was positively giddy when he had the Russians in the WH after firing Comey.

True that I have never seen him that happy since, but he loves him some Russian Diplomats. Especially when he can share some top secret intel with them.

https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+with+russians+in+oval+office&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=PK7wjGXKz4lnYM%253A%252CuvnsuzbV4byAKM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kSaIYUCx5428MmkFruOBbkVLTPG0g&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiYvdeI_5PhAhVmw4MKHQ0HDBkQ9QEwBXoECC8QDg#imgrc=_&vet=1

[RussBLib]

2. If Al Franken isn't going to run for office again....

...then ridicule the hell outta Trump. Al has a rather unique platform and I hope he uses it more often.

[Jarqui]

3. Hopefully, the next president finds a way to get Al back involved

where he belongs

[Chin music]

6. I sure hope so.

Between he, and Pres H Clinton, it seems to me this country has some reparations to make....somehow. I'm sorry but the lady Senator who picked him off, is my LAST choice for pres. unless she's the nominee.

[Jarqui]

12. I have not forgiven her either

I do have her ahead of spiritual author Marianne Williamson

[Chin music]

14. Heh heh.

Boy, I was thoroughly un-impressed w her deal on CNN(?) a few days ago. And that was really trying hard to be objective.

[Jarqui]

20. Ignoring the Franken thing, I would still have most of the other candidates

ahead of her.

[Chin music]

23. Me too. And, that's completely setting aside what she fostered re. Sen Franken.

Stay in the Senate Madame.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

45. I've been reading how abysmal her handling

of a sexual abuse scandal in her OWN office has gone.

She was completely inaccessible and then tone deaf to the young woman, AND promoted the abuser. Instead of looking for an independent review of the situation, she allowed her own staff to investigate, then refused to do a thorough and professional investigation of the charges - which were NOT insignificant. It was only after the story got out and the news media got ahold of it, that there was more attention paid to the details. It turns out that the abuser was KNOWN to have been a problem to some of the staff.

Gillibrand then tried to smooth it over by saying that there was miscommunication. The facts don't support her story.

What utter hypocrisy.

I CANNOT vote for this person.

[barbtries]

54. i will vote for her

if and only if she is the democratic nominee for POTUS.
I agree with others on this thread. I saw her defend what she did to Al Franken the other day. Still not forgetting or forgiving. We lost a great senator.

[Chin music]

55. Just fricken sad. AND no Sen. Franken.

He was so much like Ted Kennedy. UUUghhhhh. We lost big on that deal.

[AdamGG]

100. Gillebrand speaks in trite cliches, hope she's the 1st candidate to drop out

Not only do I strongly dislike what she did to Al Franken, I see no strengths that she possesses, other than being the only blonde candidate.

[pandr32]

87. I completely agree

[ailsagirl]

36. Absolutely!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. I sorely miss this guy in public service.

Any chance he can run for an open seat in Congress just to get him back on Capital Hill?

He is very much missed.

[Dan]

5. I want him to run for President...

He has my vote....

[LakeArenal]

8. Me,too.

[Honeycombe8]

17. I would, in a heartbeat. I've read his books...

and been watching him for decades. I think I have a good handle on what he has to offer and his leadership ability.

[True Blue American]

77. I read Al's book

On the Senate. It was huge but I could not put it down.

Any Democrat who would put Franken on Staff would have my hear felt admiration. He can do anything.

[samnsara]

27. he makes me laugh .. I was SO hoping he would run this year...

....but noooooooooooooooo.......

[itsrobert]

10. Hopefully he runs in New York

and knocks Gillibrand out.

[FakeNoose]

7. K & R

Miss you Al Franken!

[malaise]

9. Franken is effin' brilliant

That's why they took him down

[Honeycombe8]

18. +1. nt

[samnsara]

29. now im crying

[malaise]

33. He'll be back

Reason will prevail

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

49. Here's one way:

He gets Amy Klobuchar's Senate seat. She isn't likely to get the nomination, but I think she'd be a very good attorney general. So let's say whichever Democrat gets elected president appoints her to that position, opening up her current Senate position, which is good until 2024. The governor of Minnesota is a Democrat and he'll appoint a Democrat to replace her. Maybe he'd appoint Franken, which would be awesome - but maybe Franken wouldn't want to go back to the Senate, considering the backstabbing he got.

