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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsKirsten Gillibrand and the Al Franken Fury
The Atlantic:George Soros is mad. Susie Tompkins Buell hasnt forgiven her. Other Democratic mega-donors are still burning with anger over Al Franken, too. But Kirsten Gillibrand is doing just fine without them.
The New York senator, whos expected to launch a presidential campaign soon, cant go anywhere without hearing the noise about her decisionnow more than a year agoto call for Franken to go in a #MeToo scandal. But the numbers tell a different story: Gliding to another term in November, she put $17.5 million in the bank in the past two years, more than any other potential presidential contender in the Senate aside from Elizabeth Warren. Gillibrand is finishing the year with $10.5 million in the bank that can be transferred right into a 2020 run, only $2 million behind Warren. She raised $5.5 million in low-dollar donations, behind only Warren and Bernie Sanders.
...snip...
Gillibrand told me later that shes very surprised this is still such an issue a year on. But she said it doesnt have much to do with what shes living day to day.
For every one person who shares a concern with me, I have at least one person thanking me, and it tends to be young women who come up to me with tears in their eyes and say, I cant tell you how much it meant to me that you stood up and did the right thing, Gillibrand said. She added that around the time of the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, there were a hundred who came up to her to thank her at protest rallies.
hlthe2b
(102,359 posts)or sees her as a viable candidate for anything beyond her current Senate seat. Sure, that is only one state, we are not Minnesota, but we DO remember--intensely and not favorably. Most see her as a flagrant opportunist--whether that applies in general to politicians or not, she has the mantle.
So, she should hope others have a less intense memory or more open to her spin on Franken.
I think she is gravely mistaken if she thinks there will not be backlash from those who DO remember, should she decide to run for the presidency.
allgood33
(1,584 posts)Celerity
(43,499 posts)Senator to have voted against every one of his nominations.
kimbutgar
(21,188 posts)I want Franken to run for President. No one can attack him when all the truth comes out against the orange maggot prevent, child molester freak pResident.
PhrankT
(113 posts)I have my own "unimpressed" opinion of her.
We have better.
blue cat
(2,415 posts)Amy Klobuchar is a much better choice.
OnDoutside
(19,970 posts)Charlotte Little
(658 posts)I'm going to hold my tongue with respect to Gillibrand, but for certain, Klobucher gets my support and vote.
Gillibrand can go...sorry, I said I'd hold my tongue. Holding tongue.
Control-Z
(15,682 posts)She would be a far better choice, in my opinion.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)riversedge
(70,299 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Here's the source and the full list:
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/congress-trump-score/
wildflower
(3,196 posts)zeusdogmom
(998 posts)If for some reason she actually got the nomination, I would probably vote for her but not with enthusiasm.
Guppy
(444 posts)fund raise. Her eyes will water.
ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)Come on, he was weighed in the court of public opinion, and the RW claims were supported by his own party.
UpInArms
(51,284 posts)Daily Caller reports:
Famed Republican political operative Roger Stone knew that a news anchor would accuse Democratic Minnesota Sen. Al Franken of sexual assault.
Lets just say Sen. Frankens time in the barrel is about to come, Stone told The Daily Caller over text early Thursday morning, hours before Leeann Tweeden came out with her claims.
Stone, a longtime political adviser to President Trump, is known for his dirty tricks. He did not elaborate to TheDC how he knew Tweeden was going to come out with her claims.
Infowars producer Rob Dew says he predicted the scandal as well.
And now, Stone has been found guilty of spreading lies on infowars ...
Just call me ... still steaming mad
JHB
(37,161 posts)NewJeffCT
(56,829 posts)I'd say that there is no way that Franken should have resigned.
However, 5 or 6 more women came forward afterwards, including one woman that is, or was, a Democratic activist.
brush
(53,862 posts)him to pose for a photo with her? (FYI: Love handles are not turn-ons, more like turn-offs.)
