Well, it appears that Al Franken will resign.

[MineralMan]

It's his decision, of course. However, here's what I expect to follow his resignation:

The Republicans will observe that Democrats hold other Democrats to strict account when it comes to actions they don't necessarily condemn in other Republicans. They will see that as an opportunity and will generate additional accusations against other Democrats in Congress. New "victims" will appear and accuse other Democrats of sexual liberties taken against them. We will face the same problem we faced with Franken, and will more or less have to demand resignations from those newly accused Democrats.

Count on it. The Republicans will have discovered a new weapon they can use. I do not look forward to this one little bit, but I'm sure it will happen.

[nini]

1. I hope he demands an investigation and expose these accusations

And if he really did something he should pay the price. But we all deserve to know the truth.

You're right though.

hissssssssssssssssssss

[MineralMan]

5. Once he resigns, there will be no such investigation.

I'm sorry, but that's what will happen.

Did Al Franken behave improperly on occasion? Probably. We all probably have, if we are willing to think about it. I suspect if you investigated most members of Congress, you could find some stuff they have done that rises to the same level, in one area or another.

This is the danger here. Nobody is an absolutely saintly person. Nobody I've met, at least.

[nini]

9. Oh I know that.. that's why it should happen first

They should have opened an investigation when he asked for it.


I'm so freaking fed up with everything these days - it's one stinking thing after another. ugh

[MineralMan]

14. Actually, they did.

The investigation has been started, although it would take a very long time. It will be dropped if he resigns.

[Bengus81]

18. Once he resigns the accusations will STOP in a nano second too.......

Last edited Wed Dec 6, 2017, 07:40 PM - Edit history (1)

Nothing but a Republican hit job and it WORKED,thanks to Dems in Congress.

Al being abusive and a groper.....

[MineralMan]

20. No. They'll just shift to accusations of other Democrats.

I guarantee it. Just watch.

[Alice11111]

46. Yep. They took out our best WITHOUT even an investigation.

They had to really HURRY before he exposed Sessions again.

Stupid people. Imagine if they had channeled some of that energy toward defeating the tax bill or exposing Trump's sex abuse. I guess the DNC needed a victory so badly, it was easier to go after Franken than Bannon's RWers.

I am done. They couldn't even wait for an investigation.

[Bengus81]

62. I mean accusations against Franken--should have made that clear

[delisen]

24. Are Senate Democrats the new Masters of the Universe that

votes of citizens don't matter-just the demands of The Masters?

[Hortensis]

25. Franken already did and HE may have come out okay.

But these are very dangerous, destabilized times for our democracy, and his resignation creates a backfire to remove fuel from both the right and other anti-Democrat arsenists.

His temporary replacement will be appointed by Minnesota's Democratic governor, and next November a special election will fill it.

Keith Ellison is one of the names we can expect those newly encouraged left-wing zealots who are thrilled to have brought down a Democrat to start pushing big time. But he's no extremist, so the worst we could expect IF he won would be the disappointment of that type. As Senator Ellison he'd be the very powerful person all senators are.

This meant to say "if you're liberal AND you think,"

Link to tweet

My only objection is the sloppiness with terminology. Some of her most virulent opposition came from the anti-liberal left. But maybe this writer and Ellison consider them lost causes and were only speaking to mislead liberals.

[ollie10]

2. Well put!

Maybe it is going to be bad karma.

Many of the Senators leading the lynch mob today have presidential aspirations.

Maybe one of them gets accused of something equally jaw dropping as what we have seen against Franken.

Bad karma, indeed.

But, as for me, I will not contribute one penny nor support any of these lynch mobbers if and when they run in the primaries in 2020.

America deserves better than a lynch mob mentality.

And Democrats deserve better than cowards willing to be the lap dogs of the Republican hate machine.

[Alice11111]

47. 100pc!

