General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAl Franken was forced out of the Senate
over a tasteless joke on a USO tour and unproven accusations. But Kavanaugh gets to sit on the Supreme Court. This world is upside down.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)OnDoutside
(19,908 posts)enough
(13,237 posts)maddiemom
(5,106 posts)Thanks, again, Sen. Gillibrand and CO. I didn't feel like paying my dues to the local branch of Democratic Women after that fiasco. Thankfully the locals didn't agree with her.
UpInArms
(51,253 posts)(Claire McCaskill)
ChiTownDenny
(747 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)dflprincess
(28,057 posts)and Gillibrand led the parade right into it.
Not that Minnesota sends that many delegates to the national convention, but she might as well not waste her time & money campaigning here during primary season (and we are going to a presidential primary). She is not well thought of among Minnesota Democrats.
Cartoonist
(7,298 posts)Talk about upside down!
elmac
(4,642 posts)it just doesn't work when you are fighting evil.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)who were outraged by the Franken allegations and pushed behind the scenes for other Dems to condemn him.
SergeStorms
(18,903 posts)KPN
(15,587 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Thats all I know from a friend who works at the DNC.
Response to Cartoonist (Reply #2)
Name removed Message auto-removed
Cartoonist
(7,298 posts)Hard to make a psychoanalysis of a group.
LandOfHopeAndDreams
(872 posts)We're the ones who expect otherwise. Once again, we're Charlie Brown.
maddiemom
(5,106 posts)manor321
(3,344 posts)Both horrible human beings!
G_j
(40,366 posts)on the court..
badhair77
(4,191 posts)MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)UTUSN
(70,497 posts)BannonsLiver
(16,162 posts)Forced from the senate by people on his own team.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)I like Al Franken and think he should still be in the senate. However, he quit. He didn't have to. Even when members of his own party called for him to quit, he could have refused. (They weren't going to expel him.)
Larry Craig refused to quit the Senate, even after promising to and pleading guilty to a sex offense. He just didn't quit. (later he didn't run for re-election... but he didn't quit.)
Diaper David Vitter-- same thing. Humiliated by sex scandal... didn't quit.
My point is-- Democrats, DON'T QUIT! Ride out the scandal. Be brazen like the GOPers. The voters elected you, not your fellow politicians.
Al Franken would still be senator if he hadn't quit-- if he'd stuck it out. We need our Democratic elected officials to refuse to quit.
A good example is Barney Frank. At the time, his "scandal" seemed pretty huge. He refused to quit, was re-elected many times, and was in fact the first national officeholder to marry a same-sex partner while in office! (So cool.) He finally retired a few years ago... but if he'd quit when the scandal broke, well, he would have deprived himself and his constituents of his career work.
I think Al should run again, proudly and bravely, but also with a vow to serve out his term as the voters want.
Autumn
(44,762 posts)OnDoutside
(19,908 posts)little choice.
Autumn
(44,762 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)and threatened his family LOL
Autumn
(44,762 posts)LOL
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)He could have toughed it out. Others have.
No one forced him to resign.
Autumn
(44,762 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Doesn't mean you have to do it.
femmedem
(8,188 posts)His Democratic colleagues made it clear that he was a pariah. How can you effect change or lead righteous battles under those circumstances?
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)But Franken took one for the teams because women's groups were outraged by the allegations and behind the scenes demanded that Dems denounce Franken or they would withhold support. So Franken is both a victim and a hero.
Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)to oust Franken. She got that wrong. Why must Democrats continue to eat our own?
brooklynite
(93,873 posts)I have no idea if she'll run, or if I'll support her, but I see nothing that suggests that the aggregate Democratic electorate (as opposed to a bunch of bloggers) will care about this.
Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)her strident denunciations of Franken before all the evidence was available were an attempt at grandstanding in order to advance her presidential prospects, and that the tactic has at best fizzled, or at worst backfired among progressives.
Maybe she will still run, and maybe if she does many/most won't care about this... just my $0.02.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)And thats cash. No checks!
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)And provide links that prove your accusations.
Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)Quoting myself (I know, bad form)
"Maybe she will still run, and maybe if she does many/most won't care about this... just my $0.02."
It's my opinion. I don't have "proof." Sheesh, maybe try some decaf.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)What facts do you have to support your opinion?
Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)It doesn't prove that Gillibrand was planning to run in 2020.
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)You asked for evidence that she was facing backlash and that MIGHT affect any future plans to run. That is EXACTLY what I provided to you.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)But if I misunderstood the point you were making, I apologize.
hlthe2b
(101,730 posts)HuffPost spoke to dozens of elite donors who contributed significant amounts of money to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign. Gillibrand, at one time, was part of the tight, loyal Clinton world. The Clintons were early supporters of hers and Hillary wrote the foreword to Gillibrands book.
Many of these donors said that either they were unhappy with Gillibrand or knew plenty of people who were. The 2020 race is still years away, but as donors start to shop around, her comments on Clinton and Franken could be a factor.
I viewed it as self-serving, as opportunistic ― unforgivable in my view, said Rosalind Fink, a New York donor. Since then, I have not purposely attended any fundraiser where she was there. And there is absolutely no way I will support her.
But the two-term senator cemented her prominence in the movement last year when she called out members of her own party. In November, she said that Bill Clinton should have resigned the presidency over his affair with Monica Lewinsky. And then the following month, she became the first Democratic senator to publicly call on then-Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to go after multiple women accused him of engaging in sexual misconduct.
Franken announced his resignation the following day. --snip--
a threat who needed to leave immediately.
Gillibrand wasnt the only senator to publicly call on Franken to step down, but she was the first (but only by minutes) in a wave of female senators ― who were eventually joined by many of their male colleagues on the same day, Dec. 6 ― to do so. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), however, reportedly told Franken in private that he needed to go beforehand.
But Gillibrand has received the brunt of the blame for what happened, with many of her detractors saying the reason she came out against Franken was that shes an opportunist who was positioning herself for a presidential run in 2020. Some Democratic Party donors have been reconsidering whether they would support her in a primary.
Most prominently, Gillibrand has attracted the ire of billionaire George Soros, who has long funded Democratic candidates and causes. Soros recently said he wasnt sure whom he was supporting for 2020, but that it absolutely wouldnt be Gillibrand. He accused her of going after Franken, whom I admire, to improve her chances for president.
--snip--
Fink said she condemned Frankens behavior, but she believed the Senate should have investigated the allegations thoroughly before forcing him out.
I think it was a big mistake, said Irene Finel Honigman, another Clinton donor from New York, adding, I was not that impressed with her to begin with. I think she certainly had potential, but as for many people, this kind of sealed the deal.
Another donor, who like many others asked to remain anonymous in order to speak candidly, called Gillibrand a ruthless opportunist.
Thats the knock on her, and thats what this proved, he said. She saw an opportunity to be out front, and regardless of the ramifications, she took it.
Susie Tompkins Buell, a major Democratic Party donor who has championed female politicians, also said she was reconsidering her support for senators who called for Franken to resign.
On social media, its easy to find anti-Gillibrand posts. No matter the issue, Gillibrand has detractors who circle back to what she did to Franken. --more--
zentrum
(9,865 posts)...was doing. Now she'll probably run even though it's back fired, and isn't the launch party she planned.
Miss and need Franken so much now, much as ever.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Please provide links that prove you accusation.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Please provide links.
Hekate
(90,202 posts)It was a massive blunder for all concerned. Massive.
3Hotdogs
(12,210 posts)MrsCoffee
(5,801 posts)keep getting the blame for it.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Kamala Harris for another. Those are the ones with political aspirations, including,
and definitely not exclusively, Gillibrand.
3Hotdogs
(12,210 posts)Especially the Spartacus bullshit from last week where he actually had nothing at stake.
rzemanfl
(29,540 posts)maddiemom
(5,106 posts)disndat
(1,887 posts)Patrick Leahy, although he later said that he regretted it, or, had qualms. Don't forget everybody, Gillibrand was
once rated "A" by the NRA and came from a Republican background.
SFnomad
(3,473 posts)But for some reason, Bernie keeps getting a pass for it.
Hekate
(90,202 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)you mean Schumer.
