Okay, we don’t usually select a campaign video from one of the Democratic presidential candidates for our daily video feature — it would seem too much like shilling. But this video is so good and original, it gets a worthy exception: Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) making a return of sorts to comedy, on behalf of Hillary Clinton.
In this new video, the former Saturday Night Live writer borrows a recurring sketch from Jimmy Kimmel Live!, “Mean Tweets,” in which a special guest reads mean things said about themselves on the popular social media platform. In this case, the junior senator from Minnesota responds to the online supporters of a certain other candidate, who objected to his endorsement of Hillary.
But as both a comedian and a political leader who is widely admired by progressives, Franken turned this into an educational exercise when he read one tweet that claimed: “*sigh* Hillary doesn’t seem to stand for almost anything you stand for.”
“Okay, well,” Franken replied, “sign, actually she does.”
“We both stand for making college affordable, for lowering student debt, getting universal pre-K,” he explained, as well as a multitude of other issues such as: raising the minimum wage, rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure, combating climate change, protecting women’s rights, and improving health care.
“Hillary stands for a lot of what I stand for,” he concluded, “and I bet she probably stands for a lot of what you stand for, too.”
But possibly the best reply Franken gave was to one person’s tweet: “mad tv sucked.”
“Okay, um, I’m gonna say that’s a joke,” Franken said. “I wasn’t on Mad TV — I was pretty well known for being on SNL. Good joke.”
Yes, a good joke indeed.
But on a serious note, here’s a recommendation: If indeed Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination, Sen. Franken would be the perfect choice to be Hillary’s partner in her debate preparations — that is, with the former absurdist comedy actor Franken playing the role of The Donald.
Video via Hillary For America.
