Al Franken for vice president?
Oh boy. It’s almost too hilarious to consider. Then again, so was Donald J. Trump’s presidential candidacy once thought of as a side-splitting joke.
Bill Scher, writing for Politico, thinks the political dynamics have been thrown into the drink with Trump’s frontrunning GOP presidential campaign.
So, according to Scher, Hillary Clinton needs to think seriously about appointing the man who gained fame as Stuart Smalley, the “Saturday Night Live” character who turned melodramatic modesty into an art form.
Franken now has a serious job, as a U.S. senator from Minnesota.
His committee hearing questioning of witnesses can be hilarious. He also makes serious points.
Franken is an unapologetic populist. He’s also backing Clinton, rather than Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Scher’s point in pushing Franken out front as a potential VP nominee is that Trump has changed the political calculus at every level. Franken would be seen as every bit as serious as Trump … which isn’t saying much, given that Trump’s circus act has turned the GOP campaign into a markedly unserious endeavor.
I am not in favor of promoting candidates for high public office for the sake of doing something brash and unthinkable. I like Sen. Franken. He’s a solid family man and a damn funny comedian. He writes great jokes, which he did for many years before becoming an on-camera sensation with “SNL.”
The question keeps popping into my head: Is Al “Stuart Smalley” Franken ready to become president if he is forced to assume that office?
My heart wants to say “yes.” My head says “no.”
As for Donald J. Trump, every fiber of my being tells me he is unsuited at every level imaginable for the office he is seeking.