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MN GOP PRESS RELEASE: “REP. OBERSTAR: FRANKEN ‘NEEDS TO DISOWN’ DEMEANING PLAYBOY COLUMN”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | June 4, 2008
St. Paul- After Rep. Jim Oberstar became the fourth member of the DFL congressional delegation to publicly criticize Al Franken’s demeaning and degrading Playboy column in the Brainerd Dispatch today, Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey wrote to all DFL incumbents and challengers calling on them to denounce Franken’s Playboy column and return all campaign cash they have received from Franken or his Midwest Values PAC.
“Rep. Oberstar is right. Al Franken must disown his demeaning and degrading Playboy column which objectifies women as sex objects. Today I am calling upon all DFL legislative candidates to denounce Franken’s Playboy column and donate any campaign cash they received from Franken or his Midwest Values PAC to charity,” Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Ron Carey said today.
A copy of Chairman Carey’s letter is below:
Dear DFLer:
As a candidate for re-election or election to the Minnesota Legislature, I am sure you have looked upon the repeated scandals of DFL U.S. Senate Candidate Al Franken with the same concern as many Minnesotans
• He failed to respond to repeated demands from the state of New York Workers’ Compensation Board to pay his employees workers’ compensation premiums for a period of three years
• He failed to respond to a certified mail document that had a court ordered judgment against him for failing to abide by the state of New York workers’ compensation laws
• He finally paid a $25,000 fine for failing to pay those premiums
• He failed to pay withholding taxes in New York
• He failed to file corporate income tax returns in California for five years
• He was fined nearly $5,000 in California for failing to file corporate tax returns
• He failed to pay income taxes in at least 17 states for five years
• He was forced to pay $70,000 in back taxes to those 17 states – including not having paid taxes like he was required to in Minnesota
• He has failed to explain why the name of his doorman at his New York home had his name forged and fraudulently put on a certified mail document that was intended to be delivered to him
The list is likely to go on and on, but, I think you’ve seen the pattern that has emerged here
Now, however, we have the disturbing revelation that for years Franken has authored columns or presented jokes that demean, degrade and debase women. In his pursuit of millions of dollars of wealth, Franken has rarely left any individual or group alone – but, his repeated verbal assaults on women are beyond the pale.
A Playboy article Franken wrote is shocking and offensive – and I would argue as sexist as anything I’ve read in my lifetime
In the article, Franken openly describes a fantasy where he uses women for his own sexual gratification and in detail how he engages in oral sex, as well as sex with a robot. Throughout the article, Franken, who was likely paid a great deal of money for writing this piece, objectifies women as sex objects to be used as he desires, and then simply discards once he has been satisfied
Equally disturbing is a sequence in the article where Franken jokingly describes how his 12-year old son is downloading bestiality (sex acts involving animals and humans) from the internet and sharing the photos with his classmates
The Playboy article is not an isolated incident, either. Franken has written jokes about killing lesbians, killing babies, making fun of the plight of Afghan women and has even done an impersonation of Vice President Dick Cheney having graphic sex with Democratic U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton
A growing chorus of Democratic and Republican elected officials are raising serious concerns about Franken’s brand of humor, particularly that which is directed against women.
As a DFL incumbent or candidate for office, I am sure you must be as offended by these vile writings and jokes as I am. I am certain that your constituents would be stunned to read the things Franken has written
To that end, I would ask that you do the following
• Condemn, with the same strong voice as others in your party, Al Franken’s vile and repugnant Playboy article publicly
• Call upon Al Franken to publicly apologize to women in Minnesota for his writings and his repeated jokes at their expense (and, at the benefit of his personal fortune)
• If you have received money from Al Franken and/or his Midwest Values PAC, that you donate that money to any program in your district that is doing work to help girls and young women build their self-esteem
In a day and age where 18 million Americans voted for the first viable female candidate for president, Hillary Clinton, the humor and comedy of Al Franken about women is as indefensible today as it was when he wrote it
In an era where the Speaker of the House of Representatives in Minnesota and in Congress are women, Al Franken’s comedy and jokes about women as objects and sex toys simply cannot be condoned.
Thank you for your leadership in joining me in denouncing Al Franken’s repeated objectification and degradation of women
Sincerely,
Ron Carey
Chairman, Republican Party of Minnesota
Topics: Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
June 4th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
el presidente has had successful experience with a WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN.
The voters THEMSELVES are proud to WRITE the name, not just fill-in a blank, pull-a-lever, or in the case of Florida….COMPLETELY PUNCH OUT A HANGING CHAD.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Recognized minor parties:
-1. Has MN GOP Chairperson, Ron Carey, written the same letter to the Independence Party candidates seeking election [or re-election]in Minnesota?
-2. Has MN GOP Chairperson, Ron Carey, written the same letter to the Green Party candidates seeking election [or re-election] in Minnesota?
Other political parties in Minnesota:
Communist Party
Constitution Party
Liberal Party
Libertarian Party
New Union Party
Socialist Workers Party
Twin Cities Democratic Socialists of America
June 4th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Here is another idea:
Al Franken could switch parties and run as a Republican in the GOP Primary Election.
Ron Carey could also write a similar letter to GOP legislators seeking election [or re-election] as he did the DFL legislators [seeking election or re-election].
In that way Ron Carey would help insure that he would leave out no one.
Norm Coleman could then show Al Franken how easy it is to switch political parties. That there is really nothing to it. You just make the switch.
One day you’re a DFL’er and the next day you’re a GOP’er.
It does a number some people’s heads but, they are usually the hoi polloi.
June 5th, 2008 at 7:03 am
What exactly was Franken satirizing in Playboy? It’s not clear Al Franken wasn’t satirizing the legitimate concerns of Frederic Wertham, the 50’s comics critic who testified in congress.
Why else would he involve his kid? He is saying “the conservative 50’s paternal notions of setting standards for comics available to kids was a bunch of BS. Look at me and my family. I’m living proof”.
Listen to your delegation leaders and reject Al Franken’s misguided irresponsible, and harmful cultural notions and dumb party-line attitude.
June 5th, 2008 at 7:14 am
All the conservative anti-porn/anti-bestiality notions of the 50’s were adapted by a comics association of their own volition during and soon after the congressional hearings. So Franken is now opposing cultural norms that have been established and indisputed for decades. But that’s okay – Al Franken must continue Turning Back the Clock.