Proof that Al Franken was set up and brought down by the right

If Franken's last name were Smith, Jones or Thompson, he would not have been scapegoated.

The setup was obvious as soon as I heard about Roger Stone’s involvement.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Go back to stand-up.

So do we think Gillibrand, who spearheaded the "zero tolerance" effort to kick him out, was a dupe, or just willing to use right-wing energy for her own ambitions?

Gillibrand thought that she could use Franken to bring down Trump, but her plan has not worked out that way so far. I dislike Gillibrand for backstabbing Franken.

I think she was a dupe.

The way people believe things that are clearly not true is astonishing. When I saw so many people on DL say Franken was grabbing that woman's breasts even though he was clearly not touching her at all, I knew something was up. I was yelled at for pointing out that at least two other people were there when it happened, probably three, and when I asked how could she have even been asleep while at some soldier's station, you would have thought I'd just kicked a puppy.

Why Franken didn't fight harder is beyond me. Gillibrand was an opportunistic dupe.

R6, and how the hell do you touch a person's waist inappropriately and sexually? Franken must be very skilled if he can touch someone's waist and make their genitals tingle. It was such a blatant setup.

I hope that Franken will be able to prove that the allegations were wrong. Franken needs to come back.

Fuck that nasty skank Gillibrand and her merry band of Pussy Power allies, like Clare McCaskill.

Everyone needs to vote in November!

[quote]I think she was a dupe.

Yes, if dupe = douche + stupe. I hope she will be an unelected co-conspiracunt in the next election.

R1o, I absolutely agree with you, but Democrats have to be smarter when it comes to dealing with right wing and Russian propaganda in the future. They also need to work on their own message. How can the smarter and more competent Party fall prey to those dirty Republican tactics?

Because they aren't smarter or more competent, R12. I wish that weren't the case, but Dems get outplayed EVERY DAMN TIME.

The Dems need to stop worrying about having moral high ground over the GOP. They don’t care. They are perfectly happy to be hypocrites.

Killibrand

R14, it's incredible that the Dems destroyed a potential presidential candidate over a bullshit comedy photo and vague harassment allegations, claiming that they *had* to do this or they would lose all moral credibility.

Meanwhile, the Republicans felt no shame about enthusiastically endorsing an actual child rapist (Roy Moore).

yes - they thought Franken resigning would make it easier for them to pressure Trump regarding to his allegations. Instead Wynnr stepped down from his position in a very public disgrace from far worse allegations than Franken, and the GOP did not return funding receive from him. , even though the shouted at the Democrats to return anything from Weinstein.

They have no shame and cannot be shamed, so sacrificing Franken so they could use the moral high ground was not a good strategy.

The issue with Democrats is they're trying to take down a man and a party with no sense of shame or respect for certain traditions and institutions by playing by the rules and working within the usual customs and practices. However, by doing this, they are essentially bringing a knife to gun fight. And while I applaud them for trying to be the adults in the room and holding on to a certain level of decorum, you aren't going to beat this crowd that way.

Of course Franken was set up and of course we played right into their hands. It's a shame, but it's too late now.

We'll never stop being weak, gullible, ineffective idiots

[quote]They have no shame and cannot be shamed, so sacrificing Franken so they could use the moral high ground was not a good strategy.

More pointedly, the rethugs stick together - NO MATTER WHAT.

Whatever Gillibrand's motives - dupe, professional gain, or true moral high ground - she did the work for rethugs. Now, one can argue that it is this type of action that sets dems apart from self-serving, self-righteous rethugs - the ends don't justify the means, as it were.

It's actually a tough question - and the real corner into which the dems have been backed. If they start playing by the rethugs playbook, they're actually no different. Conversely, if they don't adopt more effective strategies, they won't have any real power left to do any good for anyone.

Remember, parties, their agendas and priorities, and constituents and benefactors change over time.

Whatever you believe her motives, ask yourself one question: "What good will it do to go after her?" Can we afford to lose another higher profile dem and whose agenda does it serve.

It was obvious that most of the posters on DL who were criticizing Franken's behavior were right-wing trolls pretending to be liberal Democrats.

I think the GOP went after Franken because they saw him as one of strongest potential presidential candidates in 2020. I suspect that's also why Gillibrand was so eager to throw him under the bus -- she saw Franken as a potential threat to her own possible presidential ambitions.

such a shame, one of the best senators out there

A real political lynching in action. Franken should not have stepped down though. He should have said he wouldn't run again and take censure. Can you imagine resigning from the Senate for such bullshit.

