History Creator / AlFranken

* FetishRetardant: In ''Lies'' Al quotes verbatim a scene from Bill O'Reilly's book ''Those Who Trespass'', containing a rather clunky and almost perfunctory performance of cunnilingus that seems to come out of nowhere.

* {{Troll}}: Al books are full of instances of him humorously screwing with people he doesn't like and/or agree with, like meeting Bush administration officials at the White House Correspondents' Dinner and congratulating them on their effective use of BillClinton's military in Iraq and Afghanistan, sending a number of conservative politicians and pundits letters asking for inspirational stories about their struggle to remain sexually abstinent until marriage (and not getting a single response back), or messing with his "tracker" [[note]]a person hired by an opposing political candidate to follow their opponent around with a video camera, in the hope of recording something embarrassing or inappropriate[[/note]] by constantly repeating a conversation (advocating for the purchase of a pull-out couch) with his driver, every single time he got out of the car.

* TheGunslinger: Type D. He is a QuickDraw champion in real life. In ''Lies,'' he claims he is 3rd ranked in the US, in response to [[Series/TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]] saying that in TheWildWest he'd have shot Franken in a ShowdownAtHighNoon.

* StreisandEffect: FoxNews sued to block the publication of ''Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them'', claiming copyright infringement on their phrase [[BlatantLies "Fair and Balanced"]]. Obviously, satirical use cannot be blocked by copyright claims, and not only was the case ''literally'' laughed out of court, it provided the book with a bunch of free publicity, to the point that the initial print run was increased and the release date moved up.

** In Al's defense, the title wasn't necessarily a reference just to Limbaugh's weight, but to his tendency toward juvenile name-calling and other ''ad hominem'' attacks on people he doesn't like.
* TheCameo: He's been a guest star on his friend (and fellow Minnesotan) Garrison Keillor's radio show APrairieHomeCompanion where he's done pretty good impression of Henry Kissinger

* FetishRetardant: In ''Lies'' Al quotes verbatim a scene from Bill O'Reilly's book ''Those Who Trespass'', containing a rather clunky and almost perfunctory performance of cunnilingus.

* GoshDangItToHeck: In ''Al Franken, Giant of the Senate'', he eliminates all the cussing that marked his previous books, because he has to hold himself to a higher standard of discourse (well, he doesn't ''have'' to, but it's expected of a Senator). So instead, he uses words like jerk, [[InherentlyFunnyWords poppycock, fiddle-faddle, nincompoopery, and world-class butthole]], the last to refer to [[TakeThat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

* MommasBoy: {{Inverted}} real-life example-Franken admits that in his childhood, he cheered for [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Nixon]] in the 1960 presidential election because he was fonder of his father, then a registered Republican (they both switched four years later), than he was of his mother, a registered Democrat. Al's older brother, meanwhile, cheered for [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Kennedy]], which he attributes to "a visceral aversion to Nixon."

* LetsSeeYouDoBetter: He has probably received vituperations of this sort from various factions. His response was to get himself elected to the United States Senate.

* HiddenDepths: For those who are primarily know him from his work on ''SNL''; he's a Harvard graduate, and has proven rather competent as a Senator since assuming office in 2009.

* HiddenDepths: For those who are primarily know him from his work on ''SNL''; he's a Harvard graduate, and has proven rather competent as a Senator since his election in 2009.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: His ''Rush Limbaugh is...'' book has a section involving a number of Republican figures (among them Limbaugh, Gingrich, Buchanan) fighting in Vietnam and calls them chickenhawks for allegedly warmongering but not fighting in wars themselves. Putting aside that the Republicans weren't in power at the Presidency and the person who was at the time, UsefulNotes/BillClinton, who Franken ''supported'', was the one who declared war in the Balkans and Somalia but refused to enlist in the draft, not only that but one of the people Franken mentions and lumps in with the others as "warmongering", Pat Buchanan, has been against ''every war'' since UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Buchanan not only doesn't fit the pro-war stereotype Franken was trying to push, he's ''less'' pro-war than either Franken or Clinton.
* TheDanza: Al Franken was Al Freundlich on ''Lateline''.

* HilariousInHindsight: ''[[WhyNotMe Why Not Me?]]'', which depicts a fictionalized version of Franken running for and gaining the presidency, was written as a farce back in 1998. Ten years later, Franken started a political career for real and became a U.S. senator for Minnesota. Now, some pundits are actually trying to encourage UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton to make Franken her [[http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/the-case-for-vice-president-al-franken-213756 vice presidential candidate]] against Creator/DonaldTrump.

