Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumIt's not about people really wanting Klobchar for VP
Suddenly there are a lot of people here pushing for Amy Klobchar to be picked as the VP nominee. This is surprising since she didn't have much support here when she was running for the nomination.
However, as a friend admitted to me earlier today, it is not really about wanting her as VP. The real motive is the hope that if she is elected VP, Al Franken will be appointed to serve out her term in the Senate. So to those who are hoping for this, even if Klobchar were to become VP, there is no way Franken will be appointed. Just not going to happen so please give it up and let's focus on beating Trump.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,614 posts)That's probably not the reason people have been enthusiastic about Klobuchar for VP - the reason is that she's from the midwest and would bring that advantage to the ticket. Chances are that Governor Walz would appoint the Lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flanagan, but who knows? I'd love it if he'd appoint Franken but I don't think he will because I don't think Franken wants to return to the Senate just yet. But you don't know and I don't either.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)A friend who was pushing Klobuchar for VP admitted the real reason was the hope that Franken would be appointed to the Senate. Maybe he was just speaking for himself. I don't know. But it does seems strange that so many here have been pushing for her all of a sudden.
Klobuchar just doesn't make sense for VP. Minnesota is a safe Democratic state that hasn't voted for Republican since 1972 and where Biden is leading Trump in the polls by 12 points and Sanders is leading by 9 points. Ideologically she is a clone of Biden so she doesn't help unite the party. And there is no evidence that she would help flip any other state.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,614 posts)and think she'd be a good addition to the ticket. The fact that your friend thought Franken would be appointed to her senate seat doesn't mean everybody thought that; I've speculated about that myself but I know it would be more likely to be Peggy Flanagan. I've read a number of opinion pieces suggesting AK would be a good choice. She wouldn't be a bad choice but I think he's more likely to pick Harris or another PoC.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)He may have been speaking for himself but found it really strange that so many here were suddenly pushing her for VP.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Progressive2020
(713 posts)I think that Kamala Harris would be a better choice for Biden's VP. Just my two cents. She is sharp and ran a strong campaign.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
judeling
(1,086 posts)She was an attractive and compelling candidate, but her campaign was much less then stellar.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
judeling
(1,086 posts)I wasn't commenting on her suitability just that her campaign wasn't good.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
LakeArenal
(28,806 posts)Shes one of those that got rid of Al Franken.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Progressive2020
(713 posts)I didn't know that. I liked what I saw of Harris on the debate stage. She seemed pretty smart and tough, Maybe she has not been vetted enough for VP though.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Celerity
(43,138 posts)Female Democratic senators coordinated a wave of calls for resignation
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/06/politics/senators-al-franken-resignation/index.html
Nearly three weeks after sexual harassment allegations first emerged against Sen. Al Franken, a wave of Democratic senators in coordination and following a flurry of text messages and phone calls called for his resignation in rapid succession Wednesday morning.
Starting around 11:30 a.m. ET, the senators posted statements in a coordinated effort, one after the other, on social media, saying the Minnesota Democrat should step down. Some comments were elaborate, lengthy and loaded with a moral message. Others, like that of Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, were straight to the point. "Al Franken should resign," she simply tweeted.
Within the next 90 minutes, 16 Democrats -- 10 of them women -- and one Republican senator -- Susan Collins of Maine -- had publicly urged their colleague to vacate his seat.
The flood of calls came just one day after Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat who has also been accused of sexual misconduct, announced he was resigning following calls from leaders in his own party to quit.
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Women Democratic senators had been talking behind the scenes for at least the past week about how to deal with Franken, multiple aides told CNN. But those talks reached a tipping point Wednesday morning, they said, when Politico published a report at 9 a.m. ET of another woman alleging that Franken touched her inappropriately in 2006, before he was elected to office.
The story prompted a flurry of calls and texts between Senate offices within minutes, and it was decided sometime between then and about 10:30 a.m. ET that the women senators would go public in a show of unity with their desire for Franken to step aside.
"Their patience had worn incredibly thin," said an aide to one of the women senators.
Democrats stampede to drive Sen. Franken from office amid sexual misconduct allegations
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/democratic-women-senators-call-franken-resign-amid-sexual-misconduct-allegations-n827036
Democratic women on Wednesday led the charge of more than two dozen senators who called on their embattled colleague, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota, to resign after multiple women accused him of harassment or sexual misconduct.
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Kamala Harris of California, Patty Murray of Washington and Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin kicked off the stampede on Wednesday, all putting out statements within minutes of one another saying it was time for Franken to go.
By the evening, at least 35 Democrats including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York were calling on him to quit, and Franken's office said the senator was planning an announcement from the Senate floor Thursday morning at 11:45. Some fellow Democrats said they believe he will announce he is resigning.
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Avalanche of Democratic senators say Franken should resign
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/363543-women-in-senate-call-for-franken-to-resign
That changed when a new charge became public on Wednesday from a woman who said the senator has sought to forcibly kiss her in a 2006 incident.
Six female Democratic senators quickly followed Gillibrand in saying that Franken should step down: Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Tammy Baldwin (Wis.) and Maggie Hassan (N.H.).
