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Moore is ahead of Jones in Alabama, so Democrats are now calling for Al Franken to resign

Ace of Spades writes,

After Seventh Accuser Comes Forward, and With Moore Leading in Polls in Alabama, Democrats Finally Demand Al Franken Resign
—Ace

That Moore is ahead now is important -- when they thought Doug Jones would just win, even with Al Franken still in the Senate, Democrats were perfectly fine keeping him.

But now with Moore ahead, Democrats realize their own indulgence of Franken (and Conyers, until a couple of days ago) is giving Republicans not just permission to vote for Moore, but a Fuck You Then Too imperative to vote for him.

So now they're calling on Franken to resign.

But only after a seventh accuser tells Politico he tried forcibly kissed her and said, seriously, "It's my right as an entertainer."

A former Democratic congressional aide said Al Franken tried to forcibly kiss her after a taping of his radio show in 2006, three years before he became a U.S. senator.
The aide, whose name POLITICO is withholding to protect her identity, said Franken (D-Minn.) pursued her after her boss had left the studio. She said she was gathering her belongings to follow her boss out of the room. When she turned around, Franken was in her face.

The former staffer ducked to avoid Franken’s lips. As she hastily left the room, she said, Franken told her: "It's my right as an entertainer."
So now, with that, and seeing that they can't have both Doug Jones and Al Franken at the same time, the Democrats have found the Courage to ask Franken, very nicely, to step aside and help them get All The Political Power.

Within minutes of each other Wednesday morning, Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Patty Murray of Washington, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Claire McCaskill of Missouri forcefully called on their colleague to leave office.
They didn't ask "forcefully." They're almost apologetic about it. They say it's "best" for Al Franken to step aside. They don't condemn him.

This is about as strong as it gets -- and note, Gillibrand says Franken actually has the right to just go through an easy-peasy ethics review rather than resign.


Kirsten Gillibrand
✔
@SenGillibrand
As elected officials, we should be held to the highest standards—not the lowest. The allegations against Sen. Franken describe behavior that cannot be tolerated. While he’s entitled to an Ethics Committee hearing, I believe he should step aside to let someone else serve.
9:28 AM - Dec 6, 2017
1,519 1,519 Replies 2,105 2,105 Retweets 6,051 6,051 likes
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Apparently Gropin' Al will be giving some kind of statement tomorrow. He probably will resign; an unexpected, once-in-a-generation chance to hold a Senate seat in Alabama is too big an opportunity to waste protecting this fat, flabby unfunny clown, who will be replaced by a Democrat (as a Minnesota's governor will appoint Franken's replacement).

Two more women accuse Franken

Ace of Spades reports,

Two More Women Accuse Franken, One of Groping Her Breast, The Other of Forcing His Tongue Down Her Throat

Read it here.

"Are they mistaken that their butt was grabbed?"

This reporter is with a local t.v. station in Minnesota, and is far better than what we are used to seeing on the national level media.

It is about your actions, Al, what you did!

Ace reports on Al Franken's press conference today.

Incidentally, Al Franken gave a quick presser in which he basically repeated what he'd said in his earlier statement to local papers -- in fact, he specifically quoted himself.

Once again he said his memory differed from Leeanne Tweeden's, but did not say what his memory was. Once again he offered Apologies Without Admissions. He apologized for effects alleged -- making women feel "uncomfortable" -- but not for any specific actions on his part, such as groping, that caused those effects.

Franken is basically denying these allegations without saying so. Being a Democrat, he is required to Believe All Women (or pretend to), so he contradicts them implicitly rather than explicitly. He claims to not remember if he groped strangers -- a bizarre failure of memory, as most men, I think, can remember all breasts and buttocks they've fondled. So what he really means when he says he doesn't remember this happening is that it did not happen, but he can't actually say that. He just implies they're liars -- he doesn't say plainly that they are.

Such is the progress Democrats have made since they suddenly developed a conscience about Bill Clinton's serial sexual crimes two weeks ago. They've made the huge leap from claiming female accusers are nuts and sluts recruited from trailer parks to make rightwing conspiracy allegations to merely strongly implying they are, while apologizing for making them "uncomfortable" being paid liars for Richard Scaife.

He likes crowds

Ace writes,

Al Franken Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny That His Hand May Have Inadvertently Contacted Women's Asses

Al Franken's done with his several days of redeemin' with this family, and is now giving interviews.

He's not saying much except he's sorry but he will not say what he's sorry about or if he actually did anything untoward for which he should be sorry about.
More apologies without admissions, and a rejection of the idea of resignation.

