Funnyman for Senate

I have been following this race for months, and (as it's basically the only still-newsworthy element of Election 08) still am, and with obsessive enthusiasm formerly reserved for The O himself.

I want this. A lot. Partly because Minnesotans are pretty cool (since they're covered with ice eight months a year HAW HAW GEDDIT) and don't deserve to have a gladhanding corrupt toady like Coleman representing them in the Senate. Okay, that's reason enough.

But we need a professional satirist in the Senate. NEED. Not because of the comedy, snark, and endless Daily Show appearances that it would portend. Rather, a satirist has superior understanding of issues, because satire is one of the best tools of reason: It is a direct comparison between the world as it is and the world as we proclaim it to be; addressing this disjunct has to be one of the goals of the federal government over the next few years. (This understanding is evident in Franken, who is educated, informed, and has been politically active for decades.)

Plus, if I can channel grade-school civics patriotism for a second: The legislative bodies primarily comprise (successful) lawyers and businesspeople, a fair number of (successful) doctors, academics, and engineers, and a handful of political celebrities. This mix is neither representative nor, really, well-suited to understanding the realities of day-to-day existence. Perhaps a millionaire comedian is just as detached from reality as those others, perhaps not; what is certain, however, is that a comedian cannot become a millionaire (or at least can't have a decades-long successful career) while so detached.