My Thoughts On Al Franken
I'm neither a Democrat nor a Republican, and I'm not an Al Franken fan. (See below.)
However, I like to look at things and figure out what the deal is rather than simply nodding my head along with the masses.
I'll get to the kiss, but first: I was kind of surprised that people were characterizing what went down in the photo as "groping" and sexual assault. I think it's rotten behavior, but let's take a peekiepoo at the gear she has on in the photo:
I think Matt Jameson (@RogueNotary) is right.
No, you cannot grope someone thru body armor. You could MAYBE find boobs with an X-ray. He was pantomiming groping on an asleep woman - a way men sometimes act when they are spurned by a beautiful woman but feel entitled to her attention. He's a pig. https://t.co/3D1HkfZ2Po
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) November 17, 2017
About the kiss part:
A small sampling from the ideological idiot class:
I'm sorry you're dim. Body armor is meant to stop speeding bullets. It is not make of flimsy silk or even Lanz-like flannel.
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) November 17, 2017
More from me:
The guy is a pig - pantomiming a boob grab on a sleeping woman wearing so much reinforced fiber on her chest, the only way you'd get close to her boobs is with an X-ray machine. I'm sorry your particular brand of ideological bullshit leads you to deny physics & obvious reality.
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) November 17, 2017
I'm really pretty weary of the ideological bullshit. I don't have to like Al Franken to want to fairly assess the situation. This seems to be a rarity these days, and it shouldn't be.
So, miming sexual assault is okay?
Conan the Grammarian at November 16, 2017 10:02 PM
He's a pig. I said it a number of times.
See my explanation for why -- my guess -- I think he did both things:
"He was pantomiming groping on an asleep woman - a way men sometimes act when they are spurned by a beautiful woman but feel entitled to her attention. He's a pig."
Amy Alkon at November 16, 2017 10:20 PM
I honestly dont care anymore.
We live in an era where men are literally expelled from college under the theory they used passed out drunk fueled psychic power to force women give them blow jobs
A juvenile joke from a third rate comedian is not a sex crime, and unless he actually touched her (which the photo does not make clear) its not even cause for compliant - you dont own the photons bouncing off your body
The only reason to wait 20 years to make a complaint is you were in a 19 year 11 month 3 week coma.
Law and Order SVU has been on prime time TV for almost two decades highlighting the consequence of waiting till the bruises heal and you've taken 15 showers to file a complaint.
I'm sick of the circular "I didnt come forward when I had proof because I knew I wouldnt be believed now that I dont have proof" logic
I'm sick of people pretending sexual attraction to teenagers isnt perfectly normal, but instead the same thing as attraction to children
I'm sick of people pretending that women who willingly traded money drugs or favors for sex are hapless rape victims and all men everywhere need to pay because some small vocal minority with sexual hangups dont have the balls to criticize women for making choices they dont like.
There are real victims of real rape out there any every asshole who conflates boorish behavior, and WILLING behavior with rape does far more damage than the assholes who deny rape ever happens
lujlp at November 16, 2017 10:58 PM
My 2 cents:
Personally I care more about the Senator Menendez trial, but too few even know it's going on.
A lot of this is backlash after one side or the other attacks while claiming virtues they know they don't have. 2 years ago this picture would have been laughed at as a bad joke and would have made the accuser look petty. But now the gloves are off, so everything either side has ever done can be touched on.
It will quickly devolve into a feeding frenzy of accusations with little to no proof, and for less and less offense. Basically boorish behavior as opposed to actual crimes some get accused of.
So what is the proper punishment for boorish behavior? Someone breaking a nose? Career destruction? jail? public humiliation, that will last either a microsecond or forever with the fickleness of media and the memory of the internet.
Joe j at November 17, 2017 12:01 AM
OK, then, Amy, if you think body armor effectively negates the groping or fake-groping, depending on your interpretation, then I will go to the grocery store and grope some women's boobies while they're wearing heavy winter coats. I will be sure to get back to you about how many times I was slapped, kicked, punched and/or reported to the police.
mpetrie98 at November 17, 2017 3:18 AM
Al Franken joked about raping Leslie Stahl. "When she passes out I put her in various positions and take pictures of her."
Snoopy at November 17, 2017 4:34 AM
The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps?
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931357870024687616
Snoopy at November 17, 2017 4:41 AM
Al, buddy, this is what Shakespeare meant by "hoist by his own petard." The higher the horse, the harder the fall.
Conan the Grammarian at November 17, 2017 5:08 AM
Senator Franken, you're no Benny Hill.