* JustJokingJustification: Is famous for this. His ''Rush Limbaugh'' book is filled with disclaimers of sorts to the effect that all the fat jokes, etc., are "satire". He then [[InvokedTrope began his forward to]] ''Lies'' with a ''major'' one:

* MommasBoy: Inverted real-life example: Franken admits that in his childhood, he cheered for [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Nixon]] in the 1960 presidential election because he was fonder of his father, then a registered Republican (they both switched four years later), than he was of his mother, a registered Democrat. Al's older brother, meanwhile, cheered for [[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy Kennedy]], which he attributes to "a visceral aversion to Nixon."

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Al writes in ''Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot'' that his research assistant Geoff Rodkey contracts Lyme disease and dies[[note]] meant as a blackly comedic denouement of a series of chapters on the complexities of the legal system as it deals with health care and employee/employer lawsuits[[/note]]. Many of Al's readers apparently did not get the joke, and thought Geoff was really dead. A few sent Al letters telling him what a horrible person he was, working his assistant to death. In the paperback edition of ''Rush'', he assures his readers that Geoff is alive and well (wrapping up this addendum by once again announcing that Geoff has died).

* StreisandEffect: FoxNews filed a lawsuit over ''Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them'', claiming that the book's subtitle "A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right" was an infringement on their trademarked slogan, requesting an injunction against publishing the book with that title. Not only was the lawsuit laughed out court (it is long-established case law that copyrights cannot block satire), but the case gave Franken a huge amount of free publicity and greatly increased sales of the book.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Franken bashing Silverman caused him to not be the executive producer of ''SNL''[='s=] sixth season...which, as it now stands, is considered an OldShame due to how weak and humorless it was under the direction of Jean Doumanian. (On the other hand, if Franken ''had'' taken the position, it's likely that Lorne Michaels wouldn't have returned, leading to some excellent seasons later on, and also fairly likely that Franken would not have gone on to his career in punditry and then on to the Senate.)
* ZeroGSpot: {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in ''Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot'' in response to something on the subject Newt Gingrich wrote in one of his books.

Most recently he became the Junior Senator from Minnesota in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Minnesota,_2008 frighteningly protracted election]]. His reelection was more of a CurbStompBattle, him beating his opponent by ten points. Interestingly, as a Senator, he's been rather mild-mannered, level-headed, and kind of sheepish. It's actually kind of endearing.

'''Alan Stuart "Al" Franken''' (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedy writer, political satirist, and now Senator from Minnesota.

* {{Badass}}
** He is a QuickDraw champion in real life. In ''Lies,'' he claims he is 3rd ranked in the US, in response to [[Series/TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]] saying that in TheWildWest he'd have shot Franken in a ShowdownAtHighNoon.
** He also managed to calmly talk down some very angry Tea Partiers. Compared to many of his colleagues who would have difficult shouting matches with them, Franken spoke calmly with them, having a very intelligent debate.

* TheGunslinger: Type D, as indicated under the Badass entry above.

* HilariousInHindsight: ''[[WhyNotMe Why Not Me?]]'', which depicts a fictionalized version of Franken running for and gaining the presidency, was written as a farce back in 1998. Ten years later, Franken started a political career for real and became a U.S. senator for Minnesota. Now, some pundits are actually trying to encourage HillaryClinton to make Franken her [[http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/the-case-for-vice-president-al-franken-213756 vice presidential candidate]] against DonaldTrump.

* PaintingTheMedium: When ever he writes Alan Colmes' name in ''Lies,'' he uses a smaller font to emphasize how Colmes is dominated by Sean Hannity in his role of FoxNewsLiberal. e.g. Hannity and [--Colmes--]

* StealthParody: The title of ''Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot'' is alleged by Franken to be a deliberate reference to Limbaugh's style of debate largely involving (as far as Franken's concerned) [[AdHominem hurling personal insults at his opponents]].

* MyCountryTisOfTheeISting: Explained in ''Lies''.

** He is a QuickDraw champion in real life. In ''Lies,'' he claims he is 3rd ranked in the US, in response to [[Series/TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]] saying that in the WildWest he'd have shot Franken in a ShowdownAtHighNoon.

* ArchEnemy: [[Series/TheOReillyFactor Bill O'Reilly]]. See below, and also http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/oreilly-falafel-suit-turns-five?page=11

Most recently he became the Junior Senator from Minnesota in a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Minnesota,_2008 frighteningly protracted election]]. Interestingly, as a Senator, he's been rather mild-mannered, level-headed, and kind of sheepish. It's actually kind of endearing.

--> Thanks to Team Franken, you can rest assured that everything in this book is true. Either that, or it's a joke. If you come across something that doesn't ring true, [[ViewersAreMorons you probably just missed a hilarious joke and should blame yourself rather than me or Team Franken.]]

'''Alan Stuart Franken''' (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedy writer, political satirist, and now Senator from Minnesota.