Democrat women should stop thinking that America cares about the plight of their gender; even women themsleves don't.

That's not a fair statement R19. The Democratic Party is a big party with a lot of diverse stakeholders with varied and sometimes competing interests. This makes it more difficult to come up with a coordinated and cohesive message and strategy that all the players can agree on. This also means that they get boxed into a corner sometimes. On paper I'm sure that someone thought that it was smart to take a no tolerance policy with this sexual harassment business because certain segments of our base demands its. But once again, the American Public yawns and doesn't give two shits and we lose a good legislator.

It's easy for Republicans. They have a simple message. Low taxes. Go America. Yay White Rich People. Don't take my Guns. And everyone falls in line. It's just not that simple for Democrats and that's not giving them a pass, but it is the reality of the situation. Herding cats.

R 24 well said.

I agree that Franken should have stuck it out. The people of Minnesota put him there and they should have been the ones to remove him if necessary. I doubt there was even more than the typical 30% of Republicans in his state who wanted him to resign.

Gillibrand needs to publicly admit she was had and apologize to Franken. Too little too late, but if she really believes in taking the high road, that's where it goes.

I belong to no organized party, I'm a Democrat.

Well duh, OP. I mean, it was totally obvious at the time. Al Franken was one of the most effective Democrats in the Senate. Of course the GOP smeared him and took him down. And other Democrats just let them. Ugh.

Gillibrand is on my shit list for spearheading his removal. I will never support her for any higher office.

Killibrand

The only way Democrats could stand up to his accusers, would be by challenging #BelieveWomen dogma espoused by online feminists. But very few people, int the party or in the media, are willing to do so and risk Twitter harassment.

Gillibrand also did tons of dirty legal work for Big Tobacco. (Probably why she's so quiet on guns.)

A lot of these comments read like not real people.

How is this article proof of anything? He harassed her. There’s a picture. He admitted to it. Yes, it was amplified. And?

The Mercers and russia have really fucked this country up.

[quote]Gillibrand is on my shit list for spearheading his removal. I will never support her for any higher office.

If you believe that Franken's removal was part of a plan to disrupt the dems and remove an effective senator, ask yourself whether that plan is now effectively killing two birds with one stone.

Focus on policy, not personality. Focus on who is supporting a legislative and policy agenda with which you agree.

Do you think the so-called family values voters care that their legislators are having affairs as long as they support anti-gay, fundie xtian legislation?

R37 Why should anyone vote for the Dems when they are as authoritarian, dictatorial, bigoted, corrupt and amoral as the Repubs?

I agree with R37. Dems so busy whining. Trump/GOP getting results. Dems without plan for victory or strong leader.

[quote]So do we think Gillibrand, who spearheaded the "zero tolerance" effort to kick him out, was a dupe, or just willing to use right-wing energy for her own ambitions?

[quote]I think she was a dupe.

You just described Fredo Corleone

[quote]Democrats have to be smarter when it comes to dealing with right wing and Russian propaganda in the future.

They tried with Schumer and he put the kaibosh on that story before it could takeoff; he went straight to the police.

[quote]Chuck Schumer slams forged sex harassment documents as a ‘phony allegation’

The Democrats are not as corrupt or evil as Repubs. That’s just bullshit designed to surprise the Dem vote.

Surpress not surprise of course. Stupid Progressives refuse to vote unless the candidate is 200 percent pure. I’m voting Dem unless it’s proved the candidate is a Nazi. That’s the dealbreaker.

If it was a setup, then why didnt he fight back & not resign?

Yeah, guilty.

It was the photo that did it. No photo, no resignation. The got him out. Dems should consider doing things that work.

R35, no. The picture showed nothing (it was taken by her husband, she was awake pretending to be asleep, his hands never touched her, it was all just a setup for a joke), and there are pictures of her doing far worse to other men on the tour.

The whole thing was a setup. Franken never admitted he "did it", he just welcomed an investigation. An investigation that would have cleared him, but which will never happen now.

All of Franken's harassment occurred in public, in front of a camera. Why is there no reported behavior OFF camera? If you can't figure out that this was a setup, then you're not the brightest crayon in the box.

Maybe this: in the absence of the photo, he would have had a better chance of surviving the attack.

