After Senator Paul Wellstone was killed in a plane crash just before the election in 2002, myself and a carload of co-workers trekked from Chicago to Saint Paul, Minnesota, to campaign for former Vice President Walter Mondale, who was being run in Wellstone’s place. We lost the election and the Senate.

Even so, campaigning in the Twin Cities was a watershed moment in my own political awakening. First, the trip introduced me to friends who became my partners in crime in various civic projects back in Chicago (most recently, the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate). Second, the trip taught me something of what is wrong with the Democratic Party. The party’s decision to run Mondale, largely because of his name recognition, showed a spinelessness and an unwillingness to invest in future leadership, which in retrospect is a bit embarrassing.

Finally, early one morning in a St. Paul union hall, I had the pleasure of seeing Al Franken perform a short, uplifting routine to a grieving audience. That morning I knew the Democrats had begun to find their voice. I knew we’d begun to stand up to the White House’s monosyllabic spin. This is why I’m happy today to recommend to everyone that they tune into Al Franken’s new radio program, The O’Franken Factor: 12-3 p.m., beginning March 31.    

Benjamin Helphand