Or the one who claimed Franken said to her: "It's my right as a celebrity" when he allegedly tried to grope her? (Come on, that line would be cut out of the worse D-movie it's so unbelievable)
Oh, and let's not forget that the so-called accusers immediately stopped coming forward the minute he resigned. It was obviously a repug hit job, and the gullible but ambitious Gillibrand fell for it and threw her 2020 chances under the same bus she shoved Al Franken under.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)You have any proof of that? Please provide links.
tonedevil
(3,022 posts)the post you are replying to says nothing about Republicans or operatives. Why must you lie about what has been stated? The threads are numbered we all see what you are doing.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)The poster I replied to said, It was obviously a repug hit job". For it to be that than all 8 women have to be Republican operatives.
The dishonest thing to do is to try to shut down discussion and questions that you don't like.
brush
(53,862 posts)And we'll never know will we because the Gilibrand-led group rushed to judgment and Frnken never had a hearing to determine that.
Were you also happy about that?
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)You made the accusation. The burden of proof is on you. Either prove that all 7 seven women that came after Tweeden were lying and doing so out political motivation. And proved credible links that back you up or admit that you can't.
brush
(53,862 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Im asking you to prove it with links from credible sources.
brush
(53,862 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)But do you have any proof on the other two you mentioned? And what about the other 5 accusers?
brush
(53,862 posts)bs, or for that matter the one who claimed Franken said "It's my right as an entertainer." And weren't the rest anonymous?
It's pretty apparent now that it was a repug hit job since the claims stop coming the minute Franken stepped down.
And one other seldom mentioned thing, all the women who worked in Franken's office signed a letter saying he had never done anything of the sort to any of them. So who you gonna believe, them or the lyin' accusers with a repug agenda?
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)So far this is what I know: https://abcnews.go.com/US/sen-al-frankens-accusers-accusations-made/story?id=51406862
I dont see evidence that any of them other than Tweeden were Republican operatives.
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)Sit down and think about where you went so wrong
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Im talking about the 7 other women, not Tweeden. Is there any evidence that they were lying and working for the republicans?
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)four were anonymous, and one was an attention seeker accusing Franken of holding her waist during a photo shoot
You're still trying to uphold quantity over the quality of the accusations. We've been through this song and dance before, why keep repeating the same weightless arguments.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)their allegations because they are against someone who you like. Franken never called any of them liars or GOP operatives. I wont either until I see clear evidence that they are.
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)Also, base your arguments on what Franken actually said, mmkay?
Some of the allegations against me are simply not true. Others, I remember very differently. I said at the outset that the ethics committee was the right venue for these allegations to be heard and investigated and evaluated on their merits, that I was prepared to cooperate fully and that I was confident in the outcome.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)and were GOP operatives, and include links to credible sources.
wellst0nev0ter
(7,509 posts)preferably with a Senate probe, which Franken was not even given.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)of guilt or innocence. And do you really believe the republicans on the ethics committee would have given Franken a fair hearing?
But Ill ask again do you have any proof that all 8 accusers were GOP operatives?
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Not to a Senate Ethics hearing which does not determine guilt or innocence.
And to you really believe that the republican members of that committee wouldn't have used it to demonize Franked and paint Democrats as hypocrites?
ProudLib72
(17,984 posts)Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy is drawing a distinction between sexual assault accusations against conservative Roy Moore and liberal Al Franken.
I cant get inside Al Frankens mind but he was clearly drummed out. He did not have to quit the Senate, Cassidy told CNBCs Squawk Box on Monday. There was not due process. Whatever you think about it, you have to have due process in our country. You cant have kangaroo courts. You have to allow people to be presented with evidence to refute it.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Big deal.
due proc·ess
/d(y)o͞o prəˈses/
noun
noun: due process; noun: due process of law
fair treatment through the normal judicial system, especially as a citizen's entitlement.
Tom Rinaldo
(22,913 posts)Gillibrand dropped below some other candidates for President because of how she handled the Franken allegations. But I am usually hard pressed to find any major political figure with whom I can find no major area of disagreement and serious disappointment.
