Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby tinyrick » Sun Nov 19, 2017 5:46 pm

Former Oklahoma State Senator, Ralph Shortey, pleads guilty to child sex trafficking charge.

Indianapolis City Councilman, Jeff Miller, accused of 4 counts of child molestation.

Ok. This guy didn't actually commit any crimes, but the situation is awkward for him. Anti-LGBT Ohio state legislator caught having sex with a man in his office.

Just thought I'd highlight state and local offices a bit. I know they're not as sexy as federal government sex scandals.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby jbobsully11 » Mon Nov 20, 2017 1:05 am

tinyrick wrote:Ok. This guy didn't actually commit any crimes, but the situation is awkward for him. Anti-LGBT Ohio state legislator caught having sex with a man in his office.


Just thought I'd highlight state and local offices a bit. I know they're not as sexy as federal government sex scandals.

I think the guy in the above link would disagree...
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Crimson847 wrote:In other words, transgender-friendly privacy laws don't molest people, people molest people.

(Presumably, the only way to stop a bad guy with a transgender-friendly privacy law is a good guy with a transgender-friendly privacy law, and thus transgender-friendly privacy law rights need to be enshrined in the Constitution as well)
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby IamNotCreepy » Mon Nov 20, 2017 5:01 pm

Welp, looks like another woman has accused Franken of groping her.

He allegedly grabbed her butt during a photograph. This time he was already a Senator.

I was on the fence about whether or not he should resign before, but I definitely think he should now.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby cmsellers » Mon Nov 20, 2017 7:35 pm

Same. For me the two key questions were:

1. Is there a pattern? Sexual predators repeat their crimes. Harvey Weinstein, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Roy Moore all faced multiple independent accounts. If there's a pattern, Franken needs to resign.

2. Did he actually grope her? The picture makes it look like he wasn't actually touching her, but Tweeden said he was. If he actually groped her and there was no pattern, he should still probably resign.

This account suggests that the answer to both questions is "yes." Now I'd propose waiting a little bit if I were a Democratic official. My inclination on sexual assault victims is to believe the victim, and I believe false accusations are exceedingly rare. However they do happen, and if there's going to be consequences, we should at least make sure there are no obvious holes in the second accuser's story.

But barring the revelation that Franken wasn't even at that fair or Linday Menz is a close friend of Roger Ailes, I'd say that there's now a pattern of evidence that Al Franken is a groper.

Incidentally, I was thinking today about my ambivalence on Franken's first Senate run. On one hand, I really disliked Norm Coleman and wanted to see him lose. On the other hand, Al Franken was a bad comedian whose only political experience was writing political comedy which failed to be either funny or insightful; I didn't think that qualified him for the office.

This concern seems positively quaint now, but between that and the groping, Al Franken seems like a sort of Democratic proto-Trump.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby Aquila89 » Mon Nov 20, 2017 10:09 pm

cmsellers wrote:But barring the revelation that Franken wasn't even at that fair or Linday Menz is a close friend of Roger Ailes, I'd say that there's now a pattern of evidence that Al Franken is a groper.


She isn't, but she did vote for Trump. Just like Roy Moore's two most serious accusers, and Juanita Broaddrick and Paula Jones... all these women expect to be believed when it's about their abuse, but dismiss Trump's accusers out of hand. But of course many Clinton voters probably dismissed his accusers back in the '90s, but believed Trump's accusers right away... what a clusterfuck.

cmsellers wrote:This concern seems positively quaint now, but between that and the groping, Al Franken seems like a sort of Democratic proto-Trump.


I don't think that's entirely fair, given that once in office, Franken didn't behave like a comedian, and had decent approval ratings.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby SandTea » Wed Nov 22, 2017 12:07 am

36 female SNL coworkers of Franken have issued a statement of support for him.

Three dozen women who worked with Sen. Al Franken on “Saturday Night Live” released a statement late Monday supporting the Minnesota Democrat following accusations that he groped two women.

...

“What Al did was stupid and foolish, and we think it was appropriate for him to apologize to Ms Tweeden, and to the public,” they wrote.

