New Yorker Article about Al Franken and people who regret that he stepped down before a Senate hearing.

[Puffnstuff]

Yet the GOP rallies around Trump and Co......SAD!

 

[fskimospy]

Yeah...he admitted it and apologized..I feel it would have been wrong to force him to resign without any kind of due process. But I have no problem with him being asked to resign. Franken resigned, it seems because he'd accepted that it was best for the party, but not out of fear of being found guilty.

Franken presumably knew what he had done and what evidence would have appeared in public if he had fought. If he believed he was innocent and would be exonerated, he could have stayed in office and fought the accusations. He chose not to.

It is sad that someone who from all appearances is sorry and has embraced their past mistakes is forced out while other people just brazenly lie about it, wait for partisanship to assert itself, and then end up as either say, a SCOTUS justice or president. We live in an age where you are punished for doing the right thing.

 

[VRAMdemon]

I definitely agree the dem leadership threw him under the bus.

It hits on the most serious reason why he had to go quick. To ride the #metoo wave, the Dems felt they had to jettison Franken. Of course, as it turns out, the Republicans didn't feel the need for any moral justification to fight for Kavanaugh.

It seems highly unlikely that Schumer told him he had to be gone by 5pm because he was worried about Franken groping other Senators back in the coatroom. Franken lost his party's support because they realized that the merits of the claim were strong. If Schumer and others had thought Franken could credibly claim to be innocent, I think they would have supported him. The #metoo wave was strong at the time.

 

[child of wonder]

Why? What is it about their stories that rings false and what motivation do you see for them to lie? (and you can leave Tweedon out as we do know that there are issues with at least some of what she said)

Here they are again without Tweedon

2. Lindsay Menz

Menz accused Franken of groping her while posing for a photo together at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010.

“My husband steps away from us to take the photo. I stand next to Sen. Franken and he pulls me into him and then he moves his hand to my butt,” Menz, 33, told ABC News' chief national correspondent Tom Llamas. “I was shocked.”

Franken released a statement after reports multiple women recalled similar incidents as Menz, saying, “I’ve met tens of thousands of people and taken thousands of photographs, often in crowded and chaotic situations. I’m a warm person; I hug people. I’ve learned from recent stories that in some of those encounters, I crossed a line for some women -- and I know that any number is too many."

“Some women have found my greetings or embraces for a hug or photo inappropriate, and I respect their feelings about that,” Franken continued. “I’ve thought a lot in recent days about how that could happen, and recognize that I need to be much more careful and sensitive in these situations. I feel terribly that I’ve made some women feel badly and for that I am so sorry, and I want to make sure that never happens again.”

As someone who was once on a board of directors for a 501(c)(3) organization who personally had to deal with sexual harassment claims against members, the definition of "butt" and "breast" can be ambiguous. We had a female member demand action against another male member that had "touched her breast" when in reality he had touched her just below her shoulder blade. Unwelcome touching, to be sure, and he should not have done so but not the blatant sexual harassment she claimed either.

Menz and her husband also voted for Donald Trump. If Tweeden would lie and exaggerate to inflict political damage on Franken, anyone would.

Plus, if this accusation is to be believed, that means Franken will brazenly grab women's butts right in front of their husbands while surrounded by thousands of people, like the MN State Fair.

I'm more inclined to believe he put his hand on her back and unintentionally touched her butt or the very top of it which is bound to happen when someone takes so many pictures with constituents.

3. Anonymous Accuser No. 1

4. Anonymous Accuser No. 2

The Huffington Post reported

I refuse to consider "anonymous accusers reported by the Huffington Post" as HuffPo is a far, far left click-bait rag, not journalism.

5. Stephanie Kemplin

Kemplin told CNN that Franken groped her breast while posing for a photo when she was deployed in Kuwait in 2003 and Franken was there as part of a USO tour.

This could have also been unintentional. For fuck's sake, they were taking a photo. Do you think he'd cop a feel right as they snap a picture so there'd be photo evidence? Obviously his hand ended up somewhere she wasn't comfortable with but to assert that he was some breast hungry groper who didn't even care if someone got a photo of him grabbing her breast is unlikely.[/QUOTE]

6. Anonymous Accuser No. 3, an elected official

A woman told Jezebel about an alleged incident 2006 when Franken gave her a "wet, open-mouthed kiss" during an event.

Anonymous sources cited by extremely pro-feminist "journalists" should be taken with a massive grain of salt.

https://kinja.com/estherxlwang
https://twitter.com/estherxlwang

It reads like he was giving her a kiss on the cheek, not uncustomary in celebrity circles, and she decided to take offense to it. It would be a monumental leap of faith even for the most biased person to think Franken was going in for an open mouth kiss on the lips in front of a huge audience of people while he knew he'd be eventually running for Senate.

