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Comedian Al Franken, a longtime writer and performer on Saturday Night Live who served nearly two terms in the U.S. Senate before stepping down in 2018 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, is coming to Maine.

Frankens The Only Former U.S. Senator Currently on Tour tour will visit the State Theatre in Portland at 8 p.m. Sunday.

The 70-year-old has deep ties to Maine. His wife, Franni Bryson, is from Portland (the couple met while at Harvard University in the early 1970s), and they visit at least once a year.

Franken, a Democrat, had an interest in politics and public policy long before his successful run for the U.S. Senate in 2008. Now that hes transitioned back to comedy, politics anchor his performances even more.

Franken spoke this week about his two careers, his family in Maine and the situation in Ukraine. He wouldnt answer questions about the circumstances of his departure from the Senate. The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Q: Whats it been like touring at this particular moment in time?

A: Well, theres different things happening. You know, were on COVID time, were now on World War III time (chuckling). I was supposed to start this leg of the tour in January. We had to postpone a couple shows in northern California because omicron was peaking then But Portland, Im really happy about, because I have a lot of family there. My wifes family is all there, and I love Maine.

Q: Do you find that people are eager to laugh again in a public setting?

A: We havent been able to do that until recently and I think its always kind of, whenever youre in a theater and theres people, its a bit of a celebration anyway, but especially now. People are very happy to get out.

Q: When you were in the Senate, I expect you had to work hard to shed the label of that SNL comic and be taken seriously. What was the transition like back to being a comedian? Was this always something you expected to do?

A: I really hadnt thought that Id be coming back to private life, so to speak, so soon, but thats where I started, was comedy, and I value it very highly, especially satirical comedy.

But I had never done standup as a single. I used to do it with my partner, Tom Davis (a fellow Minnesotan who like Franken was an original writer on SNL), but its a different beast when youre up there alone.

Q: Is your comedy more political now than in the past, because of your experiences in the Senate?

A: I talk a lot about my time in the Senate and give you some background and peeks into what the Senates like. Thats not a small part of it.

Q: Anything on Maines senators (Susan Collins and Angus King, with whom he served)?

A: I dont talk too much about that (in shows), but I may a little. I told Angus (King) Im coming, and he said Well, how do I go? And I said, Well, Ill send you two comps. And then he writes back and says, You know Im a U.S. Senator, and I cant take them. I said, Good, then buy the expensive seats.

Q: Did you leave any tickets for Sen. Collins?

A: (long pause) Ah, no. No.

Q: Is it harder right now to do comedy given everything thats going on in the world?

A: That stuff has always been fodder. Im sort of a satirist, so on SNL, I wrote, with other writers of course, a lot of the satire. So that was part of our toolbox, what was happening. Even now, Im thinking, well, what I am going to say about Ukraine? How am I going to approach that?

But it is hard in these days where satire is supposed to be about pushing boundaries. Good satire always has. You talk about George Carlin, Richard Pryor, people like that, and now its comedians are finding it harder in some ways. A lot of comedians I know wont do colleges.

Q: What are your thoughts on Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky who, like you, was a comedian?

A: Hes doing great now. I loved when we offered to get him out and he said, You know, we need arms, not a ride. I just think the bravest people in the world are Jewish comedians who go into politics. Theres only two. (Franken is Jewish.)

Q: With your family connections in Maine, do you visit a fair amount?

A: We visit pretty much every year. My wife her four siblings, three sisters and brother, are in the Portland area and mom, my mother-in-law, is 99, and shes the family hero. I talk about her a little bit. Shell be embarrassed, but I dont care. Shes amazing. A remarkable story. Her husband died in a car accident after doing two shifts at the paper mill. He fell asleep and hit a tree, leaving my mother-in-law widowed with five kids, age 7 to 3 months, and thats why shes our hero.

Q: Are there specific places you go when in Maine?

A: We usually almost always go to Two Lights (State Park in Cape Elizabeth). When we come up, we eat a lot of lobster rolls. We just do. In summers, we go to Higgins Beach (in Scarborough).

