Al Franken Has Not Denied Picking his Nose.

[MineralMan]

Although this disgusting story has not been reported in major media outlets, many are concerned about his non-denial and are calling for him to do something that has yet to be defined. Many people have serious concerns about his nostril mining and are wondering if this is a noxious habit that should lead to his removal from elected office.

Some are saying that he should immediately resign or at least use a hanky.

More as information comes in.

[Horse with no Name]

1. George Carlin comes to mind....you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose

but you can't pick your friend's nose!

Now there is a newsflash!

[Vinca]

26. Wish George was around to comment on the Trump era.

[Hortensis]

60. I loved Carlin, but he was dark enough in those times.

He might just have turned into a black hole in these.

[Ninga]

2. yep yep and yep. Nt

[ollie10]

3. Good point!

The Rs are laughing at us.

[MineralMan]

28. I hope we'll be laughing at them next November.

GOTV!

[ollie10]

38. yes!!!

[lagomorph777]

4. I don't like your snotty attitude.

[oasis]

7. I'd weigh in on this but, it's snot for me to say.

[rocktivity]

37. Well, I think the DU Pun Posse stinks

and since it smells like this thread is going to turn into an orgy of nasal references, I nose this is the right time to leave!


rocktivity

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. He has also not denied failing to return library books.

That would be stealing, which is dishonest and illegal. Members of the Senate should not be doing dishonest and illegal things like stealing, but Franken has never denied that he once failed to return a library book. I wonder whether this should be tolerated, since liberals and Democrats are more virtuous than other people. If we refuse to sanction the failure to return library books (which is stealing) and demand his resignation, we can feel good about ourselves for being against stealing.

[oberliner]

6. Seems like this post is minimizing the seriousness of grabbing a woman's butt

Which I find to be sad.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. Butt-grabbing is an inappropriate stretching of personal boundaries.

It is not, however, in the same universe of bad things as child molestation and forcible rape. It also does not often occur in public in the presence of the alleged grabee's husband, but it's a convenient allegation for GOP ratfuckers.

[moriah]

18. There's also issues of power level of accused and vulnerability of accuser.

Grabbing any ass without permission is bad.

Grabbing the ass of your subordinate is worse.

Grabbing the ass of a minor is even worse than that.

Grabbing the ass of a minor you knew was vulnerable because of the position you held and using that power to target them is.... well, Roy Moore and quite possibly our President if any pageant girls he grabbed were under 18.

[MineralMan]

23. No Grabass in the Gym, Boys!

Now, drop and give me 10!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

31. Not funny MM, sorry.

[MineralMan]

32. Humor is in the eye of the beholder, as always.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

33. Can't argue with that.

[moriah]

48. Actually, male victims are why I tried to make my statement non-gendered.

I know you made this as a sarcasm vent thread, but on the serious...

Our message should be not just "listen to women", but "listen to victims". One small amount of privilege a female victim of heterosexual boundary crossing is that she's not jn general expected to have the same physical power to fight back and isn't questioned about their sexuality (either by others or by negative self-talk).

In acknowledgement of that privilege we do need to make sure our efforts to combat sexual assault don't leave out male victims (or perps of either gender who target them). Pave the way for those who do have a harder time as a result of the negative effects of patriarchy on everyone, not just women.

[pnwmom]

11. I find it sad that some Dems lump possible butt grabbing together with possible child molestation,

to the extent that they think they BOTH should result in Senate expulsion.

[MineralMan]

16. I am still waiting for a concrete definition of where someone's

butt begins and ends. We have not seen that, yet. Besides, my 93-year-old mother refused to countenance the use of the word, "butt." She insists that that area is called one's "hips."

So, we definitely need a definite definition of what is a butt and what is not a butt.

[moriah]

49. For me, below crack-line is too damn low.

Of course, my ass is relatively small/flat. Anything above where the crack starts around to about the pubic hair line on the side is "hip" or "lower back".

