Farewell, Franken
By Maddy Pritzl
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
WHEN AL FRANKEN WAS ELECTED TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE in 2008, he was eager to seem like a serious, devoted politician instead of the former SNL cast member many remembered him to be. In 2016 Franken was a speculated Vice Presidential pick for Hillary Clinton, and many expected a run for the Presidency was in Franken’s future as well. Not many expected Franken to resign or to be the latest man facing sexual harassment allegations, and not just one, but eight thus far.
Leeann Tweedy posted her Op-Ed on November 16 in light of the numerous men in both political and entertainment industries who were facing allegations. As victims across the globe spoke up about their own experiences, Tweedy felt empowered to share her’s as well. After the story was posted and gained momentum quickly, Franken officially apologized and called for an Ethics Committee Investigation on himself.
Tweedy soon learned that she was not alone, and many of Franken’s constituents and supporters learned that he was not the man they had all rooted for for the past decade. The allegations came from multiple women who claimed Franken had touched them inappropriately at different photo opportunities from a range of different time frames; a New England politician detailed a time when Franken had attempted to kiss her during a radio interview.
After Politico published a story on December 6th, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for Franken’s resignation. Two hours later, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) led the cry for Franken’s resignation and by the end of the day nearly half of the Democratic Caucus of the U.S. Senate had joined in. One day later Franken resigned shortly after the eighth allegation had been published against him.
Personally, the timeline of Franken’s allegations have been disturbing to follow, but, also unbelieving. As a former United States Senate Page, I was around Senator Franken on a daily basis. The first time I saw him I had been filled with excitement, and up until a few weeks ago I had been ready to fully support a 2020 bid for President from Franken. The crushing reality of seeing an icon or someone you support wholeheartedly become guilty of something you absolutely hate — I had never expected that from Al Franken. However, I am proud of his choice to resign, as it was the right thing to do. Believe it or not, Franken’s resignation is a mark on the positive morality of Democrats which will lead to the thing we need most right now: victory.
