FWIW, in 2011 she was bragging about being on stage with Franken back during this tour.

C’mon bro Cloud Atlas is top 10 movie of all time.

Sounds like this could have been handled in private!

The NVG mod locked his thread and sent his people here. ruh roh

That is weird stuff. If true it’s not sexual harassment just crazy stalker harassment. But it does not help Franken’s image at all.

Certainly could see how she could easily misportrayed what happened there. If Franken came out and denied it I might think it didn’t happen. If he released another wish wash statement or most likely just ignores it, it hurts him.

Dear NVGtards,

Welcome to the Politics forum! When posting on this topic, please be sure to include an opinion about Mel Brooks' use of stereotypes and/or thoughts on the relative merits of the Coen and Wachowski siblings' bodies of work.

One post from an outsider and you guys already scramble the pigeons? I can assure you most NVG posters don't want to subject themselves to a politard ****-show lol

Stephen Miller is pretty close to the presidency.

good take

Very clearly not a virgin though. I'd easily take o20 on # of hookers he's ****ed. In fact I might take o0.5 on # of hookers he's killed.

Miller seems more like the type who pays a hooker to piss in his mouth while he jerks off.

.

I feel like I'm lost at sea in terms of forming an opinion in this situation... I'm so used to the "Well, the victim did X, so let's throw shade at her and question her story," being a load of crap men use to discredit women... and in the last couple weeks with the Moore stuff, I'm used to it being just insanely absurd.

But, seeing that tweet makes me think along those lines. Am I a soulless partisan hack who can't see through his blue glasses to realize the Franken is a monster? Or, am I correct in thinking that there are good reasons to be doubting right now?

It's tough, too, because Franken was probably in my top five favorite politicians currently in office, so I know I'm capable of being biased here.

I think using that tweet as a reason to doubt Tweeden is terrible; it's quite similar to using "well you still worked with <sexual harasser> for years afterwards, why are you only making this claim now?" against ~every woman at Fox News that was harassed by their male coworkers. Employing logic like "if she ever so much as smiled at this person again she must be lying" is part of the harassment problem and part of the reason women don't want to come forward with allegations like these.

We're talking about a somewhat absurd allegation that he sexually harassed her by arguing politics, coming from a previously unheard of (afaik) right wing blog.

If that doesn't get picked up anywhere in the MSM or on the major political sites, I think he'd be nuts to address it.

Like what's a wishy-washy statement even look like in this case? "I'm sorry if she felt harassed, and I did call her three times to argue politics, but nothing further and I in no way did anything I could see being interpreted as sexual harassment."

The reason he shouldn't address that if it doesn't get picked up is that the moment he makes that statement, he makes it news and the headlines are:

CNN: FRANKEN DENIES SECOND ALLEGATION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

FOX NEWS: STRIKE TWO! FRANKEN CLAIMS SECOND VICTIM IS LYING!

BREITBART: [INSERT DEROGATORY EPITHET FOR JEWISH PEOPLE] FRANKENSTEIN GRABS AGAIN??? SLANDERS SECOND VICTIM!

It would just be strategically poor to address an absurd accusation if it doesn't get any news coverage.

But she MIGHT be part of some grand Roger Stone and Sean Hannity alliance to take down powerful Presidential aspirant Al Franken. Go away and think about how any Democratic Presidential candidate will now be accused of sexual harassment by 60 million people now before we get too credulous about Leeann Tweeden. Also did you know she took nudes? Just saying. Oh we definitely should always believe women but just saying, this one was no angel. Does that make me partisan? Man I'm soooo conflicted here, I have this personal principle I swear I adhere to but these lyin bitches CAN really put the screws to honest people if we give em an inch. I'm not saying THIS one is but man, if we let even one of these stories be believed on its face, it will remove our ability to call for a judgement to about this to be made at some unspecified time when we get "more evidence" and we might be obligated to take action sooner rather than way later, if we get around to it.

P.S. - don't ruminate too much about the photo and Franken admitting to being a creep where he says he understands why everyone would be disgusted, might cloud your judgement on this

Guys I've been spitballing a personal ethic which is something like personal virtues and principles are good unless a right-winger can deploy them unscrupulously in which case we need to reconsider them entirely. Onto something here?!? The world of principles seemed good on its face but I didn't realize people might be dishonest or insincere, this whole project really falls apart now. "Believe women" is a decent rule of thumb but in a world where we can ham handedly assume Sean Hannity might be putting them up to it, we've gotta reconsider, our good idea might just be weaponized against us by idiots and no one in the world can solve this problem. Sorry principles, but the world didn't realize Roger Stone existed before we thought of you.

Unironic next take 10 minutes later: PS 2017 America is a giant race to the bottom, thanks Trump.

He was hiring staffers for his campaign in 2006. He was at least planning to run for public office at the time.

Pretty much this.

I'm a little conflicted (disclosure, i voted for Franken). On the one hand, i'm not sure this is really a hanging offense that rises to the level of needing to resign. On the other, i find the rush of people trying to Paula Jones the accuser to be really gross.

And a 55 year old guy writing a skit where he personally kisses a reluctant 20 year old playmate that doesn't want to kiss him, knowing that she faces the implicit "are you dedicated to being a performer or not?" pressure is really sleazy imo.

Well, I might sleep on it and regret it but that's where I'm at.

Because, I am triggered by the photo as is. I'm not a fan of that objectification even when framed as a joke, especially in Tweeden's case. Which ties in to the whole thing as people think it's more acceptable because she posed for Maxim or what have you, whereas I think it's less. She paraded herself for lechers as a gig, she doesn't need to deal with that bull**** during off-hours.

Basically, I feel like I'm getting played with the timing around the Moore scandal but have to just say, nh, well played.

Rabble rabble: "we need to aggressively prevent the powerful from preying on women!"
Woman: "A powerful man wronged me"
Rabble rabble: "she might be making this up to reduce his power. He *is* powerful, you know, consider that dynamic!"

Don't believe that MRA bull**** about 'pretty' 'girls' having it easy. Being treated as a sexual object from age 12-13 onward eats your ****ing soul.

I feel inclined to overshare a personal story.

So, what's your take on my take? Which is much of this only instead of, 'Let's call the whole thing off,' it's, 'Choke down that jagged pill, son.'

Right. Some loathsome **** out there is like well she's a model and posed in Playboy and this and that, she's just putting herself out there! OK? A non sequitur. People bring it up to implicitly assume she asked for it.

I don't even know whether being a sex object eats at her soul or not. Maybe she likes it, or likes the income. Doesn't mean you get to treat someone badly.

Hottake: you can both 1) enjoy being treated as a sexual object (or not) and 2) expect not have people pretend to or actually grab your boobs while you sleep