It's No Joke, Senator

Since his election to the U.S. Senate from Minnesota in 2008, Al Franken has been mostly successful in distancing himself from his former career as a satirist/comedian, writing and performing sometimes off-color skits for "Saturday Night Live" and other shows.  As a Senator, Franken had been active in his advocacy of the rights of women and minorities, maintaining net neutrality and opposing media mergers, and as a frequent critic of President Donald Trump.  Franken was briefly mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential candidate in 2020.

Then the past came to bite Franken.

Leeann Tweeden, a former model and TV host who reads news for a morning show on KABC-AM radio in Los Angeles (owned by Cumulus Media, not Disney), made headlines of her own Thursday when she revealed that Franken put some unwanted moves on her back in 2006.

According to Tweeden, she and Franken were part of a group of entertainers visiting soldiers in the Middle East when, while rehearsing a skit, he kissed her roughly.  Then, she said, she saw a photo of a grinning Franken putting his hands on her breasts while she was sleeping.

With that image, Tweeden became the latest in a long line of women and some men since the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke who have accused powerful men from coast to coast of using sex as a way of getting ahead in the world.  Unlike most of those men, who would rather fight the accusers than take the blame, Franken apologized to Tweeden and she has accepted.

But that's not the end of the story.  The Senate plans to investigate the matter, and it could end with some kind of punishment for Franken.  There have been calls for him to resign.  President Trump has even tweeted on this, referring to the senator as "Al Frankenstein".

In the national wave of shaming alleged sexual predators, Franken and others might get swept away.  But here's what the tide brought in:  A judge from Alabama who's been accused of having sex with teenaged girls (some of whom might be underage) might be elected to the Senate.  And a man who's admitted to groping and fondling women in the past is currently President of the United States.

It's hard to understand at this point how Franken can remain Senator, despite his admission and apology to Tweeden.  Even if he's allowed to complete his term (and promise not to run again in 2020), he can no longer be an effective advocate for women or as a critic of Trump.  Which is too bad because the Democrats really need someone like that right now.

The joke's on you, Senator.

UPDATE (11/21/17):  It gets worse for Senator Franken.  A woman claims the Senator grabbed her rear end while they were posing for pictures at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010.  He says he doesn't  remember the incident.  He has also said he won't resign.

Meanwhile, CBS and PBS have fired correspondent and talk show host Charlie Rose for alleged sexual misconduct.  A Disney/Pixar executive is taking a leave of absence for much the same reason.  And two Minnesota state senators are resigning.  The wave continues.

And it sure sounds like President Trump is endorsing former judge Roy Moore's U.S. Senate bid, though he didn't come out and say it.  The Republicans, it seems, would rather have one more vote in the Senate.  Even if that vote belongs to someone who's accused of being a pedophile.