Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Giant of the Senate by Al Franken Al Franken Giant of the Senate by Al Franken. From and To can't be the same language. That page is already in . Something went wrong. Check the webpage URL and try again. Sorry, that page did not respond in a timely manner. Sorry, that page doesn't exist or is preventing translations. Sorry, that page doesn't exist or is preventing translations. Sorry, that page doesn't exist or is preventing translations. Something went wrong, please try again. Try using the Translator for the Microsoft Edge extension instead. Al Franken Giant of the Senate by Al Franken. As far as I know, I’m the only U.S. Senator who was also one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live , where I worked for fifteen seasons. I’ve won five Emmy’s for writing and producing – even though Wikipedia says I won three. Wikipedia is wrong. I’m also the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers, including Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations , Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them – A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. I also won two Grammys, which Wikipedia also doesn’t mention. But that’s okay. I served in the Senate from 2009-2018, clobbering my first opponent by a margin of 312 votes. My second time around I won by a larger margin that’s not worth mentioning. I served on the Judiciary, Energy, Indian Affairs, and HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committees where I routinely embarrassed badly prepared witnesses and was a fierce opponent of media concentration, mandatory arbitration, and Betsy DeVos. I wrote a key provision of the Affordable Care Act – the Medical Loss Ratio, which requires insurance companies to spend at least 80% (85% for large group plans) of premiums on actual health care and not profits, administrative costs, executive salaries, and marketing. If they don’t, they must rebate the difference to policy holders. Millions of Americans, very likely including you, have received billions in rebates. You’re welcome. At the moment, I am the host of The Al Franken Podcast. My political action committee, Midwest Values PAC, supports Democrats and a host of other good, non-political things. Franni and I have been married for 45 years, many of them happy. Our two kids, Thomasin and Joe, have each produced two grandchildren. All four are spectacular! Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. From Senator Al Franken - #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum -- comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that. "Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book - also unusual - because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy." -- Louise Erdrich, The New York Times This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves. Hitha On The Go. Sometimes I feel like I’m a masochist for picking up so many political books. The same goes for my Twitter and news consumption – I keep reading even though I know I need to stop. Al Franken’s book, however, did not lead me down the spiral of depression and self-loathing that I’d been so used to. Rather, it made me somewhat grateful – for how our government is structured, for the Senate (really), and for him. Giant Of The Senate recounts Franken’s journey from a boy in Minnesota to the junior senator of that very state. While he touches on his early days (childhood, college, comedy and media careers), the book is more focused on his journey as a senatorial candidate and, eventually, senator. It’s LOL funny (truly – even my husband burst out several times while reading it). It also has a lot of heart, from Franken’s reunion with his 4th grade teacher, his wife’s battle with alcoholism, and his friendships in the senate. The book also opened my eyes to how much bipartisanship still exists in our legislative branch – which, in my opinion, is the best thing for our nation. Franken is, of course, talking about his own record. But a quick Google search of bills passed in the senate opened my eyes to how well the system is working. In 2016, Congress came together to pass some pretty significant legislation in a variety of areas – mental health, energy efficiency, child nutrition, and counter-propaganda. And while we remember Franken’s frank questioning of Cabinet nominees from earlier this year, the corresponding chapters in the book are so much more satisfying than his witty quips or tough questions. Franken truly is a Giant Of The Senate. Let’s hope he’s there for a long time… Share: Well, that was quick. Yep! Quick Hits are short posts that peek into my life – what I’m wearing, cooking, and reading. View all quick hits here, and check out these recent ones I know you’ll love: Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. From Senator Al Franken - #1 bestselling author and beloved SNL alum -- comes the story of an award-winning comedian who decided to run for office and then discovered why award-winning comedians tend not to do that. "Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book - also unusual - because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy." -- Louise Erdrich, The New York Times This is a book about an unlikely campaign that had an even more improbable ending: the closest outcome in history and an unprecedented eight-month recount saga, which is pretty funny in retrospect. It's a book about what happens when