This is Al Franken.

[babylonsister]

Found on a friend's page, originated at Occupy Democrats on FB.

Another woman has come forward about Al Franken and this is a story you must read. From Sandra Levinson:

When my niece Francie was dying of colon cancer and about to celebrate her last birthday, I couldn't imagine what gift to send her. But I knew she adored Al Franken so I wrote to Al, whom I had never met, asking him if he would send her a flower, a card, anything because he was her hero and her greatest hope was that she'd live long enough to see him elected.

Within the hour of receiving my note, he answered saying he would be in Minneapolis that weekend and could visit her in the hospital Saturday or Sunday, which would be better? I told him that Saturday was her birthday and he said he'd be there about 4. I called my sister to tell her but, of course, warned her not to tell Francie. How could we be sure that a well known comic running to be senator would show up?

That Saturday In June I sat in my office in New York waiting, 4, 5, 6, almost 7 my sister called to say that Al had just left after nearly two hours w Francie. He'd brought all of his books (which she already owned), signed them with her (she insisted he sign one "to my greatest fan," ), schmoozed w her and when he left she announced to her mom that it was the best birthday she'd ever had.

But that was not all. He called her every week after that to see how she was doing. She was home then. One night In September I came home to a phone message from a very excited Francie, "Tía! I went to a fundraiser for Al, it was a garden party and when he came in he walked all across the garden to ME, to hug me and ask me how I was doing!"

The next night Francie collapsed and was taken to hospice in a Minneapolis hospital, in a coma. I flew there to spend nights with my sister in Francie's room. Al and Franni Franken came to visit Francie, stood at the foot of her bed and wept. When she died later that month Al came to sit shiva with the family.

These are kindnesses one never forgets.

This is Al Franken.

[Autumn]

1. Yes. This is Al Franken.

I do not forget.

[calimary]

33. Neither do I.

[pandr32]

2. Exactly the kind of person we need in Congress

[politicaljunkie41910]

3. Thanks for sharing that with this board. I always liked Al Franken and believed he was a good man.

Your post proves that he was. I miss him in Congress.

[MyOwnPeace]

4. Beautiful, beautiful story..........

I wonder if any of those that chased him out of the Senate have read it?

[sfwriter]

7. They probably read this as...

“Woman dead after Al Franken meeting”

[MyOwnPeace]

19. OMG!!!!

I need a new keyboard - "coke spew!"

[lark]

43. Do any of them give one red damn?

Nope, they got to burnish their MeToo credentials and eliminate a rival for the run to the WH, that's all they cared about. They certainly never gave a damn about the truth and for that, I remain angry as hell.

[MyOwnPeace]

59. I think they will

discover the price they paid whenever they decide to run for something and need major support from true Democrats.

[mahannah]

5. I believe Al Franken.

[dmkinsey]

34. Yep, we were robbed

[ailsagirl]

97. We sure were

[TSheehan]

154. Of what?

[TSheehan]

152. Why?

[PatSeg]

6. That brought tears to my eyes

What an extraordinary man. All his colleagues in the senate who turned their backs on him should read this.

[JudyM]

29. Mine too. Can you imagine any of the leading rethugs ever doing this? Not even close.

[PatSeg]

50. I agree

He is truly a rare human being.

[keroro gunsou]

122. not the current batch

some of the old school ones, definitely. Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, Ike, those were some fairly classy guys (Dole still is). Whatever their politics, I'd like to think they'd help some one in need.

[stopwastingmymoney]

132. Me too

Lovely

[tblue37]

8. This reminds me of the story about Obama giving money to help a stranger at the airport:

https://straighttalkexpresswatch.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/amazing-obama-helped-stranded-stranger-20-years-ago/

Our office holders are simply kinder and more compassionate.

[James48]

9. Oh God, I Wish Al Franken would

Come back into the public light, run again
For office, and spread his high moral character in Washington.

He is a great, great leader.

[blue neen]

11. Yep.

Agreed.

[Kitchari]

25. Agree

so, so agree.

[LakeArenal]

10. I won't forget the ones who drove you out

That is all.

[TheCowsCameHome]

12. +1

Nev-er.

[Alliepoo]

17. Upsetting to me is-

That Sherrod Brown was among those urging Al Franken to leave... Granted, he was in a tough race (this was before his opponent, Josh Mandel, dropped out due to his wife’s health) and if Brown hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon it prob would have been used against him coz it was turning into a very dirty race. Brown said he listened to the women around him at work and at home and that was the conclusion he came to... I still have very mixed feelings about it.

[lark]

45. I didn't know this and it definitely makes me feel differently towards him too.

He had more justification than most, but the was still 100% wrong and it downgrades him in my eyes. He too should have waited and gotten to the truth of the RW liars responsible for this travesty.

[usaf-vet]

18. One of the individuals I will be "avoiding" is....

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. IMO I think one her motives, for pushing Al Franken out, is her obvious intentions of running for President in 2020.

Again IMO, Al Franken was a preemptive strike against a likely democratic opponent for the 2020 democratic nomination.

Al Franken should have gotten the hearing / investigation he called for. Before he was pushed out. The country lost a great progressive outspoken senator.

We need more senators like Al Franken not less.

[Kitchari]

27. Kirsten Giillibrand

PERMANENTLY disqualified herself as a candidate with her vilification of Franken.

[calimary]

30. Welcome to DU, Kitchari!

I feel the same way.

Granted, IF she's the nominee, I will vote for her. But otherwise? NO. NO campaign contributions. NO advocating for her candidacy. NO canvassing a neighborhood or phone banking. She'd have my vote simply because I DO NOT VOTE for the CONS. It's a matter of principle.

[Kitchari]

35. Greetings, Calimary

And thanks for the welcome!

[Mars and Minerva]

107. She hurt the party and killed her own career. I am hoping that Al finds a way to be active in 2020.

[brooklynite]

187. "killed her own career..."

She was re-elected last year with 66% of the vote. Now, she will likely not win the Presidential nomination (like 99% of the other candidates), but there's no evidence that a national Democratic electorate is thinking about this as an issue.

