Al Franken: 'It would be tempting' to run for office again

[DFW]

73. A junior Senator from Wisconsin once acquired immense power by the sheer force of his rhetoric

And he compelled the opinions of Senators far more powerful than he (initially, anyway)--in fact nearly all of them. Junior Senators can easily outshine senior Senators from a given state, whether good (AZ), bad (TX) or ugly (MO).. Bandwagons do get jumped on by lesser egos who are simply susceptible to being dominated if the right voice seizes the right theme at the right time.

Unlike McCarthy, Gillibrand's bandwagon was not joined by many for long, and unlike McCarthy, she was not purely out to manipulate for sheer power (I hope, anyway). But she DID try to mold her temporary fame into a presidential run. Fortunately, it fizzled quickly, and even more fortunately, she realized it. Why "even more fortunately?" Because she was smart enough to not end up wasting a lot of valuable time on a lost cause. When someone has to ask on live TV, "at long last, have you no decency?" then it is already too late to start damage control. Gillibrand knew her 15 minutes were up way before it got to that level.

But whether it's "trouble right here in River City" or a "list of 254 Communists," or "God wills it!" a skillful manipulator can often get away with a reprehensible rabble rousing campaign if it gets put to the right audience at the right time. Junior or Senior in their title or status has no bearing--their success in reaching a receptive audience does.