[Mandos the Judge]

3. Yup...

The scenario you outlined is pretty much bound to happen. I expect to see a lot anonymous accusers to start popping up against vulnerable Democratic candidates in the future, since Franken's case has set the standard (meaning no independent evidence required). The Dems really fucked themselves here...

[Girard442]

4. In the meantime, Trump & Moore's accusers will be called liers from every corner of the media.

The D's have every right and every obligation to insist on due process for both D's and R's alike. By failing to do that, they exposed themselves as spineless wimps.

[ollie10]

11. And Trump and Moore will be able to argue that it was the Democrats who had to resign....

For any of us to believe that this gives the Democrats the "moral high ground" that is naive. Franken resigning will hurt the Democrats, and help the Moores and Trumps of this world.

[dhill926]

39. exactly....

[geardaddy]

6. So, who do you think Dayton will appoint?

I would like to see either Rebecca Otto or Lori Swanson.

[MineralMan]

10. Probably Betty McCollum, if she's willing.

And she probably will be. She's good. I'd support her. She's available, and would stand a good chance of being elected, as well.

[geardaddy]

13. I'd definitely support her.

So, then who would take her place in the 4th?

[BootinUp]

7. Fuck politics. Sick of it.

[MineralMan]

12. Yup. Today is not a good day for Democratic politics.

Once again, we're about to cut our own throats.

[SammyWinstonJack]

30. I just said to my husband, sick of this crap.

[Pacifist Patriot]

8. I do believe you may be proven right.

Stunningly stupid stuff!

[MineralMan]

16. Stupid, indeed.

It could be calamitous.

[Alice11111]

48. Tipping point for me.

Done

[Baitball Blogger]

15. This forced capitulation is so typical of spineless Democrats.

We have learned nothing.

[MineralMan]

17. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies, it seems.

We're going to regret this, I'm afraid.

[Alice11111]

50. Indeed

[atreides1]

19. I believe you're right

The Republicans have defined "groping" as any physical contact between a male Democrat and a female!

Before too long there are going to be men who will anonymously accuse female Democrats of "groping" them, and the calls for their resignations will echo throughout the halls of congress!

The Republicans now have a very powerful weapon, and thanks to the circular firing squad that Democrats are experts at forming, 2018 isn't going to end well for the Democratic Party!

[MineralMan]

21. I'm afraid of what is coming, frankly.

The Republicans are ruthless and have no integrity whatsoever. They will accuse anyone of anything, now that no proof is required to force a Democrat to resign.

Bad cess all around.

[LenaBaby61]

22. Bravo...

MineralMan:

Bravo ....

I hate saying this, but what if an affair was to come to light that a Democratic woman candidate had years ago or is currently having?

Is she going to be asked to resign or asked to not run for office simply because of that? WHOSE moral high ground do we use here? thuglicans would ask her to resign, but keep one of their own.

We're heading down an extremely slippery slope here. Don't think that woman can't be targeted or gone after by thuglicans. Or, it might merely be a person coming forward who wants to reveal this information out of spite or they've been "asked" to.

SO m many shades of gray here it's not funny, but Dems seem to be lumping them into a Roy Moore basket.

Roy Moore IN the Senate.

Al Franken OUT of the Senate.

[delisen]

23. So A group of senators can overturn the votes of the people

of an entire state.

Do votes matter anymore to Democrats?

Are the Senate Democrats a private club, a House of Lords ?

[MineralMan]

26. Politics is weird.

That's the bottom line. Personally, I think this is all a very big mistake, and one that is about to backfire on us. I think we will regret it for years to come, sadly.

[Alice11111]

53. They are so, so full of themselves. They did overturn

the will of the people. The DNC jumped on board and pounded him too.

To think of all of the money I have raised and given to most of those very Dems, and I am not wealthy, and then they commit party suicide.

[delisen]

63. Just sent email to Shumer: If you don't call for Trump to

resign you must resign.

