Franken To Make Announcement Thursday As Pressure To Resign Grows

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo




By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published DECEMBER 6, 2017 12:47 PM

After numerous Democratic senators, most of whom are women, called on Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) to resign over sexual misconduct allegations on Wednesday, his office said that the senator would make an announcement on Thursday.

Franken’s office did not specify the topic the senator will discuss and did not offer a specific time for the announcement.

A wave of Democratic female senators on Wednesday called on Franken to step aside, and a handful of male Democratic senators quickly joined the call. Within an hour of the first push from a senator for Franken to step down, more than 10 Democratic senators joined the chorus.

A new accuser stepped forward on Wednesday morning, telling Politico that Franken tried to forcibly kiss her in 2006 after a taping of his radio show. The former Democratic congressional aide joined several other women who have accused Franken of groping or forcibly kissing them.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/franken-to-make-announcement-thursday

[janterry]

1. I don't want this

. I don't want him to resign.

[barbtries]

19. me either.

[nini]

2. I hope he doesn't cave and demands an official investigation

The fact other Dem senators aren't pushing the investigation instead to get to the bottom of this pisses me off to no end.

[still_one]

4. Same here. I am extremely concerned that what these Senators are actually saying is, we don't want

the ethics investigation to proceed

[pandr32]

25. Ditto here

[Abouttime]

56. Here's the problem

These Senators calling for Franken's resignation know WAY more than we do, chances are the truth about Al is much worse than we know. If Franken tries to fight and hang on it will be to the detriment of Democrats throughout our Nation.
It looks like Franken had most of us fooled, he wasn't the man we thought he was. That's too bad because his message was so good.
I'm afraid we're just going to have to eat crow this time, get used to the phrase "disgraced former Senator Al Franken"
So just go away Al, you've made us look like fools, you've done your damage, stay off the TV and keep your mouth shut. I hope the next time we run a clown for Senate we at least choose one without a closet full of sleaze waiting to blow up in our faces.

[Abouttime]

58. One more thing

Those here defending Al and denigrating his accusers are making the same mistake those of us did defending Bill Clinton and his totally inappropriate affair with an intern, a 50 year old grown man with the most important job in the world taking advantage of a 22 year old intern, in the damn Oval Office! I just shake my head at the political capital wasted on the Clintons.
Gore could have stepped right in and easily won reelection in 2000. There would have been no Bush2, no Iraq war, millions died needlessly.
We cannot be afraid to do the right thing, our cause is larger than one man's twisted libido
When these men do horrible things to women we must cut them loose immediately.
So good riddance Al.

[blimablam]

3. He needs to come out swinging and calling this what it is... a right wing hit job or he is toast.

i

[still_one]

7. What he needs to push for is that the ethics investigation proceed, and that some Democratic

Senators are trying to silence that investigation is disturbing to say the least

[nini]

10. ???

huh?

[muntrv]

6. He should resign when Trump does first.

[Lifelong Protester]

8. I agree with you.

[avebury]

9. If the Democrats are successful in pushing out Franken I will

never forgive the Democratic Party. I swear that they are perpetually their own worst enemies. At a time when we need them to stand up to the Rethugs and fight them tooth and nail they perpetually cave resulting in the Rethugs crowing about how bad the Democrats are and the Rethugs are the victims of fake news and lies.

They should be positioning the Democrats for a blowout in 2018 and 2020 and instead it looks like they will end up blowing it and leaving the Rethugs in control.

[barbtries]

21. me too.

all i can say is i hope his announcement is that he will not resign and welcomes the investigation.

[moda253]

41. This might be the last straw for me.

[alp227]

11. Could this story be why?

Politico: Another woman says Franken tried to forcibly kiss her

[still_one]

12. and the key part of that story is " He denies the allegation.", which gives me hope that he is going

to finally stand up to these accusations

[ollie10]

53. Another anonymous accusation.....

My 8 year old daughter was sexually assaulted by Senator Gillebrand at a campaign appearance in upstate New York. Never came forward until now.....she almost died from the injuries. She was stabbed with a knife and run over by the candidate's car. Anonymous....right? The fact that none of this happened or even that I don't really have a daughter, let alone someone assaulted by Senator Gillebrand......well just chalk that up to what someone can do with five minutes of imagination, some motivation and an anonymous story line.....

[mr_lebowski]

13. Golly ... dude is a regular 'Family Feud' era Richard Dawson ...

[ancianita]

14. I sent him a Facebook message to never give in to divisive pressures.

Senator Franken,

I speak as a lifelong Democrat from Illinois about your announcement on Thursday, tomorrow.