[Mars and Minerva]

195. Of course she was re-elected. A Democrat would have to kill babies to lose that seat at this point.

She has had her eye on the White House for a long time. It seems to me that what she did to Franken was an attention getting play to give her national "Progressive" exposure.
She will never be POTUS. Possibly for many reasons but definitely for sticking the shiv in Al Franken.

[zentrum]

117. ++++1

[brooklynite]

189. So I won't be seeing any Presidential Endorsement threads for.....

Gillibrand
Warren "“I think he should resign,”
Sanders "The right thing is for him to resign"
Klobuchar ""I had condemned his conduct early on when the first allegation was made,"
Brown "And I agree the time has come for Senator Franken to step aside."
Booker "it is is right that he should step down at this point."
Harris “I believe the best thing for Senator Franken to do is step down.”
Bennet 'I'm confident he'll do the right thing and step aside'
Casey "I agree with my colleagues who have stepped forward today and called on Senator Franken to resign,"
Merkley "It is in the best interest of our country for him to step aside"

Have I missed anyone?

[watoos]

13. Al needs to get back in the game in some form or other.

Remember, his grilling of Sessions over his contacts with Russians, caused Sessions to recuse himself and gave us special counsel Mueller.

Franken was a rare breed of Democrat who had the ability to change the right wing narratives. Can't say any more.

[AdamGG]

145. He was the standout in every hearing he participated in

Crushed Betsy Devos (ok, that's not a challenge, but his questioning was the most memorable), pinned down Neil Gorsuch with his questions about his freezing trucker decision.

I've wondered if the Democrats that turned on him didn't like him taking their spotlight.

[PatrickforO]

14. Al Franken is a genuinely good human being.

There aren't that many like him, and this is not the first story I've seen about him going out of his way to help someone. He is the kind of Senator that anyone could be proud to have represent their state.

Oh, wait...was...he was the kind of Senator...

[elmac]

15. This is the real Al! Kind, gentle but a fighter for peoples rights

and it saddens me that there have been posts lately trying to "Franken" Bernie out of government.

[LongtimeAZDem]

23. Sanders was one of the ones doing the "Frankening"

"Sen. Franken has said that he will be making an announcement about his political future tomorrow. The right thing is for him to resign. We are now at a crossroads in American culture. And it is an important one. The way we treat women in our country has been abysmal in almost every way. We are finally addressing the issue of sexual harassment, and we need to get it right. But the conversation we are having now is only the tip of the iceberg. It needs to be an ongoing movement of women and men that includes a national discussion about sexism, sexual harassment, objectification, inequality and abuse of power."

- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), December 6, 2017

He helped build the bonfire; his own fault if he's burned by it.

[calimary]

31. BOOM.

[Autumn]

48. Yes the Independent Senator joined 32 Democratic Senators urging him to resign

after Gillibrand got the ball rolling.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/al-franken-senate-democrats-call-to-resign-gillibrand-mccaskill/

Kristen Gillibrand, New York
Chuck Schumer, New York
Claire McCaskill, Missouri
Patty Murray, Washington
Mazi Keiko Hirono, Hawaii
Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire
Kamala Harris, California
Bob Casey, Pennsylvania
Joe Donnelly, Indiana
Sherrod Brown, Ohio
Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
Ed Markey, Massachusetts
Maria Cantwell, Washington
Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
Chris Murphy, Connecticut
Tom Udall, New Mexico
Dick Durbin, Illinois
Patrick Leahy, Vermont
Tom Carper, Delaware
Dianne Feinstein, California
Michael Bennet, Colorado
Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
Tammy Duckworth, Illinois
Jeff Merkley, Oregon
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts
Cory Booker, New Jersey
Gary Peters, Michigan
Jon Tester, Montana
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
Bernie Sanders, Vermont (Independent)
Angus King, Maine (Independent)

[LongtimeAZDem]

51. Yep, and that will factor into my assessment of each and every one of them, including how Sen Sanders

responds to allegations of a predatory culture of sexual violence and harassment in his own campaign.

[Autumn]

57. This Franken fiasco is why Governor Jay Inslee is at the top of my list.

I believe Senator Sanders responded and an investigation is going on.

[LongtimeAZDem]

58. He only responded when the story broke; his staffers allege they have been ignored for years

So, his response to a few claims against Senator Franken? "The right thing is for him to resign. We are now at a crossroads in American culture. And it is an important one. The way we treat women in our country has been abysmal in almost every way. We are finally addressing the issue of sexual harassment, and we need to get it right."

His response to allegations of a pervasive culture of harassment within his own campaign? "I was a little bit busy"

[Autumn]

60. I didn't find where the staffers say Bernie knew and ignored them for years. However I prefer

to ignore and step back from any conversation about Sanders and that investigation since it has nothing to do with this thread. Just pointed out that there were 32 Democratic senators that joined in on this debacle.

[mastermind]

62. good point. nt

[LongtimeAZDem]

64. Yes, you deflected my point, and I elaborated. As to the staffers being ignored:

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/bernie-2016-staffers-sexual-harassment-claims-were-ignored.html

However, I agree that this discussion detracts from the excellent post about Senator Franken, of whose service we were robbed when he was sacrificed on the altar of capricious politics.

[Autumn]

66. No, I'm talking about people who insisted Franken resign. I'm not interested in discussing

what is going on with that. It's rude to derail a discussion with another topic. You want to discuss that then make an OP about it. Not interested in your push for that.

[LongtimeAZDem]

79. Excuse me, but I responded directly to a post about Sanders. You expanded it to everyone else. /nt

[Autumn]

81. Excuse you? You ignore all the other Democrats who pushed for AL to resign. I simply pointed out

that 30 some odd other Democrats, and another Independent joined him in calling for Al to resign. I'm not vindictive enough to hope everyone, or just a certain one, gets burned by it. I support Democrats and their allies.

[LongtimeAZDem]

85. Please read carefully. At the top of this thread, "elmac" posted, "it saddens me that

there have been posts lately trying to "Franken" Bernie out of government."

They (elmac) brought up Sanders, and the unfairness of it. I responded by pointing out that Sanders was a vocal part of that process, and quoted him on his reasons for it. He set a standard, and it is only fair that he himself be held to it.