7. Anonymous Accuser No. 4, a former congressional aide

The most recent accuser said that her alleged incident also happened in 2006 after a taping of Franken's then-radio show.

The unidentified accuser, who is a former Democratic congressional aide, spoke to Politico and shared how she says she ducked to avoid Franken kissing her as she tried to leave the radio studio.

She said that as she left the room, he allegedly said "It's my right as an entertainer," according to Politico.

This one seems the most credible to me. If what she says is true, that's a pretty bold move on Franken's part. She doesn't specify if he was trying to kiss her on the lips or cheek, however. The former would be far more serious than the latter, but both would be inappropriate and unwelcome. If this were the only true and most egregious accusation against him, I don't think Franken should have resigned over it especially since it happened long before his political career began. I'd wager many, if not most, male politicians have once tried to kiss a girl without permission they felt were on a lower rung of the power dynamic and were avoided or rebuked. Shame on them all, but should they all resign, especially while President Pussy Grabber is in office?[/quote]

8. Tina Dupuy

"We posed for the shot. He immediately put his hand on my waist, grabbing a handful of flesh. I froze. Then he squeezed. At least twice," Dupuy wrote.

This is extremely weak. Now grabbing someone's waist and squeezing to any degree during a photo opp is akin to sexual harassment? Come on....


My belief is there are varying degrees of truth in these 8 accusations; some ranging from outright trumped up falsehoods, to poorly interpreted misunderstandings, and even some definitively inappropriate sexual harassment. Does it warrant the Democrats putting a bullet in the head of one of their most effective and well liked fire brands that would stand up to Republicans and could have even been a decent candidate against Trump in 2020?

No.

 

[blankslate]

The same Leeanne Tweeden. Pot meet kettle. Dems have a habit of eating their own. Kinds proves the atmosphere on those USO tours.

This is mentioned in the article as well.

Tweeden participated in other ribald U.S.O. skits. In one routine, she tells the audience that, as a morale booster, she has agreed to have sex with a soldier whose name Franken will pull from a box, explaining, “These are extraordinary circumstances.” The gag is that every name she picks is Franken’s, because he’s stuffed the raffle box. In a 2005 U.S.O. show with Robin Williams, Tweeden jumped into his arms, wrapped a leg around his waist, and spanked his bottom as he suggestively waved a plastic water bottle in front of his fly.

Given Tweeden’s repeated participation in such U.S.O. skits, Cabrera said that when he first heard about her allegations “it was shocking to me.”

Yes they did.

The details of the allegations and the way different people who were there during the tour witness the behavior of Franken and Tweeden suggests to many people that there should have been an investigation and a Senate Hearing to see if Al Franken should be forced out.


Apparently the lawyer who represented Kavanaugh's accuser also has a different view than you.

The lawyer Debra Katz, who has represented Christine Blasey Ford and other sexual-harassment victims, remains troubled by Franken’s case. She contends, “The allegations levelled against Senator Franken did not warrant his forced expulsion from the Senate, particularly given the context in which most of the behavior occurred, which was in his capacity as a comedian.”

Debra Katz also has a warning about how we handle #metoo accusations

“All offensive behavior should be addressed, but not all offensive behavior warrants the most severe sanction.” Katz sees Franken as a cautionary tale for the #MeToo movement. “To treat all allegations the same is not only inappropriate,” she warns. “It feeds into a backlash narrative that men are vulnerable to even frivolous allegations by women.”

In your zeal you may be part of a factor that might cause a backlash against #metoo you should heed Debra Katz's words but hey you do you bruh.


____________

 

[brandonbull]

Franken's behavior wasn't nearly as bad as that of Kavanaugh or Trump, and they remain in office. By that standard, one can argue that Franken should have remained in office, too. But one can also argue that Democrats should hold themselves to high standards especially when their opponents are not. That, however is not how it works today.

Democrat writes a skit and 25% of the actresses involved are offended. goes to pretend/grab woman's breasts and photo is taken - admits it, does not lie.
Democrat is run out of town on a rail.

Republican sexually assaults several women. Several prominent women testify that he sexually assaulted them. Republican denies, denies, denies. Women are smeared. Republican is hailed as a hero, and given prominent post.

This is how it works today.

You are comparing the evidence presented against Franken to Kavanaugh? If you are a favorite of the Dems, evidence doesn't matter because you are being falsely accused but not the same for anyone else. If Dems were such moral people, Virginia would have different people in the Gov. and Lt. Gov spots.

 

[blankslate]

NPR did an interview with the author of the article this morning

https://www.npr.org/2019/07/23/7443...-a-closer-look-at-the-case-against-al-franken

you can listen to it from the above link


____________

 

[KMFJD]

snip

For starters i tend to disregard the anonymous statements.I've read the claims before and i don't find them credible.