Never. Never should you step down.

This silly female Democratic Party makes a purist argument that says all who relate inappropriately to females -- without reference to contexts or males' admitted misjudgments -- should resign.

They misguidedly succumb to this latest Trump/Koch/Roger Stone campaign to divide the party along gender lines. Shame on women Democrats who don't know their male allies.

No way should a feminist like you resign. Your conduct with hundreds, even thousands of women in your years of public office, and even in the comedy field, is supported by far more females than the few brought forward by Roger Stone and his O'Keeferans.

We Democrats call out and jail our criminals. We don't publicly attack women's male allies.

I'm one Dem who won't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

We can win voters, and the presidency again, with your taking the stance that the you and the Democratic Party stand up in support of all women's rights to live their lives free of harassment.

We women of the US will be all the weaker if you leave. Please do not resign.

Go through the Senate ethics hearing and come out the other side a stronger Democrat that all of us will be proud of.

Never let groupthink silliness drive you away. You've earned the right to stay in the Senate for as long as Minnesota wants you to.

[Kimchijeon]

20. Thank you for sharing your message! I love it.

I hope all of our support helps, there is no reason for him to resign!

[barbtries]

23. i tweeted him

begging him not to resign

[xxqqqzme]

47. I sent an email to his office asking him not to resign.

I also sent emails to each woman in the senate who jumped on the PC train and were quick to allow the smear to stand. I wrote your first response should have been, 'I'll call for the Senator's resignation when the president resigns.'

So tired of this rabid right wing bull shit and the dems cowering. If they allow this to happen, kiss 2018 goodbye. It will deflate the Resistance.

[ancianita]

49. Oooo that's good! I should have written to those women, too. I'm hoping they'll back off and

let an ethics investigation go forward.

I have this feeling that the fight is out of Franken. I hope not.

[n2doc]

15. Let's see how these Senators treat Moore if he wins n/t

[jalan48]

16. I think some will switch back to "Reaching across the aisle to find consensus" mode.

[Paladin]

17. Anything that doesn't require a spine. (nt)

[dalton99a]

36. I have no doubt.

[muntrv]

18. Let the people of Minnesota decide.

Just like the let the people of Alabama decide on Roy Moore, according to McConnell.

[DFW]

22. All these nameless accusers

I can make five hundred unnamed accusers of every Republican in Congress by the weekend. I'd probably hit on a few real incidents, heretofore uncovered, just by making up as many stories as I could, making them halfway credible by researching who was where when.

I hope Franken fights this. And then, I hope he fights back.

Accusers: put up, or tell us who put you up to this, because your timing is NOT coincidental, and nor is your anonymity.

[aeromanKC]

24. Keith Ellison

It's F'n BS about Franken and I believe he is being set up. (Don't know details on this latest allegation however)

If Franken steps down, Governor Dayton should appoint Keith Ellison.

[delisen]

27. I guess it will be a woman

[DeminPennswoods]

26. Franken needs to leave the Dem party

and change his registration to Independent. Then his Thursday statement can be, "I am resigning - from the Democratic Party and staying in the US Senate".

Honestly, right now, I am so angry, I want to see some men come forward to say how they were harrassed by some of these holier-than-thou Democratic women senators.

[samplegirl]

28. I never ever liked

Claie McCaskill but Kristen blew me out of the water!
Somebody in the Democratic Party needs to spend some time teaching lockstep lessons. Well at least Roy Moore is with God! And we can’t have a libtard taking the Alabama seat! These women are just nuts!

[brooklynite]

29. Including Elizabeth Warren?

[xxqqqzme]

48. Warren walked her original

statement back on Colbert. She was on the day after the RW talk show tool released her statement.

[brooklynite]

50. I'm talking about today...

Link to tweet

[BannonsLiver]

32. I had planned to donate to Claire's re-election campaign.

That's not going to happen, and frankly, I find myself fighting indifference as to her fate in 2018.

[brooklynite]

37. I'm sure the Republicans will put up a far more attractive candidate.

[LiberalLovinLug]

30. Based on the overwhelming sentiment on DU

Its clear that Washington Democrats live in their own little frightened bubble where all they hear is faux outrage by their GOP peers, and only read backlash from the loudest most radical puritans in the party that are blinded to how they are being set up and used.

Meanwhile, I predict Roy Moore will win his seat.