Why would it take the alt-right, bots, and trolls to take down a “guilty” man? All this effort to bring down one senator, because he put Sessions in the shithouse.

Screw the alt-Nazis and the Russians.

Schumer, Sanders, Warren ALL supported Franken being removed from office. I don't know why Gillibrand is the only one getting criticism for it.

If you don't support her for what she did, then why would you support the others?

Gillibrand played right into their hands. Did she have ulterior motives against Franken? Clearing 2020 field girl herself? It raises questions for me.

And the others didn't by jumping on to the bandwagon R51?

Isn't Sanders considering running in 2020 as well?

R50, this horse has been beaten to death by now. Gillibrand was the one who raised the issue and put a gun to everybody's head until other Democrats agreed with her. Google it, or just search the DL for links.

Because Gillibrand spearheaded the movement, r50. She was the ringleader.

She my senator in NY and I would never vote for her for higher office. I'd sit out the election if my choice were between her and a republican. I'm tired of having to settle for awful politicians.

He should fucking run again.

She needs to go.

And she should apologize. And the woman who took,his place should step down so he could rightfully resume his time in office.

I would still vote for Gillibrand if I had to, but that was a stupid move. I don't care if you dislike Franken, but he's a smart guy. Jeff Sessions would agree, but of course Jeff's Nazi friends were not happy with the "Joo" who took down Sessions.

Gillibrand twisted everyone's arm until they agreed with her? Wouldn't that make them spineless cowards then?

He should run for President. I would vote for him in a heartbeat.

So.....only republicans and conservatives rape...is that what we're saying now? And if a woman or man comes forward about a democrat or liberal, we shouldn't believe them?

I think gillibrand knew he'd be a strong candidate. She colluded with Roger Stone the same way Trump colluded with Russia.

For people who have forgotten what got the ball rolling for Franken to resign, here is the Facebook post that started it:

[quote]Kirsten Gillibrand, December 6, 2017 · Senator Franken Should Step Aside

She wanted him out. Mission accomplished.

and from February 12:

[quote][bold]Kirsten Gillibrand Only Regrets Not Calling For Al Franken To Quit Sooner[/bold]

[quote]Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) stands by her decision to call for former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) to give up his office after accusations that he groped and forcibly kissed nearly 10 women surfaced late last year. Gillibrand faced criticisms for her stance on Franken from some other members of their party, who argued his transgressions didn’t warrant his resignation. But in a lengthy interview with Glamour magazine published Monday, she said the only thing she would change about urging Franken to quit is that “I might have done it sooner.”

Gillibrand wasn't right. But it's ludicrous (and rather suspicious) to place all the blame on her. If anything, it's the independents like Sanders and Warren who should have put up the most resistance. Especially someone like Sanders, who's constantly bitching about how the Democratic party is too ineffectual and weak.

The trolls are trying. I really hope that the investigation will clear Franken, and that people will actually be charged for this conspiracy. Franken is no idiot, don't count your chickens just yet. Also, don't look at the chicken in lusty ways; we see you....

Especially since Sanders has his rape essay out there, r66.

Dems have such a weak bench. It's embarrassing.

[quote]The trolls are trying

I know. If I have to read one more rebuttal of the "Gillibrand healocked everyone until they agreed" variety, it will be too much. Is that the best they can do?

Hopefully, Franken is cleared and ALL of the democrats and independents who forced him to resign look foolish.

A lot of this is revisionist claptrap. The pressure on Franken came after several other women said he groped them during photo ops. That was what led to the calls for him to resign. Seems like an effort to undermine sitting and equally effective Senators like Gillibrand.

Seconding r71. I hate losing a Dem seat as much as anyone, but the fact of the matter is, this was hardly the only story about Franken that would have surfaced if there was an investigation. He headed it off at the pass by resigning.

TIL: Democrats are no different than Republicans when it comes to protecting sexual predators.

FFS - fine.

There's no difference. Right. The dems support policies which are equally bad as those supported by the current rethugs.

Don't forget - EMAILS, BENGHAZI.

The false equivalencies and complete non-sequitur arguments are laughable.

I'm not saying to support or not support Gillebrand. I'm saying consider what your policy and legislative priorities are and who is mostly likely going to support those positions. Sometimes, you simply have to hold your nose and do what you need to do while other times take a principled stand. Decide which instance this is with her.

I'm with R74. GOP hold advantage at moment. In part because they stay focused on policy outcomes, results, deliverables.

