He’s good enough. He’s smart enough. And doggone it, he’s the new Senator from the state of Minnesota.
Seven months after Election Day—and an endless recount and appeals process that consumed millions in state and campaign dollars—Al Franken has finally completed his unlikely transition from Saturday Night Live and Stuart Saves His Family funnyman to legitimate political operator. It probably helped a bit that he was elected in the same state that elected a pro wrestler Governor, but Franken now represents the crucial filibuster-busting 60th vote in the Democratic Caucus. (Granted, Robert Byrd and Edward Kennedy have been largely absent with health problems, and Democrats are not exactly renowned for their discipline and unity, but still.) To celebrate his hard-won victory, we present this ancient clip of the Senator-Elect as Pat Robertson talking to the Church Lady: