November 27, 2017

"I can’t say [the groping of buttocks] hasn’t happened. I take thousands and thousands of pictures..."

"... sometimes in crowded and chaotic situations. I can’t say I haven’t done that. I am very sorry if these women experienced that... I’m someone who, you know, hugs people... I’ve learned from these stories that in some of these encounters I have crossed the line for some women."

Said Al Franken.

98 comments:

zipity said...

Weasels gotta weasel.

Scum bag.

Michael K said...

It's just a reflex. See a butt; grab it.

TrespassersW said...

How hard is it to keep your hands at your sides, or if you want to "hug" them, at shoulder level?

Too hard, I guess.

Anonymous said...

Mistakes were made, butts were grabbed...

MikeR said...

Interviewer I'd like to see: Give me a break.

MadisonMan said...

I told my daughter to slap away if this happens to her. We'll bail her out.

Franken sounds despicable in this quote. Ugh.

"I'm a hugger" -- that does not mean you get to grab everyone's ass. And it most certainly doesn't excuse it. What a clueless dimwit.

It's too bad SNL doesn't run with this. The jokes write themselves, but only if Franken were Republican, I guess.

rhhardin said...

Somebody should stand up for the "there's no bright line" rule. It's worked out individually.

Men vary. Women vary. There are lots of different resolutions.

It's a greatest happiness rule.

Comanche Voter said...

Old Al! What a kidder! Those were my hands? They were where! I'm shocked, I tell you, I'm shocked.

When the police decide to round up the "usual suspects" among ass grabbers, good old Al will be at the top of the list.

Jersey Fled said...

So he's "sorry that these women experienced that" Not that he actually did it?

rhhardin said...

One consequence of the no bright line rule is that men and women stay in social contact.

William said...

Given the brutish nature of male sexuality, perhaps the occasional fanny pinch can be excused. There are, at this time, no credible stories that he wanked off in front of constituents. He comes recommended by his female coworkers on SNL, so you can absolutely trust his basic integrity.

fivewheels said...

When you're a Senator they let you grab 'em by the ass.

"They" being Democrats.

roesch/voltaire said...

What happened to the old fashion slap in the face--if these women were so upset that is what they should have done. The rule in the fifties was if I or anyone(male) made an unwelcome touch etc, we could expect a slap in the face and suffer the humiliation and end it. I don't condone the action, but I have to wonder why no one objected at the time, or simply pulled away, which is what most would do, rather than talking about it later.

Peter said...

Ah, the old "I'm a people kind of person" defense. C'mon, he's just a victim of his unbridled love of humanity, especially one half of it of a certain age.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

But, but, but, I asked her mother for permission to date her! Oh sorry, wrong sexual predator.

Biotrekker said...

Notice the constant use of the passive voice, the lack of taking responsibility, the pretense that Franken has no agency over his hands.

Henry said...

His defense is that he's a low-percentage butt grabber, given the opportunity.

Sydney said...

What happened to the old fashion slap in the face--if these women were so upset that is what they should have done.

The slap in the face is visible to all, the grab of the ass is not visible and is only felt by the victim. Hence, the victim who slaps the face of her assaulter gets charged with assault and the perp walks free. Especially if he is an important person and she is no one.

Tommy Duncan said...

"I’ve learned from these stories that in some of these encounters I have crossed the line for some women."

He is obviously stupid if he is just learning this. Or, more likely, he just thinks we're stupid enough to buy his lame excuse.

Martin said...

Franken is really good at the non-apology apology.

It is nice that he is good at something, he was a lousy comedian and is a lousy Senator. But this may be his niche--doing PR damage control. A very lucrative field once you're established.

Drago said...

Inga and the lefties are not exactly burning the house down to get Franken/Conyers out of there, are they?

LOL

And many on the left have reverted to their original Clinton defenses as well.

Normally it takes a little longer than 3 months for an entire lefty/dem narrative to collapse on itself.

The dems and their LLR allies have outdone themselves with this one!

Henry said...

What happened to the old fashion slap in the face--if these women were so upset that is what they should have done.

He's lucky he never grabbed Taylor Swift's butt.

A slap in the face is nothing compared to a law suit.

Achilles said...

Unknown said...
“But, but, but, I asked her mother for permission to date her! Oh sorry, wrong sexual predator.“

This person voted for a known rapist twice and still pedals lies after the accusers have been outed as total frauds.

They believe nothing they say.

The Godfather said...

