Tara Reade Accusation Puts Democratic Voters In A Tough Spot
I find myself somewhat at a loss, when faced with the emerging scandal over Tara Reade's allegations of a sexual assault made against her in the 1990s by Joe Biden, then a sitting United States senator. The reason I have a problem with addressing the scandal is that my own personal knee-jerk reaction simply does not apply.
Let's get my own personal bias out of the way before addressing the actual situation Biden now finds himself in. What truly annoys me, seemingly every four years or so, is that Democrats manage to nominate someone for president who has skeletons in the closet that somehow are never revealed during the primary process. Right after the nomination is secured, these skeletons are then revealed -- meaning Democratic voters at that point no longer have a choice.
Now, normally, this is a function of the opposition research team of whichever Republican is running, as well as an abject failure of the opposition research teams of all the other Democratic candidates who ran for president and lost. There's a certain timidity during the primaries against going too negative against other Democrats, which means that sometimes ugly subjects just don't get brought up. The candidates, at least, have something to worry about -- a backlash against them by the voters for going so negative. But the media has no such built-in excuse. And yet it seems like the media sits on certain stories for months so they can reveal them at the precise moment when the voters no longer have any say in the nominee.
Which is why I've always pushed back at all the voices urging Democrats to tone it down and play nice in the debates. The debates are there for a reason, and the reason is to vet all the candidates. Such vetting is incomplete if the worst skeletons in the closet are not exposed, plain and simple. I wrote about this during this election cycle after a Bernie supporter wrote an opinion piece attacking Joe Biden and everybody basically missed the whole point or just flat-out ignored the actual substance of the attack. But I pointed out at the end that this wasn't just a Biden-specific problem, and why:
Voters in the Democratic primaries need to be aware of such weaknesses for all the Democratic candidates. The alternative is to wait until after a nominee is crowned, and then find out when it's too late to do anything about the choice. Because negative campaigning will happen, no matter who the Democratic nominee is. The choice is whether to have it happen now or later, but that's really the only two options we have.
. . .
So I for one don't mind a few dustups in the Democratic race now, rather than later when it is too late to change the nominee. Weaknesses should be pointed out and addressed now, while voters still have a choice to make. That's what happens -- or should happen, at any rate -- during a political campaign. We are vetting the best man or woman to take on Donald Trump, and Donald Trump is going to show no restraint whatsoever in making such attacks. We need to see which of the candidates can face such stormwinds and who will be blown away by them, and we need this to happen sooner rather than later.
The media, for the most part, concentrates solely on the sparks flying. They love a good conflict, which usually leads them into "conflict for conflict's sake" reporting. But we deserve more. We deserve the candidates getting asked about the substance -- or even the negative appearance -- of such attacks. Any candidate who takes the route of: "We shouldn't be tearing each other down in the primaries, we should be focused on uniting to beat Donald Trump" is selling the public short, because no matter what Marquess of Queensberry rules all Democrats agree to now, all of that is going straight out the window when the nominee faces Trump in the general. The choice is to either select a candidate without knowing how they'd counter such attacks, or to explore the subject now to test their mettle. So while others gleefully obsess over who said what about which candidate, I'm much more interested in what is being said and what answer each candidate has for attacks on their perceived weaknesses. When the time comes, they're going to have to counter this stuff in real time -- either on a debate stage with Trump, or after Trump tweets something out to stir the pot for that day's news cycle. Trump is a master of media manipulation, and I don't want to see a Democrat nominated who has no strategy for how to defend against such manipulation, plain and simple.
This is my standard position on getting as much negative information out as possible during the primary season. However, as I mentioned to begin with, none of it even applies to the Tara Reade allegations. Because this time it wasn't the media who held this story back, and it wasn't any of Biden's competitors who shied away from using it (during a debate or otherwise). Reade didn't make her allegation until late last month -- long after Joe Biden had sewn up the Democratic nomination. The timing was entirely up to her.
Reade had made a previous accusation, when multiple women spoke out about Biden's touchy-feely ways. But back then she didn't accuse him of anything worse than what the other women were saying, most of which could be called, at worst, sexual harassment. The sexual assault allegation wasn't made until very recently.
Initially, the media wasn't all that enthused about covering the story, and tended to dismiss Reade as being some sort of admirer of Vladimir Putin or just an anti-Biden voice in the Democratic Party. Since then the story has slowly been growing, and corroborating voices have been heard from (people Reade told about the attack back in the 1990s).
Joe Biden has tried to walk a very thin tightrope between being respectful in general to anyone who comes forward with such a claim, while fully denying it or anything like it ever took place. It just didn't happen, according to Joe.
The main question that remains so far unanswered in all of this is what it will do to Biden's chances of winning. It puts Democratic voters -- women, especially -- in a very tough spot. If the accuser is believed, then the choice in November becomes one between a guy who has been accused of sexual assault by one woman and sexual harassment by others, and a guy who has been accused of outright rape by one woman, sexual assault by multiple others, and sexual harassment by almost too many women to count. That is not an ideal choice for a voter to make, obviously. Especially in the era of "Me Too."
Of course, Donald Trump attempting to somehow take the moral high road in all of this is downright laughable -- but then again so was a Vietnam draft-dodger taking the military high road against a Vietnam hero with multiple awards for valor. But the swiftboating was, somehow, effective. So while it would be ironic in the extreme, I could indeed see Team Trump try to make this an enormous deal in the general election.
There's always the possibility that Trump has lowered the bar so much that none of it will make a difference, however. If both candidates are seen as equally guilty, then voters don't really have a binary choice to make (although they may choose to stay at home and not vote). If Trump's own past negates anything he tries to say about Biden's past, then it won't be as potent a political issue as some may now think. It'll instead be a "pot calling the kettle black" situation.
This is a horrendous spot to be in, it has to be admitted, because it comes after the Democratic nominee has essentially been anointed. If it had come out back when the initial accusations of harassment were made against Biden, then it could have changed the dynamics of the entire primary race. Perhaps Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg would have been the last two candidates standing, who knows? But that's all water under the bridge, now.
At the moment, we're all waiting to see who Biden selects as a vice presidential candidate. He's already stated unequivocally that the choice will be a woman. But that's going to put the woman who gets the nod in a very tough spot indeed, because she'll be required to defend Biden against all attacks -- which will definitely include being asked: "Do you believe Tara Reade?" over and over again. If Biden's veep choice is already known for being a strong feminist voice, this will leave her open to claims of outright hypocrisy if she backs Biden's "he said" over Reade's "she said." Biden might avoid some of this by naming a running mate who isn't a strong feminist voice, which might blunt the calls of hypocrisy to some degree, but which would also probably be a weaker pick for his vice president.
As I said, it's pretty hard at this point to see this issue as completely changing many voters' minds. Those disgusted or disappointed with Biden as a result won't suddenly start supporting Donald "Grab 'Em By The Pussy" Trump, most likely. How could they? But it might lead to a diminishing amount of voter enthusiasm, if people decide "a pox on both their houses" and just don't vote for either candidate. This could be a very close race -- one decided at the very margins. So even a marginal drop in motivation for Biden could be decisive. That's certainly what Team Trump is hoping for.
Personally, I'm sorry this all came out now, rather than much earlier. But, as I mentioned, I simply cannot blame the usual suspects for the timing. None of the other candidates knew about it and stayed silent, and the media was likewise kept in the dark. We already knew Biden was to some degree a flawed candidate in this regard (hair-smelling and being handsy), but the previous allegations were in a whole different category from what is now being alleged. This is definitely going to be an issue in the general campaign in one way or another, that much seems certain at this point. What is left unanswered is what effect it will have, and how big an effect it will be. And I have to say that right now I really have no clue what the answers to those questions are going to turn out to be.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Events unfolded just today wherein it's obvious this is nothing more than a right-wing hit job. And what would that be? Tara Reade referring to Hillary Clinton as "enabling a sexual predator" after Clinton's endorsement today of Joe Biden. The slur that Hillary Clinton is an enabler of her husband sexual behavior is a right-wing talking point, and now Tara Reade refers to Joe Biden as her rapist and that's Hillary Clinton enabling another sexual predator. And that's where I call bullshit right there. Full stop.
Of course, with Tara Reade's sudden accusation of Hillary enabling Joe Biden (and her heretofore sudden accusation blaming Joe for raping her), she's being used to deliver the same type of red meat the Trump base loves wherein women are the enablers of men's attacks. This is exactly the kind of ridiculous spew that will infuriate actual victims of sexual assault who are quite routinely blamed for men's behavior toward them. Poor naive Tara Reade is now an enabler of the knee-jerk right-wing fringe, white male grievance talking point that women are enablers! I don't see how this obvious GOP smear on Biden doesn't worsen the gender gap at the polls since women aren't this stupid to fall for this.
So women are supposed to believe a claim by a supposed "victim of rape" that Hillary Clinton is somehow "enabling a sexual predator"? Oh, that is not how a victim of sexual assault suddenly refers to another woman whom she admits she voted for multiple times... and knowing full well what her history was at the time of both of those votes. Tara Reade now suddenly claims Joe Biden "raped" her... yet she too spent decades praising her "old boss" and voting for him too and praising him in writing on Twitter. Has she not just furthered the woman as the "enabler" right-wing talking point and how does that label not fit her?
I now do not believe her at all now. Victims do not suddenly refer to another woman as an "enabler" of powerful men when they themselves have praised the same man for his work for multiple decades and right up until March 2020 and then suddenly he's a rapist women who praise him are "enablers." I do not think Ms. Reade thought that one through, and I do not for one minute believe she is a victim of Joe Biden when she's spewing the right-wing talking point wherein Clinton is an enabler!