Whoever else piled on Franken is completely irrelevant to my point; "elmac" specifically mentioned Sanders, and that is what I responded to.

When another poster down thread mentioned Senator Schumer, I agreed; however, that was not part of this thread.

So, your listing of other others who called for Franken to resign was, while accurate, completely beside the point. Of course I ignored them; they had nothing to do with what "elmac" posted.

[Autumn]

93. Sanders will be held to that standard. I hope each and everyone of them

is held to the same standard. My point was to this from your post,

He helped build the bonfire; his own fault if he's burned by it.

He didn't help build the bonfire, Gillibrand did that. He joined in along with the Democrats. The only time I have ever been disappointing in Schumer and a couple of others. Al Franken wasn't the only one accused though he was the only one asked to resign. I also just like to post the list once in a while to remind myself.

Other Democrats Keith Ellison, Tony Cárdenas, Bobby Scott, and Bob Menendez were also accused. I must have missed the drive for any of them to resign.

[mastermind]

94. All the top Dems seem to have agreed with Bernie, including Senator Warren

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 Franken’s 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."

[Autumn]

96. Not their finest deed.

[mastermind]

99. Well, fate can have an interesting twist

like maybe a VP Franken or maybe even president some day, I know I would support him 100%

[Autumn]

100. I'd be all in on that.

[NinaNeon]

164. hi

[Autumn]

167. Well hello

Last edited Sun Jan 6, 2019, 12:04 PM - Edit history (1)

I like fish.

[StevieM]

144. I have mixed feelings about Jay Inslee.

In 2017 I definitely wanted him to run for president. I think we need a dedicated environmentalist like him.

I was upset by a bill that he signed last year concerning the rules for surrogacy. I strongly disagreed with the legislation and it caused my enthusiasm towards him to damper somewhat.

[Autumn]

169. None of them are perfect. I felt the same way about Kamala Harris when I found out

about her stand on asset forfeiture during her tenure as California AG and I've never found anything that shows me she now thinks she was wrong. I can see asset forfeiture after a trial and being found guilty but not when charged. I'll wait and see what she says about it if she runs.

[LiberalLovinLug]

82. No doubt there was a lot of piling on

It was at the height of the #metoo movement (I don't mean it should be over). Plus the ongoing battle to deny Roy Moore a seat. I think a lot of reps felt pressured into signing on.

I am saddened that no one ever stood up and said they backed Al, and that the Democratic party should at the very least, take up Al's willingness to go through and ethics investigation. He seemed to be such a lonely figure leaving washington with his tail between his legs, while Trump and Roger Stone, and that female comedian turned RW radio jock chuckled about it, no doubt laughing at how easy it is to get Democrats to destroy their own.

[Autumn]

84. It broke my heart that no one stood up for him. As a member of our party, an effective one

at that, it really showed how willing some Democrats are to throw an ally under the bus.

[questionseverything]

115. we never learn...franken was acorned

I had forgotten warren was on the list
to me the piling on showed a weakness of character, no independent thought certainly no leadership

[Honeycombe8]

87. Those who followed along because of pressure...

those aren't leaders. Those are followers.

One of the few who didn't sign on was Amy Kobuchar. She said a couple of unfair things, but she had the smarts not to sign on to that letter ousting Franken. Took a leadership type personality not to go along to get along. To do what she thought was right, rather than convenient.

[DFW]

137. This is a vital point, I think

Jumping on a dubious bandwagon for purely selfish reasons because there is supposedly safety in numbers is what a follower does. Not owning up to the error is what a coward (or cynic) does. I want a president who has as ideals the likes of Jefferson and Franklin, not Machiavelli. I will support NONE of the followers for the nomination. I will of course support our nominee, but not enthusiastically if it's a follower Senator.

If this means I get invited to no more White House Christmas parties for the rest of my life, well boo friggin' hoo. 99.99% of Americans survived quite nicely without that. I'll manage somehow.

[Honeycombe8]

139. +1. nt

[LongtimeAZDem]

103. I may have misinterpreted the motivation for this post; if so, I apologize

Upon reading other posts you have made on this subject, I think we are on the same page.

I completely agree that a number of people share the blame for railroading Franken, and I will remember that when their actions are relevant to my vote. It was not my intent to ignore the actions of others, it was simply that the poster to whom I was responding only mentioned Sanders.

I assumed you were minimizing Sander's action with an "others did it too" argument; I think I misunderstood, and so, again, I apologize. You're right about the rest of them, of course.

[Autumn]

104. I hold them all responsible, and I will not forget.

No problem, it was a good discussion.

[lordsummerisle]

123. The circular firing squad is alive and well n/t

[mastermind]

61. Sen. Chuck Schumer was also pushing for resignation also

so when are the Bernie haters going to go after him too?

Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, told the New York Times in a statement that “I consider Senator Franken a dear friend and greatly respect his accomplishments, but he has a higher obligation to his constituents and the Senate, and he should step down immediately.”

[LongtimeAZDem]

65. I, for one, have already done so, in post #39 below /nt

[Honeycombe8]

88. Yes, he's on the list. He signed the ouster letter. His was the nail in the coffin.

That is not forgotten.

[mastermind]

105. But for me, I can't blame any Dem or independent for joining the resignation crowd

and will not hold it against them. There was a momentum that went way overboard, wanting to show the fascists how we take responsibility, yada, yada, yada. In the end it was his decision but he didn't have the support to stick it out, between a rock and a hard place. I hope to see an Al Franken President or VP someday.

[Honeycombe8]

109. I do. They lost the right to be called leaders. They are followers.

I hold them accountable because I and millions of others could see the truth. And almost HALF the Democrats refused to sign on.

So it was just those 30...out of hundreds of politicians, who signed on to that ouster. I have an idea why. But whatever the reason, I have that list of 30 on my computer. They are not leaders. They sign on to things, when they sense an advantage. Even if it kills someone career.

What's very telling about it is that ousting him was NOT the normal thing to do. There is a longstanding normal procedure: ethics investigation. The details of accusations weren't even all fully reported yet.

Franken's national political career is over. The ouster killed it, IMO. I'd like to see him back. But it won't happen. Maybe on a state level, though.

