Thousands of University community members filled the PMAC Tuesday night to hear Al Franken’s comedic views on politics.
He spoke Tuesday as part of the Union Program Council’s Great Perspectives Speaker Series.
Franken, a former Saturday Night Live cast member and the author of two popular books, spent the majority of his speech using satire to express his political beliefs.
He discussed George W. Bush’s administration, gay marriage, the war in Iraq, the economy and the Fox News Channel — but first, Franken addressed Tiger Weekly’s allegation that he would give a “$24,000 hate speech.”
“It didn’t occur to me to give a hate speech until I read that,” Franken said.
Throughout the speech, Franken used sarcasm to discuss his disagreements with the Bush administration.
“There’s more to being president than being intelligent, articulate and knowledgeable,” Franken said in reference to Bush.
Franken also criticized Bush on the war in Iraq.
“During the 2000 campaign, Bush said he was against nation building,” he said. “I didn’t realize he only meant our nation.”
Franken said the Bush administration misled the country when they argued Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
“I supported the war when we went because of the WMDs,” he said. “It is one thing for a president to lie about sex — it is another thing to lie about why we are sending our men and women in harm’s way. This administration failed in so many ways on this war.”
Franken also expressed his displeasure with Bush’s domestic policies.
“What they are doing to the environment is a crime,” he said. “What they are doing with the separation of church and state is a crime. They don’t care about average people. They just don’t. This would be a different country if Gore was president.”
In discussing gay marriages, Franken questioned why the Bush administration is trying to prevent same-sex marriages, while allowing terrorists to marry.
“Unlike gays, terrorists can breed,” Franken said.
He also spoke about the Fox News Channel and their lawsuit against him. Fox claims Franken’s book, “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right,” violates Fox’s trademark on their slogan, “fair and balanced.”
“Satire is protected under freedom of speech, even if the object doesn’t get it,” Franken said. “The more you watch Fox, the stupider you get.”
Many University students in the crowd said Franken was both interesting and enteraining, but had disagreements with some of the things he said.
“I agreed with most of what he said, but not all,” said Dave Roscher, a freshman studying Latin and Greek.
Some students also said Franken was contradictory in his statements.
Steve Hughes, a civil engineering freshman, said Franken was wrong to criticize Bush’s military service without mentioning former President Clinton’s Vietnam-era avoidance of military service. Franken praised Clinton multiple times during his speech.