Over the past week and a half, seven women have come forward about Alabama Senate nominee Roy Moore sexually harassing and/or assaulting them, most of whom were 14- to 16-years-old at the time. In response, many leaders on both sides of the aisle, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have asked Moore to step down before next month's special election. Two days ago, Minnesota Senator Al Franken was alleged to have groped a woman while she was asleep, which can be seen via this photo - http://www.startribune.com/al-franken-sent-me-personal-apology-letter-after-kissing-groping-report-leeann-tweeden-says/458254343/. In response to the Franken incident, Senator McConnell and many others, while disapproving of the senator's behavior, tended to react less strongly than to the allegations made against Mr. Moore. Moore cried "double standard!' at this. Not to be outdone, President Trump, while criticizing Franken in a series of tweets, has remained mum with regard to Roy Moore. Yes, both men's actions were inappropriate, but that's where the similarities end and it's ridiculous to say any differently.
Look at the Al Franken photo. The guy is smiling/smirking for the camera. It's not like he was caught cheating on his wife or busted for having his cookie in the cookie jar. The man actually struck a pose for the photographer. While Al Franken has become a serious Congressman in recent years, he was silly Stuart Smalley before his Senate run. Given that, it seems pretty obvious to me this picture was a poor attempt at a joke, almost like a high school prank, when a kid draws a penis on a friend's forehead at a sleepover. Appropriate? No. Moral? Probably not. Funny? Only to a select few. Al Franken should never have posed in such a manner for this photo. What he was thinking is anyone's guess. But take another look at the picture. See the background through the fingers on his left hand? That's because there's a gap between his hand and the woman's right breast. While it's more difficult to tell with regard to his right hand, if you look really closely, there too appears to be a slight gap between it and her left breast. In other words, while Franken's behavior was inappropriate and juvenile, it appears as if he didn't actually grope the woman. It was a mock-grope. No, that doesn't make it right, but there's a stark difference between a person pretending to sexually assault another and actually assaulting them. To his credit, the Minnesota senator has apologized, and the matter appears to be water under the bridge, at least between the two involved in the incident.
This brings me to Roy Moore. When he was 30, a then 16-year-old Beverly Young Nelson alleges Moore assaulted (almost raped) her behind an Old Hickory House restaurant. This same year, Moore called an 18-year-old's school to ask her out. She was in trigonometry class. When the former judge turned 32, a 14-year-old alleged he tried to initiate sexual contact with her. That same year, Moore came on to another 14-year-old, who worked as an elf at Gadsden Mall. This year, Moore also pursued an 18-year-old at a mall. They wound up dating for several months. Two years later, the Alabama politician attended a 17-year-old's civics class, courted and dated her for a few months. Lastly (for now), Roy Moore allegedly came on to and groped a 28-year-old when he was 44.
So, let's get something straight here. Al Franken was a comedian who embarrassed a woman by posing for a photo where he pretended to grab her chest. Roy Moore is a man running for the U.S. Senate who has courted, sexually harassed, and sexually assaulted multiple underage women. The comparison is so egregious, it doesn't even qualify as an apples-and-oranges argument. Fittingly enough, it's more like an apples-and-underdeveloped-oranges argument...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/11/16/timeline-the-accusations-against-roy-moore/?utm_term=.6bc9dd21355f
Look at the Al Franken photo. The guy is smiling/smirking for the camera. It's not like he was caught cheating on his wife or busted for having his cookie in the cookie jar. The man actually struck a pose for the photographer. While Al Franken has become a serious Congressman in recent years, he was silly Stuart Smalley before his Senate run. Given that, it seems pretty obvious to me this picture was a poor attempt at a joke, almost like a high school prank, when a kid draws a penis on a friend's forehead at a sleepover. Appropriate? No. Moral? Probably not. Funny? Only to a select few. Al Franken should never have posed in such a manner for this photo. What he was thinking is anyone's guess. But take another look at the picture. See the background through the fingers on his left hand? That's because there's a gap between his hand and the woman's right breast. While it's more difficult to tell with regard to his right hand, if you look really closely, there too appears to be a slight gap between it and her left breast. In other words, while Franken's behavior was inappropriate and juvenile, it appears as if he didn't actually grope the woman. It was a mock-grope. No, that doesn't make it right, but there's a stark difference between a person pretending to sexually assault another and actually assaulting them. To his credit, the Minnesota senator has apologized, and the matter appears to be water under the bridge, at least between the two involved in the incident.
This brings me to Roy Moore. When he was 30, a then 16-year-old Beverly Young Nelson alleges Moore assaulted (almost raped) her behind an Old Hickory House restaurant. This same year, Moore called an 18-year-old's school to ask her out. She was in trigonometry class. When the former judge turned 32, a 14-year-old alleged he tried to initiate sexual contact with her. That same year, Moore came on to another 14-year-old, who worked as an elf at Gadsden Mall. This year, Moore also pursued an 18-year-old at a mall. They wound up dating for several months. Two years later, the Alabama politician attended a 17-year-old's civics class, courted and dated her for a few months. Lastly (for now), Roy Moore allegedly came on to and groped a 28-year-old when he was 44.
So, let's get something straight here. Al Franken was a comedian who embarrassed a woman by posing for a photo where he pretended to grab her chest. Roy Moore is a man running for the U.S. Senate who has courted, sexually harassed, and sexually assaulted multiple underage women. The comparison is so egregious, it doesn't even qualify as an apples-and-oranges argument. Fittingly enough, it's more like an apples-and-underdeveloped-oranges argument...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/11/16/timeline-the-accusations-against-roy-moore/?utm_term=.6bc9dd21355f
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