Q: You hinted recently you might be interested in returning to politics. How different is the landscape now?

A: Its actually gotten uglier, which is hard to believe. When I was in the Senate, (Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell, he told his caucus, our job is to make sure Barack Obama gets nothing done, he filibustered executive appointees, and that started the destruction of the Senate as far as Im concerned. Now, you know, Trump is sort of the end result, I think of the Palins, the Hannitys, the Tucker Carlsons, Rush Limbaugh, the Tea Party, they finally got everything they wanted. They are authoritarian. Thats what theyve turned into as a party. Its always been there, but now its the top of the Republican Party.

Q: You mentioned Tucker Carlson, a part-time Maine resident, any more thoughts on him?

A: Hes been giving aid and comfort to one of the worst people in the world, to Putin. Its deeply disturbing. And its deeply disturbing that hes the most popular host on their primetime schedule. The others arent so great either, but Tuckers smart enough to know what hes doing.

Q: With all the podcasts out there, why did you decide to start one?

A: I think Ive carved out my podcast I do kind of public policy thats funny and fun to listen to. I care about this stuff about whats really going to make peoples lives better.

You think about my mother-in-law (Franken started to get tearful). Sorry. What made her life possible was Social Security survivor benefits, Pell grants for her kids, Title I. She got a GI loan to go to college, she teaches at a Title 1 school, she gets her loans forgiven. These things are important. It means stuff to people. And it kills me that it doesnt seem to mean stuff to the Republican Party at all.

Q: Do you think people have an understanding of what to expect at your show?

A: It depends on whether you do your job. I dont think they know exactly what to expect, but I dont think theyre surprised by anything. Theyll be surprised by some things, but theyll be comedic surprises. The show is funny. Thats the intent. And people really like it.

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Ahead of Portland show, Al Franken talks about his Maine connections, comedy and current events - Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel

Its not 2010 again in GOP politics and never will be, but you could be forgiven for having flashbacks to the beginnings of the tea party.

A leaderless grassroots revolt has emerged from almost nowhere, causing outrage in the media and among elected officials, as it opposes government overreach in high-spirited demonstrations.

So, yeah, this is happening in Canada and not the United States.

Still, the embrace of the Canadian trucker protesters by the American right is a sign that the tea party spirit circa the early Obama years was never fully extinguished. It is freedom that remains the most natural and powerful Republican rallying cry.

The Trump era catalyzed an ongoing debate among writers and thinkers on the right about how much emphasis should be put on freedom. One faction associated with populists and nationalists argues that the traditional conservative celebration of freedom has become fetishistic and is an anachronism irrelevant to ordinary people and an obstacle to grappling with the struggles of the working class.

This position has gained adherents in recent years, but it is hard to tell amid the rights reflexive support of a protest movement literally flying under the banner of freedom.

The Canadian protest is a unifying moment for the American right. To simplify, the populists are drawn to the truckers as representatives of the working class, of a rejection of government by experts, and of a willingness to shock and defy the progressive governing class as embodied by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Limited-government conservatives, on the other hand, tend to sympathize with the opposition to the vaccine mandate on truckers as an irrational, completely unnecessary regulation and with the push to begin lifting COVID-19 restrictions more broadly.

Both elements on the right have denounced Trudeaus invoking of emergency powers. For the populists, the action is a dangerous sign of an impulse to smash anyone crossing elite opinion. For limited-government types, its a dangerous sign of a government that can too easily slip free of constitutional constraints.

It adds up to a kind of populist-inflected libertarianism with an enhanced accent on cultural combat and class conflict.

It was predictable that the first contact with Biden administration policies would revivify a conservative distrust of government, and pandemic restrictions have super-charged a Do Not Tread on Me response across the right.

Of course, the GOP has changed over the last decade or so. Donald Trump broke with the conventional post-Reagan Republican rhetoric and elevated national cohesiveness, sovereignty and strength over and above freedom.

The sense now is less the government is bankrupting us and more these out-of-touch, self-appointed experts are telling us what to do because they have too much power and like lording it over us, with the press, social media, corporations and non-profits all on their side.

