At a time when many of us are being asked to imagine how it feels to be an "outsider" and the deadly consequences of being in that position, the Al Franken case is worth thinking about. No, it's not life or death. It is instructive.
Like one of his genius sketches on Saturday Night Live, Al actually becoming a United States Senator is a dive into the absurd. If Minnesota wasn't such a "clean" state, I'm sure his razor thin vote margin would not have held. Shortly before his fall, he wrote a book about it. Six long years of keeping an almost invisible profile while he worked on convincing his fellow lawmakers that he could be useful. And with his trademark chuckle, he tried to explain to the clueless when "it's a joke" applied.
Sorry Al. It was hubris. From the beginning, the Gods knew the joke was on you.
I'm so glad people are rethinking their hair trigger responses. Everyone is innocent until.... including (unfortunately) you know who.
ReplyDeleteI'm reminded of a more innocent time -- the time when George Murphy was elected Senator. Murphy, for those who are under 60, was a famous performer in and out of the movies. Tom Lehrer even wrote a song about him. It included the following line: "At last we have a Senator who can really sing and dance."
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