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)and the worse part is,someone from his own back yard did some major damage.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Railroaded.. Shivved...Shunned...Shut Out...
And was not much due to baseless claims but to political opportunity.
VOX
(22,976 posts)I wish the Democratic Party would follow suit. Republicans are completely full of shit, but they stick together, for the most part. For Christs sakes, theyre sticking with Trump to the detriment of the entire country.
Yes, Al Frankes resigned under duress, after 32 Democratic senators (13 women, 19 men) piled on Franken, demanding that he should resign as allegations of sexual harassment against him continued. Even Republican Sen. Susan Collins (whos tolerating Trump quite well these days) called on Franken to quit.
What were Frankens choices? Insist on staying, and causing a contentious intra-party fight and possible fracture, right at the exact time when sorely outnumbered Democrats had to be hyper-vigilant about Trump & his pack of destructive weirdos?
If I were Franken at that point, Id probably have resigned, too. How can you stay and fight when 32 of your closest colleagues let you know flat-out that they do *not* have your back?
brush
(53,475 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)But one with no proof behind it. But it has become an easy talking point for some. What they ignore is that several women's groups working behind the scenes were outraged by the Franken allegations and demanded that other Dems condemn him. And if anyone Senator orchestrated Franken's resignation it was Schumer.
brush
(53,475 posts)when the allegation first broke and she even added that Bill Clinton should have stepped down also years agoand she owed her being in the Senate to the Clintons as they backed her campaign when she was a nobody.
You better research it. She led the charge. The other senators got on the bandwagon later.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)The interview where she was asked the question about Clinton was a month before the Franken controversy. And the other Senators who "jumped on the bandwagon" did so with in a few hours, some a few minutes. The only person who has the power to coordinate such an effort is Schumer.
brush
(53,475 posts)But keep on defending that opportunist if you want. She has no chance at the Dem nomination for leading the charge to throw one of our most effective senators under the bus.
It's no secret who pushed it so why are you trying to deny it?
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Because that didn't happen.
brush
(53,475 posts)saying Al Franken was entitled to a hearing but not to her silence.
Just deal with it. She was the ring leader.
That kind of gullible naivete in falling so eagerly for Roger Stone's set-up of Al Franken should never be allowed to fade from memory.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/view-co-host-joy-behar-sen-kirsten-gillibrand-225031748.html
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)You are wrong. First the Clinton interview was in November: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/17/kirsten-gillibrand-bill-clinton-democrats-247427
Her call on Franken to resign was in December: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/female-democratic-senators-call-on-al-franken-to-resign_us_5a281be8e4b0c2117627b73e
And to get 37 other Senators to also call on another Senator to resign, would make Gillibrand a very powerful and influential Senator. That give Gillibrand too much credit. The only Dem in the Senate with that kind of power is Schumer.
Finally it wasn't only the Tweeden allegations. There were several other women too.
And if Gillibrand was gullible and naïve then so were all other 37 Senators including Warren, Harris and Sanders.
brush
(53,475 posts)one but you don't know what I heard. And as I said, she doubled down on her display of naivete on "The View".
Learn to deal with facts when they stare you in the face.
Now I've had enough of the silliness.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Please provide a link.
mahina
(17,506 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Autumn
(44,762 posts)Last edited Fri Sep 14, 2018, 01:00 PM - Edit history (1)
even though he attempted to rape a woman in school while his friend covered it up and was in the room. The Democrats forced out a well known and loved comedian who became an effective Senator for being a comedian. I can't get past that.
lark
(23,003 posts)They either did it to get rid of one of the most effective Dems, especially in hearings or
They did it to get rid of a potential competitor for President or
They did it out of not giving one hoot about truth but burnishing their METOO credentials.
None of the above reasons are good and my former fave for president in 2020 is now at the bottom of the list for good presidential candidates.
MrsCoffee
(5,801 posts)But it's always easier to blame some wild conspiracy.
lark
(23,003 posts)There were multiple witnesses of the photo shoot, including the photographer, who exonerated Franken and sid the picture was altered. This was planned with Roger Stone and LeAnn used to work for Hannity. So it appears they jumped before getting any facts or paying any attention to the real facts in the news. Either way, yes, they fucked up and I sure hope they didn't conspire together.
