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Al Franken is a joke. Initially I thought he had good intent, but then I realized he's just another shit "actor" turned "politician". Unfortunately those word

Al Franken is a joke. Initially I thought he had good intent, but then I realized he's just another shit "actor" turned "politician". Unfortunately those words are more interchangeable than ever and reflects the current state of dismal affairs that is the United States government as a whole.

Natsu 15y ago
Actors possess most of the skills required to get elected. A successful actor starts out being well-liked, well-known and rich. They also have an easy time getting press and experience dealing with them. Knowing what the hell you're doing is, sadly, not required.
- beagle3 15y ago
  > Knowing what the hell you're doing is, sadly, not required. This sentiment is exactly why they can keep doing it. It reflects an implicit (and unfortunately, widely held) assumption that they're trying to get elected to help their fellow men, constituents and otherwise do good. Sadly, there is no supporting evidence for this assumption, and endless supporting evidence against it.
  - Natsu 15y ago
    While I value competence and indeed vote with it in mind, it has not proven to be a prerequisite to getting elected. Understanding the problems is an important first step towards solving them, but understanding alone is, obviously, not enough to fix the problems here.
    - beagle3 15y ago
      "competence" on its own does not exist. Congress has shown time and again that they are competent investors (it helps to not be bound by insider trading rules, and to be exposed to non-public info, and actually vote on the results of your investment). They are also competent with their money - 50% of them are millionaires. > understanding alone is, obviously, not enough to fix the problems here. Which problem? Are you implying that elected politicians are trying to fix things for the average citizen? if so, why do you think that?
      - Natsu 15y ago
        I thought it obvious that I was referring to the problems of the electorate and competence at solving them. Apparently you did not find that to be quite so obvious as I had thought.
- OstiaAntica 15y ago
  There aren't any former actors, other than Franken (who was really a comedian, not an actor), in Congress. So I'm not really sure what you are talking about.
  - Natsu 15y ago
    Those limits are a bit arbitrary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_actor%E2%80%93politicians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_actor%E2%80%93politici...
- samstave 15y ago
  Sociopaths make the best actors, having no emotions, they act every second in an effort to appear human.
- dimillian 15y ago
  This is a big problem in USA. Actors turning into politics, Americans voting to get actors elected.... This is simply weird.
rhizome 15y ago
Whoa whoa, easy there partner. The guy if nothing has held to his Minnesota-first media policy.

Natsu 15y ago

Actors possess most of the skills required to get elected. A successful actor starts out being well-liked, well-known and rich. They also have an easy time getting press and experience dealing with them. Knowing what the hell you're doing is, sadly, not required.

beagle3 15y ago
> Knowing what the hell you're doing is, sadly, not required. This sentiment is exactly why they can keep doing it. It reflects an implicit (and unfortunately, widely held) assumption that they're trying to get elected to help their fellow men, constituents and otherwise do good. Sadly, there is no supporting evidence for this assumption, and endless supporting evidence against it.
- Natsu 15y ago
  While I value competence and indeed vote with it in mind, it has not proven to be a prerequisite to getting elected. Understanding the problems is an important first step towards solving them, but understanding alone is, obviously, not enough to fix the problems here.
  - beagle3 15y ago
    "competence" on its own does not exist. Congress has shown time and again that they are competent investors (it helps to not be bound by insider trading rules, and to be exposed to non-public info, and actually vote on the results of your investment). They are also competent with their money - 50% of them are millionaires. > understanding alone is, obviously, not enough to fix the problems here. Which problem? Are you implying that elected politicians are trying to fix things for the average citizen? if so, why do you think that?
    - Natsu 15y ago
      I thought it obvious that I was referring to the problems of the electorate and competence at solving them. Apparently you did not find that to be quite so obvious as I had thought.
OstiaAntica 15y ago
There aren't any former actors, other than Franken (who was really a comedian, not an actor), in Congress. So I'm not really sure what you are talking about.
- Natsu 15y ago
  Those limits are a bit arbitrary. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_actor%E2%80%93politicians https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_actor%E2%80%93politici...
samstave 15y ago
Sociopaths make the best actors, having no emotions, they act every second in an effort to appear human.
dimillian 15y ago
This is a big problem in USA. Actors turning into politics, Americans voting to get actors elected.... This is simply weird.

rhizome 15y ago

Whoa whoa, easy there partner. The guy if nothing has held to his Minnesota-first media policy.