However, what's below the divide is most definitely asscheek.

[MineralMan]

53. My wife claims that I have no discernable butt.

I personally can't see back there, so I must take her word for it.

[moriah]

56. You're lucky, many speech from back there often. ;) nt

[MineralMan]

57. LOL! I speech fine from there.

SEE! Damned autocorrect!

[MineralMan]

13. Well, any port in a storm, I guess.

I don't believe that Senator Franken has denied grabbing anyone's butt, either. He appears not to remember his hand coming in contact with anonymous people's buttocks. Now, perhaps it did, and perhaps there was the perception that it did, but perhaps it did not, and the perception of the location of some anonymous people's butt is not the same as others' perception.

Non-denial is not pro-admission. It's all pretty ridiculous, when compared to feeling up a 14-year-old and dragging her hand to some adults genital area, it seems to me. But, we're more than willing to crucify a Democrat over one, while being distracted from the other.

WTActualF?!?

[JI7]

14. You defended Jerry Lewis so people can see through your fake concern

[yardwork]

21. Thanks for mentioning that here.

[treestar]

15. The issue here would not be that

It would be the seriousness of having to deny any accusation made, no matter how ridiculous, giving endless power to other people who only have to run their mouths and accuse.

[MineralMan]

17. I will defer to having this dispute decided by the number of recs

by DUers. And there it is.

[cwydro]

24. No it is not.

MM has spoken on sexual harassment.

In my opinion, now he is simply speaking on the witch hunt here on DU to hang Franken.

[BootinUp]

25. I used to think witch hunts were

Easy for everyone to see. Lol.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

29. My thoughts exactly... but, be prepared to catch shit for it.

BTW, has NOTHING to do with whether AL Franken did or didn't do the things he's accused of.

There, I said it... flame away the rest of you!!

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Of Course You Would See It That Way

So predictable, and since you mentioned sad...

[Butterflylady]

47. Boy o boy, I wish I could fine that trash button.

[pansypoo53219]

9. no borsht here.

[Wwcd]

10. This op defines the scope of it all.

More importantly, did Joe Barton use a selfie stick?

Enquiring minds & all..

[ProudLib72]

12. OMG MM!

I swear that I was going to make a post about senatorial nose picking early this morning! Something to do with whataboutism and moral equivalency.

[MineralMan]

22. Never let an opportunity go un-taken.

That's my advice. Strike while the irony is hot!

[edbermac]

19. I have not denied scratching my ass.

[MineralMan]

20. That's probably for the best, I think.

Despite the sad truth that all of us occasionally engage in that activity, it is not a suitable topic of discussion in polite company.

[Ms. Toad]

27. This is not analagous.

He has not been accused in major media outlets of picking his nose.


He has been accused of grabbing women's buttocks during photo ops. He has responded to allegations against him, and while he denied one of the allegations (the bathroom invitation) he has not denied others.

While I do not agree he shold be removed from office, I do believe this is an implied acknowledgementat that the allegations (or something very similar to the allegations) are true. If not, he would have denied them - as he denied the allegations about the bathroom invitation.

[MineralMan]

30. What he has said is that he doesn't even remember the events

being discussed. That's not surprising. Al Franken is here meeting and greeting people whenever he can be. People come up to get their picture taken with him and he often puts his arm around their waists to make standing close easier.

So, he cannot deny, because he can't remember where his hand might have been during one of those photos.

What is not analogous is comparing that with some 32 year old man feeling up a 14 year old girl and leading her hand to his genitals. Moore has denied that, as he must do. Franken has not denied the claims of tuching the but, because he cannot remember the incident at all.

He has apologized if that did happen despite his lack of memory.

Please get real!

Quite obviously, my post was satirical in nature. Sorry you missed the "evilgrin" smilie:

[Ms. Toad]

41. I didn't miss the "evilgrin" smilie, I am responding to the tone of your post

which is dismissing the current implied acknowledge ment Franken made about the butt grabbing incidents - as far too many on DU are doing.

