You'd think rape would be one issue Republicans would be smart enough not make into a partisan issue, but no. They couldn't help themselves.
Franken passed an amendment that was attached to a defense bill that would withhold government contracts from companies that refused to let employees bring rape cases before the courts. It should be tough voting against rape, but thirty Republicans did just that and now they are whining the night away because bloggers and some MSMers have highlighted their atrocity. And in their usual silly reality, they are blaming Sen. Al Franken because they are getting hammered over their malfeasance.
Al Franken fallout has GOP fuming
The Republicans are steamed at Franken because partisans on the left are using a measure he sponsored to paint them as rapist sympathizers — and because Franken isn’t doing much to stop them.
“Trying to tap into the natural sympathy that we have for this victim of this rape —and use that as a justification to frankly misrepresent and embarrass his colleagues, I don’t think it’s a very constructive thing,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in an interview.
“I think it’s going to make a lot of senators leery and start looking at things he’s doing earlier on, because I don’t think it got appropriate attention ahead of time.”
--
Franken, who declined to be interviewed, has said previously that the measure was inspired by the story of former KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones, who alleges that she was drugged, beaten and gang-raped at age 19 when stationed in Baghdad. She fought the arbitration clause in her contract, and in September the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled that Jones’s sexual assault allegations were not “related to” her employment, allowing her to proceed in court. KBR is fighting the ruling.
--
“I don’t know what his motivation was for taking us on, but I would hope that we won’t see a lot of Daily Kos-inspired amendments in the future coming from him,” said South Dakota Sen. John Thune, No. 4 in the Senate Republican leadership. “I think hopefully he’ll settle down and do kind of the serious work of legislating that’s important to Minnesota.”
Aides point out that despite attacks on Republicans by liberal commentators like Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann and on blogs such as Daily Kos, Franken never appeared on any of the shows or on the blogs to make a partisan argument about the matter, saying that the senator turned down entreaties to do so.
Also, they point to the 10 Republicans who voted for the amendment as proof that it wasn’t a partisan measure.
“Sen. Franken has been proud to partner with both Republicans and Democrats to find common-sense solutions to the problems we face,” said Jess McIntosh, his spokeswoman. “He’s been working hard for Minnesota since he got here five months ago and has already introduced 10 bills — four of which were introduced with Republican co-sponsors, and two already passed the Senate with broad bipartisan support.”
Cornyn should be embarrassed by the Republicans, but instead tries to say they were misrepresented. Really? Did he vote yes or no? That's the only question that should be debated. All the Republicans who voted against Franken's measure have a lot more to answer for. Bad PR is just the beginning.
Big Al makes me proud!
"“Trying to tap into the natural sympathy that we have for this victim of this rape —and use that as a justification to frankly misrepresent and embarrass his colleagues, I don’t think it’s a very constructive thing,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in an interview."
To the contrary, I do think it's a very constructive thing. Exposing the GOP as the dogs they are is a good thing!
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
whats the saying grow a pair?
...is a vestigial organ left over from our collective time as citizens of the British Empire. It accomplishes nothing! these people sit and whine about 'decorum', when they have no idea what happens in the real world around them. Franken and Sanders are about the only guys in there who buck the mentality, and it pisses people off.
In other words, screw the multi-million dollar gentleman's club that accomplishes nothing!
while viewing the preposterous nature of the aforementioned dilemma-cratic Frankenism.
Baaah
Humbug
If the Senate were a true vestigal organ of the British Empire, it would be appointed, as ours in Canada is.
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
For the Republicans, rape is bad but accountability is even worse.
They make me sick.
"Trust no one, Mr. Mulder." - Well-Manicured Man
"Rape-ublicans"
OMG that is the perfect name for them!
I love it!
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
*salaam, salaam, salaam*
FB
99%
And bloggers everywhere should start using this as their name.
Goldman Sachs and tentacles as a monster raping the American people. Even better Health Insurances companies are raping the American public.
Every rapist out there is proud of their representatives.
I like how they pretend they were blind-sided by this.
This is hilarious. Republicans are complaining because people are actually holding them accountable for their warped system of values.
shoor done Arizona prowd!
Ah mean, these cawntractors done git a tad rambunkshus after a hard day's lootin'.
They needs some of that re-leese, an' she wuz dressin like she wuz askin foh it ennywayze...
(cue "Dueling Banjos")
Gawd bless Kyl and McCain ( he wuz a POW) for standin up fer men's rites!
If so, I'm surprised that didn't get more press.
Since he's intent on digging himself deeper, would someone please pass him a bigger shovel. Did Shitheel Dig.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN. RAPE-UGLIGANS DO NOT GET CALLED ON THEIR HYPOCRISY! Sorry for the caps lock i didn't want to re-type.
peace
The love you take is equal to the love you make. John Lennon Paul Mc Cartney
Isn't it great to be a repuke and constantly live in your very own reality. It is never, ever their fault, and they never, ever, ever take responsibility. Life is bliss in the Repuke world.
Compassionates who are against helping the poor and weak...
Pro-lifers who love to bomb the sh*t out of innocent countries...
Fiscally concerned dolts which run the biggest deficits...
Personal responsibility advocates which are experts at passing the buck...
... and on and on. Seriously, how can any collective which has been so blatantly saying one thing while doing the exact opposite get away with it for so long?
this victim of this rape."
Well, yeah, that's why you would vote for that amendment, because you value people and lives over profits.
Dontchoo bleeve in Freedum?!?
I for one, welcome the new "Al Franken decade" for 21st. century!
And Rush Limbaugh IS a big fat idiot.
. .
decided the last batch of Abu Ghraib pics shouldn't be released for public scrutiny either. Wouldn't want to cause harm to our Imperial Mission.
Haven't these guys got wives, daughters, sisters and mothers?
This is beyond stupid and illustrates how far out of touch the Rapepublican Party truly is.
WTF could they possibly have been thinking? Did they think that they would be praised as heroes for this travesty?
That poor woman will remember this outrage every day for the rest of her life - and these yay-hoos are worried about negative press for aiding and abetting her rapists?!?
People, we are all in serious trouble if these are our leaders.
wives, daughters, sisters and mothers keep the ego of the "big man" propped up everything's groovy.
and besides, the women folk are only props and chattels to these clowns.
that the word Rape does not start with the letter G, O, or P.
Oh, well, for some reason, there's something not quite as satisfying about the word "Rape-publicans", but I suppose it's just going to have to do.
Isn't it funny how those who do the most crying about those poor little aborted fetuses don't give a shit about women getting raped, or poverty, or innocent civilians getting killed by bombs, etc. etc.?
As Woody Allen once said, "If Jesus ever came back to see what was being done in his name, he'd never be able to stop puking."
Nicely done, Al Franken! With all the Republican crying about this, I have a feeling that it's going to be a gift for the Democrats that just keeps on giving and giving.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doeJSspVL5Y
rather than look for a solution, all partisans want to do is bitch and moan about the perceived faults of the other side.
Choice of Rush Limbaugh or Michael Feldman this morning.
The only place liberals and wingnuts congregate anymore is on Car Talk. Got a pickup. . went dead. Smokin from head gasket. Or . .MY HUSBAND drives a new lexus and I DRIVE a used audi and I'm . .
That said, I rather suspect the real choice coming up this morning is between Florida and Alabama....or a few other college games.
As for Rush, the only "we" involved are wingnuts.
Ditto!
I am a progressive who was never enamored with Al Franken during his stint on Air America. I work in the media myself, and had always thought he came off as a bit too self-absorbed and condescending on air. I did read one of his books and I thought he was reasonably savvy and blunt, but didn't know much about him beyond that. Bottom line, I did not expect all that much from him, though I was glad to get another Democrat in office.
As a Senator, however...he is a breath of fresh air.
I hope that years of sitting in that elitist, insular chamber do not mute the fire and passion for progressive legislation that he has infused into the Senate.
I really like what I have seen thus far and truly appreciate the common sense, take no bs, approach he has adopted.
We have Russ Feingold, Bernie Sanders, and a few others, who are always inspirational.
So far, Franken begins his political tenure emulating the good guys. I am proud of him.
apparently and didn't have to toss friends and confidants under a bus that alone is a fresh break.