She will never get a pass from me on this matter. But it will never be my sole criteria for judging her either.
Gothmog
(145,554 posts)Soros just spent over $400,000 in my county electing a new district attorney. Soros has an amazing team and I would not want him mad at me
Link to tweet
brooklynite
(94,727 posts)He didn't.
Gothmog
(145,554 posts)You do know that there is a big difference between supporting a primary candidate against an incumbent and deciding which candidate you want to support in a run for POTUS. Gillibrand will have a hard time raising the funds needed for a national campaign
Renew Deal
(81,871 posts)Which ones do you know?
Gothmog
(145,554 posts)TeamPooka
(24,254 posts)so I don't know what she really believes.
Jarqui
(10,130 posts)but she is not doing that hot in the polls or prediction markets
There are a number of candidates I would prefer ahead of her.
I have not got over what happened with Al Franken.
brooklynite
(94,727 posts)Bradshaw3
(7,529 posts)She's doing much worse than many others, including the second tier candidates.
Blue Owl
(50,498 posts)Unless she publicly admits that calling for Al Franken's resignation was a mistake, I'll never be a fan...
monmouth4
(9,709 posts)bigbrother05
(5,995 posts)and that's with being neutral on her Franken issues.
Think that was a purist/opportunist tactic that leave me uneasy with her.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)bigbrother05
(5,995 posts)not sure my spelling is perect
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Can't argue with any of those choices!
Squinch
(51,007 posts)Hermit-The-Prog
(33,414 posts)Squinch
(51,007 posts)bigbrother05
(5,995 posts)BannonsLiver
(16,448 posts)I know the OP desperately wants her as the nominee, the sole reason being they share the same geographical space and run in the same elite circles, but its just not going to happen for KG. And I like that.
Squinch
(51,007 posts)who write her off because of it really love the idea of Joe as the candidate.
He trashed Anita Hill, gave us Clarence Thomas and by extension Bush 2, the Iraq war, Citizens United and the whole debacle of the Roberts court.
Don't get me wrong. I love the guy. But why does he get a pass and she doesnt? In the scheme of resulting damage, what she did doesn't come close to what he did.
hlthe2b
(102,359 posts)Biden has expressed remorse for much of that and yes, he did apologize for his role in the Hill saga--even if some found it lacking. Gillibrand, on the other hand....
Just as my sigline, I have issues with those who do not examine nor learn from their mistakes.
MicaelS
(8,747 posts)Biden made a great Vice-President.
Squinch
(51,007 posts)brush
(53,862 posts)Sorry, couldn't resist.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)is on par with the assignation of Lincoln?
brush
(53,862 posts)romana
(765 posts)BannonsLiver
(16,448 posts)And they also hold Thomas accountable for his actions rather than Joe Biden. Not exactly rocket science.
Squinch
(51,007 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Gillibrand is a woman.
John Conyers was forced to resign a few days before Franken. Yet everyone here is upset about the white celebrity but not the African-American who fought for progressive causes for over 30 years. I wonder why?
Squinch
(51,007 posts)Quixote1818
(28,968 posts)panader0
(25,816 posts)"stood up and did the right thing"---BS!
Al is innocent and she was grandstanding.
mchill
(1,018 posts)Thats as close as she is getting to my money or support.
dsc
(52,166 posts)it is having done something to the people of Minnesota. They elected him, twice. This wasn't the OJ case or some complex product liability trial. 8 women accusers, maybe an average of 2 corraborating witnesses per accuser, depending on what defenses he had maybe a dozen witnesses there. Let her have a lawyer, him have a lawyer and take the 3 or 4 weeks it would have taken, at most, to hold the trial. Add in 3 weeks of discovery and in 2 months Minnesota could have had due process.
OnDoutside
(19,970 posts)burnt her bridges with the Clintons.
FakeNoose
(32,748 posts)... when we needed EVERY vote and then some! To lose his voice and his vote for no good reason was unforgivable.
Why are we Dems always doing this to ourselves?
TheCowsCameHome
(40,168 posts)She's "very surprised" it's still an issue?
DFW
(54,436 posts)The article seems to be rather obsessed with her disposable campaign money. I rather agree that any presidential campaign of hers will fizzle on the launch pad. I've met lots of disagreeable people with lots of money.
kcr
(15,320 posts)She rarely comes across as authentic, and her political instincts are terrible.
Gidney N Cloyd
(19,847 posts)She's not fast on her feet-- gets that Dan Quayle in the headlights look when she gets a sticky question from the press. Imagine how she'd handle gotcha questions from people who are genuinely out to crush her.
MicaelS
(8,747 posts)Otherwise I will not support her in any fashion.
LakeSuperiorView
(1,533 posts)We get it. Some people think her farts don't stink, others think she ruined her chances at higher office.
pamdb
(1,332 posts)I won't vote for her. If she ends up as the VP on the ticker, which I think would be a BIG mistake, I suppose I would have to, but it's one of those, "hold your nose and vote".
MariePinchon
(86 posts)I know she will work tirelessly to support and to help elect our nominee.
Regardless of how one feels about Franken's resignation, she has helped countless victims of sexual assault and harassment and I'm good with that.
stonecutter357
(12,697 posts)Vinnie From Indy
(10,820 posts)irisblue
(33,023 posts)Your statement is pretty definite.
Bradshaw3
(7,529 posts)I see her as a political opportunist who I wouldn't trust once she got in office. Also, we don't need someone from a reliably blue state on the ticket.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Bradshaw3
(7,529 posts)She checks every box and would have broad appeal to carry midwestern states and help down ballot as well. But no one has declared yet, much less put out position papers, etc. so don't see how people are already declaring for one candidate.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)uponit7771
(90,364 posts)USALiberal
(10,877 posts)WeekiWater
(3,259 posts)The Franken letter is a strike against her. I would not hold it against her in a primary but many would. I knew Franken was going down from the time he said "wait". I simply don't hold it against Gillibrand just as I don't hold it against the majority of Democratic Senators who called for him to resign. I find it to be a shame that all of the blame is put on her and the others are ignored. It's a classic example of scapegoating.
I don't simply give Gillibrand a free pass. Although this is her issue, she should not have been the one designated to head up the letter. I believe I am using that word properly considering what we know. Designated. She should not have done that.
She is a great spokesperson for our party and I would love to see her enter the primaries. If your line in the sand is not having calling for Franken to resign then maybe Manchin is your guy. He actually stood up for Franken publicly.
Gillibrand should be viewed as a force, a progressive, a great representative for the issues we care deeply about, and a leader.
Yet there are individuals who called for Franken to resign who possess more political clout than Gillibrand and are in the top three in early primary polling.
All of that and I will tell you that I like Franken more than any person who called for him to resign. Not because they called for him to resign. Because he was flat out great. For those who watched him he was turning into one of those once in a generation Senators. A Lion of the Senate, if you will.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Great post.
Progressive dog
(6,918 posts)anger some "Democrats" have over Gillibrand. Al Franken resigned because several women accused him of treating them as objects and one had pictures to prove it. Over thirty Democratic Senators asked Franken to resign.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/al-franken-democratic-senators-resign/index.html
Gillibrand might or might not get my vote in a Presidential primary, but I won't vote against her because Franken ran away.
brush
(53,862 posts)by a photographer? And if you want to see a real photo of someone being groped, google the photo of Lee Ann Tweeden, on the very same USO tour, groping the ass of a guitar player on stage. Her hands were actually touching him, as opposed to Franken's, which were not touching her.
Progressive dog
(6,918 posts)According to the accused
Even Franken couldn't defend that "gag photo."
brush
(53,862 posts)You seem to have no idea of what a gag photo is and what went on on those baudy USO tours. He apologized for posing for the photo because we are in the "me_too" era and it look politically incorrect.