We lost a strong voice in the Senate. His questioning revealed that Sessions was lying, and that lead to Sessions' recusal. We can see why he became a target of the Republicans. IMO, this was a Republican manipulation from the start.

It's hard to take a stand against a movement, even when it endangers someone who might be innocent. It takes leadership to do that. One of the few who refused to sign the ouster was Amy Kobuchar. But there were others.

[LakeArenal]

174. The Dems who signed aren't sheep..

Ball of momentum created by the GOP.
Showed fascists we will drink their yadayada koolaid.
Dems didn’t have the backbone to support Al because of the lure of 2020.

[certainot]

16. 1500 coordinated unchallenged radio stations is all it takes to turn a guy like that into

a shit, or put a shit into the white house

[IADEMO2004]

44. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT!!

Western Iowa is hate radio north to south. Fox news breaks between right wing talk.

[Honeycombe8]

89. Actually, what it takes is 30 co-Senators signing a letter telling you to leave.

I wasn't fooled by the Republican-started main accusation, and the aim toward a fierce questioner of Sessions at the investigative hearings. I wasn't fooled at all.

Those 30 (and several Republicans) who signed on...those aren't leaders, IMO. They did the expedient thing. I understand why they did it.

However, Amy Kobuchar didn't sign the ouster statement. She and many other Democrats and almost all Republicans did what the Senate normally does: suggest an ethics an ethics investigation. Even Franken had offered that up. After all, Dem. Senator Menendez, on trial for fraud, wasn't ousted from the Senate. The Senate conducted an ethics investigation and waited for the outcome of the trial. Ouster wasn't even considered.

[certainot]

121. a lot of red/talk radio state senators - this shit would have gone nowhere without

the unchallenged repetition from 1500 radio stations, like many other dem swiftboat casualties in the past

[Honeycombe8]

131. We agree to disagree. Democrats don't care what Rush Limpballs says.

They hopped on the bandwagon fairly early. Each of the 30 has her/his own reason for ousting him. We'll never know those reasons for certain.

Meanwhile...Menendez was free to go through a long trial for fraud without being ousted. They had the ethics committee conduct an investigation. That is the normal procedure.

He was judged guilty, without even testimony under oath. As usual, the man denied it. But since when do we not even require sworn testimony of the woman? Not even questioning her? I believed Dr. Ford's accusations about Kavanaugh because she (1) swore to them under oath; (2) took a lie detector test; and (3) agreed to an investigation, if that was wanted.

It wasn't that the alt-right media was targeting him. Of course Franken had become a target, since his effectiveness on the investigative committee. The alt-right has been targeting Pelosi and others for years. Every time a Democrat is successful at something, the alt-right piles on against him or her. That's been going on for decades.

There was no leadership in the Senate on the Franken matter. They just got rid of "the problem." The easy thing to do. With exceptions: almost half the Democrats would not jump on the bandwagon. All the ones who were considering running for President jumped on the bandwagon, or started the bandwagon. Except one (Amy Kobuchar, a fellow Minnesota Senator).

That's how I feel about it. That he was railroaded. A true leader would have handled it better, and gotten evidence before destroying someone's political career.

[certainot]

133. he was railroaded because the railroaders felt pressure they thought was 'popular'

but mostly it was coming out of limbaugh's ass

this after the clinton-got-a-blowjob witch hunts but gingrich and hastert etc are okay

there's a reason for the discrepancy and it isn't fox.

The alt-right has been targeting Pelosi and others for years.

yes, and when the left/dems/liberals finally pull the music out of theirears and pay attention then maybe they'll notice limnbaugh's been attacking warren and ocasio cortez and every other progressive hero, setting up 300 asshole liars on 1500 radio stations to take free potshots at them regularly.

the idea that that makes no difference and can be ignored is why we are in this disaster and have done little on global warming

[LakeArenal]

175. Lots of great people did not sign that letter

They all shine enough that we don’t need any of the list to run. Amy is at the top of the list for my support.

I’m just as disappointed in my old favs too.
Tammy Baldwin. Cory Booker. Just two of my greatest disappointments. But I’ll be very willing to overlook both for higher office due to their failing as a leader.

[Honeycombe8]

178. +1.

I was disappointed in Booker, too. He was late signing on, or at least it was late being reported. So he may have at least given it some thought. Still, ....

[Honeycombe8]

92. That's not true, though.

The information was out there for all to see. I saw it. The gal who started it all actually announced it on FOX. How obvious can you get? The information that she was twerking and rubbed her rear end against one of the other male entertainers...that was on the internet on video. That she is Republican and never complained about it to anyone before the Fox appearance and Franken's successful intense questioning of Sessions at the investigative hearings...it was all there to see. (That questioning revealed that Sessions was lying or had a terrible memory, which lead to his recusal from overseeing the Mueller investigation.)

The details of the "squeeze" when Franken agreed to do a selfie for a fan...that was explained in detail. And anyone who read it had to say, "Seriously?"

It was all there. These stories did not go unchallenged at all.

Fact is, many people didn't care and didn't (and don't) know any details of any accusations. Don't know who that first gal was, or how she announced the accusation.

In fact, a couple of the accusations have never even been reported on at all, other than there was some accusation by someone. No one knows what, or by whom. It didn't matter, since Franken was being ousted.

It's much easier for the masses to go along with something, rather than take the hit of going against it. But leaders lead. Anyone who didn't go along with the ouster of Franken before any investigation and before all the facts were in, that is leadership. It took gumption.

[certainot]

120. limbaugh called christine blasey ford a liar and dem operative for 3 weeks straight and dems did

and knew nothing about it

you can't analyze public reaction to this as if the buzz from 1500 radio stations didn't matter - franken has been attacked by them since he ran. even gillibrand probably got that buzz - without knowing the source

that's the trump base, screaming hypocritically about franken, that's american politics the last 30 years

[Honeycombe8]

140. Maybe. But the rightwing media is always attacking effective Democrats. Pelosi is their #1 prey.

She hasn't been ousted. They've attacked a number of Democrats over the years. Democrats don't normally take the position of rightwing media and eat their own. At least not without some investigation. Or maybe even just questioning one or two of the accusers.