BTW, like Anthony Weiner (eventually), he can't rule out the possibility that more women may come forward to say he fondled them.

From the comments: If Moore pulls it off, it will be because of Franken and Conyers.

I'm almost thinking it would be best for Republicans if both Franken and Conyers stay put just to be able to see if Democrats can keep a straight face when they trot out the War on Women attack.
Posted by: Maritime

"if" (and) "women experienced that"

Always with the passive voice with these guys, and making it all about regretting a hypothetical reaction, instead of what they did.

Posted by: Lizzy

I am Al Frankengrabben, I will be checking into the Sex Rehab Clinic that cured Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, and while it is 30000 dollars a month, I will use my Government Insurance to foot the bill, and only "charge" the taxpayers for Per Diem, Travel and Meals and Incidentals. I will get cured quickly and back to fighting for Wymmyn's Rights and against the NRA.

Thank you for standing by me, and again, I am sorry for the bad things I did.
Posted by: The Mouse that Roared

"Gropey McTonguerape"

Ace of Spades continues his fight to force Al Franken to tell the truth. Ace writes referring to Al Franken,

Flashback: Gropey McTonguerape "Won" an Election by 312 Votes, Where 1099 Felons Illegally Voted

I wonder if they voted for the admitted drug-abusing groper. Notice they refuse to note that Leeann Tweeden also alleged that Franken committed the sexual battery of sticking his tongue into her mouth, not only unexpectedly but previously explicitly forbidden.

She said "NO" even to a fake stage kiss; he decided to force his tongue into her mouth anyway.

Ace links to Byron York at the Washington Examiner.

"He just put his hand on the back of my head and mashed his face against me," Tweeden said in a news conference Thursday. "It happened so fast. He mashed his lips against my face and stuck his tongue in my mouth so fast. All I can remember is that his lips were really wet and slimy."
Franken has not only not admitted that act but has said he has a different memory of the moment.

"I certainly don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way, but I send my sincerest apologies to Leeann," Franken said in his first statement after the news broke.

Later, in a more extensive statement -- one in which he discussed the photo at length --- Franken said, "While I don't remember the rehearsal for the skit as Leeann does, I understand why we need to listen to and believe women's experiences."

On Friday, Franken addressed the subject for a third time, in an email to Tweeden. He apologized for the photo, but said, again: "I remember that rehearsal differently."

Franken added, on the rehearsal incident, that "What's important is the impact on you and you felt violated by my actions. For that I apologize." The email was a classic I'm-sorry-if-you-were-offended apology that did not admit the behavior alleged.

In none of the statements did Franken say what his memory of the incident is.

Read more here.

Obsessive

A second woman has come forward to accuse Senator Al Franken of inappropriate behavior.

In response to the disturbing allegations made against Franken, Media Equalizer and Media Equality Project Co-Founder Melanie Morgan has come forward to recall her own frightening encounter, sparked by a seemingly-mundane and even obscure topic of political disagreement.

Morgan, who was a ABC Radio talk show host for KSFO / San Francisco at the time, appeared August 19, 2000 on ABC’s late night show Politically Incorrect.

She was joined by Franken, William Baldwin, and then-Colorado Lt. Governor Joe Rogers on the panel.
Morgan and Franken had a dispute over the OMB’s budget numbers.

“I was invited and unaware of who his guests were going to be that night,” Morgan said.

“I made a statement about the budget numbers, Franken challenged me, I challenged him back. It was about spending priorities, actually just a mundane discussion. But he obsessed over it.”

After the show, Morgan said Franken wouldn’t leave her alone, insisting on continuing the argument.
“He approached me backstage, angrily called me out on those numbers and insisted he would prove he was right. He wouldn’t leave me alone, he kept following me. As a woman, his presence and proximity to me felt very threatening and intimidating.

“I didn’t realize his creepy behavior after the show meant it would continue in the days to come.
“He approached Carol, the show’s producer and demanded my home phone number, which was a clear violation of network protocol. I had thought that was the end of the story and was shocked when he started calling my home, badgering me repeatedly.

“I became fearful and called Carol to complain and asked her to tell him to back off. But he made another call after that. I thought that he might end up stalking me at my home in Northern California, it was that bad.

“By the third phone call I was outraged and terrified, as he is really disturbed,” Morgan recounted.
Morgan said Franken finally left her alone, but only after she pushed back and threatened “to call the police and make a report that he was harassing me.”

To this day, she says she is haunted by it: “I never forgot that experience and it informed me of his lack of character and obsessive personality. I believe every word Leann wrote.”

Read more here.

How many Al Franken victims will come forward?