Franken: Should He or Shouldn’t He? The Bigger Issue

Should Al Franken resign? It’s Complicated.

At this very moment, 6:15 pm EST on November 17, Al Franken has neither resigned his seat in the Senate, nor declared positively that he’s not going to.

Of course, understandably, there have been calls for Franken’s political head.  The complainant has the goods. Even Roy Moore–a sexual predator far worse than Al Franken–  doesn’t have an  actual photo of him taking advantage of a woman.

I’ve been a fan of Al Franken from well before he was elected to the U.S. Senate.  As Senator, he has been a strong and effective voice for liberal politics.. I admire the man and like him, and am thankful for his service.

BUT:  there’s more at stake in the Al Franken scandal than an offense to a woman at a some comic moment that he must have thought at the time (being a man) was a harmless bit of fun. What’s at stake is the moral stature of the Democratic Party. Which is why I think Franken should resign. 

The principle of the Democratic Party that Franken violated was: we do not use people without their free, unforced, explicit consent.  Whether man or woman, of any age, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, their boundaries must be respected (call it the “No Means No” rule).  This is especially true of those more vulnerable than the perpetrator: younger, inferior in social or economic status, physically less powerful, etc.

So the scandals emerging from the #MeToo movement reflect a broader problem, not simply a women’s issue.  Women are in the forefront, because throughout history in most cultures they have borne the brunt of systematic oppression.  But their cause is the cause of everyone who has been taken advantage of by those more powerful.

The Complication: Realpolitik.

The timing for Al Franken’s fall couldn’t be much worse from a liberal’s point of view.  The Republican and Trump agenda on taxes, the environment, the justice system, and health care threatens to damage our society deeply for decades to come, and many key votes loom for the rest of the year. Al Franken is one of those people we’ve been counting on to man the barriers against the worsening assault.

But, as the conservative commentator Charlie Sykes said on MSNBC—of the circling of the wagons around Roy Moore by Alabama Republicans— to put party before morality and decency strikes at the heart of the American experiment. This all-or-nothing partisan mindset should not be tolerated by Democrats, even for such a liberal standard-bearer as Al Franken. The overarching issue is human rights.

So what’s the least damaging solution that still enables Democrats in the Senate to realistically slow down the Trump/Republican wrecking crew until this legislative session ends? Seems pretty straightforward: Franken tenders his resignation as of January 1, 2018.  He can still vote on key issues and nominations until New Years. We can hope this will give Minnesota governor Mark Dayton the chance to find someone to replace Franken who can carry the liberal flag into the next perilous year.

DAMN!