Al Franken
Born	May 21, 1951 (1951-05-21) (age 57) New York, New York, USA
Education	Harvard University
Occupation	comedian, actor, author, screenwriter, political commentator, politician and radio host
Political party	Democratic-Farmer-Labor
Spouse	Franni Bryson Franken
Children	Thomasin and Joe
Website Al Franken for Senate

Alan Stuart "Al" Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an Emmy Award–winning American comedian, actor, author, screenwriter, liberal political commentator, radio host and, recently, politician. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January The City of New York The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created Screenwriters or scenarists are Scriptwriters who write the Screenplays from which Films and Television programs are made A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the Social sciences A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Radio programming is the content that is broadcast by Radio stations The original inventors of radio such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL is a major Political party in the US state of Minnesota. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience primarily by making them laugh An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created Screenwriters or scenarists are Scriptwriters who write the Screenplays from which Films and Television programs are made A pundit is someone who offers to mass-media his/her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis, the Social sciences Radio programming is the content that is broadcast by Radio stations The original inventors of radio such as Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person He is well-known for his work on Saturday Night Live and his liberal political views. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City Modern liberalism in the United States, also referred to as American liberalism, is a political ideology that seeks to use the power of the state to effect change upon society Franken grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. St Louis Park is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first ring- Suburb immediately west of Minneapolis. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers On February 14, 2007, Franken announced his candidacy for the 2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and was nominated by that party June 7, 2008. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The 2008 Minnesota US Senate election will take place on November 4, 2008. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL is a major Political party in the US state of Minnesota. ^[1] The seat is currently held by Republican Norm Coleman and was previously held by Paul Wellstone. Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician who has served as a U Paul David Wellstone ( July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002) was a two-term U ^[2]

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Personal life 1.2 Writer and performer 1.3 Radio show 1.4 Fox News conflict 1.5 Tax issues 2 Political action 2.1 2008 U.S. Senate campaign 2.2 Views 3 Other notable events 3.1 Palace Theatre Rally 4 Bibliography 4.1 Books by Al Franken 5 CDs and compilations 6 Filmography 7 References 8 External links

Biography

Personal life

Franken was born in New York, the son of Phoebe G. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous (née Kunst), a homemaker and real estate agent, and Joseph P. Real estate is a legal term (in some jurisdictions notably in the USA, United Kingdom Franken, a printing salesman. ^[3][4] Franken had a Jewish upbringing and grew up in St. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Louis Park, Minnesota, a suburb near Minneapolis. Franken is a cousin of MSNBC's Bob Franken. MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. Bob Franken is a correspondent for MSNBC. Franken was CNN's primary correspondent in President Clinton's impeachment. ^[5] His older brother, Owen Franken, is a photojournalist. Photojournalism is a particular form of Journalism (the collecting editing and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast that creates images in order to tell Franken attended St. Louis Park High School until the tenth grade. St Louis Park High School, is a four-year public High school located in St He graduated in 1969 from The Blake School, where he was on the wrestling team. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Amateur wrestling is the most widespread form of sport Wrestling. He attended Harvard College and graduated cum laude in 1973 with a bachelor of arts ^[6] At Harvard, Franken washed dishes as a participant in the work-study program with Richard Honaker, who was nominated by U.S. President George W. Bush in 2007 as one of three U.S. District Judges from Wyoming. Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a Private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an Academic degree was earned Please note that Co-operative education can also refer to education about Co-operative societies. Richard Henderson Honaker (born March 10 1951) is a Lawyer in Rock Springs Wyoming who was nominated on March 19 2007 The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In the United States the title of federal judge usually refers to a Judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. ^[7] The two have very different political views.

Franken met his wife, the former Franni Bryson, in his first year of college at a Harvard-Simmons mixer, and they have been together ever since. Simmons College is a liberal arts women's college in Boston Massachusetts. They have a daughter, Thomasin, and a son, Joe, who both attended New York City's Dalton School. The Dalton School, originally called the Children's University School, is a private University-preparatory school on New York City 's Upper East Joe graduated from Princeton University in June 2007. Princeton University is a private Coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. Thomasin was a public school teacher in New York City, with a degree in sociology from Harvard College, but is now volunteering full time for her father's campaign. Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a Private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts The Frankens reside in Minneapolis.