Conan the Grammarian at November 17, 2017 5:12 AM
If you think Al Franken is a pig - which I do - you think the President is one, too:
https://twitter.com/CillizzaCNN/status/931359978002309120
Amy Alkon at November 17, 2017 5:43 AM
If the people of Minnesota decide they no longer want this jerk to represent them (and probably pick a bigger jerk instead) then I am ok with that. But otherwise I really don't care anymore. The sanctimony has been cranked up to 11 for far too long. But Conan is right. "hoist by his own petard." indeed.
Ben at November 17, 2017 5:45 AM
Hey, Snoopy, Trump has brought the focus back on his past sexual exploits with that tweet. Karma is gonna be a bitch to him.
mpetrie98 at November 17, 2017 6:03 AM
As I just tweeted to someone:
https://twitter.com/amyalkon/status/931526607885320193
I don't think she "(established) clear boundaries" - I wouldn't have. A "kiss" in a skit is not expected to have tongue.
His tweet:
Amy Alkon at November 17, 2017 6:18 AM
Let's face it, this is all happening because of the Roy Moore accusations. Let's recap:
Moore: Multiple accusations
Franken: One accusation
Moore: Accusations are from a long time agao
Franken: Accusation is from not so long ago
Moore: Nobody has any photos
Franken: One photo, showing boorish behavior (we can debate about whether it constitutes an actual grope)
Moore: A Republican who is unpopular with the party leadership
Franken: I don't need to spell it out
Moore: Kind of a jerk
Franken: Kind of a jerk
Local TV stations here have been looking into one of the most serious allegations against Moore, the case of the waitress who says that Moore raped her. What they have come up with is:
1. They have so far found no evidence that the restaurant that she claims to have worked at actually ever existed. No business records and nobody remembers it.
2. The signature in her yearbook ("Roy Moore, D.A.") is most likely from a rubber stamp that was used to stamp documents when Moore was a judge. Moore was the judge in the woman's divorce trial, so she doubtless has paperwork with that stamp on it.
A Fusion GPS job? You be the judge. As for me, I just think that for the next while, I'm going to approach women that I don't know well like they are dangerous animals. I'll give you all the food you want; just don't bite me.
Cousin Dave at November 17, 2017 6:22 AM
The Democratic party started making the personal political a long time ago.
Now it is coming back to bite them in the ass.
I don't care if Franken is a pig. I dont care if Donald Trump is a pig.
If I think they represent my interests better than the other guy, I vote for them.
Franken's behavior is a problem for the people of Minnesota, not me. Same with Roy Moore. I dont live in Alabama either. There have always been criminals and pigs in government. Some of them have been greatly admired.
These witch hunts are not condusive to anything government should be in the business of doing. And they arent doing anything for women either.
Isab at November 17, 2017 7:07 AM
The aim of the photo was to shame and humiliate Ms. Tweeden. This was done in retaliation for her flat rejection of the failed comic.
I think in fairness, she should be permitted a straight on kick to his nutsack.
Or resign. On the other hand, he didn't leave her to asphyxiate in the back of a submerged car, or make a waitress sandwich with another colleague as a certain "Lion of the Senate" had done, so I guess there's that.
I R A Darth Aggie at November 17, 2017 7:22 AM
Personally I care more about the Senator Menendez trial, but too few even know it's going on.
Ah, yes, that deuce in the punch bowl. He travelled to Pedo Island and had sex with underage escorts. Brother Bill also went there with Epstein.
And then coastal elites wonder why the flyover country is in open revolt against them. You're not actually, you know, elite. You're just in a position where you can abuse your power and authority and act like a bully because you have all the leverage.
I R A Darth Aggie at November 17, 2017 7:29 AM
Benny Hill, you say? don't mind if I do.
https://youtu.be/zQf2TiwBFHo
I R A Darth Aggie at November 17, 2017 7:32 AM
Franken was a nasty foul unfunny pig before this came out. His previous scribbles in Playboy and other non-funny crap have been on display for a long time. He's Minnesota's problem - he got elected with a bunch of votes "found" in a car trunk. Ugh.
ferdburful at November 17, 2017 7:47 AM
Hmm.. So now it's her fault for being too pretty and a Trump supporter?
https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/931541265493131265
Sixclaws at November 17, 2017 7:49 AM
Al Franken has admitted to behavior (hard to hide that photo) that his own policies would have sent hundreds of nameless, faceless college boys to the death of their academic careers over... Al Franken was just grandstanding last week about Roy Moore... Al Franken has won a whole lot of plaudits from anti-male feminists for a long time for his extreme stance against "all you guys".
