Al Franken, the Loss of Truth, and the Problem of Credibility

Sen. Al Franken

Earlier today, Senator Al Franken delivered what seems to be his last floor speech in the United States Senate. Viewd out of context, it was a very good speech. In context, however, Franken's lost credibility mattered more than his final words. Franken had announced that he would leave the Senate after a string of credible allegations that he had engaged in sexual misconduct. A former comedian, Franken served Minnesota as a liberal Democrat. Most of his speech reviewed familiar Democratic positions: he attacked the recent Republican tax plan as a giveaway to the rich, discussed the dangers of climate change, and decried the loss of rights of transgender persons.

Concluding, Franken pointed out how important truth is:

I could go on and on and on and on. You know, before I came to the Senate, I was known as something of an obsessive on the subject of honesty in public discourse. But, as I leave the Senate, I have to admit that it feels like we are losing the war for truth. Maybe it’s already lost.

I could not agree more. Truth is in trouble, and people believe the silliest things. Some of the silly beliefs lead to great harm. In general, many media outlets, sadly including many prominent conservative outlets, have provided a platform for bizarre conspiracy theories and outlandish accusations. The unreliable website Gateway Pundit has become one of the main information sources on which conservative voters rely. Still, truth and politics have never gotten along very well. It would seem that Republicans have, for example, lied about their tax plan more often than the Democrats have lied about it, but, let's face it, lies are lies. Unless Democrats stop lying--completely--what is their credibility for complaining about Republican lies? The right amount of lying is zero, and once a liar has been caught, that person is, well, a liar.

So, let's remember that Franken gave this speech on his way out, and he is on his way out because of things he did out of the public eye. Let us suppose that he is right that truth is losing the war for public opinion. Who is going to believe Al Franken?


Aristotle wrote thousands of years ago that the speaker's character is the most powerful mode of persuasion. Once a speaker has lost the character battle, what is left?

Of course, many other members of Congress display various ethical problems: sexual behavior, corruption, incompetence, general venality. Yet, the public continues to elect people whose moral character is suspect, and, once they elect them, they don't trust them.  Or, worse, they trust the wrong ones.

Official Senate portrait