In 2006, I received a call from comedian Al Franken who wanted to meet for lunch in Washington to discuss his possible run for the US Senate from Minnesota in 2008.

I was a fan of Franken’s comedy from his SNL career and of his intellect since I appeared on his Air America Radio show to discuss my 2006 book Foxes in the Hen House. In my Air America appearance, I marveled at how Franken seemed to know more about my research than I did.

I told Franken I’d be happy to meet.

We did – at a restaurant called America in Union Station – right off Capitol Hill.

When we arrived, a server seated us at a second-floor table overlooking the main foyer of the magnificent facility.

As Franken began asking me about my ability to help him, he pulled a bottle of juice from a backpack along with a cellophane encased muffin and began opening both.

Seeing this, a startled staffer rushed to the table to ask Franken what he was doing.

“I’m going to eat this muffin and drink this juice,” Franken said.

“You can’t do that!” the exasperated waiter said, “You have to order food and drink from here.”

“But I brought my own,” Franken protested.

“But this is a restaurant. You have to buy our food and drink!”

“But I am not that hungry,” Franken said returning the juice and muffin to his backpack.

As the waiter left, Franken asked what I thought he needed to be taken seriously as a candidate.

I told him not to be funny.

He said, “But I am funny.”

I said, “I know, but you have to show Minnesotans this is not some comedy stunt, that you are serious, and that you will fight for them.”

He said, “But I am going on David Letterman’s show next week. Can’t I be funny then?”

“No.”

“OK.”

He wasn’t – he was serious then, and for the remainder of the election.

Minnesotans took him seriously and he won by 312 votes.