And seriously, you actually think someone would grope a woman in front of several witnesses and a photographer?
Do you not know Tweenden works as an on-air person at a right wing radio show and teamed with repug dirty trickster Roger Stone and friend Sean Hannity to launch the hit job on an effective Democratic Senator (no longer a comedian doing gag photos). Do you also not know that Stone was quoted just before the scandal broke that "It's will soon be Franken's time in the barrel"?
And why would Tweenden save a photo like that for years if she was so repulsed by it? It was a repug hit job. Get it?
And did you google the photo of her actually groping the guitar player? How the hell does she justify coming forward and complaining about Franken groping her (not) when she actually did grope someone on the same baudy tour? Because of that she is the last person who should accuse somebody of groping.
Progressive dog
(6,918 posts)and the photo was taken at a point in time. Seriously, do you think it's normal for a grown man to have his picture taking "pretending" to grope a sleeping woman?
Tweeden wasn't the only one groped and Franken apologized to her. Unlike you, he knew that what he did was not a gag. How you can ignore the testimony of the person accused astounds me.
brush
(53,862 posts)touch her. I repeat, it was a gag photo on a baudy USO tour. And considering the baudy theme of the tour with Tweeden herself actually groping someone...
Did you google the photo of her and the guitar player? Seriously she should be the last person accusing someone.
Progressive dog
(6,918 posts)She was asleep and he admits that. Neither you nor he can prove that he didn't touch her. That is not normal behavior. Being a celebrity doesn't let you grope women.
brush
(53,862 posts)the photo again. It's clear from the cast shadows that he did not touch her. If you don't get that, and don't get that the whole theme of that tour, 12 years ago, pre-me_too, was baudy, gag it up comedy, well, I don't know what to tell you.
And I also advise you to google whether Tweeden said he touched her. You won't find that because she never claimed he touched her. She just, along with dirty trickster Roger Stone and infamous right winger Sean Hannity, launched a hit job on an effective Dem senator.
It's very evident in hindsight. Stone even predicted it was about to happen. Google that as well as you seem woefully uninformed about the whole matter, right up there with Gillibrand.
Progressive dog
(6,918 posts)He had more than one accuser. The others were during his campaign, not while he was doing comedy. They do claim that he touched them.
Tweeden was not a Senator, so we'll never know if she should have resigned for grabbing a guitar player's butt.
Tweeden was probably asleep. Franken said that she was unaware. Obviously she wouldn't have known if he touched her.
Franken is not the only Democratic politician ever targeted by Fox News, but he might be the only one to resign.
brush
(53,862 posts)Progressive dog
(6,918 posts)must be lying. Almost like a cult follower.
Franken didn't have to resign, but he did.
Whether he resigned because of what he did or because he wasn't tough enough to stand up for himself doesn't matter. He is gone for good.
You should have been his adviser since you are so well informed, but it's too late now.
brush
(53,862 posts)run out of Congress without even a hearing to find out if the accusers were part of a repug hit job.
We do know not a one came forward the minute he stepped down.
Doesn't that seem bogus to you?
Progressive dog
(6,918 posts)You can't blame anyone but him. Franken left under his own power.
The accusers were not all Republicans. There were eight accusers before he resigned and they were coming from all over.
https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/nedd8b/what-8-women-have-said-al-franken-did-to-them
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/al-franken-accusation-sexual-harassment-2006-281049
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/i-believe-frankens-accusers-because-he-groped-me-too/547691/
Notice that one of those women had two witnesses, so that would make ten women who said Franken was a groper.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)There's no excuse. I look at it now and I feel disgusted with myself. It isn't funny. It's completely inappropriate. It's obvious how Leeann would feel violated by that picture. And, what's more, I can see how millions of other women would feel violated by itwomen who have had similar experiences in their own lives, women who fear having those experiences, women who look up to me, women who have counted on me."