[certainot]

173. we're preoccupied completely now with walls and the hillary emails hangovers merely because

they came out of limbaugh's ass. talk about tail wagging the dog.

the base we're reacting to believes that millions of illegal aliens are voting and raping americans and running drugs.

the trump team studied talk radio in 2014 to connect with the base and coordinate with the russians.

the republicans are going to use those stations to extract concessions re the mueller report, convincing media and dems that not conceding would "tear the country apart" or other such bullshit so then the progressives ignorant of talk radio will blame the 'spineless' dems and stupidly not vote like they did in 2010 because they believed the russian talk radio buzz that obama didn't really want health care reform.

the buzz is real and loud and pervasive pushing us right constantly and dems react to it all the fucking time as if studying fish without water. the biggest political mistake in history merely because dems think talk radio is irrelevant.

[oasis]

20. Reinforces my belief in his goodness.

Al is the best.

[NNadir]

21. That is a very moving story.

Al Franken has the decency and the smarts to participate in public life in a very constructive way.

I miss him greatly.

If we can have a stupid, criminal, pussy grabbing moron in the White House, the criteria by which he was driven - although his sense decency also was involved his departure, which was to lead by example, not that example means much to psycopaths - has been unjustly applied.

I hope he will run for office again, or be appointed to a high level in an upcoming Democratic administration. He is too strong a force for good to stay on the sidelines.

[HelenWheels]

22. Even dogs respond positively to Al

I had a Standard Poodle that was very naughty during car rides until I starting playing Al's book on CD about lying liars. When that CD played my dog would lie down and be very quiet. It was as if she didn't want to miss a word.

[mountain grammy]

24. I wish he'd run for President

[Kitchari]

28. I second that

He has the intelligence and the heart, and Doggone it, People LIKE him!

[LongtimeAZDem]

38. I wanted him as Clinton's VP. /nt

[Paladin]

26. Think how Franken's active presence could help us against trump, right now.

What an absolute tragedy, in so many ways.

[Trumpocalypse]

78. How so?

What are the other Senators and Representatives not doing that only Franken could do? Other than being a celebrity white guy.

[Paladin]

91. A celebrity white guy, vs. another celebrity white guy.

But Franken has wit, intellect, showbiz knowhow, governmental experience---he could be kneecapping trump every single day, with tangible results. Instead, he's been taken off the playing field. It's a damn shame.

[Honeycombe8]

101. It's a shame. The Republican who started it all...she was very effective.

I don't think he'll ever be able to run for President, realistically. What that Republican gal did, with the 30 who ousted Franken, ruined his political career.

But Menendez, who was on trial for fraud...he wasn't ousted. He went through a long ethics investigation, instead, which occurred alongside his fraud trial. Ethics investigation is the normal process. So I have to wonder....why. Why so eager to kill Franken's career?

[Trumpocalypse]

126. He could still run again

Maybe Governor of Minnesota.

[Honeycombe8]

129. I hope so. nt

[Trumpocalypse]

125. Not versus Trump but

versus the other Democratic members of Congress. What are they not doing that only Franken could do?

[Jarqui]

32. Couldn't find them quickly but that is not the only story like that

related to Al. He's a nice man.

I still like him. Miss him. And hope that he makes a comeback.

[wryter2000]

36. Such a loss

He was railroaded. Except for the stupid picture, the claims were bogus.

[yardwork]

37. The person I blame most is Chuck Schumer.

As the minority leader of the Senate, Schumer was in the best position to the stop the railroading of Franken.

I hope that the Democrats have learned something from this.

[LongtimeAZDem]

39. Have to agree; he caved to McCarthyesque fear. /nt

[yardwork]

40. Unfortunately, that little success just emboldened the Republicans.

If the Democratic leadership allows Republicans to get away with their dirty tricks, it will get worse and worse.

[Trumpocalypse]

69. Stop it?

Schumer is the one who started it.

[Honeycombe8]

141. Gillibrand started it, as I recall. Then another female joined her....

I forget who the second one was. But they had plans to run for President, the two who gave that short press conference. I remembered how very recently, a talk show host asked Franken if he was considering running for President, since some in the public were asking him to. Franken had a nationally known name and was one of the most popular and effective Senators.

Corey Booker was late in the game to signing on, but finally joined in. As did Warren. Seems like those two at least gave it some thought.

Then Schumer made a public statement. But it's possible he was signaling his position behind the scenes before he made it public.

Almost half of the Democrats didn't sign on to the ouster. I don't know if it's because they wouldn't, or because it was unnecessary. Amy Kobuchar, the other Senator from Minnesota, would not. She said that she spoke to him personally instead. She didn't say what she said; it was a private conversation. She didn't say she thought he should resign.

[Trumpocalypse]

146. You recall wrong

First Gillibrand doesn’t make a move without Schumer’s ok. Second Gillibrand made a Facebook post which was followed statements most of the other female Senators the same morning, most within minutes. The first to speak to the press was Kamala Harris: https://m.

The press conference with Gillibrand and several other Senators was later that day: https://m.

This was obviously a highly coordinated effort by leadership aka Schumer.
You state “Almost half of Democrats didn’t sign on to the ouster”, but their were only 48 Dems in the Senate at that time and 38 of them did. So your statement is factually incorrect.
You also state that Franken was one of the most effective Senators. How so? In terms of getting legislation passed. Please provide links.

[Honeycombe8]

179. I have a list of 35 Dems, now. Do you have a source for a larger list?

Also, you are making an assumption about Schumer. It's a reasonable assumption. But he didn't publicly oust Franken until after the initial ones (Gillibrand, the other one was maybe Patty Murray). The very first one, according to one list, was Sen. Patty Murray (the highest ranking female Senator). Other sources say it was Gillibrand.

Gillibrand was one of the main ones pushing for the ouster. She appeared on talk shows, plus the press conference (she was the speaker).

Several Republicans signed onto the list, but I don't count them.

I won't support anyone on the list for the nomination for the Presidential candidate. If we are left with one of them actually being the candidate, I will have no choice but to vote for him or her. I hope that doesn't happen.

