This is more about IMHO than politics, so it is an IMHO thread:
Suppose you were in a situation similar to that of Anita Hill or Blasey Ford: You have personal testimony that could take down a major public figure - SCOTUS nominee, presidential candidate, etc. - and time is critical because it has to do with an upcoming vote or election.
Politically, you may or may not succeed - the public figure may still win anyway. But the personal consequences are that you and your family will be doxxed, face death threats, maybe even literal death itself. Your kids will be in danger, you may lose your job, and you’ll be not only a household name and have your face on TV, but will forever show up in Internet searches when your name is typed in and you’ll have your own Wikipedia page.
Would you do it?
If so, or not, would it be affected by the age of your children, or where you live, or what your career is, or how old or young you are, or your family situation?
And yet, a Gofundme page for Kavanaugh is in the lead by about 10 percent.
I think someone would have to be either dumb or exceptionally courageous to come forward after this. It’s absolutely clear that one party will defame whistleblowers as silly confused people at best, and vile and dangerous liars that must be dealt with by extreme measures at worst.
This is even more true if the whistleblower is a woman or minority.
Would I try to take down some random person just because I disagreed with their political ideology? No. I would have no overwhelming reason to step forward and put myself through the public battle.
Would I try to take down a particular individual if I had a personal motive against that individual, like if they had committed a crime against me? Probably. My desire to see justice done against my attacker would outweigh my desire to avoid a public confrontation.
I was about to post “Holy fucking shit…” but then I caught your post. Well said. What the fuck, Ditka? You think there might be a little money in this for a certain lifetime fucking judgeship?? Imply that Ford had a monetary incentive for putting herself on the fucking line and in the public for scrutiny from intolerant and misogynistic Archie Bunker motherfuckers, that’s fucked up.
(dons flameproof suit) I personally don’t, and never have.
BK’s accusers are another story.
People of any demographic who come forward regarding controversial public figures and current events are always putting themselves and their families at risk.
p.s. Remember when several American missionaries got Ebola and they brought them back here for treatment? At least one of them has said many times that if he had known his name would generate more than 1 billion Google hits, he would have remained anonymous.
I don’t think these are the only alternatives, and neither is one that would drive me to do this
However, if I had personal knowledge that showed that someone was morally or emotionally unfit for office, that might drive me, depending on circumstances. As it happens, I have no children, and in a crisis I could send my husband back to Japan for a while, if he would go.
The right circumstances would have to include that I was certain that I was correct, even if I had no corroborating evidence. If it was something that happened that long ago, I might hesitate if the only support I had was my own memory. I have vividly remembered one or two events that later I concluded must have happened in a dream. (Please note that I am not saying this about anyone else, including not Prof. Ford.) The other part of the right circumstances would be that it would have to be important enough to make a difference in the world.
I am surprised that posters who have been around as many years as some of the posters here don’t know the Straightdope rule against posting GoFundMe URLs (except for Straightdope regulars with serious problems who have received permission from moderators before hand).
At a certain point early in my life I would have thought it was essential. Having met a lot of actual politicians during my life, I’ll bet all of them have something that could have brought them down, and they neutralized it, one way or another, so it’s hopeless. So now, I wouldn’t do it. But I will certainly believe that bad stuff.
So, it would be extreme. I did know a couple of party boys in HS who went on to become pretty high in government, but all their shenanigans were in HS and let’s face it, a lot of us were assholes in HS and even college and then learned how to behave better. I mean, I’m still an asshole, but I behave better. In public.
How is the time critical if it (whatever “it” is) happened decades ago? Months ago? Sure, but decades?
I have no problem testifying for, or against, someone. I saw what I saw. And I may have taken notes. Mob rule isn’t very impressive. Bullies don’t like seeing their own blood. People are innocent until PROVEN guilty, unless the mob can manage to intimidate good people and keep them from standing up and speaking up.