And they don't fucking stab each other in the back like that cunt Gillibrand did to Franken.

I'm not naïve enough to think all Republicans like each other, but in public, at least, they put on a united front.

If Dems lose franken's seat in next election, Gillibrand will be held responsible for consequences.

Gillibrand supported and "believed" crazy assed Mattress Girl. She is not a dupe, She is a Brazen cunt, and of moderate IQ. Franken's take down was the most demoralising political rat fuck of 2017. I STILL don't understand how he didn't read everyone the riot act on the way out the door.

R72, BLIND GOSSIP? That fucking rancid Trump supporting entertainment site is what you want to use to make your point?

Op is a Russian troll trying to defame and undermine Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand , Mazie Hirono, Claire McCaskill, Maggie Hassan, Kamala Harris, Patty Murray, Tammy Baldwin, Bob Casey, Joe Donnelly, Sherrod Brown, Debbie Stabenow , Heidi Heitkamp, Ed Markey , Michael Bennet, Maria Cantwell, Dick Durbin, Patrick Leahy, Martin Heinrich, Dianne Feinstein, Jeff Merkley, Ron Wyden, Tom Carper, Tammy Duckworth, Tom Udall, Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, Gary Peters, Chris Murphy, Cory Booker, Jon Tester, Jack Reed, and Bill Nelson.

They couldn't stand the stench of a pervert predator in their midst. No decent person would defend such a vile fetid fuming filthy pervert as Al Franken.

F&F Op.

What R71 said,

All these Dem perverts gotta go.

NY deserves a junior Democratic senator far smarter than Gillibrand. She just waltzed in on Hillary's coattails. She needs to be primaried by a downstater and lose her seat and Presidential hopes in one fell swoop.

New Yorkers know that Gillibrand is a marionette with Chucky Cheese Schumer pulling the strings. She doesn't say a word that hasn't scripted by him.

Why doesn't NY have a senator of color. These liberal whitewomen are the most vicious racists in America.

OMG get the fuck over it. Y'all are embarrassing yourselves. I liked Franken too but he wasn't a messiah. Any other Dem in the seat is fine. He didn't deny much of the stuff. Let it go

He never claimed to be a messiah, R86. But he did manage to enrage Jeff Sessions, and any enemy of Jeff "I am a sanctimonious asshole" is a friend of mine.

Sure R87 but other people can play that role. Many others. He was a good senator but far from irreplaceable. And he was somewhat damaged based on just the things he admitted to doing, politics is a rough world and many worse things have happened to Dems than Franken losing his seat. That being said he seemed like a good guy and I hope he is well

R86, you’re missing the damn point! This is a senator who was set up by the right for no damn reason other than to get him out of office. And Democrats spoke out against him instead of waiting for the result of the planned investigation into these allegations.

Maybe that’s “ok” for you, and you can “get over it”. Many other voters can’t and think that setting up politics figures is wrong. I don’t really care about your right wing opinions or Gillibrand. What she did was just as wrong as the damn Republicans.

I'm probably more liberal than you are R89. I just think Dem party and liberalism as a whole is MUCH more important than any one politician. I'd sacrifice any of them if I thought they were hurting the party more than they were helping it and many thought that was true of Franken.

Right wings trolls definitely made the allegations blow up but again he didn't deny anything but the last allegation involving a staffer. Thats still multiple groping incidents he admitted to. Sucks he got caught but he did.

[quote]I liked Franken too but he wasn't a messiah.

Please keep in mind that he managed to get Jeff Sessions to perjure himself in front of the Senate.

There's a reason the Trumpanzees in Congress wanted him out.

Do you think Gillibrand coordinated with trumpanzees? I know she has ties to big tobacco and Manhattan real estate.

R90, is this a “I’m more liberal than you” dickmeasuring contest?

We’re on very thin ice here if all it takes is someone pulling an allegation out of their ass to remove a sitting Senator. Apparently that’s only dangerous for Democrats anyway, Republicans are perfectly fine with a pussygrabbing President.

Franken should not have resigned.

R92 now they are becoming as unhinged as the deplorable. Politician worship is never a good look, whether its the cheeto or a dem.

Simple solution R93, don't grope strangers. Then when you're accused, you can DENY IT

R95, where is the PROOF that he groped strangers? Did you see something in the pictures that the rest of the world didn’t see? Remember, everybody can look at the pictures with the victims.

