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Guilded Lilly

(5,591 posts)
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 09:45 AM Nov 2018

From Al Franken with Thanks.

From his Facebook account, no link for those who wish to stay away from Facebook today! Hope this is OK:

I’ve always really loved Thanksgiving. There’s the food, obviously. Franni makes her gigantic apple pie, and I make this great stuffing with wild rice – the real stuff from northern Minnesota. And, of course, there’s family. Franni and I have two beautiful kids (with two wonderful spouses), and we’ve been blessed with three perfect grandkids to spoil, with a fourth on the way. It seems like, every year, our table gets a little bigger.

But I also love Thanksgiving because I believe there’s power in giving thanks. I know it sounds like something Stuart Smalley would say – “That attitude of gratitude – it ain’t just a platitude!” – but taking a moment to be grateful really can make you a happier person. Also, a better person.

Last Thanksgiving, though, wasn’t much fun. I tried to be thankful for my family, my friends, and my health, but those weeks were incredibly difficult for us Frankens.

Over the last year, I’ve heard from so many of you – kind notes, supportive comments here on Facebook, people coming up to me at the grocery store or the gas station or the Vikings game to say hi. And it’s meant a lot to me and my family. Representing Minnesota in the Senate was the greatest job I’ll ever have, and I miss it more than you know.

I’ve also spent a lot of time over this past year thinking about the broader conversation we’ve been having about the experience of women in this country. I know that, for so many people, this issue raises a lot of powerful and painful feelings. This conversation can also be incredibly complicated. I don’t think it’s my place to weigh in on all the debates – but I will continue to listen and learn.

What I will say, though, is that, after a year of reflection, I’m finding it a lot easier to be grateful this Thanksgiving. Grateful for having had the chance to help make a difference on issues I care about. Grateful to all my supporters in Minnesota and across the country who made that journey not just possible, but joyful. Grateful to everyone who has reached out to wish me well – and, more importantly, kept carrying forward the fights I was proud to lead as a Senator.

And, most of all, grateful to Franni, who continues to be a rock, and to the family and friends who have always been there for me in good times and in less-good times.

As we gather around the table this year, we have a lot to celebrate, including a whole bunch of thrilling Democratic victories. But we also have a whole lot to worry about when it comes to our country. For me, and for so many of you, politics has always been about the improvement of people’s lives, just like Paul Wellstone said. And there’s so much more work left to do. I still miss being in the fight every day, and while I’m certainly not running for anything, I hope that, in the next year, I’ll have the chance to help make a difference again.

For a lot of Americans, this Thanksgiving comes during a time of real struggle. Men and women serving abroad are eating their turkey off trays at bases a world away from their families. Out in California, many victims of the horrible wildfires have no home in which to gather. And for some families, there will be an empty seat at the table.

So I know this isn’t a happy holiday season for everyone. But regardless of whether this past year has brought you joy or pain, I hope you’ll be able to take a moment this Thanksgiving to tell the people around you that you love them and give thanks for the good things in life. Franni and I wish you all the best.

