Frazzled Franken Manhandles Dean Heckler; Says He was Protecting Free Speech
By Jimmy Moore
Talon News
January 28, 2004

Liberal author and soon-to-be radio talk show host Al Franken physically manhandled a heckler during a speech by Democrat presidential candidate Howard Dean on Monday.

The New York Post reports that Franken, who recently signed a one-year deal with Progressive Media to host a live, three-hour liberal radio show to apparently challenge Rush Limbaugh, broke his glasses in the confrontation, but was not hurt after charging at a male supporter of Democrat presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche when he began yelling at Dean.

Franken, who said he was "deputized" by the Dean campaign to handle the heckler, said he did what he had to do to subdue the person trying to distract Dean from his message.

"I got down low and took his legs out," Franken stated, explaining he needed to fix his broken glasses with electrical tape after the fall.

Franken picked up the unidentified LaRouche supporter and body slammed him to the ground.

"I was a wrestler so I used a wrestling move," Franken exclaimed.

The police were called to the scene, but Franken was not immediately arrested for battery. The victim has not said whether he will pursue criminal charges against Franken.

Although he says he is not supporting Dean for president, Franken explained his physical action against the heckler was necessary to protect free speech.

"I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down," Franken argued, neglecting the fact that he squelched the free speech rights of the heckler with his actions.

Afterwards, Franken said he would probably do it again if someone tried to vocally protest while a Democrat presidential candidate was speaking.

"I would have done it if he was a Dean supporter at a Kerry rally," he explained.

The incident started while Dean was speaking when several LaRouche supporters in the audience yelled that Dean was a "liar" and not a real Democrat like LaRouche and Democrat presidential front-runner Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).

The eventual victim of the attack by Franken was especially disruptive and drew the ire of the liberal icon. Franken reacted the way he did while the crowd began chanting "Howard Dean" over and over until each of the dissidents were escorted out.

Interestingly, one of the witnesses of the brutality shown by Franken was NBC's "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert.

"One of the Lyndon LaRouche guys got up and started screaming and yelling," Russert stated on the Don Imus radio show on Tuesday. "The press guy for Dean tried to grab onto him and remove him, and he couldn't do it."

Russert said he was thoroughly surprised by what he saw next.

"All of a sudden, Al Franken jumped out of the media gallery, ran down and grabbed this guy on the leg and started wrestling him to the ground," Russert recalled. "It was unbelievable. He was really into it."

LaRouche protesters also appeared without incident at campaign events on Monday held by Kerry and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT).