what i will say about bernie sanders running in 2020 is that i would hope that there is a younger, more viable candidate to challenge clinton in the primaries. i've been keeping an eye on franken for a few years as almost a singular example of somebody that could actually defeat clinton. if franken ends up pushed out or forced to resign, there really isn't anybody else with the ability to challenge clinton.

and, like so many people on the left, i think hillary clinton belongs at a criminal arraignment at the hague, not in the oval office. if i thought she was maybe a lesser evil 13 months ago, i don't at all think she is now. i would react with open hostility to a third clinton run.

i almost think franken should just dive into the thing head first, balls out, and take them right on. or, alternatively, go out with guns blazing. i know it's not really his style. but, the consequences of losing franken on the left are quite profound.

it's not that his positions are pristine. they're pretty good. i'm going to agree with almost everything he says, to the point that we don't get into a discussion about socialism. it's more that he has that populist streak to him, that ability to generate support. i'm actually not able to come up with a senator that has a better record than franken, but if you could find me one, they wouldn't have that raw political talent.

and, the democrats are once again demonstrating that they would rather lose any given election than be taken over by a candidate on the left.

if franken is out, the default is back to sanders. but, i'm not sure that i can support somebody his age running for office.

if we get around the corner here to the start of 2019 and have nobody in front of us in the democratic party besides a fading bernie sanders, i think there's a realistic chance that enough of a third party movement could develop to potentially land the democrats in third place.

the honest truth is that what's being reported about al franken doesn't upset me: it's a juvenile and harmless picture along with a disputed account of an event by a clearly unreliable accuser. this woman is an outspoken birther and a frequent guest on far right talk shows.

but, if this is the end of franken, expect it to be a pyrrhic victory for the democratic establishment, as he is probably their only realistic chance of winning in 2020. removing franken may be the decision that ends the democratic party as a political force in the united states of america.

jagmeet singh must cut his beard.