I'm not sure I'll ever get over

[SHRED]

I am so livid at the Democratic Senators, Bernie, and Tom Perez for piling on Al Franken.

Not one of them had any decency to support Franken in his request for an Ethics Committee investigation and now it's being revealed this was a possible hit job.

[msongs]

1. karma will settle all scores, repubs are looking for their next victim to set up nt

[brooklynite]

30. That was Republican Trent Franks, wasn't it?

A set up, you say?

[Motownman78]

31. Franks is not being accussed

of sexual harassment. He was looking for a surogate mother outside his marriage,

[brooklynite]

32. ...asking your staff member to carry a baby for you qualifies.

[Motownman78]

33. Are you serious?

You know that you do not need to have sex to get impregnated?

[brooklynite]

34. Asking your STAFF MEMBER to carry a baby to term, however it's implanted...

...is arguably sexual harassment, especially if the woman believe it to be.

Last week Franks declined to answer a request by The Arizona Republic about whether he was aware of any legal settlements to resolve claims against him involving sexual harassment or creating a hostile workplace for women.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2017/12/07/trent-franks-said-stepping-down-congress/932052001/

[Initech]

47. Yup, they have weaponized #MeToo.

All they need to do is pay a couple of people to be "witnesses", doctor a few photographs - boom. They can smear anyone they want.

[OhioBlue]

54. yep, and send in O'Keefe people to ask leading questions and then doctor the video.

[Hugin]

2. Now? The critical thinkers here saw the hit all along.

I am devastated.

[SHRED]

3. I know

I guess I'm trying to be diplomatic still.
Fuck it.

Maybe Sanders should resign. He wrote in a book glorifying rape.

[questionseverything]

4. i am angry too but the book was fiction

but he very well maybe the next targeted

[SHRED]

8. Well the bar is set very low now after all

[questionseverything]

11. i just don't want us acting as stupid as these dem senators

and the dnc guy

right now it looks like they try to lose on purpose

[susanna]

18. He won't be the next targeted...my guess, anyway.

The GOP are saving that goldmine for the future.

If BS is nominated for Prez, that stuff gets carpeted over the airwaves x1000 every minute. Count on it. Will make HRC's e-mails look quaint.

Yes, I'm a cynic, but not by choice. Been watching US politics for many, many decades.

I'm pretty hard to fool.

[questionseverything]

20. the senate dems have pretty much guarenteed we will never win again

I really don't know how they got to Bernie, warren, brown

maybe they showed them the aliens proving theres no point

<shrugs>

[susanna]

24. I don't believe that, per se.

Much can happen yet, and I believe that.

I'm just pointing out that the naive folks on the Dem side need to realize that Bernie's not safe from his past. At all.

Hillary wasn't, and Bernie won't be either.

Some just haven't gotten the memo

[mythology]

41. Or maybe they believed the women

I don't get this notion that anybody is so morally pure that the only reason people could be against them is some sort of conspiracy involving "getting" to people.

[brush]

58. And you believe Tweeden's sketchy story is morally pure?

[MoonRiver]

29. Franken's bad USO groping joke was fiction also.

By that I mean he never touched her.

[questionseverything]

42. yes groping threw that vest is physically impossible

[MoonRiver]

48. And he didn't even touch the vest.

[Hugin]

7. I no longer have any plan and my crystal ball has gone dark.

I guess, I'm only holding on long enough to say, "Where's your Gawd now, fuckers?"

[diva77]

13. Why single him out? It was Gillibrand who led the clarion call, wasn't it?

Senators Harris & Feinstein joined in as well. They must all be in such a bubble in DC. They cannot see themselves; how outrageous and careless their actions were and what pawns they have set themselves up to be for the next unfounded accusations.

[diva77]

21. It was a 1 page essay published in an alternative newspaper in Vermont in 1972.

It appears that the offensive statements were alluding to what you would find in pornographic publications of that time; the statements were not meant to be his personal beliefs.

https://www.snopes.com/bernie-sanders-essay/

have a look for yourself...

[susanna]

25. It doesn't matter, really, with the GOP.

They will reframe it and make him look horrible.

It will be all over CNN, MSNBC and FOX. He will look terrible.

Count. On. It.

They have this down...they know what they're doing.

[Egnever]

44. and Al's pic was from a raunchy USO comedy gig

didn't make a bit of difference.

[LenaBaby61]

53. "It was a 1 page essay published in an alternative newspaper in Vermont in 1972."

I've said it here many times, thuglicans will rip Bernie apart. They'll turn his tiny, one page essay around on him and say that Bernie's for rape of women. In other words, thuglicans will vet him. Bernie's never been vetted. THEN, they'll take his Amber Alert no votes and turn that around and say Bernie hates children. NOBODY does nasty, hypocritical, viscous, disgusting, and filthy like thuglicans. And, of course the so-called liberal news media which doesn't exist will run with whatever thuglicans say and that'll be that. Even worse, Bernie has some taxes that haven't been released. Of course, fatso gets away with saying that he CAN'T release HIS taxes due to audit. But, the media will ask Bernie INCESSANTLY, why won't you release your taxes Mr. Sanders? Meanwhile, fatso will chime in tweeting "Crazy Bernie won't release his taxes." And if those things weren't hideous enough, Bernie's Jewish, and there's still a ton of anti-semitism which exists, and Bannon the drunk-nazi will exploit that, and don't forget about Victoria Tensing, her nutty husband and their son ready to pounce on Jane, the school closing and FBI investigations on her happening right now concerning a land deal. Did I mention a 3-inch dossier that the GOP allegedly has on him?

I kinda don't think Bernie will run for POTUS.

[diva77]

57. "Bernie's never been vetted" -- but he already ran for Pres. - not sure I understand this statement

I do understand that he is a target for more vicious swiftboating to come -- as are the Dems. Time to come up with an effective strategy to head all of this swiftboating off at the pass. Thuglican strategy for that is to implement total denial. What can we do that's honest, straightforward, and effective?

[democratisphere]

5. Be assured, this is a real hit job!

It makes me furious to think about what the Dems have done to him!

[SHRED]

6. Republican leadership are drinking champagne

Celebrating a job well done.

[democratisphere]

10. Sure are SHRED!

?cache=iedifhgw0j&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale

[workinclasszero]

43. Hey guise lets "purify" the democratic party!

[betsuni]

9. All day i've felt bad, crying off and on.

I just saw Tweeden on TV, felt nauseated. Can't tell if I'm coming down with something or just upset about Franken. And now I'm crying again. Going after Garrison Keillor and Al Franken, it's ... no. Dammit. I was going to buy Franken's latest book but now I'm too sad. I think I'll have to wait until his next one comes out. Dammit.

[WyLoochka]

17. I recommend his book Giant of the Senate

it will hurt, but it is really a good book. I listened to him read the audible version. I felt like I really go to know him.

To get connected to Al, in the place he's in right now, read or listen to this book. You'll be glad you did, even though you will probably cry many times over the future opportunity truncated today by our deplorable Senate lynch mob. Remember crying can be cathartic.

It's not that it's sad book - it very interesting and serious and, of course, packed with gems of the Franken style droll humour and wit in many of its passages.

[betsuni]

19. I've read all his other books, latest was old beat-up second hand copy of "Why Not Me?"

I'll eventually read "Giant of the Senate" when I'm not so damn sad.

[WyLoochka]

12. It's was so horrifying to watch, I can't sleep

Tried the best i could to encourage that we get to the truth before taking any action against a duly elected sitting Senator.

Implored the Senators that they put the values we claim to stand for into action by conducting a public investigation, in the time honoured manner that includes sworn testimony of accused and accusers. We were denied truth. Al Franken was denied justice.

But the mob got their scalp!

To add to the deep pain of being betrayed - we are being humiliated as the Republicans laugh their asses off for our stupidity in delivering to them, on the proverbial silver platter, the Senate head they most wanted in 2022!

The Repubs wanted to force Franken out in five years. Our own Senators forced him out less than one year into his six year term.

This was so stupid and it was, worse, vicious.

I am livid too. Not even sure i want to get over it. I want to remember it. It was such a vivid lesson of what can happen when fact finding is bypassed. When time honored processes to find truth are denigrated and made to be expendable. When those who want to act only on determined truths rather than unsupported, unproved accusations are criticized and disparaged as "blaming women."