[bettyellen]

27. Agree this will embolden this. He should not resign until TWO ethics investigations happens...

[mvd]

28. If anything he got carried away. He's no predator

Trump and Moore are predators. But instead of constant calls for Trump to resign, we just eat our own.

[The_Casual_Observer]

29. The lastest accuser is a peach. "He squeezed my waist....twice!"

The bar is so low now that any contact with a woman in the past is now fair game.

[lunamagica]

31. Yes, MM. If Sen. Fraken resigns, this will be the Democratic Party future

I'm counting on it.

[spanone]

32. K&R...

[Moral Compass]

33. This is stupid

I really am having trouble believing this is happening.

This unilateral disarmament by the Democratic Party teaches the Republicans that all they have to do to win is to trot out some vaguely substantiated accusations and our own party will fall on itself like a pack of rabid dogs.

So, while a tax bill that has the potential to fully rollback the last vestiges of the New Deal is in play, and our only hope is to be a united front and maintain absolute message discipline— the senior female leadership of the Democratic Party demands the resignation of Al Franken.

So, I guess this tax cut extravaganza isn’t that important then.

It is dwarfed in importance by some anonymous women saying Senator Franken grabbed a body part or tried to kiss them. And somehow this didn’t come out during two different senate campaigns—one of which was the nastiest in Minnesota history.

I suppose it would be churlish of me to remark on the timing and how this so effectively distracts from all sorts of things that currently seem kind of important.

We have met the enemy and he is us.

[Cary]

34. What tbey failed on with Bill Clinton tbey now succeed on with Franken

[mn9driver]

35. Franken resigning will greatly increase the chance of a Republican taking that seat

There is no one that Dayton can appoint who will fare well statewide in a special election. And his resignation will affect turnout. This is going to demoralize a lot of people.

There is a very real potential for Democrats to give away a lot of winnable 2018 races by handling this so poorly.

[ffr]

37. +1

Every democrat here is totally sunk by how this is being handled, at a time when our country needs resisting democrats the most. This country and this party are finished.

[dflprincess]

44. When there is an empty senate seat

someone is appointed to fill the seat until the next general election. So, if Al resigns, Governor Dayton would appoint someone to the seat now and that person (assuming they want to) would stand for election next November to fill the remainder of Al's term. Then, that person would run again in 2020 to win a term in their own right.

Amy Klobuchar is also up for reelection next November and we have the Governor and Attorney General positions to fill, hopefully this will help turnout.

[ffr]

36. I'm considering changing party affiliation just because of this. It's ridiculous!

Democrats are the last stand in the resistance and we're not afraid to make our party and the voice of the majority, the 66 million to elected the popular presidential candidate (HRC), more irrelevant than ever.

[rurallib]

38. Its open season on Democrats and they act like sitting ducks.

Amazing how a supposedly fatal flaw in Republicans ends up hurting Democrats and is used as a badge of courage for Republicans.

[MrModerate]

40. Republicans will take down as many Dem pols as they can with the same sort of phony accusations...

...as used on Franken.

And we'll let 'em.

Because we're Democrats, and for some reason that means letting ourselves be regularly hornswoggled by people more willing to cheat at politics than we are.

[Loubee]

41. Another triumph for Stone, Cernovich, etc. courtesy of Senate Democrats.

[dflprincess]

42. Democrats who are demanding Al's resignation are playing right

into Stone's and Bannon's hands.

This is why we lose elections.

[oasis]

49. +1000

[SergeStorms]

43. They haven't discovered it....

they've been using it for years, but now they've weaponized it.

[blaze]

45. Franken just tweeted that a decision has not been made. nt

[questionseverything]

51. i pray he does not resign

but I agree with the rest of your op

cause no one will ever be "pure" enough again

[PubliusEnigma]

52. Reports of Al's resignation are premature.

[OliverQ]

68. But he can't stay with pretty much the entire Democratic caucus calling for his resignation.

He's going to have to resign out of pure pressure, but I agree with the OP that this is now a new weapon that will benefit Republicans greatly.

