Courtesy of Think Progress:
During Friday’s White House Press Briefing, Sarah Huckabee Sanders fielded questions about President Trump’s Thursday night tweets calling for an investigation of Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) in response to accusations of sexual assault. Sanders rejected any suggestion that Trump should likewise be investigated for any of the accusations made against him.
“This was covered extensively during the campaign,” she said. “We addressed it then. The American people spoke very loud and clear when they elected this president.”
When asked to clarify how Trump and Franken were any different, Sanders responded, “I think in one case specifically, Senator Franken has admitted wrongdoing. The president hasn’t. It a very clear distinction.”
So in Trumpland taking some responsibility for your actions toward one accuser makes you MORE guilty than the guy facing more than a dozen accusations who does not?
WTF?
And while we are on this topic let me share this tweet with you of the actual rehearsal that Leann Tweeden claims was the setting for her "assault."
Here is a wider shot.
Now I don't want to call this young woman a liar, but this does not really seem to back up her accusation.
Here's a fact that I am certain I have never shared with you all before.
I attended college with my girlfriend who happened to be the star of every play, musical, and performance at our high school.
She wanted us to have at least a few classes together, so she insisted that I take an acting class with her. (I was not thrilled at first, but it was fun.)
Of course we performed together, and in one of the performances it called for a kiss.
I was thrilled, because kissing her was what I wanted to spend every waking hour doing anyhow.
Both she and the acting teacher informed me that for our performance we would be expected to do a "stage kiss" instead. That is when you kiss next to, but not on, each other's mouth. And then you exaggerate it so that it seems more passionate to an audience sitting in an auditorium or theater.
It seemed silly to me, but that is what we did.
And that is what it appears is happening in this picture.
The whole dramatic clutch, and bending over of the female, is meant to show a passionate kiss to the back row of a theater, even though in reality your lips are nowhere near touching.
Now I am still willing to say that this picture was in bad taste, and that Franken needed to apologize for it.
However for the rest of it I am waiting to see what an ethics investigation shows before I pass any judgement.
Right now in my opinion Al Franken is a bigger man for taking responsibility to what he did than Donald Trump or Roy Moore could ever hope be.
During Friday’s White House Press Briefing, Sarah Huckabee Sanders fielded questions about President Trump’s Thursday night tweets calling for an investigation of Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) in response to accusations of sexual assault. Sanders rejected any suggestion that Trump should likewise be investigated for any of the accusations made against him.
“This was covered extensively during the campaign,” she said. “We addressed it then. The American people spoke very loud and clear when they elected this president.”
When asked to clarify how Trump and Franken were any different, Sanders responded, “I think in one case specifically, Senator Franken has admitted wrongdoing. The president hasn’t. It a very clear distinction.”
So in Trumpland taking some responsibility for your actions toward one accuser makes you MORE guilty than the guy facing more than a dozen accusations who does not?
WTF?
And while we are on this topic let me share this tweet with you of the actual rehearsal that Leann Tweeden claims was the setting for her "assault."
That is a script clutched in Tweeden's hand so this is definitely the rehearsal.Is this the horrifying Al Franken kiss?— Bravenak is over this shit. (@bravenak) November 18, 2017
I'm sorry but, I am very skeptical now as to whether he forced an unwanted kiss on her. Mostly because she is clutching him so tightly. pic.twitter.com/QizbiPYexh
Here is a wider shot.
In her accusation Tweeden said that Franken, "came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth."WIDER SHOT!!! (Please note that they are not alone and this is rehearsal) pic.twitter.com/nnx0ae7HU3— Bravenak is over this shit. (@bravenak) November 18, 2017
Now I don't want to call this young woman a liar, but this does not really seem to back up her accusation.
Here's a fact that I am certain I have never shared with you all before.
I attended college with my girlfriend who happened to be the star of every play, musical, and performance at our high school.
She wanted us to have at least a few classes together, so she insisted that I take an acting class with her. (I was not thrilled at first, but it was fun.)
Of course we performed together, and in one of the performances it called for a kiss.
I was thrilled, because kissing her was what I wanted to spend every waking hour doing anyhow.
Both she and the acting teacher informed me that for our performance we would be expected to do a "stage kiss" instead. That is when you kiss next to, but not on, each other's mouth. And then you exaggerate it so that it seems more passionate to an audience sitting in an auditorium or theater.
It seemed silly to me, but that is what we did.
And that is what it appears is happening in this picture.
The whole dramatic clutch, and bending over of the female, is meant to show a passionate kiss to the back row of a theater, even though in reality your lips are nowhere near touching.
Now I am still willing to say that this picture was in bad taste, and that Franken needed to apologize for it.
However for the rest of it I am waiting to see what an ethics investigation shows before I pass any judgement.
Right now in my opinion Al Franken is a bigger man for taking responsibility to what he did than Donald Trump or Roy Moore could ever hope be.