the nation's foremost progressive satirist gets a chance to serve in the United States Senate and, defying the low expectations of the pundit class, actually turns out to be good at it. It's a book about our deeply polarized, frequently depressing, occasionally inspiring political culture, written from inside the belly of the beast. In this candid personal memoir, the honorable gentleman from Minnesota takes his army of loyal fans along with him from Saturday Night Live to the campaign trail, inside the halls of Congress, and behind the scenes of some of the most dramatic and/or hilarious moments of his new career in politics. Has Al Franken become a true Giant of the Senate? Franken asks readers to decide for themselves. Отзывы - Написать отзыв. Оценки читателей. LibraryThing Review. I loved this book. He is such a straight forward speaker. He mixes humor and real heart. I've been so depressed about politics for awhile now, but he made me feel inspired again and gave me hope that . Читать весь отзыв. LibraryThing Review. I have a confession: I never much liked Al Franken as a comedian back in the early days of Saturday Night Live. His brash style somehow didn't click for me. But Senator Al Franken? I like him a great . Читать весь отзыв. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate Summary & Study Guide. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate Summary & Study Guide Description. Al Franken, Giant of the Senate Summary & Study Guide includes comprehensive information and analysis to help you understand the book. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion on Al Franken, Giant of the Senate by Franken, Al. The following version of this book was used to complete this guide: Franken, Al. Giant of the Senate. Hachette Book Group, 2017. Forging a new genre of political nonfiction, Al Franken's Giant of the Senate combines aspects of a personal memoir, a modern political analysis, and a satirical, introspective look at the progression of Franken's political journey into one concise and easily digestible narrative. This narrative ultimately seeks to prove that the culmination of Franken's personal, professional, and political journeys has prepared him to navigate the uniquely tumultuous modern political climate since the 2016 presidential election. With a rotating blend of concrete policy ideas, heartfelt personal tales, and a mixture of topical and nonsensical humor, Franken and his text represent the cross-section between the seemingly different worlds of comedy and politics. Franken gives a relatively brief recollection of his upbringing in suburban Minnesota and education at Harvard before jumping into the beginning of his life as a comedian. Franken's fifteen seasons with Saturday Night Live leave him with no shortage of memorable tales, like watching his best friend and stage partner control fake blood just off-screen for a Julia Child character played by Dan Ackroyd. The SNL years had their darker moments, as well, specifically with drug abuse and addiction. Franken's wife, Franni, and friend, Tom both struggled with addiction, leaving their marks on Franken as they fought their own demons. Most importantly, however. the show allowed him to learn and develop the finer skills of political satire, Franken's favorite subgenre of comedy. After leaving the show, Franken would try his hand writing satirical political nonfiction like Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot, ultimately creating a bridge between his fondness for political satire his eventual decision to run for Senate. Franken's first senate race was a hard-fought battle against incumbent Norm Coleman, a race characterized by scandals and accusations, vicious attacks ads, and an eight-month-long recount process. Franken received a crash course in political etiquette when he finally made his way to the Senate, learning the hard way that the rules that dictate comedy and showbusiness are inappropriate on the national stage. As he recalls the various lessons learned during his early months in the Senate, he also begins to delve more heavily into his specific beliefs and proposals on various issues like health care, gun control, education, and climate change. Working on these issues requires bipartisan support, regardless of how impossible Franken finds some of his colleagues, specifically Ted Cruz. However, Franken's humor mixed with his ability to acknowledge what he does not know have allowed him to enjoy and even befriend his colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Toward the end of the book, Franken seems to abandon his purpose of writing a memoir in favor of offering a scathing and honest analysis of the modern political situation. He does not hide his opinion of the sitting president, instead vowing to spend the coming months and years "protecting our children, our values, and our future from Donald Trump" (382). With this promise, Franken challenges the reader to look past the hectic present toward a better future, one in which partisan divisiveness is exchanged for commonsense policy solutions that give each American the opportunity to succeed. After all, Franken's affiliation with his party lies in the sacred principle that "Democrats aren't just the party of equality for all - we're the party of opportunity for all" (9). In order to secure this shared opportunity for generations to come, Franken sees it as imperative to resist Trump and work toward a better future.