Al Franken & Kamala Harris – rising Democratic stars

 

 

Al Franken was a satirist and comedian, a staple on Saturday Night Live for 15 years before he got serious and became a Junior Democratic Senator for Minnesota. He kept a low profile for his first term as he learnt the Washington ropes, but now on his second lap he’s become the ‘breakout star’ of the confirmation hearings, skewering several of Trump’s nominees.

A CBS political corr said of him: “Perhaps the SNL writer-turned-progressive pugilist is the ideal Democratic politician for the Trump era. Like the president-elect, he excels at insult comedy. Also like Mr. Trump, he can come across as kind of a jerk, although that’s likely to be considered less of a liability than it has been in the past…. Given the sorry state of the Democrats, a newfound prominence may be unavoidable. He knows what he’s talking about, as the hearings have shown, and has a comic’s natural ability to notice and exploit weaknesses. In the Age of Trump, those will be particularly skills for any Democrat. Moreover, Franken has a sense of theatre that few politicians possess. Show business is better training for politics than we sometimes acknowledge, particularly when it’s combined, as it is in Franken’s case, with some genuine wonkery.”

Born 21 May 1951 6.15pm New York, he has a biting Sun Mars in Gemini on the cusp of his 8th house opposition a Sagittarius Moon; with a confidently entertaining Jupiter in Aries in his performing 4th. Plus an influential Pluto on his midheaven. And his Mercury in heavyweight Taurus sits exactly on the midpoint of his Sun Mars and Jupiter which will give him the confidence to speak his mind.

His Solar Returns show him on good form from his birthday 2018 for a year; and high-profile from birthday 2020. Though he’ll be discouraged in 2018/19 as well from tr Saturn square his Jupiter and opposition his Uranus Venus. He’s not really firing on all cylinders right now with tr Saturn moving through his 2nd. It’ll be into his 3rd by the 2020 election which isn’t too wonderful either. But tr Jupiter will be there as well which might help. There’s no way of telling whether he’ll stand for or get the Democratic nomination; and his stars are comme ci comme ca at in November 2020 – tr Jupiter giving him a life; and tr Neptune and tr Uranus not helping him remotely.

Another name popping up as a possible Dem candidate is the newly elected Junior  Democratic Senator from California, Kamala Harris, 20 October 1964, who made headlines after her tough questioning of Jeff Sessions during a Senate hearing. She has a hard-driving, intellectual and determined chart with an Air Grand Trine of a Libra Sun conjunct Mercury in Scorpio trine Saturn in Aquarius trine North Node in Gemini, formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition Mars. And that opposition squares onto an expansive, confident Jupiter in Taurus. Her Moon is in Aries. While she has the downbeat tr Saturn square her Sun over the 2020 election, she has tr Pluto trine her Jupiter in Taurus picking up from February 2020 and exact over the 2021 Inauguration, so she’s definitely on a roll. Maybe even VP.

4 thoughts on “Al Franken & Kamala Harris – rising Democratic stars

  1. Thank you Marjorie, as an American, I have a great interest in the outcome of the next election ( Assuming the 25th Amendment isn’t invoked to deal with Trump much sooner, given his non-response to the looming public health crisis…but I digress.)
    There are a few great potential candidates for the VP slot on the Democrats ticket, but IMO, Harris isn’t one of them.
    As an attorney, I have no time for an unethical prosecutor like Harris, who would sacrifice justice on the altar of personal political capital. Among other things, Harris has fought to keep inmates who had been exonerated by the Innocence Project in prison. She lost that battle, then fought to deprive the wrongfully incarcerated of just compensation from the state for their deprivation of liberty. I see no difference between the wrongful incarceration of an innocent person, and the wrongful detention of an immigrant seeking asylum ( along with their children).
    Assuming that Joe Biden gets the Democratic nomination, considering his age, and her proclivity towards the abuse of power, selecting her for the VP ticket should be a cause for concern among voters. Not to mention, pairing “The Godfather of Mass Incarceration” on the ticket with a dirty prosecutor like Harris might be the kiss of death for the disgruntled Bernie Bro’s who will likely stay home.
    That being said, the pandemic is placing the spotlight on lesser known Democrats, e.g., Andrew Cuomo, Gavin Newsom, or even local mayors, who are displaying true leadership, and are a source of inspiration in the face of disaster. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out by the time the Democratic Convention rolls around this summer.

  2. Thank you very much, Marjorie, for taking a look at both of them. Very interesting post. Think most of your U.S. readers would be extremely pleased with either of them in 2020; they’re smart, sane, and real adults.

  3. Thank you, Marjorie! It’s wonderful to learn that Franken and Harris are both well, and hopefully doing better as time rolls onward. I appreciate both of them. We’re in strange times in America and we need to hear their voices. Appreciate your analysis. Cynthia

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