MrsCoffee
(5,801 posts)I'm not saying it was handled right. I'm saying that it's highly unlikely that somehow there was a conspiracy among top democrats (and Bernie Sanders) and presidential hopefuls to round up eight women to come forward against Franken in order to "knock out the competition".
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)was that women's groups were outraged about the Franken allegations and working behind the scenes demand that other Dems condemn Franken.
calimary
(80,700 posts)at some county fair, and then complained that he touched my waist.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)By sponsoring and getting progressive legislation passed?
And other than in the Sessions confirmation hearings, what other hearings was he effective?
Wellstone ruled
(34,661 posts)as well as other Rethug favorable rulings.
Still In Wisconsin
(4,450 posts)* It's OK If You Are A Republican
dlk
(11,438 posts)Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)No one forced him to do anything. If he hadn't run away, he would still be a Senator.
madaboutharry
(40,153 posts)I don't really think he had a choice. He was pushed out. That is how I see it.
zeusdogmom
(978 posts)Still irritated with the Dems who called for his ouster. So short sighted.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)Franken couldn't face the other Senators, so he fled from them.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)No its serious business.
So being conned by Replicans and political opportunity,the most popular leader is booted out?
Popular leaders are rarely booted out of the cult.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)and he chose to leave. The majority of Democratic Senators asked him to leave but had no way of forcing him out. Franken is gone. He chose to quit.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Those who disagree will always disagree.
What I believe is Al Franken would have been a great candidate in 2020 to compete fairly with others. Now he wont.
Some, including me, believe it was political opportunity that did him in.
Some, including me, will continue to stand by Al and blame every name on the list.
Most particularly Gillibrand.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)but Gillibrand is a Democratic Senator and was supported by thirty more Democratic Senators in her request that Franken resign. You might want to find another place to continue your attacks on Democrats.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Its an honest opinion held by me and many others. All of us have been on Du for some time.
Gillibrand is no victim. Shes a politician that in my opinion made a blunder that has created consequences.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)as an excuse to attack other elected Democrats is not acceptable to me. Gillibrand stood up for her beliefs. Of course Gillibrand is a politician, she's a Senator and that's a political office. She is also a Democrat and she hasn't been asked by other Democratic Senators to resign.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)nt
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Cant take one second to alert?
Okay, then I guess our dialogue is over.
See you next time to discuss our opinions on the next Franken support thread.
It was a Franken support thread you know.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)and we did not have a dialogue.
Franken is no longer an office holder and his resignation makes it unlikely that he will become one. He won't be prosecuted since he hasn't been accused of a crime. His support threads seem to be a way to disparage the 31 Democratic Senators who didn't resign. There are probably over a million Democrats in Minnesota who have never resigned from an elective office and I have yet to see multiple support threads for any of them.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)We have come full circle. Think what you want, many folks including me, think Franken was railroaded.
Again, see you next time on a Franken appreciation thread where we can continue our potato....er... patato.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)But should be based on facts. What facts do you have to support your opinion?
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Never said I have facts. You dont have all the facts yet you have opinions.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)The number of people that believe something doesn't make it true. So the number of people that agree with you opinion, doesn't validate it. Only facts can validate an opinion. So why don't you post some facts that do.
brush
(53,475 posts)so eagerly for Roger Stone's set-up of Al Franken should never be allowed to fade from memory.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)Love how people pick a quarrel on an appreciation thread for someone they dont support.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)and have a "ringleader". That sounds like a rather ignorant conspiracy theory to me.
brush
(53,475 posts)She fell for Roger Stone, Hannity and Tweeden's set-up of Al Franken.
Guess you weren't here when this was discussed on multiple threads.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)if they can blame a Democrat whatever happens.
Thought I'd add a quote from Franken with the author's comment.
Even more important, this theory doesnt address the claims of the seven other women.
The article is here. https://www.vox.com/2018/5/21/17352230/al-franken-accusations-resignation-democrats-leann-tweeden-kirsten-gillibrand
brush
(53,475 posts)Get real. He was still a comedian then. Hamming it up for a photo is what they do. And seriously, who's going to grope someone in front of several witnesses and a photographer?
