WATCH: Al Franken soothes a crying baby

In these charged partisan times, maybe we can all use some reassurance

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published October 31, 2016 7:30PM (EDT)

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., reminisces about his start in politics as he stands in front of a photo of himself with fellow Minnesotan Walter Mondale who served as a senator and vice-president, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 15, 2016. (AP)
Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., reminisces about his start in politics as he stands in front of a photo of himself with fellow Minnesotan Walter Mondale who served as a senator and vice-president, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 15, 2016. (AP)

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minnesota, has just added some much-needed levity to the election season.

As an editor for The Huffington Post was fortunate enough to witness and record, Franken found himself confronted with a crying baby as he returned from a recent trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he had campaigned on behalf of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

As so often happens on flights, a baby on the plane became upset and started crying. This prompted the comedian turned legislator to join in with other passengers in the coach cabin and sing a rousing rendition of "Itsy Bitsy Spider." (An earlier attempt at the alphabet song failed.)

Coincidentally Franken, who is a grandfather of three, recently appeared on "The View" to explain why he and his wife were moving two blocks away from his daughter, Thomasin. “I want to see them [my grandchildren] all the time," Franken told the co-hosts. “Mainly my daughter wants my wife there.”

If only Franken could find some way of singing a lullaby to the rest of the voting public.


By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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