al franken should resign

For the sake of the Democratic party, American women, and the integrity of our government, Al Franken should resign as U.S. Senator.

I’m not saying this because I think the allegations (and hard evidence) that surfaced today against him are any more abhorrent or disgusting than any of the hundred others lodged against public officials in this last period of revelation. In fact, it may be among the milder instances of sexual assault uncovered. But make no mistake, what Franken was accused of and publicly apologized for is sexual assault. Grabbing someone and forcibly kissing them is sexual assault, not a skit rehearsal or a funny joke.

I’m not saying Franken should resign because he is irredeemably reprehensible or inherently evil. I’m saying Al Franken should resign because he has the rare opportunity to practice what he preaches.

Almost all public officials are ostensibly anti-sexual violence, anti-rape, anti-harassment. Until recently, that wasn’t a fraught principle to hold. But when presented with evidence and accounts of their own hypocrisy, many politicians have wavered in their stances, and made exceptions. “I’m firmly against sexual assault...but that time I cornered and forced myself on a subordinate female staffer wasn’t that.” “I’m against sexual harassment...but only when it’s true and all the women accusing me of it are liars.”

Through it all, Franken has been one of the politicians saying that all assault is wrong, no matter how important the man who did it is, saying we should believe women, because those brave enough to share their traumatic and private experiences aren’t lying for five minutes of fame.

Now, Franken has a chance to live up to his principles. At a time when trust in government institutions is at an all time low, a politician following through on his word, especially to his own detriment, would make a powerful statement.

I’m not naive; I have no preconceptions that Franken’s resignation will set a standard of human decency to which other politicians will actually be held.That’s not the point. Al Franken should resign because he has the opportunity to do the right thing and so few politicians seize those. Ironically, he has a chance to reintroduce some integrity into our political system.

Now, to all those who will say, “But what about the Democratic party? What about all the other causes we have to fight for? What about resisting Trump?” Well...

First, what ABOUT the Democratic party? You mean the one that claims to be a champion of women and equality? Do you really think that party will be better off being openly exposed as principle-less than if one senator resigns?

And if you’re so loyal to your party, then you must care deeply about your party’s causes...like the mistreatment and inequality of women. What better way to further your cause than for a powerful man to stand up and say, “even if it hurts me, I believe women. Even if it threatens my position, those perpetuating these dynamics should not be in positions of power.”

As for those who say there are more important issues, I’d kindly ask which ones those are. Set aside the fact that Minnesota has a democratic governor who would probably appoint a Democrat to Franken’s seat so the party wouldn’t lose any votes in the Senate. This issue affects 100% of the population, not the 51% of women. This is not a “women’s issue;” this is a human issue. What better way is there to tell men that they should pay attention to it?

And as far as partisan politics goes, the Republican party is struggling to find its moral core while a recording of the Republican president admitting to sexual assault festers in the public body. The Democratic party has a opportunity to definitively claim the moral high ground. But to do so, it actually has to hold itself to a high moral standard.

What better way to debunk Roy Moore’s claims that the women accusing him of abuse are part of a Democratic conspiracy than to say no, all these women are real. Even the ones that hurt us.

As far as the Democrats' chances in 2018 are concerned, the Democrats may be riding high on Virginia victories and Trump’s low approval ratings now, but who do you think is driving that momentum?

Women have historically been and continue to be a vital part of Democrats’ margin of victory, and post Trump, they’ve taken center stage in the party’s voter coalition. Record numbers of women are running for office. Record numbers of women are donating to political campaigns and causes. Hell, for all its flaws, the Women’s March was the first semblance of any widescale organized resistance to Trump. How do you think female voters are going to feel if their party’s leadership just lets this one slide because, deep down, Al’s a really good guy? Will they disengage? Will they vote? For Democrats, midterms are all about turnout and this would surely keep women at home.

Finally, think about the valuable role Al Franken could play by voluntarily resigning, instead of being publicly ridiculed until he retreats.We’ve been dealing with the aftermath of outed sexual assaulters and systemic gender issues for a while now. As fun as it is to wake up to another POLITICO push notification that someone entrusted with running the country has done something unspeakably horrible, we, as a society, should probably try to start solving this problem. By resigning, genuinely taking a step back, listening to women and learning from their perspectives, Al Franken could help us understand how to raise our children to respect those of all genders and how to deal with those who have already engaged in misconduct.

Al Franken could be a leader of tomorrow, instead of the next politician on the public’s rapidly growing list of harassers, if he would just resign.

#ugh #sexualmisconduct