Woah.
QS, normally this would violate the new Russsia policy but I can understand.
Please be careful going forward.
Thanks for the leeway. Will do.
Sorry, wrong link. Crikey you people are touchy about Russia. Cold war is over dudes.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stevenperlberg/former-obama-adviser-anita-dunn-helped-harvey-weinstein
That article is old, incomplete, and misleading, and goes back to when Weinstein’s troubles were just beginning. He reached out to Dunn for PR support and she basically told him to go away and own up to his misdeeds and had nothing further to do with him. How you interpret that as “worked to keep rapist Harvey Weinstein clean” is incomprehensible.
Nah, it’s pretty easy to comprehend. Reade’s sham is exposed so now it’s “somethingsomething Biden something Anita Dunn somethingsomething Weinstein!”
In more positive news, they’re going to be reviewing the court cases Reade was involved in so hopefully anyone wrongly convicted because of her lies can find justice and at least one attorney for a convicted person is going to be subpoenaing her academic records so we can learn the truth. Shame it had to come out of her smear attempts on Biden but someone perhaps finding justice is something of a silver lining.
And even worse, a guilty person may go free. All because of Reade’s twisted world of lies, half truths and scams.
I hope her law degree gets revoked as well.
This. As I have said before, I don’t believe Raede. But if these allegations were against a Republican the #metoo movement would be making statements like this. Just because she ripped off her landlord doesn’t mean she cannot be sexually assaulted; just because she lied about her credentials doesn’t mean she cannot be sexually assaulted; predators prey on imperfect people because they know that nobody will believe them, etc.
They may get Biden elected this year, but thank goodness this is the absolute death of the #metoo hypocrites.
I’m not following this at all. If you are accused of raping someone at an underaged drinking party and the allegation is false, but you are interested in full disclosure, what is wrong with saying: Yes, admittedly I did drink and attend parties where alcohol was served when I was underage, and I did frequently, however I never sexually assaulted or attempted to sexually assault anyone." Seems reasonable to me.
If you are asked if you are an alcoholic, again, it seems reasonable to say, “No, but I do enjoy beer a good bit.”
You sort of drifted from it being damning evidence of guilt to an indictment on his temperament to be a judge. As far as the temperment issue, there is a world of difference in sitting as a neutral third party hearing conflicting evidence and responding to allegations against you personally that you know are false.
…so an utterly minuscule portion of #MeToo supporters. #MeToo is surviving and thriving as more and more Americans realize and learn how prevalent sexual assault and rape (and their junior cousins like sexual harassment) are, and how utterly monstrously most survivors are treated.
Unfortunately the Trumpers and the GOP are being left behind. But that’s a choice you’re making, to be a part of that – you can make a different choice, if you want, and join us in a future that makes a real effort to treat women better, and to hold men and institutions accountable for abuse and other bad behavior.
The lesson from this incident will do no such thing. This incident teaches that if you make an allegation against a Republican, it will be believe as true, but if it is against a Democrat, you will not be believed.
I know you mean well, but by dismissing Raede but blindingly believing Ford, those on your side have exposed it for the subjective evaluation that it is.
How many people in this thread and the prior one said that even if Joe Biden was guilty of raping her, they would vote for him anyways? Is that a success in your estimation? Is that treating women better or holding men accountable?
And before this becomes a but he’s better than Trump, these individuals could easily start lobbying the DNC not to nominate someone who, under his own proposals, would be expelled from a university.
Maybe a handful of Democrats approached this in a hypocritical way. But most, on this board and elsewhere, were much more nuanced. Most Democrats, both in office and us “little folks”, advocated the same thing for both the Ford and Reade allegations (and those against Trump, for that matter) – treat them seriously and investigate them thoroughly.
Investigating this one thoroughly appears to have worked out well for Biden, at least so far. The artificial restrictions placed on the Ford allegations that prevented an actual serious and thorough investigation by the FBI may have worked out for Kavanaugh (he was ultimately confirmed, of course)… but if he’s totally innocent of the accusations, maybe an unhindered, serious, and thorough investigation would have supported his story. So maybe a real investigation would have worked better for him (then again, maybe not, if he really did do some of that stuff while drunk).
The Democrats are still on the right side of this issue, at least compared to Republicans. Does it really not bother you at all that Democrats treat allegations and accusations seriously, even against their own, while Republicans do not? It should. It should bother anyone who cares about decency and treatment of women. And if it does bother you, what are you doing about it? What do you plan to do about it? Will it ever affect the way you vote – and if not, why not?
Right, because Al Franken and John Conyers never happened.
All of those people believe Trump is guilty of multiple sexual assaults, so I’m not sure what you think your point is. If both major candidates are rapists, you’re a hypocrite if you don’t throw your vote away on whomever the Greens or Libertarians are nominating?
What investigation was had into Biden? Do I understand you to say that the FBI conducting an investigation is not a real investigation but one done by the New York Times is?
My response to this issue is to education young women. Take precautions. If you are sexually assaulted, make an immediate outcry, preserve evidence, etc. Don’t expect anyone to believe you 25 or 35 years later.
Call me when you do it when it means something. Both of those guys were replaced by Democrats so they could be the burnt offerings to the #metoo movement without any harm befalling the party. If the Minnesota Governor had been a Republican who would have replaced Franken, I am convinced that we would have heard a lot of the same stuff, “you can’t tell where his hands are in the picture, his accusers are Russian operatives, he was a comedian!, it was a different time, etc.”
I stated exactly what to do. Demand that the DNC not nominate him. Demand he resign. I’m not saying Bernie. I’m saying come up with a different candidate to support. You don’t have to vote for Trump or waste your vote on a third party.
First of all, I also dismissed Ford- memories that old are worthless.
Next- both were investigated. After the media looked into both Ford seemed believable, and Kavanagh admitted to be a big party hardy guy. In the end, the charges against Kavanaugh were not considered worthy. Ford also brought forth her accusation as soon as K became national news, and Ford didnt materially change her story.
Reade OTOH, has been shown to be a first class liar, lying about nearly everything. She somehow forgot that assault when Biden was up for Veep, then came out with a hugging story, then changed that to forcible rape as soon as Biden was the presumptive nominee. Her memory is also so old as to be worthless. One of Reades lawyers had worked for the kremlin, the other was a bit trump supporter. Reade also admitted have a sexual crush on Putin. Reade story has also been investigated and found to be impossible as to location. and so forth.
So both stories were looked into, and Ford came out more believable but not enuf to stop Kavanaugh, as Ford had no evidence and it occurred so very long ago. Reade story is clearly false. She isnt believable at all.
This is exactly what is supposed to happen. Women are supposed to be given a fair chance to tell their “me too” stories and they should be fairly investigated. So, the two stories are not that same, and the Democrats are not hypocritical for accepting one (which was weak, due to it’s age,but plausible) and rejecting the other as it is clearly 100% fake.
If we just accept all stories- no matter how unbelievable- no Democrat will ever be elected again, as the GOP and kremlin will simply come up with a paid accuser against all candidates. Just as they did with Dr Fauci, and IMHO with Reade. The GOP seems to think that accusations of this sort are a reason to vote for their candidate, not against. You cant fight that sort of viewpoint.
**So everyone -stop with the Kavanaugh comparisons, they are not on the same level at all. **
Several very good reporters conducted a investigation into both Reade and Biden. Hundreds of people were interviewed. Reades story was disproved.
If the Dems do that- trump wins. Period. First of all, the Sanders supporters (30%)will get REALLY butthurt if it aint Bernie. And the rest of the Dems (60%) dont like Bernie.
Next- whoever it is, the kremlin or the GOP or both will simply pay yet another woman to lie and claim rape. perhaps if the candidate is a woman, they will get a male, but the result will be the same. You dont think they can do this vs Sanders?
