the only way this Franken thing makes sense

[delisen]

9. Would someone put his wife/family through the pain

for the reason you suggest? or would he simply have resign without the humiliation of the public demands for his resignation?


It seems to me that this event was choreographed in 2 parts with the intention of demonstrating zero tolerance, and then to be able to use that stand to draw a clear line between Democrats and Republicans, pressure Republicans to cast out there own accused or look like hypocrites, and to make visible again Trump's treatment of women.

It was a "Caesar's Wife" political tactic, designed to capture the emergent and intense demographic of younger women, and aimed at the 2018 election cycle. There is now one highly visible example of the difference between the two parties.

They put their much touted outreach to the white male rust belters on hold, figuring they are sufficiently disenchanted with Trump to stay home in 2018.(or will be after the reality of the Tax Bill kicks in). They figure that the rest of us have no where else to go anyway (we are already in the bag-and desperately want a Democratic congress.

It may have been a brilliant play, except perhaps they underestimated the pushback from the us-the naive voting "rabble"
who believe in fairness, and due process, and so the things got messy.

The Senate Democrats have become Rugby players (well we wanted them to toughen up) and they may succeed at their new game.