It's a pretty neat trick to "apologize" to the women whose asses were grabbed while not admitting that he grabbed them.

AlbertAnonymous said...

Good Lord! Just admit it already.

This is Anthony Weiner territory. Remember when his dick pic was all over the news and he was claiming to be hacked? One of the newsies asked him if the picture was a picture of him and he said something like “I can’t be sure”. What a tool! That just means that you know there are dick pics of you (which means you took them yourself - do people hire photogs to get better dick pics?) and there must be a lot of them because you aren’t sure if this is one of the group.

He couldn’t tell the truth, it would kill him politically, and he just couldn’t stop lying - even when the lies were so transparent. Good riddance!

Al has to go.

Bay Area Guy said...

The chair recognizes the Honorable Senator Grab-ass from the great state of Minnesota..,,

traditionalguy said...

After starting the Fake News Trophy contest, DGT needs to start a National Politician Grabbing Butts Award. So far , Frankin is way out front. Maybe Bush the elder's victims have all died by now.

Butt pinching does not count.A score requires a 5 second hold of the round part with a visible squeeze and/or caressing move common to the game. Otherwise, it is an incomplete pass.

Drago said...

"Al has to go"

Al is a democrat, and therefore he most certainly does NOT have to go.

As the last 50 years have demonstrated quite amply.

eric said...

Last year Trump was exposed for saying his famous line in private. The tape was released.

Back then, I believe Lazlo made the observation that men don't do that or even talk like that. Men grab butts. They don't grab them by the you know what....

I believe Lazlo hypothesized that trump was talking like he thought men talked. Because he isn't a man's man. But he was trying to be.

In all of these current cases of women exposing men for sexual assault or similar situations, has there been a single instance of a woman complaining she was grabbed there?

Drago said...

The left can't get rid of Conyers. He knows far too many democrat secrets and there is no way the dems and their voice-actuated minions like Inga want to go there...not before Nov 2018 certainly.

Johanna Lapp said...

Nothing calms a woman's wrath like hearing that her buttocks weren't worth remembering.

Etienne said...

Once you lose your inhibitions, it's a death spiral.

Depending on the altitude, is how long before you are dead meat.

There has never been a comedian yet, who wasn't a filthy bastard before going on stage the first time. Extrapolate from that.

Curious George said...

"Henry said...

He's lucky he never grabbed Taylor Swift's butt.

A slap in the face is nothing compared to a law suit."

She sued for $1. I'd drop a twenty at that price.

Curious George said...

What a dolt. But he knows his followers. It'll work.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Isn't that, essentially, Moore's line?
He dated young girls and insists he didn't sexually assault or rape anyone, but he can't say for certain he never pursued a specific young girl because dating young girls was the sort of thing he did.

Franken's saying he didn't sexually assault (by grabbing/groping without consent) but he can't say for sure that he didn't have any interactions--that might have been misinterpreted--with these specific women since grabbing women was the sort of thing he did.

Darrell said...

You may have crossed the line--

When you ejaculate on her pants and wipe your dick off. Franken is not Foxworthy. Or sponge-worthy.

Michael said...

HAHA. The women "experienced" having their butts grabbed. Sorry they had that experience. LOL

Anonymous said...

Where's the bullshit tag?

Peter said...

@Johanna Lapp

LOL. FTW!

Sebastian said...

"I can’t say I haven’t done that." Piling on, but this competes for Weasel of the Year Award.

But here's the thing: if you're a prog politician, they let you grab ass. At least until the day before yesterday, they did. The cause came first. Careers came second. Accountability, universal standards universally applied? Somewhere way down the list. Only as tools to beat up on GOPers.

Even now, it's not clear whether progs will hold Franken accountable and laugh at the weasel as we do.

Michael K said...

I have to wonder why no one objected at the time, or simply pulled away, which is what most would do, rather than talking about it later.



I do, too, but I was not a Democrat on the make. Read Codevilla's take on what was going on.

The ruling class’s recent carrying on over a supposed epidemic of powerful grabbers and gropers runs counter to common sense and experience. If Henry,[Kissinger] who resembled less a prince than a frog even in his youth found his connections with power and wealth sufficient to satisfy his longings, so can anyone similarly placed.

Nor is there any evidence of a sudden increase in morality or restraint having cut into the supply of the willing. There is even less reason to believe that the very same arbiters of public behavior who, increasingly, penalize advocacy of restricting sex to men and women married to one another have become defenders of female modesty.