I’m not buying Roger Stone’s shit, and neither should other real Democrats.

I don't know how many other ways to say he didn't deny the allegations. Given how much damage they did to him that almost certainly means they are real. Why not deny them if that's the case R96?

The only allegation he denied in full is the one about the staffer. I'm willing to believe Schumer had that girl make that up just to get him out of the senate and help chances with Roy Moore. The other allegations he just said He "didn't remember happening that way".

Even when he gave his speech upon leaving the senate he didn't say "These allegations are untrue" he instead said they are nothing compared to what's trumps done, which is true, but not a strong argument to stay in the senate.

There are many, MANY dems who can replace him without that kind of history.

Franken committed sexual assault. That is a crime.

As I remember the incident, Amy Klobuchar was one of the first women to jump on the bandwagon.

R98 is going too far in the opposite direction.

Wrong. So wrong. Amy K is an angel from heaven. Did not jump on bandwagon.

R99 Almost every female dem called on him to resign within two hours of the last allegation dropping. Gillbrand was only the first by a couple minutes. According to politico they all made a pact to do it the next time there was an allegation

This is trending on Twitter right now so its gaining traction.

*it's, SORRY!

Franken actually used his farewell address to talk about issues that are important to Americans, LGBT rights, science, global warming, and the fight for the truth to name a few.

It was a great speech by a great senator, and he didn’t make the speech about himself, which must make right wing heads explode, since you’re so used to Trump talking about himself.

There’s no use in arguing facts with trolls. The truth will come out about Franken’s setup as well as Trump’s Russian ties, no matter how many Stormfronters and Rusher trolls stomp their child sized feet.

^^^ Nor is there any use arguing with fanatics. My lord what did this man to do get such loyalty?

[quote] Is this a “I’m more liberal than you” dickmeasuring contest?

Yes, and has been since McGovern.

Meanwhile, Al Franken is a big fat idiot.

I agree that Franken was a very effective advocate. Not an idiot. Very smart on issues. But very dumb to think he could sexually assault women with impunity. Not smart about that!

R106, what did Franken do? He’s innocent for starters. The real question is what did Roger Stone do?

What did you do to your head that makes it so hard for you to understand?

Since you’re so understanding, let me put a bag of cocaine under your pillow and call the cops.

Having read his recent memoir, I came away feeling that he went to the Senate with an agenda that most Dataloungers would be proud of. On the other hand, he seems to have a propensity for incredibly juvenile behavior.

Weird how R109 i much more sure he's innocent than Franken was

Is someone really providing a link to blindgossip as proof there would be more allegations against Franken. Seriously, blindgossip? Blindgossip? You are either Kirsten Gillibrand or a fool if you think Blindgossip is proof of anyone's guilt.

Franken wanted to go through the ethics committee. He was denied that by Gillibrand. Gillibrand did, in fact lead the charge. It was reported as such when the whole thing went down. And to make matters worse... She went on TV saying it had to happen because she's a Christian and what would she tell her son that some touching is more permissible that other touching.

How about teaching your son about innocent until PROVEN guilty, you fucking dumbass cunt.

When Gillibrand was first elected in upstate New York, she was anti-gay marriage aligning with her constituents.

Yup, she's a say anything politician, r113.

[quote]Schumer, Sanders, Warren ALL supported Franken being removed from office.

At the time I speculated that they knew more damning evidence was coming down the pike, but now it seems like it was just a botched attempt to force Trump out by setting precedent.

Franken should run for Senate this year.

Why won't the media ask her about her legal work for Big Tobacco?

R18, absolutely. I've been around long enough to remember quite a few campaigns and if a candidate had said any one of the slurs that trump made in 2016, he would have been out of the running. No shame. And a degraded public.

He was set up and some fucking dummies went along with it. So stupid!! He should run for president. Or run for Senator again, because he would be re elected.

Gilldebrand was a goddamn stupid fucking idiot. I hope she is ruined.

Well now he has time to start getting ready to launch his presidential campaign.

I do find it ironic he threw Hillary and her supporters under the bus right after the election, knowing now what congressmen like him knew about the 2016 election, now he's just another victim of misinformation and bots...just like Hillary and Democrat voters were in 2016.

Something must be done about Roger Stone.

[quote]Democrats need to stop being so fucking gullible and weak and learn to protect their own.

Protecting others from harrassment is equally important. We can't pick and choose who we call out for this.

Sorry...but he's a part-time sleaze who fucked up. Bye.

