The time has come for people here to stop disparaging the Franken accusation...

[brooklynite]

...or trying to explain it away as a RW hoax. Senator Franken has acknowledged that the incident occurred. He has apologized TO THE ACCUSER. Reading efforts to explain this away is embarassing.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Wait, no, she is ALSO claiming, isnt she, that when they were ALONE he

pushed her to rehearse the kiss, etc?

THAT is the part there just so happens to be no witnesses for, not the photo.

I believe she is lying about this part, the rest of the story is known and what he did wrong was take a photo pretending to do something that was stupid to pretend to do, for sure.

[Sailor65x1]

24. Sanity is not statistical

The fact that only one person is telling her story alone does not make her a liar. This fallacy is the reason so many things have gone unreported.

The only apparent reason people think she's lying is that DU happens to like Franken, and see her as the enemy. People here have no trouble believing singular accounts when it goes the other way.

Pretty disgusting.

[mythology]

35. This is one of the most disgusting and frankly stupid things I've seen

Seriously how many rapes or sexual assaults do you think are recorded? Are all of those people to be disbelieved? Or just the ones where you like the alleged perpetrator?

People like you, with this attitude is why victims don't come forward. Because people like you jump to attack them, to call them liars.

[Chasstev365]

2. Wrong!

LeAnn Tweeden is a right wing friend of Sean Hannity and this was a deliberate attempt to deflect off of Roy Moore. The video was staged and she was awake, going along with the bit! That makes this thing very different!

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. Exactly, and isnt she also accusing him WHILE they were alone, how convenient

that he pursued her for a kiss?

Think so, she is lying about that.

I am fucking beside myself, when will we stop falling for these fucking liars.

[smirkymonkey]

7. +1000

[Ezior]

25. Let's see... Maybe you're right, maybe not

"LeAnn Tweeden is a right wing friend of Sean Hannity" -> doesn't matter, as this is unrelated to the accusations
"this was a deliberate attempt to deflect off of Roy Moore" -> it's entirely possible, but if the accusations hold true, it doesn't matter, since Franken is still to blame for his actions if the reports are true.
"The video was staged and she was awake, going along with the bit!" -> if this is true (everything was consensual), I agree that Franken is not to blame. I'm not convinced either way yet, though.

[uponit7771]

28. I disagree, when it comes to Hannity its VERY germane to the accusations. Those hacks will

... put anyone up to do anything.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Yes, agreed, but

I am very distressed by how many men have gone down this path.

Maybe I'm just told fashioned, but this behavior is just plain wrong.

[True Dough]

5. Agreed

There are varying degrees of sexual harassment and assault, but wrong is wrong. What Franken did was wrong.

I don't think his resignation is necessary, unless he turns out to be a serial offender. But I am disappointed in him just the same. His moral high ground on such matters is now gone.

[MFM008]

6. I don't believe her

I would apologize if I thought someone was offended even though they shouldn't be.
It's what THEY view as offensive.
She IS a maggot supporter... what a terrific way
To CHANGE THE SUBJECT.

[Dream Girl]

37. Me neither. This has the smell of a RW set up.

Shift the narrative, find a liberal dem we can smear. Bingo!

[kcr]

8. Not yet. I think it will turn out the photo was staged.

That's why he's calling for the investigation.

[brooklynite]

15. Why then did he apologize to the accuser?

[kcr]

19. He apologized for taking the picture.

But I read his book. He apologized for the type of humor he used to engage in. He's made an effort to distance himself from that type of humor. I think that's what he's doing. He's calling for the investigation because he knows what it will reveal. I think this is exactly the right way to handle the right-wing smear machine.

[moda253]

9. The time has come for people to stop telling other people what to do.

You aren't the hall monitor.

[B2G]

10. I need to log off now.

Before I get myself banned for good.

Good try though. I agree completely.

[SaschaHM]

12. Nah, stay and fight the good fight.

[ChubbyStar]

17. Please stay! Really your posts are illuminating

Your opinion is valid!

[SaschaHM]

13. DO you have an actual source/quote of this claim?

Just asking because this is spreading like wildfire on twitter and no has pointed to a news source or a tweet from the photographer him/herself saying this. Heck no one has even named the photographer.

[Whiskeytide]

16. Do you have a link to the photographers ...

... comments? Was it staged by the photographer and Al, or was it staged by the photographer, Al AND Tweeden? That difference has a huge impact on her credibility.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. DU never acquits itself well in these kinds of things.

[FSogol]

20. Maybe that's because we are all humans with likes, dislikes, biases, contradictions, and failings.

It would be impossible to live up to the standards that people here purport.

High horses and all.

[grossproffit]

18. I'm sick of trial via social media.

[Bleacher Creature]

21. Yes, this is an incredibly important point.

As unlikely as it is, I've long been clear that I would never support a liberal version of people like Trump, Moore, etc. And I use the word "unlikely" because there literally are ZERO Democrats in the House or Senate who are as wacky as Trump, Moore, Pence, Goehmert, Steve King, Mo Brooks, and on and on and on.

If a Democrat does something objectively wrong, we need to be willing to call him or her out on it, no matter who it is. I've long been a huge fan of Franken - and I have many posts to prove that point - but the picture is reprehensible.

[LanternWaste]

22. Many people pretend to have absolute knowledge of what may or may not be discussed.

Many people pretend to have absolute knowledge of what may or may not be discussed.

Than pretense though is much less embarrassing than it is both tedious and consistent with the narrative.

[rogue emissary]

23. K & R!

[Lurks Often]

26. Sen Franken is a Democrat, so of course people here will minimize the accusation

or ignore or excuse it or deny it ever happened.

And since the alleged victim is a conservative woman she automatically loses credibility.


I wonder what the responses would be if the alleged victim was a Democrat.

[SaschaHM]

31. It'd be the same. A Man that people like was accused of doing wrong.

Cue the defenders.
Cue the "What was she wearing" bullshit.
Cue the photos where she showed skin.
Cue the "My daddy was an honorable man" bullshit.

That response crosses the partisan divide.

Franken may be exonerated by the ethics investigation, however that doesn't even remotely excuse the sexist shit that has popped up here today.

[Lurks Often]

36. Sometimes the line between right & wrong here gets awfully damn blurry

for some posters. And you're right there is no excuse for the sexist shit that has been posted today.

[katmondoo]

27. The Republicans have finally found a way to make Moore just a wonderful man

and at the same time get back at Franken for harassing Sessions. Took them a while but the must have been working night and day to find the right Democrat to attack with the same charges as Moore

[DonCoquixote]

29. questioj if he resigns

who gets to appoint his successor?

[brooklynite]

30. Franken apologized; the victim accepted the apology and said he shouldn't step down

DEFINITELY a R/W hoax!

[Kirk Lover]

33. No..she's not going to say that..of course not, she's setting up her mates...

just watch the RW pricks...you wanna BET what they'll be saying.

[Kirk Lover]

32. Which incident are you referring to...the kiss or the picture? He said he does not remember the

rehearsal for the skit in the same way that she does. So how is that acknowledging that that happened? He is acknowledging the photo...but not that he groped her.

You act like something like this is beyond consideration for the RW hit machine to enact. YEAH OK.

[DemocraticWing]

34. I agree.

We’re supposed to be better than the Republicans.