 

[Victorian Gray]

For starters i tend to disregard the anonymous statements.I've read the claims before and i don't find them credible.

I will ask again: Why? What is it about their stories that rings false and what motivation do you see for them to lie?

as for the anonymous statements, the media vetted those two women and apparently found them credible. btw, do you blame them for not wanting their names published? Blasey Ford is probably still dealing with the death threats.

 

[Lanyap]

As someone who was once on a board of directors for a 501(c)(3) organization who personally had to deal with sexual harassment claims against members, the definition of "butt" and "breast" can be ambiguous. We had a female member demand action against another male member that had "touched her breast" when in reality he had touched her just below her shoulder blade. Unwelcome touching, to be sure, and he should not have done so but not the blatant sexual harassment she claimed either.

Menz and her husband also voted for Donald Trump. If Tweeden would lie and exaggerate to inflict political damage on Franken, anyone would.

Plus, if this accusation is to be believed, that means Franken will brazenly grab women's butts right in front of their husbands while surrounded by thousands of people, like the MN State Fair.

I'm more inclined to believe he put his hand on her back and unintentionally touched her butt or the very top of it which is bound to happen when someone takes so many pictures with constituents.



I refuse to consider "anonymous accusers reported by the Huffington Post" as HuffPo is a far, far left click-bait rag, not journalism.



This could have also been unintentional. For fuck's sake, they were taking a photo. Do you think he'd cop a feel right as they snap a picture so there'd be photo evidence? Obviously his hand ended up somewhere she wasn't comfortable with but to assert that he was some breast hungry groper who didn't even care if someone got a photo of him grabbing her breast is unlikely.



Anonymous sources cited by extremely pro-feminist "journalists" should be taken with a massive grain of salt.

https://kinja.com/estherxlwang
https://twitter.com/estherxlwang

It reads like he was giving her a kiss on the cheek, not uncustomary in celebrity circles, and she decided to take offense to it. It would be a monumental leap of faith even for the most biased person to think Franken was going in for an open mouth kiss on the lips in front of a huge audience of people while he knew he'd be eventually running for Senate.



This one seems the most credible to me. If what she says is true, that's a pretty bold move on Franken's part. She doesn't specify if he was trying to kiss her on the lips or cheek, however. The former would be far more serious than the latter, but both would be inappropriate and unwelcome. If this were the only true and most egregious accusation against him, I don't think Franken should have resigned over it especially since it happened long before his political career began. I'd wager many, if not most, male politicians have once tried to kiss a girl without permission they felt were on a lower rung of the power dynamic and were avoided or rebuked. Shame on them all, but should they all resign, especially while President Pussy Grabber is in office?



This is extremely weak. Now grabbing someone's waist and squeezing to any degree during a photo opp is akin to sexual harassment? Come on....


My belief is there are varying degrees of truth in these 8 accusations; some ranging from outright trumped up falsehoods, to poorly interpreted misunderstandings, and even some definitively inappropriate sexual harassment. Does it warrant the Democrats putting a bullet in the head of one of their most effective and well liked fire brands that would stand up to Republicans and could have even been a decent candidate against Trump in 2020?

No.

Good assessment. He got caught up in the heat of the #metoo movement and was railroaded. Some dems felt like they had to pressure him to leave to show they supported #metoo.

 

[compcons]

I had speculated that he bailed so quickly to keep this from becoming fodder for the hypocritical right and/or to facilitate a political career shift a few years later. I will not be surprised to see him running for governor or some other loftier position after the noise of his "acquittal" dies down. By then, he can say "I was exonerated back in the summer of 2019" regardless of details. It's a page right out of the republican play book.

 

[hal2kilo]

The left press is the worst. They want to hang the person who wrote the New Yorker article. Seems our principles keep us in the minority.

 

[blankslate]

The left press is the worst. They want to hang the person who wrote the New Yorker article. Seems our principles keep us in the minority.

it's because they cannot bear to think that the #metoo movement may have made a mistake and listening to this makes it very clear to anyone who isn't rabidly in the "let's just forget about Sen. Franken didn't we hang him for political expedience already" crowd that in the Sen. Franken's case it is a very real possibility.
https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/
Journalist Jane Mayer On The 'Many Mysteries' In The Accusations Against Al Franken



__________________

 

[imported_tajmahal]

Face it, the best part of it is the fking Democrats ate one of their own. Killed his Senate career and sucked the flesh off his bones and now some of them are crying because it didn't taste that good. I said at the time he'd be an idiot to resign and he should have had the balls to fight it out.

 

[SlowSpyder]

This is what liberals created.