After Al Franken, What?

Al Franken announced his resignation as Minnesota's U.S. Senator on December 7, having noted he was leaving because of charges of sexual harassment while a man from Alabama accused of molesting girls might be elected senator, and that President Donald Trump is still in office despite claims of sexual misconduct.  Franken did not say when his resignation would take effect, nor did he apologize to any of the women he had supposedly wronged.  He now follows congressmen John Conyers of Michigan and Trent Franks of Arizona out of the Capitol doors, all busted for their behavior towards the women they worked with.

The climate is changing in Washington, and it isn't just the weather.  A number of Democratic women in Congress banded together to demand Franken's resignation.  Time magazine made its Person of the Year "The Silence Breakers", women who chose to call out their male bosses' sexual power plays.  And some women who claimed to have been taken advantage of by Trump have been calling for (A) his resignation and/or (B) a Congressional investigation.  The President and the White House have called them all liars.

In Minnesota, Franken's departure has made the 2018 midterm elections more interesting than it already was.  Democratic (known as the Democratic Farmer-Labor party in Minnesota) Governor Mark Dayton is not running again, so his seat is up for grabs.  DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar is up for re-election, but at this point is favored to win no matter who Republicans put up against her.  And now there's going to be a special election to fill out the remainder of Franken's term, with plenty of big names from both parties who are mulling runs.

What matters right now is who Dayton will name as Franken's fill-in until the election, someone who not only would carry on the Senator's policies, but also may or may not want to run in November.  Most pundits say it should be Tina Smith, who is currently the state's Lieutenant Governor.  A logical choice, until you consider how committed to the job she might be.  Not only is Smith as low profile a politician as you can get, but she has already ruled out a run for Dayton's job.  What makes you think she'd want a high-profile position in Washington, much less for the long haul?

There have been some calls for Franken to reconsider his resignation, given his previously stellar reputation in the Senate and as a Trump critic, and let the Senate Ethics Committee decide whether or not he should be punished.  They have even alleged that original accuser Leeann Tweeden was being influenced by right-wing elements, who wanted to neutralize Democrats' portrayals of the GOP as the party of overgrown frat boys and pedophiles.

But the picture of Franken fondling Tweeden's breasts while she was sleeping, taken long before he entered politics, is kind of hard to ignore.  So are the number of women who say they were either groped or deep-kissed by Franken, even after he became Senator.  All of this evidence has rendered his efforts as an advocate for women's rights moot, hasn't it?

It's time to turn the page on Al Franken, and all the others who found themselves cold-shouldered by changing times and the political reawakening of women.  Will the next chapter bring a new beginning, or just the same old story?

UPDATE (12/13/17):  Governor Dayton has indeed chosen Tina Smith to be interim U.S. Senator, and will be sworn in as soon as outgoing Senator Al Franken decides to leave the stage.  Smith says she's running in November for the rest of Franken's term.  Minnesota now joins California and a few other states to have two women as senators.

UPDATE (12/24/17):  Franken's official resignation is set for January 2.  Smith will be sworn in the following day.

Trump: Skating on Thin Ice

Now that waking up with Matt Lauer or hearing Garrison Keillor talk about Lake Wobegon on the radio are no longer options, due to their respective managements determining that they were taking too many liberties with the female help, we should never again question the legitimacy of women who complain about being harassed by powerful men.  Even if your name is President Donald Trump.

As the President was doubting the legitimacy of the "Access Hollywood" audio that nearly sank his campaign (Billy Bush, whose TV career had already sunk because of it, tells us it's all true), he went ahead and endorsed Roy Moore, an accused pedophile who's running for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat in a special election next week.  The Republicans, in spite of their initial skittishness over associating with such a man, seem to be willing to ignore Moore's baggage just so they could keep their margin of control in the Senate.

That margin of control could make the difference for the major tax reform the GOP so desperately wants, which is essentially a "reverse Robin Hood" package that gives tax breaks to corporations and other rich folks and steals from the poor in tax hikes.  The Senate passed its version in the middle of the night, leaving little time for letting anyone read the lengthy bill, let alone understand it.  The President will be more than happy to sign the final version of the bill as soon as the House and Senate agree on what's going in it.  This would be the most significant (and only) legislative victory since Trump took office, and one the GOP hopes will convince voters to give them another chance in 2018.

But there are storm clouds ahead.  Robert Mueller's investigation of Trump's ties with the Russian government over any alleged tinkering with the 2016 election has just nabbed Michael Flynn.  The former national security adviser pleaded guilty to charges of lying to the FBI and Vice President Mike Pence about conversations with Russian officials, and is cooperating with the investigation.

The deliberateness of Mueller's investigation thus far has led to questions about whether Trump will actually get caught.  He could try to derail the matter by firing Mueller, or he could pardon many of those in his family or inner circle, including himself.  And, like Moore, the GOP is willing to look the other way.  If all else fails, then blame Hillary Clinton.