"I believe the best thing for Senator Franken to do is step down," Harris said.
By early afternoon, Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the No. 2 Democrat, and Democratic Sens. Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Bob Casey Jr. (Pa.), Sherrod Brown (Ohio), Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Patrick Leahy (Vt.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Tom Carper (Del.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Tom Udall (N.M.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Gary Peters (Mich.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.) had also called on Franken to resign.
Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vt.) and Angus King (Maine), both Independents who caucus with the Democrats, also called on Franken to step down.
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Warren joins chorus calling for Frankens resignation
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/12/06/aide-says-warren-called-franken-and-told-him-should-resign/FB0n5aTIdNc3IiRM8gSwXN/story.html
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren joined the chorus of Democratic senators calling for Minnesota Democrat Al Franken to resign in the wake of new sexual harassment allegations, including fellow Senator Ed Markey.
Female Democratic senators lead the charge for Frankens ouster Wednesday, but Warren was the last among them to speak out publicly against him, waiting until mid-afternoon to do so.
I think he should resign, Elizabeth Warren said in a statement put out by her staff. She did not elaborate.
Earlier in the afternoon, a Warren aide told the Globe that the senator had talked to Franken privately and told him he should step down.
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Even Senator Klobuchar told him to resign in private and called his resignation the right decision
'The right decision,' Amy Klobuchar, others say of Franken's resignation
https://www.twincities.com/2017/12/07/amy-klobuchar-mark-dayton-others-react-to-al-franken-resignation-announcement/
U.S. SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR
Today Senator Franken acknowledged that he could no longer serve in the Senate and resigned. As he and I discussed yesterday, this is the right decision. Senator Franken has worked for years on behalf of the people of Minnesota and he has been a leader on issues that are fundamental to Americans lives, including education, privacy, healthcare and mental health. He has been a friend to me and to many in our state.
As the women who have come forward to tell their stories across America have made clear, sexual harassment is never acceptable. In every workplace in America, including the U.S. Senate, we must confront the challenges of harassment and misconduct. Nothing is easy or pleasant about this, but we all must recognize that our workplace cultures and the way we treat each other as human beings must change.
For Franni, the Franken family, Senator Frankens friends and supporters in our state, its a very tough day. I want you to know I remain as committed as ever to working together and standing up for people, for common decency, and for our democracy during an incredibly difficult and divisive time in our country. And as we go forward together, we must never forget the words of Senator Paul Wellstone, whom Senator Franken quoted in part today, Politics is not about power. Politics is not about money. Politics is not about winning for the sake of winning. Politics is about the improvement of peoples lives.
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https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/08/politics/amy-klobuchar-senate-al-franken-minnesota/index.html
"I had condemned his conduct early on when the first allegation was made," she told CNN's Dana Bash on "Inside Politics." "I felt I was in a different role as his colleague, that I'm someone that has worked with him for a long time, there's a lot of trust there, and I felt it was best to handle it in that way."
In a coordinated effort, female Democratic senators called for Franken's resignation in rapid fire Wednesday. Klobuchar did not join in that effort and said in a statement at the time that she spoke with him privately. By Wednesday evening, more than two dozen senators -- including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer -- had called for Franken's resignation.
"I talked to him about the fact that you had reached the situation with the mounting allegations and the fact that there was an ethics investigation going on," Klobuchar told CNN Friday.
snip
When asked about the ramifications of Franken's decision to resign, which Bash said was "under duress" -- and Klobuchar agreed -- the senator said it's "not about just toppling men." "This is about guaranteeing we will have better workplaces where people treat each other fairly," she responded. "And there is a lot of good men in the workplace. You know some of them. I think the key here will be due process."
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https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2017/12/why-democrats-pushed-franken-out.html?page=all
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A contrast is just what Democrats likely want to focus on, according to The Washington Post. Forcing out Franken, along with Rep. John Conyers, shows the party is willing to sacrifice their own in the interest of staking out the higher ground, per The Post.
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar called Franken Wednesday and privately urged him to step down, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. While she plans to uphold Frankens legacy and the work hes done for the state, she thought his speech was short.
I know that he didnt really apologize to the people and that would have been nice, Klobuchar said, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
snip
http://www.startribune.com/sen-amy-klobuchar-says-franken-s-legacy-will-last-but-adds-he-should-have-apologized/462628583/
snip
As for the farewell speech itself, Klobuchar said: I thought the speech was short. ... I know that he didnt really apologize to the people and that would have been nice.
I think the bigger deal for me was that he was able to talk ... with a lot of love for our state, what he liked about his job and what he wanted to be his legacy.
That legacy, she said, would include Frankens work on issues like health care and privacy.
But the legacy will also be shadowed by more than half a dozen sexual harassment allegations against Franken. On Wednesday, Klobuchar said, as a seventh accuser came forward and other Senate Democrats began calling for his resignation, she called Franken to privately urge him to do the right thing and step down.
snip
my thoughts:
At the end of the day, the ONLY Democratic Senator to publicly say Franken should NOT resign was Joe Manchin.