This gives the opposition to government a distinct culture war charge, although this isnt necessarily new. In the post-World War II conservative coalition, classical liberals and social conservatives united in opposition to big government because it was believed that an overweening government was a threat both to freedom and traditional values.

The issues and the emphases might change but in conservative politics, freedom is unlikely ever to go out of style.

Rich Lowry is editor in chief of the National Review.

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Lowry: Freedom still the Republican rallying cry - Boston Herald

Excited Republicans anticipated big gains two years after Barack Obama won the presidency. Photo: Michael Reynolds/EPA/Shutterstock

Most political observers assume Democrats are going to have some sort of setback in November. After all, the party controlling the White House has lost U.S. House seats in 19 of the last 21 midterm elections. In the two years that were an exception to this pattern, the president had job-approval ratings over 60 percent, while President Bidens current job-approval average according to FiveThirtyEight is just 41.6 percent. Republicans Senate chances are iffier, but the odds are high that a red wave will have consequences up and down the ballot, particularly given the steady rise of straight-ticket voting in recent years.

So exactly how bad could November 8, 2022, be for Democrats? Is the relevant precedent, say, 2010, when the Donkey Party lost a net 63 House seats, 6 Senate seats, 6 governorships, and 20 state legislative chambers? Its tempting to think so. That year was the first-term midterm for Barack Obama, a new Democratic president who took office in worsening economic times and launched an ambitious agenda that was nearly undone by Democratic infighting and Republican obstruction. Energized GOP voters proclaimed themselves part of a grassroots Tea Party movement that would champion freedom and fiscal responsibility against the socialistic Democrats. Sounds pretty familiar, doesnt it? Heck, Sarah Palin has even been in the news again.

But 2022 probably wont be as bad as 2010 for Democrats due to one technical but very real issue: exposure. One big reason the 2010 losses were so enormous for Democrats is that the election was preceded by two straight Democratic wave elections in 2006 (which flipped control of the House) and 2008 (in which Obama posted the first comfortable presidential victory for either party since 1996). The presidents party entered the 2010 cycle with 256 House seats, 59 senators (soon to increase to 60 when Arlen Specter changed parties), and a majority of governors and state legislative chambers. There was simply an enormous amount of marginal political ground to be lost. Today Democrats control just 221 House seats, 50 Senate seats, and a decided minority of governorships and state legislative chambers.

The outcome in November, even if Democrats do poorly, is more likely to resemble the 2014 elections, when they had significantly less exposure to losses. Even though their share of the national House popular vote (51.4 percent) was nearly as high as it was in 2010 (51.7 percent), Republicans gained only 13 House seats in 2014. They also netted only two governorships (though they did flip another 10 legislative chambers). The big Democratic setback in 2014 was the loss of the Senate, which happened mostly because the group of Democratic senators up for reelection that year had benefited from landslide conditions in 2008 and five of them retired. The Democratic Senate landscape in 2022 is positive or at least neutral, and its Republicans dealing with five Senate retirements.

But if you want a more precise analog in the recent past to where Democrats stand today, along with a reminder that strange things can happen between elections, the cycle to look at is 2002. Exactly like Democrats at this moment, Republicans under George W. Bush came out of 2000 with 221 House seats and 50 senators. The fragility of the GOP trifecta was dramatized on May 24, 2001, when Republican Senator Jim Jeffords decided to switch parties, handing control of the upper chamber to Democrats. On September 10, 2001, George W. Bushs job-approval rating was 51 percent and on a steady downward trajectory. It sure looked like the GOP was headed for a devastating midterm, probably including the loss of both congressional chambers. But then 9/11 happened. Bushs job-approval rating shot up to 90 percent after the attacks, and Republicans made small but still very unusual midterm gains. It goes to show: History has some clear lessons about midterms, but never bet the farm on any election outcome until the votes have been cast.

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Could the 2022 Midterms Be As Bad As 2010 for Democrats? - New York Magazine

Its like losing a loved one, or finding the family cat flattened by a stray road grader.

Actually, its way, way, way, totally way worse.