What, then, is the fuss about? It seems as the ruling class’s leadership experiences a major turnover, it is making a minor shift in tactics and in its list of enemies. Herewith, I try to explain.


I think he is closer to the truth.

Richard said...

Don't worry, Feminists will still support Franken because they know he has got their back(side).

Drago said...

HD: "Isn't that, essentially, Moore's line"

No.

Patrick said...

To be fair and accurate, Taylor Swift did not start that lawsuit. She was sued by the guy who grabbed her, and counter sued. She asked for and was awarded $1.00.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Said Al Franken.


In his suicide note?


I almost want to be supportive inasmuch as I wouldn't have thought he had it in him. To touch a woman sexually, IYKWIM AITYD. Not having known he was married with children, nor regarding that as proof of hetero. But if he's doing it with strange female tail he must want (to possess/experience/humiliate/suborn) strange female tail, right?

Patrick said...

I can tell you the exact number of times I grabbed the ass of a relative stranger during a photo (or otherwise). Zero. Obviously Franken cannot say that.

Clyde said...

As Ann Coulter noted, Franken intends to hold onto the Senate seat, and he knows about holding onto seats.

YoungHegelian said...

"Sometimes in crowded and chaotic situations, my dick ends up in other people's bodily orifices. In very crowded and chaotic and drunken situations, it's ended up in my own bodily orifices. How, I'm not sure, but it did. So, yeah, I can’t say I haven’t done that. I am very sorry if these women experienced that... I’m someone who, you know, dicks people... It's just what we politicians do for a living. I’ve learned from these stories that in some of these encounters my wandering willie has crossed the line for some women."

Drago said...

Even the Daily Beast knows how disastrous the double standards and lies of Pelosi and their dem minions like Inga are:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/nancy-pelosi-botches-the-metoo-moment

Ouch.

Double ouch.

(A Triple ouch is probably unnecessary)

MikeR said...

"Crowded and chaotic situations". Like this one: https://spectator.org/shall-we-dance-al-franken-what-about-that-time-in-montana/

Rit said...

Al is one hell of a senator. Not only does he have the backs of his constituents, if they're women he also has their ass. Although in thinking about it it does seem to me that with Al's favoritism perhaps the men of Minnesota are getting the short end of the stick.

Bay Area Guy said...

Democrat Platform of 2020:

We deplore the pervasive male patriarchy extant in American today. We urge Congress to outlaw sexual harassment in the workplace and make it a federal offense. Further, we cannot sit still while females, on average, make 76 cents on the dollar, compared to their male colleagues.

We, of course, re-affirm our commitment to abortion on demand and same-sex marriage.

Our male Democrat colleagues are expected to toe the line on these fixed principles. However, if any member of the House (Conyers) or Senate (Franken) or Hollywood fund-raiser (Weinstein) retains their fervent, unswerving loyalty to these principles, we will, with reluctance, for good cause, allow one free butt grab or grope.

Owen said...

Prof. A: you need a "Most Smarmy Statement Ever" tag. This cries out for proper categorization. Think of posterity who will have to dig through the digital midden of your blog, searching for these gems. You need to help them.

Also: why did none of these strong, aware, emancipated women just reach back as he grabbed their butts, and CRUSH HIS NUTS? Whatever happened to the idea of defending yourself?

Bay Area Guy said...

Odd silence from Franken's wife of 42 years, Franni Bryson.

Ms. Bryson, do you have any thoughts on the fact that your husband likes to grab women's butts in photographic settings?

Peter said...

I love women and am a great admirer of female beauty and the female form, so it is possible I have tried to undress women against their wishes, but if I did so, I only did so in crowded and chaotic situations, so that hardly counts, does it?

Henry said...

To be fair and accurate, Taylor Swift did not start that lawsuit. She was sued by the guy who grabbed her, and counter sued. She asked for and was awarded $1.00.

True. What she also did was immediately out the guy. Something that seems beyond the capacity of all her peers.

glenn said...

Somebody I know had her first job in fast food. She was manning the fryer one evening when the shift manager decided to practice his hands on management techniques. She turned her head just far enough so he could hear her and said “touch me again and you get a basket of fries on you head”. He never touched her again.

Yancey Ward said...

Shorter Franken:

"My hands were idle."

Rusty said...

Bad Lieutenant said...
Said Al Franken.


"In his suicide note?


I almost want to be supportive inasmuch as I wouldn't have thought he had it in him. To touch a woman sexually, IYKWIM AITYD. Not having known he was married with children, nor regarding that as proof of hetero. But if he's doing it with strange female tail he must want (to possess/experience/humiliate/suborn) strange female tail, right?"

Must be a beta male thing.
I bet ARM would know.

Gordon Scott said...

The prog lefties I know in the Twin Cities are aghast, and want Franken to resign. This is because the governor would then appoint another lefty, almost certainly female, who would come into office squeaky clean. Minnesota's other senator, Amy Klobuchar, has proven that if you're an utterly inoffensive female, and incumbent, you can keep that seat forever. Klobuchar never, ever takes a controversial stand or says anything that would generate a headline.

Al isn't stupid. He knows this. He also knows that he doesn't have a political future if he resigns. He'd always be the Frankengrabber. He thinks he can ride this out. And he can. He doesn't have to quit. He can finish his term and declare his retirement, and get a show on MSNBC.

Jim said...

Waiting for the next Slate article, "Hugging, You're Doing It Wrong."

FIDO said...

Can't someone please think of all those cold, unloved buttocks?

FIDO said...

I am a people person and I like the odd perky buttock. But I keep my hands to myself. Because I am not a Senator or a Weasel.

Gordon Scott said...

Rusty, all his professional life Franken has been surrounded by guys who could get away with that kind of stuff. But he was the nebbish, the writer, not the star. He couldn't do that, not without pissing off the girls, i.e. Tweeden. Now, as a nerd star (senator) he sorta can. And if it weren't for that nosy kid Ronan Farrow, he would have gotten away!

The other thing is, Franken knows every rich person in Hollywood, and how to get them to write checks. He's a seriously good fundraiser. He even got Ben Stein to write him a check and Ben's a Republican. Fundraising chops are respected in DC.

TWW said...

Well, okay then!

Kevin said...

"I’ve learned from these stories that in some of these encounters I have crossed the line for some women."

But not all!

Seriously, some of those women liked it. Why won't they stand up and tell everyone how it just made their day?

I know because when I squeezed their butt, their butt squeezed back. It was a little signal that said, ""Thank you Senator Al for being such a fine example of a male feminist."

Michael K said...

"with Al's favoritism perhaps the men of Minnesota are getting the short end of the stick."

Whereas those women were getting the long end of Al's stick.

Anonymous said...

When did a hug include a grab on the ass? Sorry if women have experienced that? Is that line passive or what. Not sorry that his wandering hands couldn't stay away from their fannies but sorry they experienced his wandering hands. Wow. Lame.

rcocean said...

Franken-Toad says Rbbit...

"Mistakes were made, butts were grabbed, but its all so hazy and unclear..."

Rbbit.

100-1 he's re-elected. Minnesota is a clown state.

Rusty said...

sch/voltaire said...
"hat happened to the old fashion slap in the face--if these women were so upset that is what they should have done. The rule in the fifties was if I or anyone(male) made an unwelcome touch etc, we could expect a slap in the face and suffer the humiliation and end it. I don't condone the action, but I have to wonder why no one objected at the time, or simply pulled away, which is what most would do, rather than talking about it later. "

We're gong to have to re-examine your progressive creditials.
I taught my daughters to punch. To box actually.

walter said...

So..was Franken mansplaining?
"Manspreading" seems a bit less egregious these days.

exhelodrvr1 said...

"Whereas those women were getting the long end of Al's stick."

And we're all getting stuck with Al's schtick!

Meade said...

Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them)
Copyright © Al Franken, Inc. 2003

Ann Althouse said...

"the short end of the stick"

That's a nonsensical expression. It's a stick. It has 2 ends. How can either end be considered "short"?

But people do say that. What's up?

I believe it's a corruption of the idea of drawing straws or sticks, where one stick is short and the others are long. The person who draws the short stick is the one stuck doing whatever it is they're drawing straws about.

Or maybe it's that choosing thing you do with a baseball bat (grabbing it with one hand after another until there's no room left. Maybe the absence of room is the "short end").

Meade said...

To my wife, Franni, who's been screaming about this stuff for years and believed in the book. I love you so much. And even more importantly, you love me.

Ann Althouse said...

I'm seeing this on the internet:

"The origin of "short end of the stick" is this: in the Middle Ages, wealthier people cleaned themselves with rags, after using the privy. Poorer people used leaves, or a gompf stick. A gompf stick was a stick that had a slightly curved end to it. You held onto the straight part and cleaned your backsides with the short, curved part. Anyone not paying attention when reaching for the gompf stick grabbed the SHORT end of the stick, not a pleasant experience! "

Ann Althouse said...