That is what Franken himself said about that picture.
brush
(53,862 posts)he apologized. But Tweeden should've been the last person to accuse someone of groping when she was photographed on the very same baudy USO tour of actually groping the ass of a guitar player on stage. Google it.
And since you're posting quotes, why not post the one by dirty trickster Roger Stone just before the Franken story broke? He said "I'll soon be Franken's time in the barrel" as he and Tweenden and Sean Hanniity teamed up to launch the hit job on an effective Democratic senator.
And isn't it curious to you that the accusers like the one who accused Franken of groping her love handle for God's sake, they all stop coming forward the minute Franken resigned?
It was a repug hit job plain as day and the gullible but ambitious Gillibrand fell for it and we lost a good senator.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)He made no excuses.
brush
(53,862 posts)oberliner
(58,724 posts)Franken took responsibility for his actions, explicitly stated that they were inappropriate (even going so far as to say that he understands how millions of women would feel violated by the photo) and acknowledged feeling disgusted with himself.
Did you not think that was the right response? Do you think he should have made the point that it was a hit job instead of apologizing?
brush
(53,862 posts)It was still a gag photo (not touching her) Tweeden did actually grope the guitar player (which you conveniently ignored addressing), at the time Franken apologized the fake scandal had not yet mushroomed and it had not yet become apparent that it was a hit job.
Now that it is obvious that it was, why won't you acknowledge it?
oberliner
(58,724 posts)That he was just saying what he said to "be a gentleman" and because of the "me too era" that we are in. I am saying that I actually take him at his word - that I take what he said seriously. And that I take his characterization of what he thought of his actions as being important and significant.
I do not think he had to say: "I look at it now and I feel disgusted with myself" or "It's completely inappropriate" or "I can see how millions of other women would feel violated by it."
Those were pretty strong statements, in my opinion, and I do not think we should just dismiss them as being something he had to say to be a gentleman or what have you.
You keep saying it was a "gag photo" but Franken himself is saying that it is a photo that he could see millions of women feeling violated by. Those are his words, and they should be taken seriously.
That it was put out as part of a right-wing hit job is not germane to the fact that Franken, by his own admission and in his own words, did something that he was disgusted by. I don't see why his own characterization and evaluation of the incident seem to be irrelevant to you (or dismissed as pro forma rather than heartfelt).
brush
(53,862 posts)but he never said the he groped her. He denied that he groped her. And the fact that it was a hit job is the central part of the story. It would never have been a story if Stone, Hannity and Tweeden hadn't cooked up the fake scandal.
Not rocket science to see that.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)And he acknowledged it was completely inappropriate and that he could see how millions of women would feel violated by the picture. Those were his words. He made no excuses for it, the way you seem to be.
Are you not able to acknowledge what Franken himself has?
Will you agree with Franken that the photo was completely inappropriate?
Will you agree with Franken that you could see how millions of women would feel violated by the photo?
This is what Franken himself has said.
brush
(53,862 posts)What I was denying was that he groped her.
Now will you acknowledge that it was a repug hit job using a 12-year-old gag photo as phony evidence?
athena
(4,187 posts)Thats what this is all about. Both men and women love to heap hate on a woman who doesnt accept her place as a second-class citizen in this society. If another woman becomes the front runner in 2016, we will see her destroyed on DU as HRC was for months. I fear Americans will once again demonstrate that theyd rather be led by a sexual predator and a crook than a woman.
Its sickening to see so many so-called liberals defending behavior that they would condemn if it were committed by a Republican. Hypocrisy, unfortunately, is not limited to the right wing.
