Why doesn't the Ethics Committee delve into all the allegations against that person in the White House. Why should he be immune. It would be criminal if that person from Alabama is elected, but hopefully not seated.
5
Last November 62% of non college educated white women an only 42% of college educated white women voted for Trump. This happened despite the Access Hollywood tape, Trump being accused by 12 women of sexual predation, misogynistic comments towards Meghan Kelly, and much more.
When talking about how the culture has to change, it’s important to remember this part of the culture as well. Where was the women’s outrage then?
4
Franken admitted guilt, Trump denied. Everyone is entitled to a presumption of innocence unless they admit.
Also look at Franken - he looks like a creep and has little money and power. In contrast, Trump is a multiBillionaire - naturally attracting gold diggers, attention seekers and liars.
You also gotta consider that Trumps actions were no worse than Bill Clinton's, who was proved to be a sexual predator and an abuser of power by a dress and lied under oath about it. Yet he remained president and was loved and still loved by Libs. The hypocrisy.
2
One thing that can always be counted on is the gutlessness of the Democrats and the ruthlessness of the Republicans. No true progressive would ever want the Democratic Party to adopt the utterly hypocritical and profoundly immoral actions of the Republicans, but they would like to see an even playing field. One of the big reasons the Democrats have a problem winning any election is their pathetic inability to get out the vote. It's hard to get excited about a party that gives up so easily. Please Democrats rise to the occasion. Fight when you need to fight. Refuse to always be the sad little creature terrified of its own shadow. People want to see righteous strength. By always playing the defeated victim of the Republican bully, it all but assures that Republicans will dominate on the National and local levels. It also assures low enthusiasm for Democratic candidates. Franken should have demanded parity. If some of the accusations are not true, as he claims, then he should have trusted the process to give him a fair shot of overcoming the possible slanders of his attackers. Come on progressive, show some spunk! Fight for what you say you believe in.
7
The title of this piece "Franken is leaving and Trump is still here" should have a subtitle: you can't make this stuff up. Unfortunately this is all too believable with today's corrupt GOP.
3
You helped push him out with your ridiculous simplistic columns. It is our great loss and your shame that you could not look at this with nuance.
15
I wonder if Roy Moore was accused of molesting young men if there would be the same support from republicans and religious right ?
8
Franken is a flea and Trump is the elephant in the room.
2
OMG! You've thrown the baby out with the bath water!
6
People wonder why the Democratic party is dead.
Time for a new party folks.
4
I like Al Franken. I think what he did was stupid and juvenile and in bad taste. And he apologized. Trump and his amigo Moore don’t even acknowledge what they did. ALL the women are lying. Trump is never at fault. And Moore has the righteousness of
The Lord on his side. A pair of slimy hypocrites who need to
Be held accountable; but our gutless Congress won’t.
9
No thanks to you, dear.
5
Hi Wymmynnz & Girlllzzz, can an old white male get a word in here?
How about a simple sounding Q, then? Like what is real equality? Is it having half of the good jobs in a pyramid shaped economic structure (like half in the top quarter of that pyramid)? Or is it changing the structure of income to a rectangle structure with a broad base and a narrow width?
(We could of course Talk, share our View, etc about a justice that convicts on accusation and has the death penalty- erasure of job and wealth and reputation- as the sole and instant verdict. But there is the beauty, every man is actually guilty of rape... in the sense that unwanted attempted kissing or any touch is that.)
This genie unleashed to win a forelorn hope Senate seat. That actually has lost a Senate seat elsewhere in all probability. And what if this plays out that the parties move to become one for men* and one for wymyn (*and biblical women)? That the reaction to the new rules by the vast majority of men will be to turn back the clock, like to 1918?
And by men I mean those margin of Black and Latino men that at least keep the Democrat party in the game.
Faced with a Stalinist 37 purge from any good life HOPE, well, men are born to fight, right?
& the real outcome, the men at the top of the pyramid rule, after wiping out the cohort of men under them trying to get power. Then turning back the clock.
yeh, I call that stupid. Like you can't get the concept of real equality. Only the fake "equal"...
1
Still waiting for Blake Farenthold's resignation...
5
If Bill Clinton's presidency can survive outright rape charges, Trump's presidency can survive sexual harassment allegations.
1
Michelle. Michelle.
Sweet, young, impressionable Michelle.
Open your eyes. Listen.
Al Franken is gaming the system. High stakes poker going on here.
He's faking you out. He hasnt actually resigned. Its a head fake...I'll resign....if you defeat Roy Moore.
Watch.
If Roy Moore wins......Al Franken will change his mind and NOT resign.
1
Goldberg was among the first to call for AF's head.
6
So glad to see this column. Women will absolutely not achieve their goals of parity in the work place or in society at large as long as they are only preaching to the choir. It's sad to see that Al Franken's departure will lose the Democrats another precious seat in the Senate, but if that's the price of taking the high road, then so be it. I just hope all these brave disclosures on sexual harrassment will not go in vain, and will inspire even more first-timers to run for office than to date. Since the Republicans in Congress are beyond being shamed into doing the right thing - after all, shame is only felt by someone with a conscience - we need to toss them out on their ears.
1
Franklin leaves yet Trump stays. Meanwhile, Roy Moore no doubt will enter. Senator gillibrand, you did your party no service, and I for one would never vote for you if you were to run for high office.
10
Don't turn this into identity politics in 2018 or 2020. That is a losing strategy, as was proven in 2016. It's always the economy, stupid.
7
Honestly—one of Franken's accusers complained because he squeezed her waist while she was having her photo taken with him? I'm afraid the backlash is going to be awful. We are losing one of our best senators, and Roy Moore will probably be elected. Comparing Franken's actions to those of Roy Moore, Harvey Weinstein and our *president* is like comparing jaywalking to hit-and-run. Senator Gillibrand, you've gone too far. Soon men will be afraid even to talk to women for fear that some word might be taken out of context.
Sexual assault and harassment are horrible and should be called out. I'm not at all sure Franken's actions amount to more than bad manners. Get a grip.
16
Why do so many think that merely elevating women to power will solve this issue? Had Hillary Clinton won the Presidency her ally Harvey Weinstein would most likely have been protected from scandal even longer than he was. Deborah Turness was the president of NBC news during the Trump/Billy Bush scandal and most certainly was aware of “Matt Lauergate” . This is a matter of the powerful protecting their power and the female gender is not immune. Yes powerful women can stop predators in the moment of a personal attack, but there is no evidence that, as a gender, we would act any differently than men when it comes to protecting power.
5
Yeah he's still here but for how long. He keeps wagging several dogs in all different directions trying to delay the inevitable.
1
The poison you foolish alchemists loosed on the political world - identity uber alles - has gotten into your own water supply. As we knew it would. Only those infected take seriously the tendentious tripe peddled as ribeye. So fritter away the last vestiges of any claim on leadership as the fringe you created fills the void. Once again, irony follows your hypocrisy.
1
Sorry Michelle...you started this...and now? I wrote a longer response to a different op ed on same sorry subject. The Dem Senators, led by our NYS Gillebrand, fell over a major cliff trying to outdo each other, and you, in sacrificing one of their/our best. It is a modern "Crucible" and bound to fail.
I am a long time feminist at 72, a retired trauma Psychologist , who in my youth certainly suffered sexual harassment, and a rending date rape/pregnancy at age 18 while on full scholarship to major university, by a much older man. I did more than survive, despite a poor economic background with immigrant Catholic parents who, nonetheless, paid for a safe, out-of-country illegal abortion. Loss of college time, working job while going to public free city college, becoming an excellent Public School teacher for first long career...and marriage, child...then a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology for second long career, working with combat vets, sexual/ physical trauma survivors, refugees, disaster relief, including WTC 9/11.
Please feel free to revise how you see sexual harassment on a scale, and differentiate it from sexual abuse; then inform our two NYS Senators about the differences; and how to find out from those who allege, without shaming them. Then request that the members of the cabal they formed in the Dem Senate each be instructed in the degrees of both harassment and abuse before they continue to eat their own.
17
Maybe The Times needs to follow the news more closely. Fox didn't "jettison" Ailes. The handed him millions of dollars and then he died. They didn't "jettison" O'Reilly. He got a fatter contract than he ever had before the charges.
The Right doesn't penalize people like Trump, Moore, Payne et al. For millions of their voters, women included, sexual predation is an argument for the predator's irrepressible masculinity. They think Trump is a bigger, better man because he's a serial adulterer, not despite it.
7
This is about Al Franken and his behavior. He claimed to not remember grabbing the buttocks of multiple young women. As a man, IMO that's not believable. If I'd done that on the sneak even once in my long life, I would remember that incident. If I'd done it so many times I couldn't remember each of the many young women, then I would certainly remember the behavior itself. Why? Because it would have been My Special Little Treat. As I'm sure it was for Senator Franken.
I'm tired of seeing everything through this paper and its writers' politics. Many things? Yes. Everything? No. The comparisons between Franken's behavior and Trump's or Roy Moore's or Harvey Weinstein's are off base. You should, Michelle Goldberg, be comparing Al Franken to all the men who wouldn't DREAM of actually grabbing the buttocks of a women they weren't on intimate terms with. There's a lot of us. And we're watching now for special favors, cases made for a perpetrator's 'good works, and other manifestations of politically motivated hypocrisy.
And then there's all the young guys who are trying to make up their minds whether to be the kind of guys who do this or the kind that don't.
Here's where I have stood on all of this. Better sit down and grab something solid that isn't attached to another human being.
https://50lux.com/2017/12/06/the-unheard-truth-about-the-me-too-movement/
Franken can now do great things for promoting women's rights.
Will Ray Moore advocate for sex offenders and predators as a
US senator? Trump for sexual harassment of women?
1
So we will be left with government dominated by "shameless" men!? Or maybe we already have one.
3
When Franken is leaving, Trump is in White House and Clarence Thomas is in Supreme Court. Why ? Why? Why the Democratic leaders are attacking their own and too scared to demand same from the Republican Party. This is STUPID.
Senator Gillibrand must continue her fight against all Sexual predators in congress. Be fair not coward.
2
First difference? Franken was stupid and did evil things. He now has repented. Trump is evil and did evil things. Second difference? Donald Trump will never be deterred until he is removed from office. Then there is Roy Moore . . .
2
How nice it would have been were it the other way around: Donald Dumb would be leaving and Franken would be President.. I wonder if there is some way we can convince Al to run in 2020?
6
This article follows in the tradition of successful talk show hosts and columnists, mostly on the right. Like Rush Limbaugh or Drew Pearson. That is, take an extreme position, regardless of what that is and stick to that position. You and your bosses then measure your success in attracting advertising dollars by how many phone callsor readers comments calls come in. Michelle Goldberg is due a raise. Like in most things, follow the money.
Sen. Gillibrand, everything is not cut and dry. There is nuance in life. I am stunned that Frankin was given the equivalent of the political death penalty for merely being a jerk prior to coming to the Senate. I dismiss his annonymous accusers. You have proudly led this effort with no investigation or due process as he is entiled to have. He has done so much good! I think you have sullied your futurej political aspirations by this short sighted political stunt. Who gas gained here? No one. Least of all you.
10
That’s stupid. Al Franken was a comedian that pantomimed about groping a military flack vest, and asked to be photographed doing it. And the woman says she’s “humiliated?” Try googling Images of Leeann Tweeden (they’ve since cleaned up most of them) and look at pictures she really should be humiliated about. I wouldn’t show them to my mother. Now Ms. Tweeden gets paid to make the talk show circuit and seek more modeling jobs.
10
That sexual abuser Trump, among other iniquities long known to all of us much before last year's elections, was able to win the presidency is also an indictment of our own stupidity and complacency with the status quo of accepting abuse of power as 'business as usual'. Unless we change, and mount the courage to oust this shameless thug, before he does irreparable damage, Pogo may be right, 'We are the enemy".
2
When Democrats face a challenge, they ask: What's the right thing to do?
When Republicans face a challenge, they ask: What do I need to do to win?
7
I believe Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks resigned since this article was first published. You might want to update it. Evidently for at least this one Republican, sexual harassment was his undoing. More may be coming. We shall see.
The biggest problem is that this will backfire. Sexual harassment will become a political issue and complaining about it will be seen as a 'libtard' or "politically correct" reaction. They will point to the overreaction of liberals to trivial offenses (Garrison Keiler comes to mind).
It will creep in slowly, but men on the right will assert their rights, as red blooded heterosexual American males, to predate on women. It may start with lewd comments and jokes, move to fondling and catcalls, and end up re-defining rape and assault to make them more difficult to prove.
There's no avoiding the fact that the sex drives of men are different from women. Real men exercise discipline, but we aren't neutered. The cause of women's rights is not served by painting sympathetic (liberal) males as such. (It's notable that the alt-right already seems to define itself according to a twisted conception of manliness.)
4
Where's your distemper, your fit of high dudgeon that flared when you demanded justice with the ouster of Franken? Mellowed, are you?
Justice requires temperance, moderation, punishment proportional to the offense, and mercy. That you appear to have mellowed may make you ready to read a treatise or two on criminal jurisprudence.
Women deserve to be furious with men who harass and assault, but almost as furious with the resolution-processes and forums set up largely by men to address complaints of sexual harassment and assault: the Congress' notorious process is exhibit A.
Modulation is better at controlling behavior: now that you know you can join others to pressure someone to quit a job, you can appreciate the effectiveness of lesser, focused punishment for lesser crimes: demotion, loss of privileges, and community service are examples.
Why not try developing an on-going chorus of women and men calling every day for Trump to resign because of his harassment and assault? Suck the oxygen out of the media marketplace with calls for his resignation - and list some of his offenses without naming the victims. ... Every day. It might work.
10
Democrats are full of shame. Republicans are shameless.
4
There is no more innocent until proven guilty. The best way to come out smelling like a rose is to not admit any wronging doing whatsoever.. Seems the outcome is #NotMe rather than #MeToo.
8
Love ya, Al! Truly! Fanny is one lucky woman. Minnesotans surely will miss your upstanding representation and brilliance.
7
CNN interviewed one of Franken's accusers this morning. She said she was at a party and was posing for a picture with him when he put his arm around her and gave her derriere a squeeze. I was gob-smacked by her "outrage." Give me a break!!! This is an affront to all women who have been sexually assaulted.
13
Sorry, but Michelle Goldberg is driving a witch hunt of another kind. Witches against men! You ladies are missing a very big point that will eventually backfire you in the workplace. First of all, the lesson that should be learned from these stories is not that the man will instantly lose his job and career but that women should never equivocate or give up when they are sexually assaulted even if it means losing their jobs. You just can't have your cake and eat it too, ladies. You are just making men never want to hire you in the first place and to steer clear of you as much as possible so that they won't ever be falsely accused just to leering at you. Don't be stupid. It's still a man's world and will be for a long time to come, and by getting temporary satisfaction, you are creating a new kind of problem. Moreover, I have seen how young ambitious and good looking babes climb the ladder of success by "schmoozing it up or kissing the butt of the old geezers in senior management. Don't kid yourselves. Young women who know they have sexual power over unattractive or older or unhappily married men in management can wrap them around their finger and then turn the tables to get a windfall. We have to be mindful of that. Not all women are innocent and not all men who are out of line are monsters who deserve to have their entire careers destroyed. The line should only be drawn at assault within a certain period of time and if the woman waits too long, tough luck!
7
I suspect that Michelle Goldberg (May she live forever!) wrote her first deeply damning column in the same spirit that Donald Trump ran for president; with no real hope of success, and with an ulterior motive. Neither of them ever expected to actually catch that car that they decided to chase. What a shock to find that columns, like elections, have consequences. Or that some things are complicated.
What else? Oh yeah, first do not harm.
5
This only points out more clearly the Republican Party has lost its integrity and is now wallowing in its own filth and deceit and its chief wallower is the White House occupant. Of course he's a bigger criminal than only sexual.
5
I will never read your silly column again Ms Goldberg. And I will be less likely to elect more women into office. I will never donate to the Dems again. I'm furious with you and this feverish movement of purging known as me too. He said the last allegation was a lie. And now many of the people commenting here on your side are repeating it as if it were fact. Talk about fake news! You are no better than Fox News! And you started all of this resigning nonsense with Franken. How easy you make it for the GOP to set up and have you and the idiot Dem reactionaries remove the most potent effective Dem lawmakers. When his seat goes to the GOP in the election, I hope you have to watch for years progress undone because of your vain grandstanding. There most certainly are consequences for our actions, that uncomfortable feeling in the pit of your stomach is just the beginning of yours. And a woman will never win the presidency who backed this killing a fly with a bazooka hysterical reaction. So no Gillibran, no Warren. FYI, Warren misled ( or lied ) about her Indian heritage and has never even apologized for it. I'm a 57 yr old woman who voted for her because she was a Dem. Really boring, but a Dem. People are truly tired of this PC stuff, and the Dems are out of touch with the voting public. (When you youngsters out to change the world actually show up to vote, then the Dems can build platforms around you.) Politics is nuance and compromise, not busting it all up for nothing. Grow up!
14
I don't know if this shd happen this way. Leonard lopate says he didn't ever do anything. James Levine did, no doubt, what many others have. Would Leonard Bernstein have been fired?
Al Franken a predator? Give me a break.
Everyone is being shoveled into the same hole. That's a witch hunt.
9
And so is Clarence Thomas. Anita, where are you???!!!
5
He's smirking or simpering in the photo included with the op-ed. I would rather not know what he's thinking about.
1
The ever present elephant in the room is President Grope. His election guaranteed the normalization of sexual assault among entitled powerful men. He must be held accountable before such conduct can be re-abnormalized, and people like Moore do not even think of running for office, high or low.
4
We need a third party. We need a None Of The Above choice. Neither the Dems nor Repubs have enough moral authority. Our govenment has turned into a cliche: corrupt, bloated, debt-ridden, sleazy, drug-abusing, sanctimonious jerks.
8
This country has come so far in such a short period of time. Now even old, liberal, white guys can get lynched.
Equality at last.
5
You, Ms. Goldberg, were the first to call on Franken to resign. You got your wish. Many of us think he was set up by political enemies, the charges against him meager at best or even false. Did you ever deal with any of the evidence for that, or even mention it? The Senate is losing a fine leader. That is your singular contribution as a Times columnist. Time for you to resign?
25
Does the Democratic leadership think that the voters are too stupid to distinguish the adolescent behavior of Franken and the criminal behavior of Weinstein? The decision to force Franken out smells both elitist and puritan.
17
Seems like the #metoo moment has stretched on about a month and still crickets from the NY Times about the facts of Trump's history of statements on Howard Stern, "the tape", and the 14+ accusations of sexual abuse. Shoclingly bad use of our subscription fees. Wow!
4
What about Clarence Thomas??
8
Really? What happened during the Clinton presidency? He was accused by several women of sexual harassment and predatory behavior (remember the security detail bringing Paula Jones and others to his hotel rooms where they were assaulted), and his wife, dear Hillary, calling them bimbos and hiring private investigators to dig up dirt on them. I don't remember any of your liberal outrage then!
3
Hillary Clinton voted to enable George W. Bush's war in Iraq, which killed at least 150,000 Iraqis, and was based on lies.
I accepted Clinton's mistake and voted for her for president.
Al Franken grabbed the backside of some of his followers who approached him for photos.
I accepted Franken's mistake.
Why can you accept Clinton's killing 150,000 people, but not accept Franken's grabbing women's backside?
13
Irony?
When she was practicing as a lawyer the queen of the democrat party defended a guy that was accused of sex with an underage girl. As part of the defense presentation she even accused the underage girl of having a thing for older men. Seriously weird if you ask me. I am pretty sure se won't take those sort of cases any longer. She obviously needed the money back then but now her cup runneth over.
Heh, then again meybe I am just a Russian troll. Anyone know where I can get a cyrillic character set?
2
Just wish the Dems would stop shooting themselves in the foot.
6
How hypocritical of you Michelle. You and the the Demn senators harassed Franken with impunity! Since when a prank and a joke became a crime?
15
Only the democrats would be strategically inept enough to make sexual abuse a party issue.
6
Yes indeed ... the horror ... horror.
This horror is exactly what you and your ilk created Michelle. Your political purpose of tying Trump to Moore in 2018 may be accomplished. But will it win? Or are the Olympic Gold Liars of the Trump Team going to come up with a workaround or a denial that is mildly plausible to Trump's 28% percent illiterate base?
You, Michelle, are exactly the problem that Thomas Edsall wrote about in today's Times. Stop gloating and think before you print again.
11
As Bill Cosby used to say: God bless America!
Here are some of the luminaries brought to you by the “Family Values Evangelical Christian” Republican Party:
Blake Farenthold
Trent Franks
Joe Barton - Barton regularly receives top scores from socially conservative groups such as the Family Research Council that analyze members’ stances on positions such as abortion and gay rights.
Donald Trump
Roy Moore
Robert Bentley
Bob Dole
Bob Packwood
David Vitter
Larry Craig
A current Senator who dumped wife #1 for someone younger and richer, after #1 waited faithfully for him to come back from Vietnam.
Mark Sanford
Mark Foley
Denny Hastert
Newt Gingrich
Tim Murphy
Wes Goodman
Clarence Thomas
Karl Rove
Ken Mehlman
What is it that turns these Republicans into adulterers, wife dumpers, prostitute visitors, child molesters (boys), sexual harassers and homosexuals who pretend to be anti-gay?
Maybe they weren't "Family Values Evangelical Christians" in the first place; just hoping not to get exposed for what they REALLY are.
19
Leading in this country is successful when it is done in a fair and balanced way. The current administration and Republicans in congress have shown over and over again. Now the Democratic party is also demonstrating that it is capable of the same lack of fair and balanced decisions. Did Senator Franken demonstrate poor judgement in his behavior towards some women? Absolutely! Should he have been censored? Probably. Did he deserve to be summarily drummed out of the Senate without the ethics committee weighing in just to score political points. Senator Gillenbrand may indeed have a bright future and I wish her well. I will also be looking for an indication of fair and balanced decision making on her part and not just the ability to lead a mob in a rush to judgement. And by the way, I am not a republican troll. I am a died in the wool liberal democrat and I'm pretty sure I am not alone in this view.
38
Franken was stabbed in the back by his own party, an outrage. My senators, Giilibrand and Schumer, have calculated that this would further their chances of taking back Congress in 2018 and 2020. What they didn't figure on are Dems like myself who has been a loyal Democrat based solely on policy not personal conduct. I voted for JFK, LBJ, RFK, Bill Clinton, none of whom I would consider men of the highest morals. But I can't be bothered to pry into every nook and cranny when it comes to personal conduct. And when it does, as in the case of Bill Clinton, it is I who will decide whether he should stay or go, not the DNC. The DNC made this blunder in 2016, and not they have done it again. By lynching Al Franken before he had a chance to defend himself (which he requested) is an atrocious attack on our democracy. I abhor what Gillibrand and Schumer have done and have written them to express my dissatisfaction. They have lost this Dem. After a half century I have no use for them. They contact me for donations ad nauseam. These prostitutes will have to go seek others to finance their campaigns, people like Trump, who has financed them both. They had no problem with him then, did they?