The OED recognizes the expression and says it is "Apparently a conflation of to get (also have) the wrong end of the stick... with to draw the short straw..."

Drago said...

Drudge headline re: Franken: "Will 'Learn' From Mistakes He Does Not Remember..."

Perfect!

That headline is sure to upset a certain LLR republican!

Meade said...

Franken (and others) could benefit from dog training. Every male dog I've ever owned has been a humper, even when neutered. But none of the dogs I've ever owned has been a liar.

Ken B said...

I think short end is a corruption of sharp end. Think of which end of the pick the bull gets.

Charlie said...

The only good news is that he won't ever be able to run for President! So there's that.

Darrell said...

We used to say "shit end" of the stick.

D.D. Driver said...

"I take thousands and thousands of pictures..."

This might be the most creative excuse yet. If an infinite number of monkeys were photographed infinite number of times, sooner or later one of them will be photographed groping a woman while reciting Shakespeare.

There are just so many photographs....

Francisco D said...

Meade,

I assume you know that humping is about dominance among dogs.

My since deceased female Golden Retriever was the dominant dog in her litter. She was a humper, of dogs male and female.

And she never lied.

Anonymous said...

I'm seeing this on the internet:

"The origin of "short end of the stick" is this: [...]


Imaginative, but sounds like an entirely bogus etymology.

walter said...

Meade said...Franken (and others) could benefit from dog training.
--
Could be a funny SNL skit..that'll never happen.

He most likely was just fatigued at the fair. All that hand shaking..it becomes a blur..at some point you're shaking whatever comes into reach.
Accidental Hand Violence.

Gordon Scott said...

100-1 he's re-elected. Minnesota is a clown state.

Nah. He'll finish his term, but would not win reelection. He's not that popular in Minnesota in the first place, definitely not after this.

Achilles said...

rcocean said...

100-1 he's re-elected. Minnesota is a clown state.

Minnesota is going to be a red state just like all of it's neighbors soon. If they clear out the voter rolls it will be tomorrow.

Remember Franken only won the first time because of voter fraud.

Matt Sablan said...

Yeaaaaah. The "If A Republican Said It" game is getting old.

Bay Area Guy said...

At some point, Senator Franken will have to declare himself "gay" to avoid further scrutiny, and promise to grab only male butt in the future.

Bilwick said...

Franken is a "liberal" (and by that I mean of course "tax-happy, coercion-addicted, power tripping State fellator"), and as someone who values liberty I find what he and his gang do to tax-payers, peaceful gun-owners and the Constitution (clue: it involves fists) much more offensive than his boob-grabbing.

Bay Area Guy said...

Latest WaPost Headline:

Did he or didn’t he? Al Franken keeps apologizing for groping he says he can’t remember doing.

This can't be good.

Senator, surely you remember the grope, don't ya?

Matt Sablan said...

"But, but, but, I asked her mother for permission to date her! Oh sorry, wrong sexual predator."

-- I'm fine with getting rid of both.

n.n said...

Sexual predators, and predators generally, especially when the woman is unconscious, and is both legally and literally incapable of offering consent, but that would require an establishment of religion/moral philosophy. We do that anyway.

That said, the Pro-Choice doctrine that denies due process, denies human life, and presumes guilt based on a whim, would be a progressive step that we should reject with prejudice.

FIDO said...

This is all half remembered rumor but the etymology I heard was this: when people made deals, but being illiterate, they would mark a stick with the number of things owed. Three lines carved into the stick would be, for example, three sheep.

In any transaction, there would be the payer and the payee. They would take the stick and try to split it in half. But wood doesn't split evenly. The person who owed the sheep or money got the short side of the stick.



wildswan said...

Notice how close Franken's apology is a an SNL routine? He'd only have to make funny faces while he says "sorry" and wink when he says "so many ... pause ... photo ops" and snicker at "they say they feel bad" and this apology is a comic routine. New Cacademy Awards award: "Political apology most resembling an SNL routine." Al (I ain't goin' nowhere, nohow) Franken in lead.

bagoh20 said...

Don't you get the impression that he would admit to digital penetration in the same golly shucks way? He is not surprised by his own creepiness. He knows his lack of respect for others is very real and has always been part of who he is.

walter said...

He's admitting to select accusations curated by himself.
So..no...if he won't address ass squeezing, he wouldn't address fingering.