He said that he categorically denied the bathroom incident, but acknowledged that he had crossed the line with some women.

Let me give you a simple analogy: When I was a teacher, years ago, students would imagine they heard me swearing and make allegations that they heard me say a swear word. I could (and did) categorically deny their allegations - even though I had no idea what it was that I said that was similar enough to what they thought they heard because the language they thought they heard was not in my vocabulary. This is similar to Franken's categorical denial about the bathroom invitation - it is not in his interactive vocabulary so he can categorically deny it (even though he has no specific recollection of it).

In contrast, this means that the reason he has not categorically denied the butt grabbing incident is that it is something (or at least similar enough to his physical interactiuons in that kind of setting) that he cannot honestly say it did not happen - even though he can't specifically remember it. In other words, that kind of physical interaction is in his interactive vocabulary - and has happened on occasion even though he can't identify the specific incidents.

I agree it is not analagous to Moore's situation - but it is also not analagous to your nose - picking fantasy.

Don't satirize something that is a serious issue for Democrats - who are (at least on DU) engaged in character assassiination against anyone who dares make allegations against Franken.

He has expressly acknowledged that he has engaged in physical interactions that crossed the line - yet far too man on DU are trying to prove his innocence. Your post is in that vein by imagining something he has not been accused of then concluding that becuase he didn't deny something he had not been accused of that he must have done it. In reality, he was accused of unwanted sexual contact, he not only didn't deny it - he implicitly acknowledged it in his apology yesteray.

Ridiculing the allegations, and the women who made them, misses the point. He has largely acknowledged them and DU is still stuck on proving they didn't happen via character assassination, rather than accepting they did happen - recognizing that he responded appropriately - and supporting his continued presence in Congress in spite of his bad behavior. This is a very different posture than denying the bad behavior happened.

[mythology]

58. Odd, I can remember that I've never grabbed a woman's ass without permission

It's really not hard to remember if you did or didn't. His weasel words and his apologizing for letting down women make me reasonably sure the women aren't lying.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

35. +1

[rocktivity]

34. Nor has Franken denied

putting the bop in the bop-shoo-bop-shoo-bop.


rocktivity

[Deb]

36. Boogie fever, you got to boogie down.

Boogie fever, I think it's going around.

[rocktivity]

40. Fee Fi Fo Fum

I smell the blood of the DU Pun Posse!


rocktivity

[pangaia]

39. THANK YOU MR. Man !

Whew!

[steve2470]

42. He has not denied being a reptilian!

*holds microphone to the Senator's lips* Tell us, is it true you are a reptilian?

[nocalflea]

43. Butt ...butt...

Really this is just another sad distraction from another much needed and overwrought Hillary/Bernie debate. Tsk, Tsk, MM. You been a baaaad boy. I have a paddle with just your name on it. 😉😉😉.

[rocktivity]

54. One autographed paddle, coming right up!

rocktivity

[nocalflea]

59. Yes ! Another paddle aficionado !

What type of wood do you prefer ? Hard or soft ?

[BlancheSplanchnik]

45. you're killin me, MineralMan!

[L. Coyote]

46. People are asking, "Why does he do this while being photographed?"

Yes, people ....

[awesomerwb1]

50. You need to open another thread about this

tomorrow as well.

And the day after until he actually denies it.

[BootinUp]

52. lol. nt

[Demit]

55. Yes! We simply have not had enough threads about Al Franken not making

statements in EXACTLY THE RIGHT WAY. After all the times he's been told what he SHOULD HAVE SAID, he still refuses to say it! WHY, THE EFFRONTERY OF THE MAN.

[applegrove]

51. Actually they think picking your nose, or swallowing the stuff in your

nose, has a bacteria in it that stops ulcers in your gut. I'm not kidding. It good bacteria.