With an attitude of gratitude,

Al

62 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
From Al Franken with Thanks. (Original Post) Guilded Lilly Nov 2018 OP
Of course it is "ok" and very very much appreciated. I hope Al knows how much he is loved & missed. hlthe2b Nov 2018 #1
Franklin was a casuality of the fascist cabel that is in the command of our nation. olegramps Nov 2018 #20
I might add: Franken was a casualty of media and arts illiteracy in the USA DemocracyMouse Nov 2018 #37
As far as the incident they were just horseing around. She wasn't offened unil it payed off. olegramps Nov 2018 #45
Diito that! DemocracyMouse Nov 2018 #46
Wonderful post! Thank you! nt scarletwoman Nov 2018 #61
He was the best! Guilded Lilly Nov 2018 #48
Love it. Happy Thanksgiving Al and Franni and family. Zoonart Nov 2018 #2
Still can be. James48 Nov 2018 #8
Its not too late. He's just been tested. Its time to re-elect him to the Senate. marble falls Nov 2018 #9
From your mouth to God's ears. Zoonart Nov 2018 #10
He should run for Governor of Minnesota first Trumpocalypse Nov 2018 #14
Not a bad idea! marble falls Nov 2018 #55
Yes Yes Yes! fierywoman Nov 2018 #52
Thank you for posting this! scarletwoman Nov 2018 #3
I know....he was my Senator as well, and I will never get over the railroad job done on him. a kennedy Nov 2018 #5
I'll never forget either. We were all ROBBED. calimary Nov 2018 #21
I will not forget either. xxqqqzme Nov 2018 #34
Me, neither. Miss him still. Guilded Lilly Nov 2018 #49
Post removed Post removed Nov 2018 #4
Thanks for sharing this! Franken was railroaded... NurseJackie Nov 2018 #6
A Senate ethics investigation Trumpocalypse Nov 2018 #16
... NurseJackie Nov 2018 #18
Post removed Post removed Nov 2018 #35
LOL! NurseJackie Nov 2018 #39
Yes it would have dsc Nov 2018 #38
He is sorely missed. And needed. Guilded Lilly Nov 2018 #50
When will he run again!!! marble falls Nov 2018 #7
"I still miss being in the fight every day, and while I'm certainly not running for anything, pazzyanne Nov 2018 #11
Its a small light, but I'll take it! marble falls Nov 2018 #12
Perhaps the next Democratic President will include him in his/her cabinet. GoCubsGo Nov 2018 #13
I was thinking the same thing Buckeyeblue Nov 2018 #19
I love this idea! karin_sj Nov 2018 #25
I get the impression that the Democratic Party broke his heart LiberalLovinLug Nov 2018 #47
That grandstanding pile on broke mine. Jakes Progress Nov 2018 #54
He was a great Senator The Wizard Nov 2018 #15
Yes he was railroaded Trumpocalypse Nov 2018 #36
Maybe. But he did a lot of stuff behind the scenes for his constituents. PatrickforO Nov 2018 #42
Please come back! zentrum Nov 2018 #17
Miss Him MrGrieves Nov 2018 #22
You're the best, Al. mountain grammy Nov 2018 #23
I sure miss him karin_sj Nov 2018 #24
Maybe he can take Klobuchar's seat in two years. Bleacher Creature Nov 2018 #26
Like it. 😉 LakeArenal Nov 2018 #30
I keep hoping for a Klobuchar/Swalwell ticket in 2020. BlueInRedHell Nov 2018 #56
I like that riverwalker Nov 2018 #57
What a truly, wonderful human nt ThingsGottaChange Nov 2018 #27
One of the best. gademocrat7 Nov 2018 #28
Run again, Al! Greybnk48 Nov 2018 #29
Left a tear in my eye. I love everything he said. LakeArenal Nov 2018 #31
Such a goddamn shame. Fuzzpope Nov 2018 #32
Thank you, Al for a beautiful Thanksgiving message. KY_EnviroGuy Nov 2018 #33
Thanks!!! nt LAS14 Nov 2018 #40
Al Franken's senate career was cut short, and it was very sad. PatrickforO Nov 2018 #41
As far as I know, he is still contemplating his options. DFW Nov 2018 #43
I love this guy and hate that he is off the front lines. Nt BootinUp Nov 2018 #44
Luv ya Al Franken oasis Nov 2018 #51
Al Franken should return to radio. Eric J in MN Nov 2018 #53
I "liked" his FB accounts (2 of 'em). I didn't know he had a FB page. So thanks! A lovely msg by him Honeycombe8 Nov 2018 #58
Beautifully Eloquently written, Al Franken! Cha Nov 2018 #59
Thank you for sharing! n/t Niagara Nov 2018 #60
I saw Franken twice last night while watching BigmanPigman Nov 2018 #62

hlthe2b

(101,534 posts)
1. Of course it is "ok" and very very much appreciated. I hope Al knows how much he is loved & missed.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 09:49 AM
Nov 2018