Obushama didn't hesitate to sacrifice his Pastor to "get the gig".
Republican "economics" have been raping the middle class for most of three decades. They should be experts on the activity by now.
The GOP has become the party of the extreme right.
The bad part about this is that moderate Republicans have found a new home...in the Democratic party. In fact, those DINOs and Blue Cross Dems (better known as the DLC), now control it.
...he has sacrificed the glbt community and the progressive base to try and curry favor with the GOP. I am wondering when Obama will stop throwing all of his supporters under the bus.
He is ruining the chance of any future Democrat running for the presidency, because of all the promises he has broken.
or better yet, go on over to WorldNutDaily, they love'm some Obama-hatin' over there. Tired of your thread hijacking, you do it constantly. This is about Republican assholes sniveling because their hypocrisy is drawing angry criticism, WTF does that have to do with Obama? You've flamed the President several times in this thread, why don't you go flame him somewhere else?
"Ronald Reagan is DEAD! His policies live on but we're doing something about THAT!"
I was happy to hear he used the time waiting for the recounts and legal hurdles to study up to be a senator.
He could be half as good as Wellstone and I'd be pleased as punch!
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
He's settle down to do serious work like a Congressional Recognition of America's "Chrisitian" History?
Oy Gevalt!
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
to Afghanistan. Well show the world who's number one God damn it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCxFTh-XDy8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w36iYgU2zus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x07N5uoWpIo
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHmTqoLjlXo
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
From an Email
Thank you for signing my thank you card to the 14 other Democratic representatives who stood with us and voted to audit the Federal Reserve to find out where our money went.
Forward this message to your friends and invite them to sign the thank you card as well.
Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Alan Grayson
Member of Congress
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
The main reason the republicans who voted against the amendment are angry is because their true attitudes toward women and corporations were revealed. They're accustomed to being able to get away with things like this. They're not embarrassed by the way they voted, only by the fact that they got caught. If they had a chance to vote on this amendment again, they'd vote the same way.
Good point.
I think you're right.
"I know that there are people who do not love their fellow
man, and I hate people like that! " ~ Tom Lehrer (1928 - )
"I tell it how I see it and these girls were not raped, they were drunk and had too much to drink and went to the hotel, had sex, woke up and realized what had happened, well some of it anyway and cried rape. Doing shots for the inexperienced drinker is always a bad idea, and from the sounds of it they went out looking for what they found."
How bout this one?
"These accusations sound like BS. The women wake up in THEIR room with guys they've been drinking with. You can bet they were probably all drunk off their *sses. Both parties are guilty of stupidity and reckless drinking. The idea that the man is always the perpetrator and the woman an innocent victim is bull. Apparently, next time, each party should drink less and hang out at the library more."
If your going to drink study it and learn how to do it the right way. Learn how to handle your booze, so you can consume larger quantities in a responsible manner . . .
duhhh
I guess that is why we have such a pedophilia problem with extremist churches. It is the victims fault for not being strong enough to fight a bunch of them off.
We need to start looking at these fanatical republipigs for what they are. Dangerous.
makes it sound like Tiger Woods should be running to be a Repuke Sen from his adopted state of Fla.
He knows how to take the big bucks from the corps. and he apparently has nothing but disdain for women - should be a perfect candidate.
"Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of Stupidity" - Frank Leahy
pay the wife to stick around a few more years and play wifey . .
what a roll model.
Colbert was great on the Tiger Woods thing a couple nights ago.
Starts at 1:30 mark
http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/fu...
"settle down and do kind of the serious work" ? These A holes are every bit as dumb and calloused as are their supporters ! Obviously KBR owns these whores and they didn't dare vote for the amendment . Good goin Al !
They are so bound a determined to vote no on anything with Democrat attached that they did not bother to read what it said and just voted no. Now that they are caught with their pants down they want to blame everyone but themselves. Just like a bunch of bullies that are caught they go crying to their mommy.
Then I will get mad at Al Franklin because he tried to protect these women.
What kind of person am I. Let the women voters decide.
It always made me wonder why it took a Senator from Minnesota to file an amendment for the rights of a woman from Texas. Cornyn and his Republican cronies are piles of crap.
