MVY Magical Moment-
I ran into United States Senator and former SNL funny man Al Franken in Edgratown this morning and found him to be incredibly open and gracious…
Some highlights-
Pauly- Welcome back to the Vineyard
Senator Franken- I love it here
P- Now that you are well into your second-term, are you still having fun?
Senator Franken- It is a lot of work but I do enjoy the challenge of the job, I would be happier if we were in the majority, since we are now in the minority… But overall yes, and these days I certainly know my way around better
P- I’m sure the learning curve is tough
Senator Franken- Yes
P= Are you currently feeling optimistic?
Senator Franken- (Thinks for a moment or two) Overall yes. I won the first time by about 300 votes and by over 200,000 votes the last time. I believe that is a good sign
P- You were a big proponent of Net Neutrality
Senator Franken- I was and still am
P- We can’t let the corporate powers get their hands on the internet and choke off the free flow of information and exchange
Senator Franken- No, that would be very dangerous
P- Why do you think some people, with enormous wealth are not satisfied with their vast resources and still need to try to acquire or take the last scraps of pie the vast majority of people are struggling to live on?
Senator Franken- That’s an excellent question (He takes a few moments) I honestly don’t know.
P- I appreciate your candor.
Senator Franken- I guess it’s like a disease, the disease of more. It reminds of that old cliche ‘That you can never be too rich, or too thin…’
P- Yes
Senator Franken- But the irony is that when we have a thriving middle class, everyone wins, everyone does better and things work better.
P- That’s true, crime goes down, happiness goes up
Senator Franken- Yes, and there are many other positive factors. We all know this
P- Do you ever stop and think how amazing your own story is? I mean you started out in comedy, were very successful and now are in your second-term in the United States Senate. You have are definitely a poster boy for the ‘Anything in life is possible & you never know what can happen in the future’
Senator Franken- It’s a crazy ride right? I had no idea it would unfold in this way
P- Thank you for the moment here on the Vineyard and for being so real & authentic
Senator Franken- You are welcome, thank you.
There is the possibility we will have the Senator on the Pauly Cast sometime in the near future and we will send him a copy of ‘Hitchhiking With Larry David’
Senator Franken
https://www.franken.senate.gov/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Franken
https://www.facebook.com/Sen.Franken
Book Page
http://www.amazon.com/Al-Franken/e/B000APX7XC
Distribution wealth in the United States
http://nonprofitquarterly.org/2015/03/27/nine-charts-about-wealth-inequality-in-america/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwoIitBRDTgeiZq93F2LQBEiQAMfXL0VxTzeOoq7XN7g_jwXEfkgSpbr6q_lJILjVQhLWGlfMaAmu08P8HAQ
Bernie Sanders
http://www.salon.com/2015/07/12/bernie_sanders_isnt_going_away_what_his_surprising_poll_numbers_really_mean_partner/
I love Bernie Sanders and have for a long time… and would love to see him win… the media has been repeating the mantra ‘He can’t win…’ from day one… as more and more people show up at his rallies, the money pours in… and no one can argue with the brilliance of his positions… I’m excited to see it play out… and I’m sure the powers that be will become more aggressive as the election approaches… Bernie is the real deal and I am very happy he jumped in… Hope he picks Elizabeth Warren as his Vice-President!
Thank you for the comment~!