I must admit, I actually feel sorry for Senator Al Franken today. The Minnesota Democrat is expected to resign in the wake of accusations that he had physical contact with women that they didn’t appreciate before he was elected to the Senate. Yesterday, every Demoratic female Senator turned against Franken–demanding that he quit–even though he is not charged with any crimes, never paid off anyone to remain quiet and isn’t even facing any civil lawsuits.
Al Franken is an unfortunate pawn that is being sacrificed by the Democratic Party for future strategic advantage. By forcing out Franken right now, Dems can claim the “moral high ground” should Roy Moore–with his accusations of pedophilia coming along as baggage–win the Alabama Senate special election next week. Liberals at every level will be able to point to Franken’s resignation and say “See, a Democrat facing the flimsiest of unsubstantiated claims stepped down without any due process and Republicans should demand that Roy Moore do the same!” And should Moore lose next week, Democrats can hang on to the Franken chip to use when the next GOP Senator or Congressman is inevitably accused of harassment–no matter how old or dubious the claim.
You can bet that the “forced retirement” of Michigan Congressman John Conyers has a lot to do with the pressure being applied to Senator Franken. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus could not have been happy that one their own was getting pushed out–while a white colleague may have been allowed to skate. Nevermind that the alleged incidents involving Conyers took place while he was in office (literally in his Congressional office) and that taxpayer money was used to pay off the alleged victims. Perhaps Senator Franken can take some solace in knowing that his ouster will be seen as a victory for social justice.
One final thing to consider is that Democrats have to feel pretty confident that they can win a special election to fill Franken’s seat. His term runs through 2020, so obviously it won’t be allowed to sit empty for two years–although I doubt he will try to hand-pick his successor like Congressman Conyers is by endorsing his son to take his place. The Democratic Farm Labor party is probably already lining up safe, female candidates to square off for Franken’s seat in order to ensure that this doesn’t happen again while everyone cares about this issue.
While they call for his resignation publicly, members of Al Franken’s party are likely thanking him in private for “taking one for the team”.
