Althea
Althea told me...
Given that she never knew about it until she got the discs from her photographer (which was Franken's prank all the time), I'd say he never actually touched her.
Why do we have all these idiots jumping on Al Franken, over this one accusation?
- Thread starter Jade Dragon
- Start date
Althea
Althea told me...
I've been going over the kissing thing in my head. The groping pic is nothing. Poor taste for sure, but you'd have to know Franken's career.
Most of his stuff on SNL was bland for my taste. I'm sure as a comedian he's funny, and quick witted. Some of the Franken/Davis stuff was ok, but a lot wasn't really my taste in humor.
But...he, like so many before him, began in improv. It's a different mentality, and you are always thinking on the fly. In improv...it's 'anything for a laugh'. I'm guessing that he really should have considered his partner in the skit before he tried to kiss her. She clearly wasn't in the same mindset as Franken, given that she was a reporter and not an entertainer.
That was an extremely unfortunate moment for a comedian.
We can debate the differences between one who is a comedian, later turned serious politician, and one who already had a position of power, and abused that position.
Bingo
If the family of a murder victim accepted the apology of the person that killed their family member, does that exempt that killer from punishment?
Keep defending him, hypocrite.
christiefan915
Catalyst
Where's the outrage, cons?
"Stoynoff’s story, which made national news when it broke last week and is reprinted in this week’s issue of PEOPLE, describes a run-in with Trump when she was covering him and pregnant wife Melania on assignment for PEOPLE in December 2005.
“We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat,” she writes.
Marina Grasic, who has known Stoynoff for more than 25 years, says she got a call from her friend the day after the attack. Stoynoff detailed everything about the attack, from Trump pushing her against a wall to the business mogul showing up at her massage appointment the following day, she says.
Stoynoff’s former journalism professor, Paul McLaughlin, says that the writer called him in tears looking for advice the very night of the harrowing encounter. However, he cautioned her to remain quiet in fear of how Trump may retaliate.
PEOPLE East Coast Editor Liz McNeil was one colleague Stoynoff confided in about the incident. McNeil remembers the day she returned from the assignment in Florida to cover Trump and his wife’s first anniversary. “She was very upset and told me how he shoved her against a wall,” says McNeil.
Deputy East Coast News Editor Mary Green returned to PEOPLE’s New York-based staff in December 2005 after a three-year hiatus excited to reconnect with Stoynoff. However, Stoynoff was haunted by her recent experience, and she opened up to Green about the encounter.
“In an early conversation we had in her office, she told me about what happened with Donald Trump,” Green said. “She was shaky, sitting at her desk, relaying that, ‘He took me to this other room, and when we stepped inside, he pushed me against a wall and stuck his tongue down my throat. Melania was upstairs and could have walked in at any time.’
Another coworker who knew about the attack was Liza Hamm, who was friends with McNeil and others in a “tight-knit group” that Stoynoff opened up to.
http://people.com/politics/people-writer-attack-by-donald-trump-corroborated-six-named-sources/
"Stoynoff’s story, which made national news when it broke last week and is reprinted in this week’s issue of PEOPLE, describes a run-in with Trump when she was covering him and pregnant wife Melania on assignment for PEOPLE in December 2005.
“We walked into that room alone, and Trump shut the door behind us. I turned around, and within seconds he was pushing me against the wall and forcing his tongue down my throat,” she writes.
Marina Grasic, who has known Stoynoff for more than 25 years, says she got a call from her friend the day after the attack. Stoynoff detailed everything about the attack, from Trump pushing her against a wall to the business mogul showing up at her massage appointment the following day, she says.
Stoynoff’s former journalism professor, Paul McLaughlin, says that the writer called him in tears looking for advice the very night of the harrowing encounter. However, he cautioned her to remain quiet in fear of how Trump may retaliate.
PEOPLE East Coast Editor Liz McNeil was one colleague Stoynoff confided in about the incident. McNeil remembers the day she returned from the assignment in Florida to cover Trump and his wife’s first anniversary. “She was very upset and told me how he shoved her against a wall,” says McNeil.
Deputy East Coast News Editor Mary Green returned to PEOPLE’s New York-based staff in December 2005 after a three-year hiatus excited to reconnect with Stoynoff. However, Stoynoff was haunted by her recent experience, and she opened up to Green about the encounter.
“In an early conversation we had in her office, she told me about what happened with Donald Trump,” Green said. “She was shaky, sitting at her desk, relaying that, ‘He took me to this other room, and when we stepped inside, he pushed me against a wall and stuck his tongue down my throat. Melania was upstairs and could have walked in at any time.’
Another coworker who knew about the attack was Liza Hamm, who was friends with McNeil and others in a “tight-knit group” that Stoynoff opened up to.
http://people.com/politics/people-writer-attack-by-donald-trump-corroborated-six-named-sources/
christiefan915
Catalyst
So far trump's kept his.....
cawacko
Well-known member
Do you have no thoughts on Franken?
christiefan915
Catalyst
Franken forcibly shoving his tongue down Tweeden's throat was crude, disgusting and completely unacceptable.
Pretending to grab Tweeden's breasts was the same. I say pretending because I don't see actual contact between his hands and her chest.
Do you believe Stoyonoff?
cawacko
Well-known member
Do you have any thoughts politically. That's ultimately the discussion here. What's acceptable behavior by our elected officials. And what should the punishment be, if any
christiefan915
Catalyst
I think you need to take it on a case-by-case basis and it depends on the severity of the action. It can go from training to reprimand to censure to expulsion.
IMO no sexual misbehaviour by our elected officials (or anyone) is acceptable.
cawacko
Well-known member
I agree except for the training part. That's pointless imo. But not all actions are the same like you said. Ultimately it comes down to how much does power trump how we'd like our elected officials to act.
christiefan915
Catalyst
That's kind of a sad commentary if you think training doesn't help. I don't think all people are malicious. Some are just clueless and can change their behaviour when they're trained to understand what's acceptable and what's not.
Cancel 2020.1
Canceled
Unless we're to believe that party operatives are able to find Oscar-caliber actresses for these accusations, I find the accusers against both Moore & Franken to be extremely credible.
cawacko
Well-known member
To me, if you're a grown person who has the capabilities to be elected to the U.S. Congress you should know that sexual harassment is not allowed. You don't need a training class to tell you that.
cawacko
Well-known member
Let's take Al Franken. Let's say what this woman is saying is true and this was only time he did it. If his punishment is a training I think that's a joke. That's where I'm coming from. He should either get no punishment or you get censured. Training is a cop out to me with it comes to punishment for elected officials.
They were at rehearsal on a USO tour.
Stop listening to the racist right. All they do is lie.
The right wing accuser knows Franken was doing a comedy skit. He apologized about making her feel uncomfortable during that time.
Put the focus back where it belongs, on pedophile Roy Moore who sexual assaulted young girls.
Let's lock him up like they did Bill Cosby.
Stop listening to the racist right. All they do is lie.
The right wing accuser knows Franken was doing a comedy skit. He apologized about making her feel uncomfortable during that time.
Put the focus back where it belongs, on pedophile Roy Moore who sexual assaulted young girls.
Let's lock him up like they did Bill Cosby.
christiefan915
Catalyst
I think some of these men have old-school thinking in regard to what is or isn't acceptable. The common excuse is "lighten up, it's just a joke" or "I didn't grab you, I accidentally brushed against you."