It's wrong to railroad a person. Any person. It must be said and repeated.

[PatrickforO]

60. LOL, boy did THAT backfire.

My Dad and Mom were WWII generation people. They were utterly convinced there is a right and a wrong, and just as convinced they could raise me to know the difference.

One of the things that got drilled into me is that you have to stand for something. Yes, you can change your mind in the face of evidence, but you don't just bend whichever way the wind is blowing.

And THAT'S what Gillibrand did. She miscalculated, thinking that by pandering to the 'me too' movement, she could gain points and further her own ambitions.

While we've lowered the bar in general for this kind of gutless behavior for our politicians, this was particularly egregious. It won't wash, and it WILL damage her brand. Seriously. I hate this kind of immoral shit - seeing someone get railroaded. It is unconscionable and odious. Despicable.

So, what can Gillibrand do to make up for this egregious mistake?

1. When the due process proves Franken innocent, APOLOGIZE PUBLICLY and abjectly. No excuses. 'I was horribly wrong, I should not have done this and I'm truly sorry.' That's the ONLY thing that will EARN her back my support during the primary season in my state. Otherwise she can COUNT on me to actively oppose her bid in favor of her opponent(s), and I'm sure going to be looking at where these people ALL were on the Franken issue and be throwing my support and my money behind the people who said 'wait, let's let this play out - Franken deserves due process.' And that goes for Bernie, too, if he runs. Unless he apologizes for railroading Franken, I won't support him. I love his platform and heavily supported him in 16, but not now. Not unless he backs it off IF Franken is proven innocent.

2. Work with this 'me too' group to find some way that men who have misguidedly acted inappropriately (no, I'm not talking about rape or coercive stuff, but take the things in context) touched someone or said something inappropriate to back off, apologize and be forgiven (provided always they don't repeat the offense). There's got to be a way to do this, otherwise every man over 50 is going to be doing a perp walk, because that was the culture in the 70s, 80s and 90s. So...take it in the context of its time, look at how serious it is, and last and most importantly, are they doing it now?

As is, this has left a real bad taste in my mouth. I don't like to see someone railroaded on baseless accusations. That isn't the America I believe in. Not at all.

And if you're an elected official or big in the party apparatus, and you're reading this, note the word, EARN. Candidates still have to EARN the support of voters, especially the 40%+ of the electorate that is registered Independent. They aren't just going to vote for you because, hey, look at how bad the Republican is! They are only going to vote for you IF YOU STAND FOR SOMETHING AND STICK BY THAT. The lack of guts that made these 38 senators turn on one of our best is just despicable.