Al Franken to resign in January, Tina Smith appointed to fill seat
Supporters lose trust in beloved representative
Fair use from Al Franken, U.S. Senator for Minnesota.
December 21, 2017
On Dec. 7 Al Franken announced he would be resigning as senator amid allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior after much consideration, according to the New York Times. Much of the public and many Democratic senators called for his resignation, according to The Washington Post.
As someone who admired Al Franken and commends his political prowess, Senior Shoshi Altman said she feels her trust has been violated by Franken’s behavior, believing he should resign.
“I was hoping it was fake news, I feel almost betrayed. I’m of the position he should step down. We need that standard that this is not okay, and even though I think he is a great politician and I love some of the stuff he’s done, you can’t get away with that sort of thing,” Altman said. “I’d be sad to see him go, it’s just terrible.”
Minnesota Senator and lawyer Ron Latz said he was saddened by the accusations especially in light of Franken’s political positions and policy.
“(I’m) saddened by the developments in part because I know and respect Senator Franken and in part because he has been such a champion for years for women’s rights,” Latz said. It’s particularly disheartening for someone of that stature and that approach and advocacy would ironically find himself in that position. — Ron Latz
Senior John Kramer said he was dismayed and believes it’s crucial Franken own up to his actions.
“I was pretty disappointed to hear about the whole thing, I know a lot of Minnesotans were, especially people who liked and supported him and may continue to do so,” Kramer said. “It’s obvious he regrets his actions, but the whole ‘I don’t remember doing that’ is just such a weak defense. You still did it, and I feel you should own up if it happened, but I appreciated he took responsibility and addressed what happened and apologized.”
Senior Dafne Carmona-Rios said amid the slew of allegations, she believes awareness must come as a result to bring change.
“I was very surprised and in shock. In this month a lot has come out about sexul assault and this was just another case. Important people need to sit down and say what’s going on with the issue as a whole,” Carmona-Rios said. “An investigation can happen but people need to put themselves in the position where it could be you.”
Latz said he believes Franken’s decision to resign mainly came from the political assessment of the public.
“(Franken) really had no due process, no opportunity to have the accusations tested in an ethics committee in the political code of law,” Latz said. “I’m a due process guy, if there are penalties and consequences I like to make sure accusations have enough merit to warrant the consequences, and the only test of the accusations here was the public opinions. I think ultimately (the resignation) was a political calculation as much as anything else.”
Altman said she believes sexual assault is a prevalent issue needing preventive action regardless of politics.
“I think (sexual assault) is just sort of our culture, and it wasn’t all that big of a deal. It wasn’t about if you were progressive or liberal or conservative or whatever, it was just something that was overall deemed okay. I don’t think it is a political issue at the moment, it’s bipartisan, both parties should make an effort to stop it and make an effort to punish those who have done something terrible.”
Latz said the acknowledgment and validation of the women’s experiences is crucial.
“In the final analysis I do believe the women’s allegations, and I think we have an obligation to take them seriously, I believe they had experiences with Senator Franken that were very poor and we should recognize that,” Latz said.
Carmona-Rios said she believes these assaults are becoming relevant now because of news coverage and modern social media.
“I think (sexual assault) has been an happening for a long time but with media becoming a big thing I think it always has been happening but that resource has brought much more to light,” Carmona-Rios said.
Kramer said he feels sad to have heard about the large number of allegations, but believes there reveal is necessary for change.
“As more comes out it really sucks to hear all these people you liked and whose work you appreciated what they’ve done, but attention raises more awareness so more people can address ways to change the perception eventually stop that behavior,” Kramer said. “Not just in Hollywood and that kind of thing, but also in common workplaces with stuff like that coming out too.”
Latz said Tina Smith, who was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to fill Franken’s seat, will serve the public well with similar politics to Franken and other Democratic Senators like Amy Klobuchar, but using some different methodology.
“I don’t think you don’t see any significant shifts in policy between Franken and Tina. She’s a lifelong Democrat, longtime advocate for women’s rights, collective bargaining rights, and working peoples’ jobs,” Latz said. “Her style is different, that will be significant. She doesn’t have the same fire and wit Franken has, which he used cleverly, but (Tina) has got a proven track record of building consensus among different people, knowing where to press the levels of power and exercise that power helpfully, so I’m confident she’s going to serve very well.”
Franken is expected to officially resign Jan. 2, and Smith is to be appointed Jan. 3, according to the Star Tribune
Both Franken’s St. Paul office communication staff and his Washington D.C. office were unavailable for comment.
