YouSaid · the spoken record

Al Franken

lines on the record: 79
first: 2022-05-05
most recent: 2022-05-05
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Well, it's good to see you. Thanks for inviting me. Thanks for your friendship. You know, we met Cute. And the whole point about meeting Cute is that then you have a bromance afterwards. And I really am so grateful for your friendship.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, you know, a lot of my colleagues had really good senses of humor, but every once in a while Harry was the only one really tuned into it.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, that's fine. Yes, actually anybody will ask myself. So one day, like Bernie, it was ranking on budget. And so he's reporting what the Republicans passed out of the budget committee. And this thing they cut food stamps. And so Bernie goes, What kind of religion wants to cut food stamps? And I just say, Southern Baptist. And Harry was the only one who laughed. I thought, that's a great joke. Thank you, Harry.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Very often in caucus lunches, Harry would be the only person who would laugh at my joke. So that's why it looks like it looks like”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And Harry without skipping a beat just turns to me and goes, that would be impossible. And that was Harry. That was Harry. And Harry with like...”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Bouncing off the ceilings. So no one can hear anything anybody's saying unless you're right next to him. So I'm walking with Harry and I turn to Harry and I go, Harry, talk to me like I'm important.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, Harry had a very dry sense of humor, but a great sense of humor. He was, so I just wanted to tell this one. So after staying the union address, we're going from the house chamber back to the Senate, and we're walking through statuary hall. And there's this red carpet down the middle of it. And on either side are gaggles, huge gaggles of press. And there's this just din in.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And for my grandchildren. That's something it weighs on me. And weighs on my kids. So I think by now all the time I have people coming up to me that are very supportive. Of course, people that Arn probably don't come up to you, you know, and that's very nice of them But my sense of this may be skewed a little bit, but my sense is that most people think that I got a bad deal.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I'd have to answer them. And that's the question is, to what extent would that be a terrible experience for my family?”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Okay. Can I run again? I don't know. Should I know? Okay. Can I run again? I don't know. But I think I could. It depends what we're talking about. Should I? You know, some people ask me 24. I could run in New York 24. I'm not going to do that. You know, we're going to have to be using so many resources to re-elect President Biden or whoever we're running now. I hope it's Biden. And we're just going to, all these races are going to be up. We can't spare those resources, but maybe somewhere else. Might I do it? I'm keeping it open. Can I do it? I wouldn't do it if I didn't think I could. The reason I would want to do it is I love being able to get things done. And accomplish things for people. And I did. I did a lot of that. And I thought I was good at it.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I'm the only person in America who can do that. Anyway, so but people would fill out these questions on cards and half of them are you going to run again? Are you going to run again? Are you going to run again”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yes, because I knew their issues and I disagree with them on some things, but they knew me. And there's no reason that you can't have the people in your state know you.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“But the Farm Bureau and the Farm Bureau endorsed Colton, but the second time out when I won by 10 points, the Farm Bureau didn't endorse anybody. Yeah, which is.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“The whole place bursts in laughter. They liked me. And because they're saying like, how can someone not know food comes from a farm really? You know, is what I was saying. And so, you know, obviously I was endorsed by the farmers union.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I know they're cucumbers and you brine them. I do know that. But anyway, I knew enough of that. But anyway, so you speak under this tent with 300 farmers and other people. So at one point, I just go, you know, I grew up in St. Louis Park and everybody in Minnesota knows what St. Louis Park is. I said, and as you can imagine, growing up, I knew nothing about farming. In fact, when I was eight years old, if you had asked me where food comes from, guess what I would have said if you're on a grocery store. And I said, no, I would have said the farm because I wasn't a complete idiot.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You know, humor makes a difference too. Like the first time I met, there's this thing called Farm Fest in Minnesota. So the first time I did farm fest, so I'm from St. Louis Park, which is the Jewish suburb of Minneapolis. So you can imagine how much I knew about farming growing up. So I go to this thing farm festes. Every year they have in southwestern Minnesota and all these farmers, but also people, one out of six jobs in Minnesota is tidag.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And it was 96 that day. And he's like in these weird little shorts and he's fat and sweaty. And they went, well, you know, we were thinking of moving to Missouri now because we have family there. But, you know, these teenagers, they took all our stuff to the dumpster. They spent the whole weekend doing that. And we're going to stay here because this is our community. You learn how great people are They can feel that.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, yeah. And I went, no during a disaster, you can do an awful lot. And one of the things you do is that you're one of only two statewide elected federal officials. And you have a staff, and they're in touch with FEMA. And you can, if you see like a water purification plant that they don't have an electricity, you can get a diesel generator to them and get clean water for people. You also can go and tell people, okay, it's a federal disaster. Keep records of what you've lost, which gives them hope. But you also learn how fucking great people are. And I've been to floods where people are giving people housing, where churches are sort of meaning meals. And I don't know if they're Republicans or I just don't know. And people are, I remember this one couple. This is the south of Duluth, terrible flood.