Franken is a Grateful Dead fan and used their songs as bumper music on his radio show. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Bumper music is a term used in the Radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of music used to buffer transitions between programming elements He acknowledged using cocaine while working for Saturday Night Live but says he no longer uses any illicit drugs. ^[8] He is an active member of the International Order of Odd Fellows (Manchester Unity). There are various Orders of Odd Fellows world wide this article is about the North American organization and fellowship

Writer and performer

Franken's performing career began in high school, where he and longtime writing partner Tom Davis were known for their humor. Tom Davis (born 13 August 1952) is an Emmy Award winning Comedy writer and performer Franken honed his writing and performing skills at Minneapolis's Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop theater, specializing in political satire. Dudley Riggs (born 1932 is a noted improvisational comedian who created the Instant Theater Company which later moved to Minneapolis Minnesota to become the The Brave New Workshop Comedy Theatre ( BNW) located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has been writing performing and producing live Sketch comedy He and Davis soon found themselves in "a life of near-total failure on the fringes of show business in Los Angeles. "^[9]

Franken and Davis were recruited as two of the original writers (and occasional performers) on Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980 and again from 1985 to 1995, although in the latter case only Franken returned as a performer while Davis usually stayed behind the camera. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City

In the first season, as apprentice writers, the two shared a salary of US$350 per week. Franken was awarded seven Emmy nominations and three Emmy Awards for his television writing and production. He created characters such as self-help guru Stuart Smalley and routines such as proclaiming the 1980s to be the "Al Franken Decade. Stuart Smalley is a fictional character invented and performed by Al Franken. " Franken was associated with SNL for over 15 years and in 2002 interviewed former Vice President Al Gore while in character as Smalley. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death Albert Arnold Gore Jr (born March 31 1948 is an American environmental Activist, author Businessperson, former Politician, and former Franken and Davis wrote the script to the 1986 comedy film One More Saturday Night, appearing in it as rock singers in a band called "Bad Mouth. " They also had cameos together in The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash as promoter Ron Decline's (John Belushi) henchmen and in the Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd film Trading Places as the baggage handlers with the gorilla on the train. All You Need Is Cash (also known as The Rutles) is a 1978 television film that traces (in Mockumentary style the career of John Adam Belushi ( January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American Comedian, Actor and Musician Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3 1961 is an Academy Award -nominated Golden Globe - Screen Actors Guild Award -winning American Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM (born July 1, 1952) is an Academy Award -nominated and Emmy Award -winning Canadian-American Trading Places is an Academy Award -nominated 1983 Comedy film starring Eddie Murphy, Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Franken's most notorious SNL performance may have been "A Limo for the Lame-O", a commentary delivered by Franken near the end of the 1979-80 season. Franken mocked controversial NBC president Fred Silverman as "a total unequivocal failure" and displayed a chart showing the poor ratings of NBC programs. Fred Silverman (born September 13, 1937 in New York City) is an American Television executive and producer Franken proclaimed that Silverman did not deserve a limo, unlike Franken, a comedian on a popular NBC program. As a result of this sketch, Silverman nixed Lorne Michaels's request that Franken succeed him as SNL's head producer, prompting Franken to leave the show when Michaels did, at the end of the 1979-80 season. Franken later returned to the series in 1985, mostly as a writer but also as an occasional performer best known for the Stuart Smalley character. Franken left the show in 1995 in protest over losing the role of "Weekend Update" anchor to Norm MacDonald. Norman Gene Macdonald (born October 17, 1963) is a Canadian Comedian and Actor of Scottish heritage

