'Wild Man' Franken Assaults Dean Critic

NewsMax.com ^ | 1/27/04 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

The Democratic Party's official talk radio host got violent yesterday, in an altercation he described as an effort to protect free speech.

Attending a Howard Dean rally in New Hampshire, unfunny funnyman Al Franken physically assaulted a heckler in the crowd, wrestling him to the ground in a bid to silence him.

"I got down low and took his legs out," Franken boasted to the New York Post afterwards.

The altercation was witnessed by NBC Washington Bureau chief Tim Russert, who called Franken's antics "unbelievable."

"One of the Lyndon LaRouche guys got up and started screaming and yelling," Russert told radioman Don Imus Tuesday morning.

"The press guy for Dean tried to grab onto him and remove him and he couldn't do it. All of a sudden, Al Franken jumped out of the media gallery ran down and grabbed this guy on the leg and started wrestling him to the ground.

"It was unbelievable, He was really into it," the NBC News star said.

Missing the irony of his use of violence to silence a heckler, Franken explained, "I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

The volatile comic is well known as a troublemaker in media circles. At last year's Washington Correspondents Dinner, he stormed up to a table where Fox News star Alan Colmes was seated and verbally berated him for not being liberal enough.

Colmes' Fox News colleague Brian Kilmeade interceded in a bid to get Franken to cease and desist, but the confrontation only grew more tense.

"I thought we were going to come to blows," Kilmeade later said.

After one guest shot on "Hannity & Colmes," Franken chased Sean Hannity down the hall to his office. Hannity later told his radio audience that he had to call security to have Franken removed from the building.

Last month the combative comedian confirmed that he'll anchor a liberal talk radio network bankrolled by wealthy Democratic Party donors. His debut was set for next month, but it's not clear how party fatcats will react to the latest Franken imbroglio.

Franken's unidentified victim has not yet said whether he'll press charges against the former Saturday Night Live star.

[Howlin]

Yes, he did. He obviously has some agression "issues."

[Carl/NewsMax]

This was a poor choice of words on my part. Hannity did not run from Franken. NewsMax copy has been changed to read:

"After one guest shot on 'Hannity & Colmes,' Franken continued to harrangue Sean Hannity after the segment ended, following the conservative talker down the hall to his office."

[Reagan Man]

Al Franken is a POS and a dangerous psychopath. One day he's gonna push someone to far. At Fox News studio a few years back, he challenged Sean Hannity to a fist fight. What a turd.

[Armedanddangerous]

Here's how it would go

"Al, you are threatening my life, please leave me alone, NOW." See, that is the operative phrase. In order to justify self defense actions, it isn't required, but is BETTER if witnesses see, or hear you try to de-escalate the conflict. This is so they can give police reports to that affect.

When he persisted, that would be my cue to open an enormous can of whoop ass on him.

Then, I'd lock him outside without his pants..heh heh

[Ditto]

WOuld be a great excuse for me to put his nose into his frontal lobe...

I have a hunch that this guy's problem is that he doesn't have a frontal lobe. Attacking a LaRouchie is a mega stupid thing to do.

[PallMal]

Frankenstein claims to be a black belt in karate

Aren't black belts supposed to be cool-headed and only fight when the other party attempts to inflict bodily harm?

[alnick]

Missing the irony of his use of violence to silence a heckler, Franken explained, "I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

Oh my gosh, where to begin on this one. I wonder if this means that Franken will cease and desist from shouting down conservatives when they try to speak in his presence.

[alnick]

I read another article about this which said that Franken said something like, "Don't worry. I'm not hurt." Neither Franken nor the journalist who wrote the story bothered to mention the condition of Franken's victim.

[alnick]

I hope he sues the crap out of Franken.

Which would leave Franken a mere shell of a man.

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

"I have a hunch that this guy's problem is that he doesn't have a frontal lobe. Attacking a LaRouchie is a mega stupid thing to do."

Yeah you're right about that one. He's got it made. If he mames or kills someone he's got a good defense considering they don't put retards to death anymore.

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

"'I hope he sues the crap out of Franken.'

Which would leave Franken a mere shell of a man."

Ladies and Gentlemen this is true wit! ROTFLMAO!!! Send me a bill for a beer. You deserve one!

[gg188]

The guy who was attacked should sue for his civil rights being violated besides just being assualted. He was deprived of his right to free speech, he can claim.

Throw in some RICO violations---the Franken gang consipred and acted like an organized crime gang.

(Where did this happen? Truth is, if it was on private property and Franken and the Deaniacs were acting on behalf of the property owner, the dude was tossed rightfully.....though property rights are not what rules in court cases like this anymore.)

[alnick]

Aw, it was nothin'. Just look at what I had for inspiration. :oD

[gg188]

From the CNN article, Franken's glasses were...broke in two.(sic)

Are the past tenses of verbs different than they were when I was in school?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

The altercation was witnessed by NBC Washington Bureau chief Tim Russert, who called Franken's antics "unbelievable." "One of the Lyndon LaRouche guys got up and started screaming and yelling," Russert told radioman Don Imus Tuesday morning. "The press guy for Dean tried to grab onto him and remove him and he couldn't do it. All of a sudden, Al Franken jumped out of the media gallery ran down and grabbed this guy on the leg and started wrestling him to the ground. "It was unbelievable, He was really into it," the NBC News star said. Missing the irony of his use of violence to silence a heckler, Franken explained, "I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

With Dean "outed" as a full-blown raving psycho, the more schizoaffectively-inclined Commies in the Democrat Party are really on edge now... Sounds like Franken may be off the Ritalin again and subject to wild ADHD episodes.

Lyndon LaRouche guys...Franken doing his WWF act...Howard Dean benched for Primal Scream antics...and it's only still January. This should get fun.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Whenever things get too boring (or too crazy?)...hard-core liberals like to imagine that they are engaged in a Manichaean cosmic struggle of epic proportions with "LaRouchies" or skinheads and White Supremacist militias. They ran this manuever from the playbook when things were getting too sticky during Clinton's Monica flap (Ken Starr's probe). Paranoid delusions should heat up as the Dean folks begin to confront the delusional nature of their own fantasies. No doubt mental health resources will be taxed for a while.

[whoozit]

How about starting a new Google bomb campaign. It would go something like this.

Raving lunatic

Seriously. Anyone else wanna blog this?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

The Complete Guide to Frankenosophy: From Paranoid Rushophobia to LaRouchie Wrestling

[Travis McGee]

The lib 'rats can't win through honesty, but they are so desperate for the power that they will do anything. Lie, cheat, next will come more violence.

Pulling some act of violence to blame on the right would not be beyond them. They believe absolutely that the ends justifies the means.

[Coyote]

Missing the irony of his use of violence to silence a heckler, Franken explained, "I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

Mmmmmmm.......Now lemme' see. Shouting down Dean and his kind?

Now where have I heard before?

Oh, yeah. Wasn't it from one of those Stalinist agents Al Franken's spent his entire carreer so obsequiously sucking up to?

At one of his carefully orchestrated "town hall meetings" in Billings Montana on June 1st, 1995, Bill Clinton revealed exactly this sort of totalitarian impulse. He accused the National Rifle Association of "giving aid and comfort to criminals," and declared that Americans have a duty to "shout down" critics of government actions. He exhorted that, "When you hear someone doing it [criticizing government actions], you ought to stand up and double up your fist and stick it in the sky and shout them down."

Go figure. A man of the left. Clearly no hypocrisy here.