Redemption from what, sometimes I wonder about the American people as a whole nowdays. Is it really too much to expect people to realize (as with Bernie Mac) that these people are playing a character, one that is paid to make people laugh, even if it is using innapropriate themes at times? it saddens me that people don't see how sad that is.

I'll second that.  Coleman has got to go!

As opposed to Coleman's ads. When I see one of those, I want to throw up.

Give me the guy who makes me laugh. every time.

Agreed.  It's a brilliant advert.

Ventura had a pretty good run, compared to Pawlenty.  The fact that people were obsessed with his extracurricular activities and "antics," as you call them, is because they had nothing else to complain about.

Franken has some ground to cover, but he can still win... and I for one am not going to play the "what if" game with Ciresi, because Coleman is tough and almost preternaturally slippery: the only person to ever beat him was Ventura in '98, and that was a bizarre upset.  I don't think anyone would have a cakewalk against a chameleon like Coleman.

...was polling even worse than Franken as recently as this month when Survey USA began testing his name again when Franken started having problems.

I wouldn't place too much trust in that Q poll either. It also had Obama just 2 points ahead in the state which is patently ridiculous when the same poll has him up double digits in Wisconsin. I have no doubt Coleman is ahead and favored to win but you are making a mistake in counting Franken out completely with more than three months to go until election day.

just because you say it doesn't make it true.

again, there is no ample proof that Ceresi or any other DFLer would be in a better position to win.

if you have that proof, I'd love to see it.

and beat ciresi in every three way poll against Coleman.

...it is, in fact, the Norm.  Literally in this case.

As a party we have been getting our asses kicked for  YEARS by aspiring to the norm, and so many of the people we elected two years ago were elected because they aspired to less than the norm. I like the fact that we have candidates like Al Franken, yeah he is probably going to lose, but at least we are done with the norm. At least we are done with letting R's dictate the field of battle. At least we are beginning to aspire to more than the norm.

Thanks for the game of telephone.  "My friend said that his dad said..."

I know Al.  He is warm and personable.  He NEVER forgets a name or a face.

Either your friend, or his sister/dad, or you are lying.

This statement sounds like a standard whisper campaign, never proven, but full of completely impossible to disprove claims.  So, proof or it never happened.

A story from your "friend" in Minnesota who has a sister (who obviously doesn't like Franken) who hosted a failed house party is not proof.  Then you add the bonus, "Dad later ran into him the next day and he was a dick" routine.  Really?  What are the chances?

Your story is hearsay upon hearsay upon hearsay, filled with coincidence, happenstance, private events, private conversations, and few or no confirming witnesses and absolutely no supporting documentation or even a measly link.  It doesn't help that you are also asking us to believe something completely contrary to what people who have a long history of knowing Al Franken actually say about him.  And it doesn't help that you obviously have an ax to grind.

So, do you really believe this crap, or are you just full of crap?