their pitchforks and hoes and head up the long, winding road to the castle, which they intend to wreck and its owner, which they are unclear what they want to do, but hey, it's a mob.
So, my question to you is whether the last person up the hill with the torch and pitchfork is as guilty as the instigator, or if the levels of guilt are somehow different? With that question in mind, here is my answer to you:
Gillibrand has presidential hopes. I will not support her because to gain political advantage through the betrayal and destruction of an ally is despicable. To me, she was the instigator, the guy in the pub that shouted the loudest and got the mob all fired up and vengeful.
McCaskill was up for election in a red state, and anticipated facing a strong Republican opponent. She, in fact, lost to Republican Josh Hawley, and is now out of it. I guess the move, which I believe I correctly read as desperation on McCaskill's part, did not work as planned.
Maggie Hassan had ambitions toward a US Senate seat, which she in fact won from Kelly Ayotte. Supporting the ouster of Franken may have helped her, though Ayotte was caught in a lie and ended up losing a critical number of Indy voters. Specifically she had said Trump was a 'role model' and then later that she would not vote for him. Both talked about bipartisanship, but it was close - less than a point in favor of Hassan. Now, she was a governor, and now is gaining national experience as a US Senator, so may be positioning herself for a presidential run in 2024 or 2028. Should that happen, I will make the decision to support her or not based on her performance in the Senate.
Harris has presidential hopes in 2020, like Gillibrand, and while I like her better than Gillibrand, I will consider her actions vis-a-vis Franken against the her entire package of performance (I always try and look at what politicians DO rather than what they SAY when making a decision as to which one I want to support).
Tammy Baldwin is a good Senator. Her positions are good, and her politics are good. I'm a healthcare voter, and she is pro-Medicare-for-all. She was best known in her own state, and has a very good reputation there. She has made just a couple forays into the national limelight - one where she was trying to get worker representation on corporate boards, and the Franken thing. But, she's not running for president and I'm not a Wisconsin voter. Moot point.
As to Feinstein and Stabenow, I'm irritated with both of them. Feinstein was under some pretty serious attack but both ended up beating their Republican opponents handily. I'm not thinking either has presidential aspirations. So, moot point.
Duckworth...well I have a real admiration and high level of respect for her because she's absolutely courageous, a war hero and a mom who forced the Senate to become family friendly. She's got a will of iron to accomplish what she has as a double amputee. I'm inclined to forgive her this indiscretion because she didn't lead the charge - just piled on. Yes, I'm irritated, but Duckworth is relatively new and has a very, very promising career in the Senate. Later, perhaps in 2024 or 2028 a presidential run would not be out of the question. I would likely support Duckworth, and she's young, barely fifty.
Elizabeth Warren should know better. She's positioning herself for a presidential run in 2020, but if she ends up being front runner and Trump is still in play, which he could be, winning the election would be an uphill slog for her. I'm inclined to forgive Warren, though, because though she piled on as part of the 'mob,' she also knows Wall Street inside and out, and the Accountable Capitalism Act she introduced in August is absolutely brilliant. It would solve SO many problems it isn't even funny - as an economist, I see the primacy of the shareholder as the main root cause of global warming, predatory capitalism, and a host of other negatives we see with Wall Street's short-term 'what kind of profits will you show THIS quarter?' mentality. To my mind, Warren could well replace Teddy Kennedy as the Lion of the Senate - she's that good. So would I support her in a 2020 primary? I'd have to say yes, I'd support her over Clinton, Biden and Sanders. Do I think she could win the general? Against Trump, maybe not - he is a charismatic pathological liar who cares about nothing but winning. Could she win against Pence, or Kasich, or 'Lyin' Ted Cruz? Absolutely, because those three have very little in the way of crowd appeal. My personal hope is that Warren stays in the Senate and continues to introduce bills like the Accountable Capitalism Act, and advocate for workers and consumers. Yet I would support her in a run.
Hirono...well she handily beat her Republican opponent - no surprise in HI. But she has stage 4 kidney cancer and may not last her term. Because of that, well, I just wish her the best, you know? Cancer is an evil disease and when you get over 60 it's like a crap shoot. I mean, who knows? So no, I'm not irritated at Hirono in the least.
So am I rational in my stances? Maybe not. But I own them and still believe Al Franken was railroaded and I will certainly fight tooth and nail against the instigator of the call for him to resign. The people behind with the pitchforks and torches...well you know now how I feel about each of them.
As to me personally, I have never been assaulted nor the victim of other violent crime. I've never been raped, though there was a close call when I was a boy. But I got away. However, many women I know have been assaulted - far more than one might think, and I grew up during the 60s, 70s and 80s when things were pretty wild and wooly. Even the 90s saw some really egregious stuff happening to women. I do have daughters and granddaughters, so my hope is that all vestiges of the 'rape culture' be cleared away. But even the worst misogynist, homophobe, xenophobe or white nationalist deserves due process. That is the cornerstone of our entire justice system.
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