The President also has to worry about the long term job statuses of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, with whom he's had disagreements with in the past.

Then there's North Korea.  They just launched a test missile that they say could reach anywhere in the United States.  It doesn't have a nuclear device, but that's coming.  If Trump wants to avoid war with Kim Jong-un, he's going to have to tamp down the saber rattling and hope diplomacy works.

One more thing:  If Russia doesn't prove to be Trump's eventual downfall, is it possible that there's a woman out there who's brave enough to pin "very bad things" (as he might term it) on the President?  If that woman exists, she might very well send Trump to the same scrap heap as Lauer, Keillor and countless others.

Oh wait . . .

Keeping the Net Neutral

Net neutrality is defined as a policy where internet service providers (ISPs) such as Comcast or Verizon must treat everything on the internet as the same, and not block, slow down or charge extra for content, websites or bandwidth.

It's been working rather well for most users, whether we own a business, write blogs or just use it to search for stuff.  There are flaws such as living in areas that still have dial-up service, or some folks not being able to afford internet service, period.  Who would want to mess up a system like that?

The Federal Communications Commission would.  Its commissioner, Ajit Pai, would like to reverse net neutrality rules for the sake of allowing ISPs to increase its investment in infrastructure and innovation.  Opponents see it as a backdoor way for the FCC to allow ISPs to charge more for putting its favored services at blazing broadband speed, while everyone else has to watch their screens buffer nonstop at a lower price.

The last time we went through this debate was in 2015 when, after a public outcry, the FCC reclassified broadband access as a telecommunications service and not a luxury.  Net neutrality was saved!  But now that we have a new president, it has become another vestige of the Barack Obama era that President Donald Trump would like to get rid of.  And the Republicans have become masters at making attempts to fix what isn't broken.  Like, let's say, health care.  Or tax reform.

As for the ISPs, who stand to gain plenty with the proposed repeal of net neutrality, some of them have pledged to keep things the way they are, insisting that they would never ever pinky swear take unfair advantage of the consumer.  Should we believe them?

The FCC will make a final decision on net neutrality sometime in December.  Which will probably be followed by legal challenges if the vote doesn't go the way of either side.  What happens next could determine whether the internet remains open and free, or it becomes tangled in corporate barbed wire.

UPDATE (12/14/17):  The FCC voted 3-2 to end the net neutrality rules, leading to dire predictions on what this all means to Average Joes and Janes  The rules don't go into effect for a couple of months, but that's plenty of time for lawsuits to delay the process and for Congress to come up with its own ideas of keeping the net neutral.  Since whatever Congress comes up with will probably be lobbied down to include major concessions to the telecoms and not much to those who use and pay for the internet--that is, if they decide to act on it at all, it's better to let the judges decide.

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.

Roy Moore: Poor Judgment?

Former state justice Roy Moore is running as the Republican candidate in a special election next month for Alabama's U.S. Senate seat, a job once held by Jeff Sessions before he became President Donald Trump's attorney general.

Moore is believed to be an extreme-right man of God, basing his decisions on the Bible rather than the U.S. Constitution, which has caused him to twice be elected--and twice removed from--his role as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.  The first time was for disobeying a federal order to take down a monument to the Ten Commandments from the steps of the state justice building.  The second was for directing other judges to continue enforcing the state's same sex marriage ban, even though it was declared unconstitutional.

But now Moore's Senate campaign has encountered a major road block.  There have been reports from several women who allege that Moore took sexual advantage of them when he was in his 30s and when they were teenagers, some of them below the state's age of consent.  Moore is now 70.

The former justice joins the lengthy list of once-powerful men whose careers came to a screeching halt when women (and some men) started accusing them of sexual harassment decades ago, but were too afraid to make public until now.  It has already claimed the careers of producer Harvey Weinstien, director James Toback, actor Kevin Spacey, comedian Louis C.K., commentator Bill O'Reilly and countless others in media, business and government. (The Democrats don't have their hands clean in this matter, either.  See:  the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, Anthony Weiner, etc.)

Despite calls from both parties to drop out of the race, Moore is having none of this.  He has denied the allegations, refuses to step aside, and has threatened to sue the women in question and the Washington Post, which broke the story.  He would also help get rid of Mitch McConnell as the Senate's majority leader.

Scandal or not, Moore is the overwhelming favorite to defeat his Democratic opponent in the special election.  The GOP publicly may not want anything to do with Moore, but if his election keeps one more Democrat out of a Senate they already control, they'll take the risk.  If they can work with a man who has also been accused of sexual harassment in the past and have no plans to dump him (that would be President Trump), then they could certainly work with Moore.  However, if the GOP is really serious about ousting Moore, maybe they can convince Sessions to quit his job--which hasn't been going too well anyway--and get his old one back as a write-in candidate.

The women who have so far broken their silence about their unwanted sexual experiences with rich and powerful men (and sometimes not so) deserve our respect and support.  One wonders if anything positive is going to come out of this, as men and women try to deal with how to relate to each other going forward without having to resort to sleeping your way to success.