DD
Manhattan
35
It's morbidly funny, watching Trumpists desparately lie about their boy's history with women, try to grab the moral high ground, and then bloviate about fake news and biased media.
Seriously, guys, you're gonna sprain your brain, twisting around like this.
5
Hey, Michelle, did you get what you wanted?
21
You are complicit in the murder of al franken ms. Goldberg. hopper you're happy.
20
In order to maintain the old political order of "liberal" vs "conservative" .... the DNC requires you to rationalize unacceptable behavior from so-called "liberals" and at the same time condemn unacceptable behavior from so-called "conservatives".
....
The whole charade falls apart for the Powerful because outside the DC beltway,,,,,nobody believes in the "liberal vs conservative" order any longer.
Al Franken and Roy Moore are cut from the same cloth.
One important difference....in fact the only difference that matters.
Al Franken is an incumbant Senator already abusing his office.....pretty much in line for a good Tar and Feathering.
Roy Moore is a challenger to the system.....and he's got the TenCommandments Debacle to give him "street cred".
....
Al Franken is playing a game....oh, he "promises" to resign.....but....wait......he aint actually resigned!! He thinks he's going to "get away with it." Typical late 20th century cynical manipulative politician. That smirk on his face pretty much gives him away....he looks like Bush!!
Roy Moore stands accused of writing a sweet message in a HS senior's yearbook. His accusers are represented by the mother of the DEFENDER of Harvey Weinstein!! Dont think the voters dont notice THIS devious, incestuous relationship.
The "system" is clearly lined up against the challenger......possibly wrongly accused, and the entire voting population of Alabama being spit on in the Natl Press......
And then Gillibrand stands there next to Gretchen Carlson ...ugh.
6
Where was the Editorial Board during Bill Cliton's accusations?
Pathetically, on his side!
Sen. Franken, was correct and brilliant calling out the Predator-in-Chief and the child molester from Alabama! Let's take note, America, that the so-called-holier-than-thou-party of "Christians" is the one supporting these predators!
Repeal and replace Republicans in 2018!
17
November 9th 2016 was a great day for professional frauds like Roger Stone, the Project Veritas guys, and their financiers, with vast media and election fraud efforts delivering a colleague professional fraud as Prez, but December 7th 2017 now rivals the magnitude of the triumph they were awarded on a single day. The roaring with laughter must have been deafening in the WH, all Trump Tower floors, Mar-a-Lago, the homes of the Kochs, Mercers, Murdochs. Mere allegations should not be allowed to destroy one's career. To depose someone for mock groping invalidates the entire cause against groping and assault. A twitched waist at a happily begged photo op is not a credible harassment to destroy a career over. Al Franken denies the allegations. Now malicious liars are handed a free pass to perform an unwanted verbal golden shower on innocent victims to bring down any good man they want, if only they come as women. Did male free life end yesterday, if folk like Stone or O'Keefe want to hit you?
(I am grateful to MG for reevaluating the case of Juanita Broaddrick. Ending a roller coaster ride whom to believe, the moment I found out she has been secretly taped saying she can't press charges, as she assumes Clinton is too evil and too powerful, was the moment I understood she is credible. A shock.)
Even if the Senators know more, they can't force Al out at this stage without this more known to the public, as it creates the damning precedent that baloney suffices for career beheading.
4
No, Michelle, Moore is not "credibly" accused. Perhaps you should examine he facts. As for Trump...he said what women would do...he was not bragging himself.
Hughes? haven't you seen the back and forth texts made during her affair?
You defend Hillary, and cry that she was not elected President...because she is a woman. You also smear Trump, he winner, as usual. Hillary...the one who defended accused (credibly!) rapist Bill Clinton, and even headed the "bimbo eruptions unit" to keep husband Bill's sexual assaults hidden so that he might become President.
This was a big mistake, conflating boorish funny/not funny behavior with child rape. Democrats have no solution for the alleged Rapist-in-Chief so they prove their purity by purging a decent guy who was a better Senator than he was a comedian.
21
Ms Goldberg you have just moved to the select list (headlined by Maureen Dowd & Thomas Friedman) of NYT columnists no one ever need read again
14
The Democrats, my party, have again sanctimoniously shot themselves in the foot. Very little of this #MeToo will resonate in 2018, something else will replace it by then. We meanwhile have lost a capable Senator over dubious charges, the main one of which was by a Fox News former soft porn star who found her victim hood many years later when possibly prompted by someone like Roger Stone.
Senator Gillibrand was quick to condemn Senator Franken, as an early visibility move for 2020 and the presidential election. I have always voted, but if she is the candidate, I'll abstain. I couldn't take another identity politics candidate.
21
nuff said Lock the predator up!
1
Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris bet that the scalp of Al Franken would be the currency they would need to buy one of them a presidency. They have forgotten that at least half of white women voted for Donald Trump, and a sizable number of them in Alabama are going to vote for Roy Moore. The cold hard truth is that NO Democratic woman will EVER be president. It is ironic that this party, with it's identity politics, went after a Jewish man and a black man while remaining silent about the one occupying the White House, and about Brent Fahrenholt. I have been a loyal Democrat all my life, but I am DONE with this useless, feckless loser of a party.
13
We need a new movement: Donald Trump, Roy Moore, Farenthold and Clarence Thomas #ResignNow!
7
Tweeden lied
Justice Died
8
Your absurd column, several weeks back, was a 'how to' for the lynching crowd. Were you trying to gather 'hits' on your column to impress your editors? Your mea culpa tour a few days later, was way too little, way too late. Everyone of you were played! You have handily done away with one of the very few coherent voices, able and willing to do the hard work. As a journalist, you should respect the power of words and truth. And, your should hang your head in shame
20
The comments in the "reader's picks" are overwhelming that this was a disaster for the Democratic party, women's rights and justice. A complete cave in to a right wing smear.
But you would never know that by the NYT picks!
C'mon NYT editors! We Democrats are appalled by the railroading of Franken and the comments section shows that. Have the guts to reflect that in your picks.
23
Feel better, Michele?
Well, I don't. See, I thought that the Times was the place where journalists helped us make sense of complicated issues, not some moronic pitchfork crowd. When the Times writer can't tell the difference between stupid guy stuff and being a sexual predator, they need to look for another job.
18
Too little, too late, Goldberg. You are, as the saying goes, complicit in this lynching. Now either go away or I do.
19
Thanks for being one of the leaders of the Dump Franken coalition. You've achieved your goal of making the world safe for only Republican sexual harasses and deviants. Are you happy now?
20
Although lack of self control caused this poor behavior, utter lack of character has defined what happens next. Franken and Conyers and a few others have resigned. Some character here. Some others have resisted, namely Trump and Moore. Poor character, no moral guidance whatsoever. The despicable part, after the act itself, is the stunning lack responsibility shown by these two "leaders".
7
Shame on this absurd, self-defeating travesty. It will only make the forces of sexism and sexual violence stronger.
The white nationalists are slapping their knees laughing as we fragment and slay our own on the left.
Shame on the New York Times and the wider media for fueling this self-destructive hypersensitivity. The mainstream media has failed us since the election - and it continues to do so.
This is a good man, you idiots.
19
But there are key differences between Trump and Franken. This is a false equivalency. First, Franken sexually assault women when in politics. Trump never did anything since entering politics.
Second, Franken has a myriad of accusers. Trump has none - except himself. He is the only one to have accused himself of touching women.
Third, Trump came clean during the election, in front of the entire country, during a national debate. Franken called women stupid, made a non-apology after getting caught, and hid all this before entering public office. He is worse than scum.
Equating Franken and Trump is indeed disingenuous.
2
You led the charge, Michelle. Next time, think before you write. Disgraceful!
15
Of course the white house idiot spokesperson says the election "took care" of Turmp's sexual misconduct concerns. No, sorry! It only means that LESS THAN 1/2 of the voters - the idiots who voted for him - don't care about this issue. Since Hilary got more of the votes - be assured, the majority of Americans care and want him gone.
9
Michelle take a bow. You and Kirsten have done the Republicans’ dirty disgusting work for them. An anonymous accuser was the last straw? Where is her name, her voice, her face? Franken categorically denied her accusation. So many of Franken’s accusers were anonymous. The first attention-seeking one, and possibly a plant of Hannity, was a Playboy bunny with no problem grabbing male butts on stage in scantily clad clothing. You will regret your idiotic stance. Piling on like ignorant lemmings. Destroying a
good, thoughtful, honorable and brilliant man who was working for the good of the country. We can only hope that Karma will come and bite the holier than thou and most perfect Ms. Gillibrand.
22
And you can rest assured, the Republicans including the "creature" as one poster calls him, are laughing all the way to the bank. I keep hearing P.T. Barnum's line "there's a sucker born every minute..." and if the Dem women think our cultural attitudes towards women is going to change now that Conyers and Franken are stepping down, think again my sweet sisters. Using such a broad brush, painting Al as the same as Roy Moore, is unconscionable. A prankster yes, a molester no. Not to mention, Franken's first accuser did a pretty fine job of "molesting" the young soldier who appeared in that same skit she did with Franken; she rubbed his rear end and gave him a big smacker right on the lips. Hmmm, guess she really must've traumatized that soldier, hope he brings charges against her. So now the Dems can claim the moral high ground, in the meantime, the Republicans are wreaking all sorts of havoc and I'm sure being amazed and thrilled that we are claiming that high ground, why should they care? Wonder when they'll be coming after abortion rights? AND we need to figure out how we make sure innocent men, and I mean really innocent, are not wrongly accused?
14
Franken should have stayed!
Clarence Thomas and Donald Trump need to go, ASAP, no Ethics Committee be damned !
11
It's hard for me to express the measure of anger and frustration I felt when I read Ms. Goldberg's column a couple weeks back demanding Senator Franken's resignation. He is a good senator who I supported with small contributions and at the ballot box. He engaged in boorish behavior years ago, to which he has owned up and for which he has apologized. We need him in the Senate and in Minnesota. This is a swing state, people, and Senator Franken worked hard to build a strong base across red and blue districts. I recoil when my conservative friends and family gleefully crow about "libtards" and rail about the "campus left". Well, Ms. Goldberg has proven them right this time. I sincerely hope the next time she writes such a misguided column she leaves it in the hard drive for a couple days and reflects. What a sad day.
16
Franken's demise began with a staged photo of him pretending to touch a woman's breasts through an inch of Kevlar and ceramic plating during a ridiculous USO tour where the "victim" did far more than merely pretend to grope... she kissed and groped and fondled men, on camera, without permission, over and over. The "victim" also complained that she agreed to kiss Franken and he did so, but it was a bad kiss.
Franken's demise was complete with a bizarre 2-fer.
First, the Atlantic ran the tragic story of how a woman took a photo with Franken, who had his arm around her waist. Her waist. She says he squeezed her waist. She is scarred now, apparently.
This was quickly followed up by an anonymous claim that Franken had tried to kiss (on the mouth, on the cheek, who knows?) a congressional staffer in 2006 but didn't succeed.
In between there were three or four complaints, mostly anonymous (seriously?), that Franken had patted a few butts, all more than a decade ago. Personally, I know I've had my butt grabbed from time to time, but I honestly couldn't attach a name or a face to most of the butt pats, certainly not 10 years later.
On this thin evidence of "predation," a democratically elected US Senator was brought down by his own party, the lead angry mobster being Senator Gillibrand, Franken's likely rival in the 2020 presidential primaries.
How convenient.
All this shows that Mike Pence's rule of never being alone with a woman may be a lot smarter than we thought.
17
Leave it to feminists to protect America from Democratic politicians.
I wonder if Liberals realize what a gift they have handed Republican operatives by declaring that women never lie about things like sexual harassment and assault. You can be sure that any male Democratic candidate that starts to gain traction will have a bevy of women coming out claiming that the candidate patted them on the bottom and once again Liberals will eat their own. You see women do lie about these things, especially when they are led by Republican dirty tricks squads. They have already started with Al Franken. Why did Roger Stone tweet about what Tweeden would say before she spoke to the press? Why are so many of his accusers anonymous?
Meanwhile while feminists have protected your daughters from randy celebrities if she works for MacDonald's or anywhere else she is at risk and the rest of us have to continue to live under Republican rule. Feminist don't care about all of us living in hell, just as long as it is a hell where no one pinches their bottom.
Identity politics has destroyed Progressive politics in this country, that is really why we have Trump. And now by handing the Republicans a club to destroy any candidate they want, Liberals, the gang that can't shoot straight, have struck again.
10
Since when was Matt Lauer a "charmer"? He always seemed like a sleazy, pervy opportunist to me, especially in recent interviews (the Clinton interview; the leering at Ann Hathaway after a papparazi upskirted her, instead of him discussing her promo for Les Mis), his treatment of Ann Curry (a lightweight journalist, no favorite of mine, but still, he sabotaged her career).
7
The irony, of course, is that the women and men who called for Franken's head (due process be damned!) are complicit in strengthening Trump and the Republicans.
Can't imagine there will be too much focus on sexual harassment once we become a completely authoritarian country.
8
He should never have resigned. A pretend grope (picture shows he wasn't touching her breast) and the other allegations apparently happened in full view of others while taking pictures! Some of the allegations were "he squeezed my waist" "he cupped my buttock". When you do hundreds of these photo ops it may be that you squeezed someones waist a little to hard or may have slightly you hand on a buttock. But sexual harasshment!!
11
The Democratic party yesterday shot itself in the foot. They decided it would further their chances in 2018 by getting rid of Al Franken without the benefit of due process. They have made a terrible miscalculation. They have lost this lifelong Dem's support in 2018 and 2020. If, I should say when, Kirsten Gillibrand runs for president I hope she will receive the same stabs in the back she delivered to Al. I supported her in the past. No more. I am done. No money, no vote. Kirsten Gillibrand is a bit too cutthroat for my money. She's always asking me for a donation to so she can defeat Trump's agenda. Baloney, Kirsten. You'll have to look elsewhere. And Chuck you're no better. You and the rest of the Dems who conspired, and yes you all conspired, to dump on Al yesterday figured we Trump Haters would follow you anywhere. Guess again. You proved yesterday you're no better than the Republicans who by the way will have Roy Moore in the Senate. What will you do then, Kirsten? Will you sit next to old Roy? I hope you get the Justice that's coming your way when you run for president. You have screwed up, big time.
DD
Manhattan
17
Democrats are wusses. I do not make light of sexual harassment or predatory behavior. But, the Republicans are dismantling our democracy every single day and yet, we Democrats demand purity above all. Politics is not purity. It is neither church nor synagogue and the only ones playing by the rules of intergrity are the Dems, while Republicans laugh all the way to office. Time to toughen our spines and see what is really at stake here. Purity be damned.
12
Kirsten Gillbrand, what a moron, she just left hundreds of Democrats behind. We won't forget her cheap shot at elevating herself. Her desire to run for Prez just went down the toilet.
18
"But the revolution is smaller than it first appears." +1000!! Excellent article Ms Goldberg. I hope you and your journalist colleagues will pursue this angle of the #MeToo movement. The good reporting about the "machinery" that enabled Weinstein and others to continue their assaults should pivot to the machinery and machinations that enable right-wing men to continue their behavior. Ultimately you will encounter the #NotMeOrMyMen movement -- the women who are OK with "locker room" talk and actions...squeeze my butt please! These contradictory attitudes need to be laid side-by-side so we can understand who we are as a culture and human beings, and the #NotMeOrMyMen ladies will hopefully explain why their men's behavior is OK.
What does it mean to be a Conservative, especially with
religious values, if one wishes to conserve pedophelia,
against substantial evidence, and yet be pro-life? What
does pro-life mean to these people? Valuing children?
2
Virtually every possible viewpoint concerning this Franken thing is described below. I don't know which one, if any, is spot-on. We could probably argue this issue forever. Which reminds me of Martin Luther claiming that reason is a whore: She will sleep with anyone.
I'm still trying to figure out the JFK assassination.
1
Due process be damned, we want a hang'in, by God!
Interesting self-immolation by Dems due to popular liberal outrage, while the GOP just builds up its congressional majorities and ability perpetuate laws that discriminate against women's rights.
Will Trump, the predator, face any censure? Will Moore, the pedophile, once he's elected? Of course not.
Oh well, at least the Dems are a noble bunch. I'm sure that will be comforting as the GOP runs roughshod over the country.
11
While I'm not defending sexual assault, groping. unwanted kissing etc. But it seems to me that we've become a nation that claims to have the rule of law but we really don't. If NFL players kneel in protest, there is an outcry to fire them, conversely, if an accusation of unwanted sexual advances comes to light like in Senator Franken's case, there is a drumbeat from his colleges to quit. Forget that decades have passed. But what is astounding to me, is the fact that the democrats are making no effort to keep pointing the finger at the GOP, who like the article points out, they don't seem to concerned about Moore, or Trump for that matter.
I get that they want to appeal to women voters, right or wrong, 30 years ago, when women walked by a construction site they got cat calls whistled at, obscenities yelled at them. They got routinely patted on the butt, hit on, in the work place, in bars, where ever they happened to be. But for many men in Franken era, that was acceptable behavior, again I'm not defending it, I'm just pointing out it was socially acceptable, and it certainly doesn't make it right.
What Moore and Trump did was predatory behavior, what Moore did was outright against the law, and he himself was incarcerating men for doing exactly what he was doing, which the acts of a pedophile, going to bed with a 14 year old girl is what a pedophile does. We need to rethink our system of justice if one is guilty then he should leave office, this includes the GOP
4
I think part of the difference in response to these scandals comes not simply from political opportunism, but also from deeply felt views about sex to begin with. For some sex represents a possibly positive and enjoyable activity that is ruined if mutual consent is not part of the picture. Unfortunately, for others sex is at heart a sinful activity no matter what level of consent.
1
Trumps presidency has put our democracy in peril. Must we fix the plumbing while the house is on fire? There no guarantee there will be a D in that seat come 2018. This seems like we are making a righteous move, while the R's are gong for the jugular.
4
I would like an examination and exposure of the first report of Al Franken's alleged "groping". I have read that it was apart of a plot launched by Trump supporters to bring Al down. I listened to Mika Brzezinski on Morning Joe today. I believe she is on the right track. There is something very fishy about the way Al was brought down. I wish there had been an ethics investigation. All of this would have come out. Will someone please continue to expose this.
10
If there's any sense to the Me, Too movement the obvious target should be Trump, himself. Where's the justice in watching giants of media and film, etc. topple and the man at the top escape? Why does he get a pass?
10
Good article. We need more women in Congress. Young women should get into politics at all levels for their country and children. If I was younger I would run for office. However, since I'm 83 all I can do is cheer these women on.
The main point is that Republican voters don't care, and that mainly includes White men and women. These White people don't care that Roy Moore is a pedophile, they only care about the Senate remaining in Republican hands. We need to talk about Republican voters because they are the ones who endorse candidates who value White supremacy, misogyny and xenophobia.
15
I know he did wrong, but on balance I would rather he gets a good slap upside the head and maybe a sexual harassment prevention training class instead of stepping down.
I keep thinking of the quote: I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. George Bernard Shaw.
BUT, I'm ready to get dirty and wrestle the pig (i.e. the GOP or Gross Old Party as I like to call them)
15
Grand Oligarchic Pedophiles
3
Do you understand now Michelle why I was so mad when you called for Franken's resignation... Could you not foresee this... are all liberals blind? Cutting your nose to spite your face... to be pure in your political correctness... we will believe women without question, no matter their credibility, to ruin the careers of men that are advocates and true friends of females...
Democrats say: Well, yeah we let the republicans hollow out the middle class with their tax reform, ruining life and retirement for the millennial generation. We let them rape and pillage the environment and our abortion rights...But ladies you will be protected from sexual harassment (well not really but you will get lip services and we will fire the people who help you most!!). gee golly thanks, now if I could just have a decent income, house, and afford to have and raise children... GET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!
30
First, are we sure Franken is going to resign? Usually if someone resigns they say effective immediately, or as soon as the guv finds a replacement, etc. Maybe Franken is hoping against hope that there will be a ground swell from the fuzzy thinking progs in Minnesota begging him to stay. I mean, they elected that moron, so maybe they will beg him to stay.
And in big Al's defense, he's being thrown under the bus by cynical dems who are hoping to take the moral high ground. It's so obvious that it's almost ludicrous. The play here is to use this to attack Trump (duh). But let's face some cruel facts:
1) Trump has never admitted to harassing or sexually abusing anyone. He's never paid anyone off.
2) The TMZ tape was not an admission of wrong doing. It was bragging. But Trump is right. If you are a celebrity, have money and aren't ugly then doors are opened for you.
3) But let's say that Trump actually did grope someone at some point who didn't want it. Was he an elected official at that point? No. Unlike Franken and Conyers and my all time personal fave, Bill Clinton (let's not forget the Kennedy boys either) he would have been a private citizen.
4) Michelle's writing is pretty unclear, but purposefully so I believe. She forgets that the accusations against Moore - which he denies -- happened not yesterday but almost 4 decades ago. How convenient.
5) And what about due process?
3
You are quite wrong. DJT has paid off many women in his lifetime - including his first wife, Ivana back in the 80's.
Well, that's a pack of lies.
Your shameful calls for Franken to resign have led the way. Congrats.
For your information, today I renounce all allegiance to the Democratic Party. I’m tired of supporting a party that ALWAYS rolls over to show yellow belly.
18
Hopefully "turnabout will become fair play" and this cultural meme will bite women back when men start to come forward with accusations of female sexual harassment. Let's see if editorialists from the NYTs will treat such accounts with equanimity or will the paper exercise its usual policy of hypocrisy?
3
Trump openly confessed to his sexual assault habits such as kissing without asking, grabbing female genitals,... 19 women accused Trump for sexual assaults, and he is the president. This country is a joke for the world to laugh at.
18
Seriously? The Democratic Party is now know as the cowardly party that embraced the methods of McCarthy -" J'accuse', and that's enough. Lets force out a capable senator because he has been accused, not convicted, of bad manners. It looks like the Dems care more about looking good, rather than doing good. What a Bunch of wimps
15
Conflation is the game and Michelle Goldberg is the name. The course in making inappropriate comparisons has, perhaps. reached it's apex in the corridors of the NYT. I may be overstating the congenital bias and dedication to socialist/elitist slavery in the entrenched media. No, I am correct and it demeans the value of a free press.
9
If #MeToo can't take down Trump... then they are #SoWhat?
7
The republicans and the Republican Party are a bunch of the worst in America. Their leader, the notorius deplorable man who braggs his history of sexual assault. Terrible. But on the other side, when brazilians politicians make me sick, I came to the NYT and read news like this story. The only problem is who's worst, Donald or Michel Temer. It's a terrible tie.
If the Democrats wish to commit seppuko that's your business. Are you expecting the rest of us to follow suit?
5
It's seppuku.
2
Perhaps most despicable about your post Ms. Goldberg is that you somehow have forgotten the people in America are innocent until proven guilty.
13
Franken did the right thing for the future of democracy and the Democratic Party. He did stupid and demeaning things to women and that carries a cost. We're making political decisions, not legal ones.
His resignation enables the Democrats to take the high ground on standards for decency. And to present to the voters in 2018 a choice between a sexual abuser in the White House and a pedophile in the Senate and a group of decent people working for working people.
Paul Ryan should be calling for Mr. Trump to resign....This president has no Shame. He is a complete and utter disgrace......Mr. Majority Leader.....LEAD!!!!
5
To the Democrat fools who did this to Al Franken: I hope you burn on the fire you've lit. I'm on the right side, I assure you, but this makes me so sick and tired, not only of Democrats in general, but of this whole me too thing, which has officially been consumed by its dark side. I hope you're pleased with yourselves.
10
A me too woman who (without evidence) accuses one of the most articulate and comptetent members of the senate of the high crime of having tried to kiss her a decade or so ago knowing full well that it may destroy his career and his personal life deserves nothing but contempt as do those democrats who called for Franken to resign. Spineless, deplorable fools - why would anyone want to be represented by such useless clowns?
17
If all those White women had voted for Hillary instead of Trump we wouldn't be in this predicament! Way to go girls - way to make an impact on our society.
4
Republicans are the party of Putin, Pedophiles, and Perverts.
Every time they dare speak about "morality" or "family values" that should be response. The party that supports rapist, child molesters, and conspiring against the United States with hostile dictators has zero credibility on morals or values.
If you are a Republican and do not speak out you by default support child molestation, rape, sexual abuse, and treason.
You cannot be "in it but not of it."
2
Remember when Republican voters used to call themselves "values voters?"
The Republicans appear to stand for three main things: \
1) take your money and give it to the rich donors;
2) hatred of "them" (Muslims, Mexicans, Blacks, whoever); and
3) protect the fetus, the "unborn" (and the child molester if the defends the "unborn")
The Democrats are a mixed bag, but at least they seem concerned about the born.
1
The Democrats just tasted the bitter pill of political correctness.
4
“Franken Is Leaving and Trump Is Still Here,” thanks to Kirsten.
11
It was a suicide bomb. The suicide was Frankens, the bomber was Gillibrand. I am Woman, and I am Furious. This is exactly how we Democrats lose, we accept responsibility and play by the rules. All well and fine, except the opposition does NOT. An accused Child Molester WILL be elected to the Senate in Alabama. A doddering, lecherous old Goat occupies the Oval Office. And WE are going backwards. News Flash: the GOP can only win when they lie, cheat and steal. But they really don't need OUR help. That's what happened today. Please get it together. The perfect is the enemy of the good, and the path to a permanent minority. Shape up or ship out, seriously.
15
Even if the allegations are true, the President is not guilty of sexual harassment. He is accused of having made a gross, dumb, and reckless pass at a supporter during a low point in her life. She pushed him away, she said, and it never happened again. In other words, [the] President took ‘no’ for an answer.
Gloria Stienem, The New York Times
March 22, 1998
You guys need to deal with Bill Clinton and his enablers before you can truly claim the moral high ground. Otherwise, you are making the same arguments the Republicans are making: that it doesn't matter how creepy your guy is along as he forwards your political agenda.
2
As the sex predator in the White House once boasted “he could murder a victim on 5th Avenue in broad daylight, and his supporters would stand by him.” Same would go for sex assault. The only cold comfort in this will be watching the hypocrisy of Christianity Alabama style exposed next week.
You lost your cred on this issue a while ago, Mr. Goldberg.
6
We are losing one of the best, if not the best, senator we have ever had, and yet we keep in office the worst (definitely) jerk who has ever been non-elected to the presidency.
We must be out of our minds!!!
7
To Michelle : How?
3
What’s happening in our national debate on sexual harassment (and other issues) is nothing short of insane.
Trump is, transparently, a conman. Nothing more, nothing less. He is willfully ignorant, racist, a boor, and, yes, a misogynist of the highest order.
And we force Franken to resign???
If progressives/Dems can claim to be the party of nuance the Republicans can claim to be emblematic of a sociological cancer this country has not seen since the era of Boss Tweed.
4
The #MeToo movement might viralize #TrumpToo.
3
Bannon/Trump have discovered the population who believe that internet porn sites are desirable despite the risk of discovery. Their America is a wasteland.
Senator Franken was honest with his response. He wanted transparency & was eager to cooperate with an investigation. As a woman, mom, grandmom, and feminist, I was so pleased with his response. Actually grinning from ear to ear. And then then his Dem colleagues threw him under the bus. My senators know I am very disappointed in them. Dang.
53
Justice, whether retributive or distributive, has always required a sense of proportion. Sad to see that lost in the Senate and much of the press.
4
As a life long Democrat, I'm giving up on my party. Senator Franken should remain, and the catcalls from unprincipled Democrats and absolutist feminists should be ignored. These people are unable to recognize boorish behavior versus legitimate harassment. The notion of casting off a real Democrat, by those corporate Democrats tells me much about where my party is headed.
By not voting, I too am expressing myself politically. While the republicans are totally corrupt, morally and otherwise, most of the elected Democrats are proving themselves to be spineless corporate serfs. Nobody (except Bernie) are representing the people - sad, so sad !!
8
Great! Franken's going to fall on his sword, to what end? None of the Republicans are doing so. They like to elect their rapists and pedophiles, because they want seats in Congress.
A battle is being fought for the futures of average Americans. The current Congress has no compunction about making poor and middle class Americans pay higher taxes, and lose their Social Secuity, Medicare and Welfare for it, just so the rich can be richer. They're removing sacred public land and turning it over to mining and coal interests.
Franken is the guy who did such a good job of grilling Jeff Sessions, that Mueller's special investigation was started. He's been one of the best Senators the Dems have had. And he's responding to "outcry" -- he hasn't been proven guilty of anything.
Times have changed. Dems sporting halos and taking the "PC" route will not work in this very visceral battle for America. They need to fight as viciously as any Republican--they've got enough ammo.
None of the Republicans are resigning -- they have sense enough to fight for votes in Congress.
The Dems can save the piety for later. They must now focus on a more important battle...getting elected.
And Franken should not resign before bring proven guilty.
17
A) Democrats eat their own. Republicans are not cannibals of their party members.
B) Democrats and their voters feel that good is the enemy of perfect. (hence the ridiculous ongoing adoration of bernie, the willingness of many voters to either stay home last year or worse, vote for Jill) Republicans are very happy to have flawed, even evil people be elected.
C) Democratic elected officials are sheep-- they never stood up to Bush against the Iraq war, the patriot act, or the creation of the Homeland office as a cabinet. How could we expect them to be nuanced, go against the tide and be strong in differentiating Franken from Conyers?
This is why the democrats continue t lose power, and will do so even now as the GOP takes us down.
If the Dems sacrificed Franken for purity, does that mean we won't be hearing any more from Bill Clinton, who stands accused of much worse than Franken, or from Hillary, who stands accused of enabling him and attacking his victims? Or are they still the party's principle leaders and spokespersons?
4
Senator Franken has been subject to Sexual McCarthyism and the citizens he has championed for will suffer for it as well as people who have legitimate claims of criminal Assault and Sexual Harassment in the future. He and those who support him have been betrayed by the women and Democrats who have called for his resignation before he had the opportunity to defend his reputation. He is one of the few in Congress who does not reek with the stench from serving oligarchs rather than enhancing the quality of life and the rabid rape of the majority of citizens in this country. The only hope that exists for the Democratic Party is to admit their personal failings and reject his resignation. Let the tears and hugs he received after his announcement actually mean something. The 2018 elections focus by the Democrats needs to be focused on income inequality, you have failed miserably by taking a pretentious and costly act by betraying Al Franken.
17
"Democrats, by and large, want their politicians held accountable. Republicans, by contrast, just want Democratic politicians held accountable."
Sums it up nicely. Even if Democrats are also motivated by political self-interest, at least they are on the right side of the issue.
4
Let's say the most recent presidential election is happening on 12-8-17 instead of 11-8-16. And let's say that all other things are the same as then except that the same Franken story was in the news and he announced his intent to resign. Based on that one change, does anyone think that a single Trump voter in that election would have switched to Clinton? Does anyone think that a single third-party voter in that election would have switched to Clinton?
1
This is all good. The moral high ground will win in the end. Let us continue to occupy it. Let Senator Franken run for Congress next year, while a great woman takes his seat in the Senate. I bet he will win, because he will be forgiven for his peccadilloes and rewarded for accepting a demotion. And then, he will get the chance to vote for Mr. Trump's impeachment. What a wonderful irony that will be. May that day come as soon after Congressman Franken is sworn in as possible!
3
Franken is on his way out, but hasn't yet been replaced. Might he spend his remaining tenure leading a campaign to censure and remove a newly-elected Moore, or bring charges against Trump?
4
Al Franken must go! If Franken resigns then Republicans will surely feel the moral imperative to also remove those in their ranks who have been abusive of women. In what imaginary world does this happen? Despite an earlier career as a comedian who engaged in a lot of adolescent and crass humor, who seriously doubts that Franken has matured and become a true ally of those seeking justice and true equality for women? It was this sort of counterproductive insistence on "political correctness" and ideological purity that led, first my wife, and then me to leave the Democratic party and register as independents (unaffiliated here in Colorado). Considering the pushback by her own constituents, I think that, in the next election, Senator Gillibrand may well find herself a victim of her push to deny due process to Senator Franken.
5
"If Franken resigns then Republicans will surely feel the moral imperative to also remove those in their ranks who have been abusive of women."
Wanna bet? If you do believe this then I have a bridge that might interest you.
2
Senator Franken's missteps seem very small potatoes indeed, certainly not the stuff lawsuits are made on. Now, after he reflects and serves purgatory time, he can make a credible run for the presidency. And he'd be a great one. Al for President in 2020!
11
"It’s not similarly untenable for Republicans, because the Republican Party is not the party of people who are fundamentally opposed to sexual harassment. Democrats, by and large, want their politicians held accountable."
With the election of Donald Trump and soon Roy Moore AFTER many women came forward, one could be excused in believing that the Republican Party is not only not the party of people opposed to sexual harassment, but is in fact the party OF sexual harassment.
5
There is a connection between opposition to abortion and acceptance or excusing of sexual harassment. Both are about lack of respect for women. It doesn't matter how much has been invested in a fully developed woman, or how many people she may be responsible for, or what she might contribute to society, if she can't carry a fetus to term, for whatever reason, she is of no importance. She is not to be granted moral autonomy or freedom of conscience by people who are too lazy or thoughtless to make moral distinctions or difficult moral choices, whatever the First Amendment might say.
2
Where is the balance between women making an accusation and evidence being required to act? Do we now forbid anyone who has harassed/intimidated/groped/been-inappropriately-sexual to women at any point in their careers from running for and holding office? That's a standard very few will meet. The culture has not required people to treat each other as people. It still doesn't. #metoo has changed the backdrop but the topography of inequity has not shifted. Meanwhile the Democrats, in their infinite wisdom, eat their own and the president is untouched. Wrong, wrong, wrong.
6
I am no fan of Fox News or Charles Payne, but apparently Fox News investigated Scottie Nell Hughes' claim and found it not credible. If someone is wrongly accused, do they have to be forever tainted and rendered unemployable by the accusation? I celebrate the #MeToo movement, but I can't support those who say it is OK if a few innocent men go down because it serves the greater good. I can't go along with Kristen Gillibrand's refusal to distinguish between crassness, harassment and rape. Al Franken, from what I can tell, is not in the same bad behavior league as Roger Ailes or Bill O'Reilly or John Conyers. He was ultimately taken down by an anonymous accusation that he absolutely denies. And the guy may have been one of the 2 or 3most talented politicians the Democrats have, and perhaps the only one capable of out dueling Donald Trump face to face. If it turns out that the anonymous accusation against him was false, Gillibrand will have eliminated a 2020 rival but the Dems May have diminished their 2020 chances, as Gillibrand is not in Franken's league as a political force. ...The last time mere accusation could lead to ultimate punishment was the Salem Witch Trials. Maybe I am just an insensitive male, but I don't think #MeToo should go down that road,
7
I see that right-wingers and their fellow-travellers--you know, Berniacs and Steiners--are still busily huffing about how they're "lifelong Democrats," who, "will never vote Democratic again," or "just stay home next November."
By their works shall ye know them, especially since most seem to be completely clueless about the weirdness of yelling at women senators and representatives about their "witchhunt," in this particular context.
Blame the victim much, guys?
4
You're absolutely correct. Bernie moralists put Trump in the White House. Perfect is the enemy of good enough. Hillary with all her baggage, and I was no fan of hers would have kept the neo-nazi kleptocrats out of the White House and at least forestalled in congress.
1
Today ends my 50 years as a registered Democrat. I am losing all respect for them as they disappoint me daily. In my opinion, they are quickly becoming spineless cowards. No matter what the Republicans do or say, there is a day or two of outrage then all is forgotten. If Robert Mueller is fired, I have no doubt that it will not make much difference in how the Dems operate, and will eventually be forgotten. Our country is in such jeopardy that people should be marching in the street and gathered at the WH gate every day. What do they do instead? They call on one of their best and brightest to resign. Al Franken was one of the few Democrats not afraid to speak out. He made all those who called for his resignation look like the wimps that they are. And call me a conspiracy theory nut but I will always believe that some money changed hands somewhere in this travesty. Shame on the Democrats.
7
Your opinion will only matter when you stop talking, in your wishy-washy, ahh shucks way, about Franken and turn your attention to Trump, Farenthold and the other GOP offenders. Then use your "pulpit" to garner the women's and men's votes in the 2018 election. But what the heck, ride the horse until it throws you right.
1
The incendiary rage you mention should be directed where it counts: at the ballot box, and at races that are decided at the ballot box, like the race in Alabama.
No victory dance Michelle? You got your way. Remember your Nov 16 column titled 'Franken Should Go.' Well, he's gone. Happy?
10
#everyone is a victim of something. I'm tired of "hashtag movements." Twitter serves as a big empty white wall just waiting for graffiti. Just a place for people to write whatever they want. The credibility of social media is 0 in my book. Is everyone a liar, no, but there is no verifiable way to measure the credibility of anyone. Furthermore, when did "innocent until proven guilty" get replaced by the opinions of mob rule? So now anyone can accuse anyone of "sexual assault" and ruin their lives/careers without any rule of law taking place? Moreover, as more and more of these types of stories make their way to the internet, it seems "sexual assault" can mean anything from rape to unwelcome advances. Say or do what you will, but all of this lazy reporting and consumption of these types of stories belittles the meaningfulness of actual victims and perpetrators who face their accusers in court. The internet can be a dreadful place.
4
Ha ha, you think #MeToo is a Democratic movement ?
Wrong again.
2
What can you say about a nation where 53% of white women voted Trump?
2
Happy now?
Democrats get suckered again into " the moral high ground'. Yet again, form a circular firing squad democrats. This is why you are the party of mediocrity- how about a focus on winning for a change? Then and only then can you make the changes needed instead of bleating your sanctimonious little messages.
And for all those Democrats who will now vote Bernie or the Green party in protest- you are republican enablers.
7
PC'ism without wisdom. No wonder the Democrats lost the White House and Congress.
6
Fine. I hope that now the women in Congress and particularly the Democratic women, will turn their attention to the groper in chief and Moore among others with the same degree of outrage and determination.
3
For all of their professed Christian religiousity, Republicans have no shame, no ethics and no moral compass. Jesus would disavow all of them.
2
What does it say about our culture when humility and honesty lose out bigly to lies, shamelessness, and immorality?
"Nice guys finish last" -- NY Giants Baseball Manager Leo Durocher - 1946
1
Time for another Women's March.
That'll be a gold mine for ya. The last Women's March just about toppled Trump.
The fact that Al Franken was forced to resign over allegations of sexual harassment that were committed years ago while the admitted serial sexual harasser who is similarly accused of sexual harassment by roughly a dozen women remains as POTUS absolutely sickens me.
But there's the main difference between the Democratic and Republican parties: the Repubs put party over country every time.
Trump is at his core a vile and repugnant man. In addition to crudely describing his sexually predatory behavior on the Access Hollywood tape he has a documented history of cheating small businesses out of money owed them when they were unfortunate enough to be hired as subcontractors for the Trump Organization.
But....apparently this behavior is condoned by Trump's gullible and naive base and spineless wimps like McConnell and Ryan give him a pass in order to achieve their misguided legislative goals.
I am very fearful for the future of our country.
1
franken and conyers are out. there will be more. the democrats will reject flawed men, as perhaps they should in service of justice and fairness. in the races that follow, some of those democrats will be replaced by republicans. the current crop of republicretins rejoice over all this, of course. and they will continue to bring moral midgets to congress, where they will serve the wealthy and punish women, children, the poor, and minorities. buckle up, progressives. you are about to get a severe flogging.
Good luck on that "incendiary rage" having any effect on Republicans and Republican voters. Actually, it might well energize them, while pushing more white men into their ranks, joining those who think the Democrats either ignore them or actively hold them in contempt.
And here's something else to consider: How many public-minded people who might want to run as a Democrat might decide not to, given the way Al Franken was treated?
All I know is that while the Republicans are busy pushing a ruinous tax bill, threatening to destroy Social Security and Medicare, destroying the environment, destabilizing the Middle East by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital, accepting a child molester into their ranks, and traveling with Nazis, the Democrats -- and certain op-ed columnists -- were focused on purging Al Franken from their ranks and ruining his reputation, not because he committed a crime, but because offended their sensibilities by kissing women without their permission.
1
And this BEFORE an ethics committee investigation. This is how Dems 'cut off their nose to spite their face'....and what are we left with - a 'predator in chief' and an alleged child molester ahead in the polls in a Republican state. Looks like the future for woman, will be in the hands of the unapologetic, denying, lying latter - woe be us (and that includes men as well).
2
Democrats eat their own while Republicans circle the wagons.
2
Well said Michelle.
I'd like to see an examination of this author's initial op-ed either by herself or by the NYT Ed-Board to think about the power the NYT wields. Goldberg's presumption of Franken's guilt was more than disappointing from a newspaper that is sure to get the story right before going to press. I do believe the full force of this paper was very much part of the process of bring a good politician down. I think the Editorial Board blundered and was even weak in handling this matter.
1
I think he should not resign. Those who are calling for and forcing his resignation are caving in to hysterical innuendo and demonstrable lies. Franken's first accuser is a liar and she proves it with her own evidence. I know it's not popular to call an accuser of sexual abuse a liar but she offered her own proof of her dishonesty. Read her statement and look at the photo of Franken clowning for the camera. She's a liar. He did NOT grope her breasts. In a court of law if a person lies on the stand, under oath, her entire testimony can be disregarded, no matter if 99% of her statements are factual. It's the law.
That phrase, 'the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth' has no currency with this media lynch mob.
Americans love this stuff. If it's not a sex scandal, it's something else, like 'Hands up, Don't shoot!' Even some media giants had to admit that was a lie they deliberately propagated.
Americans love a good lynching, or several. That righteous indignation and anger just feels so good.
But if Franken is resigning, maybe he is guilty, of something.
When the first photo surfaced, I thought this is typical stupid SNL-type behavior from Franken's past life. Then as more women came forward, it felt that Franken had to do the right thing and resign.
But I feel that the Democrats are doing the right thing and the Republicans are playing dirty and are going to win.
1
I want the women sexually assaulted by
45 to come forward with guns blazing. Oh that they were so brave! Please, ladies. The world needs you now.
3
Psychopaths can't be shamed. It's part of the phenomenon.
Michelle. Maybe you can atone by writing sixteen columns, one for each of Trump's known victims. You had time to help destroy Senator Franken's reputation. No time for the Donald? Why not?
9
Ultimately, the #metoo movement will just reinforce Republican patriarchal entitlement and further decimate and self-deconstruct the Democratic Party.
When the identity purges are over, only white male supremacists without shame like Moore and Trump will be left standing (and Supreme Court justice Thomas as the token black). Good luck with that!
1
Michelle Goldberg, I hope you're happy with what you accomplished in your November 16 Op-Ed. Because what you have done is tremendously empowering to vile, misogynist, bigoted Republicans like Donald Trump and Roy Moore. I hope the Governor of Minnesota appoints Al Franken to replace Al Franken, a very good man who is a true fighter for us all - particularly women.
NY Times - I have to notice that in your "picks" you seem strongly biased against Senator Franken, despite the overwhelming sentiment in "Readers Picks". I dare you to pick this, as you fail to cover the unraveling of the Democratic party over this issue, at the very moment when it is needed the most to counter Trump & Co.
4
You act like you weren't complicit.
Who wrote an article that said Al Franken must go ? Michelle Goldberg
Who chose not to write an article that said Tic Tacs must go ? Michelle Goldberg
This is the lamest bait and switch routine of all.
EVERY one of your articles should be a PERSONAL apology to Al Franken and nothing more.
4
As of victim of sexual assault and harrassment, it took me a long time not to be as knee-jerk as you were in your first column. In a sense you can credit yourself for starting these witch trials. The power of the word is a frightful thing. Life teaches you that most of the time you know very little of what you speak.
4
Happy now, Michelle? See what your ideological calls for his resignation leads to? The degenerate Trump is in power. The degenerate Moore soon will be. And Franken, one of the foremost champions of liberal values, is gone. What will it take to snap you and other feminists out of your fever dream which makes you want to be right rather than in power?
4
In that picture of Al walking to announce his resignation, all that’s missing is a cross on his shoulder. Too bad the women in it can’t learn to smile, like him. What are they missing?
Michelle Goldberg, did you by any chance read the Nov. 16th NYT Op-Ed by Michelle Goldberg?
Al Franken resigning is something that I have a very hard time deciding if it will be better or worse for women. What I have an easier time figuring out is that your two Op-Eds are not helpful. One on its own could do good, but when you try to have it both ways, it comes off as very insincere. If you had mentioned today that you yourself had called for Franken to resign, it would have made it seem that you did some soul searching and changed your mind. You made no mention of your prior Op-Ed, so I can only assume that you want to have your cake and eat it too.
Hopefully this is just an isolated incident (think Franken) and not systymatic hypocrasy (think Moore/Trump)
2
Shocking coming from the demographic of Women who overwhelmingly voted for the "P" Grabber currently in the Oval Office.
1
Franken was a victim of a fake news hatchet job.
We all are still smarting from the results of the presidential election. Contrary to what is presented, Hillary Clinton didn't lose because men did her in. She lost because women didn't vote for her. Yet, they showed up in silly pink hats to march around the country in protest of the inauguration. Too little, too late. So this set of women decide to turn inwards and take our their angst on their own. With the support of political opportunists like Gillibrand, and dishonest opinion columns like this one, they've set about eviscerating themselves. It's Goldberg, Gillibrand and the like who need to be removed from public view if the progressives must make progress in society and electorally.
In a strange twist, today it's the loony on the left who'd fit into Franken's book 'Lies & lying liars who tell them.'
4
Bad move by the Democrats. Lasting repercussions in lack of donations, apathy and a lot of people just plain mad. Great work guys and gals, you are a circular Firing squad.
1
Trump and Moore need to be brought to justice. Come on, Gloria!!
I have never been a fan of Sen Franken, somewhat because I didn't find him particularly funny in his prior career, but mostly because he supported fracking in MN (land of the lakes and all...).
His recent vote for the $80 billion military budget deal was the final straw.
So good riddance.
The Democrats think it’s politically expedient to be more moral/scrupulous than the Republicans at this point in history, but I’m not sure this was a good hill on which to take a stand.
That the Democrats are so tactically challenged is really frustrating. Just like they’d rather lose (see John Ossoff) with Hillary than elect a winner, this moral high ground strategy is amazingly stupid.
And don't get me started on Kirsten Gillibrand and her 'strategy'...she stands for nothing other than whatever it takes for her to continue to be re-elected and move up the ladder. A total phony politician with no principles, nothing but a Hillary redux.
Another Democratic political hack, an opportunist pretending to be progressive while pandering to women.
With people like Kirsten Gillibrand as legislators (and handpicked already as a potential 2020 candidate) and Michelle Goldberg as opinion writer in the NYT, Democrats are almost certain to lose again.
Against anybody, even Trump.
You should all get together with Robby Mook and finalize your brilliant strategy for 2020.
2
The Democrats getting rid of Franken was just another tone-deaf ploy on the part of Pelosi and Schumer. They wish to be the party of Pure (instead of effective.) As an old guy myself, I can say this - get rid of 'em, fast. They are buried up to their necks in yesterday.
Clearly time for Clarence Thomas to step down, followed by Donald Trump.
1
They have handed the Republicans a loaded gun.
No interest in hearing you whine now about a result you asked for and could have foreseen.
2
So at a time when we fighting to save healthcare for millions, trying to save the environment, and trying to resist Trump’s agenda we need our best legislators on the field. What do we do, cut one of our best players off at the knees for a few dumb things he did years ago? My fellow democrats, those of you who threw Franken under the bus, you fail to see the big picture. This is a formula for failure. Right now, I’m disgusted with you. Moreover, many seem to forget that tossing Franken under the bus also punishes his staff, many of whom are women, who by the way came to his defense. Brilliant. DNC, don't bother asking me for support.
4
Kirstin Gillibrand really, really, really wants to become President. Sorry about the tire marks on your back Al from Kirstin running you over with a bus!
5
What a lousy day.
Sen. Franken, shame on you for being so foolish, juvenile and predatory.
And yet ... cannot deny what you said today ... Trump still occupies the Oval, and Moore will likely get elected.
I don't know what more or larger pressure can be brought upon these high profile figures to make them admit their terrible acts ... and remove them also from the public / gov't forum.
Trump will deny his accusers forever. Remember, he learned at the knee of Roy Cohn.
What a(nother) lousy day.
"Democrats, by and large, want their politicians held accountable."
I guess the NYT's comments sections are not representative of what democrats want, then?
Let's at least hope Democrats, progressives and anyone else disgusted with groper in chief and pedophile in waiting and the subsequent thumbing of Republican noses knows how to use this and broadcast the very big difference between Democrats and Republicans. Remember the days when people said there wasn't a whole lot of difference between the two parties?
Franken's real mistake wasn't sexual harassment it was speaking out against our heinous fascist government intelligently and loudly. The suspicious part of his departure was that it was masterminded by Democratic women friendly to Republicans.
1
Politics of woman and women is all just like the little girls always knew.."yes, you can get pregnant from kissing".."can too"
1
Gee, Michelle, thanks for writing this column AFTER you wrote your piling on column about Franken.
You shoulda been all over trump in every column you wrote in the way that Maureen Dowd, in a much more dubious cause, has been all over Hillary, continuing to snark her at every opportunity, even though she is a private citizen.
Donald Trump is monumentally not fit for office. Why would you waste precious column inches trying to get us to accept that Al Franken may not be fit for office, even by your on self-admittedly "unfair" standards?
It's not that you don't call them as you seez them. It's just that you have taken your eye of the ball.
The limits of the #MeToo movement indeed!
1
Of course she had not problem with Bill Clinton and his enabling wife for being "here" for the last 20 years.
You have forgotten Bill Clinton. Hold him to the same standard
I woke up this morning and decided that Michelle Goldberg should give over her next column to selections from the numerous comments that strongly and respectfully disagree with her call for a fine Senator to resign. I intentionally begin my comments with a paraphrase of Ms. Goldberg's recent interview with Brian Lehrer. Ms. Goldberg is a professional writer who had a deadline to meet and "woke up" with what I think was an ill considered opinion that's published in the NYT. So now she an expert on the subject! She calls for Al Franken to be held accountable, and as an elected official and public figure he definitely is. But what has she wrought? Is her reputation now enhanced by this notch in her belt? Does she and the NYT gain by being one of the first to have started the drum beat to drive a good man from office without a fair hearing? I'm horrified by what's transpired. I'm distraught that Sen. Franken stepped down. The allegations I'm aware of are disturbing, but, do not a sexual predator make. I consider myself a progressive. As a victim of a sexual assault I dealt with the local police precinct, the court system and lobbied for changes to NYS laws (with some success). I've confronted sexual abusers and think I know it when I see it; and I don't see it in Sen. Franken's case. Ms. Goldberg doesn't represent my views. Can't you find a more thoughtful feminist voice who can contribute more than just "off the cuff" opinions.
3
I guess this is what happens when you hold yourself out as some kind of virtuous paragon...when you're not. A form of narcissism underlies all these sexual harassment cases. Persons who place a higher value on propriety don't sexually harass.
Perhaps #MeToo needed to make an accommodation with #NotHimYet...
Guilty by an accusation, the new norm for sexual harassment claims. Franken should have had the opportunity to go before the Senate Ethics committee, have his day in court and likewise, the women who accused him, under oath, repeat their accusations. The Democrat Party just shot itself in the head, again, with this tar and feather party.
3
Sexual assault? No. Lewd behavior? Absolutely.
Dems lost a (mostly) strong party figure today.
Good night sweet prince.
The author needs to look at the other op-ed in today's NYT, "Liberals need to take their finger out of their ears," and begin to recognize that the frenzy of sexual harassment allegations and consequences are happening in a liberal bubble. It's only happening in NY, LA and DC and in the liberal media. Time magazine may make the women behind this wave of allegations the "people of the year," but what do any of those women on that cover have in common with women who don't live in the enclaves of the coastal elites? While Dems gleefully destroy their hated white male leaders with increasing regularity, I have this sinking feeling that all it's doing is furthering the deep divides that exist in this country.
Well, how you all gonna feel when the next senatorial election on MN brings Gretchen Carlson to the Senate as a Republican. Sure, she’ll force Roy Moore out. You betcha!
I keep re-reading the transcript of Trump's "Access Hollywood" interview and it makes me sick to my stomach.
I think the DNC should make an ad with this tape, no expletives deleted, and broadcast it 24/7.
The fact that we have a vulgar, sexual predator pig in the White House, and we're about to elect a pedophile to the Senate, disgusts me beyond words.
1
It really, really irks the Times and it's stable of liberal feminist columnists that Trump and Moore don't just roll over and play dead. They fight back! Imagine that!
This fact will not escape the voter's notice in 2018 and 2020, especially women voters. Republicans are racist, sexist and without any moral compass.
>
This is a Gillibrand will to power move. I still don't know what Al Franken did while in office. He was railroaded. I'm old enough to have seen the Dems do some pretty stupid stuff before, but this is the mother of stupid.
If Gillibrand runs for POTUS in 2020, the Titan will have to join the ranks of the Bernie supporters. Good God it's a topsy turvy world.
If the Dems play their cards right they can cleanup in 2018 and 2020, but if this is a sign of things to come, we're all soon headed to a labor camp.
2
Al Franken grabbed a senate seat through vote fraud back in 2008. Clawing enough votes, by having DNC lawyers argue to a DNC appointed election committe that sarcastic "Frankenstein" votes were actually stupid voters who honestly intended to cast a vote for "Franken".....after all its the decade of ME...Al Franken.
...
Then, of course, having gained the seat,,,,its his for life.......since Al Franken's Campaign Donations and Perks are all TAX FREE.
Easy re-election in 2014.
....
Now the perks of celebrity, as he so arrogantly has proclaimed.....will be the basis of The Purge. Frankenstein will meet his maker......and Frankenstein may win!
Al Franken has NOT actually resigned.....its a fake out.......the Powerful Monster does not ever actually resign......to defeat the Monster.....the citizenry may have to bring on the torches and pitchforks.
.....
Al Franken will get to keep all those millions of dollars in campaign donations as personal property......TAX FREE.
Ms. Goldberg- Franken did not force these women to have sex, as far as we the public know. He exhibited immature and boorish behavior. You and your ilk left no room for contrition and reformed behavior. Franken could have been a posterboy for seeing his wrongs, making amends, and doing good. Instead you ran him out of office. THe Dems, who have lost the White House as well las both houses of Congress insist on self-defeating PC'ism while the Repubs play dirty. To blame is human, to forgive is divine.
3
Today, Franken resigns; next month Moore, the child molester, will be seated. Tell you what, Dems, I have a gun and you have another foot. Want to shoot that one, too?
The Republicans never forget that winning is the only goal. Democrats never remember.
2
Once again, the Democrats kill their own while the GOP laughs & carries on their agenda. And guess which party the voters will support?
Sleep well tonight, Ms. Goldberg. Sleep well. And when you wake up try to make a long list of good deeds you might undertake to atone for your sins. Yes, you got the ball rolling in a big way and, of course, your employer is complicit.
We are at war Ms. Goldberg and you have just shot one of our own.
Call for an investigation? Yes, of course.
Demand his resignation? No, you were wrong.
But you know that, don't you?
3
Maybe I am jaded, but let’s compare and contrast nonetheless:
POTUS Sen. Franken
NO YES 1) Being forced out by peers
NO YES 2) Being forced out by political party
YES NO [1] 3) Voted into office after allegations / “evidence” surfaced
NO YES [2] 4) Acting to obviate a formal investigation on accusations
NO NO 5) Admitted to & regretted alleged offenses
NO YES 6) Can be replaced-legally-by a woman
Now you might think this is a power grab by women, that remains to be seen. A score will be kept on how many positions that men who are ousted in the #MeToo era are filled by women. OF COURSE women would not be offenders or simply complicit for male offenders…they never were in the past, right (Sec. Clinton)? Can there be more blatant identity politicking? https://youtu.be/XmS5yHpPxCw
“I believe the women.” is frightening as the only “evidence” in the court of public opinion that supplants actual objective processes and leads to punishment based on truthiness.
Women aren’t a lock for openings: Rep. Conyers turned the family business over to his son, who has an order of protection against him for stabbing his girlfriend in a domestic dispute. Feel better?
[1] Franken won a recount in 2008, finally, by 312 votes; arguably a scandal like his could have made a difference, no?
[2] Resigning stops the Ethics investigation. BTW, why did Franken speak on the Senate Floor? His speech is immune from legal proceedings and is only punishable by the Senate (and he IS leaving).
1
"...the first female major-party candidate for president."
I guess it would have been inappropriate in a column like this one to use the word, "Clinton."
As usual, Democrats have chewed off their own foot to prove how good they are at getting out of traps.
3
And Roy Moore is coming.
If any situation displays the pathetic impotence of the Democratic party, this would be it. Franken needed to say " I'll quit when the rapist in the White House leaves not before". Democrats are beholden to so many special interest groups that it's tied up in knots.
3
Boy oh boy, Ms. Goldberg, you don't want to think about this too much, do you? You pass pretty quickly by the question of whether Senator Franken is guilty of anything. We can believe all accusers these days except for one little minor problem: none of Franken's are believable; the first is a demonstrated sexual harasser herself, not to mention her connections to Fox and Trump; the second presented evidence so questionable any idiot can see the photograph is missing the most important part, which has somehow been cropped away; then there are three anonymous ones and I doubt Ms. Goldberg would resign from anything after an anonymous accusation; and there's the woman grinning after she supposedly had her breast grabbed; hey, she wasn't looking for a job, any normal human would've told him exactly where to put his hand and walked away. Come on already, this stuff is baloney.
Three dubious public accusers and three anonymous ones. For this kind of dirty tricks from Roger stone you folks are ready to throw away the republic. Don't forget the Supreme Court, while you're thinking about it. Inexcusable, reprehensible, and immoral — not Franken, but columns like this.
Ms. Goldberg is a superb writer, even a phrase maker. However columns like this make me doubt her intellect, judgment, and moral compass. Get on the other bandwagon, Ms. Goldberg, because this is the time. Get on the stick and call tomorrow for Senator Franken not to resign. If you have the courage.
5
The real reason Franken is leaving is because he was afraid of the Ethics Commitee and what additional dirt they might uncover. It's as plain as the screwy smirk on his face. He's going to resign with his ego.... uh uh..he is plain scared to continue.
1
The Democratic Party will not get the upper hand in this debate until if formally expels Bill Clinton - a man who as Governor misused State Troopers to pressure women in having sex with him.
"... It has not yet touched Trump himself."
But I think it will; I do not believe that Donald Trump will finish his first term in office, and there will be a reckoning, for his admission of sexual assault and so many other things.
I think the greatest difference between Senator Franken's situation and the situations of Donald Trump and Roy Moore is that I genuinely believe that Senator Franken made a mistake, without any malicious or sinister intent - which nevertheless was wildly inappropriate and under some cases, may have been criminal. It is inexcusable, but I strongly suspect he would not have been a repeat offender. And he has admitted his wrongdoing.
Donald Trump is an unrepentant pig. The accusations against Roy Moore strongly and credibly suggest a sexual predilection for adolescent and teen-aged girls that Dan Savage would have a field day explaining. And there is a double standard here that shows how women are dismissed ... if the accusations against Moore had been that he had dated, groped and assaulted teenage boys, do you think even the Republicans would still back him? But teen aged girls? That's fine.
There are differences between the cases of Senator Franken and Trump/Moore, and while none of these situations is acceptable, I still believe there will be a reckoning against the Republican Party, which would have probably seated Adolph Hitler if Mitch McConnell thought doing so would secure his donor base.
2
It is now established that child molestation does not suffice to stir indignation in today's GOP. The next question is: what would it take?
2
Incredible! The media just doesn’t have a clue - including my once- revered NYTimes. We are confronted with Roy Moore. Enter unsubstantiated allegations about Franken. The Mueller investigation hints at links between Flynn, Putin, and Kushner- enter the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and Trump announces a Capitol move to Jerusalem- the media, distracted, pounces once again. You deserve credit only for this- had you ignored the Franken fabrications, Gillibrand grandstanding, and the Jerusalem hype, Trump would have had to move into North Korean waters to distract you.
Shame on you.
M LaCombe
4
Ms. Gillibrand. You have been warned. Sensible people are no longer going to vote for you. Your sanctimonious avenging angel schtick is a disgrace. You could not give your colleague, who has shown far more intelligence, dedication and worth than you will ever be able to imagine, the benefit of a hearing by the ethics committee. He had agreed to stand by their findings.
Also, how dare you tout the accusations of the anonymous as chapter and verse. In this political climate, has it ever occurred to you there could be plants to discredit some as worth while as Franken?
I have experienced almost everyone of the so called "assaults" of his accusers and dealt with my offenders at that very moment. I had no power and could have lost my job which is disastrous for a single mother of two infants. But I lived to tell the tale, and learned to protect myself with good old fashioned humor. What is wrong with you people? No more democrats. I will always vote Independent or not at all. You are pathetic and serve to neuter only yourselves.
89
Ms. Gillibrand is an excellent Senator. I am a sensible person
who will vote for you.
The Democrats' rejection of Franken is just the same old American Puritanism in a different package.
Yes, he did wrong, but he can't possibly change, improve himself, redeem his waywardness, or in any way be rehabilitated: he MUST be discarded!
Reap what you sow, etc.
Lost in the drama is any ability to make meaningful distinctions between being a predator and being a jerk. Yes, Franken acted boorishly, perhaps, and that seems sufficient to pass a final, unappealable judgment.
So, the very real need to combat and repudiate male sexual entitlement turns into a full-blown sex panic.
So very typically American.
69
Notes from Canada: In 2014 in Toronto, we had one of our most beloved CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) radio 'star" personalities charged with sexual assault by a number of women ~ one count of choking and four counts of sexual assault. He was found not guilty in Jan of 2015th, but his punishments does continue. His career is over and he has gone into hiding in shame. We also had an online campaign called #BeenRapedNeverReported which was viewed by almost eight million people online, reaching as far as India and Saudi Arabia. The discussions began. Awareness was heightened. And workplace laws were changed or became more forceful. Then things seem to quieten. And then this very similar but much bigger explosion - in terms of powerful men being called out and resigning for their groping, intimidation and careless demeaning and disrespectful remarks and slaps on the behind - is taking place in the U.S. As an avid follower of American politics and one who really thought Franken was great, I am sorry to see him go but really respect his position - which is to stand up for what is right. NOW. I do ask Americans to please, please, please - do what you must do to get rid one of thebiggest assaulter of women and most despicable men to walk our planet, out of the seat of President. Along with his cretinous crew. All of our lives depend on it.
10
A lot of what needs to happen is recognizing past transgressions by men (mostly) against less powerful women (mostly). But it can go too far and doesn't necessarily change the prospects going forward. Some type of truth and reconciliation process might be more productive, along with some graded statute of limitations to set aside the more trivial or more distant complaints.
Oftentimes, people who've been wronged, sometimes grievously, just want an acknowledgement of the transgression and a sincere apology. This doesn't have to be public and the victims are free to accept or decline.
Going forward we need more women in positions of power and able to hear and decide on complaints. We also need due process and a recognition that 'he-said, she-said' isn't determinative but repeated credible episodes are of great concern.
We're in uncharted territory and our broken political process, even with elections, may not be capable of making progress. But let's keep talking in the public square and see where things go.
2
Hypocrites to the core are the members of the GOP.
Humanitarian, environmentalist, women's advocate, LGBTQ advocate, working people advocate, globalist who is smart on foreign affairs need not apply.
2
The irony is that Al Franken seems like the kind of person who could have actually been a test case for not consigning someone to professional oblivion, someone who could take a censure from the Senate, maybe some mandatory anti-harassment training, and bounce back a more enlightened individual and continue his good work as Senator--unlike many of the recently accused, Al seemed to absorb what was said to him, and didn't just reflexively deny or malign his accusers, though he did dispute some of the accounts. Now, we've lost him at a critical time--when, as he mentioned, men whose attitude and actions toward women are off-the-chart horrible, and who are completely unrepentant, march happily into positions of power.
9
Taking out a supporter while leaving Trump and the soon to be senator in power is not an achievement. I didn't see due process with Franken and for that I have lost my faith in the Democratic party. I will be staying home in the next election.
4
Please please please don’t stay home next election. Use your power to vote for moral people who represent you. Please vote. It’s our only hope to take back our beloved country.
I too have lost some faith in the Democratic Party, but I stop short of the totally self-destructive notion of not voting. If you don't vote, even for imperfect candidates you might view as the lesser of evils, then you truly deserve whatever you end up with. Voting is still a powerful thing, as prospect of losing power is the only thing that truly scares politicians. Ms. Goldberg was entirely correct to point this out in this article.
Do not drop or tune out of the fight! Franken has set himself as an example of someone who is taking a principled stand on this issue. Agreed, he has not been formally "charged", but I think that is not the point. He is under the spotlight and using it to illuminate the hypocrisy of the Republican part.
One thing that's missing in the discussion of this complex topic is a call for revised workplace guidelines. As should be evident, people aren't "getting it" by relying on "common sense." Parallel to the outrage and necessary days of reckoning, should come a complete overhaul of workplace culture. Simply handing a new hire a 50-page HR handbook is not enough.
We need to stop celebrating — and promoting — egomania and the bad behavior that goes with it. Leading by consensus? Forget it. The American workplace honors only sociopaths masquerading as visionaries. And one consequence of that special brand of Cowboy Decisiveness is sexual harassment.
It’s time we acknowledge, however, that it’s not the only consequence. Exhibit A is in our news cycle every day.
Well done. There are different kinds of assault. There is such a thing as investigation and considered punishment. The Democrats are once again self-righteous, big righteous stance that promises nothing more than cannibalization. How about a realistic message? Once again, the Dems can't communicate. Sexual harassment is wrong and should be take seriously. Those who admit it and those who don't should be investigated. Do not rid Congress of those willing to be accountable and honest. We all know what's left if that happens.
1
The difference you complain about is not ironic or a double standard: sexual abuse is demeaning and should be punished, as an absolute, whether or not others are getting away with it.
1
Score one for Mich's feminist pressure. Bully for them. Any male trophy mounted on the wall is good, even if it's a liberal like Franken. Feminist ideology is not about equality. No way. It is about total dominance and power for the pure and elite. Misanthropy is the cornerstone of the feminist manifesto, but misogyny is an important element, also. Note that the 52% who voted against Clinton are heretics and enemies to the Cause.
Bully, Mich.
2
It is difficult to know what to make of this conflation of unconnected ideas leading to an apparent condemnation of the much expressed notion that women who voted for Trump are misogynistic. Or perhaps it's about anybody who voted for Trump, but who knows since the 52% number doesn't apply to anybody. Fewer than 50% of all voters voted for Trump and less than 50% of women voted for Trump. He "won" with the male white vote.
However, here's the headline. A lot of people like this commenter think feminism is misanthropic and man-hating. On the other hand this commenter thinks Al Franken should be nailed to the wall. This is, frankly, the kind of incoherent anger one gets rather often from people so aggrieved they can't think straight. Is it any wonder the American right is so intent on destroying the republic? All they have is anger that has, essentially, destroyed their capability for thought.
is every act of indiscretion death penalty ?
is every accusation valid, certain and without any doubt ?
5
We are reminded that politicians of any stripe still are political animals, doing what they feel must be done to stay in office. The actions of 30 Senators have potentially destroyed the political career of man who has served his country, his state, and his party well. The leading Democrats have lost credibility to evaluate political alternatives. In today's paper, David Brooks suggests that the Republican Party is rotting. It appears that the Democratic Party is rotting, too.
Al Franken should rescind his offer to resign, cut his ties with the Democratic Party, and serve the remainder of his term as an Independent. He should appear before the Ethics Committee and accept its decision to censure or not, then continue to do what's best for the country. As a potential swing voter, he would become the most powerful member of the Senate.
13
This will make no difference in electoral politics. The same people, including a majority of white women, who voted for Trump and his allies will continue to do so. They don't care. They will not care. They will continue to win. While effective Democrats that are supportive of women's rights like Frankin, who seek forgiveness for relatively minor infractions are shown the door. This will only drive away potential allies, and embolden the forces of the right. We are fighting a war for our nation. The forces on the right call it such. Once again Democrats are hobbling themselves. Borishness should not merit the political death penalty. And don't be so certain that what replaces Franken in the Senate will in the end be what you want. Yes a Democrat will appoint his replacement, but Franken won his first race for the Senate by the skin of his teeth. The right will put even more resources in next time to make certain they don't loose, and you'll have one more Republican in the Senate. You are fools.
5
Well stated, and true. The Democrats have just finished the destruction of the republic begun 40 years ago by the Republican Party. Out of touch, self-centered, without an ounce of courage, Gillibrand and Schumer and their ilk have quite literally sentenced tens of thousands of Americans to death at the hands of the Republican Party. They're sickening. Shame on them, until the end of time.
1
This outing of sexual related misconduct is intended to produce retribution for all subjected to such demeaning treatment without any forgiveness nor tolerance for any bad actor no matter the extent nor degree of harm done. Everyone is either innocent or guilty and the guilty must all be punished equally. It is the kind of rage that turns groups of people seeking to address a wrong into a mob. It is time to start practicing the golden rule and to be just rather than vengeful.
1
Alabamans who support Roy Moore: we have made up our minds, do not confuse us with facts.
Alabama evangelicals: politics is far more important for us than our Faith; do not confuse us with facts.
The White House: We too have made up our minds regarding the "moral high ground" of our great leader, Trump, do not confuse us with facts...
1
Congratulations! You did your part in rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. We are so much better off with Franken gone and Trump still there. You might also think about Roy Moore too.
However aiming at very important problems appears to be too difficult. Also aiming at a person trying to solve important problems, such as Franken, and shooting yourself in the foot appears to be a speciality. With friends like the NYTimes, who needs enemies?
5
Op-ed's like this are childish.
America knew Trump was a boor, but it was the right of every American voter to choose him or not. Same with Ray Moore, Alabama has the right to choose him or not. What is the alternative, some form of candidate supervisory body who can yank someone out of the race?
Once in office, there are mechanisms for removing someone unfit for office. That's the way it's done.
The R's will hold their nose and wait to secure a Republican seat, then censure Moore and refuse to seat him and Alabama will choose a replacement R. Why toss him now and hand the D's a Senate seat. It's politics first.
2
Alas, the law is not on your side on this question. Supreme Court precedent makes it very unlikely that Roy Moore will not take his seat. The Republicans have little leverage and stopping him even if they were interested in doing so, which they're not since his campaign was funded by the Republican National Committee. Roy Moore will be in the Senate for at least six years and if you live long enough, probably 12. That's illegal reality as the Democrats get rid of one of the greatest progressive voices they've ever had.
Interesting to hear that the Democratic Party was concerned about its "progressive constituency" since the Party has not been progressive (except for a handful of its politicians) since Bill Clinton. Franken didn't get a fair hearing before any committee. We don't know if he actually did anything that could be considered sexual harassment. We do know that he posed in a picture that turned out to be a bad (tasteless) joke by a comedian. The only people in the Democratic Party that have been regularly talking about economic inequality, the shrinking middle class, increasing poverty, declining life-spans, etc., you know, ECONOMICS!!! - have been people like Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders (an Independent). Real progressive issues that most Americans actually care about and not just bathroom politics, sexual harassment, and Russia. So, it appears that the Democrats have shot themselves in the foot again by showing no spine and hastily condemning one of their most effective senators without due process. And for what? Do you really thing more women are going to show up at the polls because of this grandstanding? Or, do you think most women in this country are more concerned with how they are going to survive paycheck to paycheck, pay for their kids' student loans, find a place for grandma and grandpa in a nursing home with no Medicaid, or how they will retire after being laid off at age 55 from their downsizing company? Win elections? Hah!
4
Simple solution: Vote all Republicans out. Every one for the next fifty years. I think they'll have learned by that time.
3
I am going to get killed by women for saying this. The Democrats are delivering their heads on a platter to Steve Bannon. All of this could not make him happier. Lest we forget, we are in a war with the Republican Party and they are winning. I am hoping a lot of good will come out of this sorry mess of sexual harassment and abuse, but I am also mindful of the Salem witch trials and the righteousness of the French reign of terror. Are we to put Senator Franken in the same category as Harvey Weinstein, Roy Moore, Matt Lauer and Bill O’Reilly? Are we to make judgments without judge and jury? If the Democrats think that they’re going to unseat Roy Moore if he wins because of the Democrat’s moral purity by making Conyers and Franken sacrificial lambs and run on this issue in 2018 I would like to remind you that Hillary Clinton’s campaign did not work out so well. Remember it was white women who got Donald Trump elected. Grow up. The world is not a pretty place.
7
He should've announced he was changing parties, no?
2
On the bright side, we never have to take the evangelicals' concerns seriously again. Sadly, we do have to fear their brute strength.
3
As per one of your previous articles, Al Franken is now gone, your got what you wanted, I hope you are happy. The "Me too" movement means absolutely nothing as long as the victims of Donald Trump are not vindicated and allowed to be included in the conversation. Donald Trump must go for all the reasons Al Franken has been forced to leave , and then some. Until that happens, "Me too" is a cruel insidious joke.
2
The Democratic Party is finally regaining its soul after enabling Bill Clinton in his sexual predations and Hillary in her exploitation of them for her political career. Of course the process is painful but in the end it will mean that the party demonstrably stands for fairness and dignity for women and can speak with an un-compromised voice.
2
The left has become the holier than thou circular firing squad that the right used to be. At some point, we will need to figure out how to accept apologies from less than perfect human beings and save our condemnation for those that are truly unrepentant.
5
The difference is that, when the right was holier-than-thou and bleating on about how full of virtue they are and how virtue-less and godless Democrats and liberals are ,they were destroying Democrats and liberals. Democrats are taking down other Democrats while mew-mewing at Republican wrongdoing.
How the world turns.
Given her condemnation of Senator Franken by way of her handiwork in the matter of his resignation, it appears that Senator Gillibrand of New York is toast.
Many in the Democratic electorate are not happy about the forced resignation of Senator Franken.
(Note Comments in other articles in today's NYT.)
Gillibrand is up for reelection as Senator in 2018.
Now may be the time for Hillary Clinton to return to the political arena and to challenge Gillibrand for the position of Senator.
It would be a repeat of her well-regarded earlier performance as the Senator from New York.
One good job deserves another.
Hillary would never have thrown Senator Franken under the bus.
Also she is needed back in the Senate to hold Trump's feet to the fire and to cause him to stumble over his own ineptitude.
She won all those debates against him because she knew her stuff and Trump was a no nothing then and still is a huge ignoramus.
Sparks will fly and she will truly get under his thin skin like no other person is capable of doing.
Also she can repair the damage he has done on an international basis.
The world will welcome her back with open arms.
Great chance to watch Trump implode ........ I can hardly wait.
2
The comparison between Moore in Alabama and Franken in Minnesota is poor and an example of why so many no longer trust "main stream liberal media". Moore's history as a serial abuser of the constitution, repeatedly putting his belief in his god over the law, and his willingness to impose those beliefs on others is far more damaging to the Senate and the country than sexual misconduct many years ago. People like Pence and Moore threaten our constitution and political institutions in nearly unimaginable ways. Moore's relative unfitness for the Senate should not be part of a discussion related to Al Franken's resignation, in my opinion.
2
This makes me so angry that this honorable man had to resign. It is so wrong to put him in the same category as Harvey Weinstein and Trump who used their power over the women they harassed and assaulted as blackmail and worse. Franken made mistakes of course but not enough to ruin his life and excellent work he has done so far. This is a travesty. Things need to be looked at more reasonably regarding this issue. As someone who has experienced first hand inappropriate sexual advances I strongly feel this has gotten out of hand.
2
Crocodile tears from Ms. Goldberg. She was the first to incite the mob, and she must be held responsible for the consequences.
3
Shamelessness is a superpower.
By being one of the first to call for Franken's resignation, you helped frame that being a stupid, obnoxious jerk is the moral equivalent of being a child molester.
At some point won't the bubble-wrapped echo chamber angst will come across as overreach? When this begins moving into "red scare" territory where any anonymous accusation is treated as valid, aren't we risking that true predators may step back into the fog of moral equivalence and hide?
We are going to lose out if this moves into hysterical witch hunt territory. Being a jerk is bad, but being a predator or using your work power to take advantage of others is a whole different universe away from that.
The same people arguing that people in jail shouldn't be judged are coming across as all accused people should be judged and marked with scarlet letters. Again, what about those who agree but feel uncomfortable with hysteria and overreach (same as with the Red Scare in the 50s?).
2
Why would a woman vote for a republican?
2
Because their husbands tell them to.
Losers take the responsibility and go home. The winners, at least in the republican way of thinking, keep on denying the accusations and stay put.
2
Trump the shameless commander in chief; that has to be the most accurate descriptor for our president: shameless. Shameless toward women; shameless toward minorities. Shameless in his catering to his base at the expense of everyone else. Shameless in foreign affairs; Trump has caused more trouble around the globe in a year than other presidents manage in eight. Shameless at incompetent governing. And most of all shamelessly a chronic liar.
And we gave this guy the keys to the White House by not voting, by splitting the vote, or actually voting FOR him. Can Trump survive as president 3 more years? Can we survive Trump that long?
The #MeToo campaign undoubtedly has done some good, leaving behind not too, too much collateral damage? One societal growth from all this might be that in real time people may speak up more, be less tolerant of inappropriate behavior. Perhaps they will speak before years pass and memories fail and validating evidence is long gone.
The faster that women can seize high public office, the faster sexual abuse will become unacceptable, have real consequences and will be stopped in our society.
In the next several elections, the Republican Party is going to discover just how costly is their indifference to sexual abuse by their elected officials.
23
Franken is leaving, Trump is still here, and Moore soon will be. Might it be time for Dems to rethink their strategy?
Nah. We want to keep the moral high ground.
Zero tolerance for trivial sexual misbehavior.
Endless tolerance for Dems selling out the working class.
Not my Democratic Party.
76
Democrats took the low road with Bill Clinton’s behavior and they have suffered for that ever since.
11
I find it hilarious that this swipe at Clinton (again!) is listed as a Times Pick when it has No Recommends - way to show your bias, oh lordly Times poohbahs!
Franken did much more than kiss women against their will, and no one knows everything he may have done.
What was reported by many women may be just the tip of the iceberg.
Meanwhile he continues to trash these women by saying he remembered
it differently, and all that rubbish.
Be honest with what Franken did to many women.
That is the first step in your credibility and any influence you may have.
Honesty.
1
What Much worse" did he do? Or is that part of the "no one knows" part, which you have chosen to fill in with whatever fits your agenda? The first accuser said he groped her, but the photo she released flatly contradicted that claim.
Sadly, you, Ms Goldberg, were part of the mob that bullied Franken out of office. The Times has an unfortunate record of overcompensating in election coverage (Hilary's emails!) and now with liberals accused of any sort of harassment. It is complicated and deserves more thoughtful coverage. What you and the liberal chorus in the senate have done is damage us and our democracy by not standing up for due process and for not helping the conversation navigate the complexities of this issue. How is it helpful if any person's unproven allegations can hound out a good senator because the liberals pile on ? Look what we are left with, for heaven's sake! Shame on the NYTimes for participating.
3
I am at a loss to understand democrats but especially repubs and that is why I am a registered Independent. The dems quashed a movement in the house to impeach the orange monster in the oval office. Pelosi opened her big mouth and shouted down efforts to consider a trial for Bush W for lying us into a war w Iraq. I have always considered W and his cohorts as war criminals. It is heart breaking to see his former spokespersons given berths on MSNBC. It is doubly shocking to have watched as W and Michelle played footsey at a certain event on stage. If we do not hold our so-called leaders for crimes then we are doomed to repeat history. We are a sick nation and dealing with our past is a crime but really they should have dealt with Bush whilst he was primed to invade a sovereign country. He should never be forgiven and if you think so then go to Arlington and visit the graves of those he condemned to death by sending them to fight for a lost immoral cause in Iraq. By the same token if we allow Trump to continue in office then we have absolutely no moral compass left. Oh by the way he is poised to attack North Korea-think not then remember how we aided and abetted W and you will see how easy it will be for the orange to get away with murder.
1
When will Gillibrand demand the resignations of 45 and Clarence Thomas, and the withdrawal of Roy Moore from his candidacy? Meanwhile, the Democrats are eating their own.
4
And what are we, the U.S. voters doing to get Trump out of office, and prevent Moore from getting in? Nothingl, absolutely nothing. The passivity shown toward these disgusting men is an insult to the country as a whole, and particularly to the girls and women they injured.
Was opposed to Al Franken until I realized that everyone else appeared to be against him, and he was being drummed out of his own party by Dem.establishment some of whom, Like Schumer and Gillebrand, who r not from Minnesota, in the name of political expediency. End game is apparent:to clear the decks for a woman candidate in 2020 who can campaign on a platform of sexual purity in contrast with DT, portrayed as a sexual predator.That is the ultimate goal. Fairest solution would be for Franken, rather than tastelessly mention Trump in his farewell speech and Moore,to take a brave stand and say that he would stay in his office until Minn. voters decided otherwise:a referendum, not expulsion.That would have taken guts that Senator apparently does not have. Re Judge Moore, where is the proof and presumption of innocence?Recall Katanga's int. minister's response to those who accused him of murdering Patrice Lumumba:"Prouvez le!" Major drawback of MG's columns is that they are so extraordinarily predictable. Journalists run in a pack,have a herd mentality. What other liberal journos writes, MG repeats!.Where is the originality?Thus, how am I edified if MG iterates what I have read elsewhere?Know how touchy EB is when it comes to criticism of its own. Opinion of MG is same as view of Shawn Hannity whom I find to be equally tiring to follow in print and on radio.People r fed up with relentless sermonizing.Where is Russell Baker when we need him most?
My impression of the Democrats in the Franken case is one of a 1950s unempowered, battered housewife biting her nails trying to figure out a way to please her unfaithful, morally bankrupt husband (read Bannons, Moores, Trumps). But trying to appease those who favor the moral-rot filled, anti-intellectual populist demagogues is futile. The Democrats, like this woman need, instead, to get a backbone and stand up to the bullies who have us right where they want us. Groveling for a high-ground that they know is laughable to their kind is wasted energy. The leadership of the Democrats, led by their women, is a hysterical lynch mob screaming for pretrial sentencing and blood.
3
Republicans stonewall and Democrats cave. What’s new? Happens every time.
4
Well Michelle, there is a difference between the locker room talk of President Trump and the predator behavior of someone like Al Franken. And regarding the "slience breakers", it's nice of Ashley Judd to finally show up. How convenient of her to jump on the bandwagon as a way to stay current. It's a little pathetic in my view. Evidently it was ok to pal around with Harvey Weinstein while he was promoting her career but as soon as someone with less to lose came forward, she decided it was her turn too. Pathetic.
Franken's not as grotesque as Trump and Moore. Sure, they're much worse. So what? Franken is still an immature, irresponsible jerk who shouldn't be a senator.
That's the harm of these extreme, criminal nut cases holding high office --like the US president. They bring standards so low, that many end up excusing, even idealizing the 'Not As Bad'. It's all relative.
In political abuse and sex abuse, lets keep high standards of decency and don't let narcissistic egotists dominate and control. Same psychology.
Our citizen majority is being exploited to get votes, while our politicians represent their biggest donors. We the People can't influence congress---on all issues polls show we're not getting what we deserve. Our rights and needs are disrespected. If we let them get away with it--in sex or politics----it gets worse.
1
Does anyone remember during the 2016 campaign after the Access Hollywood tape came out about Trump, women at Trumps rallies began wearing T-shirts with the words "Grab This" with an arrow pointing downward? It goes to show you that women can be pigs like Trump, too.
1
Chill, Dems. The Dem gov of Minnesota will put a dem in the seat who will have a chance of winning the next election. Franken won't. This would be much worse if the gov were an R. Plus it might help us in the mid-terms, and we need to get the House back and impeach Trump before we all get nuked. I'm no Pence fan, but we need to defuse the bomb, even if we have to finish out the term in the sewer. And who knows, if Muller can get to Pence, we might get President Pelosi, at which point I'm pretty sure most Republicans will break into little bits like Voldemort when Neville killed the last horcrux.
1
So I'm waiting for all the senators who demanded Al Franken's resignation to ask for Donald Trump's resignation. What's stopping you?
3
The final redoubt on the hill of moral authority concerning this issue is Bill Clinton, and his enablers. But, what does a Bill Clinton reckoning look like in this age?
1
This action against Al Franken was motivated by politics, not sex.
The DEMS will be sorry. His seat may well go Republican in 2018 and if not 2020. And the punishment should fit the crime. this action does not.
Am I opposed to the ME-TOO movement. Of course not. I was part of the work forct for 40 years and I have 3 daughters. I know what is going on, Franken is brighter than most and a very effective Senator. He deserved better. Would someone please take theses women aside and calm them down. Maybe valium would help.
1
Liberals continue not to get it.
Trump is everything his base aspires to be - rich, brash, belligerent, self-important, brazenly not “politically correct”, devoid of consequences, and totally contemptful of everyone who is not like him. Top of the hierarchy. President of the United States.
Sexually harassing women and humiliating teenage girls - to teach them their place - is a feature, not a bug.
3
Moore puts "God" between himself and his accusers and will win that battle. Sad, phony and arrogant.
Ironically, Michelle, you were one of the first to declare that Franken should resign, and now that he has, there is one less strong voice in the Senate to question Sessions’ role in the Russian probe. No Republican will ever admit his guilt whereas Democrats will defeat their own. We are our own worst enemy. Of course, Trump will admit no wrong doing, and Moore will be defended to the teeth. The Me, Too will be a footnote in history, if even that. When the ERA was defeated, it was upper class white women who felt that they were protected by their patriarchal husbands and fathers, the same class who voted for the con Don groper. Real change will be people in the streets and in unrigged voting booths to call and end to this insanity. Al Franken was a sacrificial victim himself to show how pure Democrats are. In the meantime, the country and the world is burning with a madman in the WH.
1
Oh come on. Nobody from either party thinks that legitimate sexual harassment and assault is ok. The difference is that in the name of political expediency, Democrats are willing to forgo due process in order to make women feel better regardless of guilt. The problem is that this crowd shaming tactic that focuses on decades old accusations that are mostly unprovable has fostered an environment that could de-legitimize the claims of real victims. The rush to judgment and condemnation at even a hint of impropriety is unfortunately also blurring the lines between sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. Rape, assault, unwanted touching, & unwanted exposing of your privates are NEVER right and should not be tolerated, but I am not sure that forgoing due process over decades old accusations is the way to stop it either.
Brava, Michelle Goldberg. Well said.
is our government going to stop all the gossip and go back to work for America?
Maybe Michelle, you should not have been the first out of the gate to call for his resignation.
2
The upshot here is that if you acknowledge your behavior, apologize directly to the offended and promise to do better, then you get canned.
If you obfuscate, deny, and just outright LIE, then you get to be in the Senate and in the Presidency without any consequence.
That is not justice and it bakes in more likelihood that lying is the way to go
3
I thought "whataboutism" was taboo.
Where are the women who accused Trump and why aren't they speaking out?? I suspect $$$ (lots) payed out in exchange for non-disclosure agreement!
Didn't Michelle Goldberg call for Franken to resign just two weeks ago?
1
Thanks, Kristen. I see you lack the courage to go after Trump and Moore. Let's see how your seat holds next year
1
Of course Trump is still there. Do you really expect otherwise? So call feminists are ruining Democratic Party. Senator Franken knew if he came out and defend himself, giving the background of Ms. Tweeden, Playboy covergirl, Hannity fellow traveler, nature of USO tours with playmates and sex jokes rampant, other video evidences showing she being not bashful, but enthusiastic enabler, the picture every normal person will agree shows no sexual harassment but comedic laughing material, he will be exonerated. But being a feminist himself, he knew it will come at a price of not believing women, of diverting the debate to "he say, she say.". So he bide his time for Ethics hearing, but instead his colleagues in Democratic Party railroaded him by forcing him off office. Did Pelosi and Schumer know the Congressional slush fund to pay for sexual harassments? They are the ones that should resign, not him.
Well you did your part Michelle - you were among the first to call for Franken to resign with barely a mention to Trump.
1
I am kind of tired of the focus on just sexual harassment, which by the way seems to be mostly on white women. Gay people, blacks, Jews, etc. have all been harassed through the years by men and women. Do they get the same ability to accuse powerful people who treated them wrongly. Why is it just white women we are behind? This whole thing after Franken is now just a joke. I for one am no longer interested. So white women, you took down a decent handsie type guy. Wow, you should be proud. Hope you like it up there on the Pedestal.
1
I love the bravery and candor of these women. However, this is (or was) a nation of laws, and that requires everyone their day in court. Al Franken didn't get his day. His own party forced him out of office before an ethics investigation could listen to all arguments and reach a conclusion. This may be convent and make the Democrats feel good in the short run, but the long run ramifications of this are dangerous. They are dangerous because by forcing someone who was accused of something to leave, and to demand an apology where an apology may or may not be necessary turns a brave movement into a witch hunt. Guilty or innocent, Al Franken should stay in the Senate until an investigation is completed. Think about this for a moment. He may be guilty. However, like it or not, he may be a victim of a well orchestrated campaign to remove a strong voice for women from the Senate. The Democrats may very well have shot themselves in their heart to save their own necks. Continue the movement, but be wise. Don't hang people because you think you know best. This is (or was) America where the laws rule, and not the lynch mob.
Please, Sen. Franken, run to replace yourself next year. As Republicans have been saying, "Let the people of the state decide." You will win. You've done a great job as a Senator.
Sen. Gillibrand's argument had so many holes in it, starting with her saying that differences don't matter. Wrong, Ms. Gillilbrand, they matter a lot. And if differences don't matter, then I suggest that the entire US Congress just fold up and be dissolved, since I doubt there is one person there who doesn't have benign failures, flaws, and incidents from their past they regret.
But the biggest hole in the argument is that, the argument is that the victims the women, must be listened to. It seems to me that Sen. Gillibrand, et al, hear only what the parts of what women are saying that they want to hear. Sen. Franken's first accuser not only graciously accepted his apology, but she specifically said she did not want him to step down. Gillibrand and the other McCarthyites chose to not listen to a victim, a woman, in that case. His apology combined with his strong advocacy for women as a US Senator is enough, Ms. Gillibrand. Learn to accept apologies. Even his first accuser was able to do so. Or, show me any of his accusers who suffered some kind of backlash, a pattern of intimidation, retaliation, etc. You can't. And since you can't, the standard now is, "Have you ever done anything that offended another person? If so, you cannot be in the US Senate." That is pretty much everyone.
1
There are tools that can now "photshop" voices, so I think if is very possible Trump never said those bad things about women.
1
Like the passive nonviolent resistance of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., shaming those who oppress you only works if those are basically civilized people.
It doesn't work against barbarians, who see nonviolence as weakness.
Trump and the Republican Party are barbarians. They have no shame, so shaming does not work. Appeals to a better nature, or to a common purpose do not work.
Senator Franken is a decent man, and so he leaves when he is shamed.
The Republicans involved in these sex scandals brazen it out and refuse to leave, because they have their greedy snouts in the trough, and they won't stop until they have slurped and bloated themselves to the bursting point, on the taxpayers' money.
Ms Goldberg,
Maybe you should reconsider your opinion piece of November 20th in which you recommended this result. With all the serious problems in government one honest man has now been eliminated and the lying bigots are left to run the show. In the future, potential honest candidates might hesitate to run for office, lest some small misstep might be revealed to shame them. The successful con artists will get away with it.
2
Hope you are satisfied, Ms. "Franken Should Go". This is the dumbest, most pointless circular firing squad in the history of the Democratic party, and that's saying something. Thanks to everything that occurred yesterday and today, I have changed my voter registration from Democratic to NPA.
3
I feel sorry for all these women ... except Scottie Ann Hughes. She dealt what she had to deal, and got paid for it. Coulda, woulda, shoulda ... except she didn't for TWO YEARS of so-called abuse. C'mon. she put out and got paid.
1
The left eats its own to its own to the Country's detriment. Case in point - Hillary Clinton. She wasn't pure enough for Berniebots and "progressives". Susan Sarandon still says she would be worse than Trump. Really???
1
I blame the Democratic women who were bought by the Republicans for Frankens debaucle. They were bought.
1
Please please Al Franken, do not go away -- we need your voice now more than ever. Consider becoming the Democrats' Dr. Jekyll to the Republicans' Mr. Hyde, played by Steve Bannon.
1
If Dems think that forcing Franken out will get them women voters, they are seriously mistaken. Remember, the MAJORITY of white women voted for Trump knowing he is an admitted sexual predator.
The Dems wanted to move past the what-aboutism that came their way, so they sacrificed Franken. The thing to do now is to convince people who want to abandon the party to some third-party netherworld or to stay home not to make such a useless move. This is one reason Trump is in the White House now-- disunity on the left.
Next time allow the Ethics committee to do its work and stand up for your own.
1
Mission accomplished Ms Goldberg.
2
These comments defending Franken crack me in their hypocrisy! He is, as judge by the lynch mobs, guilty of what most of the accused are guilty of. Inappropriate touching/grouping and abuse of his position and power. Don't call it something different because he is one of yours. And it matters zero what republicans are doing. If he did it, then he did it. Don't make up ways to defend him.
1
I see a lot of commenters saying that they're going to change their party from Democrat to Independent. But, there is absolutely nothing independent about thinking it's OK for a democratic senator to grope women, while castigating Trump for doing the same. None of it is OK. Not a forced tongue down the throat, or a revenge photo (because the victim became angry with Franken's violation and prior harassment of her) or grabbing women's behinds.
A few years back I remember reading an article about an actress who filed a police report about a man who grabbed her behind on the streets of NYC. The man was charged…because it's illegal.
I even saw a commenter say that Franken can grab her behind any ol' time. That's just wrong and nauseating, and cruel to victims of assault. We really needed Al Franken, but we need the truth and decency way more for women and for these ugly times.
2
politics requires strategic thinking. Franken resigning is a strategic move on his part and I support your call for him to leave. Its obvious his transgressions were in a different context and of a different scale then our groper-our-chief or the weirdo who molested an underage girl.
Yet, with this move, Franken and the democrats can highlight this issue and contrasts with the GOP in 2018. Getting women to reject the groper-in-chief requires them to understand that they deserve better and this is one way to get the message out.
So what?
The likes of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Rudolph Giuliani, Newton L. Gingrich, Edward M. Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, John D. Hastert, William J. Clinton and Donald J. Trump all thrived and survived their moral degenerate sexual escapades of serial adultery, sexual assault and harassment.
Politics is the oldest profession. And unlike the second oldest profession aka prostitution you never get what you vote and pay for and it is all legal.
2
Democrats take the high road, and lose, again.
well Ms. Goldberg, you're one of the ones who helped push him out
1
Be careful what you wish for!!
They just got punked by Bannon, I am convinced... a most reprehensible "human"... if they had just stopped and wondered what was happening they might have had a logical reaction...politics is theater and this turned out to be a very bad play on the dem's side
2
I am a firm liberal and I am totally disgusted with the Democratic party for once again allowing themselves to be played by the republican crime syndicate. There is a spectrum of abuse, and Franken is just a big, insecure sloppy kisser, not a predator, not a harasser, not a child molester. Sure, he's made mistakes, but he volunteered to be investigated, unlike the hypocritical republicans. They set him up and the Dems fell into their trap. Or rather, the Chuck and Nancy faction saw an opportunity to rid themselves of someone they don't like for being far too progressive for their taste. Brooks isn't the only one who's politically homeless. The DNC is never getting another dime from me, and Gillibrand et al are dead to me. So disappointed in these women for their spineless stupidity. We see time and again that it's useless to take the moral high ground, because the repubs cannot be shamed. When are the Dems going to craft a winning strategy and FIGHT?
2
So all the upcoming frotteur, flasher, voyeur or pantysniffer has to do is join the Republican Party and he's home free. As defenders of civil rights, no doubt the party will defend the right to do nasty things to kinderdatentrs.
So we wonder why ?
Because of The holier than thou attitude of some Democrats, and I am glad my senator Sherrod Brown was no a part of it.
trump is still around spreading his lies and mindless rules and forgetting what he said an hour before .
Dementia has taken over.
2
Franken, Lauer, Weinstein? Just collateral damage, a means to the end, which is the removal of President Trump, by proving that millionaire white guys can be forced out. That's the goal and has always been since the election, to provide a legal remedy to the pain Democrats continue to suffer. Stay tuned as many more bodies will fall before, before . . ..
1
Trump can't be shamed about his sexual predation because he has too thick a skin. His skin was made thick by a lifetime of being called out for being the liar that he is. But his inability to stop means he's probably received more insults in his one life, than all of the insults any ten readers have received in their entire lifetimes. 10 x more insults directed at him through his life means that he is likely numb to any name that he could be called, or to anything he could be accused of. But that's also why he is still President and why Franken is gone. Trump simply has no shame. Anyone who does verbal battle with him should know this fact going forward....
Dreadful demands from the Senate Democratic women and Schumer. If Franken differs with the allegations, he should have stood his ground. Did the 6 women demand Trump's resignation? In the current atmosphere, the Right can seed any woman's false allegations. Franken was chosen by Minnesota voters. He should see out his term and stay in. If Trump can, he can. Reverse this decision. Democrats are fools.
2
This purging will backfire for Democrats and women.
3
A letter sent yesterday to my senator:
You -- and the other senators who demanded Al Franken resign -- have made a mistake. The pack of you are equally at fault, with the exception of Sen. Sanders, who did more than double damage to the progressive cause with his ill-advised run for the presidential nomination and the subsequent undermining of Mrs. Clinton.
... Previously, I have laughed off the notion of our Democratic leadership being a circular firing squad, despite the Sanders fiasco, but now I think it is the perfect metaphor. I no longer want to be a Democrat and I will think long and hard before I vote for one again. Unless you know something about Franken that has not been made public, all I can say is --
... He volunteered to be investigated and doesn't seem to be a compulsive sexual predator; he certainly doesn't fall into the same deplorable category as Trump, Weinstein, Moore, and Lauer. Why didn't you support investigating his behavior first, before demanding that he resign? Why, at least, didn't you demand that Trump resign, as long as you apparently have zero-tolerance for sexual misdeeds?
… I suspect you have set the Democratic cause back by decades. What on earth were you thinking??
2
Would any Democrat - any Democrat - have called for Franken's entrails . . . if Minnesota had not had a Democratic governor, who will, of course, appoint a Democratic replacement?
Al Franken is a sacrificial lamb, make no mistake. He made some mistakes and owned up to them but was not given the option of an investigation. How do we have a self proclaimed sexual predator in the White House supporting a pedophile and that is ok? Our country has surely lost its moral compass. The question is, where do we go from here?
2
Talk about painting yourselves to a corner...
Is it right to be politically correct at the American citizens' expense?
Goldberg was the first to scream for Franken's head.
1
In keeping with who seems to count and who doesn't, Time magazine left Tarana Burke off its cover but included Taylor Swift, not known for much political activism. She just happens to be white and famous. The omission was an affront to the woman who began the #MeToo campaign. Tarana Burke is owed a BIG apology by Time.
A bigTIME appology
Fox News is not an exception...it is entertainment.
Bring it on, lady! Trump was elected by the people after going through the allegations. He is not going to go anywhere just because few society ladies came out and accused him something. He is a fighter, he will fight back. If you want sue him, do it and prove him guilty or wait for next election. We saw Franken groping Ariana Huffington, but she said it was not groping, but another lady said what Franken did to her was groping. Franken denied that he did anything wrong. He was forced out by Democrats for politics without giving him an opportunity to explain his side. Sad!
1
A comedian pretending (for laughs of US servicemen) to grope a woman through her Kevlar vest?
That same comedian accused of sexual malfeasance for "groping" a woman's backside in FRONT OF A CAMERA (that photo showing no signs of shock/impropriety...for comedic purposes or otherwise) and in FRONT OF HER HUSBAND?
Forced out of office, notwithstanding an impeccable humanist record?
Have we utterly lost leave of our senses?
Franken, you did the right thing, albeit in front of a steamroller driven by lesser people. I will remember...and you will be back.
Kirsten Gillibrand...you are an entirely different matter.
1
So - you're saying that liberals and progressive eat their own - who'd a thunk it?
If you want some entertaining stories - just google 'liberals eat their own'
I propose a ticker tape parade,ushering Franken out and Moore in, with Kirsten "Nemesis" Gillibrand as majorette.
It's what she wants.
It's not what Franken or the country deserves. How do we end up with such fools in the Democratic party?
Once again, it amazes me that a NYT op-ed can be published with so many blatant lies crowded into a few paragraphs.
"In truth, however, this new door is open for only some people — those whose harassers are either personally or professionally susceptible to shame." This is meant to desribe the noble Democrats, "liberal-leaning sectors like entertainment, the media, academia, Silicon Valley and the Democratic Party. It hasn’t rocked the Republicans."
So the author must think the non-apologies of Franken, Lauer, Conyors and Weinstein (to name only a few) were expressions of noble liberal "shame?" Franken, in particular, was forced out because there was actual photographic evidence (and the hope that his example could be used against Trump).
At the same time the author derides corporate America and Wall Street -- both of which (unlike the Congress) have lengthy records of addressing harassment, having to respond to a plethora of lawsuits (not all of which are successful, even with the more than equal credence given to women's testimony).
She attacks Fox for allowing Payne to remain on duty, even though a female has accused him of rape (somehow forgetting to mention that the "rape" occurred over a three-year relationship). This author, and liberals generally, pushes the mantra "believe the women," just as they pushed the mantra "believe the children" in the now discredited (after ruining countless lives) 80s child molestation frenzy. Punishment first, trial later.
Kristen Gillibrand - who died and put her in charge?
The Democratic Party, eager to wear the 'purity' badge, has summarily pushed out the finest Democratic Senator - without a hearing, on dubious allegations, some from anonymous sources and one from a FOX NEWS associate. Seriously?
Not long before Leeann Tweeden came forward, Republican dirty trickster Roger Stone tweeted that Al Franken was about to get taken down. This is the same Roger Stone who forecast trouble for Hillary before her emails were dumped and that John Podesta was about to be in trouble, the day before his emails were dumped by Russian collaborators Wikileaks.
Anyone paying attention knew that some - if not all - of Frankens accusers were part of a GOP dirty tricks "swiftboat" squad to take him out. They counted on Democrats being so stupid they'd rip down on of their finest and a possible future president in the frenzy of the moment. And they were right.
Gillibrand and Co. remind me of the Red Guard during the 1960s Cultural Revolution in China - an odious student revolutionary movement in Mao's China that criticized and threatened those they considered 'too bourgeoise.'
Franken was a victim of Gillibrand and Co. just as much as of GOP dirty tricks.
Today the Senate lose their most courageous member, a champion of women who was currently working on legislation to improve police treatment of rape victims.
The Democrats are now officially the STUPID PARTY.
1
This opinion article is breathtaking in its shameless attempt to silence sexually abused women, and is frankly no better than the Republicans' cynical effort to place party over country.
Wake up ladies and men...go to the polls in 2018 and 2020 and vote your conscience, something that is lacking in the GOP!
Why isn't the Times looking into Roger Stone's suspect foreknowledge of Tweeden's accusation? If we created a time line of Stone's various tweets, bragging his prior knowledge about Podesta's email wikileaks and now this... it just looks very... something is rotten here.
1
"Why Democrats had to dump Franken..
The party needs a clean contrast with Republicans heading into the 2018 midterms."
-POLITICO today
Kind of says it all. Throw Senator Franken under the bus to improve your chances for midterm elections.
Got it, great strategy. Of course there are many thousands, women and men, who think Al should have had a fair hearing before the Ethics Committee.
Well you nimrods in the Senate lost my vote. And my voting record "was" Kerry, Obama twice, and Hillary Clinton.
1
You can tell the real Democrats from the Republicans on this board:
Commenter calls for Trump to resign instead: Actual Democrat
Commenter calls for Gillbrand to resign and is leaving the Democrats forever: Phony Republican.
Bill Clinton.
How quickly we forget.
President Trump’s next day condemnation tweet of Senator Franken when this story first broke is proof positive that #MAGA is winning, winning, winning! This thanks largely to our hornorable (???, I mean the spelling of course, did I spell “hornorable” correctly?) Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who, guess what, accepted $5850 in Trump donations. I, as a New Yorker, about to be figuratively raped by the GOP tax bill, want to say to Kirsten Gillibrand that you are doing a fantastic job, and that I too am sick of winning too much. At this time of great import for my future ability to live in New York, the State where I waborn and raised, I want to say thank you for helping me to win, win, win again. I will be expressing my active gratitude in 2018 when your current term is up.
1
Ms. Goldberg: If you want to write op-ed and use words like asymmetry and irony, you should seriously reflect on another word -- hypocrisy -- a word that perfectly describes your editorial perspective. Good luck with your writing.
2
Ms. Goldberg you wrote an article in this very same Opinion section titled "Franken Should Go" in Mid-November...Now perhaps realizing Dems are eating their own and buying into Roger Stone's antics as you previously have...you're looking to sell your previous position now realizing that DUH...Trump, Moore, and Republicans would never hold themselves to account the way Franken has...SMH
2
Didn't Michelle Goldberg call for Franken's resignation before anybody else?
2
The Democrats will die as a party because Republicans no longer feel any responsibility to anyone other than themselves. Scorched earth will be the SOP.
You have your fingerprints all over this mess, Michelle. Are you not suddenly not remembering?
1
Don't do it, Al.
It was a disasterously stupid decission by Democratic senators to force Franken out without an ethics hearing when he denied the charges and thought he could prove it since virtually all the offensive behavior he was accused of occured in public and some of the women have suspect affiliations. They have opened the door for any elected Democrat to be accused by any right-wing operative, no due process, you’re out. Republicans much gleeful and preparing accusations now.
1
Trump talked about it but Franken and Weinstein did it.
It is a sad commentary for our political system that, as Mr. Franken states, we have a sexual abuser and predator in Our House, and perhaps soon, a pedophile that the groper in chief endorsed and the Republican leadership in the Senate turns a blind eye.
Indeed, the Republican party is not affected by feminist movements and the same can be said for the chief predator from Queens.
The sad commentary? That the RepubliCONS tolerate such sick and adverse behavior and still garner support from those who are most affected and at risk-the women who should be fostering change within the party of gropers.
1
Time magazine's choice of The Silence Breakers as its Person of the Year is absolutely right. So is your observation that the #MeToo movement is no substitute for political power.
The Republican Party's position on sexual harassment and abuse might be called passive weaponization. They stand aside, shrugging off the most appalling offenses in their own circle, while Democrats and liberal figures pay with their public lives for every shade of offense.
Granted, even the lightest shade is disgusting. But when Democrats are lining up to face a firing squad while Republicans languidly gaze down at the courtyard from the parapets of power, we have a strategic imbalance.
It's essential to storm the parapets in the coming elections.
39
Roy Moore surged in polls because the RNC reinstated funding. He now has more money to spend on campaign advertising. I'm sure Trump's endorsement had some effect but no one can really guess exactly how much. That said, the race is still within the margin of error. Basically, next Tuesday is a coin toss. We'll see who gets out the vote more.
If Roy Moore wins by less than 10 points though, he spells big trouble for Republicans going forward. We're talking about Alabama here. A narrow Moore win is still a loss for Republicans. The man is a giant liability. Democrats can't campaign on #MeToo alone but a percentage point here and percentage point there could make all the difference in 2018.
5
The Democrats threw Al Franken overboard to score a few political points, and to gain the “moral high ground.”
Until yesterday I believed that if you were a Democrat, you already had the moral high ground. After witnessing the treatment of Senator Franken by his fellow Dems, I’m not so sure this is true.
My opinion of Kirstin Gillibrand has plummeted. She stood on the senate floor demanding Al Franken’s resignation, surrounded by Republican women who continue to support Trump.
Today I am sad. Not just for the loss of Senator Franken, but because I saw a side of the Democrats that has left me wondering just what my party stands for. Sad.
13
Sen. Gillibrand suffered a narrow but still stinging defeat of her efforts to end sexual harassment in the military, so she was "loaded for bear" so to speak. After speaking out so forcefully regarding the military's patriarchy, she probably felt backed into a corner to apply her principles equally--regardless of its ultimate effect on women in politics, entertainment, business, academia, etc. Morally and ethically righteous...but only in the short run.
2
Obviously, Democratic members of Congress have a higher standard than their Republican colleagues. What is most ironic, however, is that leaders of the motion picture, television and radio industries have a higher standard than both.
4
The great 2017 purge to cleanse the Democratic Party of the ghost of Bill Clinton. Right wingers are smirking. They are not purging their ranks. Alabama will elect Roy to the Senate. Democrats look to the 2018 midterms as their hope to recapture some political power. But the harsh headwinds created by the oligarchs and their control of media outlets gives them quite the advantage.
America is now a divided country. One half of the country is united under the god and guns banner. The other half marches to many different issues. This lack of unity enables right wing media to focus on the weakest segments and tear them apart.
Trump continues his march toward creating a new conflict. Once the next 9/11 happens, all of those people sitting on the fence will rally around the flag and Democrats won’t have a chance to regain power.
The abuses of power seen in 2017 will seem inconsequential compared to what is coming.
6
I was saddened and upset to learn of Senator Franken's resignation. The accusations that have cropped up recently frankly seem a bit too convenient to me. I think that he was set up because he asked probing questions and undoubtedly made enemies in the Republican party.
In a blink of an eye we have gone from a period where women weren't listened to to one where men are automatically presumed guilty. I do not feel that this is progress. The goal should be to be fair to all people irregardless of race, religion or gender. Instead, we swing from one extreme to the other. Of course, it makes good headlines.
11
I too am troubled by the sudden shift from women's complaints being trivialized if not outright disbelieved to the automatic presumption that accused men are guilty until proven innocent, with no middle ground. (And one of the first things you learn in first-year Evidence class in law school is the impossibility of proving a negative--how is someone supposed to prove he or she didn't harass)? We've gone from "he said-she said, so believe him" to "always believe her."
And what does constitute harassment in this current hair-trigger climate? Not only is ANY touching not expressly requested by a woman now considered an assault. but we seem to have lost the obligation or even the ability to detect nuance and irony. Men are no longer permitted to have a sense of humor and we women are given free rein to interpret everything a man says literally--or even read nefarious intent into it. Even if Franken did tell accuser #7 the kiss was his "right as an entertainer," it was likely a ruefully jocular, even sarcastic, way to save face after the embarrassment of being rebuffed--not at all like 45's boast that he can grab women's genitalia because he's a star. Franken is a comedian, Trump a humorless tone-deaf boor. Why is Franken held to a higher standard?
Men from families & cultures in which openly displaying affection (even platonic) is the norm are now encountering women from cultures that frown upon or even demonize it--with the latter taking precedence. This cannot end well.
2
Kristen Gillibrand was allowed to bum's rush her colleagues as Chuck Schumer's protege. The Democratic grassroots voices heard on Facebook have been united in opposition to the misguided and foolish persecution of Al Franken that has proceeded against a background that still has not demanded the immediate impeachment of Trump for treason.
The Democratic leadership and Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi have missed the big picture while believing they are pursuing a strategy of 'message.' They have allowed Trump, Roy Moore, and the most corrupt and bankrupting tax give away ever devised to be passed without a building wide walk out and demonstration requiring the participation of ALL ELECTED DEMOCRATS and their staffs. That and a demand for impeachment are what is called for, nothing less. It doesn't matter if its successful. It matters that it speaks for 66% of Americans, a super majority!
Failing in all categories, Schumer, Gilliibrand, and other establishment Democrats are marking themselves as irrelevant and ineffectual. The forceful firebrand, who is not an eighty year old socialist, who steps forward and challenges them- will win our support and ultimately prevail. They really don't get it.
10
I do feel that many articles and editorials seem to assume that the work place problem is much improved because professional women can now speak up with a much better chance of being believed. But those women are only a fraction of working women in this country. I don't hear much about change for women in service industries and all the other types of less remunerative jobs we see all around us. Are things any better for those women? I feel their stories are being left out and their problems ignored.
And yes, I don't agree that Al Franken should have gone and feel the Democratic Party won't get the credit from the public they expect. Unless there was even worse behind the story we know. If not, I see a clear distinction between his immature behavior and the other situations. But the democratic leadership was in a difficult spot. I just think they rushed into a decision and perhaps could have found better options. I'll never forget Franken's interrogation of the Supreme Court nominee. It was masterful. Losing him in the senate is terrible. I look forward to his next chapter and have confidence that, unlike others, he has the capacity to think this through and grow.
5
If we're going to ignore Franken's accusers, then the common workplace environment is not going to improve either. Can't have it both ways.
2
When Goldberg complains that "keeping accused harassers in office is not in tenable for Republicans," she's talking about what's tenable and untenable for Republican leaders and elected officials. Voters next November may prove that it is indeed untenable to keep accused harassers in office.
The Republican leadership seems to be completely oblivious to the electoral consequences tomorrow of their actions today. Republicans will pay a steep price at the polls for their callous indifference to sexual harassment allegations - for their willingness to sacrifice the victims of sexual harassment to a corporate tax cut.
politicsbyeccehomo.wordpress.com
2
The Democratic Senators need to move fast to reverse an ill-conceived political stunt. They have shot themselves in the foot and set themselves up for some consequential backlash going into 2018. And Gillibrand has ruined any chance of surfacing as a frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. What exactly are the gains here compared to the losses?
Every Democratic Senator owes Franken an apology for their rush to judgment and condemnation of an innocent until proven man. They need to admit they got it wrong and ask Franken to not resign. Do it, do it now, before this metastasizes into something far more damaging.
I was mistaken - Michelle Goldberg is not ready for prime time. Her thinking has not fully matured.
11
If I recall, Ms Goldberg’s was one of the first voices calling for Franken’s resignation. I’m extremely ambivalent about his decision to leave office. Like a lot of liberals I’m outraged, disgusted, and feel powerless, given the double standard in values between the two parties. Taking the high road seems like cutting off one’s arm in this case.
5
The Democratic Party has not moved forward by ejecting Senator Al Franken. While no thinking person can deny that sexual harassment is an evil to be confronted, no thinking Democrat believes that the ejecting Al Franken will strengthen the Democratic Party's position in the Senate. And no thinking person believe that Franken's misdemeanor sexual misconduct ought to be punished by a political death penalty rather than censure.
This is a time when we need leaders who look critically at sexual misconduct and are wise enough to distinguish misdemeanors from felonies. This is an issue where women, and not men, must provide leadership. It is time for Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar and even Hillary Clinton to speak up. We can only hope that they will seize the opportunity to demand accountability for sexual misconduct on terms that fair and just.
4
You can leave Hillary Clinton off that list. She is hardly credible for demanding accountability for sexual misconduct.
I regret seeing Al Franken brought to this, but he did bring it on himself. All of you guys blustering about "due process" are ignoring the obvious: he's not being found guilty of any crime, he is not even being sued for damages.
