Comments

1
i love the optimism here. It would be nice to think voters would see the objective reality, and notice that the Democratic Party took action (eventually) against its sexual harassers, while the Republicans let it slide. But 2006, and even 2012 for that matter, were different worlds. Right now, a relationship between objective reality and the “Republican brand” doesn’t really exist. The vast majority of Republican voters, wrapped up in fear, ignorance, and tribalism, will easily justify this, just as they’ve justified all the other reprehensible filth these horrible animals have flung from their backsides over the last year.

In the world we live in now, spinning sexual assault as primarily a liberal/Democratic problem will not be hard. They’ll say “look at all the liberals in Hollywood who turned out to be predators!!” They’ll even use the fact that Moore, Trump, etc. did not step down as a sign of innocence...”the Democrat sex assaulters stepped down because they were guilty, whereas the activist liberal media just cooked up charges against Moore!!”

We all know this will happen. And a great many people, even many “independents” will fall for it. So yeah, I’m glad we are doing the right thing. But what’s that saying? “No good deed goes unpunished”? Yeah, I think that’s probably more the case.
2
The DNC forever lost my support both financial and my vote over these last two days.

I will not vote for Murray or Cantwell in the future. Nor shall I ever vote for any Democrat in the future. Some of you will point out that I'm giving the playing field to the GOP - to that I say "so what" - what difference does it make to have a party that rolls over and pisses itself or the bully party that makes Democrats piss on themselves?

The GOP makes up rules as it goes and the DNC tries to follow "rules" that just weaken America. There is NO HOPE - ZERO - for America in the DNC.
3
@2: Your comment should be in an aphorism dictionary next to "cutting off your nose to spite your face."
5
@2 - Dan I respect you and enjoy your column. But tell me how supporting Democrats is a winning proposition anymore. You of all people should understand how this works. The GOP has now established the new rules, Al is gone because he touched a woman's ass. The next Democratic Male who dares challenge a Republican too hard will have a chorus of women coming forth saying "he touched me" - The new rule is now law.

So I ask you Dan, why support a weakened dog that has no teeth?
6
@3

Dan, that's the MO of the American left. Give them a circular firing squad and they'll step on their grandmother's faces to be a part of it.
7
Personally, I think people in Franken's position should do what they think is right. If they think they can still faithfully serve their constituents, they should not resign. If the constituents feel otherwise, they will vote him out anyway.

That being said, there is no way Franken, or any senator, can possibly do their jobs when a new accuser is speaking out every other day, and a bunch of your colleagues are demanding you leave.

Franken's hand was forced here, he had no choice. A bit ironic, that.
8
@2 @4 Grow up. Franken is entirely replaceable. And they waited to punt him until it was showed to be a pattern of behavior. Dems showing that they won't put up with sexual harrassment- because that's what it is when you grab people's asses- is the right thing to do both morally and pragmatically.

The problems that the Democratic party has are not because we are too tough on d-bags, but because we are led by a crew of elderly out-of-touch plutocrats (Pelosi, Schumer, Clinton, Sanders, et al.) Quit bitching over nothing and get back to fighting the good fight.
9
You guys are going to love Franken's replacement, and you're going to wonder why we had to wait so long before seeing her in the Senate.

We're going to be glad that Franken's defenders lost when we see who is waiting for his ass to get out of the way. You can say the same of Weinstein or any of these creeps. None of them contribute enough to outweigh the logjam of wasted talent that they are to blame for.
10
@8 - there is no good in this fight. Democrats play by rules defined on a daily basis by the GOP. There is no way to win short term or long term.