[brooklynite]

34. or...DU lives in it's own bubble where political reality doesn't intrude

When half the Democratic Senate Caucus, including progressives like Warren and Harris say Franken should go, I respect their judgement.

[StevieM]

40. And when he wins he will be held up as an example of someone who was wrongly accused

like the way that Clarence Thomas is.

This is all so disgusting.

[LiberalLovinLug]

44. Or...

when he wins again, which I think he would, especially if he fights back against this set up, but admits to what he actually had done, which was lewd behaviour in front of other comics, and even not respecting some womens personal space in the past etc...

...he will perhaps be held up as and example of someone who, although not perfect, and should have rightly apologized, has not committed such grievous misdeeds that warrant a resignation. And in time that would take hold or be forgotten. Does that mean he will 'get away' with some past indiscretions? Sure. But ffs there must be some room for degrees of impropriety and what can be forgiven and what cannot.

[Blue_Tires]

31. Meanwhile Donnie is laughing his ass off...

[LiberalLovinLug]

33. What "pressure"?

Not from the Democratic base

[dalton99a]

35. +1

[ananda]

38. Do NOT resign, Sen. Franken!

Make the ethics cmte do its job!

Make the anonymous sources come to light
so we can see them for what they are!!!

[Lil Missy]

39. Due to "anonymous" accusations. This is a travesty.

[DeminPennswoods]

42. Very interesting retweet from Chris Hayes

Link to tweet

Even though this person is a rw'er and FoxNews contributor, since it's Hayes, I'll give the theory some credibility. If true, then Franken is being sacrificed now for future political gain.

[Bengus81]

43. LOL...never happen,never happen

YAWN......Dems might issue some milque-toast statement that Moore should step down and then.....crickets. Meanwhile,Republicans are in FULL election mode to get a Trump loving NEO CON in Franken's seat.

Happy Dems??!?!?

[LiberalLovinLug]

46. Because eating our own has worked so well in the past

[Paladin]

52. Bullshit. Oh such bullshit.

"Nationalize the issue"? Against the present-day Bannon-ized GOP? Ain't going to happen. The Republicans walked away from any sort of good conduct standard, long ago. If Moore wins, he will be impervious to, and dismissive of, the Democrats' example of how they treated Franken---and he'll set about making lewd advances to the female senators who insisted upon Franken's dismissal. Who's going to stop him---Tom Perez? Mitch McConnell? Not bloody likely......

[DeminPennswoods]

57. Just put it out there as food for thought

fwiw

[Paladin]

59. And I'm glad you did so. (nt)

[bluestarone]

45. it is Frankens choice and i will support THAT ONLY

BUT i hope his choice is to FIGHT ON!!!!!!!!!!! We truly need him in the senate especially cause the Repubs hate him

[Freethinker65]

51. He could resign standing on stage with those that have accused Trump of worse

That would be some resignation!

[Muneravenmn]

54. I Refuse to Dismiss Womens Stories

I am not going to indulge in dissing women I don’t even know because OMG a senator I really like is accused. Eww.

I will always take every accusation seriously no matter who is being accused. My political affiliation doesn’t rule my concern for women who experience this kind of crap ALL THE TIME.

I will not do that “some women lie” thing. Sure some women lie. But I don’t have a single female friend who doesn’t have totally legit stories of sexual harassment. Gross stories. And I have my own.

I am disappointed in the unthinking tribalism of this site. I came here hoping for discussion, not to feed my addiction to online outrage. I feel like so many of these posts bear more than a passing resemblance to what gets posted on Trumpy sites (the few I have seen). Same extremism but a different colored hat.

I loathe the current administration and what the Republican Party has become. But when I go to places like DU, I begin to wonder what is going on with MY party.

[hurple]

55. If he resigns...

It will be a truly sad day.

The first accusation is the *only* one that has, IMO, come close to being actual sexual harassment. And, it has been thoroughly debunked, from what I see.

ALL the others have been, at worst, Franken over-stepping bounds and invading someone's personal space.

Or, at best, they've been accidental.

None were done with malicious intent nor sexual overtones.

And the last one, I didn't know putting your hand around someone's waist during a photo-op was "groping" them. Hell, if that's the case, I can claim groping on hundreds of celebrities and politicians! So they better do what I want, or I'll take them all down!!

Seriously, this is ridiculous! They force this guy to resign, but fully support an admitted serial predator and a well-known pedophile predator?

Shameful? No. This is DEPLORABLE!