Besides writing five New York Times bestselling books, three of which reached #1, including Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations, Franken wrote the original screenplay and starred in the film Stuart Saves His Family. A bestseller is a Book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (ISBN 0-385-31474-4 is a 1996 book by political satirist Al Franken. Stuart Saves His Family is a 1995 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, and based on a series of popular Saturday Night Live sketches from the ^[10] He also co-wrote the film When A Man Loves A Woman. When a Man Loves a Woman is a 1994 Drama film written by Al Franken and Ronald Bass, starring Andy Garcia, Meg Ryan He co-created and starred in the NBC sitcom LateLine until it was cancelled in its second season. Lateline is an Australian Television news and current affairs program airing weeknights at 1030 pm on ABC1, similar in format to the BBC 's He appeared in the 2004 re-make of The Manchurian Candidate as Reporter #1, a role he joked was made specifically for him, saying: "Reporter #1 didn't appear in the original version. The Manchurian Candidate is a 1959 thriller Novel written by Richard Condon, adapted into films in 1962 and 2004. "

In 2003, Franken served as a Fellow with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. The John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (also known as Harvard Kennedy School and HKS) is a Public policy and The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University, named after Joan Shorenstein, explores the intersection of press Later he became the first nationally syndicated radio talk show host to visit Iraq, where he headlined two USO shows while traveling with Russell Burnham, the U. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. "USO" redirects here for other uses see USO (disambiguation The United Service Organizations Inc Russell Adam Burnham (b 1979 US Army soldier is the great-grandson of Frederick Russell Burnham (1861-1947 D S. Army Soldier of the Year. Franken has done seven USO tours to date, his most recent being in mid-December 2006.

Since May 2005, Franken has been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post (often referred to on the Internet as HuffPo) is a liberal News Website and aggregated Weblog Franken's most recent book, The Truth (with jokes), was released in 2005. The Truth (With jokes is a book of political satire and humor by Al Franken, released in October 2005 Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

In June 2003, Franken wrote a letter to several conservatives who favored abstinence-only sex education in which he asked the recipients to be a role models for the youth of America by sharing "a moment when you were tempted to have sex, but were able to overcome your urges through willpower and strength of character. Abstinence-only sex education is a form of Sex education that emphasizes Abstinence from sex to the exclusion of all other types of Sexual and reproductive "^[11] Franken proposed including the contribution in a book he claimed to be writing called Savin' It! The recipients included then-Attorney General John Ashcroft. The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice (see) concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement John David Ashcroft (born May 9 1942) is an American Politician who was the 79th United States Attorney General. The following month, Franken wrote each person who received the previous letter and apologized. He explained that his letter was satirical and said, "I am sincerely sorry if I caused any discomfort. "

Radio show

Main article: The Al Franken Show

Franken signed a one-year contract in early 2004 to become a talk show host for Air America Radio's flagship program with co-host Katherine Lanpher, who remained with the show until October 2005. A talk show ( American) or chat show ( Global) is a Television or Radio program where one person or group of people come together to Air America Radio (commonly abbreviated to AAR) Katherine Lanpher (born May 27, 1959) is a media personality She graduated with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and with a master’s degree The network was launched March 31, 2004. Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The show was originally named The O'Franken Factor but was renamed The Al Franken Show on July 12, 2004. The Al Franken Show was the flagship talk show of Air America Radio. Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Franken's last radio show on Air America Radio was on February 14, 2007. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. In the last segment of the show, Franken announced his candidacy for the United States Senate. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives

Fox News conflict

Main article: Fox v. Franken

In 2003, Penguin Books published Franken's book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, which included a cover photo of Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly and a chapter accusing O'Reilly, with whom Franken was feuding, of lying. Fox News Network LLC v Penguin Group (USA Inc and Alan S Franken was a civil lawsuit filed in the United Penguin Books is a British Publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. William James O'Reilly Jr (born September 10 1949 is an American television / radio host, Author, Syndicated columnist, and In August of that year, Fox News sued, claiming infringement of its registered trademark phrase "Fair and Balanced". Fox News Network LLC v Penguin Group (USA Inc and Alan S Franken was a civil lawsuit filed in the United A trademark or trade mark, represented by the symbols ™ and ®, or mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual A federal judge found the lawsuit to be "wholly without merit" and Fox then filed to dismiss it. In law a lawsuit is a civil action brought before a Court in which the party commencing the action the Plaintiff, seeks a legal or equitable remedy The episode with Fox focused a great deal of media attention upon Franken's book and, according to Franken, greatly increased its sales. Reflecting on the lawsuit during a September 2003 interview on the National Public Radio program Fresh Air, Franken said that Fox's case against him was "literally laughed out of court" and added that the judge's comment that the case was "wholly without merit" was a good characterization of Fox News itself. Fresh Air is a Radio talk show hosted by Terry Gross, broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States ^[12] After the lawsuit was dismissed, Franken and O'Reilly continued to feud.

Tax issues

New York state officials stated that Al Franken Inc. illegally failed to carry workers' compensation insurance for employees from 2002 to 2005. Franken paid the $25,000 fine. ^{[13] [14]}

The California Franchise Tax Board reported that the same corporation owes more than $4,743. 40 in taxes, fines and associated penalties in the state of California for 2003 through 2007 because the corporation did not file tax returns in the state for those years. ^[15] A Franken representative said that it followed the advice of an accountant who believed when the corporation stopped doing business in California that no further filing was required. ^[16][17] However, Republicans say that Franken made 32 public appearances from 2003 to 2007, including two on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno taped in Burbank, California, for which Franken would have been paid the standard union fee as a member of the Screen Actors Guild. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show currently hosted by Jay Leno, on The Screen Actors Guild ( SAG) is an American labor union representing over 120000 Film and television principal performers and background ^[18] On April 29, 2008, Franken released a statement noting that he will pay about $70,000 in back income taxes in 17 states dating to 2003. Most of the income at issue was from speeches and other paid appearances by the comedian-turned candidate, who said he got bad advice from his accountant, who told him to pay income tax only in his state of residence. Franken said he will seek retroactive credit from the states where he paid income tax that should have been paid in these 17 states. ^[19]

Political action

On SNL's Weekend Update segment in the late 1970s, Al Franken spoofed his ideas with a familiar line: "Vote for me, Al Franken. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City You'll be glad you did!"^[6] In 1999, Franken released a parody book, Why Not Me?, detailing his election to the Presidency in 2000. Why Not Me? The Inside Story of the Making and Unmaking of the Franken Presidency is a satirical Novel by comedian Al Franken, detailing He had been a strong supporter of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Paul David Wellstone ( July 21, 1944 – October 25, 2002) was a two-term U Wellstone's death in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 Senate election strongly affected Franken. The 2002 United States Senate election featured a series of fiercely-contested elections that resulted in a victory for the Republican Party, which gained two seats and After the funeral, Rush Limbaugh and other conservative talk radio hosts criticized the remembrance ceremony and its participants for alleged overt displays of left-wing political sentiment. Rush Hudson Limbaugh III (born January 12, 1951) is an American radio host and conservative Political commentator. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined Columnists Peggy Noonan and Chris Caldwell asserted that 20,000 people booed Trent Lott. Peggy Noonan (born Margaret Ellen Noonan on September 7, 1950, in Brooklyn New York) is an author of seven books on politics religion and culture Chester Trent Lott Sr (born October 9, 1941) is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and a member of the Republican Party Franken, who attended, denied there was widespread jeering: "Along with everyone else, I cried, I laughed, I cheered. It was, to my mind, a beautiful four-hour memorial. I didn't boo. Neither did 22,800 of the some 23,000 people there. "^[20]

Franken said he learned that 21% of Americans received most of their news from talk radio, then an almost exclusively conservative medium. Said Franken, "I didn't want to sit on the sidelines, and I believed Air America could make a difference. "^[6] In November 2003, Franken talked about moving to his home state of Minnesota to run for the Senate. The seat once held by Wellstone, now occupied by Republican Norm Coleman, was to be contested in the 2008 election. Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician who has served as a U In 2005, Franken announced his move to Minnesota: "I can tell you honestly, I don't know if I'm going to run, but I'm doing the stuff I need to do in order to do it. "^[21] He said that he would run as a Democrat, stating that "Democrats care so much more for the poor than Republicans do. "

Franken's books express strong support for pro-choice views, gun control laws, same-sex marriage, environmental protections and a revamped, more progressive income tax system. Overview See also Ethical aspects of abortion Pro-choice advocates emphasize their beliefs that having a child is a personal choice that affects a woman's body and Gun politics is a set of legal issues surrounding the ownership use and regulation of firearms as well as safety issues related to firearms both through their direct use and through Same-sex marriage (also referred to as gay marriage) is a term for a legally or Socially recognized Marriage between two people of the same A progressive tax is a Tax imposed so that the Tax rate increases as the amount subject to taxation increases In the postscript of The Truth (with jokes), Franken joked that if elected to the Senate, in the two-week window between the Senate's swearing in and the end of Bush's term, he would push for a "quickie impeachment. George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. Impeachment is the first of two stages in a specific process for a legislative body to forcibly remove a Government official "

In late 2005, Franken started his own political action committee called Midwest Values PAC. In the US, a Political Action Committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group regardless of size organized to elect political candidates Midwest Values PAC (MVP is a Political action committee, or PAC that was founded by political satirist best selling author and radio host Al Franken in the fall By early 2007, the PAC had raised more than US$1 million. ^[22][23]

Franken was the subject of the 2006 documentary film Al Franken: God Spoke, which premiered in April 2006 at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. Documentary film is a broad category of visual expression that is based on the attempt in one fashion or another to " Document " reality Al Franken God Spoke is a 2006 documentary film starring Political commentator Al Franken. The TriBeCa Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro in a response to the September 11 2001 attacks on the World Trade The City of New York It was released nationally on September 13 that year. ^[24]

2008 U. S. Senate campaign

Main article: United States Senate election in Minnesota, 2008

On January 29, 2007, Al Franken announced his departure from Air America Radio. The 2008 Minnesota US Senate election will take place on November 4, 2008. Events 904 - Sergius III comes out of retirement to take over the papacy from the deposed Antipope Christopher. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Air America Radio (commonly abbreviated to AAR) ^[25] On the day of his final show, February 14, Franken formally announced that he would run for the United States Senate from Minnesota in 2008. Events 842 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German swear the Oaths of Strasbourg in the French and German The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers ^[26] Challenging him for the Democratic endorsement was Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, a professor, author, and activist. Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is an American academic He sought the endorsement of Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party as a candidate for U Earlier candidates, Mike Ciresi, a wealthy trial lawyer; and Jim Cohen, an attorney and human rights activist dropped out of the race earlier. Michael "Mike" V Ciresi is a prominent trial attorney and was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for the United States Senate from Jim Cohen (born August 2, 1942) is an American Human rights activist, Attorney, Environmentalist and former candidate ^{[27] [28]}

On April 13, 2007, Al Franken's campaign finance report was filed. Events 1111 - Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. 1204 - The Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. He was able to raise US$1. 35 million dollars in the first quarter of 2007. The incumbent senator, Norm Coleman, was able to raise US$1. Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician who has served as a U 53 million dollars. ^[29] On July 8, 2007, the Franken campaign stated that it expected to announce that Franken had outfundraised Coleman during the second quarter of the year, taking in US$1. Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. 9 million to Coleman's US$1. 6 million,^[30][31] although as of early July 2007, Coleman's US$3. 8 million cash on hand exceeded Franken's US$2 million. ^[31]

On June 7, 2008, Franken was endorsed at the Democratic convention. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

Views

Franken has been a vocal critic of the Iraq War for several years and opposed the 2007 troop surge. The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign The surge is a phrase commonly used to describe United States President George W However, he didn't criticize the invasion at the time, a fact he often admitted, with regret, on his radio program. In an interview with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough,^[32] Franken said that he "believed Colin Powell," whose presentation at the United Nations convinced him that the war was necessary. MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. Charles Joseph "Joe" Scarborough (born April 9 1963) is an American cable news host and former Politician. Colin Luther Powell, KCB (Honorary MSC, (born April 5, 1937) is a retired General in the United States Army. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Franken now believes that Congress should refuse to pass appropriations bills to fund the war if they don't include timetables for leaving Iraq. In an interview with Josh Marshall, Franken said of the Democrats, "I think we've gotta make [Bush] say, 'OK, I'm cutting off funding because I won't agree to a timetable. Joshua Micah Marshall (born February 15, 1969 in St Louis Missouri) is an American Polk Award -winning journalist who founded Talking '"^[33]

