Tara Reade, Al Franken did Klobuchar get a bump?

[judeling]

With Media whataboutism and the way Trump is, the Tara Reade story will be with us throughout the election.

Klobuchar is the only short lister who is in a totally consistent position. Believe but investigate.

From Kirby Puckett to Kavanaugh she has shown the willingness to believe and investigate and carry through. At the same time she has shown that the investigation is needed with Franken. While this will not be the most important consideration it will be part of the considerations so it will be a factor in the thinking.

[Celerity]

1. Klobuchar told Franken to resign, publicly called it the right thing, & said he should've apologised

'The right decision,' Amy Klobuchar, others say of Franken's resignation

https://www.twincities.com/2017/12/07/amy-klobuchar-mark-dayton-others-react-to-al-franken-resignation-announcement/

U.S. SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR

“Today Senator Franken acknowledged that he could no longer serve in the Senate and resigned. As he and I discussed yesterday, this is the right decision. Senator Franken has worked for years on behalf of the people of Minnesota and he has been a leader on issues that are fundamental to Americans’ lives, including education, privacy, healthcare and mental health. He has been a friend to me and to many in our state.

“As the women who have come forward to tell their stories across America have made clear, sexual harassment is never acceptable. In every workplace in America, including the U.S. Senate, we must confront the challenges of harassment and misconduct. Nothing is easy or pleasant about this, but we all must recognize that our workplace cultures — and the way we treat each other as human beings — must change.

“For Franni, the Franken family, Senator Franken’s friends and supporters in our state, it’s a very tough day. I want you to know I remain as committed as ever to working together and standing up for people, for common decency, and for our democracy during an incredibly difficult and divisive time in our country. And as we go forward together, we must never forget the words of Senator Paul Wellstone, whom Senator Franken quoted in part today, ‘Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of people’s lives.”

snip



https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/amy-klobuchar-senate-al-franken-minnesota/index.html

"I had condemned his conduct early on when the first allegation was made," she told CNN's Dana Bash on "Inside Politics." "I felt I was in a different role as his colleague, that I'm someone that has worked with him for a long time, there's a lot of trust there, and I felt it was best to handle it in that way."

In a coordinated effort, female Democratic senators called for Franken's resignation in rapid fire Wednesday. Klobuchar did not join in that effort and said in a statement at the time that she spoke with him privately. By Wednesday evening, more than two dozen senators -- including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer -- had called for Franken's resignation.

"I talked to him about the fact that you had reached the situation with the mounting allegations and the fact that there was an ethics investigation going on," Klobuchar told CNN Friday.

snip


When asked about the ramifications of Franken's decision to resign, which Bash said was "under duress" -- and Klobuchar agreed -- the senator said it's "not about just toppling men." "This is about guaranteeing we will have better workplaces where people treat each other fairly," she responded. "And there is a lot of good men in the workplace. You know some of them. I think the key here will be due process."

snip


https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2017/12/why-democrats-pushed-franken-out.html?page=all

snip

A contrast is just what Democrats likely want to focus on, according to The Washington Post. Forcing out Franken, along with Rep. John Conyers, shows the party is “willing to sacrifice their own in the interest of staking out the higher ground,” per The Post.

Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar called Franken Wednesday and privately urged him to step down, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. While she plans to uphold Franken’s legacy and the work he’s done for the state, she thought his speech was “short.”

“I know that he didn’t really apologize to the people and that would have been nice,” Klobuchar said, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

snip


http://www.startribune.com/sen-amy-klobuchar-says-franken-s-legacy-will-last-but-adds-he-should-have-apologized/462628583/

snip

As for the farewell speech itself, Klobuchar said: “I thought the speech was short. ... I know that he didn’t really apologize to the people and that would have been nice.

“I think the bigger deal for me was that he was able to talk ... with a lot of love for our state, what he liked about his job and what he wanted to be his legacy.”

That legacy, she said, would include Franken’s work on issues like health care and privacy.

But the legacy will also be shadowed by more than half a dozen sexual harassment allegations against Franken. On Wednesday, Klobuchar said, as a seventh accuser came forward and other Senate Democrats began calling for his resignation, she called Franken to privately urge him to do the “right thing” and step down.

snip

[blueinredohio]

3. That is why I'm not for Amy for v.p.

[abqtommy]

4. You're not the only one... consistency is a good thing in puddings and politicians.

[judeling]

6. Believe But investigate

KSTP-TV sat down with Sen. Amy Klobuchar: “Senator Amy Klobuchar said she didn’t publicly call for Al Franken to resign because she wanted to give her fellow Democrat and Minnesota Senate colleague the chance to reach that decision on his own. But Klobuchar said she spoke with Franken Wednesday, when the latest of the multiple allegations of sexual harassment against him became public, and stressed it would be hard for him to continue in his position. ‘We just talked about how hard it was going to be for him to continue to serve,’ Klobuchar told KSTP’s Tom Hauser Thursday, following Franken’s resignation announcement on the Senate floor. ‘His response was that he needed to talk to his family — (his wife) Franni — and I truly respected that.’”

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Franken’s Democratic colleague from Minnesota, is calling for an ethics investigation into the allegations.
"This should not have happened to Leann Tweeden,” Klobuchar said in a statement. “I strongly condemn this behavior and the Senate Ethics Committee must open an investigation. This is another example of why we need to change work environments and reporting practices across the nation, including in Congress.”
Franken has supported calls that he be subjected to an ethics investigation.
“The truth is, what people think of me in light of this is far less important than what people think of women who continue to come forward to tell their stories,” Franken said in a statement. “They deserve to be heard, and believed. And they deserve to know that I am their ally and supporter. I have let them down and am committed to making it up to them.”

[question everything]

10. AFTER he resigned. She was not part of the "coordinated effort" to force him out

[CentralMass]

2. ?

[Iggo]

5. Don't automatically disbelieve. And investigate.

Because that's two in a row now who were lying.

And you know they're going to keep trotting them out in the hope that something sticks.

[LisaL]

7. Let's be real.

What are you going to investigate 20-30 years later after the supposed incident, in a "she said, he said" type of case?

[Iggo]

8. He actually has receipts for the Murry one.

Investigation is always worth it, is always the right thing to do.

[question everything]

9. What is Murry one?

Sorry, have not been much here in the past days

[Iggo]

11. Had to check to make sure.

Sometimes I mess up the names when I'm moving too fast.

But the unorthodox spelling of the last name stuck in my head this time.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142485775

[question everything]

12. Thanks. Clearly they multiply. And, as it was with Franken, it soon sucks all energy