All over an alleged attempt at a kiss. Are we even listening to ourselves? We’re running qualified, quality leaders out of the United States Senate when we need them more than ever, and all because of alleged perfectly normal human behavior? This is the level of hypersensitive insanity we’ve reached in this country?
Are we so hell-bent on erasing any sexual pressure on anyone ever that we’ve forgotten that unwanted advances are a part of human reality, part of how we’re wired sexually, part of how we find out if the object of our intended affection is interested? Are the accusations against Sen. Al Franken that he ignored rebukes and plowed ahead and forced himself on someone? Is anyone who pursues an unwanted kiss now a rapist? Being an actual rapist or attempted rapist would be grounds for demanding a senator’s resignation. How are we missing the obvious distinction?
Why was Franken’s open invitation for an ethics investigation ignored in favor of instant political death? Maybe the Democratic leadership, if you can call it that, thinks making Franken its sacrificial lamb is going to reap benefits from voters who will turn and demand the same from the GOP, or else. Or maybe they’re just clueless about the difference between moral high ground and a moral high horse.
Maybe they think it will even play well with donors. Well, this is one registered and practicing independent who broke with personal tradition this year and made a pair of donations to the Democratic National Committee, but this afternoon, within minutes of Sen. Franken’s announcement, notified the DNC that it will receive no further donations from this American.
Rushing to run a widely admired and respected progressive leader out of office on mostly nameless, faceless accusations of minor indiscretions alleged to have happened before he entered public life is a disgrace, and it is patently un-American.
Killing a flea with a Howitzer never is a very bright idea, and the Democratic so-called leaders who demanded this insanity may have just killed a whole lot more than that. If they have, it will be exactly what they deserve. Unfortunately for the rest of us, it won’t be what we deserve. But they never asked us, so I doubt their thinly veiled, jack-booted power play really had any of us in mind to begin with.