lark
(23,156 posts)Doesn't matter, she can now say whatever she wants, but good luck getting dupes to believe it. Nothing in the world would get me to vote for her in the primaries. However, as a true died in the wool, yellow dog Democrat; if she is the general nominee I'd hold my nose and vote for her because even conservadem serial backstabbers who don't care for the truth are at least not Russian agents out to destroy liberal democracies everywhere, and so I'd vote for her.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)She is dead last on my Democratic primary preference. That said, I'd vote for her in the general, but that's not a dilemma I expect to face.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)She also seems to be an opportunist, who would throw her best friend under the bus if it got her up the political ladder. If you want an example just look at what she did to her "friend" Bill Clinton. You know, the one who helped her win the Senate seat, and who she previously supported until it wasn't in her interest to do so.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)She comes across as pretty smart to me, and I don't find her at all boring and think she does posses a fair amount of charisma, but I understand that others may feel the opposite. With respect to Bill Clinton, I do think that some people (women, in particular) have had to re-evaluate certain aspects of his legacy. One way to present it would be as you did, suggesting she threw him under the bus, another way would be to say that she has courageously held someone accountable, even though he had been helpful to her politically in the past. In any case, I feel like her record as being the top anti-Trump Senator speaks volumes. I like her a lot, as you can no doubt tell.
Takket
(21,625 posts)If DU represents the hard core "base" of the party then I think she has a problem whether the article says so or not. Opinions of her from posters here are just slightly better than those of drumpf.
I would vote for her if she were the party nominee but I would not support her in a primary because I don't believe she can motivate the base to GOTV because of her Franken stance.
MrsCoffee
(5,803 posts)Think Kucinich.
I think DU runs very progressive.
Response to brooklynite (Original post)
Post removed
dem4decades
(11,304 posts)aeromanKC
(3,327 posts)It will a combination of Biden Harris Kobachar and Beto
Book it Dano.
brush
(53,862 posts)We win when we run younger candidates like O, Clinton, Carter, JFK.
That's our formula and Harris, Beto and Klobuchar all fit the profile.
Renew Deal
(81,871 posts)MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)quickesst
(6,283 posts)This after promising to serve her full term if re-elected. As shown before, Gillibrand is a professional opportunist, starting with throwing the Clinton's under the bus, torpedoing Al Franken, and now this just to name a few. Gillibrand will never be president.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)quickesst
(6,283 posts)There is nothing wrong with having goals. It's how you get there that counts.
brush
(53,862 posts)IMO she'll be wasting her time and donors money, if she can get any major donors.
She is near the bottom of the list now, and I just can't see her rising much, if any, from there.
zonkers
(5,865 posts)quickesst
(6,283 posts)Omitting Trump, who probably won't be president next year, there is de Blasio, Cuomo, gillibrand, Bloomberg, and maybe, possibly, Hillary Clinton. Of these New Yorkers, I can see only one that may have a substantial impact. I don't think a New Yorker will be in the cards this time around. But, on the other hand, never Say never.
Rene
(1,183 posts)She betrayed a fellow Democrat with crap accusations
Eric J in MN
(35,619 posts)...of people who support and oppose her driving Al Franken out of the Senate without an investigation.
Most of the people who oppose her decision are staying away from her.
flamingdem
(39,321 posts)She seems tone deaf
AllyCat
(16,222 posts)It seems there are many that want to stand behind her because she is a good candidate, but why did she take down Franken?
oberliner
(58,724 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)If there was any fairness in this whole thing, this thread along with the weekly cult of Franken threads wouldnt exist.
AllyCat
(16,222 posts)Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Who accused him of inappropriate behavior.
tavernier
(12,401 posts)Soundly.
LiberalFighter
(51,084 posts)brooklynite
(94,727 posts)Perspectives at DU have little relationship to actual voting patterns.
Lotusflower70
(3,077 posts)It shows how oblivious she is and that is not a quality I want in a President. Nope. Just no and hell to the no.
JCinNYC
(366 posts)That's cause Kanvanslaw is now a supreme court justice for life and Franken'a poltical career is practically over
Is she is clueless about the difference applied?
lame54
(35,321 posts)Do not want her as the nominee
Stellar
(5,644 posts)Those small-dollar donors need to let their voices be heard. They need to get out the vote for more like-minded people.
