I’m sure both parties are furiously attempting to dig up dirt on each other, they always have been, much of the dirt they find may well deserve to be dug up. The more stories that come out though, the greater the likelihood that one of them will not be legit.
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Yeah… but that also distorts the evidence calculation. Let me hypothetically posit that he did nothing wrong, just as a thought experiment:
The photo was taken with Tweedens knowledge and consent, as a joke. The kissing incident never happened or was entirely innocent. But once the photo surfaced, given the epistemological realities of our times, Franken realized there is no way he can talk his way out of the accusations because nobody will believe his denial. So he instead picked the path of least resistance and went for taking the blame and apologizing because that’s going to do the minimal amount of damage at this point, fair or not.
I’m not claiming this is what happened (I don’t think the current evidence in support of this hypothesis is particularly strong), but it’s not an entirely ludicrous scenario either.
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Franken has apologized for the joke in the photo, that took place 11 years ago. To be clear, he is not touching her. Edit: I just googled and found Tweeden at least initially claimed this photo convinced her that Franken groped her in her sleep, which this photo really doesn’t seem to show. (Also it seems she isn’t accusing him of groping her in rehearsal.)
She also accuses him of kissing her in a way she didn’t want at all, in their rehearsal prior to an onstage performance of a scene which all agree included a kiss in the script; Franken states he has a different recollection of the incident, but has also apologized anyway.
So at this point re: the rehearsal it’s her statement against his, with no other observed pattern, corroboration or other evidence.
It’s also worth noting that Tweeden has accepted Franken’s apology, and Franken has also further requested a full ethics investigation of himself.
So: as far as my opinion matters, an investigation is a good thing. If a pattern of behavior like this turns up, then it’s worth looking at.
And also, this should in no way be a distraction from investigations of at least similar good vigor into Roy Moore, Donald Trump, and every other member of the Senate and Congress.
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This is something I think all of us here can agree with.
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Humility is a very useful thing to have in both politics and comedy. Franken displayed enough of it that this whole scandal will probably blow over quickly for him.
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Did I say it was funny? No; I said it was juvenile. But now I will say I’m sure that there are juveniles and those with a juvenile sense of humor who will find it funny.
Quit acting so butt-hurt.
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It also makes Franken look like a much more honorable person in the process and kills the story’s ability to take on a life of its own. Bill Clinton did the same thing when it came to adultery accusations.He took control of the story by admitting fault. Which is why he didn’t end up like John Edwards or Gary Hart.
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But Franken…admitted, apologized, and sought forgiveness. If Roy Moore did that last Friday he would still be the front runner in AL despite a history of being a perv.
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We probably need to agree on what types of hazing and harrassment and assault are excusable with an apology.
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I think that is really up to the victims to decide. Frankly I think he should have written a check. Either to her or to an anti-abuse charity. Words are cheap. Forgiveness should not be.
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Sessions: Al, isn’t it amazing what a photo does for one’s recollection?
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Sure, and let me “hypothetically posit” that you are an alt-right MRA posing as a human being. Just as a thought experiment.
You are not actually interested in women’s liberation. You do not care that Tweeden was mistreated, and in fact approve of it. But you realized that there’s no way you could say this openly, because nobody would sympathize with your toxic values. So instead you picked the path of least resistance by introducing doubt into a clear-cut situation using that most banal tool: biased skeptical speculation. Because you realize that’s going to get the minimal amount of criticism from an audience who like to think of themselves as smart and rational.
I’m not claiming this is what you’re doing (I don’t think the current evidence in support of this hypothesis is particularly strong), but it’s not an entirely ludicrous scenario either.
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UNLESS he has a flak jacket/plywood fetish…
Every Congressperson is another person’s scumbag.
“The really tough thing about humility is, you can’t brag about it.” - Gene Brown
I crushed my ADD to get through all 117 comments just hoping for some amateur therapy.
Too soon?
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That is the truth. If I were super wealthy, I would hire an army of investigators to go after ALL of them.
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So, if she claims he groped her, but the photo clearly shows air between his hands and her chest, why show the photo and claim groping? I understand he may have done it after, but is she claiming that or just trying to show the juvenile humor?
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Agreed. Also, interestingly, the House GOP voted on the awful tax bill today.
That said, these allegations re: Franken are also worth paying serious attention to. She has accepted his apology, and he has personally asked for a further ethics investigation of himself. So hopefully while that investigation goes on we can pursue other matters also worthy of attention.
I think you missed his point totally. Why now when other people people are talking about? Because it is the RIGHT time to fucking talk about it. Derp.
Many people are expressing their disapproval of these actions and support of the victims. Any other time they would have been more likely to be either ignored or discredited. It’s both a safety in number sort of thing AND because it is a national topic.
I spent 25 never bringing up the fact I was the victim of some sexual pervert. (albeit mildly so) Does the fact I have brought it up only recently also bother you due to the timing?
Also - its damn ironic you mention a straight face in reference to an Onion article.
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This habitual Democratic voter here is in favor of the ethics investigation into Franken, that Franken himself called for. As are most other liberals and Democrats who I’ve talked with so far about this.
And also, this should in no way disrupt similar robust investigations into Roy Moore, Donald Trump, and anyone else.
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Yeah, that’s fine - show Franken the door, I’d be happy to have him in comedy again. But if Franken is going to exit tomorrow, then Trump has to go YESTERDAY. No double standards.
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This is an obviously staged pic. You can see shadows under his fingers - he was not actually touching her, he was pretending. Was she actually asleep, or was she pretending too? She was not a soldier. What was the body armor, helmet, etc about? What do the other people who were in the room say was going on? And how did she get the photo? We know she’s a staunch conservative with an interesting background, does she have any motive for spinning a false story?
We don’t know if Franken was being a creep or satirizing a creep - he did write sketches satirizing creeps, you know. I see more questions than answers here - the photo is not a candid shot of someone doing something terrible, it was part of something that was staged for some reason, and we don’t know the story.
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