Al Franken's Secret

Paul Krugman points to a column by David Broder, ostensibly calling for bipartisanship, while at the same time calling Al Franken a "loud-mouthed former comedian," which seems on the surface to be an odd first step toward reaching across the aisle.

As Krugman points out, the Senate has long lost the distinction of being a gentlemanly body, and for evidence points to Senator James Inhofe. 'Nuff said.

But Krugman makes a larger case that Franken is actually a huge policy wonk, willing and able to discuss the minutae that most in Congress thinks gets in the way of sound bites that can later be used in campaign spots.

Krugan posits:

So what will Franken do to the level of Senate discourse? He’ll raise it.

Al Franken's Secret , via The Conscience of a Liberal