NEW HAVEN >> If it gives you fits to hear the words "President Donald Trump," consider how conservatives twitched when Al Franken became a U.S. senator.
Progressive Franken not only wrote self-referencing skits for "Saturday Night Live" in its wild early years but also the book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them." For that, he was unsuccessfully sued by conservative hero Bill O'Reilly (which helped the book be a best-seller).
Franken also wrote "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot" — titled as an ironic comment on Limbaugh's ad hominem attacks on Democrats and motivated by the rise of Newt Gingrich, who seemed to use Limbaugh as a mouthpiece.
The almost-accidental senator from Minnesota had to endure an eight-month recount saga to join the Senate millionaires' club, and he's been a pretty effective senator since — unless you reject the idea that Gingrich and Limbaugh have huge roles in the country's toxic partisanship (and maybe even Trump's victory).
Either way, the man is a funny writer, as evidenced by excerpts from his new book, "Giant of the Senate," which Franken will discuss in person at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on July 30 at 3 p.m. with Colin McEnroe, the witty WTIC-AM radio host and writer.
Sunday's event, presented by venerable R.J. Julia Booksellers, seems to have been organized at the last minute, but it should have no problem attracting a crowd in Democratic New Haven.
Tickets are $40, which includes a copy of the book.
For further information, visit rjjulia.com/event or call 203-245-3959.