Al Franken is just another weasel male feminist. It's a reproductive strategy like the sneaky screw. He deserves to be judged by the standard he forced on everyone, which means he should resign.
El Verde Loco at November 17, 2017 8:11 AM
Let's say some frat boy at Minnesota State had been caught two years ago doing exactly what Senator Franken is doing here. Would he get all full of righteous outrage and demand that young man be expelled? Yup.
To hell with him.
Martin at November 17, 2017 8:56 AM
Not having read the other comments yet, but I still wanted to say:
The creep shoved his tongue in her mouth under the guise of rehearsing a kiss. When she pushed him back and protested, he proceeded to treat her like shit the rest of the tour and had these smarmy groping photos added to the collection of photos she received from the tour as a final fuck you.
He is scum.
Annie at November 17, 2017 9:23 AM
Years ago, we had a "date rape" crisis. Women were coming out of the woodwork to accuse men they knew of raping them and/or taking sexual advantage of them. Many of the allegations proved to be flimsy, while others, outright false. An epidemic of crying wolf led to the society-wide dismissal of date rape, even legitimate cases, and the "crisis" petered out.
This is the new "date rape" crisis. And, like the last one, the fall out from flimsy accusations is going to negatively affect the women who most need it to be taken seriously.
One takeaway from all this should be that decades-old allegations without proof are just that, unproven allegations.
In Roy Moore's case, the allegations of one of his accusers is falling apart as the restaurant in which the woman says she worked when he harassed her cannot be found to have ever existed. And the cultural mores of rural Alabama were different back then - one "victim's" mother called her daughter "lucky" to have attracted the attention of a successful and important man like Moore. The Moore signature in another victim's yearbook apparently matches an office stamp and since Moore was the judge in the woman's divorce case, she's likely to have several documents with that stamp on them.
In Trump's case, he made a crass remark, but that in no way proves he raped, fondled, harassed, or attacked women.
In Franken's case, he should have known better - this was post Anita Hill after all. But, at the time, he was a comedian and not a politician, so crass was his bread and butter. Tweeden herself has said she doesn't think Franken needs to resign, "People make mistakes."
In Clinton's case, other than a proven affair and a settlement in a harassment case (that never should have gone forward in the first place), all we have are allegations, a mountain of them to be sure, but none actually proven.
Yes, these and other men were boorish pigs years ago. Some still are. Some will always be.
If one thing we get out of our newfound Puritanism is that young men today temper their actions out of fear that those actions will someday pop up like a demented Whack-a-Mole and ruin a career, then perhaps it will have been worth it. Although they should temper those actions out of respect, not fear, we'll take what we can get.
The notion that a woman who makes an accusation is automatically credible is probably dead now, as both sides of the aisle are facing a reckoning. Should it be? Yes. Accusations in our system must be proven ... for a good reason.
An ironic takeaway from this is that we need to make it easier for a woman to come forward with accusations, as well. Too many of these women cite their abuser's power, social standing, and position as intimidating factors in coming forward at the time of the abuse.
And this is not just a male thing. Hillary Clinton was instrumental in shutting down the voices of her husband's accusers. At least one Weinstein accuser cites women as gatekeepers to his antics.
Conan the Grammarian at November 17, 2017 9:46 AM
I would expect a woman to wake up when a man gropes her breasts. The picture shows Franken placing his hands over and near her chest, over the body armor.
The photo is a sick joke, intentionally given to the woman as a put-down. I agree with Amy.
Andrew Garland at November 17, 2017 11:20 AM
Back to Moore momentarily.
How did a 30 year old go on multipule dates with a 14 year old who wanted nothing to do with him?
Why isnt this girls mother being castigated on national TV for selling her daughters sex?
lujlp at November 17, 2017 11:25 AM
The notion that a woman who makes an accusation is automatically credible is probably dead now, as both sides of the aisle are facing a reckoning.
____________________________________
But is the same true for a straight man who accuses a gay man? What if the straight man is more popular in society?
Or a gay man who accuses a gay man, for that matter?
I wonder.
lenona at November 17, 2017 12:03 PM
Appreciate your candor and comments even when I don't always agree.