[Trumpocalypse]

182. 35 is still more than the "only half" that you claimed

But this is the full list: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/06/full-list-senators-call-for-al-franken-to-resign-282175

And it is not just a assumption about Schumer. It is knowing how things work in the Senate and knowing the relationship between Schumer and Gillibrand.

You incorrectly state that Gillibrand was the only one speaking at the press conference. She was one of several. You also state she did talk shows. What talk shows did she do calling for Franken’s resignation? Please provide links.

[Honeycombe8]

185. Except I didn't say only half. I said almost half of the Dems did not sign the ouster.

So it's not almost half, but still quite a few. There were some stragglers that signed on late in the game. Still, they signed on.

You're haggling over details, when you say that I incorrectly stated that Gillibrand was the only one speaking at the press conference. I didn't say that. I said she was the one speaking (when I listened)...meaning she was the first one, and the main one. She was, according to the source I read, the second one to start the ouster.

I don't remember the talk shows I saw her on. But I saw her on them. I remember, because I wasn't clear who she was, so I paid attention. I still can't clearly recall what she looks like. I guess that speaks to how memorable she is.

She was probably on MSNBC because those are the shows I normally watch, but may have been Meet the Press or other Sunday lineup shows.

If Gillibrand thought that ousting Franken would help her, I believe she thought wrong.

[Trumpocalypse]

186. Almost half of 48 is 23 or 22

48 minus 35 is 13. That is not almost half.

Again you are mischaracterizing the press conference. Gillibrand was one of several Senators. So she wasn’t the “main one” just because she was the one you paid attention r.

As far as the talk shows allegation, either prove it or admit you were wrong and withdraw the allegation. Since you state that you don’t know what Gillibrand looks like so whoever you saw on talk shows could have been anyone.

And neither you or I can read minds, so we don’t know what was in Gillibrand’s mind. So there is no evidence that she thought it would help her. That is an accusation with out any evidence.

[Honeycombe8]

191. Please..stop beating this like a dead horse.

Gillibrand proudly branded herself with crucifying someone without an evidence whatsoever. Were there accusations? Somewhat. Were they legitimate? We'll never know. THEY NEVER EVEN ASKED ANYONE ANY QUESTIONS. As Gillibrand said, "Enough is enough." If a male internet accuses her of something, and someone else adds to it, maybe we should have her kicked out of the Senate, saying "enough is enough." And not even bother getting the NAMES of the accusers, much less ask questions.

If they followed the alt-right on this, that tells us everything about her leadership skills. If she were President, would she take order from Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter? Following what she did on Franken accusations, yes she would.

There are other lesser known Senators w/o Presidential aspirations. But she was delighted to be a spearhead, and milked publicity on it. So she owns that.

Here she is declaring Franken a harasser, without having even questioned or gotten the names of the accusers. She lies in stating "I believe the women." No one would believe the main one...it was Republican manipulation. She also lies saying another Senator had due process and an investigation, implying the Senate is fair. ???? But that's exactly what the Senate did not do for Franken. That was the point of the interviewer.

Here she is making the rounds, this time on The View. The Franken part starts at 2:04.

[Trumpocalypse]

192. Did you bother to look at the dates of the videos

They were months after Franken had resigned. So your original accusation is false. And if you watched the clips it was the media making an issue of it, not Gillibrand herself. So she wasn't milking the publicity of it as you have accused.

And you can't say there was no evidence whatsoever. There were 8 women in total. Sure, Leanne Tweeden was most likely a right wing plant but were all the other 7, including Tina Dupay a former Democratic staffer. Please show evidence of that with credible links.

Gillibrand may have been the first but it was only by minutes. This was obviously a coordinated effort by leadership. To single out Gillibrand and demonize her for it is unfair.

[Honeycombe8]

193. Give it up. You're grasping at straws.

The date of a video is meaningless. That's when it was posted. The dates she did the circuit trying to spread her name as the spearhead of the Franken ouster...doesn't matter what dates those were on.

This was a Gillibrand movement all the way. She was the face of the "me, too" movement, and made it her personal cause.

We will have to agree to disagree. You fully support everything she did. I get it. I don't, though. Neither do a lot of other people. What she/they did was flat wrong. She declared him "the harasser" based on "evidence" that wasn't sworn testimony, even by affidavit. No lie detector test. No questioning of them. Not even all the names were ever released. What happened to Franken goes against everything we think of in America as fairness in judging whether someone committed a crime. Not even a pretense of checking out facts. As she said, the fact that there were multiple allegations was enough for her. "GUILTY."

I will not vote for her to be the nominee. They calculated that it would be the popular thing to do. They may be right. Or maybe they calculated wrong. I can only speak for myself.

If someone on the list becomes the Democratic candidate, then that changes things. Our democracy is at stake. If that happens, I'm pretty sure it won't be Gillibrand, though.

[Trumpocalypse]

194. No you are

You are going out of your to demonize Gillibrand. You’re ignoring facts to do so like the dates on videos and they are not meaningless. They disprove what you accused.

And don’t dishonesty put words in my mouth. I never said I support everything she does just that it is unfair to single her out when there were over 30 other Senators who also called for Franken to resign on the same morning, many within minutes.

No one ever accused Franken of committing a crime, that is just hyperbole. He lost a job. As did Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose, John Conyers. Are you are upset about what happened to them or just what happened to the celebrity that you like?

[Jakes Progress]

199. There are three or four KG die hards

that pop up every time this comes up.

Logic and reality mean nothing to them. It is fun watching them squirm and twist their arguments, but most everyone on DU knows what happened.

[Honeycombe8]

202. +1. nt

[Honeycombe8]

102. Me, too. He not only didn't stop it, his signing the ouster statement was the nail in coffin. nt

[SCVDem]

41. Nice post

[vierhandig]

42. Run again...

To Al Franken,
Please run for office again. There's no real reason that you needed to resign before. We need you in place again.

[SayItLoud]

46. Thank you for sharing this special memory. Good will overcome evil.

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

47. So sorry about Francie. Seriously sorry.

So glad for Al Franken. I miss his informed voice.

