Senator Al Franken Kissed and Groped Me Without My Consent, And There’s Nothing Funny About It
120 replies, posted
[QUOTE=SunsetTable;52897279]...Oh these are serious. I couldn't tell because of the fucking image which on its own looks like its entirely set up.
No I'm not saying it is, just...it looks like something me and my friends would do.[/QUOTE]
I can't tell what this post is intending to convey.
[QUOTE=srobins;52897267]The accuser is a regular on Sean Hannity lol, it's entirely a hit job to draw attention away from Roy Moore's pedophilia. The kiss is the only part of this I have an issue with, assuming it happened like she said it happened. The photo is in bad taste for a senator but he wasn't a senator at the time and it is in no stretch of the imagination him "groping" her.[/QUOTE]
There is literally no way Roger Stone should know this, I think this is serious proof that she came out now to distract. I'm not denying something inappropriate happened, but this should cause doubt that anything beyond the picture actually occurred from this.
[QUOTE=sgman91;52897251]I mean, Franklin already said we should believe her and that what he did was "disgusting."[/QUOTE]
Disgusting, as I understood it, was in reference to the picture. And saying we should believe her for the purpose of a) believing how she felt and b) believing it should be investigated isn't necessarily contradictory to his statement that the first claim is incorrect as he remembers the events. Certainly there is a third way we can interpret the idea of believing her, as saying she is correct on all counts, but his own statements make that interpretation ridiculous and I'd lean towards one, or really both, of the initial possible interpretations.
[QUOTE=Firgof Umbra;52897288]I can't tell what this post is intending to convey.[/QUOTE]
Without the accompanying article, it looks like a bunch of idiots doing idiot things for a giggle including the woman.
I'm pretty disappointed in Franken and don't think an apology really does anything but at least he worded one well.
But one thing that does get me is the "I don't recall it that way" excuse/statement. I think it needs more than just a "That's an obvious excuse" as an explanation. Who here is actually above 45? 50? No one would be my guess. There are serious changes that do occur to your memory once you've reached that kind of age. None of this is an excuse, I just want to understand. This isn't a new thing for old people to say in my experience.
Growing up, I always had explicit memories of times where my mother or father, or another adult just flat out contradicted their past selves, and when made aware of it claimed to not remembered ever having said that. As a kid, I could point to pretty specific time frames as to when they did say that and their exact wording, and they'd still double down on that explanation.
I don't like to accept the idea "old people just have bad memories" as an explanation because it isn't true across the board, but it seems like something a lot of old people do without being aware of it. Maybe it's a lapse in how human memory works? I don't know, it's upsetting either way.
[QUOTE=ZachPL;52897299]There is literally no way Roger Stone should know this, I think this is serious proof that she came out now to distract. I'm not denying something inappropriate happened, but this should cause doubt that anything beyond the picture actually occurred from this.[/QUOTE]
Or you know, someone leaked the story to him?
Or a legendarily cut-throated deceitful asshat was hunting for things to fling at Democrats because his party was making itself look bad and pushed a girl to confess something that she may not wholly remember.
Ballistic vests are hot, uncomfortable, and tight fitting. I am impressed that she could fall asleep in that shit. On a military aircraft, no less, which are not comfortable to start with.
At least he has the balls to own it and apologize for it unlike quite a few politicians.
I absolutely think that these allegations should be taken seriously, but I can't help be feel skeptical about the rehearsal story when it's coming from a Hannity contributor who peddled the Obama birther conspiracy on his show back in the day
[media]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931357870024687616[/media]
Truly he became president today
AND HE HASNT SAID ANYTHING ON MOORE
I AM SO ANGRY
[QUOTE=psychofox67;52896554]I always bothers me when people say "I shouldn't have done it"
But you did shut up and fuck off[/QUOTE]
Uh to be fair what else do you say? Not defending his apology or anything but, assuming it's among other acknowledgement and apologies, I think saying "I shouldn't have done it" is completely appropriate?
[QUOTE=Lambeth;52898642][media]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931357870024687616[/media]
Truly he became president today[/QUOTE]
good to know that the president of the US is currently fantasizing about what Al Franken did to her in her sleep
[QUOTE=Clovernoodle;52898650]AND HE HASNT SAID ANYTHING ON MOORE
I AM SO ANGRY[/QUOTE]
he did I heard it on npr, wasn't much.
