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Sen. Inhofe on Franken: 'We're going to get the clown'
How utterly disrepectful and shameful. Yes, Al Franken is a comedian and he has made a lot of stupid jokes. But he's also proven himself to be intelligent and knowledgeable about policy. To dismiss him as 'a clown' is an ugly ad-hominem attack, a distortion of his character, the sort of commentary one would expect from an pitiful schoolyard bully rather than a United States Senator. Republicans like Inhofe have degraded important policy discussions to a pathetic exchange of catchphrases and insults, and it is nothing less than a grave threat to our country. Why do we allow such brazenly childish people occupy some of the most important jobs in the world?
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Not saying Inhofe is right but when I put this in the context of what the Senator from OK is...better to be a clown then an assclown.
July 1, 2009 3:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Senator Inhofe never speaks for himself.
For example, remember when he said that global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people?
Well, he may have said it, but that's the oil and gas lobby talking. His top campaign contributor is Koch Industries. It's a private company and it lobbies quietly in DC. An article from the Politics of Oil describes it this way:
Koch Industries is a huge oil conglomerate controlled by brothers Charles and David Koch, two of the country's richest men. With estimated revenue of about $40 billion last year, Koch is bigger than Microsoft, Merrill Lynch and AT&T. Here are some figures from the 2004 election cycle: Koch was the leading campaign contributor among oil and gas companies for the 2004 election cycle, giving $587,000 so far. Next came Valero Energy at $568,000. Since 1998, Koch is the fourth biggest campaign oil and gas industry giver, behind ChevronTexaco, El Paso Corp. and Enron Corp.
Despite its size and political largesse, Koch is able to dodge the limelight because it is privately-held, meaning that nearly all of its business dealings are known primarily only by the company and the Internal Revenue Service. In fact, it is the second largest private company in the country, trailing only food processing giant Cargill. Koch also prefers to operate in private when it comes to politics and government.
To find out more about what industry is behind every word of James Inhofe's, here's a link to his top contributors:
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?type=C&cid=N00005582&newMem=N&cycle=2010
July 1, 2009 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's outrageous. But in my opinion this abuse of power is just what happens when you have a completely clueless general public and a timid, unprincipled media.
July 2, 2009 12:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
You said it!
July 2, 2009 2:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
We shall discover who are the comedians and who are the clowns shortly.
Imhofe is one of the worst senators ever to sit in the Senate. He will never vote for anything that does not support the oil interests and in fact the oligarchy that owns everything in this country.
And his voting record, available to all, proves that he does not give one goddamn about 99.9% of the citizens in this country. (Blesses himself)
July 1, 2009 4:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
But since only 0.1% of the American people live in Oklahoma, he's SOLID for re-election.
July 2, 2009 2:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Contest. Complete the title of Al Franken's next book:
James Imhofe is . . . .
July 1, 2009 10:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes Professor. hahahahahahaha
July 1, 2009 11:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
"James Imhofe is really James Inhofe."
Sorry, amike, couldn't resist. There's something about Inhofe's name that makes spelling it Imhofe almost irresistible, and I did it many times before I discovered my mistake.
Let's hope that in the not too distant future, we'll be able to spell it "former Senator Inhofe".
July 1, 2009 11:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Table for, Mr. Inhofe.
Mr. Jack Inhofe :)
July 2, 2009 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Inhofe is allowed to say any inane thing his fetid Okie brain can hatch. I'd love to see him debate Franken on healthcare, the economy, just about anything. Franken would have him for lunch. Now that would be funny. As an aside, Franken I suspect will bring some much needed self awareness to a body of legislature that seems moribund with the imagined gravitas that didn't quite translate intact, from the 'golden age of the senate' to modern times.
July 1, 2009 11:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Intelligent and knowledgeable about policy? Could somebody please tell me when he's done this?
I somehow don't see Franken as the type of person that is going to work together with people on both sides of the aisle to actually get things done.
Franken's incredibly big ego will fit right in there with the rest of Congress.
July 2, 2009 12:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think people give Franken enough credit. I've heard him at debates, read (parts of) his books, and listened to his radio show. The guy knows his stuff. I'm not saying he's a scholar or an authority on any subject, but he could run laps around most Republican Senators in a serious debate.
July 2, 2009 9:46 AM | Reply | Permalink
Franken is a clown.
His election is an embarrassment to Minnesota and the rest of the country, by extension. Inhofe's statement is perfectly appropriate.
