Political partisans on both sides have demonstrated recently that they believe accusations of sexual misconduct, but only when it's politically expedient and doesn't hurt their own interests.
Worse, selective support for victims creates the perception that accusations of sexual misconduct are nothing more than political weapons. This enables harassers to prey on women.
The partisan cynicism is breathtaking, obvious, and opportunistic.
On the Right, we are being asked to ignore or disbelieve the many credible accusations of sexual assault and harassment leveled against Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore and President Trump. Yet the people who dismiss those allegations says it's important, as an overriding principle, to trust women who've accused former President Bill Clinton and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., of sexual misconduct.
Cynicism on the Left is similar, but slightly different. Democratic lawmakers and their allies are keen to go after Trump and other Republicans over accusations of sexual harassment, but there’s a hitch. The Left has spent two decades defending and downplaying Clinton’s many sexual predations and trashing his accusers. The solution to this conundrum, which requires reconciling years of protecting a man who is probably a rapist with a desire to leverage the "Me Too" movementagainst Republicans, has simply been to disown the Clintons. That is an easy move now, because they are out of power with no realistic chance of regaining it.
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05.18.2024