Hillary told him NOT to resign. To just wait until the investigation was completed and see what happened. That the Dems would throw away one of their toughest players on the field is assinine.

As usual Hillary was counselng him to be smart and tough. She saw through this bullshit.

He had the right to due process, everyone does, even Cheeto when Mueller finally hoists him on his own petard. This is what Gillibrand and the rest of the Dems should have called for instead of instantly throwing one of their best speakers under the bus. He should have gone through the ethics investigation process and been cleared, censured, or whatever, but they didn't give him a chance.

[quote] When Gillibrand was first elected in upstate New York, she was anti-gay marriage aligning with her constituents.

I've heard of people like that.

Even if there were Russian interests publicizing the story, they did not invent the incidents. It is naive to think our own country does not plant propaganda in other countries to further our own interests. It's all part of international espionage.

I don't see much that's new in any of this...aside from exposing how much weight some (curiously) give to anonymous posts on the Internet, and assuming they're from actual REAL PEOPLE.

The [bold]#TrannyPanic[/bold] troll here does this all the time...linking to "outraged" discussions on reddit, tweets from supposed trans people no one knows, etc. It's like, [italic]"That's the best ya got??"

If you look close at the pictures you can see the ghost of Ronald Reagan putting Al's hands on the woman's tits. True story.

I really believe that Kirsten Gillibrand is a Russian spy. They have supplanted many of our politicians without us knowing it.

Franken got railroaded out of office. Gillibrand is a dupe. The left insists on these impossible purity standards -- which apply only to us and no one else. The middle and the right don't care a bit. But, the Reich-wing is more than happy to have people like Gillibrand around to do their work for them.

Franken is a smart guy and was a good Senator. If the people of his state didn't want him in office, they could have voted against him in the next election. But, someone else has made that decision for them.

Gillibrand and Trump sure both New Yorkers. Their interests overlap and intersect like crazy.

I wish a pro-Franken democrat would primary Gillibrand when she's up for reelection. I live in NY and I think anyone who did that would win against her.

Look at how the media have been attacking Shaun White after he won a gold medal. They are disappointed he's not destroyed yet. It's the climate right now. It's so pervasive that it's even changed who the winners were of recent TV and movie awards. Franken actually got by pretty well.

No news to me, OP. I figured he would write a book and be back soon. I’m hoping!

I live in NY also and I never liked Gilibrand. She legislates from emotions, not strategies. She'll be re-elected again by the pro-Hillary crowd here but she blew her chance of gaining national support for a pres/vice pres run in the Franken debacle.

[quote] Hillary told him NOT to resign. To just wait until the investigation was completed and see what happened. That the Dems would throw away one of their toughest players on the field is assinine. As usual Hillary was counselng him to be smart and tough. She saw through this bullshit.

You mean private citizen Hillary who when she had the election on the line choked repeatedly? She couldn't even stand up to Trump. How is she going to counsel anyone else?

R135: a fucking idiot. That's what I mean.

No, r136, it's obvious you don't know what you're talking about. Your stupid response is proof of that. HIllary was not tough, anyone can see that. Trump owned the floor when they were in the same room together and you know it.

It's really boring when your go-to is "stupid." That's just waving the white flag of surrender.

Just keep posting more proof of your stupidity, R35/R137.

Hey kids, I know--- lets pointlessly argue about the election debates! I'm sure plenty of people will change their opinions after 50 or 60 posts. Don't forget to call each other "dear" and "cupcake" while arguing.

OH, is the "dear heart" troll here tonight? She's my fav.

I'm not the moron who thinks Hillary is wise, r139. That would be you. Tell me, if Hillary is such wise counsel, why did she ignore any sound advice about her campaign. It didn't work out for her.

It's not the cupcake troll, r140. The cupcake troll is also the quote queen troll.

Cupcakes? I thought we only got those on BINGO night.

Giillibrand=the frauiest Frau who ever fraued.

I love the cupcake troll!

Hmm... Going by this thread, Gillibrand is someone the alt right and Russians are afraid of. They sure do want her and only her to be gone when she wasn't the only one involved. I look forward to future smearings.

Oh Kirsten, we all know that's you at R147. If being pissed at you for silencing one of the loudest and strongest voices the democrats had because you are weak then the whole country must have turned alt right and Russian trolls overnight. Cause you, Kirstin, are not nearly as effective as Al Franken was against Trump and his minions. So, thanks Kirsten!