UPDATE (12/13/17)):  Nightmare averted.  Moore lost the election to his Democratic opponent Doug Jones Tuesday, with African-American support and enough folks voting for write-in candidates to save the great state of Alabama from national embarrassment.  We haven't heard the last from the old judge, however.  Moore refuses to concede and has demanded a recount.  But when President Trump tweets congratulations to Jones, then drops Moore like a bad habit, it's over.

America, Trumped: One Year Later

English: Donald Trump at a press conference announcing David Blaine's latest feat in New York City at the Trump Tower. The photographer dedicates this portrait of Donald Trump to Tony Santiago, Wikipedia editor Marine 69-71, perhaps the most officially recognized and accomplished content contributor to Wikipedia, for his outstanding contributions to improving articles related to his Puerto Rican heritage. He is also a close friend. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's been a year since Hillary Clinton won the election, but lost the presidency to Donald Trump in the Electoral College.  One year of insults, broken promises, protests, threats, investigations and general fear over what Trump might do to medical care and immigration to a possible nuclear attack.

One year later, we're still arguing over the results.

Even though he's been in the White House for almost a year, President Trump is still obsessing over "Crooked Hillary"'s e-mails and obliterating predecessor Barack Obama's legacy.  This comes as former aides Paul Manafort and Rick Gates are the first to be indicted in Robert Mueller's ongoing probe of alleged Russian influence in the election.

Statements like "I alone will fix it" and "I am the only one that matters" do not suggest that this is a man who cares about preserving constitutional government, especially if Vladimir Putin is one of your role models.

The Republicans don't seem to know what to do with Trump.  On the one hand, some senators like Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona would rather quit than stay in and fight the President.  On the other hand, with gritted teeth, GOP leaders seem to be willing to endure insults from Trump and the ones who voted for him back home, if that's what it takes to get their agenda passed.

The Democrats should be looking in the mirror right about now.  Books by Clinton and former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile showed how fractured the party was during the campaign (and still is).  Brazile, for one, claimed in her book that Clinton bought up so much influence within the DNC that challenger Bernie Sanders had little chance to win the most significant primaries, even though his support was growing among those who didn't think Clinton was the inevitable nominee.  If the Democrats think they have any chance to make dents in the 2018 and '20 elections, they need to look beyond the current (and aging) leadership and offer candidates with a fresher perspective.

A recent CNN poll tells us that support for all politicians--President Trump, Republicans and Democrats--are at their lowest ever.  Fake news or not, this is a sign that the political landscape is in such disarray that it's going to take more than one person to fix it.  Barring the resignation or removal of Trump before his first term ends, we're likely to suffer the consequences of the election of 2016 for the foreseeable future.

Roger Erickson: Another Part of the Radio Neighborhood

English: WCCO Radio Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Roger Erickson, who had an on-air partnership with Charlie Boone that lasted 37 years on WCCO-AM radio (believed to be the longest running duo in the medium's history), died Monday at 89.

Boone and Erickson attracted a huge following from 1961 to 1998, in an era when half of the listening audience in Minnesota tuned to The Big 8-3-0.  Every morning they would banter among themselves, play records, interview guests, do commercials and perform in skits and sketches.  From "World Wide News" and "Worst Jokes" to "Minnesota Hospital", they spoofed the world around them as they involved everyone from politicians to entertainment figures.  The partnership was extended to the stage, where they once performed in the Old Log Theater's production of "The Odd Couple".

But Erickson could also play it straight.  If you were listening to him between 5 and 6 a.m. most mornings, he'd read the headlines, the time and temperature, introduce the farm reports and play a gospel record.  On days when the snow fell and the wind blew, Erickson became the Voice of School Closings to thousands of Minnesota kids waiting with bated breath to hear him announce their school's name, and whether classes would be delayed or canceled.

Erickson was a Minnesota boy, having grown up on his farm in Winthrop.  He attended the University of Minnesota, where he studied speech and theater and spent time working at KUOM radio.  He came to WCCO in 1959 after a few years in Stillwater radio at WAVN (now KLBB-AM 1220).  He also spent some time playing Bozo the Clown on a WCCO-TV kids' show.

Erickson was one of the original members of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2001.

We wrote this back in 2015 after Boone died, but this bears repeating:  Morning radio in the Twin Cities and elsewhere have a harder edge now than it did when Boone and Erickson ruled the local airwaves, singing the closing line of the "Good Morning" song shortly after the 6 a.m. news to begin another day.  When they sang "it's grand to be on hand", they meant it.  This is why people in Minnesota and elsewhere have fond memories of the Good Neighbor to the Northwest.  

And of Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson.

UPDATE (11/6/17):  Days after the passing of Erickson, another figure from WCCO's golden era has signed off for good.  Chuck Liligren, who was the station's farm director for 24 years, died on November 3 at the age of 89.