Even if Franken is guilty, if he resigns the republicans win.
I'm an outsider here for the most part and I don't know the details as well as many here. I see that most here are wanting to back Franken up and many are saying that this is a Republican hit job. I also see some saying that he should resign.
IMO the correct thing to do when someone is accused of sexual harassment IS to believe the accuser, but also to follow up with a thorough and unbiased investigation, and whatever punishment to be metered out should be delivered upon completion of said investigation. This does not mean one does not believe the accuser, every accusation should be taken very seriously. If he's guilty he needs to lose his job, once a hearing concludes.
The thing is. If we assume that both Moore AND Franken are guilty, then what they are guilty of, while both being crimes that IMO deserve to be punished by loss of ones job, are still not anywhere near on the same level. Because what Moore is accused of should be punished by a very lengthy prison sentence as well.
Franken's case if true is unfortunate and would mean he groped and harassed women. I don't wish to diminish that. I would like to argue that context matters some in that Franken's previous career was in comedy and acting where the lines of proper conduct certainly does NOT include groping, but where proper conduct isn't the same as in most other day to day jobs. When you mix that with the atmosphere of something like a USO tour and military people celebrating where lines of conduct can be equally blurry then I think one could argue that Franken may have committed a crime in the context of terrible judgment in a situation where perhaps some others might have done something improper as well. Which IS STILL a crime! OR, he might just indeed be a pervert and a creep. I'm not arguing that he definitely isn't. I just see there being MUCH more room even within the bounds of what he's being accused for there to be explanations that would still not be good, but wouldn't be as bad.
In Moores case the accusation simply sexual of a 14 year old! And he even doesn't deny having dated teenagers, he simply argued that none of them were under age. Which isn't to say that I'm trying to find a way out for Franken. But clearly one is WAY worse than the other.
BUT in either case I would argue that due process needs to occur!
But if he ends up receiving the same justice as Moore, or indeed worse because it seems like Moore may receive none, then in the court of public opinion which seems to be all we are trying these in, we have equated what they both did as equal. So long as we are going to do that and fire one, then fine, at least fire both!
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