Thanks for posting.

olegramps

(8,200 posts)
20. Franklin was a casuality of the fascist cabel that is in the command of our nation.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 11:15 AM
Nov 2018

He was a prime target. A major obstacle that had to be suppressed at any cost. The woman who agreed to bring him down is in the same league as Lindy Tripp. A black hearted women who betrayed her unsuspecting young friend Monica Lewinsky. She will never live down a betrayal that is as evil as Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. How many pieces of silver did the last bought and paid for betrayal cost the Republicans?

DemocracyMouse

(2,275 posts)
37. I might add: Franken was a casualty of media and arts illiteracy in the USA
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:23 PM
Nov 2018

We don’t teach media and arts literacy in this media-saturated country. We are fat like the Christmas goose with music, film, fashion, video games, household product designs, etc. Yet we don’t know how to understand or discuss any of it. We just grunt our “likes” and our “dislikes” and we zero in on whether we relate to the personalities involved. There’s little analysis of the form or content because we lack the linguistic tools. As students we rarely rehearsed the behavior of critiquing art, design and media.* (*see “embodied cognition”).

THEREFORE we are unable to see the difference between Trump ACTUALLY cheating on his wife just after his youngest son was born (and paying hush money to silence the story) and Al Franken MOCKING what soldiers might think about during a comedy tour. Trump actually transgressed. He scared one under-age girl from taking him to court. Al Franken was doing VAUDEVILLE when that photo was taken. The woman he was performing with had been literally slapping the ass of one of the musicians on stage. She grabbed another with her legs. Her actions were even caught on video. Again, Vaudeville. It’s all satire, which in point of fact is a light-hearted CRITIQUE of the acts being performed.

Had Ameirica actually had an education system run by teachers instead of overpaid, profit-focused administrators, it would have never fallen for Roger Stone’s tricks. (He urged the co-vaudevillian to pull out that old snapshot and pretend it wasn’t satire).

Maybe Mueller will expose these truths when he investigates Roger Stone. But the US public, Gillibrand, et al, should have seen the obvious: there’s a difference between satire and the real thing. Even Franken’s friendly squeezes during a photo op would be neutralized if schools still taught waltzing and other dance forms. Touching, even squeezing, a person’s waist or shoulders during a photo shoot is a wholesome expression of group affection. Some cultures, like Franken’s old-school yiddish theater culture, are more affectionate in these rituals than others. But even WASPS get touchy-feely on occasion. What have we become? Isolated pods sealed off in cubicles with nothing but simulated reality to impart a sense of humanity? Good grief, as Charle Brown used to say,

We have truly become the nation Mike Judge portrayed in his film Idiocracy. I recommend it as a delightful and edifying Thanksgiving entertainment.

Peace.
Remember the Native Americans.

olegramps

(8,200 posts)
45. As far as the incident they were just horseing around. She wasn't offened unil it payed off.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 02:19 PM
Nov 2018

Republicans can be vindictive at best. She is of the same caliber as Linda Tripp. The media weighs everything on how will this affect my advertisers. It is all ways about the damn buck.


Zoonart

(11,704 posts)
2. Love it. Happy Thanksgiving Al and Franni and family.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 09:54 AM
Nov 2018

MIss Al so much. He would have made a brilliant President.

scarletwoman

(31,893 posts)
3. Thank you for posting this!
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 10:07 AM
Nov 2018

I love Al Franken - he was MY Senator.

I just can't get over what a travesty it is that he was railroaded out of the Senate. I will never forgive that.

calimary

(80,521 posts)
21. I'll never forget either. We were all ROBBED.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 11:18 AM
Nov 2018

Add me to the list of those who wish he’d run again.

I still feel so bad about what happened to him. He WAS railroaded. And by Roger Stone (and an equally pathetic shabby excuse for a knuckle-dragger radio station desperate for Something/Anything to get attention and praying for rescue from their permanent spot in the ratings basement) no less.

He was a good man, whose random crazy comedy stunt was twisted so it could be re-used to screw him.

xxqqqzme

(14,887 posts)
34. I will not forget either.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:11 PM
Nov 2018

He must have been perceived as a huge threat given how quickly he was forced out.

Al Franken is the only candidate, outside my local candidates, I supported with contributions.

Response to Guilded Lilly (Original post)

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
6. Thanks for sharing this! Franken was railroaded...
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 10:30 AM
Nov 2018

... he asked for an investigation, he deserved to have due process... but he saw the "torches and pitchforks" coming after him and he probably knew that battling for due process would damage the Democratic party worse than just "taking a hit for the team" and allowing others to bully him out of office.

We need his voice NOW more than ever. I hope he'll return to politics soon.

 

Trumpocalypse

(6,143 posts)
16. A Senate ethics investigation
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 10:58 AM
Nov 2018

would only determine if he had violated congressional ethics rules. It is not a finding of guilt or innocence. I really wish people would stop using this inaccurate talking point in regard to Franken.

Response to NurseJackie (Reply #18)

dsc

(52,117 posts)
38. Yes it would have
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:25 PM
Nov 2018

the ethics violation he was accused of was having harassed women. Now, I will say no hearing would have been totally dispositive in all likelihood but we could have seen the evidence and made our own determination.

pazzyanne

(6,500 posts)
11. "I still miss being in the fight every day, and while I'm certainly not running for anything,
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 10:39 AM
Nov 2018

I hope that, in the next year, I’ll have the chance to help make a difference again."


Sounds to me like he is planning to run again. I hope!


GoCubsGo

(32,053 posts)
13. Perhaps the next Democratic President will include him in his/her cabinet.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 10:44 AM
Nov 2018

He'd make a great Press Secretary.

Buckeyeblue

(5,489 posts)
19. I was thinking the same thing
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 11:07 AM
Nov 2018

I think there will definitely be a role for Al in the next Democratic President's cabinet, if he is interested. He may want to stay a private citizen at this point. It gives him greater freedom to express himself.

I also think that he could/should host a show. He is so funny and smart, I think he could provide excellent insight into the coming presidential election.

If I was Netflix I would sign him up and tell him to create a show about anything he wants.


LiberalLovinLug

(14,144 posts)
47. I get the impression that the Democratic Party broke his heart
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 02:44 PM
Nov 2018

I don't think he was prepared for the piling on by his fellow Ds whom he had great respect for. Their cold blooded denial of even an ethics review before publicly shaming him into resigning hurt him and I think that's the main reason he is hesitant to even attempt to re-start any process involving going back to the D leadership with cap in hand, and asking if he could run under their banner again.

Until Gillibrand and others publicly admit they made a hasty mistake, and apologize to him I don't think he will ever run again as a Democrat. And I don't see any indication that those responsible are humble or contrite enough to do that.

Perhaps he could run as an Independent in a district that is held by Republicans. That way he wouldn't be threatening a D seat. I think he could get a few votes even from R's and I's that might not want to vote Democratic, and are sympathetic to him. Once elected, work WITH Democrats, without an official membership, like Sanders. Maybe that would be sufficient face-saving for Gillibrand to swallow.

Jakes Progress

(11,121 posts)
54. That grandstanding pile on broke mine.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 06:05 PM
Nov 2018

I've never been as ashamed of the Democratic party as I was then.

I'm with you on the need for public apology and admitting to being duped. Just like Biden can't consider running without offering apology to Anita Hill and admitting he was so terribly wrong, those that piled on the Franken-busting wagon shouldn't expect to move up without the press calling them out. I like to think they are decent enough people to feel gut-wrenchingly guilt about their actions.

