Well, crap. It looks like Al Franken is going through with his resignation.

[DFW]

I wish his Democratic detractors could cumulatively muster the class Al Franken has shown since this whole charade started.

[NCTraveler]

1. He is a man of his word. Nt

[pangaia]

2. That kind of class is all too rare...

[mountain grammy]

3. On such a good day

This is tragic and wrong.

[Behind the Aegis]

4. Shows how far we have fallen as a country.

[ebbie15644]

5. I think they will rue the day they did this to him

[DFW]

10. I hope so

There deserves to be a lot of introspection going on among the Democratic Senators that ran him out, and, I hope, a lot of realization that "there, but for the grace of God, go I."

While the Republican narrowly missed seating the worst embarrassment they could ever wish upon themselves, we just got rid of one of the most eloquent voices (and most dedicated Democrats) that we had in the Senate.

Tom Lehrer, over 50 years ago, sang a song about former Nazi missile scientist (and later NASA hero) Werhner von Braun, "a man whose allegiance is ruled by expedience." There are more than a few of our Democratic Senators about whom the same might said, with regard to Al Franken's fate. This was not our finest hour.

[ebbie15644]

20. Very well said, you put my thoughts to words

[leftstreet]

6. DURec

[California_Republic]

7. He should find a path back.

[Brother Buzz]

8. He's going through with his resignation, but he isn't going to ride into the sunset

He will still be a voice to reckon with, and will be a burr under a lot of saddles. I'd be happy if he channeled a bit of Steinbeck's Tom Joad:

“Then it don' matter. Then I'll be all aroun' in the dark. I'll be ever'where - wherever you look. Wherever they's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever they's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there. If Casy knowed, why, I'll be in the way guys yell when they're mad an' - I'll be in the way kids laugh when they're hungry an' they know supper's ready. An' when our folks eat the stuff they raise an' live in the houses they build, why, I'll be there.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

[Hortensis]

9. Well, all DUers can do is work on mustering our own class.

Imo, the people who despise all politicians, and especially those willing to destroy them all through a hostility borne of profound ignorance combined with the anxiety of ignorance, are least deserving of what they do have.

My only wonder is what on earth made some fasten on poor Senator Franken, among nearly 200, as a saint sloshing around alone in a cesspit. Just knowing his name from TV exposure helps, sure, but what else?

[nykym]

11. Since Mark Dayton won't

have a special election.
Franken should stay and have the ethics investigation.
With Franken staying the Repubs won't loose their shit over it.
So would a bunch of Dems.
But it would keep one vote in the senate.

[DFW]

12. I am not familiar with applicable Minnesota law here

So I don't know what is supposed to happen in which order.

[LisaL]

14. There is no need for special election in MN.

People are confusing Conyer's situation with Franken's.
In Franken's case, governor appointed a replacement.
In Conyer's case, they will have to wait 11 month to vote during their regular election. So Conyer's seat will be empty for those 11 months.

[nuxvomica]

13. I think the Frankens are going to be ok

I'm not sure I will be, at the moment. Two of the senators that pounced on him are people I've supported, donated to, even volunteered for. I see them in a new light now. They are going to have to work very hard before I trust them again.

One of my friends who was also really shaken by this whole debacle used to be a liberatarian and a Bush defender. He was turned by Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. Lots of people were. Franken's been a real asset to the causes we hold most dear.

In the spirit of lighting a candle instead of just cursing the darkness, I made a donation to the Innocence Project.

[L. Coyote]

15. He's no Larry Craig.

[roamer65]

16. Governor Franken.

I like the sound of it.

My checkbook is ready for it.

[DFW]

19. MIne, too, if that's what Franken wants.

I was hoping he'd continue to want his Senate seat. His voice is important enough to keep on the national stage, though Minnesota couldn't ask for a more dedicated governor.

[Thor_MN]

17. One of Franken's DU detractors just inadvertently revealed that he sees DU via Greece.

Hacker or hacked, I can't tell. But one of the majorly rabid Franken bashers has internet connection issues.

[DFW]

18. Maybe he keeps his banking business on Cyprus?

A friend of mine in Stuttgart once had an inquiry from a Russian asking for some credit to buy some fancy object. My friend said, "OK with a bank reference." The Russian gave a bank in the Greek part of Cyprus as a reference. He called the bank, asked to speak to the manager and then asked the manager if he knew the Russian in question. The bank manager laughed. "Of course, I know him. He owns the bank!."