Add this right-wing asinine rhetoric to the two-year history of Ms. Reade praising Putin repeatedly while also criticizing America and even admiring Putin's bare torso, and buh-bye, Tara! I do not know any victims who complain about being sexualized and/or objectified that would turn right around and do the same thing (even to Putin... gag).
So to recap: I'm calling it now... a right-wing hit job on Joe Biden. Lost me right there, Tara. Buh-bye! I would even say she is now quite obviously an "enabler" of the right-wing smear machine wherein women are defined as the enablers of men's bad behavior, and if Hillary is an enabler of Joe Biden's and her husbands, then Tara fits that right-wing talking point very nicely herself.
Women aren't this stupid, GOP, except maybe naive Tara Reade for allowing herself to be a mouthpiece of the GOP and furthering that right-wing "same song second verse" talking-point bullshit wherein women are to be accused of enabling men's behavior. This should backfire spectacularly because it's so obvious and the type of utter asinine nonsense that infuriates actual victims of sexual assault who are blamed themselves!
This one reeks with the stench of GOP bullshit. Full stop. Yes, you bet your ass I'm peeved!
Finding weaknesses early on is one thing but this piece, I am infinitely sorry to say, is a piece of shit.
Biden didn't rape anybody and he didn't smell anyone's hair, either.
I am out of here.
I'm a little conflicted by the fact that a woman has accused Biden of sexual assault. On the one hand, we're trying to learn to listen to women on this issue, rather than dismiss them. On the other hand, Reade is Biden's only accuser so far, and if there's one thing we've learned in the past few years, once one woman goes public on these guys, the other women - and there are always other women, as sexual predators predate more than once, by definition - feel more enabled and begin to come forward with their corroborating stories.
But, so far, there are no other women on Biden's case. Whereas the president has, roughly, twenty-five women current accusing him of sexual assault.
Now, I think Biden is a superior candidate for president compared to Trump on numerous grounds, such as not being a liar, not being ignorant of the principle of the rule of law and the structure of the constitution, not being ignorant, incurious, and illiterate in general, not being evidently corrupt such that his office seems like a license to make money and punish his enemies, not being pathologically narcissistic and so unable to deal with reality, etc.
So, since I am in favor of Biden on the grounds that the future of the American republic very likely depends on getting Trump out of the White House, I will apply a 'rule of ten' to the problem of sexual assault by Biden. When not twenty-five, but two hundred and fifty women claim that they were physically attacked by Joe Biden, I will consider voting for... well, not Trump. But someone other than Biden.
Thank you, CW!! :D
Liz,
Finding weaknesses early on is one thing but this piece, I am infinitely sorry to say, is a piece of shit.
Biden didn't rape anybody and he didn't smell anyone's hair, either.
Sorry to say, but you are factually wrong on both counts...
These acts have ALL been well documented....
They are fact...
I'm a little conflicted by the fact that a woman has accused Biden of sexual assault.
Oh, it's easy not to be conflicted.. Just pretend Biden has a -R after his name..
Then you won't be conflicted at all.. :eyeroll:
On the one hand, we're trying to learn to listen to women on this issue, rather than dismiss them. On the other hand, Reade is Biden's only accuser so far,
Not factually accurate. More than a dozen women have accused Biden of sexual assault...
. When not twenty-five, but two hundred and fifty women claim that they were physically attacked by Joe Biden,
Ahhh So it's simply a numbers game to you.. How convenient...
Why don't you man up and just say what you really mean..
Biden has a -D after his name and he can rape a dozen women in the middle of 5th Ave and you would STILL vote for him..
:eyeroll:
I find myself somewhat at a loss, when faced with the emerging scandal over Tara Reade's allegations of a sexual assault made against her in the 1990s by Joe Biden, then a sitting United States senator. The reason I have a problem with addressing the scandal is that my own personal knee-jerk reaction simply does not apply.
But it SHOULD... That's the point..
Initially, the media wasn't all that enthused about covering the story, and tended to dismiss Reade as being some sort of admirer of Vladimir Putin or just an anti-Biden voice in the Democratic Party. Since then the story has slowly been growing, and corroborating voices have been heard from (people Reade told about the attack back in the 1990s).
Who could have POSSIBLY predicted this!!! :D
Oh.. Wait.. :D
At the moment, we're all waiting to see who Biden selects as a vice presidential candidate. He's already stated unequivocally that the choice will be a woman.
Which is textbook misogyny... And it gets worse.. Biden has stated he will choose a female minority.. So it's sexist AND racist...
But, since the Tara Reade rape criminal complaint came out, it's become obvious WHY Biden wants to have a female VP... :^/
This is definitely going to be an issue in the general campaign in one way or another, that much seems certain at this point.
Yep... Something I have been saying for a week or two now.. :D
JL, Chris Cillizza and I all agree.. If Biden doesn't address this forcefully and honestly and QUICKLY.... He doesn't deserve to be POTUS...
And I'll go a step further and state that if Biden doesn't do the afore... He will be forced from the race...
Great commentary, CW....
You should have the same exact reaction, whether it is Biden being accused or Trump being accused..
No??
Reade had made a previous accusation, when multiple women spoke out about Biden's touchy-feely ways. But back then she didn't accuse him of anything worse than what the other women were saying, most of which could be called, at worst, sexual harassment. The sexual assault allegation wasn't made until very recently.
This is not factually accurate.. Since ALL of the actions of Bidens with these dozens of women involved actual physical contact, the correct crime would be at worse, sexual assault...
The sexual assault allegation wasn't made until very recently.
Again, lets make sure our labels are factually accurate.. What you want to label 'sexual assault' is actually a textbook definition of rape... If it involves penetration of ANY sort by anything, it's considered rape..
An excellent timeline of the Blasey-Ford accusation as it compares to the Reade rape criminal complaint...
Then and now: How evidence in Kavanaugh case compares with Biden accusation
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/then-and-now-how-evidence-in-kavanaugh-case-compares-with-biden-accusation
The blatant hypocrisy of the Trump/America haters is fully on display for all to see...
In the weeks after Christine Blasey Ford publicly accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party in high school, she was unable to produce any corroborating, contemporaneous witnesses to demonstrate that she had mentioned the alleged assault to anyone -- or even that she had ever met Kavanaugh.
In fact, Ford's friend Leland Keyser would expressly contradict Ford's narrative, saying it "just didn't make any sense." Although Ford claimed Keyser had attended the 1982 party during which the alleged assault occurred, Keyser had no recollection of the event or anything like it, and asserted that it was implausible that Ford couldn't recall how she had gotten home or where exactly the party had occurred. Kavanaugh forcefully denied the accusation.
Nevertheless, Ford's accusation immediately reverberated throughout the nation's political landscape and dominated the coverage of every major media organization. Virtually all Democratic senators called for a serious inquiry, if not Kavanaugh's withdrawal from consideration for the Supreme Court. Later, accusations by Deborah Ramirez and Michael Avenatti client Julie Swetnick, although also uncorroborated, only added fuel to those calls.
How ANYONE can claim Ford's accusations are more likely factual than Reade's is beyond all scope of reason or logic...
Now, more than a month after Tara Reade alleged that Joe Biden sexually assaulted her when she worked for him as a staffer, those same Democrats and media outlets are mostly silent. Reade, however, has presented substantially more corroborating evidence than Ford did when she leveled her claims in 2018.
Biden himself hasn't addressed the allegation against him, and no one in the media has asked him about it during interviews. Representatives for Biden's campaign have denied the allegations.
Again, the FACTS clearly show that reality and logic are overwhelmingly in Tara Reade's favor...
Here's How the Media Will Fix Biden's #MeToo Problem
Pressure is mounting for former Vice President Joe Biden to finally address the allegations made by Tara Reade, a former staffer when Biden was a senator in the mid-1990s.
Up until now, the legacy media has formed a bit of a barricade around the Democrat's presumptive nominee for president by simply ignoring the story altogether, a privilege they did not afford now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation process.
As Mollie Hemingway has pointed out at The Federalist, the double standard in how media outlets treated unfounded, uncorroborated allegations against Kavanaugh and their outright denial of the mere existence of the much more credible and detailed allegations against Biden borders on the criminally absurd.
https://townhall.com/columnists/larryoconnor/2020/04/28/heres-how-the-media-will-fix-bidens-metoo-problem-n2567776
Anyone who claims that the Leftist media is unbiased is NOT living in the real world..
“For a woman to come forward in the glaring lights of focus, nationally, you’ve got to start off with the presumption that at least the essence of what she’s talking about is real, whether or not she forgets facts, whether or not it’s been made worse or better over time.”
-Joe Biden
SO..... The question for Joe Biden is...
Does this apply to Tara Reade, Joe???
I have another prediction..
This is going to be one of the quieter Commentaries with the only comments on reality coming from yours truly.. :D
It's become apparent that (with VERY few exceptions) no one is interested in any commentary that is NOT full of bigotry and Trump/America hatred...
It's OK... I am used to being the only advocate for reason and logic and reality..
It's kinda my raison d'etre around here.. :D
So, how long do ya'all predict that Joe Biden will be hiding from Tara Reade in his basement???
Ya really have to appreciate the dilemma that Biden faces, now that he has locked himself into the sexist course of choosing a woman as his VP...
If Biden chooses a strong willed, feminist type she is going to be roasted time and time again over the fact she is tying herself to a confirmed rapist...
On the other hand, if Biden chooses a milquetoast woman who has no base, she will not inspire other women to vote for Biden..
The third possibility is that Biden reneges on his promise and doesn't choose a woman at all..
Basically, Biden is stuck with 3 very VERY bad possibilities..
What IS it about Democrats that they always seem to find the worst LOSE-LOSE situation to mire themselves in???
There are records in Joe Biden's possession that will shed light on Tara Reade's accusations..
If those records say things that help Joe Biden, ya'all KNOW he would be shouting them from the highest rooftops..
The fact that Joe Biden is STILL keeping them secret proves that they are very damaging to Joe Biden..
Who knows how many other women were raped by Joe Biden... It's likely a bunch...
I believe many of ya'all stated during the Kavanaugh lynching that there are ALWAYS more women who have a story to tell..
Once again, ya'all are hoisted by yer own Picard.. :D
This one reeks with the stench of GOP bullshit. Full stop. Yes, you bet your ass I'm peeved!
And when Biden is forced from the race over this, I bet yer gonna be pulling yer hair out ballistic! :D
Don't worry.. I'll be around to rub it in.. :D
CW,
If both candidates are seen as equally guilty, then voters really don't have a binary choice to make...
Except for one thing..
Democrats operate under the premise that ALL WOMEN ARE TO BE BELIEVED...
Ergo, all the bullshit accusations against President are bullshit.. INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY..
Democrats don't believe that.. THEY believe Tara Reade... Ergo, Joe Biden is guilty...
"Simple logic"
-Admiral James T Kirk
Of course, you could easily refute my logic..
Simply concede that the Democrat mantra of ALL WOMEN ARE TO BE BELIEVED is utter bupkiss and is SOLELY based on the -D -R after a person's name and the Party agenda at work..... :D
Sorry Weigantians, Michale's got you guys pegged to the proverbial "Tee" here! Your political ideology informs your sense of morality, and your hypocrisy and double standard-ism stinks to high heaven.
The sad truth is, we're facing an election between two incompetent assholes, neither of which should ever be elected to any position of leadership.
That doesn't say much for the collective intelligence of the American electorate, but what the hell, nothing new about that!
Sorry Weigantians, Michale's got you guys pegged to the proverbial "Tee" here! Your political ideology informs your sense of morality, and your hypocrisy and double standard-ism stinks to high heaven.
What's so ironic is that it's so blatant and obvious..
It's ALWAYS better to support people, not Partys..
The sad truth is, we're facing an election between two incompetent assholes, neither of which should ever be elected to any position of leadership.
And yet, up to the point that mother nature reared her head, President Trump was doing an awesome job..
That doesn't say much for the collective intelligence of the American electorate, but what the hell, nothing new about that!
"...'tis said 'tis true... 'tis true 'tis sad..."
Biden camp reportedly pushing NY Times report in 'talking points' to combat Tara Reade claims
The Biden campaign reportedly is relying on a New York Times report in talking points being circulated to combat the explosive sexual assault allegation made by the candidate's former Senate staffer, Tara Reade.
BuzzFeed News reported on Tuesday that despite strong denials the campaign has issued to various media outlets, aides for former Vice President Joe Biden are taking Reade "seriously enough behind the scenes to coordinate messaging among other Democrats to try to cast the matter as one that’s been thoroughly vetted and determined to be unfounded."
The "talking points" reportedly read, “Biden believes that all women have the right to be heard and to have their claims thoroughly reviewed In this case, a thorough review by the New York Times has led to the truth: this incident did not happen.”
https://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-camp-reportedly-pushing-ny-times-report-as-talking-point-to-combat-tara-reade
Joe Biden is *NOT* going to address the Tara Reade Rape criminal complaint...
He is going to hide in his basement and hope it all fades away..
It's NOT going to fade away.. It's going to be a HUGE campaign issue..
Especially if Biden ignores it..
This is fact...
MC, you still haven't chimed in on this... You afraid agreeing with me might turn yer tongue to fire?? :D
“Here’s the bottom line. Vice President Joe Biden has spent over 40 years in public life: 36 years in the Senate; 7 Senate campaigns, 2 previous presidential runs, two vice presidential campaigns, and 8 years in the White House. There has never been a complaint, allegation, hint or rumor of any impropriety or inappropriate conduct like this regarding him — ever.”
-Democrat Party Talking Point
Except there has.. There has been DOZENS of complaints of this nature.. Varying seriousness to be sure, but one common theme..
Joe Biden forcing himself on women and girls and make them uncomfortable...
Tara Reade allegations stir Democratic unrest
Democrats are reassessing the potential damage to Joe Biden after new details surface.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/29/tara-reade-biden-democrats-217392
Who could have **POSSIBLY** predicted that Democrats would have to take a step back and re-assess Joe Biden's viability because of Tara Reade??
Oh... Wait.... :D
One of these days, you people will get a clue..
More often than not, I **DO** know what I am talking about...
I have been factually accurate a LOT more times than I have been wrong..
And ya'all have been dead on ballz WRONG a helluva lot more times than ya'all have been factually accurate..
And ya'all know why that is???
Because ya'all are not grounded in reality with facts..
Ya'all's (NEN) entire belief structure is SOLELY based on Party slavery..
That is why ya'all are mostly wrong and I am mostly factually accurate... :D
It really is that simple.. :D
It started as a little noticed story in a small newspaper in Northern California last year, before Joe Biden had officially become a candidate for president.
Against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement, a local woman named Tara Reade said the former vice president had inappropriately touched her.
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Her account got little traction during the Democratic primary. But roughly a year later — after Reade claimed sexual assault and new details surfaced in recent days — it has metastasized into a serious campaign liability, entering the political mainstream just as Biden seeks to unite a fractious Democratic Party behind him.
“Just getting pulled into that discussion harms Biden,” said Amanda Renteria, who was national political director of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. “Headlines matter no matter what the facts end up being. … This isn’t going away, obviously. And what you’ve learned in the last 48 hours is this is a narrative folks are going to want to push.”
***This isn’t going away, obviously.***
A simple fact that I have been saying for about a week now...
Joe Biden is toast...
The only question is, will Bernie be able to step up???
After Business Insider published two on-the-record sources Monday saying Reade told them about the accusations years ago — resulting in a rush of follow-up media reports — Republicans quickly amplified Reade’s claims, and Democrats began reassessing the potential damage.
One Democratic strategist said, “Jumping from Daily Caller to CNN seems like a worrying trend.”
It should be VERY worrying for Democrats and Weigantians..
But it requires a buttload of cognizance about the FACTS and REALITY...
Something lacking with the Democrat Party...
Biden should come out and simply admit that his pockets were so full of big money that he had no place else to put his hands. :D
heh
And the nearest vagina was his best choice...
Democrats Will Have To Answer Questions About Tara Reade. The Biden Campaign Is Advising Them To Say Her Story “Did Not Happen.”
Joe Biden has yet to personally address Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegation, but his campaign has circulated talking points.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycramer/joe-biden-tara-reade-talking-points-campaign-defense
Why won't Joe Biden address the issue directly???
Because everyone knows he will fold under pressure.
Why won't Joe Biden release his records that, his campaign claims, will prove Tara Reade is a liar??
Because everyone knows that those records will bolster and prove Tara Reade's rape criminal complaint is factually accurate..
Why is practically every Weigantian relatively silent on this issue??
Because Michale has them by the short and curlies, facts wise.. :D
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now that's just plain careless.
yes michale, you're right about biden needing to address the issue personally, and you're right that there's an air of hypocrisy due to the fact that this wasn't addressed sooner in the mainstream media.
however, and there's a big however, there's a lot about tara reade's allegation that doesn't jibe with everything else we know, both about her and about joe biden. i'm not going to jump to conclusions like she MUST be lying, i just think there's a lot about her claim that is a little too convenient.
as opposed to justice kavanaugh for example, it's not like joe biden just entered the public eye yesterday. the only thing that changed immediately prior to the tara reade sexual assault allegation is he became the presumptive nominee of the democratic party.
JL
now that's just plain careless.
heh Point conceded...
yes michale, you're right about biden needing to address the issue personally, and you're right that there's an air of hypocrisy due to the fact that this wasn't addressed sooner in the mainstream media.
Thank you..
however, and there's a big however, there's a lot about tara reade's allegation that doesn't jibe with everything else we know, both about her and about joe biden. i'm not going to jump to conclusions like she MUST be lying, i just think there's a lot about her claim that is a little too convenient.
Could you give me an example??
as opposed to justice kavanaugh for example, it's not like joe biden just entered the public eye yesterday. the only thing that changed immediately prior to the tara reade sexual assault allegation is he became the presumptive nominee of the democratic party.
Just as Blasey Ford came out of the woodwork just as Kavanaugh was named to the SCOTUS... His name was floating around since the previous year, having made President Trump's short addendum SCOTUS nomination list..
Timing, in and of itself, is meaningless as to assessing the validity of the accusation..
It's a point to be considered, to be sure.. But if timing is the sole point against, that makes it a weak rebuttal...
@m
i'm teaching at the moment, but i promise i'll get to you later.
JL
Fair enough....
C. R. Stucki
21
Sorry Weigantians, Michale's got you guys pegged to the proverbial "Tee" here!
Wrong.
Your political ideology informs your sense of morality, and your hypocrisy and double standard-ism stinks to high heaven.
Wrong! I don't belong to any political party, and I don't expect humans to be infallible (because none of them are) and political candidates to meet any type of morality purity tests (because none of them can).
Mike's standard bullshit where he slaps a label on every person here and trolls this forum stating everyone here is in need of his wise counsel is patently ridiculous. And your "piling on" to Mike's bullshit isn't a surprise because you lump everyone in the same category and slap labels on them too... repeatedly.
You're both guilty of exactly what you're accusing others here who don't echo your generally/usually right-wing political ideology, and that's why this constant trolling of his and casual dinging of yours is pot-kettle-black... even if neither of you can quite recognize your projection!
The sad truth is, we're facing an election between two incompetent assholes, neither of which should ever be elected to any position of leadership.
This sounds akin to the same lame "lesser of two evils" bullshit that is dragged out every election. It is as tiresome as it is repetitive and totally expected. Sadly, it's a mechanism by which voting is suppressed.
That doesn't say much for the collective intelligence of the American electorate, but what the hell, nothing new about that!
There was a time I would disagree with criticism of the intelligence of American voters, but that was before a money laundering con artist reality television show host connected to the mob on multiple continents became president by the Electoral College.
yes michale, you're right about biden needing to address the issue personally, and you're right that there's an air of hypocrisy due to the fact that this wasn't addressed sooner in the mainstream media.
Funny how yer the ONLY (well, along with CRS) one with the integrity to concede the facts..
So much for the claim I have no credibility.. :D
Mike
7
Which is textbook misogyny... And it gets worse.. Biden has stated he will choose a female minority.. So it's sexist AND racist...
Liar! Biden has not stated he would choose a minority as his vice presidential running mate, but he did say he would choose a woman. It is not "textbook misogyny" unless you're using a textbook from Trump University or you're just an inveterate moron who shouldn't use "big words" with multiple syllables that he quite obviously isn't clear on its meaning...or both. Biden did state that if he was elected to the office of the presidency that he would put a woman of color on the Supreme Court so that this segment of the American population would finally be represented in the highest court in the land. If you believe that is "racist" to say you will give black women representation on the SCOTUS that they've never had, then you're the "textbook definition" of a moron. Would it be sexist if a man claimed he was going to name a man? Oh, of course not... because that's different; it's a man!
But, since the Tara Reade rape criminal complaint came out, it's become obvious WHY Biden wants to have a female VP... :^/
Ridiculous and also not possible since there isn't a "rape criminal complaint" that has "come out." Tara Reade filed a "public incident report" a.k.a. "police report" in Washington, DC, wherein she did not name Joe Biden. It's also a repetitive lie and libel to keep claiming a "rape criminal complaint" exists on Joe Biden that doesn't exist and will never exist due to statute of limitations laws. A "rape criminal complaint" is a court document that accuses or charges a suspect with committing the specific crime of rape and would be filed by a prosecutor in cooperation with police.
This is definitely going to be an issue in the general campaign in one way or another, that much seems certain at this point.
It'll have company with the dozens of young girls and women who have accused Donald Trump of pedophile/dressing room peeping, sexual assault, and forcible rape with the exception that Donald Trump is actually being sued in a court of law like Bubba Clinton... whom you insist was guilty because he's a Democrat. Trump was a Democrat at the time he raped women so it's probably true he's guilty.
JL, Chris Cillizza and I all agree.. If Biden doesn't address this forcefully and honestly and QUICKLY.... He doesn't deserve to be POTUS...
You're putting words in people's mouths again; that is akin to your frequently invented fake quotes that you pull out of your backside.
And I'll go a step further and state that if Biden doesn't do the afore... He will be forced from the race...
You keep repeating this like we didn't hear it the first 90 times so I'll keep repeating that I do not believe they will allow another right-wing hit job -- like the one Roger Stone perpetrated on Al Franken -- to take out Joe Biden. When Fox News trots out Tara Reade to claim Hillary Clinton is an enabler of powerful men, that has all the earmarks of another right-wing hit job. Suddenly this Putin lover changes her story and states Biden raped her and Hillary Clinton is enabling a powerful man. A bridge too far, Mike. Women are not that stupid and will see right through that BS. That right-wing talking point that women are the enablers for men's behavior fits Tara Reade too since she spent decades praising her "old boss" multiple times, voting for him multiple times, voting for Hillary Clinton multiple times, and now suddenly her "old boss" is her rapist, and Hillary Clinton is enabling him! Nice try, though, GOP and Fox. Tara now fits the right-wing talking point of being an "enabler" of powerful men.
You should have the same exact reaction, whether it is Biden being accused or Trump being accused..
Then so should you, but you don't.
Again, lets make sure our labels are factually accurate.. What you want to label 'sexual assault' is actually a textbook definition of rape... If it involves penetration of ANY sort by anything, it's considered rape..
Let's do make sure our labels are factually accurate... said the guy who keeps lying and claiming that Joe Biden has a "rape criminal complaint." Inaccurate label. If Tara Reade is making a false claim, like I suspect she is, she was indeed wise not to name Joe Biden in her "public incident report." I'm not buying it, though. All of a sudden after nearly three decades, a man she has praised repeatedly and voted for repeatedly is suddenly being referred to by her as a her "rapist." *shakes head*
21
Sorry Weigantians, Michale's got you guys pegged to the proverbial "Tee" here!
Wrong.
Facts to support??
None?? Of course not...
It's unanimous by those Weigantians with more than 2 brain cells to rub together.. Yer factually full of shit.. As usual.. : D
Wrong! I don't belong to any political party,
Liar....
