Al Franken Tells Letterman, “You Changed Comedy” and Suggests a Post Comedy Career

Last night on Letterman, Senator Al Franken had a rare late night appearance, and of course before Al Franken was a politician and lawmaker, he was a comedian and comedy writer, and one of the people who helped create the show we know as Saturday Night Live.  Last night after talking about Indiana, and gay rights and a few other things, he stopped the show for a moment to say a few words about what David Letterman means to him.  “I have enormous respect for you, not just as a comedian,” Franken said to Dave. “You’ve been the longest running talk show host ever. You changed comedy.”  Franken brought up the influence that Steve Allen and Johnny Carson undoubtably exerted on television, on comedy and on Dave,  “but,” he said to Dave, “you did change comedy.”

For Franken, it’s not just about the “absurd” stuff that the world recognizes Dave for originating.  “Not only are you a great comedian,” he said, “but you’re a great broadcaster.  You have respect for the audience.  You have understood what a responsibility having this show for an hour every night means.  And you have been a great caretaker of this time. Day to day, you have been a great broadcaster and I just wanted to say that before you become a recluse.”

Franken was the first to suggest that Dave use his post-retirement spare time to run for Senator in a state that could use a little shaking up.  There just happens to be an open seat in Dave’s home state of Indiana and it fits perfectly with the Al Franken plan of doing 35 years of comedy as preparation for a career in the Senate.

Oh and global warming’s not real.

Oh, and climate change isn’t real.