StarTribune.com Minneapolis-St.Paul,Minnesota

By PATRICIA LOPEZ, KEVIN DIAZ and KEVIN DUCHSCHERE

June 5, 2008

Just as DFL activists begin streaming into Rochester for a state convention that starts today, their top U.S. Senate candidate, Al Franken, is fending off still more slings on his troubled road to the nomination.

On Thursday, an e-mail surfaced from one of the state’s leading abortion-rights groups, Planned Parenthood, denouncing an article he wrote for Playboy in 2000, calling the piece misogynistic and degrading to women.

And U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar broke a week-long silence to urge Franken to acknowledge that the piece was “entirely inappropriate.'’

On Thursday evening, Franken’s campaign issued a statement in which the candidate said, in part, “I’m proud of my career as a satirist, which doesn’t mean every joke I’ve ever told was funny, or, indeed, appropriate. I understand and regret that people have been legitimately offended by some of the things I’ve written.”

Pressure on Franken about his writings has been building since late May, when the 2000 Playboy article was resurrected by Republicans.

In an e-mail Tuesday that went out to most DFL legislators, Connie Perpich, Planned Parenthood senior legislative director, said the group’s political arm could find it “very difficult” to endorse Franken, saying the comments had gone “beyond the boundaries” for anyone seeking elective office.

Klobuchar was clearly dismayed by the controversy, saying Thursday that “this is a guy who has been married for 30 years. He loves his family and he cares about the issues. People need to know that. But they also need to hear him address his past inappropriate writings head on.”

In his e-mail Thursday evening, Franken noted his marriage, adding that “I respect women, in both my personal and professional life. And I will work incredibly hard to represent them in the Senate — something [U.S. Sen.] Norm Coleman hasn’t been doing for the last six years.”

Coleman saw it differently.

“While Al Franken was joking about raping women and a host of other degrading and humiliating jokes throughout his career, I was in the Minnesota attorney general’s office working to throw rapists behind bars,” Coleman said in a statement released late Thursday night. “I was in the mayor’s office working with advocates for battered women.'’

Further criticism

Meanwhile, Republicans heaped another log on the fire Thursday by unearthing a 1995 New York magazine article that mentioned Franken discussing a possible “Saturday Night Live” skit involving “60 Minutes.”

The skit idea centered on a sedative pill bottle found in essayist Andy Rooney’s desk. According to the article, during a brainstorming session, Franken, adopting a Rooney-like voice, suggested several possible lines for the Rooney character:

“And ‘I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then when Lesley’s passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her.’ Or ‘That’s why you never see Lesley until February.’ Or, ‘When she passes out I put her in various positions and take pictures of her.’”

When another writer suggested that the rape comment be about Mike Wallace, Franken said, again assuming the Rooney role: “What about ‘I drag Mike into my office and rape him. Right here! I guess that makes me bad.’”

The steady dredging of Franken’s lengthy and sometimes scatological comedic career now threatens the very point on which he had hoped to capitalize — his viability as a Democratic alternative to Coleman, a Republican who clinched his party’s nomination last week by acclamation.

“Clearly, what is not going to work for him is just continuing to say that he knows the difference between satire and being a senator,” said Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, who had counted herself a strong Franken supporter. “He was so charming and wonderful when I saw him interacting with students. I thought, ‘He excites a new generation and that’s so important.’ But now this thing. I just don’t know. I think he has to say, ‘Boy, that was a stupid thing to do.’ Insensitivity and poor taste are not even strong enough terms.”

Until now, Franken has defended his humor as satire that he said prepared him well for Congress.

Many supporters continue to solidly back him and on Wednesday he snagged a dream endorsement for any Democrat — the effusive backing of former Vice President Al Gore. Singer Bonnie Raitt is slated to perform at a fundraiser for him this summer, and Franken is expected to tap heavily into his extensive network of celebrity contacts on his behalf. He also has been a tireless fundraiser for Minnesota DFLers, including Planned Parenthood.

But closer to home, some DFLers say his stumbles have become a distraction that could cost them a chance to take back a Senate seat and even hurt down-ballot candidates.

“Delegates have some very important work to do this weekend,” said Sen. Kathy Saltzman, DFL-Woodbury, who released a statement with Rep. Sandy Wollschlager, DFL-Cannon Falls, that called the articles “most disturbing … offensive and highly inappropriate when linked to a candidate for the United States Senate.”

Some supporters say that while Franken may be flawed as a candidate, he remains their best shot at defeating Coleman’s attempt at a second term in the Senate, where Democrats hold a one-vote majority.