[RiverStone]

54. How many Dems calling for Al to resign are also demanding tRump do the same!?

One without the other is utter bullshit!!

[Bleacher Creature]

55. I'm sorry, but I disagree.

Republicans will go after Democrats regardless of whether there is "blood in the water." Saying otherwise is silly.

I thought the world of Franken. I also feel let down by him for behavior that he's acknowledged. I understand the hurt that people here feel, but I'm seeing a lot of posts that are dangerously close to victim bashing.

Bob Casey is right. We can't just believe women when it's convenient.

[senaca]

56. i'm sickened by this

Al Franken has been a huge influence in helping create a more even playing field in get our democratic values out there - from his work helping create Air America to his intelligence and wit as a Senator in helping MN.

Here's the thing, this may backfire on the Breitbarts of the world. If Senator Franken so wishes to combat the right wing disinformation machine established - he more than anyone knows how to take them on in the media. They are expecting Senator Franken to go quietly in the night and not fight for issues that he considers important. I'm hoping that they are wrong. He has a gift for cutting through the nonsense and helping people see what is important.

[rockfordfile]

57. I agree.

[Jimbo101]

58. I Agree - it's our new Achilles Heel

anonymous accusations will be the new GOP buzz word for 2018.

[Scruffy1]

59. As usual you hit it on the head MM.

But I also believe that Al has good judgement. Perhaps he thinks it would be better for the party and the voters to remove this distraction from the 2018 cycle, even if it all BS. Calling someone a sexual abuser has become the newst red scare tactic.

[nini]

60. He should at least not run again if he's ready to step down

We absolutely cannot lose a vote in the Senate right now.

[Delmette2.0]

61. No, No,No,No,No,NO,NO,NO,NO

Damn it HELL NO!!!

[mountain grammy]

64. Is this payback for holding Session's feet to the fire?

Let's remember how vocal Al's been. Is it time for everyone to shut up?

I'm appalled at Democrats. Will they speak out while the DOJ rolls back police reforms? Will they speak out when the majority rolls back Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid? Will they speak out against the inevitable war the so called president will start Will they be as vocal as Al Franken's been? These are good Dems, but most haven't put it out there like Franken has and he was targeted. This sends a message. If we speak out, you can take us out.

What the hell? Almost everyone has something embarrassing in their past.. Republicans run on it and win, Democrats resign.

[rockfordfile]

65. To me this is just like what happen to Clinton last year.

[Kablooie]

66. And they'll call shame to the Democratic party because of all the sexism.

Of course ignoring any sexism in the GOP but voters will believe it.

Yep the DNC has handed the GOP a massive hammer to beat us down with and it will work.

[mbusby]

67. Well...

Link to tweet

[Honeycombe8]

69. I tried to send an email thru his Senate website, but it wouldn't go thru.

Well, I am saddened by this, mainly because I don't believe the allegations.

Kamela Harris says he should resign. Cory Booker just chimed in with the same. Feinstein says he should resign. Even though the women haven't come forward publicly...people are so eager to believe. I believe the women, but only when they make themselves known. I don't automatically believe supposed allegations by "unknown sources."

Losing Franken is a huge loss for the Dem Party. Huge.

[angrychair]

70. I respectfully disagree

It’s not that simplistic. Your assumption is that a given organization can continually put forth multiple women to falsely accuse a Democrat, one after the other.

First, that belittles the significance of coming forth as a victim of sexual misconduct. That is no easy admission. I am a victim of child molestation and admitting that in public is not easy or without it’s own costs, both emotionally and physically.

Even if false or contrived, the insinuation that they can keep doing this is both impractical and illogical as to attempt such a false attack twice, much less three or more times is a significant operation. No secret is that well kept. No conspiracy that well organized.

We can get past this and still be successful. As we saw in the off-year elections a month ago: there are intelligent, committed and well-spoken people out there willing to step up and serve their their community and their country.
This may be the end of one tale but the beginning of so many more.