Franken to resign in early January

[MaupitiBlue]

Source: The Hill

Sen. Al Franken will step down on Jan. 2, a spokesman for the Minnesota Democrat said Wednesday.

Franken announced earlier this month that he would resign from the Senate in the face of sexual harassment allegations. But he did not announce a date for when he would officially leave the chamber.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/365858-franken-to-resign-in-early-january

---

If a US Senator can get railroaded on this issue, imagine what's like to be an 18 year old boy facing simular accusations from the campus inquisitors.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Fucking war....

[defacto7]

31. Has anyone read this post? What's he talking about?

18yo? Facing campus inquisitors?

There are 2 stories going on here and everone is talking about Frankin resigning per the subject but the comment totally different.

[byronius]

2. Yeah, screw that.

Every hand on deck for the sinking.

Franken 2020.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. Down,,,,,, but not out of the public eye.

Al Franken will always be my friend. He will be missed in the Senate, but he will be vocal regarding Donald Trump and Senate Republicans.

[BigmanPigman]

4. I wish he would run again.

[zentrum]

5. Can't stand the fact...

….that he's off all those committees, where he was so terrific.

He exposed Sessions and DeVos and I wish we had him back.

[CentralMass]

6. Say it ain't't so Al.

[Iggo]

7. Fuck that.

[doc03]

8. What a shame he had to quit because

a couple other Democrats wanted him out of the way for their own political ambitions. Sad
There are two Senators that will never get my vote for president.

[brooklynite]

9. You have evidence of that?

[doc03]

10. Look at who led the charge

[brooklynite]

11. And Warren, Sanders, Brown and Harris were too stupid to see through her plot?

[ollie10]

12. No they were not stupid....they knew EXACTLY WHAT THEY WERE DOING.....

Railroading Franken.

Yes, Gillibrand was the leader of the lynch mob.

This lynching was worthy of nothing but contempt

[Hortensis]

18. Who was the other? Sanders? He was the other who

rushed with her for cover after asking Sen. Franken to resign.

But, why would either of them "railroad" Franken, or any of the others? I know the common thought among some here is that these three are top of the party because, well, for whatever reason got that in their heads. But in all likelihood none of these three will be a leading candidate striding onto the stage with powerful endorsements and strong backing from literally hundreds of power centers. Certainly not Sanders, he's too radical, other professionals never supported him, and voters are more familiar with him now. Gillibrand's a small potato, relatively new, and with a highly questionable conservative record; the idea that she will be our candidate is ludicrous.

And yes, Sen. Franken, easily my own favorite for the role, but hasn't it occurred to some that if he had been the party's heart and future, as he's being touted by some as here, he would have had more support among his colleagues? They regretted and hugged him as he announced he would be leaving, and they're miss him, he shares their values and is well liked. But they didn't exactly feel he was any more irreplaceable than most of them would be in similar circumstances. There's a lesson in there.

[ollie10]

23. What they accused Franken of was not sexual abuse and a lot of it was from anonymous sources

The first person to report this stuff was freaking Roger Stone.....

Franken did not get his chance to anything resembling fair play or due process.

There already was an senate ethics investigation that Franken was willing to do from day one.

So the lynch mob did not have to do anything except let things run their course. If Franken was found to be guilty he would then have left.

The lynch mob mentality was unworthy of being taken seriously.

I really don't know if Franken was going to run for president, but we lost a strong voice.

I think Gillibrand was trying to use this as a spring board to make her a leading contender, representing the me too movement.

Sorry, but if you don't have an ounce of respect for fairness, you don't get my vote.

As for women...this lynch mob has set back women's rights big time. It will hurt women in hiring, for starters.

[Hortensis]

25. Olie, I'd bet my bank account that the mob that formed right here

has no idea who these senators they're attacking are. No idea what their ideals and liberal and progressive accomplishments throughout their careers are. The eagerness to attack and wording of attacks virtually guarantees it.

There are over 30 of them, you know, but feel free to start reciting accomplishments if I'm wrong. Or I could toss out a name and see if anyone who thinks that individual should be primaried could support it in face of that one person's record.

And don't for a minute think Senator Franken would support attacks on them, because, imo at least, he's far too balanced, principled, intelligent and focused on his ideals to behave that way. And if he were, wrong material for senator much less president. Not that I worry about that.

Again, imo, people's personal judgement should require them to at least consider Franken's own positions before using him as an excuse for attacking his colleagues .

After all, Obama would hardly appreciate Republicans claiming they were supporting him against Democrats by taking out Democrats. Same thing.

[ollie10]

35. The mob was made up of Senators who railroaded Franken

aka lynch mob.

They threw Franken under the bus, doing the bidding of Stone and the Republican hate machine.

Now you seem to be saying that this is all OK because they are liberals with great careers.

Huh? Franken was a great liberal with a great career. Now it is over.

Liberals should know better than to participate in a lynch mob.

Although I am a liberal, if you have to resort to tribe mentality to justify your position, you lower yourself.

It is not a particularly liberal position to deny fair treatment or due process to the accused.

[Hortensis]

37. Bad character and judgement are hardly limited to

other groups who villify Democratic politicians in order to engage in mob behavior against Democrats.

Btw, I invited anyone who eagerly perused that list of senators they are attacking to look up the record of even 1 of the more than 30 Democratic senators they wanted to primary.