A big caveat - nevertheless one all should keep in mind when making declarative statements about this incident - is this: if there turn out to be other pics (as some have pushed as rumor and which very well could be bullshit) that show she was awake and in on the poor taste sight gag, then enough people will start to doubt her other account about the forced kiss that Franken will survive. Hints at this possibility could be inferred from her backtrack to say he shouldn't resign combined with his saying he doesn't remember the rehearsal happening that way. No doubt if there are such snapshots he would be advised to let others unearth them. Evidence that this is likely bullshit: why wouldn't she be aware of the other snapshots already?
Barring this reversal of context, I think most likely outcome is: "don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya, Al."
bob S at November 17, 2017 1:35 PM
Yes Franken is a pig. But we already knew that. The people of Minnesota knew that when they elected him with that box of magic trunk votes. None of this is new information. So I doubt anything will happen to him. After all, there are plenty of other monsters in the house and senate. Heck, there was a grand dragon of the KKK in the senate for quite a while. But he was a democrat so no one cared.
Ben at November 17, 2017 3:17 PM
The real fallout from the Al Franken fiasco? The Dems can no longer point fingers at the Republicans if Moore is elected. They cannot demand Moore be barred from being seated as long as Al "Boob Grab" Franken has a seat. It restored the balance of self-righteous pretension.
Conan the Grammarian at November 17, 2017 7:25 PM
God help us.
Michael at November 17, 2017 8:15 PM
Amy: "again, as an agry beta whom the beautiful woman wanted nothing do do with"
I'm curious about your inclusion of "beta" here. If three alpha males are at a party, all trying to hit on a beautiful woman, and she picks one because she doesn't find the other two attractive, are those two rejected men then automatically demoted to beta?
JD at November 18, 2017 8:33 AM
I think his miming of grabbing her breasts is obnoxious but what I find far worse is his sticking his tongue in her mouth** during their kiss.
** or, as numerous writers have put it, in outraged hyperbole, "stuck his tongue down her throat" I think there is a guy who could probably stick his tongue "down a woman's throat" and that would be this guy. But other guys? Not really.
Anyway, if her account is accurate, it appears that Franken had planned this, the way he kept badgering her to practice the kiss. I'm not saying it would have been OK if he had stuck his tongue in her mouth because he got so excited and his tongue took on a mind of his own but, to me, it would have been understandable. I mean, if I had the opportunity to kiss Kate Beckinsale, I'd like to think I would remain mature and composed, but who knows? But, to me, badgering her about practicing the kiss smacks of premeditation, not an impulsive act.
I wouldn't like it at all if some woman I found unattractive stuck her tongue in my mouth during a staged kiss but, personally, I wouldn't consider it as being "sexually assaulted."
JD at November 18, 2017 8:57 AM
"The creep shoved his tongue in her mouth under the guise of rehearsing a kiss. When she pushed him back and protested, he proceeded to treat her like shit the rest of the tour and had these smarmy groping photos added to the collection of photos she received from the tour as a final fuck you.
He is scum."
Annie at November 17, 2017 9:23 AM
________
Nailed it.
The pantomimed grope, photographing her vulnerability to that pantomime of sexual assault, and including that photograph in a collection she viewed at work for work, is a sick taunt of how vulnerable she is when she sleeps - something she had to do at work for work.
It's that threat that makes sexual harassment so scary - if you say no, what, when, and where will the retribution be?
Adults are responsible for saying no, but women who say no to men they work with who flirt with or proposition them have just been placed in a precarious position to find out whether a guy who has had his request denied is going to move aggressively from flirting and asking to sexual harassment.
Michelle at November 18, 2017 9:13 AM
I was struck -- as I'm sure many other people were -- by the comment from Sarah Huckabee Sanders in press conference on Friday. She said that a major difference between allegations of sexual misconduct against Democratic Sen. Al Franken and those against President Donald Trump was in the two men's responses.
"I think in one case specifically Sen. Franken has admitted wrongdoing and the president hasn't," she said. "I think that's a very clear distinction."
*
Now, think about just how slimy that is. It just oozes slime. The guy who actually admits that he did something wrong is criticized by Trump and there's a "clear distinction" between him and Trump because Trump refuses to man up and do the same thing.
JD at November 18, 2017 9:35 AM
whether a guy who has had his request denied is going to move aggressively from flirting and asking to sexual harassment.
Michelle, we were discussing/debating flirting and asking and sexual harassment on another thread (I forget which one, but it was fairly recent.)
I'm curious: if you were making the rules, when it comes to a man's pursuit of a woman, how would you determine when flirting and asking crosses the line over to sexual harassment?
JD at November 18, 2017 9:46 AM
Conan: So, miming sexual assault is okay?
I'm not sure what he really thinks because he's giving it both a thumbs-up and a thumbs-down.