It ought to be leveled at about thirty other Senators too, but it's not wrong as far as it goes.
July 2, 2009 12:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, if you like politics for the sake of entertainment, then that's fine. You can curl up on the couch with a bag of doritos, put on the news, and watch 5-second clips of politicians calling each other names and making outrageous lies about each others' ideas. But if you want actual good to come out of Congress, then petty name-calling only hurts the cause.
July 2, 2009 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I take it you live in Minnesota?
You call yourself a Democrat, but you think FRANKEN is a clown? He's a serious as hell compared to Imhoff. Do you even KNOW who Imhoff IS?
OK, Franken is a professional entertainer, but if you ever listened to his radio show, you'd know that he has a command of the liberal side of all the important issues. He just uses comedy to make his point.
At least he HAS a point compared to most ReThugs.
What, you don't like his sense of humor?
Turn in your D card. Please.
July 2, 2009 2:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
The issue isn't whether or not Franken is a clown. The issue is that there couldn't be a bigger hypocrite to make such a charge than Inhofe.
July 2, 2009 3:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, I agree, although entertainment is the only thing Al Franken is ever likely to offer his country.
I seriously doubt anything good will come out of Congress. That's like walking up to the business end of a cow and expecting scrambled eggs.
July 2, 2009 12:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
What does that even mean? Complacency is the problem here. I don't mean to single you out, but those who are complacent, the people who are content to let the legislative process operate like a circus, are partly responsible for the weakness of Congress. If you think its OK for Senators to take cheap shots at each other, and you believe 'nothing good will come out of Congress', then it has no chance of turning into an intelligent place of discussion about policies.
July 2, 2009 12:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
No, my point was that this wasn't a cheap shot at all, that it was basically a factual statement about Al Franken, who is, in essence, a clown.
He happens to be a clown who's a member of my party, but in all fairness, he's about as respectable as Rush Limbaugh. So I can understand that someone like Inhofe, a long term public servant, would find the election of Mr. Franken a bit insulting.
Also, as a -moderate- Democrat, I'm very happy with a weak, do-nothing Congress, so complacency isn't precisely the problem I'm trying to solve.
July 2, 2009 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
OK. Well, I guess Al Franken is a clown. If I ever get a chance to meet them, I'll make sure I tell Bill Richardson he's a fattie and Larry Craig is a gay-sex enthusiast. I'm just stating facts! Innocent, innocent facts.
Surely no one could accuse me of choosing the most pejorative possible words to score a cheap point.
July 2, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great post, Carl! Yes, Inhofe was out of line. I saw it as his last shot at that kind of attack before Franken is made Senator. Once Franken is a Senator, there are rules of decorum with which he must abide. meanwhile, it's open season until Franken is sworn into office.
Franken is no clown. He's a satirist, a comedien. His humor is appreciated for its insightfulness into what is happening. He was his own Daily Show/Colbert Report when he was on Air America and his book was a brilliant expose of the farce GWBush made of government with the willing complicity of Congress.
We threw most of those clowns out. There are a few left, Inhofe is one of them. Thanks for expressing the outrage. Whether Franken is yet a sworn in Senator or not, the comment reflects more on the one who made it and diminishes the respect anyone might have left for the Senate. Franken, I feel, will raise the level of debate. I think I will have more respect for the Senate when he is there.
July 2, 2009 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm already getting excited about the personality he'll bring to the Senate. In response to the 'clown' comment, he said "I don't know how Sen. Inhofe regards clowns, but it might be an incredible compliment"
July 2, 2009 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Franken will become a media favorite. He will crack jokes and get air time to support the progressive agenda. I believe he is a very intelligent person. I admire the restraint he had during this whole SNAFU. When he's not cracking ajoke, he has a lot of class, and he married well, too!!!
July 2, 2009 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Imhofe's epithet is merely Imhofe being Imhofe: a contemptful, contemptible asshat. These people think their shit don't stink.
July 2, 2009 2:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
The court jester is the only one allowed to tell the truth to the king and keep his head. The anger of the right directed at Al means he's no clown.
July 2, 2009 3:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
The court jester had to walk a fine line between entertaining the court and insulting it. Franken heretofore hasn't needed to be concerned about the latter. It will be interesting to see how he modulates his 'presentation' now that he's a member of the club. I still expect he will be a champion of truth in the face of power.
July 2, 2009 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink