1. For the entirety of this diary, I’m keeping in mind that Franken says he doesn’t remember the kiss the same way Leeann does, and that he agrees that the photograph was wrong and he shouldn’t have posed in that way.
2. As a women’s advocate, and as a human being, I know of no other man that exceeds Franken’s commitment to ending rape culture, sexism and inequality. The very first bill he worked on when he arrived in DC was a bill to preclude enforcement of employment binding arbitration clauses in cases of sexual abuse. And since then — 2009 — Franken has continued to be a woke women’s champion.
3. Precisely because he is so woke when it comes to women’s issues, I believe Franken felt entirely obligated to validate Leeann’s allegations rather than deny them outright. Franken knows that the greater good is accomplished by validating Leeann, even if he knows for an absolute certainty that the kiss did not happen the way she described it. Women’s rights activists have fought way to hard to establish the absolutely necessary default: “We believe women.” Franken knows how hard it has been to win that fight, knows we aren’t there yet, knows the fight is more important that he is, and… is willing to die on that hill, even though he knows he is being smeared by a right-wing attack machine, at least so far as the kiss is concerned.
4. The pictures of Leeann grabbing an ass or acting in a sexually provocative manner are utterly irrelevant. Women are allowed to choose whether or not they want to pose in a picture or kiss a man. That choice cannot be made by Al Franken or anyone else. (And the guitarist should also get to choose whether or not he wants his ass grabbed. But whether or not Leeann was inappropriate is for the guitarist to decide and an entirely separate issue from whether or not Franken is guilty of unwanted touching, sexual assault, or just plain ol’ grossness).
5. The photograph… A few things here. I’m in my late forties. I remember seeing a program called Benny Hill as a kid. It was sketch comedy that featured a leering old man chasing around young pretty women. (Yes, that sort of thing was considered hilarious in the ‘70s). Franken is about two decades older than I am. Humor was different in his generation than it is today (although maybe not… Isn’t Howard Stern still pulling excellent ratings?) Anyway… That groping picture would be utterly un-mitigatable evidence of guilt if it actually showed him groping her while she was sleeping. But... First of all, it isn't clear he's making any kind of contact at all. But even more importantly... SHE'S WEARING A GODDAM KEVLAR VEST! You literally cannot grop anything beneath a Kevlar vest; it's fucking bulletproof, let alone finger-proof! Franken was play-acting in front of a bunch of military men that absolutely knew how silly his idea was. Yeah, the military is full of testosterone driven young men that don't need any contributions to their already toxic-masculine culture, especially as more and more women enter fields traditionally occupied by men. But have you seen a USO show? Even Bob Hope's comedy act was largely driven by sexual innuendo. Add everything together, and what I come up with is that Franken posed for a picture he should not have, even if Leeann was cooperative. It objectifies women and we all should want to get past that.
6. When you consider that Roger Stone was tipped to this, I simply do not believe Leeann. I know all of us that consider ourselves good progressives must "believe women", but that, to me, is a default position. We can't let our principals be the death of us, or allow them to sacrifice true champions like Al Franken on an alter of formality. The right-wing, whether it's James O'Keefe and Acorn, or Breitbart and Shirley Sherrod, or George Vets... Well, they just aren't honest people. Not even close. They will destroy people's lives without any remorse. And the more we let them do it, the more they will be encouraged, and the more good people they will destroy.
7. We need to take a stand. We need to draw a line. We simply aren't going to let them do this to one of the most fundamentally decent people in the Senate. I support Al.
Sunday, Nov 19, 2017 · 7:12:19 PM +00:00
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Dangerous Thoughts
Forgot something: Every other predator we’ve heard about — Weinstein, Moore, Piven, Spacey… Even Bill Clinton had several accusers. So far, Al Franken has one accuser. If more accusers come forward, I’d readily reassess my perspective. But for now… I stand with Al.
Sunday, Nov 19, 2017 · 10:35:15 PM +00:00
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Dangerous Thoughts
So many great comments reminding me of things I wanted to include but forgot. Here’s one from drummer55. He posts a picture of Tweeden smiling with Franken at a USO awards dinner and suggests it contradicts her story.
Now...
I’m pretty sure Rose McGowan gave Weinstein an award and hugged him after she said he raped her. The picture contradicts Tweeden’s statement about despising Franken afterward and holding him in contempt, but… I’m pretty sure McGowan was able to put on a happy face through gritted teeth.
That said, Tweeden also said she’s not an actress… And that kind of happy-face seems genuine to me.
You also cannot look at this in a vacuum.
Tweeden just signed a book deal. Was it pre-arranged?
Republicans (and the larger right-wing) see 2018 on the horizon and will do what they can to stave off the worst. Is this part of their effort?
I don’t think people realize how much money there is floating around right-wing swamps. The Mercers bankroll Brietbart with nary a concern for the dishonest shit they publish every day. Richard Mellon Scaife bankrolled David Brock’s investigations into Bill Clinton and Anita Hill. It was only after Brock realized that the “witnesses” he interviewed were paid to lie by his the very same Scaife that he flipped sides.