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Sen. Al Franken Gets A Groping Allegation of His Own | 185 comments (185 topical)

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He seemed close to tears (5.00 / 1) (#5)
by Militarytracy on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 11:32:46 AM EST
On the Senate floor.

Just do the right thing for the country Al. Just do the next right thing. You will never regret doing that. Ask Michael Vick.

The right thing for the country... (none / 0) (#8)
by kdog on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 11:40:47 AM EST
may not be an easy question to answer.  He has been a pretty good senator, and the country needs those, we have so very few.  But we don't need no damn arse-grabbers...the behavioral revolution is now.

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I hear you (5.00 / 1) (#9)
by Militarytracy on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 11:41:33 AM EST


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Vick didn't have to leave the stage forever (none / 0) (#11)
by Militarytracy on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 11:46:05 AM EST
If Franken leaves the seat I doubt we lose him forever. But he has to do something towards making amends. He needs to work with Jackson Katz on a project. Same way Vick worked for humane animal treatment.

But you can't tell these guys going down what to do. You can only hope they choose to heal themselves and heal society.

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Seems like Franken might be on the (none / 0) (#18)
by Anne on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 12:10:05 PM EST
right path:

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) on Thursday asked for an ethics investigation into himself over a news anchor's allegations that in 2006 he forcibly kissed her and groped her while she was asleep. He said he will "gladly cooperate" with such a probe.

"The first thing I want to do is apologize: to Leeann, to everyone else who was part of that tour, to everyone who has worked for me, to everyone I represent, and to everyone who counts on me to be an ally and supporter and champion of women," Franken said in a statement. "There's more I want to say, but the first and most important thing--and if it's the only thing you care to hear, that's fine--is: I'm sorry."

[...]

"I am asking that an ethics investigation be undertaken, and I will gladly cooperate," Franken said. "The fact that my own actions have given people a good reason to doubt that makes me feel ashamed."

Franken said the photograph was "completely inappropriate."

"It's obvious how Leeann would feel violated by that picture. And, what's more, I can see how millions of other women would feel violated by it--women who have had similar experiences in their own lives, women who fear having those experiences, women who look up to me, women who have counted on me," he said. "While I don't remember the rehearsal for the skit as Leeann does, I understand why we need to listen to and believe women's experiences."


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Ethics investigation (none / 0) (#87)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 07:01:20 PM EST
Ha Ha. Things referred to the ethics committee are rarely ever heard from again.

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Was it not the ethics committee (none / 0) (#88)
by CaptHowdy on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 07:05:22 PM EST
That recommended the expulsion of Bob Packwood?

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And didn't (none / 0) (#92)
by Ga6thDem on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 08:24:20 PM EST
they sanction Newt Gingrich? Seems to me there has been plenty to come out of the ethics committee. But hey, even an ethics committee investigation is more than Donald is willing to subject himself to.

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As you note (none / 0) (#97)
by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Sat Nov 18, 2017 at 08:07:35 AM EST
Rarely is not the same as never.

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But "rarely" might be the same as ... (none / 0) (#131)
by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Nov 20, 2017 at 01:20:46 PM EST
... you only paying attention to the Ethics Committee when it does something you want.

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Al is not Roy Moore (none / 0) (#19)
by vicndabx on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 12:11:26 PM EST
Al should apologize and answer questions on it and face his voters.

We should be able to do degrees of offense here.

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Kevin Drum is of the same mindset: (5.00 / 1) (#55)
by Donald from Hawaii on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 07:55:29 PM EST
"There are two problems here. The first is that too many liberals feel that they have to respond in a maximal way to every possible incident of sexual harassment, partly to maintain their own woke credibility and partly because they want to make sure conservatives can't accuse them of hypocrisy. The second problem is that we don't seem to have any good way of talking proportionately about this stuff.

"All I mean is this: Not all offenses are the same. Shoplifting is not as bad as grand theft. Assault is not as bad as murder. Saying this doesn't imply approval of either shoplifting or assault; it's merely a statement of uncontroversial fact. Likewise, not all sexual abuse is equal. Harvey Weinstein's rap sheet includes dozens of accusations of groping, forced massages, and possibly rape. Louis C.K. masturbated in front of actresses multiple times. Roy Moore routinely chased after high school girls when he was in his 30s and appears to have aggressively assaulted at least two of them.

"By contrast, Franken thought he was joking around but went farther than he should have. Once. It's no whitewash to say that this is a considerably lesser offense. But if the only response we have to any kind of sexual abuse is to insist on resignation from office and expulsion from public life -- mostly to protect our own reputations -- we are not acting with any sense of proportionality. We need to start. Listen to Leeann Tweeden, folks."

LINK.