Did grandma rest her soul ever help you hit a four-team parlay, last-second style?

Did Patches pancaked into the afterlife ever strap on shoulder pads and run for a buck-forty-eight over the contemptible, foul-smelling Steelers?

Did either of them ever once give you the vicarious thrill of victory to temporarily offset the perpetual, suffocating sense of loss that you feel as each passing second takes you closer and closer to your inevitable demise and that moment when youll have to face the Grim Reaper, eyeball to skull-hole, and account for this thing that youve called a life?

Big fat negative there, chief.

But pro football sure has.

With the Super Bowl bringing the 2021 NFL season to an end last Sunday, this will be the first weekend since September with no linebackers de-cleating wideouts scampering across the middle; no Volvo-sized offensive and defensive lineman slapping bellies with seismic reverberations; no pouty-pussed Aaron Rodgers sulking on the sidelines as the Packers blow yet another chance at a title shot.

It will be seven (!!!) interminably long months before the next season kicks off. Thats three-and-a-half lifespans for your average housefly, which is exactly what that stretch of time feels like: three-and-a-half lifespans.

Yes, were in mourning. (In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the charity of your choice by donation we mean Jagermeister and by charity of choice we mean yours truly.)

Guess the only course of action here is to begrudgingly find some other crap to do on Sundays to try to fill the Allegiant Stadium-sized void in our soul.

To this end: Here are 10 of the best options for the worst (ever) time of the year:

Karaoke After Dark w/Blaire DeWayne at Dawg House Saloon at Resorts World, 8 p.m.

Whatll it be, Bengals fans? Becks Loser or Jerry Garcias Loser? UFOs Im a Loser or The Beatles Im a Loser? Maybe Tom Pettys Even the Losers for the win? (Just kidding, winning is not your thing, obvs). Nevertheless, youll be well-suited to belt out any of the aforementioned classics at Karaoke After Dark at Resorts Worlds sports-friendly Dawg House Saloon. Host Blaire DeWayne, best known around these parts for fronting kick-arse indie rockers Rusty Maples, will most assuredly add some laughs to the evening. Hey, you cant lose for a change.

Sunday Funday open mic comedy night at Noreens Lounge, 8 p.m.

Like Gandhi once famously said, Laughter is the best medicine, especially when battling gangrene. Take dudes words of wisdom to heart, add your name to the sign-up sheet at Noreens Lounges Sunday Funday open mic comedy night, and get your Bill Hicks on. Noreens (2799 E. Tropicana Ave.) is an ideal spot for stand-up first-timers, a friendly, welcoming, dive-bar environment with a mix of newbies and local comedy up-and-comers. Fear not, nervous nellies, you wont get laughed off stage unless youre that good.

Southern Highlands Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Like Gandhi also once famously said, Real men sweat Crisco. To wit: Youve spent the last five months of Sundays gorging on deep-fried, well, everything during the games, cause salads and football go together like salads and football. So go get some fresh air, veggies and fruits all at once and give your cholesterol levels a break at the Southern Highlands Farmers Market (11411 Southern Highlands Parkway) then have your better half run a slant route and tight-spiral her an eggplant. (Dont worry, you can deep-fry that eggplant when you get home).

Tailgate in perpetuity at Raiders Tavern at M Resort

Just because the NFL season comes to an end doesnt mean you should have to stop tailgating, right? This was the argument that we recently made to the security staff at the Luxor parking garage, who remained stubbornly, party-poopingly unconvinced. And so were relocating to the Raiders Tavern at M Resort, where theres less pepper spray, more beer. The place is awash in Raiders memorabilia, theres a team gift shop, the 45 HDTVs are always tuned to sports and there are ample bar napkins to soak up the tears of Broncos fans still grieving after the hated Raiders rivals got schooled by the home team twice (!) this year.