He is being hounded into giving up a seat in the Senate, but serving in the Senate is a great privilege, not a right. The question that remains at the moment is who the Governor of Minnesota will choose as his replacement, and then who the citizens will elect in the following election.
It's unfortunate that Tina Fey is not a citizen of Minnesota, but I am sure that there is someone in the state who can replace Al Franken.
2
Apparently, we Democrats ARE so naive as to think forcing Franken to resign will pay political dividends. We again make the mistake of thinking it's enough to be right. It's not; it never has been. Voters want politicians who will fight, not cave. Democrats are trying to tell which way the wind is blowing, and then show their sensitivities. But why would anyone trust a party to fight for children, say, if it caves so quickly to hysteria?
7
Of course, that’s why the Democrats have never paid a price for taking the low road on Bill Clinton and elected his biggest defender Hillary Clinton president.
Yup, per usual the Democrats take the high road and the Republicans don't. And, per usual, the Republicans hold all the reins of power and have stacked the judiciary for the next 30 years.
So I have to ask, is it better in the long run to take the high road (or go high)? We'll be cleaning up from this destruction our "morals" have inadvertently led to for a very long time, if it is at all possible to repair the damages they cause. Climate change denying, habitat destroying, infrastructure crumbling, debt increasing, lives ending, humiliation increasing high road. History is written by the winners and clearly Machiavelli is remembered while his nicely playing opponents are not.
4
We have lost our moral compass. There no longer seems to be any attention paid at every level of government to what is right or what is wrong, what is kind or considerate or what is mean and vindictive. Individual lives are forgotten. We don’t care what it means to real individuals as long as it gets us votes or campaign donations. A system of government cannot function effectively that way; we’re still a nation of people, not voting blocks. We are watching our nation crumble. Doesn’t that hurt you deeply?
3
Bravo Michellle Goldberg for nailing the harassment issue and the political consequences women will incur.
Women need to be heard and believed and not used as political pawns in elections.
2
Despite the accusations against Senator Franken, I believe Democrats will rue the day they insisted he resign. We'll see.
3
"The incendiary rage unleashed by Trump’s election". Read also "the incendiary rage that unleashed Trump's election." The two are definitely connected except that liberal rage is now doing little more than kindling a pathway for the Trump inferno. The rage of the Right is a revolution against the elite establishment (outward), while on the Left the revolution is merely devouring its own children. The Scandal is entirely an identity crisis of the the Left, the Right is touched only by a few escaping embers. These do not diminish the glee at the implosion that fell into their lap--the gift that keeps on giving. They are playing with fire, but at the point of no return, who cares? When both sides have recalled their diplomats, giddy war fever takes over. The only view that matters is of the demon on the other side, And of course, both sides do little more now than fine tune their Just War theories.
1
A simple glance at the actions and words of the so called moral republicans, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and the many who occupy Congress reveals an ethical code that drives their words and actions — me 1st, country 2nd, if it does not interfere with the support of my patrons.
"It is possible to read the history of this country as one long struggle to extend the liberties established in our Constitution to everyone in America." Molly Ivins
Congress has become nothing more than a constitutionally sanctioned criminal enterprise run by corporations and the super rich. To fix this situation an overwhelming electoral defeat of the R's must be followed by a purge of the democratic party to jettison "owned" politicians. Once the dust settles a constitutional convention is needed to fix a flawed document that has been corrupted beyond the fears of the Framers. Even the Framers, men captured by their culture and rich slave owners, would have a hard time recognizing the modern presidency.
No hypocrisy or lie is too big, no sneaky budget trick is off the table, patriotism is for optics only, and laws are for managing the masses not the elite. Money and power have no loyalty to a country or its people — Congress has no soul.
All this from a person retired from the military, who pays taxes to support the common good of a once great nation.
I know people will attack me for saying this, but this makes the Democrat party look like some sort of a pink-collar ghetto, full of the worst stereotypes about feminine leadership. First, loyalty is one of the most important traits a leader can have. It's also, rightly or wrongly, a stereotypical masculine trait. Also, strength to withstand fleeting hypes and passions also ranks as one of the most important leadership traits. This, too, is also a trait associated with stereotypical associated masculine qualities. Succumbing to the fleeting pressures of the day, and throwing people under the bus, are poor leadership qualities. Chauvinists would say this is female behavior, or effeminate behavior. Weakness, disloyalty, emotional decision-making and calculation are are also traits sometimes linked to archaic stereotypes about female behavior, something evidenced in the historic terms like 'witch hunt' or 'hysteria,' which usually have gender connotations. I couldn't help but think that when I watched poor Al Franken resign as Kristen Gillibrand called for his head --
a woman who was a big Bill Clinton supporter. Senator Gillibrand is not somebody you would want to have on your side in a bar fight, that's for sure.
For centuries, misogynists have been saying that you can't trust a woman. Say what you will about Trump, he definitely has loyalty to long-time friends and allies, one of the most ancient traits associated with great leaders, bad or good.
3
Loyalty to whom? What about loyalty to women? If I am attacked in a bar fight, I want an ally there who is not pretending the punches landing on my face are not such a big deal. The loyalty of these women to democratic principles of protecting the vulnerable rather than protecting the rights of the privileged to exploit us for their gratification -- well, that is leadership at its truest.
1
I am sickened by the Franken's being forced from his seat by his own party, based on the most flimsy and spurious of allegations, without even the decency of an ethics investigation. This truly is a man who championed the American people far more strongly than many of his Democratic colleagues dared and truly was a champion of women. People who have known him through his life And those who work who work closely with him now and have for decaides, attest to this. His accusers were peripheral and momentary figures he barely knew with seemingly partisan objectives. That what seems a perfect set up is so easily swallowed by his Senate colleagues in their zealous desire to martyr him to get at Trump and Moore, the real culprits, is very disturbing. In sacrificing Franken, strong solid and one of the best spoken members of the Senate, they have sacrificed too much. It is highly likely that in the special election in Minnesota to replace him, not only will there not be a democrat as good as Franken to replace him, but that it is very likely that seat will revert back to a Republican.
123
My feelings exactly.
Democrats can take solace in the fact that they're better than Republicans. Unfortunately that isn't going to preserve abortion rights, guarantee workplace equality, save Medicare or Medicaid, fund public schools, spur action on climate change, save public lands, or stop Donald Trump from firing Robert Mueller. Only Democrats with political power can do that.
66
What we are witnessing is the revenge of Hillary Clinton, carried out by her many avengers. Trump will eventually get his due.
1
Why take revenge on an ally who seeks forgiveness. That is madness.
Trump will continue to skate by. The majority of white women voted for him. The majority of white women with college education voted for him. When will you get it? The majority of women DON'T CARE. It is a loosing strategy to seek punishiment but not repentence. Zero tolerance is for zelots. It didn't work for drugs. It didn't work for crime. And it won't work here. In the end it causes more destruction and harm for the cause you want.
Dear Bigsis:
What we are witnessing is the Democrats losing this lifelong Democrat since the days of JFK. I have written my senators Gillibrand and Schumer and read them the riot act. I informed them I will no longer be contributing to their campaigns and will not be voting for their re-elections.
What they did to Al Franken is an atrocity. Al used to be my neighbor in Manhattan. I couldn't believe it when he and his wife said they were moving back to Minnesota and Al was going into politics. After the death of the beloved Senator Wellstone, Al wanted to follow in this honorable man's footsteps. Al won by just over 300 votes, in a campaign that was contested by his opponent for months. Al was the last senator that year to be sworn in. He has done an impeccable job since then. These sordid sexist events from the past only came to rise recently by a woman who appeared half-naked on Howard Stern's show talking and acting like some sex bomb. No problem with that, and her appearances on FOX with her friend Sean Hannity. I thought this was all a set-up from the beginning.
Al's past in New York and on SNL leaves much to be desired. SNL was a sordid drug den and orgy in the 70's when Al first joined that troupe of decadent undesirables. The people of Minnesota took a chance those days were behind him, They re-elected him overwhelmingly. Then Wednesday Gillibrand and her horde of female co-conspirators ganged up on Al to show how holier than thou they were. It failed
DD
Manhattan
Michelle, yours was the very first voice I heard calling for Mr. Franken to resign--before the Senate Ethics Committee had even examined the handful of claims against him (some of which strike me as possibly spurious and politically motivated).
Now we have lost one of the most effect Democratic lawmakers and leaders our country has had in a while, and you're only suddenly noticing the big picture: how ineffective it is for Democrats to lose men like Franken over "groping" charges, while shameless Republican sexual harassers and assaulters like Trump and Moore remain. I really think you should be ashamed of yourself, and I wish the NY Times did not give you such an enormous platform for your confused opining.
23
Liberals effectively shoot themselves in the foot over and over by ousting their own people while Trump and his likes stay in power.
9
While the #MeToo movement has exposed the charlatans and the sex-addicts at the top and made some of them pay, this will only scratch the surface of misogyny and sexual assaults unless millions of housewives and girlfriends who spend their days and nights in terror are also liberated from their fear and shame. Every state should keep and publish a tally of ordinary women who had the courage to reveal the cruelty and the assaults visited upon them by their husbands, lovers and 'protectors.' Unless #MeToo takes off at the grassroots level, the movement will fade away into insignificance.
2
Yesterday was a sad day for the Democratic Party, for Senator Franken and for all US women . The ouster of Franken by his own party over allegations of impropriety (not harassment ) was disgraceful. The real victims in all this are the people of Minnesota and the American public. The Ethics Committee of the Senate was the correct body to hear the case against the Senator. Gillibrand and the rest of the Senatorial lynch mob who aligned themselves against Franken made me rethink any further personal contributions to the Democratic party. Any person or group promoting McCarthyism promotes fear and hatred. I expected better of the Democratic Senators. There will be a backlash to all this and it will affect the women who can least afford it. Harassment of women and children , restriction of control over women's own bodies, and less money available to families are already the trademark of the Republican party and Congress - the Democrats have just given them the green light to move forward with even more restrictive social plans. Senator Franken may have behaved inappropriately but except for the Tweeden case (and she accepted his apology) there is no proof that his behavior warranted anything more than a mild reproof. We are all poorer for losing him in the Senate and, as a country, we look like fools - the President is a self professed assaulter, pedophilia is alive and well in the Republican party and we are no closer to helping the waitress in the local coffee shop!
23
So, Michelle, are you pleased with your call for Franken to resign?
A normally astute observer of politics sent me a comment today lamenting the fact that Republicans brought down Al Franken. Here is my response to him: It was the Democrats. Democratic showed the American people nothing about having "higher ethical standards." The American people know both parties include the same kinds of people, some of whom are despicable. Higher ethical standards? Tell that to the thousands of families who lost their children and relatives in so-called "collateral damage" from Obama's drone strikes.
Yet again, Democrats demonstrated that most of them are cowards and fools that nobody would trust to have their back in a serious fight. They abandoned and humiliated one of their most effective members, a champion of equity and justice in the Senate, by demanding he resign because of unproven allegations, including a claim by a Sean Hannity groupie that was fabricated by Roger Stone, the ultimate political "hit man" for the far right.
13
The Senate has lost a good man. Happy now Goldberg?
13
Democrats have found yet another way of destroying themselves and their party and the country. What a pity.
12
Steve Bannon is drinking champagne. Everything has gone according to plan. They won't have to deal with Franken's relentless and sharp questioning of them anymore.
12
None of this "new" awareness of sexual behavior is doing anything to push the real perpetrators of these crimes into contrition. As Al Franken said so well, he is leaving for a mistake he has apologized for and Trump, who is clearly heard denigrating women by describing his abusive behavior, remains in the White House. And Roy Moore? Well, he is about to be elected Senator from Alabama. So by forcing out a decent man like Franken only to have him replaced by Moore, a pedophile, does not seem a fair trade. As far as the whole #metoo campaign, I am in total agreement with its purpose. But the movement is cockeyed. I am a survivor of rape, pedophilia abuse and workplace sexual harassment. But I am a man and although so-called straight men abused men sexually, I don't get heard. And because a woman was responsible for my workplace harassment, there is never a story. This movement is only making examples of some high profile people and will soon bite the dust because the vast majority of people who are abused and harassed will achieve no results because we are just average Americans trying to get by. What a shame. What a horrible shame the media has wrought to us by turning everything upside-down.
5
Al Franken has exhibited horribly poor judgment and abused his position of celebrity. That being said, he is not a serial sexual predator. Now that he has been called to task (and forgiven by at least one of his victims), I am 100% certain that he will NEVER act in a demeaning way towards women again. The same cannot be said about Roy Moore or Donald Trump. Neither of these men has admitted or acknowledged that their actions were, at the least, offensive and predatory. They are truly disgusting but Al Franken is not anywhere in their league.
10
Oh, please. Investigating allegations is not “dithering.”
5
Michelle, no. Franken didn't admit to allegations of groping - maybe because there's no evidence he "fondled [someone] for sexual pleasure". Word matter - or they used to, anyway.
8
As a democrat and a feminist I am concerned about the decision - a political
mishap as I see it - that forced Al Franken to resign. It was strictly political and
should have been sent to an ethical committee for review. The democratic women who rushed him to resign were out of order and enabled us to lose a good and valid spokesman for women and justice. They destroyed his career in the most arbitrary way to prove that Democrats had the high ground, Republicans
are the miscreants. We know that - it's pretty clear with a President who is a sexist pig and an Alabama pedaphile about to be voted into the senate and approved by Republican hypocrites. Yes, we have to take women's accusations seriously, but we can't just take them all for granted. They too have to be examined for truth and not just accepted without a hearing. There are levels of
bad behavior and not all require expulsion. Franken deserved a hearing not a hanging.
12
"...and Benghazi was easily a thousand times worse than that war we supposedly had in that desert country, whatever it was, I can't recall the name of it now."
Vive La Révolution!
3
You were the first to call on Franken to resign. You got your wish. Some of us think he was set up, and there is evidence for that. Did you ever look into any of the evidence, or even mention that it existed? You helped the Democrats push out a fine leader based on flimsy, suspicious charges. Do you think maybe it's you who should resign?
12
I didn't think I could get any madder and demoralized than I was on November 8, 2016. Gillibrand is my senator and I am absolutely LIVID. She has no idea what she unleashed. Democrats are furious. GOP is more emboldened than ever - if that is even possible. The GOP is reconciling two bill that Trump will sign that will hurt the residents of NYS and other blue states. The House just passed a ridiculous concealed carry bill that the NYS' governor has spoken out about and what are the Dems doing? Throwing out Al Franken ONE WEEK before the GOP seats a pedophile.
I have NO words for "my" party and my senator.
15
The world is watching Americans now and wondering what can we do? All I can think of is that all countries should not allow members and supporters of the Republican party to cross their borders. They are selfish, immoral and endanger the lives of others.
1
Good luck but might be almost impossible to find a politician without skeletons lurking in the closet.
2
like the reign of terror following the French Revolution, this movement is sure to consume everything. while drug addicts can be taught to stay away from drugs, food addicts must learn to minimize over indulgence. it is society we're men and women will continue to socially and sexually interact it is impossible to spell out behaviors that will be acceptable to all. if we don't use discretion and context we will be forced to live like Orthodox Jews or Muslim fanatics. one question to all the me too people. when a young woman bats her eyes and smiles at her boss will he be within his rights to fire her? it has been said there is no room for flirtations at work. are we really ready to enforce that?
5
Yay! Al Franken is gone. I never liked him, including the time he was on SNL. Never funny and now a known sexual assaulter. Good riddance. His farewell speech today did not express any remorse and instead he tried to deflect his guilt. No surprise from a man who is unliked by many who know him.
What a tragedy.
11
The Democrats still don't get it: "identity" politics are their downfall. Nowhere could this be more evident than in the hysteria over sexual harassment. It's not mass hysteria, it is the righteous indignation of privileged white women. How many women saw Hillary Clinton as the apotheosis of this elite minority? We Liberals read The New Yorker and the NY Times and have MSNBC on remote speed dial. Rachel Maddow is our patron saint and Ronan Farrow has become the Woodward and Bernstein of our times. The women who suffered the indignities of sexual harassment are our heros, sanctified by Time as the persons of the year. Meanwhile, as we call for the resignation of one of our most progressive senators for having French kissed a fellow entertainer on a TV set, the Republicans are looting the National Treasury in what will someday be seen as the greatest Counter Revolution in history--if there is a history.
Somehow the millions of men , women , and children who lose their health insurance, the millions more who can't pay the rent working two minimum wage jobs, don't quite merit the outrage we expend on behalf of Charlie Rose's interns. That's because "we" identify with women of "our sort" not with the waitress As long as we elite Libersls derive most gratification from our own moral superiority, our "inferiors" will hate us. And they'll vote for the hucksters who are picking their pockets.
8
Beware of jumping on bandwagons. Remember “weapons of mass destruction”.
9
If everyone took the hit there wouldn’t be any martyrs to saint. Franken should be grateful to Trump, or as we Democrats now shall call him, St. Al, for being such a mensch. How’s that for irony, gals?
3
We have come to two absurd, immoral, unlawful, and dangerous points: the point at which guilt is established by accusation and innuendo; and the point at which the word "inappropriate" has become a synonym for "harassment" and even "assault" and "rape." Sen. Gillibrand, you may be making a play for the Democratic Party's nomination in 2020, but you are going to lose a lot of trust with men and women who vote.
9
Al Franken could not disconnect from the delusional notion that at times life was little more than a Saturday Night Live script, and it caught up with him eventually biting him in his behind. He was wrong, knows it and has chosen to do the right thing, to resign, move on with his life.
Roy Moore's actions were those of a pedophile. He stalked children. It can't be said any plainer. And he's in total denial, needing help to truly heal.
Donald Trump treated women as little more than sexual props in his life. He thought nothing of reaching into their underwear for his personal pleasure. He assaulted women and lives in denial. He needs to come forward, admit his wrongdoing, and step down as our president.
3
trump admitted his wrongdoing--in fact, he bragged about it while Billy Bush recorded it...and, republicans still chose him. The fact that he and his followers see nothing wrong with his admissions and the lawsuits he did have to pay is the most puzzling issue.
1
Note to Democrates, you must actually win elections, not just be right.
7
How ironic that to reach the moral high ground, Democrats must jump lemming-like off the cliff. Republicans will be laughing their heads off at us till at least the 2018 elections, cackling "Sucka!" all the way to the polling place. Once again, they've played us.
When has anything in government been achieved from the moral high ground? I suppose we can derive comfort from the knowledge that though we are powerless. we are ethically superior. That and $2.75 will get you on the subway. Sad to say, the only way to regain the power to make America safe from bigotry and work our way to reclaiming a just society is to fight tribalism with tribalism.
6
Ms Goldberg, you played a part in this very sad outcome. The last 2 "victims" of Sen Franken include an anonymous accusation of an attempted kiss and Ms Dupuy outrage at Sen Franken squeezing her waist!!!
Misconduct is a serious matter and accusations deserve a serious process. Sen Franken deserved such a process. The voters of Minnesota deserved a process. I remain angry about your piece calling for Franken's resignation and the Senate Democrats who did the same.
What's next, Purity Rings????
10
It's the logical conclusion of the Democrat Party slogan "believe all women." Republicans don't have to be politically correct and know that women sometimes lie (like all people). That's why we don't sacrifice our leaders on the alter of alt-left feminism.
2
If you are a woman in Alabama voting for Roy Moore, pray you or your daughter is never sexually assaulted. Chances are you will not be believed. If Roy Moore is elected, women world wide will think twice about moving or visiting Alabama, and the GOP will be known as sex 4 tax cuts.
4
It's too bad that women were disappointed to the extent of shock over Trump's victory in 2016, but they should not have been. It was partly their fault. They allowed their cause to be championed by, other than Trump, the most unpopular person ever to seek the Oval Office, a woman who owed her entire resume not to personal achievement but to marriage. This simply was not the appropriate standard bearer for the party much less for women's rights, and the party stepped aside and let her run basically unopposed (even rigging the DNC to help her against a pathetic single rival!) instead of challenging her the way a man would have been challenged. None of this does women any good. They need to git woke and demand that women of real independent achievement are their leaders.
Oh yeah, and one more thing: Hillary Clinton viciously savaged the women who accused her husband of sexual harassment and rape (these allegations are much worse and much more serious than those against Trump), and has continued to stand by Bill Clinton. If Trump behaved that way, women would call (rightly) for his head. But Hillary gets a pass? Equal treatment cuts both ways. Women need to git woke.
2
Women where shocked by Trumps victory? Perhaps you didn't read the memo. The 53% of white women voted for him. A recent poll shows that nearly 6 in 10 white women in Alabama intend to vote for Roy Moore. If the majority of white women won't support one of their own against a confessed sexual predator and serial philanderer, or are willing to vote for a man who has said he never dated an underaged girl without their mother's permission ('how traditional') no amount of #MeTo will make a difference in the up coming elections. Don't be mad at Trump and Moore. And don't take your anger out on Al Franken, an ally. Women need to get their own house in order. Fix your problem before you start jettison out your friends.
What still needs to be understood, dissected, explained and dealt with is why 53% of white women voted for Trump. This after the Access Hollywood tape. I think it is a safe bet that most of these women, deep down, even if not admitting it to themselves (and certainly not to others), knew this was more than just "locker room talk."
Care to take a crack at this, Michelle?
5
What forcing Senator Franken to resign instead of going through the Ethics Committee process is to give a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card to all those accused of 'sexual misconduct'. Without due process, we just have mob rule and a temporary furor that will become yesterday's news. The shameless like the Clintons and Trump will always lie and deny and, of course, stand tall.
We need laws and due process that women can see and depend upon. Otherwise when the next woman is abused, assaulted, or harassed, she will not know what to do. So, Senator Franken stick to your guns and face the Ethics Committee. No more shame for the victims. No more slipping into the night for the accused. Instead of dredging up long ago 'sexual misconduct'. let's prosecute the guilty for their actions today. This will protect the sisters from serial predators and clarify the moral complexities of human sexuality.
3
Remember at all timestoday's GOP never does the right thing.
They don't care if Moore diddles kids, they want their tax cuts
6
Not for long...fake 45 can be prosecuted once removed for sexual assault.
3
And not one sentence in this article will have any effect. There is not one sentence that shines light on the issue. And, of course, there is not one man who needs to read this who will do so given that it is in the NYT.
1
Shame on Senators. Gillibrand, Mazie K. Hirono of Hawaii, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Dianne Feinstein of California, Patty Murray of Washington State, Kamala Harris of California, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Maria Cantwell of Washington State, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.
Add Michelle Goldberg,
Spineless hypocrites, all of them.
I didn't hear a word from any of these women on the TAX bill or Trumps predation. As for Chuck Schumer, totally useless.
And then there is the press, unaccountable, one sided, and derelict. There were no responsible allegations against Franken. Not vetting nor probing claims will not stand. I cannot express my outrage at the New York Times in printable language.
The political left in America is largely composed of those who will sell out or disparage anyone for political convenience.
I know I am not alone in feeling like dumping the NYTs and the Democratic party right now. Spineless hypocrites, all of them.
5
Franken is leaving. And Roy Moore is holding campaign rallies. At Chuck E. Cheese's, and McDonald's. Stay classy, Alabama. Thanks, GOP.