[QUOTE=Lambeth;52898642][media]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931357870024687616[/media]
Truly he became president today[/QUOTE]
Question mark or elipsies damnit, not both...!
also one wonders what trump was saying in all the extra hours of the apprentice that got edited out.
[QUOTE=Lambeth;52898642][media]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931357870024687616[/media]
Truly he became president today[/QUOTE]
Maybe he grabbed her by the pussy?
[QUOTE=Wafflemonstr;52898681]good to know that the president of the US is currently fantasizing about what Al Franken did to her in her sleep[/QUOTE]
Even when he's tweeting in opposition of sexual assault, he's a suggestive creep.
It's like when tabloids report on sexual assault and they'll pair the headline/article with a lewd or revealing photo, they're worried their readerbase won't engage with the story so they add the suggestion of voyeurism. Creepy and repulsive.
[QUOTE=Menien Goneld;52898935]Even when he's tweeting in opposition of sexual assault, he's a suggestive creep.
It's like when tabloids report on sexual assault and they'll pair the headline/article with a lewd or revealing photo, they're worried their readerbase won't engage with the story so they add the suggestion of voyeurism. Creepy and repulsive.[/QUOTE]
old fuck was probably drooling while thinking of it. I don't think he could not have worded that any creepier
[QUOTE=matt000024;52897442]Or you know, someone leaked the story to him?[/QUOTE]
The picture has been in circulation for [I]years[/I], and was even shown on National TV after the tour by franken on late night talk shows and no one said a thing about it, so the timing is eyebrow raising, and it will be up to the investigation as to the rest.
[QUOTE=Lambeth;52898642][media]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931357870024687616[/media]
Truly he became president today[/QUOTE]
what a gross man
[QUOTE=Lambeth;52898642][media]https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/931357870024687616[/media]
Truly he became president today[/QUOTE]
So a president who bragged about committing sexual assault, uses another case of sexual assault to push his partisan agenda, conveniently ignoring the sex crimes of another politician because they are on the same team.
What the actual fuck? I am at such a loss for words. I can't describe how fucking disgusted this makes me feel.
[QUOTE=Wafflemonstr;52898977]old fuck was probably drooling while thinking of it. I don't think he could not have worded that any creepier[/QUOTE]
Yes he absolutely could lol.
Let's not forget that this is the same guy who said this:
Interviewer: "What do you have in common with each other, [B]Donald and Ivanka[/B]?"
Ivanka: "Probably real-estate."
Donald: "I was gonna say sex but I can't really so."
[I]That is not a joke, he did actually say that.
[/I][media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpOZVN4_Ihc[/media]
[QUOTE=fulgrim;52899326]So a president who bragged about committing sexual assault, uses another case of sexual assault to push his partisan agenda, conveniently ignoring the sex crimes of another politician because they are on the same team.
What the actual fuck? I am at such a loss for words. I can't describe how fucking disgusted this makes me feel.[/QUOTE]
and beyond that, there's the wording of the tweet which is just fucking bizarre
what compels a president to respond to a sexual assault case by [I]fantasizing about more sexual assult?[/I] if i read those words in a reddit comment, i'd think the guy was wacking off as he wrote it
[QUOTE=EcksDee;52899356]Yes he absolutely could lol.
Let's not forget that this is the same guy who said this:
Interviewer: "What do you have in common with each other, [B]Donald and Ivanka[/B]?"
Ivanka: "Probably real-estate."
Donald: "I was gonna say sex but I can't really so."
[I]That is not a joke, he did actually say that.
[/I][/QUOTE]
Casual reminder that in the [URL="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/timeline-of-trumps-creepiness-while-he-owned-miss-universe-w444634"]Rolling Stone article from October 2016[/URL] about him sexually harassing women while he owned the Miss Universe pageant, it's mentioned that he used to walk into the changing room at the Miss Teen America pageant completely unannounced. There were girls as young as 15 getting changed in there and the article mentions that in an interview with BuzzFeed, former Miss Vermont 1997 [B]Mariah Billado mentioned the issue to Ivanka, and she just shrugged it off saying "he does that"[/B]
[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;52897399]I'm pretty disappointed in Franken and don't think an apology really does anything but at least he worded one well.
But one thing that does get me is the "I don't recall it that way" excuse/statement. I think it needs more than just a "That's an obvious excuse" as an explanation. Who here is actually above 45? 50? No one would be my guess. There are serious changes that do occur to your memory once you've reached that kind of age. None of this is an excuse, I just want to understand. This isn't a new thing for old people to say in my experience.