Gillibrand is finishing the year with $10.5 million in the bank that can be transferred right into a 2020 run, only $2 million behind Warren. She raised $5.5 million in low-dollar donations, behind only Warren and Bernie Sanders.
rzemanfl
(29,568 posts)torius
(1,652 posts)Been a Warren fan since watching her run circles around Scott Brown in debates. She beat him not only on a policy level (Dems always win on an intellectual basis) but she had passion and could communicate her caring about regular people. She's also very accomplished, and has stuck to her positions, unlike Gillibrand (not that sticking to positions is always good--but it shows that she truly believes in them).
brooklynite
(94,727 posts)Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren joined the chorus of Democratic senators calling for Minnesota Democrat Al Franken to resign in the wake of new sexual harassment allegations, including fellow Senator Ed Markey.
Female Democratic senators lead the charge for Frankens ouster Wednesday, but Warren was the last among them to speak out publicly against him, waiting until mid-afternoon to do so.
I think he should resign, Elizabeth Warren said in a statement put out by her staff. She did not elaborate.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/06/aide-says-warren-called-franken-and-told-him-should-resign/FB0n5aTIdNc3IiRM8gSwXN/story.html
torius
(1,652 posts)Still, she was jumping on the bandwagon, which isn't as bad as leading it.
brooklynite
(94,727 posts)...snip...
Women Democratic senators had been talking behind the scenes for at least the past week about how to deal with Franken, multiple aides told CNN. But those talks reached a tipping point Wednesday morning, they said, when Politico published a report at 9 a.m. ET of another woman alleging that Franken touched her inappropriately in 2006, before he was elected to office.
The story prompted a flurry of calls and texts between Senate offices within minutes, and it was decided sometime between then and about 10:30 a.m. ET that the women senators would go public in a show of unity with their desire for Franken to step aside.
"Their patience had worn incredibly thin," said an aide to one of the women senators.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/senators-al-franken-resignation/index.html
Of course, it's not nearly as much fun if you don't have a single target to demonize...
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Regardless of the issue. Doesn't make someone much of a leader.
Trumpocalypse
(6,143 posts)Nothing happens that fast in government or politics unless it was all coordinated before hand. And there is only one person in the Senate that has the power to do that, a certain Senator from New York but much taller with gray hair not blonde.
LongtimeAZDem
(4,494 posts)she chose to lead the charge to deprive us of a popular and influential Democratic Senator.
If she's genuinely surprised that this is still an issue, then she doesn't have anything close to the political acumen necessary to lead the party.
drbtg1
(1,054 posts)I agree there are shadows under Mr. Franken's hands, thus definitely not actually touching, and his mugging for the camera playing up the fact that everyone (except for the most comedically-challenged) should know this was a joke. However, IIRC, wasn't Tweeden wearing a flak jacket in the photo? If so, if she was wearing something that could protect someone from bullets, the flak jacket would not easily lend itself to groping, thus making it even funnier.
Just sayin'...
athena
(4,187 posts)DU spent half a year in 2016 demonizing a female Democrat. Over two years later, were still living with the consequences. Lets just go ahead and demonize another Democratic female contender. Because misogyny feels so good, eh?
No one said Franken actually groped the woman. Taking a photograph of a woman in that position, and publicizing it as a joke without her consent, reveal a nastiness and a disrespect for women that should not be tolerated in any public official.
Its especially sickening that you try to dismiss the behavior as a joke. I thought the days when women were called humorless for complaining about sexual harassment were ancient history. Sadly, this country is still as disgustingly misogynistic as it ever was. We deserve what we get in 2020.
drbtg1
(1,054 posts)n/t
marlakay
(11,491 posts)Her state may be happy with her but rest of country really liked Al. I am a woman I care about abuse but he was thrown to the wolves without a trial or any hearings. And she led the charge, my personal opinion is she knew he was going to run and wanted to take him out of the way.
brooklynite
(94,727 posts)I'm guess that most of the 30 MILLION Democratic Primary voters have no recollection that this happened, and won't factor it into their candidate choice.
LW1977
(1,236 posts)Hope she drops out early with lack of support!