The Democrats established the new standard. No Democrat can possibly stand up to the GOP now, as soon as they do the GOP will manufacturer another group of women making unproven and meaningless allegations so that Democrat will be forced to resign. Who will stand up against the GOP in the Democratic Party knowing that no one will have their back when the GOP attacks?
11
Anyone want to know why the GOP cries out that the allegations against Trump and Moore are made up? Because it's what the GOP does (i.e. Franken). Democrats are fools, Republicans are Evil, and America is doomed. Oh well, at least we'll take the world with us. Who needs Civilization anyway?
12
And he was never was a great comedian either.
13
@3 indeed, cut off your nose to spite your face just like when you claim that a neoliberal warmonger is an agent of progressive change. It has the same effect on Democratic demographics, they stay at home rather than go vote.
14
Are you guys serious. Who cares what the new rules or old rules are, the guy assaulted/ humiliated/ abused several women. This is his reckoning.
15
@14 I saw no evidence of that. The original source was a Republican hit job. The following sources were "he touched my butt during a photo" - no photo's exist showing that. The new accusations are anonymous and he tried to kiss me (no one saw) but he kissed my cheek (it made me feel bad). So now the GOP knows it has a new weapon to use against Democrats who dare embarrass them with facts especially Democrats with Republican Governors.
16
@10: You say the allegations against Franken were manufactured, meaningless, and unproven, since they were simply based off of accusations, or people supporting those accusations.

Do you apply that to every case of sexual assault, or just when someone who aligns with you politically is accused?

Typically the "evidence" in any sexual assault case (including against Moore) is just the testimony of the victim, and people who may have knowledge of what happened. Life is not a CSI episode where there is always irrefutable DNA evidence all over a well protected and sealed crime scene.

By what basis, other than unrelated political leanings of the accused, do you decide which allegations are true and which are false?
17
The GOP isn't defining the "new rules", every woman who has ever been the victim of sexual abuse or harassment IS. Yes, short-term it will mean some Democratic politicians are forced to resign as a result of allegations of abuse or misconduct, because Democrats ultimately have moral principals they understand must be upheld regardless of the impact (and seriously, are we actually going to defend Franken's actions the way the GOP has defended Moore's, and IL DOUCHE's? Is that now to be our standard for what is and isn't acceptable?).

If the GOP collectively chooses to forego establishing and living up to a similar set of values and principals that's no reflection on us; it's all on them, and at some point people on the Right who have been victims of sexual abuse and misconduct - and their allies - will have to make their own decisions about whether that lack of moral principal is something they can in good conscience continue to ignore or defend in light of their own experience.

As the Late Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. put it: "The time is always right to do what is right." This is both the right thing to do and the right time to do it.
18
@16 - When the accusation is of Sexual Harassment, not "he touched my butt for a few seconds that no one saw when it happened during a photo" - When the accuser isn't anonymous. When the accuser isn't a know Republican provocateur. When the accused has his day in court (or in the Senate in front of the Ethics Committee).

What part of James O'Keefe sending an agent to the WaPo to LIE "Moore Raped Me when I was a kid" did you miss? You think the GOP isn't behind this after Franken took Sessions to task? I think the Democratic Party is ran by a bunch of fools scattering in the face of the GOP's assault. I think the Democratic Party has set an example that will be exploited. I'm done having my heart broke by Democrats too weak to stand for themselves let alone us.
19
@9: I hope you're right. I truly do.
20
@10

Kelly L, shut up already. You're boring and repetitive. You sound exactly like one of those assholes who helped Trump win. Every time I'm forced to hear the noxious phrase "President Trump" I think of Hillary hating Bernie bros and I want to go punch one.
21
@18: I see you have decided to retreat into the refuge of "only I decide what real harassment is." That position has somehow even less integrity than your original "The bitches set him up!" argument. It does not even deserve to be addressed.

The Franken accusers are not all anonymous, so I have no idea where you got that from. So you don't trust four named women with similar stories. How many would it take you to believe them? Ten? Twenty?

Which of his accusers are "known Republican provocateurs?" Please provide evidence for your assertion.

Franken never got his day in court because he resigned. So apparently he chose not to have that. I wonder why. Anyway, does that mean that any accused rapist/harasser who is not found guilty must be not guilty? I bet you don't actually believe that.