People just hate Kirsten because he reminds them of Hillary. Anyone pretending otherwise is full of shit, she's done nothing wrong and has shaped a lot of liberal policy. Most of her haters here are alt right losers fantasizing about Putin's dick and Bernie Bros who still can't accept they lost. Not that I care all that much, I don't want her to win the nomination I worry Dems will lose again because she can be tied so closely to Hillary. So if this is how she loses, not the worst thing in the world.

She also does NOT have good answers for being close with Bill Clinton early in her career and focusing her whole career on workplace harassment issues (particularly in the military but in civilian life too) even though Bill struggled in that area to say the least. We need someone else.

She reminds me NOTHING of Hillary, r149. Gillibrand isn't nearly as smart. She's her policy ouside of SJW causes is aimless and outside of the whole Franken mess that she created...she's forgettable.

I hope Al Franken gets back into politics in some way. He's VERY good.

Meanwhile, everyone needs to read his books: "Lies, & the lying liars who tell them" and "The Truth". Lots of excellent insights, well-researched facts, and a good amount of humor to make it all go down easy.

Preach R150. She's like the Costco version of Hillary.

Like Will Rogers said - I'm not a member of any organized political party - I'm a democrat.

[quote]If Franken's last name were Smith, Jones or Thompson, he would not have been scapegoated.

What a crock of shit.

R154 No, it isn't. Just as has been done in Europe for centuries, Franken was scapegoated, served up to salve America's guilty conscience, so that everyone will unite in that feel-good belief that yes, the collective has acted and are better for doing so. An example of just how entrenched anti-Jewish bigotry and hated is in America can be gleaned in Conyer's demand that Franken resign, otherwise it's racism. Could you imagine anyone demanding that Moore or another non-Jewish official resign, otherwise it's anti-Jewish bigotry?

That's bullshit. We've heard literally every possible reason given for Franken stepping down besides the obvious one, that it was revealed he was groping random women.

R155, what do you make of the fact that about 75% of the men accused of being sexual predators in the public arena this past year are Jews? Is this anti-Semitism in action? Could it be that powerful Jews are more likely than non-Jews to turn into sexual predators?

Seriously stop with the antisemitism and baiting the antisemites. You fuck wads will get the thread closed, go argue that shit somewhere else

R158, there are posters who assert that Franken was driven out of office for being a Jew.

Some of us disagree with that assertion. We are allowed to discuss it.

You were also saying antisemitic shit at R157. When people like the two of you go off and get a thread closed it affects all of us, even if we want nothing to do with that shit. This story has nothing to do with Franken being Jewish from any angle

Just like you R157, the media focuses on Jews, serves them up to an outraged public then everyone can feel good about exposing and rejecting "sexual predators". While the reality remains that sexual harassment will not be reduced or curtailed because of the public exposure of a few scapegoats. It is continuing to be committed every single hour of every single day by those who are well aware that they are immune to public scrutiny.

If Franken's name was Smith or Jones, the outrage would neither have been as shrill nor as focused. No one will remember Ramsey or Farenthold, Conyers, Scott or Kihuen. But they will remember Franken. Entrenched anti-Jewish bigotry fueled by the American media ensures it.

Franken is a bigger name than all the rest because was a SENATOR dumbass! Guarantee most Dems didn't even realize he was Jewish

I can't see R157, because the thing is a troll. There is no use in arguing with it. It's also very clear that R157 and the other trolls want to provoke people to argue about unrelated matters.

[quote]Entrenched anti-Jewish bigotry fueled by the American media ensures it.

The US media is almost entirely owned and operated by Jews. That is a fact beyond dispute.

Can we get off the fact that Franken is a Jew and concentrate on Kirsten Gillibrand being a first rate, nasty, stinking, fucking bitch cunt?

Gillibrand kept mentioning that she is in bible studies with several other senators and congresspeople when she was on The View a few weeks ago.

r157 is just your typical, nasty, anti-Semitic troll.

Shun him gals.

r166, if she's such a Christian she needs to ask Jesus for forgiveness for what she did to Franken.

R165, people will discuss what they want, so pipe down, hall monitor.😁

Let's repeat. She "believed" Mattress Girl! Dumb cunt.

Okay, so what do you want to do about that r164?

The sick parkland teens using #neveragain. So anti-Semitic. Are they Holcaust deniers?