As I said above, every other one, except for Bob Menendez of New Jersey (at the time facing a federal corruption trial) and the 3 members of the Senate Ethics Committee (Chris Coons of Delaware, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who could not make any statements), publicly or private told him to resign. I am pretty sure those 4, if their situations were different, would have joined the calls for Franken to go.
It is patent revisionism to lay the blame almost solely on Gillibrand. Take her out of the picture and the exact same thing would have happened, as evidenced by the articles above.
She was not my first (or 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc) choice for our nominee for POTUS 2020, but she also was the ONLY Democratic Senator to vote against EVERY single Trump nomination for high positions and she has been a tireless worker this 2018 cycle to help get out the vote across the country. She is a solid as hell liberal who is on the good side of most, if not all, issues that I care about, and she backs it up with actual votes.
She has even been called a Quisling on some threads. That is outrageous. Vidkun Quisling was the NAZI leader of the puppet government in Norway during WWII. It is beyond the pale to compare one of our great Senators a Nazi war criminal who was executed for his crimes against humanity.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Turin_C3PO
(13,912 posts)I like her OK but I dont think she adds much to the ticket. I prefer a woman of color.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)which is why I couldn't understand the sudden push by so many for Klobuchar.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
judeling
(1,086 posts)I understand why many want other candidates and there are some very valid reasons for several.
However we have to understand that Joe is exactly the same person this week as he was when his campaign was on the ropes.
The first thing she brings to the ticket is total alignment. With another candidate at the top of the ticket that may not have been quite as important. However Joe needs the reinforcement. Joe is totally appealing to ending the madness. Klobuchar was making that case as hard as Joe was. You see her and you can see Joe. For this election at this time that will be extremely important.
Joe is also now running a team Joe in opposition to the "I alone can do that". Another Klobuchar strength. The Team Joe approach is not just as a counter but also as a way to maintain his energy level. Expect Biden events to have lots of warm up acts with him providing short and energetic speeches. Because of the need to keep Joe appearing sharp and refreshed the VP slot will be carrying a lot of the burden. That will be in the same type of format but the Warm up acts will be more of the main show. Amy fits that requirement nit only because she has always carried a huge workload, but that she is a perfect compliment to almost any other that would be on the stage. Just the obvious warm that she and Bernie share, as seen by their debate comedy routing would almost be enough in and of itself.
She also is easily seen as Joe's executive officer.
Finally in electoral terms she not only helps in the Midwest and with Suburban White women, she brings a long standing credibility in Rural America that none of the other candidates can provide. She has spent the last decade doing small town events all over Rural America. While that may seem pointless from outside of there, the damage Trump has done in the outstate parts of this country is dramatic. Changing the margins there will put a lot more states in play. Every other possible choice is seen as Urban, Amy has avoided that.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Awsi Dooger
(14,565 posts)It's like a couple who obviously belong together. Double up on sensibility and class.
I know from hosting so many debate watching parties how well Amy Klobuchar will fare in that role. It will remove any doubt from Middle America and gain some who were still reluctant.
Only turnout knuckleheads like Rachel Bitecofer think we need some asinine contrast pairing that makes no sense whatsoever and will stand out as awkward beyond description.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
randr
(12,409 posts)critical. Mid west women are key to any win.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)and Klobuchar comes from a safe blue state?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
randr
(12,409 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
But like Minnesota, California is a safe blue state.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
evertonfc
(1,713 posts)To many talented POC not to place one on ticket.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
bucolic_frolic
(43,064 posts)She will draw votes in the crucial midwest, where most of the tossup states are. Amy has poise that is attractive to the political middle, and there must be a reason she managed to stay in the race longer than Harris and less than a handful of others.
I doubt Biden's list is longer than 8 or 9 candidates. He could go with a governor, he could go with EW or another Senator. I doubt he will stray far from the political middle. EW is in, Beto is out in that view.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Dem4Life1102
(3,974 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BidenBacker
(1,089 posts)Assuming PA, MI & WI are through with their little 2016 fling I'd say FL, AZ, IA, OH & maybe NC & GA off the top of my head. I'd like to say TX but don't wanna get TOO crazy.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
squirecam
(2,706 posts)And we cannot count on the south due to rethug governors who like purging voters.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BidenBacker
(1,089 posts)But I think FL and AZ and IA are definitely in play. We get the 3 blue states back that defected in 2016 and maybe a couple of the 3 I just mentioned and we're in real good shape. Hell, we don't even need any more states if we get PA, MI & WI back and I would be shocked if we didn't...although in that case it would be a real nail-biter, for sure.
I'm pretty optimistic about our chances...assuming this bullshit Hunter thing doesn't totally blow up in our faces.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Turin_C3PO
(13,912 posts)Ohio is out of reach for us. By all accounts, theyv contracted full blown Trumpitis!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
BidenBacker
(1,089 posts)Wonder if having Sherrod Brown on the ticket would help change their minds? I'm told they love the guy there so that's gotta count for something.
If we picked up OH, FL, AZ & IA it would be a blowout.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
squirecam
(2,706 posts)Nt
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
comradebillyboy
(10,128 posts)also would like Amy for VP.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden