Democratic Sen. Al Franken showed up on the University of Minnesota campus on Sept. 3. He spoke to a crowd of mostly college Democrats, but one wonders if he expected to see the man in a chicken suit at the speech.
Franken’s words about how college students care about just about everything ring hollow, given the fact that he only got into a few specifics of policy actions.
If Franken truly believed that students here at the University and elsewhere cared about “just about everything,” then why did he decline the Minnesota Student Association’s invitation to debate Republican challenger Mike McFadden?
McFadden was more than willing to come, so why did the Democratic incumbent turn down a debate in the liberal-friendly territory of the University of Minnesota, and the Twin Cities area at large?
Perhaps Franken realizes that college students can’t be led along like dogs on a leash forever.
Perhaps he realizes that President Barack Obama’s low approval ratings, coupled with the fact that Franken votes with the president much of the time, might be something he can’t avoid.
Perhaps all he cares about is getting as many college students to vote for him by acclimation, rather than taking the time to explain himself in front of them.
The sign accompanying the man in the chicken suit asked, “What is Al Franken afraid of?”
It seems like he might be afraid that his record is catching up to him.
After all, the less often he debates, the less he can be called out in front of a crowd for working with Washington rather than for Minnesota.
College students do care about just about everything, but Franken won’t talk to them about those issues.