Sen. Al Franken shouldnt have had to resign

[itsrobert]

http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article188588814.html

Sen. Al Franken is not Roy Moore. He isn’t even Harvey Weinstein or Matt Lauer.

At most Franken, who announced Thursday he is resigning, is guilty of boorish behavior – not assault, not pedophilia, not even sexual harassment. But with today’s fast-changing, contradictory and confusing reversal of sexual norms, he’s being burned at the stake, walked down the plank, buried alive. It’s unfair.


The sanctimonious claptrap and false indignation emanating from fellow U.S. senators and TV pundits is nauseating. My friends tell me that Democrats – and I’m a Democrat – can’t afford to be seen as partisan on this issue, or hypocritical. They can’t be hard on Republicans – the president, Moore – and soft on Democrats. They can’t afford to be seen as racist – hard on African-American Congressman John Conyers and soft on white Franken.

[oasis]

1. K and R

[blimablam]

2. Yep. And here is another good article on the political hit job

https://www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-most-mind-blowing-aspects-of-al-frankens-demise/

[Jamaal510]

3. It was a dumb move

on the Democrats' part to push him out. He didn't even have the ethics investigation done yet. He was one of the main voices advocating liberal values within the party, and now he'll be gone thanks to something that is arguably politically-motivated. They claim that his seat will be safe, but nothing is a gimme; MN isn't a deep-blue state like CA or NY. I also don't know why they're so quick to push him out. If Democrats think they'll score some points with what I like to refer to as the Bothsiderists, they're mistaken. Most 3rd party voters and non-voters will still see Democrats as similar. The GOP is probably laughing at the Democrats as they still have fallen in line with their guys despite worse behavior. They know how to keep their eyes on the prize. Instead of resigning, he should have said something like "I'll resign once Ray Moore and Donald Trump quit".

[mythology]

4. I'm not going to define down sexual harassment and assault to exonerate Franken

Grabbing somebody in a sexual fashion without their consent is in fact an act of sexual assault (okay technically battery).

And he's no more being burned at the stake than Clarence Thomas was the victim of a lynching in his congressional hearing. It's hyperbole masquerading as a metaphor.

[rusty quoin]

5. Ive never been a fan of zero tolerance.

It’s always done at the wrong time, before thought comes into play.

[Phonebank4Tendies]

6. I hate to say it

But we've got a pathetic loser mentality. The Democratic party is doomed for failure unless it does a 360 degree turn and gets its shit together.

[madaboutharry]

7. I think you mean a 180 degree turn.

"A 180" means the opposite. 360 is full circle, putting you in the same place you started.

[SHRED]

8. Asking for an Ethics Committee investigation...

...is not being hypocritical.

WTF is wrong with these people?

[lindysalsagal]

9. +1. He did not threaten or strong-arm or trap or retaliate. Censure, but not resign.

The party got it wrong.

The gop will keep doing this and we can't just hide under our beds.

"Oh, nooos! They might make crap up about me!!!"

Grow the hell up and throw it back to them.

[LisaL]

10. Well, exactly.

If you are going to set new standards for how to behave, don't go back years in time to look for offenders.
If hand around waist is groping and everybody needs to stay apart without any touching when taking photos, don't go back 10 years and look for offenders and then punish them severely since that wasn't the standard back them.