They had to excuse themselves from the case because, well because they are rapists.
Your analogy is an insult to feces. They do not deserve the comparison.
That's good.
Lyssergic acid is what's behind ergot poisoning, derived from barley, known to have likely caused the murder of at least one bog man, and perhaps the Salem Witch Hysteria (modern day Danvers, not Salem today).
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysergic_acid_di...
Mmm. Diethylamide my favorite lysergic flavor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzcc97IrfJ4&fe...
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
And cornyn is from Texas.
Why he's so bereft I bet his feces doesn't even have corn innit.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
“I don’t know what his motivation was for taking us on, but I would hope that we won’t see a lot of Daily Kos-inspired amendments in the future coming from him,” said South Dakota Sen. John Thune."
Us? Did he mean Halliburton and the Republicans, or rapists versus anti=rapists? These guys just dig deeper holes.
And they're the party of accountability.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
where is the footage of the republicans who were on the floor arguing against the amendment?
This from the Clown whose own DC Office told me that He ONLY VOTES Party Line and HE VOTES as he is TOLD. This piece of garbage feeding on the TIT of the AMERICA Tax Payer who he despise. It was HIS office that informed me that he VOTES as he s TOLD and VOTES only PARTY Line, even when I informed this MORONS IDIOT on the phone that this piece of SELLOUT garbage is suppose to represent my interest and those that elected him again I was told the above Lines thanked for my comment that ID so that the phone stayed busy for over to years (what are the chances of that).
Any Blogger out there that really want Revenge start posting the sound bytes and stories with the PARTY of No's' reaction to the Franken Bill. I want to see these SCUM BAGS turn in sheer agony.
Especially fire it up around this summer right into October. These Nazi, Racist, Anti American Self Serving pieces of garbage of got to be taken down.
Wait for it, they'll use the Baucus girlfriend scandal to claim Democrats have scandals too,
Although that was with consenting adults
And most of us don't like Baucus.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Baucus is no Democrat.
Fux already puts a (D) for every sex scandal, so there'll be no difference. The left rarely gets up-in-arms about sex scandals (unless they are Rape-ubican) because we don't think sex is evil.
"If the US government enforced its banking laws like it did its park regulations, we wouldn't be
in this damn park in the first place." OCCUPY.!!
It probably should have been a cause they should not have supported. They are surprised that they are called on their shit now that b$@# is no longer sending dhs agents after reporters and community activists.
They made their bed.
... you could have voted present or not at all.
It's not like the vote was close....
Corruption favors the wealthy.
It's time we stopped holding Senators to idealized mythologies. These people, generally, are not as smart as many perceive them to be with some exceptions. They don't follow the news. They don't read their bills. They don't think beyond their wallets. So, when a batch of ignorant human beings vote on a bill that exposes their hatred and ignorance, they lash out the only way they know how: through ignorance. Stop taking these guys seriously, unless they do something with actual intelligence.
You'd think rape would be one issue Republicans would be smart enough not make into a partisan issue, but no.
The first mistake in this article is the word smart used in the same line as republican.
These people are insane not smart.
If these guys would leave government today it would still take thirty years to fix the mess they made.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness that is killing America!
...of amoral slimeballs.
They are so morally and ethically debased, that it isn't even occuring to them how repugnant and degraded they have become. I guess when you are blissfully unburdened by any trace of functioning conscience, you just don't see those things about yourself. Interesting, how their only concern is that their carefully maintained collective pretense to benign social adjustment and trustworthiness has been pierced. God knows, the worst thing the sociopath fears is being known for exactly what he is (makes it all the harder to dupe and prey on those from whom they must first extract trust as a prerequisite to any subsequent predation). Interesting that they have no concern at all that they are working on behalf of a cause that would excuse acts of viscious evil. No concern that they have stood up for injustice. Only that the lie of their public personna has been pierced. Their concerns speak volumes about them.
Fucking sociopaths.
