What has DU come to we have numerous posts excusing alleged sexual misconduct

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

27. Because not all acts of sexual misconduct are the same.

Even criminal statutes recognize that fact; all recognize different degrees of criminal sexual conduct and each carries a different penalty. If it was discovered that Al Franken or any other Democrat had molested a fourteen-year-old, assaulted a sixteen-year-old in his car, and hung around shopping malls trolling for high school girls (and denied it contrary to persuasive evidence), or assaulted at least fifteen women (and denied it contrary to persuasive evidence) and bragged about grabbing their genitals, I'd be first in line to demand his ouster. I do not believe, however, that a single instance of misconduct as described by Leeann Tweeden is at all comparable to a long-standing pattern of child-molesting or pussy-grabbing. Franken has admitted he was at fault and has apologized. Nobody is excusing his conduct or claiming it was OK or justifiable in any way (at least that I've seen), but there should be a recognition that while all sexual misconduct is bad, some acts are worse than others.