General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWTF?? durbin, after franken's final speech is on the floor of senate,
is talking about what a great guy al is!!
excuse me, drubin! you wanted him O.U.T.
so what the hell is this shit?
i know what it is--it's durbin trying to get a pass for being a dick and pissing off the illinois liberals by jumping on gillibrand's torch brigade bandwagon.
too bad he didn't open his fucking mouth and say "i think we should let this matter go up before the ethics committee" but NOOOOOOOO, he didn't do that. durbin walked with the mob justice tiki torch brigade.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?438860-101/senator-al-franken-delivers-farewell-address
LenaBaby61
(6,981 posts)Is talking about what a great guy Al is!!
Excuse me, Durbin! you wanted him O.U.T.
PdxSean
(574 posts)orleans
(34,122 posts)dae
(3,396 posts)bdamomma
(63,998 posts)heard Senator Franken's speech on the floor he was excellent and truthful. I don't think this will be the last time we see Senator Franken.
leftstreet
(36,119 posts)The whole thing is sickening
Binkie The Clown
(7,911 posts)Skittles
(153,428 posts)brooklynite
(95,164 posts)Skittles
(153,428 posts)WE GET IT, YOU HATE FRANKEN
bench scientist
(1,107 posts)Skittles
(153,428 posts)so fucking SICK of that bullshit
Ghost Owl
(59 posts)then we don't live in a democratically-elected republic anymore. They don't get to usurp the voters of Minnesota because of fear of political damage. They stole the vote, and appointed someone less controversial, but who nobody voted for.
(And they asked him to leave because Minnesota has a Democratic governor. If they had a Republican gov, they never would have asked for a resignation. Because they don't actually care about the moral high ground or women or any of it. They care about optics, and about looking good, not actually being good. It's deplorable, and I've never been so sickened by the Democratic party in my life.)
Skittles
(153,428 posts)DUers who don't get this MAKE ME SICK
Ferrets are Cool
(21,126 posts)Response to Skittles (Reply #17)
Name removed Message auto-removed
brooklynite
(95,164 posts)Skittles
(153,428 posts)you are fooling NO ONE
spooky3
(34,559 posts)Using poor political judgment AND unnecessarily compromising on an important principle of justicefor no gain. Add to that the personal betrayal ... as Skittles said, sickening.
Ghost Owl
(59 posts)the Dems might not actually care that much about women's issues or sexual harassment, because everybody knows they never would have asked a Senator from a state with a Republican governor to resign if they had the same accusations against them that Franken did?
I find that sad. Even if kicking out Franken was the right thing to do, what moral high ground is that? "Doing the right thing, only when I'm sure nothing bad will happen if I do it" is not actually the moral high ground. It's nothing but craven self-serving virtue signaling. Which I guess is better than whatever Benny Hill sketch from Hell the Republican party has collapsed into, but it's not actually GOOD. I don't know that I can actually rely on Democrats to do the right thing when it matters, to have MY back, to not use more of my issues as Pieces of Flair.
I find that sad. I find it sad that people view the issue of rampant sexual harassment and abuse in our country as just 'politics', and something to use to make themselves look good by waving a finger at it, instead of a problem that actually needs solving. I find it sad that the Democrats keep patting themselves on the back for Not Being As Bad As The Republicans, as if that was either hard or something to be proud of. It's like Alabama boasting about being 49th in education, cause at least they're not like those dumb Mississippian's at #50, right??
It's not the moral high ground if they won't do it if it hurts them politically. It's not the moral high ground if they're only doing it because they think it will help them politically. Judging by many of their speeches after Franken's today, I'm not convinced many of them actually think Franken guilty of anything resign-worthy. They all demanded his resignation because they thought him a sexual harasser, a groper of women who tried to force a woman to kiss him because 'it was his right as an entertainer'. If you believe that, you don't praise the man's integrity afterwards, you don't look forward to his work in the future. And if they don't think him guilty, they just fucked over the voters of Minnesota, stole their elected rep away, and appointed someone that NO ONE VOTED FOR. That's not right, either.
The Republican party right now is a cannibalistic tire fire that's looting the country and is kinda treasonous. It's not hard to be better than them. Better than THAT doesn't equal good.
The Democrats fucked up here in a way I don't think they even see. And that fuck-up ISN'T kicking out Franken (although that is a painful loss, he is not easily replaced, either in the Senate or the minds of the voters), it's the rational behind it, it's how they got there and what that means. And I fear we will all pay the price for that.
Myrddin
(327 posts)Skittles
(153,428 posts)this is worthy of its own thread
Egnever
(21,506 posts)My feelings exactly.
Response to Ghost Owl (Reply #37)
Name removed Message auto-removed
KY_EnviroGuy
(14,510 posts)Perhaps when no chargeable crime has been committed, any considerable moral issue should somehow be referred back to that state's voters - maybe via a committee appointed by the governor or an elected group for that purpose. And, give them the power and authority to provide due process.
No elected official of Franken's skills and power should be railroaded out of office by populist vendetta.
Lots there to consider!
rainy
(6,099 posts)CentralMass
(15,265 posts)orleans
(34,122 posts)brooklynite
(95,164 posts)...except on blogs like this.
The voters of Minnesota aren't outraged.
MOVEON and other advocacy groups didn't organize protests or letter-writing campaigns.
I'm willing to bet that the average non-activist Democrat knows little about Franken and his record.
orleans
(34,122 posts)GeorgeGist
(25,328 posts)procon
(15,805 posts)actual deeds that matter.
Skittles
(153,428 posts)absolute FUCKING COWARDS
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)as did Tammy Duckworth. I seriously questioned their judgment. If they sell us out on something so simple to investigate and verify, what else have they caved on?
There are some people claiming this is just "politics" without realizing that the fundamental way that politics is conducted has shifted due to the Republican treasonous actions.
We shouldn't be in the habit of throwing away good, hard-working Democratic Senators over unproven actions. And if these cowardly Senators who railroaded Franken and didn't have his back pay attention, they will feel the wrath of their constituents.
orleans
(34,122 posts)my senators too. they both got wicked letters from me as well.
and durbin just got another one!
he said him and al were friends
my god! with a friend like durbin... (you know the rest)
Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)For God to answer ones prayers
Last time I prayed was when I took two silver dollars from my little brother and prayed for him got return them sos I could get away with the CRIME
What lesson I learned from that I still havent figured out....
Maybe if I were Trump, god woulda made the money appear. That seems to be how things are working for him these days
Tatiana
(14,167 posts)Every letter, complaint, or comment I have sent to his office has been acknowledged as received with a response sent back to me.
There are only staffers responding, but it's important for them to relay the message to Durbin that his constituents are not happy with his actions.
As a person of faith, I do believe G-d has a consequence ready for these traitors, but we can't sit and twiddle our thumbs waiting. We have to take action as citizens before our complete way of life has been obliterated.
Chasstev365
(5,191 posts)bench scientist
(1,107 posts)They are my Senators too.
spooky3
(34,559 posts)Who were among the few who did NOT publicly call for his resignation.
Cha
(298,313 posts)Hows the weather?
Cha
(298,313 posts)and cool for winter!
64 degrees
ProfessorGAC
(65,562 posts)Told them the same. BTW: What kind of science?
Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)Sorry; had to
ProfessorGAC
(65,562 posts)So, you get to play 24 minutes tonight!
Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)Looking for a laugh or two as I study for my MRI test this afternoon
ProfessorGAC
(65,562 posts)When i first got diagnosed with MS, i had to take that test. Surprisingly, they found something in my head. My wife was stunned.
Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)What did you say to the staffers, btw?
ProfessorGAC
(65,562 posts)Was speechless! The MS has been sort of a big nothing. Had it for 20 years and still played nearly 100 rounds of golf this year, work every week (for 374 more days), and am now bowling 9 games a week in the winter.
My internal medicine issues, mostly inhertied, are way more of a hassle.
Thanks, Gabi. Have a good holiday weekend.
Gabi Hayes
(28,795 posts)Do we have legal weed for that in IL?
ProfessorGAC
(65,562 posts)It's terminal cancer/active chemo, then MS/ALS and goes from there.
That said, they random test around here, so i haven't pursued.
I might when i retire.
bench scientist
(1,107 posts)Currently in law school getting my JD.
Going into patent law.
Spoiler alert ( nerd).
Have a Happy Holiday Prof!
bench scientist
(1,107 posts)orleans
(34,122 posts)Skittles
(153,428 posts)orleans
(34,122 posts)Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.
"Given what we have learned in recent weeks, I expect Senator Franken to step aside."
https://www.npr.org/2017/12/06/568832606/franken-under-pressure-as-group-democratic-senators-call-for-him-to-resign
you can see franken giving sheldon a handshake and hug after whitehouse gets done talking
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)https://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/26847/dick-durbin#
See all those 100%s and 0%s? Durbin is a major power for liberalism in the senate and an implacable GOP opponent.
So 1000s of conservative voices are trying to swiftboat him in the minds of Democratic voters. Fight the dark side with knowledge.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/richard_durbin/300038
Take a good look at Durbin's voting and leadership record on that graph. Way to the left. Note that he's much stronger on leadership than indicated by the criteria they use to measure that.
Btw, you can click on any blue dot on that graph and find out how other Democrats have been voting. The farther left the dot, the stronger the record on liberal and progressive issues tends to be. Gillibrand's pretty conservative but recent voting patterns place her over there, again that irreplaceable knowledge thing.
orleans
(34,122 posts)you don't fucking know me!
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)A movement and political climate was exploited and put Democratic congress members put in an impossible situation.
The republicans only benefit if we cry victim and trash the people who responded to a situation that had no easy answers.
I suspect our elected Democrats really hate to see him go.
Response to loyalsister (Reply #47)
Name removed Message auto-removed
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)Franken is not hanging from a tree with his eyes bulging and skin burning. Hyperbole can be useful. In this case it mocks the horror of the reality.
orleans
(34,122 posts)well, it appears to me that our reps could still take that advice
ugh!
if they hated to see him go so damn much why did nearly all of them follow gillibrand like a bunch of freaking lap dogs instead of insisting the ethics committee look into these claims--especially the ones made by "anonymous" and "anonymous" and "anonymous?"
i didn't like the tiki torch mob action in charlottesville and i DETEST it within my own party!
member12
(81 posts)And an honorable man. He should not have to step down.
Response to orleans (Original post)
Chasstev365 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Chasstev365
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