James O'Keefe has no bearing on this case at all, so why even bring him up? His antics don't even prove anything in the Moore case. This is the shit O'Keefe just does.
22
Only Democrats care about "damaging their brand" It doesn't affect Republicans. They care about winning, at all costs, and they're fucking good at it. Fuck the democratic party for forcing Al Franken to resign over this silly bullshit. We shot ourselves in the head.
23
@15, not sure you have to see evidence of anything. The picture of him humiliating that woman while she slept, that wouldn't be an isolated incident.
24
@12: Clearly you've never read/listened to Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. It's just as relevant - if not more so - today, as it was when he wrote it.

@22: I would say that at least the Moral Highground has reasonable rent, what with the few people inhabiting it, but I'm too busy choking on the smoke of our civilization going up in flames under a Trump administration to consider moving to it.
25
@22, silly bullshit? Yes. That's been the attitude for so long now. Silly women and their claims of continual sexually inappropriate behaviour from men. Just silly fucking bullshit.
26
I hate Trump as much as the next person but Franken and Trump aren't the same. Franken was elected with voters unaware of his sexual transgressions. Trump was elected with full knowledge of everything he had done. Now that says a whole bunch of other things about America, the Right, the Left etc. - but it isn't as simple as "Franken resigned, therefore Trump should."
27
If you don't hold your lawmakers to a higher standard, then you truly are lost. There will be younger people coming up to stand for office. Some of them younger men who have learnt that women can be attractive and competent and know how to respect and not fear such women. Men who don't need to humiliate women to feel whole.
28
Here is the Leeann Tweeden Background. No I don't believe her. Yes she is connected to James O'Keefe. Another victory for the lying liars and the dumb asses who enable them:

https://www.opednews.com/articles/What-s…
29
@20 - No.
30
I think this plays out way better than most of the commenters give it credit.

Taking this high ground is the smartest thing I think the dems have done in ages. Usually they pick losing fights and trip over themselves lining up to defend some pathetically stupid position, but this is smart. Especially in today’s sound bite laden political campaigns.

“They’re the party that welcomes child molesters and refuses to defend or believe women...we have zero tolerance.” Thats huge and for once it’s not just moral grandstanding. It’s 100% current and relevant to a long overdue shift in attitudes about the acceptance of sexual harassment.

Good on them for getting rid of Franken. I can’t believe I agree with Cthuhlu on this, but whoever steps up to replace can’t possibly be worse than Al.
31
@10 "No Democrat can possibly stand up to the GOP now, as soon as they do the GOP will manufacturer another group of women making unproven and meaningless allegations so that Democrat will be forced to resign. Who will stand up against the GOP in the Democratic Party knowing that no one will have their back when the GOP attacks?"

I dunno. Maybe a woman could run?
32
@28: So your source "OpEd News" has videos where she was a guest on the Hannity Show, and also pitches a story that was proven to be fraudulent (that he photographer was "in on" the staging of the photo and it was a big joke). It was hard to read though, picking through so many click bait ads all over the site. I never knew yam are "#1 toxic food!"

So your argument is that her being on the Hannity Show seven years ago means that this is all a conspiracy?

Ok, even if your stupid conspiracy theory is accurate, what about the other seven women (so far)?

This is getting pathetic.
33
@32 - the other women? The accusations that have names where he touched my butt during a picture in public. The accusations made anonymously deserve ZERO discussion. The accusation of kissing is he tried to kiss me I turned my head he kissed my cheek.

So you tell me if this is the standard why bother? No one can withstand such a horrid and despicable history.
34
@31 if you don't understand that women will be subject to different but just as scathing attacks from the GOP you're naive. Rolling over deserves derision.
35
@33: You are simply misinformed, probably willingly though, which is the most pathetic part of it all.

I hope that if anyone you love is sexually harassed or assaulted, it is not by someone you align with politically so that you will actually support them, and not call them lying whores.
36
@ Theodore Gorath # 33 - "Lying Whores" I never mentioned your mother.
37
@27 "If you don't hold your lawmakers to a higher standard, then you truly are lost."

