Minnesota Senator Al Franken resigned today after coordinated pressure from Democratic leadership forced him to end his political career. His resignation came after seven accusations of sexual misconduct which included groping, attempted kissing, and other disgusting behavior.
Franken’s resignation comes on the heels of another high profile political exit by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan. He was accused of paying off his alleged victims with taxpayer money. The Democrats are using these forced resignations to say that they have the moral high ground and do not tolerate sexual abuse. That’s all well and good, considering how long it took them to come to that conclusion.
Democrat leadership tried at first to defend the beloved and longest-serving sexual predator in Congress. Nancy Pelosi said during an interview with Chuck Todd: “We are strengthened by due process. Just because someone is accused — and was it one accusation? Is it two? I think there has to be — John Conyers is an icon in our country. He has done a great deal to protect women — Violence Against Women Act, which the left — right-wing — is now quoting me as praising him for his work on that, and he did great work on that. But the fact is, as John reviews his case, which he knows, which I don’t, I believe he will do the right thing.” Later in the interview when asked if she believed the accusers, she said: “I don’t know who they are… Do you? They have not really come forward.”
Franken used his resignation speech as an opportunity to attack President Donald Trump and Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. He said: “I, of all people, am aware that there is some irony in the fact that I am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party”
Is Franken right? Should Trump and Moore resign based on the accusations they received?
No. They should not.
The Democrats are conveniently forgetting the major difference here. You see both Moore and Trump’s accusations came during a campaign, not years after they were already in office. This is notable because it means voters were given a choice in whether they want this person in office after knowing about any accusations of bad behavior. In the Franken and Conyers cases, both resigned after betraying the public trust and buried the truth for years while in office. In the Conyers case, it was worse since the alleged incidents occurred while in office and taxpayer money was used to pay them off. This, of course, does not give Rep. Farenthold a free pass. He is accused of settling harassment claims and once accusers come to light, he probably should resign as well.
Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood tape comments should have been enough to sink his campaign. The accusations against Roy Moore are very bad, horrible enough that people should not support that type of behavior or his campaign. Women deserved to be respected and sexual harassment and assault of any kind should not be tolerated.
That being said, it does not mean they should resign. In political campaigns, your sins are tried in a court of public opinion, not a criminal court.
Hillary Clinton’s alleged crimes and corruption were put on full display during the election and the voters responded. They elected the man who said those horrible things on a bus and had multiple accusers over a somebody who deleted over 30,000 emails and used hammers and bleach-bit to cover her tracks. Only after the election, Clinton’s supporters from her party and within the Government decided to use a special investigator against Trump because they did not like how the court of public opinion ruled. Let’s also not forget the complete double standard set by the Clinton’s over allegations of Bill Clinton raping women and Hillary’s attacks on the accusers. Democrats are just now saying, years later, that maybe they should not have supported this awful behavior and believed Bill’s accusers.
Franken and Conyers will go the way of Weinstein and Spacey. History will remember them for their disgusting deeds. Meanwhile, Trump will keep racking up wins and Moore just might get elected.
In the end, the voters get to decide who stays and goes during an election. It’s politicians who betray the public trust by hiding their disgusting pasts from voters need to go.
