Minnesota democrat hopes to inspire a few laughs. Franken helps craft McCain 'SNL' skit

Al Franken, the former "Saturday Night Live" star now running in a high-profile Senate race in Minnesota, helped craft the opening sketch mocking John McCain that kicked off the NBC comedy show Saturday, according to two well-placed sources inside the network.

Franken, who hasn’t been a staff writer on the show for 13 years, “phoned in” a spoof of McCain recording campaign ads in an edit booth, said an NBC source. Seth Meyers, the show’s current head writer, wrote it, but the sketch was hatched by Franken, a longtime liberal satirist and comedian.


An SNL insider said that, as of the Wednesday script read-through, Franken was the “credited writer with Meyers” on the opening sketch. Show veteran Darrell Hammond is to play McCain.

Franken’s input to the show blindsided his campaign staff, who have been forced to explain away some of the more crass and profane parts of his past writing and acting that have been used as fodder against him in a state known for its polite manners.

A spokeswoman for Franken, Colleen Murray, first said the Democratic Senate candidate “didn’t write anything for SNL tonight.” But pressed if he was involved in the show or had been in contact with staff members, Murray admitted Franken had a role in Saturday's program.

“Al has been friends with Lorne Michaels for over 30 years, and Lorne thought Al’s personal experience was funny enough for a SNL skit,” Murray said in a statement, referring to the show’s executive producer and creator. “Sure, Al keeps in touch with old friends but unless the skit is about non-ferrous mining on Minnesota’s Iron Range, Al’s not in the business of developing skits anymore.”

A Franken campaign aide said the candidate had been taping an ad earlier in the week and had wondered out loud how McCain could include the disclaimer candidates are required to include in their commercials — “I’m John McCain, and I approved this message” — when his spots were so “over the top.”

Later that day, Franken talked to Michaels about topics unrelated to the show and mentioned his thought but did not suggest a sketch.

However, Michaels talked to Meyers about Franken’s idea and the current writer, believing there was a funny sketch there, called his predecessor and they discussed it further.

Meyers then wrote it up.

Franken’s campaign sought to downplay the conversations, noting that the idea grew out of a discussion between old friends and that Franken had not been pitching an idea.

And a source close to the show said it was not uncommon for past "Saturday Night Live" stars to suggest ideas to current writers and cast members.

But word that the network’s signature comedy show has allowed a liberal Democrat Senate candidate to shape content mocking the Republican presidential nominee may fuel sentiment that the network is sympathetic to the left.

Told of Franken’s role in Saturday's show, a spokesman for Sen. Norm Coleman’s campaign said it was ironic that the Democrat had a hand in spoofing negative campaigning.

“Angry Al has run one of the nastiest, most negative attack campaigns in Minnesota history,” said Coleman spokesman Luke Friedrich. “Angry Al complaining about someone else’s campaign ads is about as funny as 'Saturday Night Live' will get this year.”



Franken's campaign was damaged earlier this summer when Republicans unearthed a racy Playboy article and even more when it was revealed that in 1995, his last year on the program, Franken had joked about rape while crafting one of the show’s skits.

Faced with a groundswell of criticism, Franken distanced himself from his past work as a comedian. In June, he apologized for some of his more controversial comedy routines when he accepted his party’s endorsement.

“For 35 years I was a writer. I wrote a lot of jokes. Some of them weren’t funny. Some of them weren’t appropriate. Some of them were downright offensive. I understand that. And I understand that the people of Minnesota deserve a senator who won’t say things that will make you feel uncomfortable,” Franken said in his nomination speech.

Since then, Franken has sought to refocus the race on Coleman and the incumbent’s ties to President Bush.

But Republicans have continued to use Franken’s past words against him.

Coleman has recently begun airing a tough television ad showing the comedian using variations of four-letter words, bleeped out, and portraying him as angry and unstable.

Franken has relied heavily on his show business connections to help fund his race.

He’s raised more money from California than any other state (including Minnesota), fueled by support from deep-pocketed Hollywood donors. He has received campaign donations from a host of famous actors including Tom Hanks, Candice Bergen, Paul Newman, Meg Ryan, Robin Williams, Steve Martin and Kevin Kline.

All told, Franken has raised over $523,000 from contributors connected to Hollywood in the movie and music industries.

Aside from exposing Franken's campaign to further questions about the seriousness of his commitment to public office, his role in the skit also leaves the NBC network vulnerable to criticism about the propriety of allowing a partisan candidate for high federal office to craft a segment mocking a presidential candidate of the opposing party.

Franken and his wife, Frances, have both maxed out as donors to the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

If nothing else, the timing of Franken's involvement is inopportune for the broadcast network, coming just weeks after delegates at the Republican National Convention chanted "NBC" in response to a line in GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's acceptance speech criticizing the media.

Conservatives have come to view NBC in the way they did CNN — once derided as the “Clinton News Network” — for many years.

Republican enmity has been mostly aimed at the network’s politically oriented cable station, MSNBC, and particularly liberal-leaning hosts Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews.

But word that the network’s signature comedy show has allowed a liberal Democrat Senate candidate to shape content mocking the Republican presidential nominee may fuel sentiment that the network is sympathetic to the left, even if the treatment of McCain is relatively gentle.

"Saturday Night Live" has a long history of political comedy, with presidential election spoofs providing some of the show’s most memorable moments. And, to be sure, over its 33 years, writers on the show have been equal opportunity satirists, gleefully mocking Republican and Democratic politicians alike.

McCain, Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton have all made cameos on the show this year, and the year’s most high-impact sketch may have been the one mocking reporters for going easy on the Illinois senator at the expense of Clinton.

And SNL executive producer and creator Lorne Michaels has a long history of donating to political candidates and various PACs on both sides of the aisle as well as independents.

Michaels has also been a longtime supporter of Sen. John McCain's various political campaigns, donating $1,000 to him in the 2000 presidential primaries, $1,000 to his 2004 Senate reelection bid, a similar sum to his Straight Talk America PAC in 2006 and the maximum $2,300 to his presidential campaign this year.

When asked about his support for McCain last week by Politico, Michaels said he has also donated to Obama, although that donation has not been listed on the most recent available donor statements. Michaels also made a $2,300 donation to the Franken campaign in March.

Representatives for Obama declined to comment on Franken’s hand in mocking their rival. The McCain campaign also declined to comment.

Politico's Jeffrey Ressner contributed to this report.

This article tagged under: 2010

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