Al Franken fallout has GOP fuming

[babylonsister]

awww, poor lil rethugs 'concerned' about Franken's ability to work across the aisle? :rofl:


Al Franken fallout has GOP fuming

Republican senators feel burned by Al Franken — and not by his old jokes.


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.”

In a chamber where relationship-building is seen as critical, some GOP senators question whether Franken’s handling of the amendment could damage his ability to work across the aisle. Soon after Tennessee GOP Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander co-wrote an op-ed in a local newspaper defending their votes against the Franken measure, the Minnesota Democrat confronted each senator separately to dispute their column — and grew particularly angry in a tense exchange with Corker.

People familiar with the Corker exchange say it was heated and ended abruptly — a sharp departure from the norm on the usually clubby Senate floor.

At issue is an amendment to the Pentagon spending bill that would bar “future and existing” federal contracts to defense contractors and subcontractors “at any tier” who mandate employees go through a company’s arbitration process for workplace discrimination claims — including claims of sexual assault. The measure passed 68-30, with 10 Republicans voting yes and 30 voting no.

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.

more...

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1209/30088.html

[KansDem]

What was their reasoning for voting "no?"

I don't believe I read/heard of any, but really, when you vote to deny a rape victim's day in court, you depict yourself as a "rape sympathizer." But, true to form, the GOPers will try to blame someone else...

[WhiteTara]

7. the reason was a Democrat introduced

the amendment. And we all know how "bi partisan" the pukes are.

[wysimdnwyg]

22. Republicans ARE bi-partisan

They're bi-partisan between the far right and the loony, conspiracy-theorist, extreme right.

[Posteritatis]

14. Officially, because they thought it was partisan oppression directed against Halliburton

Which, you know, wasn't mentioned in the bill by name at all.

The actual reason is that Franken was behind it, and a few of them were honest/sloppy enough to slip and let that out.

[KansDem]

21. "The actual reason is that Franken was behind it..."

Yeah, I thought so. Just like their "concern over the costs of health-care reform" had nothing to do with their openly-declared objective of bringing Obama down. I believe the name "Waterloo" was mentioned.

[onehandle]

1. The GOP are the pro-rape party.

Facts are facts.

[SoCalDem]

3. and pro abortion too

[RoyGBiv]

2. Make 'em howl, Al ...

The Senate floor needs to be a little less "clubby."

[Ozymanithrax]

4. For Republicans, working across the aisle means shut up and do what the Repugs want or they cane you

I am sure that if legislation initiated by Repubicans is good the the people of the U.S. that Senator Franken will be happy to work with them. Senator Franken can not help it if Republicans approve of corporate rape.

[AspenRose]

5. Poor babies.

:rofl:

[dmr]

6. Cornyn is such an ass

“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.”

[peekaloo]

18. leading with his asshole, again. Cornholio the Almighty!

[Turbineguy]

8. If her employment contract mentions

she can expect to be assaulted and raped and she has a problem with that, it should go through the arbitration process.

But somehow I suspect that was not mentioned in her contract.

The repubs should have stayed away from this one.

[Ernesto]

9. Give 'em HELL Al!

[Alcibiades]

10. Working across the aisle

"some GOP senators question whether Franken’s handling of the amendment could damage his ability to work across the aisle."

This is the rigidly ideological, straight party-line vote GOP we're taling about. There's no one on the other side for him to work with!

[gratuitous]

20. Dang!

And I'll bet Cornyn and Alexander were all set to be helpful and bipartisan-y with Al Franken, too! Then this happens, and they just can't quite see their way clear to working with the Democrats now. If only Franken hadn't gone and exposed their basic inhumanity. Oh, the humanity!

[GodlessBiker]

11. You're doing great, Al! Keep up the good work!!

[K8-EEE]

12. boo fucking hoo they are being portrayed as they are

Infinite corporate rights and zero human rights describes their belif system and they can take their phony pout-rage and shove it.

[riderinthestorm]

13. I think Rethug Senators were never going to work with Franken. Ever.

Their despicable support for that long drawn out process Franken endured to actually take his seat in the Senate indicates to me at least, that they had no intentions of ever working constructively with Franken. Their antipathy has never been hidden so what does Franken have to lose by introducing this? It's the right thing to do - Rethugs hate that. They ARE rape sympathizers. They're just mad they've been exposed.

[Better Today]

15. Y'know I think they should be looking at the own RNC members who

have "damage (their own) ability to work across the aisle." What a load a crap they dish out for others but fail to be concerned about for their own.

[LiberalAndProud]

16. Al makes me smile.

Gotta love it that he's getting under the (r)cons' skins.

[Orsino]

17. Franken has utterly failed to reach out to rape advocates.

How are we to reach true bipartisanship?

[Viking12]

19. Related

Remember Alexander, Corker opposition to Franken amendment at re-election time

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091112/OPINION03/911120317/1008/OPINION01/Remember+Alexander++Corker+opposition+to+Franken+amendment+at+re-election+time

Asshats' column:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091110/OPINION03/911100315/1007/OPINION

[HughMoran]

23. WORK ACROSS THE AISLE? YOU FUCKING PIECES OF HYPOCRITICAL FILTH!

Work across the aisle my ass - fucking ass hole Republicans - working across the aisle - ha!!!

:rofl:

[ehrnst]

24. "Trying to tap into the natural sympathy that we have "

for our ailing parents and and use that as a justification to frankly misrepresent and embarrass their colleagues...

Isn't that exactly what the Repubs did with the "Pulling the plug on Grandma"

[Tippy]

25. Corker is a jerk......A very rich jerk but a jerk non the less n/t

[Vinnie From Indy]

26. Cornyn is simply without a soul or a brain

“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.

This is from a man that gave the psychopath cop Tom Coleman an award for "Lawman of the Year" in Texas primarily for his work at FRAMING dozens of African-Americans for drugs in the small town of Tulia, Texas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulia,_Texas

There is hardly a bigger piece of shit in the US Senate than John Cornyn. I say good for Al Franken!