JD at November 18, 2017 10:09 AM
Democratic state Supreme Court jurist now running for office brags on plooking 50 hot babes, wants us all to drop this unseemly 'harassment' talk.
D'oh!
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at November 18, 2017 12:10 PM
JD - I don't think it's a line, it's a communication.
Communication requires knowing how to interpret what you're observing and being shown or told.
The basics:
Don't hit on subordinates.
Don't take what you're afraid to ask for, and don't take without asking.
Put yourself in her shoes (figuratively, unless she consents and you're into that) - Do what you can to give someone a gracious and easy out, and otherwise *lower the cost of saying "no".*
Regarding "no" - check out the book "Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It," by Chris Voss.
It's well written by a good storyteller (his co-writer), with humility and brevity. He bottom lines the benefits of eliciting a "no" response. I'm only a third of the way through the book and I look forward to reading the rest of it.
Michelle at November 18, 2017 3:29 PM
Communication requires knowing how to interpret what you're observing and being shown or told.
Communication requires women to be forthright and direct, not showing things for men to properly observe and then correctly "interpret"
lujlp at November 18, 2017 9:27 PM
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/453723/roy-moore-allegations-hickory-house-restaurant-dispute
drcos at November 19, 2017 6:11 AM
Well, what I'd read before posting that was that the story was falling apart. With this additional information, I'll withdraw that comment.
However, the timing of these revelations, not to mention the presence of Gloria Allred, is enough to induce some skepticism.
As I've said before, I'm no Roy Moore fan and I don't think his presence in the Senate will be a good thing, but it's for the voters of Alabama to decide if they want him representing their state in the Senate.
And, at least Roy Moore asked their mothers if he could date their daughters.
Conan the Grammarian at November 19, 2017 7:15 AM
Thanks, Michelle.
Let's say you're the CEO of a company. Would you have a policy about sexual harassment? If you did, would it be essentially those basics that you mentioned?
JD at November 19, 2017 10:10 AM
but it's for the voters of Alabama to decide if they want him representing their state in the Senate
If it was up to them, the voters of Alabama would criminalize homosexuality (and criminalize straight couples having anal or oral sex), likely require all straight couples to have at least one baby, institute the death penalty for smoking pot, forbid women from working (unless the job is elementary school teacher or nurse), require every household to have at least one gun and 100 bullets (and just as many Bibles as bullets), and quite probably decide to reinstate slavery.
JD at November 19, 2017 10:20 AM
Later in the interview, when [Bill] Press asked why the government should ban what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own homes, Moore compared gay sex to bestiality.
"Just because it's done behind closed doors, it can still be prohibited by state law. Do you know that bestiality, the relationship between man and beast is prohibited in every state?" Moore asked.
"Did I ask you about having sex with a cow?" Press responded.
"No you didn't," Moore said.
"Or a horse, or a dog?" Press asked.
"It's the same thing," Moore said.
"No it's not. You mean homosexuality is same thing as bestiality?" Press asked.
"It is a moral precept upon which this country was founded," Moore said.
JD at November 19, 2017 10:57 AM
Luj - True, yet it gets complicated when a woman's personal history involves dealing with people who get violent or otherwise vindictive when they are directly told "no". For those of us doing the asking, I think it is really in our best interests to make it easy and inexpensive for people to tell us "no,". Every "yes" is an opening for the asked to invest more, and that investment is misplaced if the s was just a way to buy time before getting away in a silent "no".
JD, a CEO of a company would do well to follow state and federal laws regarding sexual harassment.
Beyond that, while you're at work, do work. Do your best to manage your personal life so that it doesn't impair or impede your colleagues' ability to focus on work while at work.
Michelle at November 19, 2017 2:26 PM
Correction:
Every "yes" is an opening for the person *doing the asking* to invest more, and that investment is misplaced if the s was just a way to buy time before getting away in a silent "no".
Michelle at November 19, 2017 2:43 PM
And you know for a fact that Alabama voters want this? That a majority of Alabama voter rue the end of slavery? Even the African-American voters?
Would you include, in your generalization, the Alabamans in the probate courts who disobeyed Moore's order and issued same sex marriage licenses? How about those Alabamans who removed Moore from office? Twice. How about the ones who didn't vote for him?
Or are you relying on an outdated and inaccurate stereotype of Alabama? 'cause if you know for a fact that a majority of Alabamans want slavery reinstated or people shot for smoking pot, let the rest of us know and we'll avoid the state. I've never been there, so I'm asking you, as someone who is claiming an expertise on some very specific attitudes of the voters of Alabama.
