Every election season, we hear people claim this is the most important election of our time. In some instances that is true, but Senator Al Franken doesn’t feel that way about the 2016 election, for he has called it “the most terrifying one of our lifetime.”
On Monday, Franken stopped by Conan to discuss this year’s election and why he seems pretty nervous for a Donald Trump presidency. He told O’Brien one instance that particularly irked him was when Trump went after Khizr Khan and may not have fully thought over his response:
“I mean, this guy, Trump, you know, he just says one thing after another that makes you think that maybe he’s not suited. He went after the gold star family, the Khans and Trump tweeted ‘What gives him the right to say I haven’t read the Constitution?’ He’s just amazing.”
Franken obviously related the story in his usual joking manner, but you could tell he was a bit perturbed a presidential candidate didn’t have a full grasp of the constitution. He then agreed with former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s notion that we need to have a president who is “sane and competent,” but seemed pretty worried about that as he said “that’s such a low bar.” Franken encouraged the audience to get out and vote this year, as it is such a scary time for politics. The Democratic senator did spend a little time talking about Hillary Clinton, who he said is one of the hardest-working people he knows. But he did have a little fun at her expense calling her goofy.
Franken also took time to discuss the importance of the late night scene during political elections. O’Brien has done some skewering of political candidates in the past, but he seems to have remained pretty mum this season. He mentioned how he is itching to get back into the fold, which Franken encouraged him to do. He touted Conan’s reign as the longest running late-night host and gave him a semi-compliment but said, “Do not for one second think that what you do is less important than what I do. Even though it is.” Late night hosts can thrive during election season, but only a few look to be stepping up to the plate, further reinforcing the notion we’re in need for a late night revolution.
