Should Entertainers Lead the Nation?

Here I am in Minnesota reading one of my very favorite newspapers, the StarTribune. Today's front page addresses Al Franken's bid to take the U.S. Senate seat from Norm Coleman.

Don't know who Al Franken is? He's a brilliant writer/performer, best known for his 20 plus years on Saturday Night Live. I especially loved him as Stuart Smalley (not a professional therapist but a member of several 12 step programs.) Also the guy who would report from all over the world with that huge silly satellite contraption on his head.

Franken wrote scores of smart, funny but extremely controversial skits on SNL.

So I'm not surprised to learn that Franken is having problems with his campaign. Even Planned Parenthood is after him for an "entirely inappropriate" article he did on PP in a 2000 issue of Playboy.

In his defense, almost everything he's ever done as a writer/performer has been "entirely inappropriate." That's his whole deal. Anybody who writes books with titles like "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Liar" is going to be controversial.

But in another sense I'm glad that voters are not making it easy for him.

It was interesting that Fred Thompson didn't get far in his bid for the presidency. It didn't take the public long to realize that the D.A, on "Law & Order" and Fred were not the same person.

On the other hand, we've elected entertainers in the past who've done fairly well. Ronald Reagan comes to mind.

Al Franken is smart and extremely entertaining (while being extremely inappropriate) but all of us have to bare the responsibility of our past decision making.

Especially government leaders.


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