Perhaps JD, you are the Alabama Shadow and you know what evil lurks in the hearts and minds of Alabamans.
More likely, Roy Moore is not representative of every Alabaman, but a vocal and rapidly vanishing minority. And there are probably many modern Alabamans, perhaps even a majority, who will vote for his opponent; there might even be a few who are gay or, [gasp], unarmed.
Conan the Grammarian at November 19, 2017 4:26 PM
DrCos at November 20, 2017 5:49 AM
Yes. When they pop up 40 years later in the middle of a heated election battle with unprovable accusations and a publicity hound for an attorney, some skepticism is warranted.
Where were they in the last three elections in which Moore stood for office? Oh yeah, those were countywide elections with no national spotlight. Hmmm. I guess that's why none of them could get Gloria Allred to represent them then.
By they way, the restaurant may have been found, but the yearbook signature offered as proof that they knew each other in the allegations of Beverly Young Nelson is still problematic.
The article, which is highly laudatory of Roy Moore [insert eye roll here], goes on to say that Allred has refused to release the original yearbook containing the signature and has refused to say outright it is not a forgery, even when asked repeatedly by Wolf Blitzer.
Allred has said she will only release the yearbook for a handwriting analysis to a "congressional committee if the panel agreed to hold hearings on the allegations." [The Hill, 18-Nov 2017] By the way, Congressional panels do not usually hold hearings on candidates for elected office, and Gloria knows that.
As I've said before, I'm no fan of Roy Moore and believe he would make a lousy Senator, too religious by half for me. But it is the right of the people of Alabama to decide who represents them in the Senate (Yes, JD, even if they're backwards rednecks). And accusations made 40 years later with no proof offered to substantiate them do nothing but smear the candidate.
Conan the Grammarian at November 20, 2017 6:44 AM
Ahhh, yesss, the virtuous signal of our betters, whose home is free of incest, gender discrimination or the tendency to tell others what to do...
How's that working out for ya?
Radwaste at November 20, 2017 7:21 AM
"'cause if you know for a fact that a majority of Alabamans want slavery reinstated or people shot for smoking pot, let the rest of us know and we'll avoid the state."
Hell, if that was true, I'd move away. And I've lived here most of my life.
Look, there are pockets of Alabama that are still heavily into the kind of social conservatism that Moore represents. I won't argue with that. Are they a majority? Not anymore, not for a long time. If you want to know how Moore wound up being the GOP's nominee in this race, you can put the blame squarely at the feet of Mitch McConnell. His PAC spent $8M -- a nearly unprecedented amount here -- trying to get Luther Strange elected. Nearly all of that went into attack ads against Mo Brooks, who appeared to be the most credible opponent. They let Moore skate, putting almost no resources into campaigning against him.
However, state news outlets uncovered the fact that Strange was heavily funded by McConnell. So a lot of people decided not to vote on him on that basis alone. Most of that vote went to Moore as an F-U to the GOP establishment, with Brooks retaining enough of his North Alabama support to prevent Strange from getting to 50% and forcing a runoff. In the runoff, Brooks endorsed Moore for tactical reasons, and enough of Brooks' voters went to Moore (holding their noses in the process) to put Moore over the top.
If Doug Jones wins, I have no sympathy for either the GOP nor the people who vote for Jones, who will almost certainly go to Washington as a Schumer loyalist. Media here have consistently tossed him softballs, allowing him to run solely on an "I'm not Roy Moore" platform, and not quizzing him about his positions on any significant issues. The GOP establishment did this to themselves.
Cousin Dave at November 20, 2017 12:02 PM
I would agree with Amy if the Democrats had not weaponized these kinds of allegations to attack or extort from people they don't like or want to get cash from.
I would also agree if Al Franken himself hadn't used these standards to attack people he doesn't like, but is trying to hold onto a 'comedian's prerogative' to be held unaccountable.
When aimed at Republicans, a grope is discrediting. When aimed at Democrats it is 'just a joke' or 'dismissed because he apologized for it'.
Let's work out ONE standard for everyone, then we can move forward.
And for the record, Feminists are the ones pushing this standard of criminalizing piggishness. That their standards are killing their own is karma.
FIDO at November 21, 2017 9:10 PM
Conan: Perhaps JD, you are the Alabama Shadow...
Perhaps? Perhaps?! I ain't called Labamont Cranston for nuthin'.
And I'm from the same state as these guys.
JD at November 21, 2017 10:45 PM
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