Play Tecmo Bowl at the Pinball Hall of Fame

Nostalgia is a big part of sports. Say youre a Browns fan (put your dukes down, it wasnt meant as an insult). You remember those glory days when your team was a perennial playoff contender, right? Alf was on prime time; indoor plumbing had just become a thing. Reel in the years in similar fashion at the always awesome Pinball Hall of Fame (4925 Las Vegas Blvd. S.), where admission is free, and there are scads of arcade classics like gridiron staple Tecmo Bowl alongside games of skill that date all the way back to when your team was last relevant and your QB sported a leather helmet.

Dino a la Carte happy hour at The Golden Tiki, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

Like the 2021 NFL season, Dean Martin is dead. But also like the 2021 NFL season, Dean Martin still lives on in our hearts (Who could ever forget Thats Amore or the Colts crapping the proverbial bed in Jacksonville in Week 18?). Celebrate the Rat Packer in finger-snapping style with crooner Dino a la Cartes swinging happy hour at the Golden Tiki (3939 Spring Mountain Road), which is always a cool hang with its legendary celebrity shrunken heads and even more legendary-ier Surfboard Pupu Platter. Bonus: The cocktails here are as stiff as you wish your squads run defense was.

See real-life rams up close at Hemenway Park in Boulder City

The Rams of Los Angeles didnt disappoint last weekend, and neither do their real-life counterparts in Boulder City.

Herds of the wooly, big-horned creatures come down to graze at the citys Hemenway Park (401 Ville Drive) throughout the day. Sit on a bench, take in the gorgeous views of Lake Mead, and theyll come within arms length of you as they serve as natures lawnmowers. Its as beautiful as taking the under was last Sunday.

Comedy Sportz at Art Square Theater, 7:30 p.m.

In a way, its kind of like watching the Texans take on the Jags: two teams competing to a chorus of laughs. Comedy Sportz at Art Square Theater (1025 S. First St.), though, is a vastly more entertaining way to spend a Sunday. How it works: Two teams of improv comedy pros go at it, while the audience helps keep score. Theres even a ref! Its an all-ages, kid-friendly show, meaning that much like sacking Tom Brady for a loss its fun for the whole family.

Drag Brunch at The Garden, noon

Whats better than topless eye-candy? Bottomless cocktails, easily. Yeah, football-free Sundays are a drag, but less of a drag thanks to the drag queens at The Garden (1017 S. First St. No. 180). Resident performers like Coco Montrese and Desree St. James bring the wow; the wait staff brings the drinks in endless supply. Piece of advice: Make reservations in advance, as this is one hot (and bothered) ticket.

Upside Down Tea Party at the Shag Room at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, noon-3 p.m.

We know what youre thinking: Tea time is for British folk who daftly refer to soccer as football. Um, just like England learned about that whole democracy thing from the United States, and The Monkees totally paved the way for The Beatles, American football comes first, English soccer second. History lesson complete, the Upside Down Tea Party at the Shag Room at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is a sweet place to nurse your post-Super Bowl football sads, with alcohol-enhanced teas delivered in your own tea pot alongside a tower of gourmet finger foods, while a damn good, female-fronted cover band performs. Request Queens We Are the Champions and lead a chant for the good ol U. S. of A.

Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @jbracelin76 on Instagram

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10 things to do on Sundays now that the NFL season is over - Las Vegas Review-Journal

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) Candidates for the Precinct Two County Commissioner seat are facing off yet again ahead of the March Primary.

Incumbent Mickey Fincannon and former Commissioner Lee Harvey took part in a candidate forum hosted by the Wichita Falls Tea Party.

Both candidates got to share their views on why theyd be the best man for the job and take questions from those in attendance. Many questions were along the lines of how theyd manage the county budget, what improvements theyd bring to the county and what changes they believe need to be made.

As far as representing the County, when I took office I ran on transparency, being a good steward of tax payers dollars and Im very much that, Fincannon said. Ive kept my words 100%.

In Electra, Iowa Park, in Wichita Falls, we as a team on the Commissioners Court make the decisions that impact our lives daily in the county, Harvey said.

Early voting is now underway in Wichita County. For information on when and where you can cast your vote just click here.

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Mickey Fincannon and Lee Harvey take part in Tea Party Candidate Forum - KFDX - Texomashomepage.com