Good riddance

Al Franken entered the U.S. Senate with a reputation as a crude, insufferable putz. His speech from the Senate floor on Thursday, where he announced his intention to resign his senate seat "in the coming weeks," indicated he is leaving as a delusional and defiant egomaniac.

While he indicated in his address that "all women deserve to be heard and their experiences taken seriously," he didn't take responsibility for the eight women (and I know for a fact there are more) who accused him of inappropriate conduct nor did he apologize. Instead of doing the right thing by offering a mea culpa, Franken engaged in classic "whataboutism" by pointing out "a man who has bragged on tape about his history of the sexual assault sits in the Oval Office and a man who has repeatedly preyed on young girls campaigns for the Senate with the full support of his party." While I certainly won't defend the inexcusable actions of President Trump or Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore, I definitely take issue with Franken's declaration that Moore has the full support of Republicans. To borrow part of a title of a book written by a self-anointed satirist, that's a lie told by a lying liar. Moore has been endorsed by Trump and given cash by the Republican National Committee, but that hardly comprises the entire GOP. Any Republican senator who was gone on record has said they desire for Moore to drop out of the race or withdrew any previous endorsement of him.

Once Franken officially moves on, Minnesota governor Mark Dayton will appoint an interim senator, with a special election taking place next year. Many will say that Franken being gone means little given that his replacement will likely be of the same far left "progressive" ilk. While it's true that ideologically it will be a lateral move, anyone not named Jesse Ventura will be an upgrade in demeanor over the despicable Franken. Good riddance, loser.

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