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And when he went to Cancun, and of course he lied about it and came back, and then I remember Ben Shapiro said, like, well, there's nothing he could do anyway.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It's where people are being separated. People are living in, blue people live in bluer areas and red people live in redder areas. We know that. There is what media they consume. But one of the things is it makes a difference if you're a candidate. One of the things I loved about running for the Senate the first time and being a senator and campaigning the second time still being a senator is that you meet everybody You know people ask me like, oh, going on tour, what are you hearing? Are you hearing a lot of, you know, what are people thinking? I go, I don't know. People come to see me or people like me. I don't know. When I was in Minnesota, I would go everywhere in Minnesota and I would talk and you find out that people are pretty great and like, oh, you know what drove me nuts is when Cruz went to Cancun.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Oh, yeah, mansion is. I'm not worried about Joe. I'm worried whether he says a Democrat, but I think he will. Tester seems to pull these out. Sherrod seems to do really well in the state. Let me talk about rural Minnesota. The trend has been part of it is where people are getting their information.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think there's many slip twixt cup and lip for the Republicans, and I think a lot of stuff can happen between now and then, including the June 6th. In June, it'll be the January 6th hearings. And then there'll also be the Supreme Court will come out. They'll get rid of Roe.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And I said, you're talking about Charles Sumner getting caned on the floor? Yes. I said, well, you know, that was, yes, I said that led to the Civil War. Yes. I go, okay. But since it actually does seem”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, oh yeah, yeah, doesn't take much To let me go like, damn it. Damn it. And, you know, right now there's other parts of it that go like, oh my God, this is worse than when I was there. You know, when I first got there in 09, I was on the floor like my first day, I think, and with a few, the older centers, veterans. And they said, oh, it's the worst it's ever been. And then Carl Levin, it was great. Carl says, well, actually, it's been worse. And I said, oh, really, when? He says eighteen fifty four.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think that Putin was really on the forefront of a lot of this information, of just the whole idea of sending out disinformation and letting it percolate up.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And has it already been indicated before in an article before the hearing that he was taking a question, basically repeating back what someone had said in testimony to her and saying that that's what she was asserting? And so no one went like, Saturn Hawley, that is entirely unfair. What are you doing here? And you know it.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“They were being entirely unfair to her, and no one was, you know, for example, Hawley had put out some stuff that was a guy from National Review, a conservative, has said that it bordered on demagoguery. And part of what he had done is she had been, I think this is when she was the sentencing commission, somebody had testified that people who have this material. Yeah, a child pornography aren't necessary pedophiles. And so she replies in this hearing saying like, so people have this material aren't necessarily pedophiles, question mark. And he just says, you said in this hearing, people have this material aren't necessarily pedophiles.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“When I got on the committee, I didn't ask for judiciary. No one wanted to be on it for some reason. And Harry just gave me. By the way, I want to tell just a Harry or two story, but we can say for later. Friggin' great guy. But yeah, I was watching that and I was going like, you know, come on, answer these Republicans because.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's maybe what I do. Oh boy, mature at a different rate. Let me say. That's all I can think of. And that cheers me up. Okay.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah. And the people around you, you know, it's funny because you're talking about your seven-year-old talking about what, you know, you said that she texted you. Because what I get from my eight-year-old grandson is just the poop emoji.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Minnesota. So I see him at this event get there early. He said, how's your mom? And I said, well, you know, it's hard because sometimes I get there and I really can't even have a conversation. I can't talk to her. And he goes, you know, touch me so much. And that's Paul, right And of course, after that amount, I went to, she was at this great place and went out to this beautiful garden and she was not in great shape. But I hugged her. And it did make a difference, at least to me. But I think to her, and that was Paul, and that actually Paul was the reason I ran for the Senate.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“He was a great progressive sound. I'll tell you the content. I'll tell you the context. This is just a few weeks before he died. I did a fundraiser for him.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's it. Also, it really does help to have supportive family and friends. I mean, and so. You know, I have four grandchildren and there's nothing like grandkids to go get out of it, you know. And I have an eight-year-old who's going to be nine next month and I have a five-year-old who's his sister. Then I have a six-year-old boy on the other side and a three-year-old girl. And they're all very different. And they all love me. And cuddling is amazing. Touch means so much. And you know who said that to me? Paul”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“It does help to read. And it helps to get pointed in the right direction by someone who knows stuff. I have a therapist. I went through a few therapists till I found one that I really felt was who I've been with a few years now, who I felt did me some good. I had one that would do a lot of like, and how do you feel now And I go, okay, well, I'm a little confused. And how do you feel now? I'm still confused. And how do you feel now? I'm kind of getting angry. How do you feel now? She might have been perfect for someone who says, oh, I feel this. I mean, who maybe was more in touch with their feelings at the time? So finding the right person is...”