Sasha Stone called the allegations against Al Franken “nonsense.” MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt dismissed Franken’s clear violation of a sleeping Leeann Tweeden as “mock-groping.” Joy Reid heaped praise upon Franken’s questionable apology.
None of those women had anything on “Nasty Women” co-editor and feminist Resistance™ warrior Kate Harding. Buckle up, kids, because this is a genuinely bumpy ride:
Democracy 2017: I am sincerely arguing that we should not force a Democrat to resign for sexually abusing a woman, because I know Republicans never will, and that once the first Democrat goes, R's next move is finding shady Ds from states with R governors.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Think that’s nuts? It gets worse.
(read that entire thread btw, it's bats$%t). pic.twitter.com/m6oRlfKUYl
— Banned from the Gadsden Mall (@HashtagGriswold) November 16, 2017
Infinitely worse:
THEY ALL HAVE SKELETONS
MANY OF THOSE SKELETONS WILL INVOLVE ABUSING & HARASSING WOMEN
BECAUSE THIS IS A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM NOT AN INDIVIDUAL ONE— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Many of the people currently standing between us and straight up Gilead have probably done shitty, even criminal things to women. This is the ugly reality.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
(“Gilead” is a “Handmaid’s Tale” reference. Because of course.
Do we force ours to resign to make room for more men who hate women deeply and openly? For more men who believe God has authorized them to control women?
This seems like a bad idea, idk.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
It's almost as though, in a two-party system, cold pragmatism is literally always the only option. Purity is an impossibility and a joke.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
P.S. Have we not learned from the last year that Republicans will lie through their teeth and brazen out ANYTHING up to and including Donald Trump as President?
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
The idea that forcing a reckoning will lead to a purge of Republican sex monsters is folly. The only people who do the right thing will be people who sometimes do the right thing–i.e., not the sociopaths.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
In conclusion, YES YOU SHOULD FUCKING WELL VOTE FOR WOMEN BECAUSE THEY ARE WOMEN AND POC BECAUSE THEY ARE POC AND DISABLED PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE DISABLED AND QUEER PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE QUEER.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Wait, sorry, conclusion Pt. 2 for those who don't know me: I wrote a book on rape culture. I want consequences for harassers and abusers. But forced resignation is not the only possible consequence.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
And I am arguing that under the system we have, it is not a consequence that will help women. It will be a brief catharsis, followed by potentially catastrophic damage to our political interests.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Pleeeease be careful with this. The next Dem forced to resign might not have the Dem governor and deep bench of good replacements.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
The reason to call for Franken's resignation is because it's the just thing to do, not because it will be politically pragmatic and precipitate a "purge" of the opposing party.https://t.co/1uSFULqm2g
— Eric Weiskott (@ericweiskott) November 16, 2017
As a woman, I don't have the luxury of considering "the right thing to do" politically without also thinking through potentially graver consequences for women's rights and liberties. https://t.co/KLcLA5DEpv
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
I'm in favor of extremist purity politics such as "if you sexually assault someone, you should resign." Party affiliation is irrelevant.https://t.co/NvMVpn2vGJ
— Eric Weiskott (@ericweiskott) November 16, 2017
See also: the luxury of pretending party affiliation is irrelevant. The luxury of believing that even if a bunch of Dems resign and a bunch of Republicans don't, things will be substantially the same for me. https://t.co/OI51sT2GUC
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
It seems like you want to use women's lives as a wedge for short-term political gain. Tomayto, tomahto. Bye.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Here's what I want from @alfranken
1) Agree not to run in 2020
2) Go on a listening tour to find out what MN women need, and fight for as much of it as possible between now and then.
3) Endorse a qualified woman to run for his seat in 2020. Campaign like hell for her.— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
He will be 69 years old in 2020. Presidential aspirations just went up in smoke. If he's actually committed to doing good–and I want to believe he is–the thing to do is plan a meaningful retirement that elevates women's interests.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Because, as I argued earlier on my timeline, all Republicans have to do is find a Democrat from a state with a Republican governor, expose his shittiness to women, and replace him with a Republican.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
It would be silly to assume other Democrats have no skeletons in their closet. And equally silly to assume anyone other than Democrats would even consider stepping down.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Do you think his misconduct would be too much of a distraction for this hypothetical 2020 candidate though? I mean as far as campaigning for her goes. Maybe it'd be better to step aside after the endorsement.