Roger Stone should go to prison, he is just another criminal who works for the criminal, trump.

What Al did was wrong, plain and simple. We can talk about what everyone else in DC has done, but with 300 million people in this country, we don't have to accept crappy politicians. Those that think we will lose even more power by removing these types of politicians aren't seeing the forest from the trees. Dems win when we get the fuck out and vote! You've got to fight for what you want, and you've got to have the right leaders in place to cross that finish line. So many Dems just want to vote once every 4 years and call it a day, while Rep act like stray dogs fighting for scaps every day.

We didn't need Al, we can do better. The blue wave is real if you vote.

never been proven that Al "did" anything.

You SJW cunts do yourselves no favors when you go after people like Al Franken and Matt Damon, and leave real sexual predators like DJT virtually untouched.

Meanwhile NewsWeek has retracted the story. Just another example of how we are going off half-cocked, just like the rightwing has been doing for years. Can we please not be like them? Thanks.

Gillibrand was trying to mitigate the mounting criticism of how she stayed quiet about Bill Clinton and the Monica situation because he and Hillary were her benefactors. Franken was guilty of something. He did the right thing by resigning. I believe the people of Minnesota will send him back to Washington. And he should let them. That being said, he was set up. The woman who waited all those years to go on the record, and who kept the photo that traumatized her for all those years, was given the green light to move on Franken by no other than Sean Hannity. None of the parties in this mess are above reproach. Maybe Frannie will run for Senator. That would be the ultimate revenge. And Gillibrand would have to work with her.

They retracted the story!

sickening

It's not surprising that someone on DL would promote a fake news story, knowing that so many gullible people would respond. Newsweek had to pull it when they realized that too many people had reported that it was bogus.

I just hate her for her mattress girl shtick.

Al should have just started throwing this around. Asking her to resign.

"You SJW cunts do yourselves no favors when you go after people like Al Franken and Matt Damon, and leave real sexual predators like DJT virtually untouched."

The cunts are people who go after "SJWs" and not our real enemies on the right.

If you turn the continuum into a circle SWJs and the right end up holding hands.

So, Newsweek retracted the story. Gillibrand is still a cunt for doing what she did to Franken and she's still a lousy politician. That hasn't changed because the story was retracted.

Al was a good senator

Bitch has no loyalty. She wouldn't even be a senator if it wasn't for Hillary. Then after her appointment, in her first election, the Clintons fundraised and campaigned for her. Then she throws them overboard after Hillary's defeat. She makes me sick.

????

There is actually something wrong with you in you are sure Franken didn't do the gropings even though he didn't deny any of them

He did deny them, r190 and he wanted to go through an ethics review. You do realize that the accusations came from republican women and included such things as waist grabbing during a photo op?

Franken is a pig. He never denied it. Time's up! Gillibrand is the new sheriff.

Yup, sheriff of crazytown.

^^More like mayor of Ubercunt City.

Franken wasn't just another replaceable Senator, he has a long history of being an influential commentator and author (remember "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot"?). Taking him out they way they did also silenced his editorial voice, which is a real loss.

I so wanted Hillary to choose him as her running mate. I guess it was better he didn't.

But every single accuser of a Republican is supposed to be automatically believed, right? Because we must respect the "victims," right? Must not be "insensitive," correct?

You know, some Democrats (and you know who you are) love the acronym IOIYAR, but conveniently ignore IOIYAD.

Oh please... women did this, pure and simple. "Brought down by the right", yeah sure, keep telling yourself that. Easier than blaming the bullshit TimesUp movement and you know it.

𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐧.

The initial report was based on research conducted by Unhack The Vote, a group examining outside influence in U.S. elections and politics. It alleged that a "decidedly alt-right" botnet "weaponized" anti-Franken stories and amplified pressure on Franken to resign after allegations of sexual misconduct. Newsweek was unable to independently verify their claims after a further review of their work.

Newsweek regrets the error.

-------------------------------

The comments to the revised story are well deserved. Apparently Newsweek just couldn't be bothered to verify the facts before publishing, as long as it fit their point of view. Ain't modern journalism terrific.

And yet, it's clear that's exactly what happened.

Most of us knew it was a political hit from the word go. He never should have resigned.

Yup, everything about what happened was fishy. The only accuser that had anything to it was the soldier and he didn't even lay a hand on her. And even with that accusation there are doubts that she was asleep and that she may have been in on it.

shitty fucking liars