So, Minnesotans. How Much Trouble is Franken In?

[tishaLA]

I know he's been in trouble recently--and stupidly--because of a fairly innocuous Playboy article from 1995. Now I understand he's in deeper trouble because of a rape joke he told in a writer's meeting that never made it to air but has given pause to Planned Parenthood and other women's groups.

So...Is Al in real trouble, or is this something that's going to pass?

[PBS Poll-435]

1. I seem to remember the Workman's Comp. Insurance

Being his first REAL scandal.

I hadn't even heard about the Playboy thing.

Or the "joke"

[underpants]

3. Long article here (from today)

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/06/06/2144/frankens_campaign_veering_out_of_control_rumors_fly_and_ciresi_considers_jumping_back_in_the_race

tghe rape "joke" is from something that never aired on SNL. Franken, Norm Macdonald, and another guy are throwing out ideas about finding a medicine bottle with sedatives in it in Andy Rooney's desk and one of the jokes is about giving several to Leslie Stahl and "taking her in the closet and raping her" also about taking pictures of her AND about raping Mike Wallace.

the playboy thing is an article that he wrote :shrug:

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/06/frankens-senate-race-haunted-by-1995-rape-joke-on-snl-set/

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5. Thanks for the links.

[underpants]

7. CBS has a better explanation of his "Porn-o-rama" article in Playboy

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/05/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4158343.shtml


Franken’s article, titled “Porn-O-Rama,” describes a visit to an imaginary sex institute where he takes part in sexual acts with humans and machines. The column included many graphic sexual descriptions.

[mikelgb]

2. oy vey

always sex

dirty inhuman sex

[Occam Bandage]

4. These will probably pass--if only because new things will push them out.

He spent his entire career writing satire and comedy. He spent his life, up to this point, pushing the envelope for a laugh. I don't think there's just one or two off-color jokes in his entire career; if there were, the GOP wouldn't be making a deal of this now. I have a feeling there'll continue to be one or two new mini-scandals every week or so. The outcome of the race will turn on whether the Great Franken Circus can prevent this from being a referendum on Coleman's Bush-sniffing.

[tishaLA]

9. But I've also heard that his former Dem competitor might

get back in the race--someone who was more progressive than Franken. I have a hard time believing, though, that Franken didn't plan for/expect these kinds of things.

[Occam Bandage]

11. There are some options, but the state convention starts today. My little sister,

age 18, is a pledged delegate for Congressional candidate Ashwin Madia--I'm very proud of her. As for the Senate race? She's officially uncommitted but supporting Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, an ultraliberal (think Wellstone) college professor who's unlikely to win the nomination. There are a few options that could be nominated instead of Franken, from JNP to Mike Ciresi to Tim Walz to God knows who else. However, like I said, the DFL convention starts today, and there aren't any credible challengers at the moment. There would have to be a stunning coup for it to come out any other way, and from what she's saying, nobody's organizing one.

It looks like the good old Democratic-Farmer-Labor party is going to be nominating Al Franken.

[CTyankee]

15. This is not an off color joke. It is making a joke about drugging and sexually assaulting

a woman. IT is a description of a violent attack, with a follow up description of further humiliating his victim. A hypothetical outline of carrying out criminal acts against another human being.

As long as you "equate" this kind of thinking with a mere "joke" you are trivializing such crimes and debasing the humanity of women.

[Occam Bandage]

16. This is why we can't have nice things. nt

[CTyankee]

17. what are the "nice things" to which you refer? n/t

[Occam Bandage]

18. I don't know, civilized debate, a cultural majority, progress towards defeating sexism and racism...

I approached the issue in as unbiased and uncharged of a manner as I am capable of. I described the political reality, as I see it, while lending neither my approval nor disapproval of Franken's work. The comment in question was indeed a joke. It may not have been a funny one, and it may have been an offensive and reprehensible one, but a joke it was nevertheless--especially for the purposes of my statement, which was simply and clearly to state that this is unlikely to be an isolated incident, considering his choice of career.

Chastising another for failure to recast the discussion in explicit terms of your opinion is unnecessary and unhelpful. Saying that my failure to shift the conversation towards the aspect of the topic you find most outrageous is tantamount to "debasing the humanity of women" is laughable. You don't do this forum, yourself, or your cause any good by acting like that.

[smoogatz]

6. I think people need to get a grip.

The man was a comedian most of his working life, for God's sake. He told a rape joke twenty years ago? Horrors!

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10. OMG

:rofl::rofl:

That is such a poor choice of words.

I think his "grip" may be the source of some of his problems.

[demokatgurrl]

8. Pretty innocuous stuff when you compare to

Repubs picking up dates in the bathroom, or hypocritically railing against gays while hiring gay escorts, or divorcing wives on their hospital beds.

[rusty quoin]

12. And listening to his show for years...

I cannot think of many more sensitive to women's issues.

[rzemanfl]

13. Years ago during the "Al Franken Decade" he did this bit on SNL

about things being tax deductible: his suit, the boom box he was holding, a picture of him holding a surfboard in Hawaii. It was hysterical. He ended with a plea that people send him receipts. He was a comedian for god's sake.

[CTyankee]

14. You know what disturbs me most?

The fact that Leslie Stahl got this kind of treatment from a liberal Democrat. I could understand it from her bosses at the network and from male coworkers. But a male liberal who was in a position to treat her decently, but instead did this, is pretty awful. Stahl had an uphill battle to begin with. Franken just jumped right in to play with the "boys." He says he respects women but I'm finding it hard to believe that now.

I always liked Al but now I am pretty pissed off. He needs to make some major apologies, if not a major speech admitting to his own misogyny, to publicly apologizing to Leslie Stahl, and to outline how he intends to fight sexism for the rest of his life. IT is the least he can do...

[SeattleGirl]

19. OMG! The gall of Al Franken, WRITING stuff about SEX!

He should take the high road, and solicit sex in the men's room, like the good Republicans do!

:crazy:

[book_worm]

20. He does have a primary opponent--doesn't he?

[Occam Bandage]

21. Not a serious one. nt

[northernsoul]

22. Personally, I wish Ciresi would have stuck around

This kind of nonsense was precisely what I was afraid would happen if Franken became the candidate.