And they offered a strong defense of their former colleague and his treatment of women. “After years of working with him, we would like to acknowledge that not one of us ever experienced any inappropriate behavior; and mention our sincere appreciation that he treated each of us with the utmost respect and regard,”


Also 8 former staffers have issued a similar sentiment
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby DamianaRaven » Wed Nov 22, 2017 5:41 am

I think Seth Meyers just nailed it with the following advice: "If your face isn’t pulling in the babes — your penis won’t make the difference."
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Last edited by DamianaRaven on Thu Nov 23, 2017 6:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby tinyrick » Thu Nov 23, 2017 8:22 am

DamianaRaven wrote:[In a deleted double post]Well, FUCK.


What are you well-fucking about?
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby DamianaRaven » Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:08 am

I quoted myself instead of editing my post.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby Aquila89 » Fri Nov 24, 2017 5:51 pm

Two more women (unanimously) accused Franken of grabbing them while they took a photo with him. He responded with a a semi-admission:

I’ve met tens of thousands of people and taken thousands of photographs, often in crowded and chaotic situations. I’m a warm person; I hug people. I’ve learned from recent stories that in some of those encounters, I crossed a line for some women – and I know that any number is too many. I’ve thought a lot in recent days about how that could happen, and recognize that I need to be much more careful and sensitive in these situations. I feel terribly that I’ve made some women feel badly and for that I am so sorry, and I want to make sure that never happens again.


Oh, he has learned, at the age of 66 that grabbing women's butts without their consent is not okay. Wonderful progress.

Just like gisambards said, the Democrats are losing the moral high ground in the controversy about Roy Moore. I don't care that Roy Moore is accused of doing worse things. Both Franken and Moore are accused of sexual harassment, and Franken basically admitted it. The Democrats can't say "there's no place for harassers in the Senate" as long as he's there.

Franken has not appeared in public since the first allegation, [...] and, according to aides, “spending time with his family and doing a lot of reflecting"


Reflect on resigning, you grabby fuck.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby Aquila89 » Mon Nov 27, 2017 11:48 am

Representative John Conyers (D-MI) resigned from his position as ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee (but not from Congress) after being accused of sexually harassing his staffers.

News website BuzzFeed reported last Monday that Conyers' office paid a woman more than $27,000 under a confidentiality agreement to settle a complaint in 2015 that she was fired from his Washington staff because she rejected his sexual advances. BuzzFeed also published affidavits from former staff members who said they had witnessed Conyers touching female staffers inappropriately — rubbing their legs and backs — or requesting sexual favors.


Conyers denies the allegations. The House Ethics Committee is conducting an investigation.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby Aquila89 » Tue Dec 05, 2017 7:46 pm

Just me here?

John Conyers announced his resignation today.

It was revealed that Republican representative Blake Farenthold (actual picture) settled a sexual harassment case using taxpayer money. Farenthold says he'll pay the money back. (He's the guy who, after the Access Hollywood tape came out, was asked whether he would unendorse Trump if Trump said "I really like raping women." Farenthold responded that he “would have to consider it.”)

Ruben Kihuen, a newly elected Democratic representative from Nevada was accused of sexual harassment by his former campaign finance director. Nancy Pelosi called for his resignation.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby KleinerKiller » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:30 pm

Franken's officially out. "In the coming weeks," at least.

Hopefully that means he's staying long enough to help intervene in the FCC decision seven days from now, being an ardent net neutrality advocate, and then resigning immediately afterward, being a scumbag who's sabotaged his own party every day he's continued to stay.
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby sunglasses » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:46 pm

I *really* disagree with the scumbag designation.

But that's just me. Bill Clinton who may have raped someone and has numerous women who alleged him of sexual harassment/coercion? Scumbag. Trump, who's been accused of rape of a 14 year old and multiple other reports of sexual assault? Scumbag. Moore, who allegedly groped a 14 year old? Scumbag.

Franken, who's been alleged to grab asses? Pervy, needs to keep hands to himself, not full on scumbag IMO.

I'm just very leary of lumping all sexual harassment and assaults together, especially as there is a scale there in the criminal court for a reason. Grabbing someone's butt is a 4th degree sexual assault (in some states) and is a misdemeanor whereas sexual contact without consent- by use of threats, force or violence- which causes injury, including illness is a second degree sexual assault and a felony (in some states).
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Re: Sexual allegations 2: politician edition

Postby KleinerKiller » Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:45 pm

Oh, I don't disagree with you, Sunny. You may have interpreted my intent wrong because "scumbag" is on the lighter scale of pervert designations for me.

For repeatedly groping women, Franken is a scumbag.

For doing their shit, Trump, Moore, Billy Clinton, etc are demented fuckface cock goblins.
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