5
Once again, Ms. Goldberg cuts directly to the chase. “...this new door is open only for..those whose harassers are...susceptible to shame.” And thus we have Donald Trump as POTUS, Roy Moore on the doorstep to the Senate, pro-life represntatives pushing mistresses to abortions, and on and on. The hypocrites will institute harassment training for all. Such training is lost on those who need it.
4
Franken should have stayed.
Clarence Thomas AND 45 need to resign, now!
5
The irony is that Bill Clinton is continued to be given a free pass for what he did decades ago and democrats jump to defend him. The irony also is that his wife protected her serial philandering husband giving women and young girls conflicting messages should they have to deal with wandering spouses. And she ran as the woman candidate for President, somehow we were required to believe her sacrifice of staying with a husband who was famous for womanizing, so irresistible that women threw themselves at him, while his wife shamed them for not leaving her husband alone.
1
I don't get all the hot air here and in other places about Mr. Franken's "lack of due process" -- due process is required in a legal proceeding, but not in a political one. It borders on deliberate misrepresentation to suggest that appearance of impropriety is just appearance, because in politics, appearance is what matters. Mr. Trump appears to his supporters to be a tough guy with their interests at heart. That's a lie, of course: he's a pitiful coward who cares not a whit for anyone who isn't named Donald J. Trump (without the Junior, please; he doesn't care about him either). Mr. Franken APPEARS guilty of several serious offenses, so he has to go.
As for the Republicans, suggesting they are "less responsive to feminist pressure" understates the case. They do not care, and in fact, it appears that Mr. Moore's pedophilia is not just tolerated, but even approved of, by many of his potential voters. This is an epic culture clash, between one where women are people, and one where women are meat.
6
Interesting also that Leeann Tweeden who was so traumatized by unwanted attention from Al Franken is shown on various videos doing worse herself to soldiers and band members in her USO tours with Franken and others. She had worked her way up to one of the top level "Hooters Girls" right here in Colorado- whatever that means about your level of tolerance for unwanted gestures from men I don't know. I have not heard yet if anyone is suing her for sticking her tongue in some soldier's throat.
5
https://i.imgur.com/jYl1S92.jpg
If Franken must go, Trump must go.
3
I believe the #metoo movement will utimately fail. I have total sympathy with those who have been abused by Weinstein, Rose, O'Reilly and Lauer. But its going to backlash when women "anonymously" claim they were harrassed or abused one time 20-30 years ago, name the alleged perpetrator, and ruin that person's reputation forever. Any story by "anonymous" should not be credible unless she agrees to be named. Why would her career or reputation be on the line? It doesn't make sense. She is the alleged "victim," not the perpetrator. It makes one wonder what else she is hiding, or what prior or subsequent indiscretions might be revealed.
4
And Clarence Thomas serves on the Supreme Court with no consequences. What...is he grandfathered in?
5
Double standard. No doubt about it.
5
Yes, Michelle, Senator Franken is on his way out and may well be replaced by a Republican in a special election. I hope you can live with the fact that you were among the first to issue an influential knee jerk call for his resignation.
8
Franken's resignation was not necessary. He should have faced lawsuits, yes, but otherwise the voters should have been given the opportunity to render a verdict on the allegations against him.
Moore may be a child molester. I guarantee he won't resign if he is elected next week. And Trump sure as heck isn't going to resign even though he admitted to assaulting women.
4
Gillebrand should be ashamed. We needed Al Franken, a really good senator to fill out his term. Gillebrand is self serving and unfair to Franken, who after all did not really harm anyone—fake groping in public near a Playmate wearing a flack jacket really is not sexual abuse. Poor taste but not groping.
Rushing to judgment before all the facts come out is FAR more serious.
I think Gillebrand has shown POOR JUDGEMENT and think SHE should resign.
7
Perhaps a column on your rush to demand resignation on moral grounds is in order, Ms. Goldberg, now that you've decided to consider this a political question instead.
7
I'm still furious about Trump, and it's been a year. No signs of other women's fury abating, either.
It's going to be great fuel for the 2018 elections. We are going to take Trump, Moore, Farenthold, and the whole stinking pigsty down.
2
The Democratic Party continues its ongoing policy of killing and eating its own. And so it goes.
7
I am a retired teacher. It saddens me to think that children are witnessing that 1) so many men are being revealed as sexual predators and 2) a major political party is sticking its head in the sand to protect such predators. What message does that send to children?
4
Again, I am reminded of an old joke...When a Republican's wife walks into the bedroom and sees him in bed with another woman, he says, "It's not what it looks like". When a Democrat's wife walks in the bedroom and sees him with another woman he says, "Let me explain." Most of Americans respect denial, they see anything else as weak.
Sexual harassment, be it physical or verbal is finally getting the in-you-face exposure it has needed for decades and beyond.
The great hypocrisy lies in the fact that Donald Trump remains president of our country who publicly supports Mr. Moore.
2018, vote them out with an historical voter turn out.
3
The great grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers, brothers, male cousins, and the male friends of females who have been molested and abused need to stop and stand up males from molesting and abusing females.
Its just been reported that the FBI is investigating a recent allegation of groping on a flight since it occurred while the plane was in mid-air. Kristen G. should insist that the FBI add Trumph's alleged grouping of a woman on a flight, even if years ago to its list since the allegations against Franken are years old.
8
What if women went on strike? They are certainly a huge component of the work force. This is certainly a civil rights issue. Apply some pressure, ladies, please. Pressure is plainly all that makes an impression on that creep driving the clown car in DC and the high road is full of potholes.
3
It's a little late for you to recognize Republicans also need to resign. You were especially unkind about Al Franken when you appeared on Chris Hayes' evening program. This article? Late.
Some of us have been screaming about the bias. You should have mentioned the names you have here when you called out Al Franken.
Republicans are getting a pass, the president is getting a pass, and it is outrageous they prefer an alleged child molester over a Democrat.
12
The women who Trump harassed need to speak up very strongly.
8
Al Conyers, a Democrat member of the House, resigned after credible allegations of sexual harassment arose. Al Franken. A Democrat Senator, resigned after credible allegations of improper sexual advances arose.
GOP “President” Trump, who is the subject of well over 11 credible allegations of sexual harasser, stays in office. Roy Moore, the Alabama GOP Senate candidate, and the subject of credible charges of being a sexual predator and child molester, has Trump’s and the RNC backing and may soon be a US Senator.
One of these parties is the party of personal responsibility, morality, and values. The other party is the GOP.
7
If we can't stop Trump then we'll stop Democrats.
5
Brilliant comment..And stop them for far, far, far less, and for admitting they're wrong and for apologizing.
Quite a number of comments are hi-liting the need first and foremost to hold judgement, and any action thereof, until pronouncements by the ethics committee are made public. Oh yes! Who are the players on this commttee, the composition with a GOP majority with a GOP chairman.....and maybe some of the honourable men would be quite in favour of certain verdicts? Please.....
3
I am rather confused Michelle. I recall a column you wrote declaring in no uncertain terms that Franken should resign. Now that he has, this one seems an equivocation of that.
4
Most of the Democrats who have been shamed for sexual harassment have championed women's causes. In most cases, they have admitted, apologized, and taken steps to reform themselves.
Serial abusers like Trump, on the other hand, are not only unrepentant and unreconstructed sexists, but they extend their sexism into the realm of policy, where the decrees and laws that they pass and abolish hurt millions of women from coast to coast.
Remember: you don't have to be a stalker to be a sexist. The Trump administration's policies on women's issues are every bit as misogynistic as groping, grabbing and rape. And every Republican who supports them is twice the sexist that Franken ever was.
11
“Franken is leaving and Trump is still here” ...and Michelle Goldberg is complicit in that result.
9
Franken isn’t done. He will be back in some capacity. I would like to see him on the news. A sort of anti-Hannity.
7
Michelle, I'm struck by your thought that Franken's reference to "her" when he spoke of the senator that Minnesotans deserve implied that he will be replaced by a woman. Could he have not been using "her" as generically as people use "he" to simply mean a person?
What the author of this article tried to say but couldn't quite, si that she has helped in the cannibalizing of her own.
Even the Uber story in instructive. Yes it was regrettable that the female uber employee had to face some discomfort, but Uber is a male epic. Built by men with that particular combination of inventiveness, boisterousness and boorishness that is so typical of men when they get together to work on something
Women asked for a seat at the table, and then demand that the table be sterilized for them. On the one hand this could be noble, but you are asking the impossible: that men continue to be inventive and dynamic, while also working in sterile environments and watching every word they say.
Nothing stops women from building an Uber rival. Nothing stops that female Uber employee from doing so. Why don't they?
So two things could happen
- You will remove all the creative men at the top for their minor transgressions. Women will take over these roles and be the creative drivers that the Uber guys were
- Or men will retreat further and just decline any seats at the table for the few women who want to join their creative enterprise
- Or the opportunists will take over, like Trump and Moore, who have no puritan propriety.
I'm not sure this is going to end well for you.
5
Ms Goldberg points out the obvious. On this issue Democrats & Republicans agree. They both want Democrat politicians held accountable. Democrats want to feel good about themselves, Republicans want to win. Both are getting what they want.
7
I suggest that every person writing on this thread contact Franken, begging him not to resign until trump, moore, and thomas are out the door.
11
We should not need to be reminded that Republican politicians have no shame. If you have the support of the ostensibly religious, where does shame come in? Like your supporters, you can pretend that God is on your side, regardless of the poor and weak you let suffer.
6
Democrats will be beyond reproach. Republican and Independent women will still not be susceptible, no matter what they do. So why on earth have they forced this man out?
5
This is how Democrats snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Taking the high road when the Republicans go low might sound great and may also be right in principle. But it's not going to help matters in today's kill or be killed political climate. It's not going to convince any Fox News-watching voters to vote Democratic. It's not going to convince any swing voters either. This was a great opportunity to stand up and demand that Franken not resign until Trump was held to the same standard. Instead they shot themselves in the foot. Again. Ad nauseum.
I spent the vast majority of my previous career as a tool and die maker working as the only woman among men. I learned a lot about men in the process, both good and bad. Men do goofy stuff, which is what Franken did. Other men do nasty stuff including real sexual harassment and abuse of power on a continuing, never-ending basis (yes, #metoo). This was not what Franken did. These things are not the same. I lived both of them, I know the difference.
I agree with another commenter: the governor of Minnesota should do the right thing and appoint Al Franken to replace Al Franken so that he can continue working to represent the interests of working Americans. When are the rest of the Democrats going to start doing the same?
12
The old comedian behaved like a comedian before he was a politician and sometimes afterwards. Essentially, the Al Franken persona, as a comedian, was an anti-hero, a sort of Bob Hope skit. "Send your tax receipts to me, Al Franken." He was show swarmy. I am pretty sure that the USO tour photo is a joke in that vein. I think people on the left, myself included, have to be careful of their own capacity of righteous indignation, treating bad manners as the same assault. Michelle Goldberg writes and thinks like an undergraduate. Tolerance, annoyance within bounds, for misdemeanors and anger for real crimes should the rule of the day. Orwell observed that Gandi could only be effective if you are dealing with people capable of shame.
6
The term "sexual misconduct" -- about as hazy as it gets -- appears to have been conjured up to push out the men left standing so that women can take their place. This is a power grab by women. Franken himself alluded to it in his speech. The supposition that replacing men with women will somehow solve a "problem" is the most ignorant concept I can think of. I always vote Democrat, but it's getting more discouraging as ever to support a "side" that supports the annihilation of men. Did Franken's speech writer allude to the weakness of women by citing their hurt feelings over touched knees and bad jokes? I don't want easily hurt people running my country. Vindictiveness is evil.
3
Franken admitted and Trump didn't.
3
"In truth, however, this new door is open for only some people — those whose harassers are either personally or professionally susceptible to shame." says it all. The Republicans have no shame.
1
The circular firing squad "mostly confined to liberal-leaning sectors like entertainment, the media, academia, Silicon Valley and the Democratic Party" will ultimately strengthen the Republicans and hurt the women who are rightfully objecting to sexual abuse.
4
There is something wrong with the democrats. They are taking the moral high ground and forcing Franken to resign not taking a tough stand on Trump or the guy from Alabama. Both of them (Trump and the guy from Alabama) had been accused of molesting children and women. No one is supporting what Franken may have done but why let the other two to carry on with their business. It seems that the democrats do not really understand politics. If they want to win election they have to play politics.
6
Women need to start pressing other women to back their causes. Why are republican women still in that party?
4
It appears that too many members of our society have no knowledge of the difference between "sexual assault" and "sexual harassment." That same society elected as President a man who admits to committing sexual assault, and forces the resignation of a man who admits to sexual harassment. Go figure..........
4
Now let's oust Kirsten Gillibrand for not acting in her party's best interest. Yes, Al Franken behaved in a despicable way. He has actually thought about his ill-advised actions and apologized. On the other hand, the GOP is supporting their pedophile candidate who insists that he did nothing wrong. Even in Alabama, children are children. The Republicans were opposed to him for a while, but then the braggart in the oval office decided to support him, so they did too. What a role model!.
Congress has its secret system for handling harassment and paying out settlements at our expense. It is not logical to pick on the few who are exposed to public scrutiny. Is Gillibrand going to go after all those offenders too or just when she can get her name on the front page for taking down a man who at least has admitted his guilt and apologized?
6
"...the revolution is smaller than it first appears."
Wise words to The Bubble-dwellers.
...and without due process, Ms. Goldberg, you can look in the mirror and ask if it's worth it.
5
Women Dems in the Senate who all took a turn at stabbing Al Franken in the back are going to rue the day they committed this atrocious act. They accuse Trump of bad behavior yet what they did to Al Franken in denying him his day in court is an atrocity of the highest order. They have lost my support in 2018 and 2020. They thought this was their way to victory? They are all going to be sadly mistaken. I am ashamed to be a Democrat.
DD
Manhattan
6
And is the appropriate response to elect more Republicans, whether by directly voting Republican, staying home, or voting for third party candidates who split the vote? My senators both called for Franken's resignation against my wishes. We're caught between a rock and a hard place here.
Dennis: objectively, your plan is to "shoot yourself in the foot to spite your face". That said, we may have to distinguish between boorish playfulness and full on assault. A pat on the fanny is not equivalent to an assault on the poor, the environment and democracy itself.
All I've learned from this debacle and from the Democrats who pushed Franken out is that it is probably best to lie and to trash your accusers, threaten to sue them (but of course never do so)...AND that being an adult and "Manning up" by admitting to having done something wrong and apologizing for it is a big mistake which will cost you your job.
Sen. Gillibrand just played right into the sick GOP/Sanders-Huckabee-Conway argument, that taking responsibility makes you a scoundrel and criminal deserving of scorn, loss of job, etc., while lying and further threatening your accusers and trashing them is wise.
I will be leaving the Democratic party over this. This crosses a line for me, and I mean that as a woman who was severely sexually harassed. And should Ms. Gillibrand, whom I've admired up to this point, run for national office in the future, she will not get my vote, just as Biden lost me when he threw a wrench into the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas fiasco.
I'm fed up with Democrats. Using other people's lives, in this case, Franken's, for political reasons is itself offensive and as shameful as threatening a woman's job if she doesn't sleep with her boss. Frankly, I don't see a difference.
Learn to accept apologies and to listen to the victims, Ms. Gillibrand!
5
Could it be that Republican women are in general not feminists, which is why so many were able to vote for Trump, and why Moore may win his Senate race? In contrast most Democratic woman and many Democratic men are feminists, which is why they are holding sexual abusers accountable for their actions.
1
This column is thoughtful and admirable in many ways. I do however wonder why the author -- and the editors -- decided to focus on how "sexual degradation ... mars so many *professional* lives" [emphasis added]. Obviously, it's not just "professional lives" that matter, noting how very many non-professional women in our society are harmed by sexism and misogyny. Any opportunity that the NYT's columnists and editors can take to express empathy and solidarity with people who are not well-educated professionals would be a step forward
1
Michelle Goldberg has absolutely zero compassion for Franken's victims, who were doubtless profoundly, and lastlingly traumatized, and the usual fascination with the political impact of it all. Typical.
Women are not fragile Victorian pedestal dwellers to be "profoundly traumatized" by someone squeezing your side in a photo op or using broad offensive humor in a uso skit that they signed up for and appear to be ok with with other people.....and they do a great disservice to the women who suffered far worse indignities from Trump, Rose, Weinstein etc.....
well Michelle Perhaps Gillibrand can chain herself to the WH fence or stage a mock hunger strike demanding Trump resignation. As per me I wont be voting for her , I can see she is trying to posit herself as a presidential candidate in 2020, or any democrat in the future. Democrats should have allowed an Ethics investigation to take place which in turn would have exposed all the sexual predators working in congress.
3
And Michelle Goldberg what is your point then ?
Just when a few days ago you were one of the first few who wanted Franken to be gone. Now you wish is granted so stop complaining.
Franken made foolish mistakes and that’s all there is to it, and now one of the most outspoken senator is gone and Democrats are in a big shamble giving in to trumps whimsical ways.
6
I am truly disgusted at the utter stupidity of the Democratic Party. Al Franken has long been an intelligent and hard-working--and witty--member of the Senate, and now his Democratic colleagues are expelling him from their midst. Does anyone, anyone at all, imagine that forcing him out of the Senate will motivate Republicans in Congress and/or the White House to follow their example? There is so clearly no comparison of Franken's peccadilloes (he was an SNL comedian, for goodness sake!) with the crimes of that Alabama child molester, and yet those Machiavellian members of this Republican Congress are prepared to welcome him into their "august" body. What are Democrats thinking? Isn't there anyone of the Democratic side of Congress with an ounce of common sense? This is unilateral disarmament at a time when the very structure of our democracy is under threat!
10
Good term: Machiavellian Republicans. I'll remember it.
Good grief! Let's get our wits about us. We are losing a hardworking Senator of integrity and gaining a pedophile in Congress, folks.
I'm disappointed in Franken's Democratic cohorts. They lack the integrity to support one of the better of their own because they're caught-up in the national frenzy brought on by our so-called president, a man of insatiable greed whose priorities do not include our welfare. We have been deluged with lies, bombarded with cries of "Fake News", and besieged with nonsensical tweets of cofefe and nothing-burgers—the maneuverings of the current occupant of the White House and his designated cohorts, whose intentions are, at best, questionable. And he is endorsing the pedophile . . .
Over-reacting to all of this ridiculousness isn't going to get us anywhere. Throwing Al Franken under the bus to nowhere-we-want-to-go is hardly in our self-interest. I'm from Kentucky; my Senators are among Trump's toadies. I'd trade Franken for McConnell and Paul, if I could. Quality over quantity is what we need in Congress—not a swamp-full of toadies.
Our nation is facing some serious issues that must be tackled, but not like this. We must stop over-reacting. We're a nation that advertises sexual-prowess enhancement aids on television so couples can "play", and we throw a Senator out of Congress for squeezing someone's waist during a photo shoot?
I think enough, is enough, isn't it?
5
Franken should have waited for the Ethics Committee to render judgment. It would have at least established some sort of precedent to get rid of Moore if he is elected. It would have also drawn a line in the sand as to how egregious the conduct must be to sit in the Senate. There is a difference between a stolen kiss and rape.
6
I’m 73 years old. I have voted for Democrat's my entire life. I have wanted common sense to finally rule the leaders of the Democratic Party. I’m tired.
I give up. Very sadly, I have to assume that the treatment of Al Franken will be straw that broke the camels back. I guess I missed the plank in the party platform that when all else fails we can always count on stupidity to rule the day. This country will need a third party if it is ever going to be great again.
I give up on both the republicans and the democrats ever coming even close to what I know a huge majority of our country wants and needs.
WB Yates said it best:
Politicians are all the same. They tell their lies by rote.
So stay at home and drink your beer and let’s your neighbors vote.
3
When you read this column keep in mind the fact that Ms. Goldberg was, until very recently, a defender of Bill Clinton and a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton. #MeToo indeed.
5
Roger Stone is laughing at the success of his latest scam and Trump is reading a tweet mocking Franken. Hope this makes Miss Goldberg feel good.
3
Ms. Goldberg-
You certainly helped spark this fire and for that you should be ashamed. The degrees of sexual misconduct are not to be passed over in a few flippant sentences. The degrees are stark and their differences are night and day; literally life and death from a legislative standpoint.
Your early call for Franken to resign was the spark that lit the flame for this zero due process circular firing squad. It's this kind of fake purity that got us Trump and will get us many more Trumps. You helped to open the floodgates of weaponized false claims to be used as political tools now and forever. And in the long run, this won't help to end the unwanted advances and assaults by creepy predators, it'll forever put an even bigger question mark next to their claims. Congratulations.
6
What next? Death penalty for shoplifting?
The absolutists of "Zero tolerance" show extremely poor judgement and are not to be trusted when all they can shout is "Off with his head!"
Women and men and religious leaders all need to be required to pass sex education courses before opening their mouths or throwing stones.
Meanwhile, only the Democratic Party (including Al Franken) support the social safety net that American men, women, and children rely upon to avoid unnecessary premature death, medical bankruptcy, extreme poverty, and inadequate education.
The Republicans serve only Billionaires, corporations, and fetuses.
5
Years later, Kenneth Starr's investigation into Whitewater morphed into the Lewinsky scandal. Perhaps Muller's Russia study will turn into a look at claims made by women too numerous to mention.
3
For a Democrat, this feels like assymetrical disarmament, but we have to start somewhere.
1
These comments resound with powerlessnes: "We can only hope with time..." "The Republican party should..." "Here's hoping..."
Hope and should do not a strategy make; they speak for apathy and inaction.
The Democrats make a very serious mistake by jettisoning these men while the Republicans head to the pub for a quick drink and wink at the barmaid. The importance of these Democratic votes outweighs the embarrassment of their indiscretions. And there has been no process--they are dismissed on unchecked allegations.
James O'Keefe is trying to game the system as the Dems try to model good behavior. Nobody on the other side, least of all the President, is being influenced by our righteouus drumming of these men out of office.
Get a strategy, Democrats. This is a loser.
5
Dems didn't either. They acted out of panic. Now they stand to receive some backlash bc
3
It is a strategically untenable situation that you have helped to engineer.
4
According to Franken he didn't do anything that warranted his resignation and he would have been cleared by an ethics probe. So why did he leave? So Democrats like Michelle Goldberg can claim the moral high ground in their (very) newly discovered outrage about sexual harassment. Never mind the fact that John Conyers' behavior was known for years. Or that Bill Clinton's behavior had been defended by prominent Democrats and media figures as recently as 2016. Or that Hillary Clinton's victim sliming had been a non-issue in the run-up to her 2026 coronation by the Democratic Party.
Franken is road kill as Democrats try to position themselves for 2018. His replacement will be named by a progressive democrat and will almost certainly not be an older white male. All the right boxes will be checked. And the Michelle Goldberg's of the left will congratulate themselves for being morally superior to Republicans. The rest of us just see the cynicism and hypocrisy.
4
As a Jew, I am disappointed in Al Franken. As a Dem, I hate to see Franken leave who tried to hold the Republican Party responsible for all the harm they and, above all, Trump as president are doing to America.
4