Should Al Franken run for the MN Senate again?

[milestogo]

I don't think he should ever have been thrown under the bus.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. Yes

[marble falls]

2. Duh! You bet!

[Ocelot II]

3. Does he want to?

[dflprincess]

9. He's already said he's not running. nt

[elocs]

44. And that is exactly the point. n/t

[dchill]

4. Yes - if he wants to. IF.

[kimbutgar]

5. Yes but Walz would be a good senator also

I don’t know if Franken’s heart is into it anymore.

[dflprincess]

11. Peggy Flanagan, the Lt. Governor has already said she's running

My first thought was that he wouldn't challenge her for the endorsement or in the primary but, I see elsewhere on this board that he may be considering a run.

The DFL has a pretty deep bench for this seat, I imagine we'll see several good candidates come forward. Stay tuned.

[Skittles]

6. he gets bounced, but Hegseth heads the DOD

fucking disgusting

[rubbersole]

12. donnie rapist goes to the WH.

It really couldn't be worse.

[Bettie]

22. Well, it seems sexual assault is a prerequisite

for being in any position as a Republican. Or some other form of assault, you have to be abusive in some way to make the cut these days.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. No.

[Eliot Rosewater]

8. my understanding is he put his arm around a Woman's waist while taking a picture in front of hundreds

and it was entirely and completely innocent and nobody said a word, but the media now considers him a serial rapist, so no he cant run.

Hope he does though.

[Mr. Evil]

17. Well, of course.

And nothing came of it once he resigned. I could say TSF is a well known kiddie porn producer and pedophile but, nothing will come of that either. Al Franken has hundreds or even thousands of women he's worked with or been around for decades and not a single one has ever stated he ever did anything remotely resembling sexual misconduct. He takes a picture at a state fair with some random women and happens to tickle one of their flab rolls in front of hundreds of people in broad daylight and he's a pervert.

[DENVERPOPS]

24. I would love

to see Epstein's black book released..............Then we could vote on who are the political perverts. Then, on a scale of one to a million, I am guessing Franken would be a one, without exception.........

Heidi Fleise's black book would have been fun to look through also......

[Mr. Evil]

26. Epstein's black book

is probably held under 24 hr. guard in the lowest sub-basemant level at the CIA HQ and then buried at least 20 ft. below that encased in steel reinforced concrete.

[DENVERPOPS]

28. Just think of the names and pictures

Epstein and Ghislaine collected through the years as insurance, much like Heidi Fleis did.................

Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Lindsay Graham etc etc etc.......Putin probably has a bunch of those pictures......

[Mr. Evil]

29. Putin has everything.

[EdmondDantes_]

30. So either you didn't read the articles or you're intentionally disregarding them

And of course insulting the appearance of a woman to diminish her. That's quite the take in 2025. We should as a society be better than this.

I really don't understand the unwillingness to be honest about the allegations. Eight separate women that he was around said he was sexually inappropriate towards them. And given the attitude people have towards victims, many don't report for obvious reasons.

As for not abusing every woman he's been around, are you willing to hold say Trump to that standard? Or Hegseth? Or Kavanaugh? Even the worst offenders of any crime don't commit that crime against everyone. Unfortunately people are complicated. Rarely is anyone all good or bad like a cartoon character. I can say that Franken was on his way to being a good Senator and based on the allegations from multiple women, including with contemporaneous outcry, that he had a problem with his behavior towards women. Lots of men do because too many of us grew up without understanding consent.

[W_HAMILTON]

41. Are you comparing sexual assault/rape accusations by victims that have come forward publicly...

...to claims of much less from anonymous accusers?

Literally, the most serious allegation from a named accuser was someone who felt uncomfortable that he had his hand around her waist during a public photo op at a State Fair, for god's sake.

[Eliot Rosewater]

57. Fucking infuriates me that anyone on this site is still pushing that

Right wing lie about Al Franken, no he didn’t do anything inappropriate ever not once not to anybody 🤬

The entire thing including the anonymous accusers is made up by the same people that put Trump in office.

[Jose Garcia]

50. What about the seven other women?

[SocialDemocrat61]

56. Shhh

Don't confuse them with facts.

[LSparkle]

10. Yes!

[SocialDemocrat61]

13. He moved back to New York

a few years ago.

[mr715]

14. I would like that

He is one of our best communicators.

[JoseBalow]

16. Why not President?

[LexVegas]

18. No. nt

[Stpaoulboy]

19. Yes

[Mr. Evil]

20. I absolutely hope he does.

If he has no intention to run. so be it. I'll respect that.
If he mulls it over and says he's undecided, I'll gain hope.
If he says he's leaning toward running again, I'll get excited.
If he decides to run, I'll fucking love it.
If he runs and wins, I'll throw an epic party!

[Linda ladeewolf]

21. Yes!

Yes!

[samaben]

23. yes

Fuck yes he should!

[Codifer]

25. Hell yes

And hell yes again

[dreamland]

27. It doesn't matter what state he is in now. We need him.m n

Yes.

[walkingman]

31. Yes - We will trade Texas Senators Cornyn and Cruz for Franken and throw in Ken Paxton for nothing.

[SCantiGOP]

32. He's said he wouldn't run

And he pointed out he would be 75 when next term starts.

[Seasider]

33. Franken is great but we need new blood in congress

[Trueblue Texan]

34. F*** YES!

He has no felony convictions! He is spotless and so freaking smart! Run, Al, RUN!

[JDAcme]

35. Without a doubt

Al Franken should run to regain the seat he never should have given up. If he would run, I believe he would win in a landslide. His chances increase every day The Snake commandeers the airwaves, which is every damned day.

[yaesu]

36. I think he should run for whatever office he wants to

He is a poi voice for the people and is missed

[Buzz cook]

37. There are plenty of young people

That are qualified for the senate. Well not young cause 30 is the minimum age.
Every state and county Democratic organization should be scouring their areas for people who can fill those position.
If they/we wait for people to self select, there's going to be the same old same old.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

38. Yes

[DFW]

39. Don't hold your breath

Al still harbors a bitterness against his Democratic colleagues who threw him under the bus (and don’t you dare get Franni started!!). The whole set of allegations against him at the time was engineered by Trump’s pal, Roger Stone. The various women who conveniently “came forward” with exquisite timing immediately again disappeared after he resigned. One would have to go back to reports from December, 2017, to even find their names and allegations. This, of course, excludes Leeann Tweeden, who freely admitted she was part of the set-up.

Some of Al’s then-colleagues have apologized for being too quick to trash him (among them: Sheldon Whitehouse of RI, Jon Tester of MT, Bill Nelson of FL). Most have not. I did harbor a totally irrational resentment of Tina Smith for replacing him, but after meeting her, I came to my senses, and realized that she had nothing to do with what happened to Al.

Al still runs hot and cold about running for something, but he would not mount a primary challenge against either Minnesota Senator currently serving. Other possible positions just don’t interest him nearly as much, and anyone who has been around the United States Senate for any length of time would understand why. He still to this day has mixed feelings about whether he would even want to again serve alongside former colleagues who unjustly trashed him and never apologized.

At the time of Stone’s cleverly orchestrated scam in late 2017, we had several “one issue” posters on DU who showed up just to trash Al, and then faded when the issue was no longer current, though one seems to be back under another name. None of them knew Al or had even met him and/or Franni (they are still devoted, and no, Al has no such issues as described in any of the allegations). They didn’t even have mutual acquaintances. And yet someone who suddenly “came forward” with what sounded like coached dialog had greater credibility with said posters? Chacun à son goût, of course, but fortunately it wasn’t the goût of the vast majority of DU, or I would no longer have been here these past 7+ years.

Al was definitely a major thorn in Trump’s side in 2017, and Stone publicly announced in advance that he was planning something against Al. It was a dark moment for Senate Democrats when it turned out to be successful. I can well imagine that Stone was as surprised as anyone that his scheme actually worked. Had the Senate Democrats had Al’s back, he never would have left. I know, I know, Doug Jones, but still…

With his podcasts, live shows, etc., Al is keeping busy, but he never completely lost the shell shock from the betrayal by so many of his Senate colleagues, even though he misses what fellow Minnesotan Fritz Mondale called “the best job in the world.” He also sees the clock ticking as well as anyone else, and has (more or less) come to terms with seeing younger people step in. Still, it’s always easier to tell someone else to do that than to do it yourself.

[Pinback]

48. Thanks -- scrolled this thread to find your perspective.

It’s a disgusting and tragic saga, and I’m very sorry that he and his family were subjected to scam, the betrayal, and the humiliation. I think he’d be wise to avoid the rehash that would come with another run, as much as it pains me to say so.

I follow Al’s podcast and have admired him and appreciated his work for many years, starting with Franken & Davis and continuing with his books, Air America, his brilliant Senate career, and later solo work. He’s one of our very best.

[Celerity]

40. Absolutely not. NT

[Renew Deal]

42. He is 73

[LisaL]

45. So, a spring chicken!

NT

[Martin Eden]

43. Would Franken be more likely to win the general election than other Dem candidates?

Would he be a stronger voice in the Senate, and have broad appeal as a face of the Democratic Party?

Evaluating the answers to these questions would inform my opinion as to whether he should run.

Tim Walz has expressed interest, and I rather like him.

[LisaL]

46. I fail to see why not.

So, yes.

[BluenFLA]

47. Hell yeah!

Franken has shown to be a solid senator and unlike many of the milk sops we have in the senate, he will put up a fight.

[Paladin]

49. Yes, please.

We're in desperate need of Franken's intellect, experience, and humor. He'd be an absolute nightmare for trump and the rest of the fascists.

[BeyondGeography]

51. I love Al but he lost his fastball a long time ago

Takes forever to get to the point and even his jokes have lost some zing. His time as a politician should be over IMO.

[lark]

52. I will never forgive the Dems for what they did to him - it was totally reprehensible!

Love the Dems, but they made a huge mistake jumping all over this before the facts got out that the woman was paid by rw radio for her claims - and was coached by them to make it and there was proof of both!! Dems didn't wait for the truth to come out.

[Sun-Moon]

53. Yes- if he wants to go back.

[obamanut2012]

54. No, Tim Walz should

Al should have never resigned, it was a witchhunt and very unfair, but Walz should run if he wants.

[SocialDemocrat61]

55. Eyewitness account of Al Franken's last day in the Senate

From 'The Twelve Caesars' by Suetonius

As Franken arrived at the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand presented him with a petition. The other conspirators crowded round to offer their support. Both CNN and MSNBC say that Franken waved her away, but Gillibrand grabbed Franken's shoulders and pulled down Franken's toga. Franken then cried to Gillibrand, "Why, this is violence!". At the same time, Kamela Harris produced her dagger and made a glancing thrust at Franken’s neck. Franken turned around quickly and caught by the arm. According to CNN, he said, "Kamela, you villain, what are you doing?" Harris, frightened, shouted "Help, sisters". Within moments, the entire group, including Senators Warren, Booker and Sanders, were stabbing Franken. Franken attempted to get away, but, blinded by blood in his eyes, he tripped and fell; the women continued stabbing him as he lay defenseless on the lower steps of the portico. According to MSNBC, thirty or more participated in the assassination. Franken was stabbed 23 times.