Growing up, I always had explicit memories of times where my mother or father, or another adult just flat out contradicted their past selves, and when made aware of it claimed to not remembered ever having said that. As a kid, I could point to pretty specific time frames as to when they did say that and their exact wording, and they'd still double down on that explanation.
I don't like to accept the idea "old people just have bad memories" as an explanation because it isn't true across the board, but it seems like something a lot of old people do without being aware of it. Maybe it's a lapse in how human memory works? I don't know, it's upsetting either way.[/QUOTE]
I don't think it was a "my memory's bad, sorry!" excuse. I think he just said that his perspective on the events were different, and that he didn't realize he was harassing her and coming off as predatory and creepy. That's very possible - it's happened to me before. I saw a friend at a bus stop in town one night, and walked over to say hi (and wait for the bus). It was a sort of awkward interaction, and her other friend with her (who I'd never met) was super relieved once she realized we were friends. She was uncomfortable and nervous when I approached and started a conversation (not knowing me), and my lack of social awareness stopped me from realizing how uncomfortable I was making her.
It's not like he just forgot because he's old - I think he's just saying that he remembered the events differently, and he wasn't aware of how uncomfortable he was making her, and once he realized he apologized and took the blame like a reasonable adult. It's not an excuse for shitty behavior, but it's a reasonable explanation. Everyone's been in moments where they made someone else uncomfortable and didn't realize it. Franken accepted his responsibility in being aware of how he treats others, and clearly regretted his actions when he realized that he was behaving inappropriately in a way that made her uncomfortable.
[QUOTE=EcksDee;52899356]Yes he absolutely could lol.
Let's not forget that this is the same guy who said this:
Interviewer: "What do you have in common with each other, [B]Donald and Ivanka[/B]?"
Ivanka: "Probably real-estate."
Donald: "I was gonna say sex but I can't really so."
[I]That is not a joke, he did actually say that.
[/I][media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpOZVN4_Ihc[/media][/QUOTE]
Okay so let me get this straight:
The one thing he thinks he and his daughter have in common in terms of favorite things is [I]sex[/I]? Is he trying to say that "lol everyone enjoys sex" or did he just subtly call his daughter a whore on national TV?
[QUOTE=Zero-Point;52899878]Okay so let me get this straight:
The one thine he thinks he and his daughter have in common in terms of favorite things is [I]sex[/I]? Is he trying to say that "lol everyone enjoys sex" or did he just subtly call his daughter a whore on national TV?[/QUOTE]
Or worse: implying incestual relations.
I feel like he was probably trying to say something along the lines of "we're both sex symbols" but he didn't know how to word it since he's bad at wording phrases in general
I'm having trouble even processing it as a response :hammered:
Here is an article that caught my eye.
[quote]
[b]I’m a feminist. I study rape culture. And I don’t want Al Franken to resign.[/b]
As a feminist and the author of a book on rape culture, I could reasonably be expected to lead the calls for Al Franken to step down, following allegations that he forced his tongue down a woman’s throat, accompanied by a photo of him grinning as he moves in to grope her breasts while she sleeps. It’s disgusting. He treated a sleeping woman as a comedy prop, no more human than the contents of Carrot Top’s trunk, and I firmly believe he should suffer social and professional consequences for it.
But I don’t believe resigning from his position is the only possible consequence, or the one that’s best for American women.
Cynics on both the right and left will presume I am passing by this particular steam tray on 2017’s smorgasbord of feminist outrage because Franken is a Democrat, and so am I. (I was even his proud constituent for two years.) In the most superficial sense, this is true. But it’s meaningless to say it’s because I am a Democrat without asking why I am a Democrat. If you understand what it means to be a Democrat today — that is, why it makes sense to vote blue over red in this highly polarized political environment — you can understand why it might not make the most sense to demand Franken’s resignation, effective immediately.
...
Isn’t that hypocritical? I hear you asking, Because Republicans won’t do the right thing, we shouldn’t, either? But if the short-term “right thing” leads to long-term political catastrophe for American women, I think we need to reconsider our definition of the right thing...[/quote]
[url]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/11/17/im-a-feminist-i-study-rape-culture-and-i-dont-want-al-franken-to-resign/[/url]
Well at least this person is open about their bias and hypocrisy (Sort of).
What a hell of a title though even for an opinion article.
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