[wellst0nev0ter]

49. Reminder that those who pushed out Franken

Believed a lying, two-faced, birther trumpanzee (Tweeden) over a good man:

[Trumpocalypse]

70. There were 7 other women

not just Tweeden. While there is evidence that Tweeden was working for Roger Stone, there is none about the others.

[Ferrets are Cool]

74. Where is the proof? I don't care if it was 1000 repugs...

I still wouldn't believe a single one.

[Trumpocalypse]

77. So you are repudiating

the entire Me too movement?

[Ferrets are Cool]

143. That is so stupid a question

[Trumpocalypse]

148. No it is a valid question

The whole basis of the Me Too movement is that women should be believed especially when several all have the same experience. To say you don’t believe the accusations of 7 women because they are against someone you like is just moral relativism.

[Ferrets are Cool]

177. Bye Bye

[Trumpocalypse]

180. It's buh bye

The fact that you have no response just proves my point. Thanks.

[keopeli]

161. Ignore list for you. Being able to think and reason critically is fundamental to discussion. Bye!

[Trumpocalypse]

162. Buh bye

Last edited Sun Jan 6, 2019, 09:24 PM - Edit history (1)

[Ferrets are Cool]

176. I am with you. nt

[Trumpocalypse]

181. Jack said it best

https://m.

[wellst0nev0ter]

124. We have to go over this again?

Two other named accusers are known trumpanzees who voted for a pussygrabber, so their claims are already suspect on their faces.

Four accusers are anonymous, so there is no way of judging their veracity.

The only credible accuser is Tina Dupuy, who basically gave a dramatize account of Franken holding her at the waist during a photo shoot What makes this more astounding was this was the accusation that led to Gillibrand calling for Franken's removal.

Once again, all you have is the quantity of the accusations instead of the quality.

[Trumpocalypse]

130. Do you have any proof

that any of the other 7 were lying. And include links to prove your accusations.

[Crunchy Frog]

138. When it comes to burden of proof

That's on the person making the original accusation. The burden of proof is not a person questioning the original accusation.

[Trumpocalypse]

142. So you are repudiating

the whole Me Too movement. I guess we need to apologize to Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey and Brett Kavanaugh too.

[Bayard]

52. His railroading was horrid--especially by Dems

I think he'd have made a real difference the past few years.

[Trumpocalypse]

73. Do you think the republicans of the

ethics committee would have given Franken a fair hearing?

If so, I have a great deal on a slightly used bridge to sell you.

[Apollyonus]

53. One of the greatest

done in by RWNJs and aided by the machine.

He was too decent to remain there to fight for his good name. He would have won too but it was not his cup of tea.

I miss Al Franken

[Trumpocalypse]

75. By what measure?

Don’t get me wrong Franken was a good progressive Senator. But one of the greatest is over the top.

[Mr. Quackers]

113. Sounds like you don't think very highly of Democrats

why?

[Trumpocalypse]

127. Actually I think highly of all Democrats

I’m just not a Franken cultist who put him above all the other Democratic members of Congress.

[The Wizard]

54. The criminal Roger Stone

paid women to make false assertions about Al and the spinless punks in the Democratic Party all took the bait. Do women get abused? Yes. It should take more than a pointing finger to ruin a career in public service.

[PufPuf23]

55. That is a wonderfull story TY.

Made me kind of weepy.

[Guilded Lilly]

56. It is, indeed, Al Franken. Nope, not forgiving them. n/t

[Blue Owl]

63. Thanks Kristin Gillebrand for protecting us from this monster

[Trumpocalypse]

67. And Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders

and Kamela Harris and over 30 other Senators.

[zentrum]

118. And some of those others are....

Chuck Schumer
Ed Markey
Patrick Leahy
Sherrod Brown
Patty Murray
Debbie Stabenow
Claire McCaskill
Bob Casey
Michael Bennet
Joe Donnelly
Martin Heinrich
Mazie Hirono
Tammy Baldwin
Heidi Heitkamp
Maggie Hassan
Kamala Harris
Diane Feinstein

Not just Sanders and Warren

Lead by Gillibrand.

And yeah--I'm mad at all of them. Especially Gillibrand.

[Trumpocalypse]

128. Lead by Schumer

It’s in his title. Gillibrand doesn’t make a move without his approval.

[zentrum]

168. Yup. But she became

...the face of it for obvious reasons.

All the New Yorkers I know were furious at both of them.

Still am.

[Trumpocalypse]

172. Didn't hurt her re-election

She won with over 66% of the vote.

[essme]

134. I know, right? Sad. nt

[TSheehan]

151. I like Gillibrand.

[Trumpocalypse]

184. She's an ok Senator

But nothing outstanding. But she has been unfairly demonized by the Franken cultists.

[byronius]

68. Anyone who listened regularly to the Al Franken show gets this.

[Trumpocalypse]

71. It has been over a year

https://m.

[Ferrets are Cool]

72. Love the man. nt

[malaise]

76. Lovely post

Thanks

[lunasun]

80. Kick

[smirkymonkey]

83. Beautiful story!

Thanks for posting. It squares with the kind of person I have always believed Al Franken to be.

[Honeycombe8]

86. That is what we have lost in the Senate. That. An exceptional human being, who was a force...

in the investigative hearings. There won't be another like him. There isn't another like him.

I wonder if he got too close and touched her when agreeing to her request to do a selfie? (that was one of the accusations...he put his hand around her waist & squeezed, as he bent forward close to her head for the shot she wanted....I kid you not)

I hope he's able to get back into politics. He was very effective. A force to be reckoned with. And that's why the Republicans aimed for him.

[Perseus]

90. Gillibrand should read this...

And if I am not mistaken, this is not the only story about Al Franken doing something similar.

I wish Franken would run for Senate again...

[LongtimeAZDem]

112. She doesn't care, and doen't get it. She's "very surprised" this is still such an issue. /nt

[TSheehan]

149. Why is it an issue?

[LongtimeAZDem]

170. Because she, and others, ran a good man out of the Senate without even the hint of due process,

based on nothing more than a staged picture and a few unsupported allegations.

[Trumpocalypse]

183. 7 allegations

From 7 different women. Other men lost their jobs and careers for less.