— Harold Carnes (@EyesOnTheRight) November 16, 2017
Nah. By and large, people still love him. If he atones and makes it not about him, he'll be forgiven.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Even if the result of this wave were that we got rid of ONLY Democratic abusers, it would still be a vast improvement over the current circumstances. You're embarrassing yourself here. If you assault women, you are not a friend to women.
— Kate Lewis (@katelew1s) November 16, 2017
I'm not embarrassed. I'm also not saying he's a friend. The enemy of my enemy will do, when my enemy is an authoritarian who sees women as baby incubators.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
So we are supposed to let this stuff slide when it's politically harmful to "our side"? That's not enough for me. I want their heads. All of them.
— I can't believe I even have to say I'm anti Nazi (@thatjerkAngelle) November 16, 2017
I'm not talking about letting it slide–I just outlined real consequences. I would love to purge them all, but I'm terrified of how that would most likely play out in reality.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
I should have learned by now not to assume that goes without saying.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
We all saw a tape of the Republican candidate for president saying he grabs women by the pussy, and now he's President.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
And apparently that lets Franken off the hook or something.
Wherein @KateHarding unironically distills neoliberalism to its slimy essense: pic.twitter.com/EUu7oEzDOI
— Gallifreyan Jedi: Nearly Bored With Long Names Now (@JediofGallifrey) November 16, 2017
Confidential to dudes who think they suddenly have more credibility than me when it comes to resisting rape culture:
I
sleep
fine https://t.co/4RSwamGNn7— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Confidential to Kate: Plenty of women think you’re nuts, too.
P.S. Scroll back through my TL to where I told you jackasses you should find a candidate to run against Franken in 2020, because you could probably win.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
You, a genius: DEMANDING PURITY IS THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE APPROACH TO POLITICS
Me, very stupid: IDK, I would maybe like to not lose more ground to authoritarian monsters
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
assaulting women is a bit bigger than a skeleton in their closet
— germ (@getttinglaid69) November 16, 2017
I am talking specifically about woman-assaulting skeletons.
Yes, I believe more Dems have them. Possibly the majority. It is a systemic problem that cannot be solved by punishing selected individuals.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
I certainly care about who's a monster on the Better Policy side, but I also need to prioritize policies, given our current reality.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
I'm not talking about Party over country. I'm talking about U.S. over Gilead.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Again with “The Handmaid’s Tale”?
How about you want this for Trump?
— Area Man (@AreaMan512) November 16, 2017
I cannot second this entire thread enough https://t.co/nKgng8alKM
— Jessica Mason Pieklo (@Hegemommy) November 16, 2017
Careful! Lotta bros out there about to teach you about feminism.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
This is a pretty sad excuse for feminism. Not gonna lie.
Women: This happens in every industry. Men on the left and right. It is systemic. What viable solutions exist?
Men: THROW AWAY THE BAD INDIVIDUALS DUH WHY ARE YOU SO BAD AT FEMINISM— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
So what you’re saying is some women are disposable when Great Men are involved. Cool. pic.twitter.com/tvp7qMuvqy
— dolly (@loather) November 16, 2017
I am clearly not saying this. Al Franken can fall into a volcano, for all I care. I want him never to run for office again. I want him to atone. I want him to go away. Stepping down immediately is not the only possible consequence.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Here’s Jill Filipovic with the assist:
*except for the bad individuals I like, they get to stay.
— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) November 16, 2017
Bingo!
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
No. No bingo.
Gotta go get some work done, so if I don't reply right away to your message telling me I broke feminism, it's probably just because I think you're stupid.
— Kate Harding (@KateHarding) November 16, 2017
Feminism’s come a long way, baby.
