Feminists who demanded the ouster of former Senator Al Franken and their victim, Franken himself, must both be seething over Minnesota Democrats endorsing Congressman Keith Ellison for that state’s attorney general.

Franken was driven from office over accusations of sexual abuse far less serious than the charges against Ellison. Yet, now that the #MeToo passions have cooled from their level right after allegations of Harvey Weinstein’s grotesque behavior inflamed passions, Minnesota Dems – primary voters and the party’s  bigshots – are both comfortable with an accused abuser running on their ticket.

The Associated Press reports:

Minnesota Democrats are standing behind U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison and his bid for state attorney general, with the state party giving him an endorsement Saturday amid an allegation of domestic abuse from an ex-girlfriend.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement that Ellison "will be a champion for families and fight to hold powerful interests accountable."

Ellison received 326 votes, or 82 percent of delegates on hand at the party's state executive committee meeting Saturday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

The endorsement comes after Ellison won the Democratic primary just days after Karen Monahan said Ellison had once dragged her off a bed by her feet while screaming obscenities. Ellison has denied the allegation. Monahan has said she has video footage of the 2016 encounter, but has declined to release it. Ellison says the video does not exist.

The National Organization for Women has called for Ellison to quit the race in which Ellison faces Republican Doug Wardlow.

National Democrats are counting on an enthusiastic turnout from all of the identity group factions to power a blue wave. But now women, by far the largest identity group, are being in effect told to calm down, that accusations of abuse by a woman against a man are not necessarily to be believed. Implicitly, this position also admits that injustice may have been done to Franken and a host of others driven from positions of prominence by the #MeToo mob.

The potential for intra-party strife is high.

2009 photo via Wikimedia Commons

Of course, it is possible that the charges against Ellison are untrue. The video may or may not exist, and if it does exist, it may or may not be released before Election Day. My preference would be for it to be released just prior to voting but after it is too late to switch candidates,