11-16-2017, 10:31 PM
myotech said, "Well, I think Franken is a creep. Not excusing him."
Yes, he's a creep. He's guilty of harassment and assault by his own admission.
It's hard to make a comparison to the Moore situation. Other than both situations involving politicians accused of sexual assault, there are a lot of differences. Unlike Moore, Franken has admitted to and apologized for the allegations. And unlike Moore, he cannot deny the allegations because of the photographic evidence. But before we applaud Franken for his admission of guilt, we have to consider -- if it weren't for the photograph, would he have lied and denied the allegations? Another difference is that what Moore did was worse, because it involved a vulnerable 14-yr-old child who was going through the divorce of her parents at the time. Not that it's OK to assault anyone, but these kinds of things have a more traumatic impact on an impressionable child who is still forming her own identity and self-esteem.
One thing they have in common is being hypocrites. Moore is a hypocrite for posing as a morally upright, devout Christian man. And Franken is a hypocrite because he is still trying to portray himself as a man who "respects women" and as an "ally and supporter and champion of women."
Dr. Jez said "I think Franken should be made a public example . . ."
I totally agree. I think Franken should step down. I think the Democratic party and/or the house ethics committee should make him step down. And if that doesn't happen, voters should take him out. I expect better from our nation's leaders. Oh, and kudos to the house for starting an ethics committee investigation on Franken. I just hope they actually do something.
Myotech said, "And everybody piling on Moore and Weinstein in these forums needs to pile on Franken too or be counted as hypocrites. (way to lose half my audience I was intending to impress before, but I'm quite impulsive with the words)."
I appreciate the sentiment that we have to judge people on both sides of the party line by the same standards. What Franken did was evil, and what happened to his victim matters, and it is a situation that calls for outrage. But you can't expect everyone to take part in every discussion. People have busy lives outside of this forum. I almost didn't open this thread because I had never heard of Franken until tonight (had to Google who the dude was and what the allegations were), and never heard of Weinstein until the recent scandal. Moore, on the other hand, is a public figure that I have been familiar with for years, having grown up listening to right-wing religious talk radio. I would imagine that many former fundamentalists are familiar with Moore. Besides, the allegations against Moore involve a child, and therefore have a deeper and more disturbing emotional impact on many people.
Yes, he's a creep. He's guilty of harassment and assault by his own admission.
It's hard to make a comparison to the Moore situation. Other than both situations involving politicians accused of sexual assault, there are a lot of differences. Unlike Moore, Franken has admitted to and apologized for the allegations. And unlike Moore, he cannot deny the allegations because of the photographic evidence. But before we applaud Franken for his admission of guilt, we have to consider -- if it weren't for the photograph, would he have lied and denied the allegations? Another difference is that what Moore did was worse, because it involved a vulnerable 14-yr-old child who was going through the divorce of her parents at the time. Not that it's OK to assault anyone, but these kinds of things have a more traumatic impact on an impressionable child who is still forming her own identity and self-esteem.
One thing they have in common is being hypocrites. Moore is a hypocrite for posing as a morally upright, devout Christian man. And Franken is a hypocrite because he is still trying to portray himself as a man who "respects women" and as an "ally and supporter and champion of women."
Dr. Jez said "I think Franken should be made a public example . . ."
I totally agree. I think Franken should step down. I think the Democratic party and/or the house ethics committee should make him step down. And if that doesn't happen, voters should take him out. I expect better from our nation's leaders. Oh, and kudos to the house for starting an ethics committee investigation on Franken. I just hope they actually do something.
Myotech said, "And everybody piling on Moore and Weinstein in these forums needs to pile on Franken too or be counted as hypocrites. (way to lose half my audience I was intending to impress before, but I'm quite impulsive with the words)."
I appreciate the sentiment that we have to judge people on both sides of the party line by the same standards. What Franken did was evil, and what happened to his victim matters, and it is a situation that calls for outrage. But you can't expect everyone to take part in every discussion. People have busy lives outside of this forum. I almost didn't open this thread because I had never heard of Franken until tonight (had to Google who the dude was and what the allegations were), and never heard of Weinstein until the recent scandal. Moore, on the other hand, is a public figure that I have been familiar with for years, having grown up listening to right-wing religious talk radio. I would imagine that many former fundamentalists are familiar with Moore. Besides, the allegations against Moore involve a child, and therefore have a deeper and more disturbing emotional impact on many people.
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