 

Trumpocalypse

(6,143 posts)
36. Yes he was railroaded
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:22 PM
Nov 2018

But saying he was a great Senator is a bit of an overreach. He was a good progressive Senator but other than getting Sessions to recuse himself Franken really didn't have that many accomplishments.

PatrickforO

(14,479 posts)
42. Maybe. But he did a lot of stuff behind the scenes for his constituents.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:52 PM
Nov 2018

You didn't see it, because he didn't beat his chest about it. But he really helped some of his people.

Now, as to greatness - I'd have to say that rests in potential in Franken's case. But his post today - that was great. You'd NEVER hear something like that from Trump, would you? Or Louis Gohmert. Or any number of disgusting personages.

Franken could have been a great US Senator, but alas...

 

MrGrieves

(315 posts)
22. Miss Him
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 11:20 AM
Nov 2018

I am from MN. I miss him. He is a wonderful person. I got a chance to meet him and snap a picture of him last year at the Vikings game in DC. As a MN resident my senator was taken from me.

[link:|

karin_sj

(799 posts)
24. I sure miss him
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 11:43 AM
Nov 2018

It's a huge loss for the Senate. And yet, look at some of the Republicans elected in the last primary: a dead brothel owner and two indicted congressmen. The hypocrisy is beyond stunning.

LakeArenal

(28,673 posts)
31. Left a tear in my eye. I love everything he said.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 12:33 PM
Nov 2018

‘ Cept to say: WE WAS ROBBED

And I for one won’t get passed that list of Senators until each one makes some statement, gesture or appointment in the direction of personal responsibility for the Franken Railroad.

KY_EnviroGuy

(14,480 posts)
33. Thank you, Al for a beautiful Thanksgiving message.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:03 PM
Nov 2018

And, a healthy and prosperous future to you, your family and friends.

May we be blessed by your presence in the public sphere for many, many years....

PatrickforO

(14,479 posts)
41. Al Franken's senate career was cut short, and it was very sad.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:49 PM
Nov 2018

This post, I think, shows his character.

As a US Senator, he was kind, compassionate, and really cared about his constituents. In addition, he took the time to find out about issues so he could vote intelligently. Lastly, he was, and still is, actually, a mighty voice for Democratic values - that same compassion, empathy, caring, intelligence, and thoughtfulness.

Used to be those were American values, you know. But I ain't seeing it from about a third of the population - the kluxers, white supremacists, nationalists and various drooling phobes.

DFW

(53,930 posts)
43. As far as I know, he is still contemplating his options.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 01:55 PM
Nov 2018

If all goes well, I will have a concrete word in late January if not sooner, though whether or not it will be "on the record," I don't know. We have all seen what a haphazard smear campaign made up out of thin air can do if timed right and blessed (if you can call it that) with a little luck and some shamefully spineless behavior by some of our (otherwise-) best Senators.

My ideal solution would be for his stand-in, Tina Smith, to resign, and for the Governor of Minnesota to appoint Al for the rest of "her (really his)" term (or until the next special election, whatever the Minnesota State Constitution mandates). I will pass on the universal-but-one good wishes from this board, anyway.

Eric J in MN

(35,619 posts)
53. Al Franken should return to radio.
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 05:08 PM
Nov 2018

I liked his show on Air America.

There is no more Air America network, but some of the liberal talk radio stations which used to play Air America content still exist, including the one in MN.

Honeycombe8

(37,648 posts)
58. I "liked" his FB accounts (2 of 'em). I didn't know he had a FB page. So thanks! A lovely msg by him
Thu Nov 22, 2018, 10:00 PM
Nov 2018

As usual.

BigmanPigman

(51,368 posts)
62. I saw Franken twice last night while watching
Fri Nov 23, 2018, 05:03 AM
Nov 2018

Trading Places and The History of Comedy. It made me so sad, then really pissed fucked off. I sure as Hell hope he runs again!

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