Still waiting for even one of these mobsters to have the guts and honesty to know something about any of Democratic senators they, the Republicans, and Putin want to railroad out of congress.

[ollie10]

38. Al Franken's career is over

He got punked.

By Stone and the Republican hate machine.

Along with several Democratic accomplices who should be ashamed of themselves for throwing one of their own under the train.

They couldn't even wait for the ethics committee to investigate. Just had to destroy his career in a colossal rush to judgement.

Pity they caved.

They made it all the easier for our enemies to strike again against yet another Democrat.....hey, it worked so easily with Franken.....hey, comrades, let's go after someone else!!! The Dems will even help us!

[Hortensis]

40. Maria Cantwell -- the mob despises her. Go find out why.

She's no angel. I just picked her from random off a list posted here of supposedly "spineless" unprincipled Democrats who several mob threads agreed should be run out of office.

Go get 'er!

[ollie10]

41. So the mob who lynched Franken despises her? Why does Hillibrand despise her?

[Hortensis]

42. Hillibrand? Really? Don't want to find Canwell's a good senator?

I threw a slow ball too. She's a junior senator and just not that impressive.

Well, if you'd prefer learning about a man, how about Democratic Senator Markey of MA? Or any of 18 other men who were among the 32. Here's GovTrack on him, and all the ohers, for a jumping-off point.

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/edward_markey/400253.
(Whoa! Boy, turns out he's one of 3 of the strongest leftist senators, thrown under the bus with Sanders and Warren.)

If you want the additional senators who more quietly called on him to resign, not on the hit list posted and reposted here by the mob, you'll have to look them up. There are a few more. It wasn't really only 32.

[ollie10]

43. I don't think you are even trying to understand.....

I am not in favor of lynching ANYONE.

That's why I think it is a travesty Franken was lynched.

Two wrongs don't make it right.

We don't need a circular firing squad.

We don't need to act like Gillibrand

The bottom line....the Ethics Committee was going to take this up with Franken's blessing. The lynch mob didn't want to give him a chance. All they had to do was let the :Ethics Committee investigate. But they were too much in a hurry to do the bidding of Stone

Was it stupidity? I don't think they are stupid. Was it that one of them wanted a feather in her cap to run for president? More likely.
Was it naivety....not realizing that this would make it even easier for the right wing hate machine to attack ANOTHER good Democrat in the future? I wouldn't doubt that. I don't know why, really. Either way, though, it was a huge lapse of judgement not worthy of a presidential nominee.

[doc03]

13. Some of them also have their eye on 2020

What did we acomplish, the Republicans deny it and get a free pass.

[LenaBaby61]

20. NO KIDDING ...

I've had several more friends from different parts of this country who've changed party affiliation. They're no longer Dems. They're changed their registration to Independent. They're STILL mad at the Dems who saw to it that Franken left the Senate Senate. Scary thing is that some of those same Dems will be in the barrel themselves, because if you don't think that thuglicans won't go after THEM if they run for the presidency .....

WILL BE NASTY. You see fatso practically called Gillibrand a whore in a tweet. What a fat, nasty, vile, ugly, racist, sexist, disgusting foul pig he is. Can't wait until KARMA hits his fat ass. Hope I'm here to see it.

[ananda]

14. Just remember. The Dems did this.

And now the tax bill. Geez!

[LakeArenal]

15. The Dems did this.

I will and do remember.

[Rene]

16. Al Do Not Resign We need you IN the Senate

[bathroommonkey76]

17. The Duke Lacrosse scandal comes to mind

I remember the prosecutor in that case foaming at the mouth before those kids were cleared.

The #MeToo and other social networking movements need to stop holding daily trial by juries accusing people of shit they may not have committed. It's sickening to know that one of the best Dem senators was taken down by those alt-right motherfuckers. And the lynch mob of Franken's colleagues who asked him to resign. Sorry, this is going to stick with me for a very long time.

[Initech]

19. Fuck you Cernovich!!!!! Fuck you Daily Caller!!!!

[PragmaticDem]

21. Heartbroken over this whole saga!

[elmac]

24. i think the senitor knows

there is no fix for washington and this country is screwed. The fascists are in control and the dems just can't commit to total war. We are screwed.

[SHRED]

26. Heartbreaking

I am so angry at our Democrats who ushered him out and Bernie.

[Freethinker65]

27. I hope he continues his policy wonkiness and becomes a go to pundit

He can really cut through the bullshit and expose the charlatans if he so desires.

[MustLoveBeagles]

28. This so sad and it was so unnecessary

[janterry]

29. another loss, I just can't stand this

[MustLoveBeagles]

30. Yeah. This really sucks

[DAMANgoldberg]

32. A dream...

Since the MN Lt. Governor is going to take his seat, if Gov. Dayton can appoint someone to the Lt. Governor position, why not Al Franken? Since Gov. Dayton may not run for re-election or may step down, there is the logical choice for Governor.

[MrsMatt]

36. Dayton cannot just appoint anyone he wants

Constitutionally, a vacancy in the MN Lt. Gov. must be filled by the president of the senate.

[DAMANgoldberg]

44. Thanks for the info...

I forgot something like that. Oh well.

[disndat]

33. Thanks Sen. Gillabrand.

You have just kiss your 2020 chances Goodbye.

[Raine]

34. Please NO!

so not fair, I'll never forgive those who threw him under the bus and ran over him!

[roamer65]

39. Governor Franken!

Run Al, Run!