If the Dems give in- after such a patently false accusation- then why not keep using it? Lock at Roe- Paid off by the Evangelicals, and the Dr Fauci rape accuser- paid for by GOP operatives.
There was no serious investigation by the FBI into Ford’s allegations – it was artificially restricted in time and scope. They didn’t even interview Ford!
For whatever reason, journalists have really dug into Reade’s allegations. Maybe because Biden is still a candidate, and the election is still in the future? With Kavanaugh, it all happened pretty damn fast, and then he was confirmed – and I only recall a relatively lesser amount of journalistic investigations into Ford and her allegations. Maybe the news considered it past and done.
But whatever those reasons are, lots of new info about Reade and her allegations have come out since she made her accusations. After Ford’s allegation, and after a couple of others came out against Kavanaugh, he was confirmed shortly after, and then there wasn’t much else.
If the FBI hadn’t been restricted in time and scope, they could have interviewed EVERYONE, including Judge, Ford, and Kavanaugh themselves, as well as digging into employment records and other records (which journalists often can’t get) which might have narrowed down the potential timeframe of the alleged assault, which could further be used to narrow down potential attendees/witnesses, etc. All standard investigation stuff, which journalists sometimes can’t do as well as law enforcement.
This is very convenient for you. It means you never have to challenge Trump or the Republican party in general about how they handle these things. You’re making this very easy on yourself, very easy on your party, and very easy on Trump.
I choose to challenge my party and my leaders to treat women better, to own up to past mistakes, and to recognize how poorly our society treats women. Why not join me? Why choose to make it so easy for admitted abusers like Trump?
Only when you look at them through a partisan lense. Both were uncompelling IMHO, Ford’s no less or more so than Raede’s. Ford had supported several liberal causes and did not politically support Kavanaugh, but none of any of that would be enough in a typical #metoo context. Women of all political persuasions can be sexually assaulted, and will change their stories, tell contradictory stories, and will wait until someone is being appointed to a higher position, either out of malice if it is false, or out of a sense of duty to prevent the person from attaining the higher office if it is true.
There is simply nothing that makes Ford’s or Raede’s story any different in a dispassionate non-partisan context.
And you don’t think the Dems have any dirty trick machines?
Look, if the GOP was paying off so many people, why can’t they pay off yet another accuser against Biden, but vet this one so she hasn’t left a paper trial and leave out any specificities just like Ford did? Raede’s story has not been “disproved” by any sense of that word. What you are saying is that in your subjective judgment (and I share that judgment) that her story is false. It could have happened.
Sure having Biden withdraw would lead to more false allegations—the exact argument made by Kavanaugh supporters—but Biden has to lie in the bed of his own making here.
As another poster said upthread, if he would come out and say something like, “Wow, I didn’t realize how someone could make a patently false allegation like that for no reason. Now that I understand it, we need to tweak some of the things we are doing and dial back some of the rhetoric here.” But he isn’t, and he should be called out on it. How many innocent young men have been expelled from college because of what Joe Biden has helped to enact into law? These questions are more than fair.
Let’s just focus on this (and no, Trump has not “admitted” to abusing women; I have no interest in doing the “you can grab 'em by the pussy debate” which has been done to death, was grandiose bragging to Billy Bush about how women consented to allow him to do what he wanted because he was a celebrity. “They don’t care.”).
How are women not “taken seriously” in your estimate? Because in my profession, when an allegation is made against a man, he is in big trouble and had better be ready to prove his innocence. Look at Crystal Magnum for example. Completely ridiculous allegation, but if those guys had not been rich and hired good attorneys and good investigators, they would have done prison time. If instead of Duke students, they were black kids living in the Triangle who pooled enough money together to hire strippers, they would still be in prison.
So explain, from your experience, how when a woman makes an allegation of sexual assault is she not “taken seriously”? Yes, they question her. They have to establish the elements of the crime. Yes, like any accuser for any crime, they will look for possible motives to falsify. Where does this summary dismissal happen?