Really pleased to be joined by Senator Al Franken, a very funny man who was a very serious United States Senator, a first-rate public servant.

Frankly, I've said this many times. Somebody, I think we would all be better off if he was still in the United

States Senate. His departure from it, in my view, a tragic disgrace. But Al Franken is a

person who represents really an ideal of American democracy, which is that we don't have peerages in this

country, is that all people from all walks of life have a role to play in citizenship.

Al Franken stood for office and served very well in the United States Senate.

And that used to be called the most,

the greatest deliberative body in the world, Senator.

And I don't think many people think of it like that anymore today.

How do we get that back?

I don't know.

Maybe some rule changes, maybe some changes in the composition in terms

party right now. The Republican Party has become something unrecognizably. But you know,

when I, even when I got there in 2009, a number of my, I asked, I went up to some of my older colleagues and my more senior colleagues.

And a number of them said it's never been worse.

And that was then.

Right.

And I remember Carl Levin saying, well, it's been worse.

And I said, when?

He said, 1854.

And I said, Charles Sumner being, you know, chained.

And he said, yeah.

...