Anyhow, that's how Franken can make a comeback.

[malaise]

50. Wow - that does make sense

Love it

[CentralMass]

40. +2

[dewsgirl]

11. God I miss him.

[UpInArms]

13. I miss you, Al

Wish you were still serving up those twits on the Senate floor

[Evolve Dammit]

15. Al and his lovely wife are truly genuine, heart in the right place, Americans

Miss him in the Senate

[Trumpocalypse]

19. Where is Franken?

Surprised he hasn't popped up on CNN or MSNBC as a commentator. Or at least one of the late night shows.

[Leith]

59. That would be great!

He could write editorials and more books, too. He knows a hell of a lot and is a genius at communicating.

We need him desperately.

[DFW]

67. He is still going over his possibilities.

He has been offered a few things, but none really to his satisfaction. As you can imagine, he has solicitations aplenty to sift through. He is aware of his huge following, just hasbn't yet decided what to do about it. As you can see by this writing, he is very much keeping in touch with the world, and he still spends long hours with well-placed friends in Washington. Just because he isn't on MSNBC every evening does not mean he has turned into a hermit by any means.

[Trumpocalypse]

74. How about once a week

or once a month. He should get out there.

[DFW]

75. He should do what his instincts tell him to do.

When and if he desires to get back in the public eye, he will.

He experienced a public and unjustified humiliation at the hands of thirty-three of his colleagues, not one of whom has apologized, but many of whom think they are good enough to be president. I don't blame him for taking his time. It is certainly not our place to tell him to move up his timetable. All we can do is offer words of encouragement, as, indeed, so many have done. They do not go unnoticed.

[ZeroSomeBrains]

21. Franken on point as usual

How I miss seeing him as US Senator...

[NNadir]

22. I'll add my name to those who miss him enormously.

[smirkymonkey]

31. So will I. He was one of the brightest, most decent, compassionate Senators ever

to have served. Losing him was a great tragedy for us.

It makes me sick that Al had to go and lying, cheating, evil pigs like Trump, McConnell and the rest of their kind are still going strong. Something is very wrong here.

[Kurt V.]

24. that covered a lot in a few words. i miss that

[Honeycombe8]

32. He's so intelligent and an excellent writer. He's fast on his feet w/comebacks, too.

Last edited Wed Mar 20, 2019, 07:46 PM - Edit history (1)

That's why he was such a great comedic writer. I miss his wit and humor, and insightfulness.

[MyOwnPeace]

26. Thanks, Gillibrand!

[samnsara]

30. thats all i think of when i see her on tv..

[Little Star]

34. Yep!

[Trumpocalypse]

47. And Warren, Harris, Booker, Sanders

and over 30 other Senators who called for Franken to resign the very same morning.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

70. Gillibrand led the charge & created a bandwagon effect. Her proudest moment. . . . nt

[Trumpocalypse]

73. So they were all just blind followers?

Doesn't say much for them.

[LanternWaste]

90. Great way to rationalize holding two standards for one action.

That's part of what being human is all about... justifications to make ourselves feel better. Proudest moments, indeed.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

95. It was such a rush to judgement there wasn't any time to assess one standard, let alone two. . . .nt

[dem4decades]

76. Okay. Won't support then in the primary either. Did Biden or Beto call for Al to resign?

How about Stacy?

[Trumpocalypse]

79. Nope

Not as far as I know.

[Honeycombe8]

51. Yep yep yep. nt

[No Vested Interest]

35. Wouldn't it be great to see Al Franken turn up some Saturday night on SNL? nt

[Chin music]

56. +1 Oh Yeah!

[NewJeffCT]

92. I wonder who he could play

in the Trump Circus? George Conway?

[Paladin]

38. We are in such need of Franken's active political presence.

I hope to hell it happens. And damn soon.

[VOX]

39. Miss Al Franken so much.

One of the strongest Democratic voices. Taken down without any examination of facts by a calculated right-wing hit-job.

[dalton99a]

41. Another must read from Al.

[mountain grammy]

42. Bravo Al

Well said.

Thanks for posting this Honeycomb.

[spanone]

43. K&R...

[hlthe2b]

44. Gawd, I miss Al Franken...

poignant and I'm glad he brought humor to McCain in his last days.

[bluestarone]

46. KICK!

Miss you AL!