We can’t have one standard for people we like and a different standard for everyone else. That makes us no better than the republicans.

[brooklynite]

190. So, can we all agree that Gillibrand should become Democratic Leader in the Senate?

Seriously, someone who can cajole almost every other Democrat, including Schumer, to do her bidding must have a lot of influence and political skill, right?

[ailsagirl]

95. Brings tears to my eyes

I am still furious that he's no longer Senator Franken

[Vinca]

98. He's a good man who didn't deserve what happened to him.

I wish he'd run for POTUS.

[marble falls]

106. Al Franken's biggest strength is: he's one of us. He knows who we are and how we are.

[JNelson6563]

108. I'm really sorry he faked touched

that fake lady's fake boobs.

Our loss.

[akraven]

110. He is a marvellous man, and the trumped up charges were exactly that.

I miss him.

[Joe941]

111. He was railroaded!

[Jakes Progress]

114. Al. Hillary. Why do Democrats

keep knee capping their best and most deserving. What do we have against decent people?

[Trumpocalypse]

156. So we shouldn't hold our own to a higher standard?

We should be just as bad as Republicans who pledge undying loyalty to even someone as bad as Trump?

[Trumpocalypse]

197. It is not garbage to hold

those given the privilege of representing us to a higher standard. And s Democrats we should hold them to a higher standard than republicans. Now calling any a monster (well maybe Trump) but just voicing a principle.

[Jakes Progress]

198. More garbage.

At least address the points I make if you want to reply. Don't make up straw men that have no reference point to the material in the post. None of the stuff you bring up has anything to do with my post - which you do not seem to want to address.

But since you bring up this topic: It is stupid to say that our candidates must meet a "higher" standard than republicans.

While it is true that Democrats operate at higher standards, but I would welcome republicans to try to meet them. I don't support a republican with lower standards just because they are republican. And I have yet to find a republican who can meet the standards of Al Franken or Hillary Clinton.

[Trumpocalypse]

200. Why stupid?

I want Democrats to be better than republicans.

And I agree no are no republicans that meet the standards of Franken or Clinton.

[zentrum]

116. Come back Al!

Will never forgive your ousters.

[Judi Lynn]

119. It takes a warm, very aware, intelligent person to do what Al Franken has done throughout.

He cares deeply. What's missing is decency on the part of anyone who would want to cause trouble for him.

I can understand if there are simply a lot of astoundingly STUPID people who bump into him, who are simply not on a very intelligent wave length, who wildly misread and misinterpret many people around them due to their own unbearable inability to understand other people altogether.

Surely everyone has run across people like that, people who leave you flabbergasted when you realize how MUCH they just don't "get" around them, and how far away they are from being able to know anything at all about other people.

It's painful to watch in real life, and it happens often.

It was easy to tell from the first idiots were involved in these attempts to destroy Al Franken. You could tell by their own descriptions, their inability to perceive what had happened.

Instead of being ignored, someone gave them a microphone to the world, and encouraged them to go for broke.n They weren't prepared for their moments of "fame!" They simply babbled what they imagined was wanted from them.

Hope anyone who was in doubt about him will finally awaken, shake off the silliness and start paying attention to the events in their lives in order to grasp any trace of reality.

It was tremendous the person who took the time to chronicle the interactions he had with this young lady, and share them, now. What he did, over time, was genuine, totally uplifting, respectful, and full of love. Impressive, but not a surprise.

Thank you, so much, babylonsister.

[green917]

135. This is, exactly, who Al Franken is!

I have been in the restaurant business in Minneapolis for 3 decades. About 12 years ago, I worked for a great breakfast spot here in town and Al was a regular there for years (he used to serve their wild rice porridge at his breakfast meetings on the hill before he was, egregiously, run out of office). He was, and is, one of the kindest and most humble, down to Earth people I've ever had the pleasure of serving! This story brought tears to my eyes as well but doesn't surprise me in the least! He and Frannie are delightful and wonderful human beings. I would love to see him run for President in 2020 but, sadly, I doubt he will.

[renate]

150. I love hearing this!

I simply adore Al. He’s not just decent (and funny) but surreally intelligent. What happened to him still infuriated me and breaks my heart—it was so unfair.

Anyway, I’m happy to hear that my admiration is well founded.

[napi21]

136. Is it crazy for me to want him to run foe thr Senate again?

I think everybody, even the jerks that insisted that he resign, know he wasn't guilty of anything he was accused of and shouldn't have listened to them. I also think if he ran again, the people of Mn. would elect him again!

[brooklynite]

188. Against Amy Klobuchar or Tina Smith?

[TSheehan]

147. Is any of this incompatible with Franken being a sexual predator?

[Trumpocalypse]

153. To be fair

He wasn’t a predator, at least not like Harvey Weinstein or Matt Lauer. Franken’s behavior was inappropriate at worst. But to answer your question, no.

[TSheehan]

155. Right, there are degrees. Nothing Franken did rises to the level of Weinstein, Cosby, Epstein, etc.

But I don’t miss him in the Senate.

[Trumpocalypse]

158. I do

But understand the reasons why he had to go.

Unfortunately a personality cult has been built around Franken in which he was the greatest Democratic Senator whoever served, all 8 women were lying GOP operatives and Gillibrand held a gun to his head to force him to resign so she could run for the 2020 nomination unopposed.

[Beartracks]

157. Thank God he was railroaded without an investigation of those convenient, anonymous, accusations!

Still rankles me, and I'm not even from MN.

========

[Scruffy1]

159. Thid is the man I know and love. n/t.

[Raine]

160. Awful that a good man like Franken

was railroaded out of office!

[NinaNeon]

163. Why did he leave?

I never understood that?
Was he asked to leave?
He was no Kevin Spacey, I mean come on!

[LongtimeAZDem]

171. Because it was a witch-hunt, and in this case our leaders were cowards. /nt

[scarytomcat]

165. please come back Al we need you

you can be elected again

[UCmeNdc]

166. Al Franken, truly a great man! And Trump is still in office??????

Well, that is how Democratic Politicians are treated.

[Gothmog]

201. Great story

Thank you for posting