Over the years, I’ve watched Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO as well as his stand-up specials and other appearances. He chides Democrats for turning on their own over small silly crap; I agreed with him in just about every instance. Right now, we have another case of Democrats turning on their own and I can almost hear Maher roll his eyes.
As of this writing, two women accuse Joe Biden of inappropriate acts against them. Now, please, let me make this clear. I do not condone, in any way, men pushing themselves on women, sexually or otherwise. Still, these are accusations, not convictions.
These days, with women making up nearly half the workforce, many of them deal with simple discrimination when trying to get a promotion, recognition or even just fair pay. My daughter recently dealt with such circumstances and, to her credit, stood up to her boss, made her case to get what she deserved and got it. I am so proud of her.
Let’s get back to Joe Biden and the Democrats. In one case, Biden supposedly kissed a woman on the top of her head as he stood behind her; in the other case, he ostensibly rubbed noses with a woman. In both cases, his actions were without their consent.
Now, in his defense, at the time neither woman voiced objections, nor was either action necessarily sexual; both cases were completely isolated. Yet, the media, pundits and politicians as well as numerous members of the Democratic Party are having mental meltdowns as if he was a stalker guilty of sexual assault. Some are questioning if he can run for president.
Now, if we lived in normal times, say, as recently as even five years ago, I’d agree regarding running for president. We don’t live in normal times, anymore. We now live in Trump Time.
Let’s review just some of the acts of assault against women that Trump has committed. Over the years and prior to running for office, he insulted and demeaned women. He cheated on all three of his wives, hired prostitutes, practically molested women on his television show and the beauty pageants he ran.
Wasn’t there something about him walking into the dressing room at the Miss Teen USA Pageant? At a debate, he skirted answering a question regarding the dressing room; he insulted the female reporter that asked the question.
Let’s not forget the biggie, “Grab ‘em by the p*$&y.” Not only did he say it, he never once apologized for it or any of his acts. If memory serves, I think nineteen women have accused him of sexual assault.
Please let that sink in. Trump faces nineteen accusations of sexual assault. That’s serial sexual assault.
Remember, too, Trump is hardly alone in his contempt for women. How many members of the GOP have said horrid demeaning things about women? How many charges laid against members of the GOP for everything from rape to child molestation?
I am most definitely not saying the Democrats have clean hands on this issue, far from it. Yet, we need to get away from this ridiculous attitude of false equivalency. Joe Biden engaging in two innocuous acts does not begin to tip the scales of justice against the mighty tome of criminal offenses committed by Trump.
Then there’s a final point to consider. What is the aftermath? Biden seems sincerely contrite and regretful for anything deemed inappropriate that he did.
Has Trump ever expressed regret for anything? Has he apologized to anyone, even his own wives and children, for his acts? I don’t seem to recall a single instance of such a thing. No, in fact, he tends to brag about his ostensibly serial sexual assaults.
Which man would you trust in a room with your own daughter, Biden or Trump?
Combining the gimlet-eye of Philip Roth with the precisive mind of Lionel Trilling, AJ Robinson writes about what goes bump in the mind, of 21st century adults. Raised in Boston, with summers on Martha's Vineyard, AJ now lives in Florida. Working, again, as an engineeer, after years out of the field due to 2009 recession and slow recovery, Robinson finds time to write. His liberal, note the small "l," sensibilities often lead to bouts of righteous indignation, well focused and true. His teen vampire adventure novel, "Vampire Vendetta," will publish in 2020. Robinson continues to write books, screenplays and teleplays and keeps hoping for that big break.
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