And if you want a quote, how about repug dirty trickster Roger Stone commenting just before it all broke with the Tweeden photo: "It's Al Franken's time in the barrel."
You need to go back and research it all so you're more informed.
You'll find for one thing a photo of Tweeden herself groping the ass of a guitar player on stage in the same USO tour in front of thousands of service members.
You're late too the party. The whole thing was a repug hatchet job on Franken and Gillibrand fell for it. It was a good way to get rid of a strong contender for the 2020 presidential nomination also. Ambition and gullibility is not a good combination in a candidate. Also check out her appearance on "The View" where she doubled down on her throwing of Franken under the bus.
You really need to catch up.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)that the problem is what Franken considered to be a "gag". He got it and resigned.
The whole thing is a hatchet job on Gillibrand and 30 other Democratic Senators.
brush
(53,475 posts)because of what she did.
dflprincess
(28,057 posts)it was okay for Gillibrand and the other Democrats to attack fellow Democrat, Al Franken, by demanding (it was not a request) that he resign. But it is not okay for rank and file Democrats to criticize those Democrats for attacking Al?
How about those Democrats in Minnesota who elected Al to represent them, can we get a pass on this because we're all still pretty pissed about how this went down.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)Franken is no longer an elected Democrat, he quit and ran. Those Democrats that voted for Al have every right to be angry at Al for being a quitter. They have no right to blame others for what Al chose to do. Gillibrand and those other Democrats (who didn't have multiple women accusing them) had no way to enforce any "demands" on Franken.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)You can believe the earth is flat and get millions to agree with you. That doesn't make it fact. Conservatives base their opinions on belief, we have a higher standard or we are no better than they are.
And there is no proof that either Franked or Gillibrand planned to run in 2020.
LakeArenal
(28,729 posts)You can go hang up another Franken supporter for the next hour with your opinions of their opinions
Bit repetiive but you are free to to be so
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)I'm just asking for facts to support your opinion. Why is that so hard?
murielm99
(30,657 posts)He knows how power works. He knew it was time to quit.
It breaks my heart to say that. But I don't think we have seen the last of Al!
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)I don't think Franken was such a snowflake. The truth is Franken took one for the teams because women's groups were outraged by the allegations and behind the scenes that Dems denounce Franken or they would without support. So Franken is both a victim and a hero.
unblock
(51,974 posts)yes, he could have held his seat and been stripped of any privileges and be treated like a first-year senator with little opportunity to ever get a turn to even speak and to have all his proposals ignored by his colleagues.
but yeah, he still would have had the seat, the salary, and the vote.
all the while, the media would have continued to malign him and he would have had zero other senators defending him.
they might well have expelled him altogether.
he actually has a far better shot at rehabilitating his image this way. spotlight is off and the passage of time helps, especially if the story of injustice sinks in.
he may yet return to politics, who knows.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)Senators don't get expelled. If not one out of 99 Senators would have defended Franken, then he probably was right to quit.
Most of the media reports facts, if the facts malign Franken, then he was right to quit.
unblock
(51,974 posts)if they take that away, the job isn't worth nearly as much.
i agree that expulsion is rare -- hasn't happened since the civil war -- though part of the reason is that senators who become pariahs resign first. still, i agree that they would more likely have just left him to flounder in a sea of bad press.
either way, he wouldn't have been doing himself or his constituency any favors by staying under the circumstances.
what's really infuriating is the gaping chasm between the standards to which democrats are held compared to the complete lack of standards that apply to republicans.
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)because you think it should be. Franken lost the respect of a majority of the other Democratic Senators. He didn't try to recover that respect, he resigned.
unblock
(51,974 posts)and he got even more pushback and realized that he wasn't going to be able to earn back that respect while also holding on to his seat.
he's continuing to try to recover that respect as best he can.
not sure what your point is in insisting that that he quit rather than being forced out.
yes, technically that was his call, but are you suggesting he should have done something differently, or that staying would have led to a different or better outcome?
Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)the other Senators respect. He did make an ambiguous defenses about how he remembered things and claimed that some of the allegations were "simply not true." That is not a defense, in fact, it implies that some were true.
If Franken hadn't resigned, he would still be a Senator. He might even have been elected to a third term, but that would be up to the voters in Minnesota.
unblock
(51,974 posts)Progressive dog
(6,862 posts)The problem is the people who blame other Democrats for Franken's resignation. Franken is gone, blaming Gillibrand or the other 30 Democratic Senators won't bring him back, but it might hurt those Democratic Senators.
Power 2 the People
(2,437 posts)Tarc
(10,472 posts)It doesn't matter how distasteful of a human being the accuser is, or how much we like the accused. What he did wasn't right, and I am glad that he did the honorable thing in accepting te blame resigning,and moving on.
I hope Franken chooses to run again someday,and I hope he wins. But this situation was his own fault.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)I love my family, but if I found out that a brother had sexually or otherwise molested an unwilling person, I would want the full force of justice to come down on him.
mythology
(9,527 posts)Then you whataboutism somebody else. People are very good at justifying things they want to believe. My personal favorite was the person who said even if Franken confessed to everything, they would believe it was because his life was threatened.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Response to Tarc (Reply #29)
Eliot Rosewater This message was self-deleted by its author.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)Eliot Rosewater
(31,097 posts)Not now, we might get back to that, but we are not now.
If this criminal fuck goes onto the court, we either reverse that somehow or we stop being America.
brooklynite
(93,873 posts)Do you possibly see a difference there?
Not saying he's telling the truth, but it's certainly a better starting point to try and hold on.
mythology
(9,527 posts)8 is a lot more than 1. Oh and I recall a lot of people dismissing unnamed accusers then. I don't see that now for some reason.
Vinca
(50,170 posts)touched a lady's waist while they had their photo taken together.
thegoose
(3,115 posts)This corrupt bastard will sit on the Supreme Court to protect Dump when all of his filthy crimes are revealed. This is awful.
mikeysnot
(4,755 posts)Chuck did nothing to help with his campaign, nor the recount, or his reelection.
If you read Al's book "Lion in the Senate" he spells it out without exactly stating it.
In his subtle Al Franken sarcastic way.
mahina
(17,506 posts)I bought it to support him when it came out but havent read it yet. Will do
mikeysnot
(4,755 posts)and get back to me. It is a quick two day read.
My points will make more sense after you read it.
Yes his book was on his experience with the DNC, his election, recount and reelection and time in the senate, way before the ratfuck hit job.
mahina
(17,506 posts)mahina
(17,506 posts)Was in November. I still need to read the book and Im sure your point is solid, thanks for passing on that insight.
ailsagirl
(22,840 posts)Azathoth
(4,603 posts)When you push back *HARD* on untrue allegations, you survive. Even if the allegations are to some degree true, you still get your side of the story out there.
Republicans play this game far better than Democrats.
Eliot Rosewater
(31,097 posts)and he immediately said her version of that tongue situation NOT true but he did so in such a respectful way that it went without much notice.
He did nothing, to anybody, ever.
disndat
(1,887 posts)He wanted due process, but, the Democratic gang couldn't stampede on to the #MeToo movement fast enough.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)It is a determination if congressional ethics rules have been violated, not a finding of guilt or innocence.
And why is no one upset that John Conyers was forced out without due process?
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)because many Women's groups demanded that he be denounced. So Franken was really a hero.
guillaumeb
(42,641 posts)The GOP settles for Trump, and Bush.
eppur_se_muova
(36,227 posts)... something that virtually every Uglican-owned company does on a regular basis.
Freethinker65
(9,934 posts)Franken could have insisted on going through an ethics investigation where he most likely would have won, but he had few members of his own party's support and a few Democratic opportunists working against him.
I wish he would have fought for his seat. He was a master at cutting through the bullshit during congressional hearings.
DFW
(54,056 posts)Like flies to rotting fruit, the Franken-detractors who only show up on DU for that purpose came a-buzzing.
The OP was spot on.
