Al Franken
Al Franken drawing a map of the United States during a fundraiser. I'll say it: I love this guy. And ya know what? The national coverage of the Franken campaign has been surprisingly sparse (here's that strange Observer angle). But it's a fascinating thing to watch, even from afar. Franken is losing big in the polls despite this being a) the most liberal state in the union, b) the worst year for Republicans since '74, c) such an unliked Republican foe in Norm Coleman, and d) Franken being such a weird prominent figure in a state that likes weird prominent figures (Jesse Venture, Paul Wellstone, Hubert Humphrey, etc.). One has to believe it will turn around if Franken can shed his elitist image, but I'm honestly not sure if being able to draw a map of the United States from memory helps or hurts! Update: MeFi picks it up. Update: Video.