[Rene]

35. Your post is so true....so well stated. I agree completely

[KT2000]

14. the whole thing sickens me

In one day, it was a steady stream of senators telling him to resign for their high minded reasons. They were following orders and thought they had a big scheme up their sleeve. I noticed some of the pundits on MSNBC were also following that party line. "This is to draw a distinction between the parties."

They looked stupid and weak for participating in an absurd maneuver. I also believe that Franken was not party line enough for them. His direct questioning of Sessions was against the order of things. Sessions is still one of the club to some of them.

You found the right word for what is missing in this - DECENCY!

[still_one]

16. I didn't see those Democratic Senators coming to Elizabeth Warren's aid very strongly when she

was blocked by McConnell from speaking at the Sessions hearing, so I have no confidence that they have the will, persistence, or fortitude to go after trump or Moore for their accused sexual assaults as they went after Franken

[still_one]

15. While I suspect it was a republican hit job, unless it can be unequivocally shown to be the case,

speculation means very little.

As an aside, I didn't want Al Franken to resign without the ethics investigation he called for

[Angry Dragon]

22. I read all the laments and watched Klobuchar also jump on and

He is my Senator

[Egnever]

46. Klobuchar was especially hard for me

I like her a lot.

[Freelancer]

23. Sticking as a Dem because it's my only choice. Al's lack of support was shameful.

Who stood up for Al? He's an idiot, but he's our idiot. He didn't deserve to be piled in with the serious abusers being talked about right now. He didn't deserve to have his career immolated to prove a point to bunch of Alabama voters to get a seat we win briefly, but not keep.

I'm a Democrat now only because what I believe in is what they say they believe in. There's too much calculating going on for my heart to take.

[MrModerate]

27. And Franken is not, in fact, an idiot. He's been railroaded. n/t

[MrModerate]

26. The Dem caucus is dead to me. And I better not be getting any fundraising emails . . .

Until someone apologizes for this stupid, craven, and foolish abandonment of a strong ally of the people.

[Doodley]

28. Franken is a sexual harasser. Save your anger for Trump and the damage the GOP are making.

[Bettie]

37. No, he isn't

I've experienced sexual harassment and worse.

[WyLoochka]

49. He is not.

He was falsely accused.

[rzemanfl]

51. Bringing your canoe paddle over here? n/t

[dalton99a]

36. A day that will live in infamy.

[oasis]

38. "If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog"----Harry Truman.

[VOX]

39. Bannon/Putin victory: they divided the left, turned us against one another...

Guaranteeing intra-party rage and resentments, and that some Democrats now think less of other Democrats. Some might be so angry that they leave the party, or vote for third-party candidates. The net effect is that Democrats are weak, unappealing, unstable, disloyal to one another, and have nothing but headaches to offer. They allowed themselves to be hoodwinked into weakening the party, all for some abstract notion of attaining the moral high ground— at the precise moment in history when possessing the moral high ground carries no political value whatsoever.

A classic bit of Bannon/Putin-esque maneuvering, and their payoff in this gambit has been HUGE. They got ALL that, AND made a genuine, old-school, fighting Democrat disappear in the bargain.

[SHRED]

40. Sad but true I'm afraid

[WyLoochka]

50. The actually went down the low road, morally speaking

To claim the moral high ground they needed to let the ethics investigation take place.

History shows clearly that lynch mobs tend to commit highly immoral acts. Running Franken out was an example of such mob immorality.

Morality doesn't involve just issues of sex.

[lunatica]

45. If it turns out to be a hit job then let them be embarrassed!

I'm a Bernie follower, but if he jumped before looking then let him get burned over it too.

[CrowCity_Dem]

52. An investigation would probably take over a year...

Meaning this would be a big issue for the mid-terms. Plus, since the ethics committee just cleared Nunes, no one would trust their decision anyway.

[flamingdem]

55. I feel the same way

[Bleacher Creature]

56. I love Franken, but on the list of outrages this doesn't even make my top 100.

With an Administration that produces about 50 new outrages a day, I'm gonna hold off on attacking fellow Democrats.

[TheFrenchRazor]

59. agreed. nt