The Wizard
(12,482 posts)their Me Too creds. Gillibrand made a political miscalculation because she thought it would help her win the Democratic nomination in 2020. She led the charge and marginalized herself as a cheap opportunist willing to knife another Democrat in the back without a fair hearing. And Schumer will always be a weenie.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)of your allegations? Please provide links.
And Franken asked for an ethics hearing which is a determination if congressional ethics rules have been violated, not a finding of guilt or innocence.
And why is no one upset that John Conyers was forced out without a fair hearing?
cp
(6,543 posts)Dem senators betrayed him. Will never, ever vote for Gillibrand.
spanone
(135,636 posts)pintobean
(18,101 posts)What happened, happened. Dragging up the past and bitching about current Senators is just divisive bullshit.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Franken down. We lost a damn good Senator and voice for progressives.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)Franken down. We lost a damn good Senator and voice for progressives. ( and that's the facts, and not in any way demeaning the Democratic Party )
pintobean
(18,101 posts)in uniting voters for the mid-terms.
Shoonra
(518 posts)Al Franken supposedly committed some frat boy misbehavior while he was a USO entertainer, including pantomiming grabbing one woman's breasts (apparently this was just a pose for a photo and he did not make actual contact) and trying to steal a kiss from another.
OK, frat boy behavior but it was a USO entertainment tour and with other members of the USO troop. It wasn't a crime and, in the Senate, Franken was a model of decorum. Isn't it time we gave Al Franken a mulligan?
We really need to get him back, he rarely backed down from the goopers. (GOP'ers) and we need that now!
LiberalLovinLug
(14,154 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Franken took one for the team and should be forgiven.
proglib217
(88 posts)And, should any of them seek the nomination in 2020, they will have lost my support.
NurseJackie
(42,862 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)It was about Franken getting too popular and high profile, when there were others who were anointed to become Presidential candidates. On a popular talk show, the host mentioned that people were asking Franken to run for President. That's what his being pushed out was about.
Gillibrand immediately demanded he leave, and others started jumping on the bandwagon almost immediately. When Schumer joined the fray, Franken had to leave. For nothing but that some of the base liked him too much, saw him as a leader too much, saw him as effective in the hearings. A fatal crime, to some.
I won't forget. I won't forgive. Putting one's own personal interests above the country's or the Democratic Party voters...that's not what a good leader does. And those who jumped on the bandwagon....not what a leader does.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Please provide links that support your allegations.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Sen. Robert Menendez avoided conviction in a federal corruption trial, but violated federal law and Senate rules in accepting unreported gifts from a friend and political ally. The Ethics Committee "admonished" him. Federal law violations.
I'm sure they chastised him publicly, right? And a slew of Democrats took to the podium on national tv asking him to resign, followed quickly by Schumer stating the same. Right? Wrong. Not a peep. No problemo. This was a Senator who had gone through a federal felony corruption trial...which means there was at least some evidence of it. Then a long Senate Ethics Committee investigation. No problemo with that.
Second, the "allegations" against Franken were ridiculous. I take allegations of harassment seriously. But in this case, it started with a Republican female on a USO tour, who had been twerking by pressing her butt against a male co-singer, who lodged the charges against Franken ON FOX. She has close Republican affiliations. This is possibly the same old Republican trick of attacking Democrats, to get rid of the effective ones. The right had been railing on Franken because of getting to the bottom of Sessions' lies about Russian meetings at the investigative hearings. So they set about to get rid of him.
Here is a conservative reporter's view of how Franken was unfairly treated about LeeAnn Tweeden's USO tour "allegations." https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2017/11/30/al-franken-scandal-slow-down-sexual-assault-accusations-john-ziegler-column/886722001/
There were several other claims, which were preposterous. One was downright silly. A fan asks Franken to do a selfie with her. He happily agrees and put his hand around her waist as they both lean in for the pic. He grabs some flesh on her waist, she said. That's it. Come on. That minimizes real sexual harassment. As Bill Maher said, there's nothing sexual about that. He adds..have you seen how Biden acts with people? Then shows pics of Biden hugging the public, kissing people, holding on too long. He jokes, "Biden is like a Great Dane coming at you because he smells bacon."
The point is...
