Comments by "Alan Friesen" (@alanfriesen9837) on "Should Al Franken Really Have Resigned?" video.

  1. I'm not sure I agree with you on either point.
    1
  2. I don't think we're seeing the same thing when we look at that picture. But even though he's not grabbing anything it's still sleazy. Of course it was sleazy in a comedic sense because it was a sophomoric joke, which he has admitted and apologized for. Maybe my bar is too low, but I think it was a teachable moment and I think he learned from it and I think we should let it go. As for your second point, it depends on the motivation, which you're assuming is puerile. If he wrote in the scene for a dramatic purpose then it is justified. The production was bawdy by nature and we can argue whether or not that was appropriate but if we start holding actors, writers and other performance specialists accountable for the actions of their characters than your stifling both the artistic talents and the political ambitions of people in that industry. Of course, if he wrote it without production in mind then yes, it would be super sleazy, but I doubt either one of us is in a position to make an informed assumption on that. Yes I am giving Franken the complete benefit of the doubt and yes I am doing that because he is a political ally and someone who I think was doing a phenomenal job as a Senator and I was really upset to see him go. Even with that benefit I do feel like an ethics probe related to his accusations was appropriate and if it turned out that he was guilty of more heinous actions then ceding his seat may indeed have been appropriate, but that never happened.
    1
  3. What kind of normal person would go into public service if that is the atmosphere they'd have to breathe? We have to have some tolerance for the occasional faux pas and some respect for politicians who work hard to take care of their constituents otherwise, the only people in these positions will be those who have enough personal power to plough their way through a scandal and are therefore uncontrollable.
    1
  4. What a political statement. I wouldn't be so sure there were no scandals; no scandals came to light, and no I'm not insinuating anything. Office holders are both politicians and public servants and the ones that do it well should be respected and, except when exposed as criminal or unethical, allowed to do their job. In my opinion Al Franken did his job well. Political liability or not, from a public service standpoint our loss of Franken as a Senator is severe.
    1
  5. And he did it entertaining troops in a war zone. How many of his detractors have done half as much for their country?
    1