Why should this be true for sexual harassment but not for, say, carrying water for Wall Street or the MIC?
38
@36: Why do small children always insult someone else's mom when they have no argument?

I mean, my perfidious slut of a mother has nothing to do with this, so I see no need to bring her up.
39
@38 Theodor Gorath, you brought her into this. I never said anything about lying whores. I've stated quite clearly and repeatedly that the GOP has agent provocateurs most notable James O'Keefe who just last week hired a woman to lie to the Washington Post about having been raped by Roy Moore to discredit the paper and other women. Now these "he touched my butt" accusations have come into play regarding Sen. Franken.

To believe every accusation is ludicrous. To not wait for an ethics hearing is unforgivable. The accusations made to date might meet your level of validation but they haven't met mine. I've seen nothing but questionable behavior - he grabbed my ass to he TRIED to kiss me. I give ZERO weight to the photo or the Conservative Playboy Model on a USO Tour. Not even off topic - have you served in the Military? Have you been on a deployment overseas?
40
@37; because the law makers make the laws.
@39: the photo showed the Senator placing his hands over a sleeping woman's breasts. This picture is real, and it shows a very creepy attitude to women.
41
Yeah I'm not following it enough to have an opinion if the other accusers are real or GOP plants, but they wouldn't have been there in the first place if not for the photo of him pretending to assault a sleeping woman. So the concern that all the GOP would have to do is make anonymous claims with no evidence is irrelevant. And she says he forcefully kissed her btw too when they were rehearsing- let's not forget about that.

In any case, as to the pic- which exists- that's an indisputable fact and does not require us to believe one side or the other's interpretation- yes it is a joke. The joke is that a man assaults a woman while she's sleeping. That isn't funny. For a comedian, that's a crap joke because the punchline is what? Sexual assault? Oh, how funny. A rich male celebrity pretends to do sexual assault. Ha? What if the punchline was that he pretended to beat up a gay man who flirted with him? Or if the punchline was that he lynched a black man? Would you see why the joke is offensive? Its not funny if the entire punchline is "ha ha, I grabbed a sleeping woman's breast, naughty boy that I am". I mean, it wasn't even ironic. The entire punchline is funny naughty boy assaults a woman while she sleeps.

But anyway, my point is that for a comedian, it's just a shit joke. But for a congressman, it's worthy of losing his job. Congressmen that grab sleeping women's breasts and take pictures of themselves doing it should not have a job in congress. I understand that he was a comedian and not a congressman when he did that. This is why we shouldn't elect comedians to congress. It's also why we shouldn't elect game show host or wrestlers, etc. It's not like he's irreplaceable. I agree with @8.

42
It is so precious how The Left wants to pretend they are so righteous and shocked...SHOCKED!... that this behavior is going on.

From the Kennedy's to Clinton to the present The Left has been covering and excusing predatory behavior; the institutions The Left dominates (Hollywood, the media) are eaten up with it.

your chickens are coming home to roost.
43
hey you, Moron @42. This has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with men thinking women are there as their play things. As if predatory men just voted one way. Ha fucking Ha.
44

Hey, back at you, Twit @43.
This has EVERYTHING to do with politics. And hypocrisy on The Left.
The women had 40 years to bring up their accusations against Moore. Even if everything they allege is true by deciding to bring it up now they have made it all about politics.
The Left has been gleefully thinking they could spin this issue to hurt Trump and Moore but are finding it is eating them up alive, instead. Bye Bye Al. It seems Feminist Lynch Mobs are not all that choosy about who they string up...
Karma is a Ruthless Bitch in that way...
In order to pursue their attacks on Moore the Left will have to repudiate Bill Clinton.
To continue to go after Trump they will have to admitt that Hillary was a vicious enabler who savagely lied about the women Bill preyed upon.
They will have to admit, as Sydney pointed out, that Hillary is WORSE than Trump.
It might take several spoons full of sugar to help that medicine go down...
45
Guess that Alabama chid molester got himself a friend right here.
46
45
Not as many as Seattle's Molesting Mayor does

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