[MBS]

48. Bravo, Al

I miss you!

[Lifelong Protester]

52. Bravo Al!!

I even have your book "Giant of the Senate". I also miss you.

[Hekate]

53. KnR for Al Franken and his (genuine) friend, John McCain

[a kennedy]

61. I WANT HIM BACK.......

and will never vote for the blond that railroaded, him out of town.

[Cha]

62. Perfect! Thanks so much for posting

this from Al Franken!

- Told a nut that Obama wasn’t a Muslim vs. Told every nut that Obama was a Muslim

[BlueFlorida]

63. I miss Al

That almost made me cry. I wish he had not resigned.

[a kennedy]

64. Ah, shall we bring him back in on a VP basis??? How awesome would it be for Al to be

the VP???!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

71. +1. However, even though VPs can say things Presidents can't, he'd feel constrained.

Well, things that normal Presidents can't / won't. Trump is very abnormal.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

65. I miss Franken

Not just a senator, but a caring human as well.

McCain was no angel, but shoot, compared to Trump he sure is.

[SuperCoolPoster]

68. trump shouldn't comment anything

Trump shouldnt comment anything when it comes to the military... he was a draft dodger...

[BlueMTexpat]

72. Love this!

The ONLY good thing about Franken's leaving the Senate is that he can really let it ALL out like this.

Bravo, Al! Keep pouring it on!

[True Blue American]

78. As much as I admire

Sherrod Brown he heard from me about Al. We exchanged a couple of emails on the subject.

Takes him a while but he does answer after an email from the Staff.

[Honeycombe8]

86. I was disappointed to see his name on the list, too.

I don't know if I'm correct to do this, but I do give the white males a LITTLE more leeway for mistakes. I think I can understand the pressure they were under to stick up for women at the time, lest they be tagged with the "white male privilege" moniker, or blindly sticking by abusive men. In the midst of the "me, too" movement, it was getting crazy.

But just a LITTLE more leeway. Not enough to let it totally slide. And Brown didn't sign up right away, I think.

I mainly blame the ones who jumped on the bandwagon right away. That showed lack of judgment, not caring about the facts and truth or about fairness...I thought it was a jump for personal political gain.

[CrispyQ]

83. I LOL'd.

The Trumps would double its value on paper, take a huge write-off, sticking the winner with an enormous tax bill.

[calimary]

84. Al Franken. STILL a national treasure.

Something you will never be, Kirsten Gillibrand.

[Honeycombe8]

85. +1. We lost a very important voice, when we lost Franken. nt

[calimary]

94. We sure did. I think that was the whole idea.

[Bluepinky]

89. Love Al, hope he returns to politics soon.

[New Hampshire Man]

93. Would have been a more effective statement

If you hadn't QUIT.

[Honeycombe8]

97. Your response would have been a more effective response...

if Franken HAD in fact quit.

He was ousted.

An elected official who had committed no crime, broken no rule, was ousted by a gang lead by several who had Presidential aspirations, getting rid of the one official that the public was asking to run for President.

Maybe you should read up on the way the Senate works.

[Trumpocalypse]

98. Actually Franken did resign

He could have toughed it out but in the end he chose to resign. No one put a gun to his head and forced him.

[New Hampshire Man]

104. Maybe you should read up on the way it actually happened.

Dec. 7, 2017, 11:43 AM EST / Updated Dec. 7, 2017, 1:52 PM EST
By Adam Edelman and Dartunorro Clark
Facing a string of sexual misconduct allegations and mounting pressure from fellow Democrats, Sen. Al Franken announced Thursday he will leave office in the coming weeks.

Dec. 7, 2017 CreditCreditEric Thayer for The New York Times
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Yamiche Alcindor and Nicholas Fandos
Once a star of “Saturday Night Live,” Al Franken took his liberal politics to Washington in 2008 when he narrowly won a Minnesota Senate seat. He said he would resign over allegations of sexual misconduct.


WASHINGTON — Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, in an emotional speech on the Senate floor, announced on Thursday that he would resign from Congress

First published on Thu 7 Dec 2017 11.54 EST Lauren Gambino in Washington
Al Franken resigns from Senate over sexual misconduct allegations

Updated 2:36 PM ET, Thu December 7, 2017 Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large
Al Franken's totally unapologetic resignation

[BootinUp]

103. He's a great writer. Nt