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I made movies that completely failed and stuff like that. But yeah, this was just a unique experience. in my life. I had had a very fortunate life up to then in many ways. And almost always. And this was just a blow. And, you know, and again, I just want everyone to understand who's listening that I know that other, I don't want to compare My trauma to anybody else's or”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, and it really literally is something you flash back to and something you, I mean, I would wake up every morning. That's where I would be you start thinking in circles, which does you absolutely no good, and you know that your therapist says, you know, that doesn't do you any good, but if you have a good therapist, they're also saying you can't help it. So thinking is circle when you say.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, a lot of it goes through where juices flow that are not helpful juices, you know. And so it's a physical phenomenon. And then it also, it affects your brain. And so that you start going to the same place over and over again and can't stop. These are, you know, the body keeps the score as the book by Vanderkoch about this and other books as well. There's been a lot of research on this and on veterans, you know, and so it's very, very much in your body and very physical. And it's there. And I had fortunately I had a great family. and I have friends, really good friends. But I had friends who were really incredibly well-meaning who would go like, well, just get over it. You know, just like. Okay, it's been a month. Get over it. And I go like, okay, well, I love it. I'd love to. I'm interested in that because I mean.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“There's so many trauma. I mean, think about people during this pandemic, losing family. Yeah. Or almost or being isolated in the way they were, or people in Ukraine right now. Yes. I mean, so comparing trauma is probably not a predictive, but it's important. I'm not saying you are. No, no, no. I don't want to do that. All I'm saying.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“You know, one of the things about trauma, and this was a traumatic experience to me, partly because it was so public, partly because... I lost this job that meant so much to me because I could do so much with it. And also when you're a politician, what you're judged by is how effective you are and resigning isn't very effective. So part of it is I go in circles all the time and it drives me nuts. And part of it is could I have stayed there? And the pressure that was put on me was tremendous. I felt like my staff was being kind of I didn't know what was going to happen to them. I didn't know.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Allegations were not taken seriously. Right. I mean, Absolutely That's what I asked for. I asked for, you know, I said right away, I asked for an ethics investigation. The ethics process, the ethics process, you know, Gene Shaheen, Brian Schotz, who else was on the Democratic side, and then three on the Republican side, to do an ethics hearing and investigation. And that's what I asked for. And I thought, okay. That's the right way to handle this. And my colleagues, I”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Be only one in the New Yorker, and I suggest people who are interested. So now I'm going like, oh my God. And my team says, well, what if there are other that it's that day? What if there are other allegations? I go, oh, there aren't going to be. Now remember, I had, you know, I worked at SNL for 15 seasons with a lot of women. I mean, nothing like this had ever happened. So then these other allegations happen. And I said, well, okay, look, it is never my intention to make a woman feel uncomfortable. And if I did, I apologize. And to me, that has been logged as he admitted it or something like that. And, okay, well, but... I would ask people to read James.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, I knew the context, the time. And I went, oh my God, that's what I thought. I went, oh my God. And I know, and then also immediately kind of went a little bit in the shock. And she was accusing me of stuff that, you know, wasn't. Wasn't true”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Was an issue that you. My second bill was on contractors. There was a woman, Jamie Lee Jones, who had claimed she had been raped by KBR employees. She worked for KBR. And I think it was in Iraq. And she had signed an employment contract that had mandatory arbitration agreement in it. So I did a bill saying that there can't be mandatory arbitration in employment contracts when it comes to sexual harassment or sexual assault. And that was my second bill. And I got that passed.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And then I, yes, I had been in photo lines and I've said that if I made anyone feel uncomfortable, it might. Know when you take pictures, especially when you're in show business and something like people try to get as intimate as possible.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“And these are, yeah, I, but I'd gone 66 years without anyone saying anything like that. And then suddenly this thing. hits and I know what it was and wasn't what”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“That's what happened. And it was like right after it was like a week or two after Harvey Weinstein's thing. Right. And it was just a certain moment.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“She had fallen asleep and you were. I get on the plane, the photographer says, I'll take a picture without thinking. I just go, okay. And this is a comedy of being a jerk. And we had been out, we've been in war zones. We had gone to hospitals. We had seen guys who were going to die. We had been to a memorial. It was very dark humor. And we were also having entertaining the troops. And they loved the damn show. And I was very proud of what we were doing and part of it was, and so I just. That picture that second. And so it was it.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, oh, there were forward operating bases, but then there were larger bases too. So we did basically out for almost two weeks. So we did Kuwait first, and then we did Iraq.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Yeah, I was sort of the MC and I had a co-MC who was, you know, and he would have, you know, Raquel Welch or Joey Heatherton or something like that. And Bob Hope's character was always the leering kind of guy. And so we would do this kind of old-fashioned show. And we had Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and who I would go.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Well, we did Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq, which I had done. This was the Sergeant Major of the Army's Christmas tour, which this was a story.”
2022-05-05 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 488 — Al Franken · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source