Why Democrats had to dump Franken

[DonViejo]

The party needs a clean contrast with Republicans heading into the 2018 midterms.

By EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE 12/07/2017 01:27 PM EST

A year into Donald Trump’s presidency, many voters still don’t know what Democrats stand for—so at the very least, party leaders reluctantly decided, they better take a stand against sexual harassment.

Especially when they’re going to need huge turnout among women to do what now still seems like a reach, but six months ago seemed impossible: flip the House and maybe even the Senate, and rally in races for governor and state legislature across the country next year.

“For the last decade, Democrats have been pointing the finger at the Republican Party for devaluing women,” said Guy Cecil, the chairman of Priorities USA and the executive director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee during the 2012 and 2014 cycles. “This is a requirement to be able to look at them with a straight face and say we’re the party that cares about them.”

“As long as Republicans don’t do that, there’s a very sharp contrast to be drawn. And there’s no question that women not only make up a majority of the voting population, but across the country, of both political parties, are sick and tired of the sexual harassment they’re facing in all sorts of work places,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who has been at the forefront of calling on Democrats accused of harassment to step down.

So doesn’t matter if Nancy Pelosi calls you an “icon,” or if most Senate Democrats consider you a friend who just this year got comfortable enough in the job as senator to let his comedian side show in public. For a party heading into 2018 planning to run against Republicans as morally and legally corrupt, they know they need a clean argument.

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/07/al-franken-sexual-harassment-democrats-response-285959

[FarPoint]

1. Well...

I will resign too...DNC had abandoned us a long time ago....

[Stuart G]

2. ...............................NOW, TRUMP MUST RESIGN...............nt

[saidsimplesimon]

3. This is sad.

Democratic leaders jump off a cliff and blame women for pushing them over? Please, ask President Obama's election team for advise on messaging before running off the mouth instead of brain. imo

[uponit7771]

4. THEY WILL NEVER GET A CLEAN CONTRAST !!! NEVER !!! Not with high level of false equivalence going o

... on and reps willingness to constantly defer to this fallicy to M$M and the pays

[flamingdem]

11. The media is the only winner here. Lurid or supposedly lurid doings get eyeballs

and they are thrilled with the number$ for sure.

[Cartoonist]

5. A waste of time

Appealing to women voters.

Could Trump have been any less appealing to women voters? He still won.

[Fresh_Start]

18. A waste of time appealing to men voters

They voted for Trump by a huge margin compared to women.

54% of women voted for Clinton
53% of men voted for Trump.

So based on your analysis, we are entirely wasting out time appealing to male voters.

[Cartoonist]

24. My analysis

Not a waste of time at all. Trump won by appealing to men, who for the most part are assholes. Myself included. He appealed to the racists and deplorables and won. He lost the popular vote, but those aren't the rules.

I certainly don't want the Democratic party to use the same strategy, but I think we need to appeal to both sexes on matters that affect both sexes. Quit playing the divisive game. I don't see much hope seeing how Al was dog-piled.

[Fresh_Start]

25. If you have such a good handle on being divisive, remove your post saying its a waste of time

appealing to women voters.

I was responding with sarcasm to your post. I'm sorry I didn't put the sarcasm emote to make it easier for you

[Cartoonist]

27. Missed the sarcasm.

Still do.

[earthside]

6. 'Zero tolerance' always means zero common sense.

The establishment Democrats have succumbed to moral panic.

Reason, process, fairness in the end give credibility to those who have suffered from sexual harassment -- this Franken episode and the way beltway Democrats have dealt with it will be counterproductive.

[appal_jack]

7. +1, nt

[jrthin]

26. +1000 nt

[leftstreet]

8. Then why didn't women reject sexual predator Trump?

I'm not sure I'm getting this

Could there have been any 'sharper contrast' between Clinton and Trump in this regard?

[Turn CO Blue]

9. Because the avg voter has a long memory for detail (nope) and draws careful distinctions (nope). n/t

[flamingdem]

10. The dems did everything wrong on this one

They operated without thinking, herd mentality, and now we may lose that seat.

There's no winning moral victories with a party that has no morals.

I just can't even imagine how much worse this could get.

[EL34x4]

12. Theres a contrast all right.

We sacrifice our best people. They win elections.

[jalan48]

13. When a Republican runs for office these days he/she slams their opponent by

calling them a "Nancy Pelosi Liberal". Democrat's are perceived as elite, politically correct, know-it-alls. How are we going to fix this? Should Pelosi do what's best for the party and resign?

[110liberal]

14. DonViego

your argument is void of logic. Check the posts on this board the vast majority do not approve of what's been done to Senator Franken
Due process matters.

[ProfessorGAC]

15. Don Is Posting A Writer's Opinion From Politico

This isn't something Don just decided to throw out there.

It's a piece written by a guy named Dovere

[lame54]

22. He is endorsing it

[NRaleighLiberal]

29. no words in that OP are his. He is bringing something to DU for us to read and process.

[ProfessorGAC]

31. What Proof Do You Have?

I see nothing in Don's posting history to support that. Don posts hundreds of things here so others can read them. Sort of a "news finder". I don't get where you're coming from.

[Thor_MN]

17. Don is almost bot like in posting stories. Take a look in LBN.

Almost all posted without comment.

Your point is valid but misdirected.

[HughBeaumont]

16. Sorry, you can't shame people that have none.

Hard lesson Democrats need to learn: This isn't and never was a fair fight.

It's time to become Michael Corleone, not Tom Hagen.

[kairos12]

19. Franken resigning will not get Dems one additional vote. What a joke!

[lame54]

20. Keep Franken and Investigate Gerrymandering

[flotsam]

21. Bullshit

We had a clear contrast-we called for an ethics investigation of one of our own while the republicans never do.

[JHB]

23. Wait... so now it's "purity good, pragmatism bad"? Yikes, my aching head!

[rockfordfile]

28. But the Democrats don't have "a clean contrast" not even close.

Where's the courage of these same Senators calling for Trump to resign? That clean contrast doesn't exist today. The same goes for corruption.

[lunamagica]

30. ...

[dalton99a]

32. A truly stupid move. Morality is already meaningless to Republicans.

[Cosmocat]

33. Birth Certificate, Swiftboating, Dean Scream, E-mails, Benghazi ...

on what fin planet do people live in where Rs don't make up their own reality?

Franken's bloody, impaled corpse is not going to be drug off the senate floor before ...

1) Rs go on a jihad over some fantastical bullshit ...
2) The mushy "middle" 1/3 moans from the corner it hides in, while sucking its thumb, "they are both the same" while breaking to right wing bullshit more often than not.

Dems will get zero, nada, absolutely zilch "credit" for doing Franken.