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BY Devin Henry
PUBLISHED: 10/05/2008
Two well-known Al’s came to Northrop Auditorium Saturday, as Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore campaigned for U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken .
The two were the centerpiece of a program that included speeches from almost every elected or endorsed DFL er in the state.
The theme of the day seemed to be a call to action, with almost every speaker calling on the estimated 1,500 attendees to get others involved in the election, which falls exactly one month from the event.
“You win by outworking the other guy,” Franken said. “On Jan. 20, 2009, George W. Bush leaves office. What happens next is up to us.”
Gore offered a ringing endorsement of Franken, who in turn called Gore “the greatest president we should have had.”
During his 20-minute speech, Gore took on issues such as Iraq, the economy and climate change, offering a scathing review of both the Bush administration and congressional Republicans.
“I've gotten to the point, when a new outrage comes along, I've got to download some existing outrage to make room for the new outrage,” he said.
Since falling to President Bush in the 2000 Presidential Election , Gore has become a leading climate change activist.
His documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth” won the 2007 Best Documentary Academy Award. Gore himself won a share of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his work bringing attention to climate change.
“Thirty-one days and a few hours from now, we have to have a reckoning,” he said.
Franken, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, gave a mostly serious stump speech, but did play up his humor at parts.
“I want you to get a bumper sticker and not cut anyone off for the next 31 days,” Franken said. “After that, you can do what you like.”
The crowd was a mix of young and old, as long-time party members such as former Vice President Walter Mondale joined students to listen to the speakers.
Mondale said the DFL party, although more media- and technology-based today, is still a strong political organization.
“I think we’re doing very well,” he said. “The party is different from the one that we had when I was a student here and used to roam around here.”
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar , who introduced Franken, said after the event she hoped Gore would propel Franken’s popularity on campus.
“Al Gore did come to the University of Minnesota right before I won, so I consider him my good luck charm,” she said. “I think he will be the same for Al Franken.”
Through his speech, Franken cast himself as an alternative to incumbent U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman .
“He’s not working for us, and I will,” Franken said.
College Republicans chairman Abdul Magba-Kamara, who was part of a small group of students holding signs protesting Franken outside Northrop, said he wasn’t sold on Franken’s message.
“If you want someone to get things done, you don’t want to vote for angry Al Franken,” he said.
Pete Noteboom , Students for Al co-chairman, said Gore’s endorsement of Franken shows his support runs deep.
“It indicates that the well-known Democrats in the country are confident in Al,” he said.
Franken told an anecdote about former U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone running with his son during cross country meets, willing him on to the finish line by telling him he could take his opponents.
“I’m going to take this guy,” Franken said of Coleman. “I need you running alongside me.”
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Why Should We Reward the Republicans this Year?
John McCain and the Republican Party do not deserve to be rewarded this year. I don't care how much of a Maverick he claims to be. Why would anyone elect essentially the same party officials that got us into this mess and expect a different outcome this time?
George Bush and the Republican party invaded the wrong country and created a royal mess in Iraq. They completely dropped the ball in Katrina resulting in over a thousand deaths in Louisiana. The have actively allowed for the first time in our history the torturing of prisoners resulting in a number of torture scandals like the one at our prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. We condemn countries like Cuba and other dictatorships for their human rights abuses and torture and yet we now openly condone it on our on military base in Cuba. How is that for the ultimate in hypocrisy?
They gave tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans with the expectation that it would trickle down to us and create more jobs. It didn't work and instead 800,000 jobs have been LOST by the failed economic policies of the Republican party in 2008 alone. The Republican party has jumped in bed with the Oil companies resulting in the redistribution of billions of dollars from our pockets to the pockets of Oil executives in the form of taxpayer funded tax breaks. And for this the Oil companies thank us by tripling the price of our gas over the past 8 years.
They facilitated Wall Street greed and rampant lack of regulation lead to massive profits on Wall Street until the house of cards caved in and now they want us to socialize their losses and again redistribute billions of dollars out of our pockets and into the pockets of Wall Street millionaires.
Voting McCain and Palin into office sends the message that hey it is okay that your party completely destroyed our country. It is okay that the economy is in the worst shape it has been in 22 years. It is okay that unemployment rates are at the highest point in the past 14 years. It is okay that wages for middle class Americans have fallen by an average of $2000.00 over the last 8 years and expenses have risen 4-6 thousand dollars at the same time. It is okay to redistribute wealth from the middle class to the richest 5% in the country.
For this we should reward the Republican party by voting them back into office?? Are you kidding me??
Right on brother!
Right on brother!
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