Hard to stomach

I was asked about Kirsten Gillibrand and the short answer is that, like many liberals, I do not forgive her for her opportunism in going along with the despicable Republican attack against Al Franken. Before I comment, here’s what other Democratic donors have said about what she did.

“I viewed it as self-serving, as opportunistic ― unforgivable in my view,” said Rosalind Fink, a New York donor. “Since then, I have not purposely attended any fundraiser where she was there. And there is absolutely no way I will support her.”

Fink said she condemned Franken’s behavior, but she believed the Senate should have investigated the allegations thoroughly before forcing him out.

“I think it was a big mistake,” said Irene Finel Honigman, another Clinton donor from New York, adding, “I was not that impressed with her to begin with. I think she certainly had potential, but as for many people, this kind of sealed the deal.”

Another donor, who like many others asked to remain anonymous in order to speak candidly, called Gillibrand a “ruthless opportunist.”

“That’s the knock on her, and that’s what this proved,” he said. “She saw an opportunity to be out front, and regardless of the ramifications, she took it.”

Susie Tompkins Buell, a major Democratic Party donor who has championed female politicians, also said she was reconsidering her support for senators who called for Franken to resign.

Huffington Post

Note that this blatant, cynical abuse of the #MeToo movement was originated by a political hack: a Republican who was a Fox talking head. She started off by tweeting a picture that she claimed was of him groping her. Look at it. Note how his hands are nowhere near her, he’s mugging for the camera, and she doesn’t look like she’s even asleep. He’s a comedian clowning around, not a sexual predator.

Franken’s reaction was not to try to sweep it all under the rug, but to ask for due process. He requested to be investigated formally by the Senate Ethics Committee, confident that the accusations would not hold up to careful review. He never got his day in court, so to speak, because Gillibrand threw him under the bus, leading a couple of dozen spineless Democrats into a circular firing squad to force him out.

Below is a photo of the entire squad, and it includes presidential hopefuls such as Brown, Harris, Sanders, Booker, and Warren. I hold this against all of them, but I might be willing to forgive anyone but the ringleader.

Gillibrand is dead to me. We already have a soulless opportunist in the White House; we don’t need another. If she would sell out Franken, she would sell out the country. We can do better than this, and we should.