The unspoken rule that Al has apparently broken is the one that says, "When one or more of your colleagues is behaving as a morally bankrupt, sociopathic, unprincipled, probably (usually) corrupt slimeball of the 11th magnitude who is devoid of all conscience and honor, you are supposed to ignore their malignant thinking and behavior and instead pretend that those colleagues were, against all evidence, persons of honor, principles and integrity". You are apparently supposed to give them a free pass, so that they can continue their behavior under cover of their dishonest public pretenses: alleged decent human beings. If you don't leave them any wiggle room to maintain the pretense, you must be committing a pretty serious breach of Senate ettiquette. Oh, nooooooeeesss!
I'm proud of Al. The Senate needs a voice of conscience and justice. Al can fill that roll just fine.
"Pro-rape Republicans are upset that their pro-rape vote makes them look like the corporate, pro-rape, shills that they are. Rather than take responsibility for their pro-rape stance, members of the so-called "party of personal responsibility" are blaming Al Frankin, the sponsor of the amendment, and whining that their reprehensible vote makes them look bad - no doubt employing the tactics of all rapists who have blamed their crimes on victims who dressed provocatively."
from http://RepublicanDirtyTricks.com
Good post dacktyl . Friggin amazing isn't it ? No low is too low for these guys . " Republicans without a conscience " .
Now the Reslugs prove their love for rapists and protect them.
For a group of bastards that have been exporting their own brand of (American)Death for years, a little thing like the rape and confinement of women doesn't even register with them. Not even close. I don't know what it would take to see some compassion from this group but rape just doesn't do it.
The truly sad part is the Republicans aren't upset that they voted the way they did. No, not at all. They are sorry they got caught at it. I think the 30 names should be read off on TV ads nationwide from now until Nov.2010. Not enough people know about this incident yet.
... about Franken pantsing Republicans again.
Republicans tried a poison pill amendment to health care reform requiring congresscritters to sign up for the public option. Sherrod Brown said it sounded like a great idea and jumped in as co-sponsor. Then Dodd and others including Al....
Corruption favors the wealthy.
go to hell but he's doing such a good job I'd be interrupting. Almost as pathetic and lame as charging for pictures taken with Serror Puhlin at a book signing...
Truth seems to be these people (using the term extremely loosely) have less than a conscience. Oh - they know right from wrong all right - and insist on practicing how to take lying to newer levels.
It becomes more difficult each day to conceive that they have followers. Can citizens really be that stupid?
garbage. I can't believe they are sniveling about how disgusted decent human beings are with them. Such cry babies. If facing the music for this is hard, they should try personally living with the aftermath of rape.
Shameful, shameful cowards, and piss poor excuses for men.
Lest we forget just how cowardly they are, let's watch David Vitter running away from a rape survivor's questions on this matter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6YZ1wP1978
I've never seen change without a fire
“I think it’s going to make a lot of senators leery and start looking at things he’s doing earlier on, because I don’t think it got appropriate attention ahead of time.”
Golly, you mean the Senators might actually have to *read* and *understand* something they're voting on? How distasteful!
They all have mothers, whether they like them or not. How many of them have sisters, daughters, or other female relatives; that has to be your perspective on an issue like this.
These right-wingers are always sliming someone, yet they can't deal with a truth, that may adversely affect them. They are the worse...
not even any logic in this whole thing. They were the ones who voted. Why would Al Franken have any special powers to divine intent? Wouldn't our very own paragons of personal responsibility be able to explain their vote better than someone they opposed? This is like cryin to momma, really. Children.
I like it...rape-ubli-can'ts.
And so the personal responsibility party is mad at Senator Franken because they were to stupid to realize that voting pro-rape was a bad thing. Sadly the 28% ers (now known as teabaggers or as I call them nut-baggers) will believe them about this and join in the whine. Sad and pathetic.
When angry, count four, when very angry, swear.
-Mark Twain-
Rape was just unfortunate collateral damage in defending the greater good of congtractor freedoms. Rah, rah. American free enterprise, outsourcing, and such.
In this case, I think we'll need to call the Gofuckyourselfmbulance.
Good one.
These repug cretins shouldn't be blaming Al because they voted for rape. In essence, these lowlifes are blaming someone else for their own votes. I thought they were supposed to be the party of personal responsibility. At this point, I don't just blame the repugs, I blame the people who continue to vote for them.
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