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I think it is a mistake to say "once" (5.00 / 1) (#59)
by Peter G on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 09:40:00 PM EST
about Franken. We don't know yet. But being a man of that generation (and a bit older), and having been around men for many years, I think "once" is  highly improbable.

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That's assuming facts not yet in evidence. (5.00 / 2) (#61)
by Donald from Hawaii on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 01:45:10 AM EST
As of right now, it's one accusation. Sen. Franken's apologized for his behavior 11 years ago, and Teedren has already and graciously accepted his apology. Further, he's called for a Senate ethics investigation on himself, which as far as I can tell is unprecedented. That strongly suggests -- to me, anyway -- that Franken likely has nothing else to hide here.

Honestly, and this is not directed at you or anyone else in particular, I get so tired of bedwetting Dems jumping quickly to conclusions after listening to a scandalmongering media, and assuming the very worst before knowing all the facts. This is exactly how the USDA lost an excellent regional administrator in Shirley Sherrod.

So, let's all just stop and catch our breaths, unbunch our panties and skivvies, and wait and see what happens before we start calling for anyone's resignation, okay? If Franken's really a serial abuser, we'll likely know soon enough. And if he's not, then we can move on and address the overarching issue of how men treat women in the workplace and elsewhere.

Aloha.

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What conclusion do you claim (5.00 / 2) (#68)
by Peter G on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 08:48:28 AM EST
I jumped to, and what facts do you claim I have "assumed" to be true without "evidence"? Did you even read my comment? I responded with careful words to a comment that asserted as a fact that Sen. Franken engaged in this behavior only "once." What I said is all I said, and I set forth my basis for saying it. You are really annoying sometimes, Donald.

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Gosh, where to start? Ok, we'll start here.: (none / 0) (#106)
by cpinva on Sat Nov 18, 2017 at 12:57:57 PM EST
"I think it is a mistake to say once about Franken. We don't know yet. But being a man of that generation (and a bit older), and having been around men for many years, I think "once" is  highly improbable."

that strikes me (and any other reasonably intelligent person) as pretty much a conclusion. You don't know for certain, but you're pretty certain ("I think "once" is  highly improbable.") there's more to come, though it hasn't since this first came out a couple of days ago.

Dude, you can't have it both ways in real world, have your cake and bake it too, etc.

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Obviously I cannot agree that (none / 0) (#108)
by Peter G on Sat Nov 18, 2017 at 08:12:03 PM EST
any "reasonably intelligent person" would interpret what I wrote as intended to suggest something very different from what I actually wrote. But it is definitely a problem I need to consider whenever I write for public consumption, including when I post here.

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Please. Others had already called for an (none / 0) (#71)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 11:08:25 AM EST
ethics investigation on him. So with nothing to lose, he joined the call. "Unprecedented?" Sure. Unprecedented chutzpah.

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So (none / 0) (#69)
by FlJoe on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 09:48:02 AM EST
 can we make the converse argument? That if no other credible allegations arise we should consider this "once" highly improbable.

I agree that the worst behavior ascribed to Franken rarely if ever is not serial in nature.  Wouldn't a lack of further victims coming forth be exculpatory?

Given recent events, I would think that any serial creepiness on Franken's part would almost immediately come to light, so far nothing much. That'd why I personally am reserving judgement until further allegations do or do not arise.  

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Read my comment again. I also am (5.00 / 1) (#73)
by Peter G on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 11:42:18 AM EST
reserving judgment. I was making a prediction (based on probabilities only) of what I expect to come to light within a few days. If it doesn't, no one will be more pleased than I. Nor have I said a word about what consequences I think would be appropriate, because I don't have a clear thought on that subject.

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Now we can pay closer attention, ... (none / 0) (#132)
by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Nov 20, 2017 at 01:24:13 PM EST
... since a second woman has just accused Franken of inappropriate conduct -- this time while he was a U.S. senator.

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Nobody said he was Roy Moore (none / 0) (#25)
by Militarytracy on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 12:25:32 PM EST


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Sounds about right... (none / 0) (#27)
by kdog on Thu Nov 16, 2017 at 12:27:26 PM EST
There definitely are many degrees/factors...Louis CK is not Weinstein, and Franken is not Moore. Some cases warrant apologies and making some amends, more serious offenses warrant pink slips or criminal prosecutions.

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Yes to all. (none / 0) (#64)
by ruffian on Fri Nov 17, 2017 at 07:06:32 AM EST
And fortunately for all of us he is from a  state where he would be replaced with someone who would also be good for the American people. If that weren't true maybe I'd be arguing for him to tough it out. But to me the choice seems very clear and I'm pretty sure he will get there in a day or two.

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Sen. Al Franken Gets A Groping Allegation of His Own | 185 comments (185 topical)

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