WASHINGTON - Liberal Al Franken is good enough and smart enough to win some of conservative Ben Stein's money — and doggone it, Stein likes him.
Stein, an actor, writer and economist, has contributed $2,000 to Franken's Minnesota Senate campaign. The two men have known each other for about 30 years.
"I'm struck by what an incredibly capable, hard-working guy he is," Stein told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday. "He's a very smart liberal, he's a thoroughgoing patriot, and I would feel better with him in the Senate."
Franken is one of several Democratic candidates vying to take on Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn. As a former "Saturday Night Live" star, Franken has received scores of contributions from people in the entertainment industry, but the donation from Stein doesn't fit into the GOP's talking points about liberal Hollywood elites bankrolling Franken's campaign.
"Friendship trumps ideology — by the way, as it should," Coleman said. "Friendship, family, there are some things more important than ideology. Was he in 'Ferris Bueller'? I think it was a good movie. I don't get a lot of Ben Stein."
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