Franken favors transitioning to a universal health care system, with the provision that every child in America should receive health care coverage immediately. Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region He believes that private pensions and Social Security should be protected. A pension is a steady income given to a person upon Retirement, typically in the form of a guaranteed annuity. Social Security, in the United States currently refers to the federal Old-Age Survivors and Disability Insurance ( OASDI) program ^[34][35] He wants to cut tax breaks for oil companies, increase money available for college students and cut interest rates on student loans. Student loans are loans offered to students to assist in payment of the costs of professional Education. ^[36]

Other notable events

Palace Theatre Rally

During the 2004 presidential election, Franken was at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, New Hampshire, attending a rally for governor Howard Dean in his bid for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. The Palace Theatre is a stage production venue in Manchester New Hampshire, USA. Manchester is the largest city in the US state of New Hampshire and the largest city of northern New England, an area composed of Vermont, New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Howard Brush Dean III, (born November 17 1948 is an American A heckler attempted to shout down the governor, who was taking questions from the audience. A heckler is a person who shouts a disparaging comment at a performance or event or interrupting set-piece speeches for example at a political meeting When theater manager Peter Ramsey tried to calm the situation, the man began pushing and elbowing Ramsey. According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, at that point Franken assisted Ramsey by temporarily restraining the heckler. The New Hampshire Union Leader is the daily Newspaper of Manchester, the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. When a second heckler appeared, "Franken and three other men escort[ed] the second heckler out the stage door. "^[37] The first heckler then left quietly after Ramsey threatened to call the police. Franken said he wasn't backing Dean, but that he was upholding the right to free speech, and that he "would have done it if [the heckler] was a Dean supporter at a Kerry rally. } John Forbes Kerry (born December 11 1943 is an American Politician who is currently serving his fourth term as the junior United States Senator "

Bibliography

Books by Al Franken

• The Truth (with jokes) (Dutton Books, 2005) ISBN 0-525-94906-2
• Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right (Dutton Books, 2003) ISBN 0-525-94764-7
• Oh, the Things I Know! A Guide to Success, or Failing That, Happiness (Plume Books, 2003) ISBN 0-452-28450-3
• Why Not Me? (Delacorte Press, 1999) a parody-journal of the fictional “Franken campaign” for President ISBN 0-385-31809-X
• Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (Delacorte Press, 1996) ISBN 0-385-31474-4
• I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me!: Daily Affirmations with Stuart Smalley (Dell Books, 1992) ISBN 0-440-50470-8

CDs and compilations

• The Al Franken Show Party Album
• The O'Franken Factor Factor - The Best of the O'Franken Factor
• Best democracy money can buy: the truth about corporate cons, globalization, and high-finance fraudsters, with Greg Palast (2004)

Filmography

• Al Franken: God Spoke (2006)
• Tanner on Tanner (2004)
• Indian Point: Imagining the Unimaginable (2004)
• The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
• Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004)
• Harvard Man (2001)
• From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
• Stuart Saves His Family (1995)
• One More Saturday Night (1986)
• Trading Places (1983)
• The Rutles (1978)
• Tunnel Vision (1976)

References

External links

• Announcing his candidacy for the Senate
• Al Franken's official campaign website
• Al Franken at National Public Radio
• Al Franken at the Internet Movie Database
• About.com Profile of Al Franken, 2008 Senate Candidate
• Al Franken Fan Club and Discussion Forum
• Al Franken commentary on 2006 elections
• Al Franken's PAC, Midwest Values PAC
• Al Franken Discussion Forum
• Al Franken's federal campaign contributions
• Al Franken Under the Satirist's Lens
• Al Franken's writings on the Huffington Post
• Is Al Franken Worthy to Take Wellstone's Seat?
• Al Franken quotes
• The Al Franken Show Audio Archive
• Video of Al Franken interviewed on the Colbert Report

The New Hampshire Union Leader is the daily Newspaper of Manchester, the largest city in the state of New Hampshire.

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