NONE OF THE SO-CALLED ALLEGATIONS WAS SERIOUSLY LOOKED AT OR VETTED IN ANY WAY. None of them. Nothing. Nada. Gillibrand jumped on them shortly after an appearance on a talk show where he was asked if he would run for President. That's when the Democrats decided he had to go. The NORMAL PROCEDURE is an ethics investigation.
Franken, in his affable way, had responded merely that women's allegations need to be taken seriously, etc., etc., and as he said in his farewell speech, he now knows that that was taken by some as an admission, when it was not. He then denied each and every accusation.
Franken had started the talk show circuit and was immensely popular. He also had been given spotlight in the news for his questions at the investigative Senate hearings.
So Gillibrand and others took care of it swiftly, backed by Schumer. No more competition for the spotlight or potential Presidential candidacy. Not that Franken had that in his sights. He didn't.
If you want conclusive evidence, there has to be an investigation of some sort. There wasn't. Nothing. Nada. He was merely gotten rid of in a hurry. To make way for the several who have Presidential aspirations, backed by Schumer.
If it were ethics or wrongdoing that was the problem, then they would have gotten rid of Menendez long ago...before his trial for felony federal corruption charges. And that's the name of that tune.
I will not forget it. I will not forgive it. I hope Franken runs again and is installed in the Senate, where he should be. The country is being harmed by him not sitting on the investigative committee.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)It is all still opinion, not facts.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Since there was no sexual harassment, what was Gillibrand, Harris, Schumer, & the others talking about? Why the insistence he defy the voters and leave his elected office? Remember...there was no sexual harassment, in the first place.
You say, "But there WAS sexual harassment." I say...Oh, really? Prove it. Oops. There was no investigation of any sort of any of the statements by the women. So they can't be proven. That's only for those that are even something like harassment. Some don't amount to harassment at all, even if true.
Since there was no sexual harassment, what was the reason Gillibrand (who was said to have Presidential aspirations), what was the reason that she demanded he leave the Senate? In such a hurry that the Senate wasn't going to follow normal procedure of the Ethics Committee investigating it.
As Sherlock Holmes would say, "Simple deduction, my dear Watson. Elementary."
I'll leave you with this little gem: Roger Stone said that "it's Al Franken's time in the barrel," before the allegations were made by the Republican female, Leeann Tweeden. So he knew before the Democrats knew.
Another little gem: She said that Franken had written a sketch for the USO show where he had to kiss her. She was offended by that, that he just wanted to kiss her and had written that because it was her. She asked him not to kiss her...or something like that. Fact check: Franken didn't write that sketch. Another man did, and the sketch wasn't for her. The sketch, with the kiss, was performed a number of times with different entertainers in different locations.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)And you know what happens when you assume.
scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)You speak for me - I so appreciate what you've written!
I will never stop feeling enraged over how Franken was railroaded.
I'm a Minnesotan, Al was MY senator. How dare those petty schemers nullify MY vote!
liberal N proud
(60,302 posts)mahina
(17,506 posts)What a staggering loss for the future. Im still angry at Gillenbrand and all who assisted her, and suspect her going forward in all actions.
It was absurd, on the level with Howard Deans scream, fabricated out of thin air by shadow figures seeking to defeat us.
RandySF
(57,659 posts)Than I ever saw giving Franken a benefit of a doubt.
brooklynite
(93,873 posts)Just pointing out that hes denied the charges up till know which gives him a story Inger platform on which to get and stay.
qazplm135
(7,447 posts)I don't think anyone is jumping to his defense. Saying, I need more than an anonymous accusation is not leaping to his defense, it's common sense and fairness. Plenty of folks are totally prepared to believe her on her accusation alone, but not an anonymous one.
SergeStorms
(18,903 posts)There's nothing more to be said, except RUN, AL, RUN!
Autumn
(44,762 posts)campaigning for other Republicans. How's that for an upside down world?
geretogo
(1,281 posts)Koch were appointed by the God's to rule us .
Response to madaboutharry (Original post)
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onetexan
(12,994 posts)And as a result forced him to resign. Im still miffed over that. I wont forget kirsten gillibrand's hypocracy.