I have proven my NPA bona fides.. Yer full of shit with your claims not to be a card carrying Democrat Party slave...
:D
You can spew all you want, Victoria..
But the fact remains..
Joe Biden is taking major hits by not addressing the rape criminal complaint..
FACT
Democrats are re-assessing his viability as the Democrat Nominee for POTUS...
FACT
The media is blatantly hypocritical for their lack of coverage to the rape criminal complaint against Joe Biden in light of their hysterical over the top coverage of Blasey-Fords bullshit accusations..
FACT
And yer totally peeved that I am totally factually accurate in my predictions and you have been proven wrong at every juncture..
FACT
:D You have a real nice day.. :D
Oh, one more point to make. When the news broke that Donald Trump confessed to grabbing women by the genitals, this is what we heard out of Mike:
So over on Earth 2, any Democrat that is accused of rape is obviously guilty, yet it's locker room talk and dozens of women accusing Trump of sexual assault are not to be believed.
So to recap: If you refuse to hold Donald Trump accountable, you don't get to hold Biden accountable.
If it's really that simple, then why isn't Mike practicing what he preaches?
Mike
39
Liar. Troll.
Mike
40
Joe Biden is taking major hits by not addressing the rape criminal complaint..
There isn't a "rape criminal complaint." There is a "public incident report" also known as a police report. I've already said he should definitely address it, as for the "major hits" claim, the dozens of different polls I've seen don't bear that out. It seems voters don't mind voting supporting a candidate accused or rape; Trump voters sure don't so why should other voters?
Democrats are re-assessing his viability as the Democrat Nominee for POTUS...
That's vague. Two Democrats could be doing that, and this would qualify as a fact. Anyway, Biden will be running against a candidate who admitted to paying off a porn star and has dozens of complaints of sexual assault and lawsuits and complaints of raping a 13-year-old girl.
The media is blatantly hypocritical for their lack of coverage to the rape criminal complaint against Joe Biden in light of their hysterical over the top coverage of Blasey-Fords bullshit accusations..
There isn't a "rape criminal complaint" against Joe Biden; there is a "public incident report" where the accuser does not name Joe Biden. The accuser provided the report to The New York Times, and they reported on it. Washington Post reported on it. The media all over the Internet is reporting on it. I won't go into it again, but JL is correct that there are obviously multiple red flags to this accusation.
And yer totally peeved that I am totally factually accurate in my predictions and you have been proven wrong at every juncture..
I'm not peeved at you about anything; that would require caring about your opinion of me, which is hysterical on its face!
FACT
:D You have a real nice day.. :D
I always do!
Oh, one more point to make. When the news broke that Donald Trump confessed to grabbing women by the genitals
As usual, Victoria is lying..
President Trump never said anything of the sort..
But, once again, Victoria proves how she has to lie about everything, how she can't handle the facts or reality about anything...
HA!!!!!
New York Times says Biden camp's talking points 'inaccurately' describe their Tara Reade reporting
https://www.foxnews.com/media/ny-times-biden-camp-talking-points-inaccurately-describe-tara-reade-report
Rapist Joe Biden gets bitch-slapped by the NY Grime!! :D
The New York Times rebuked the Biden campaign on Wednesday, telling Fox News that the reported talking points that have been circulated to prominent Democrats "inaccurately" describe the paper's reporting on the candidate's accuser Tara Reade.
"Buzzfeed reported on the existence of talking points being circulated by the Biden campaign that inaccurately suggest a New York Times investigation found that Tara Reade’s allegation 'did not happen.' Our investigation made no conclusion either way," a spokesperson for the Times said in a statement. "As Buzzfeed correctly reported, our story found three former Senate aides whom Reade said she complained to contemporaneously, all of whom either did not remember the incident or said that it did not happen."
The spokesperson continued, "The story also included former interns who remembered Reade suddenly changing roles and no longer overseeing them, which took place during the same time period that Reade said she was abruptly reassigned. The Times also spoke to a friend who said Reade told her the details of the allegation at the time; another friend and Reade’s brother say she told them of a traumatic sexual incident involving Biden."
On Tuesday, BuzzFeed News reported that despite strong denials the campaign has issued to various media outlets, aides for former Vice President Joe Biden are taking Reade "seriously enough behind the scenes to coordinate messaging among other Democrats to try to cast the matter as one that’s been thoroughly vetted and determined to be unfounded."
Ouch!!!
The NY Grime utterly decimates the Biden campaign!!
Joe Biden has several young women in his basement hideaway for a briefing
http://sjfm.us/videos/JoeBidenBriefing.gif
If there is truly nothing to these many many complaints against Joe Biden, he could easily prove it to everyone..
Simply release his records.. PROVE that there are no complaints of his sexual harassments and rapes...
The mere fact that Joe Biden does not publicly release his records would indicate that there ARE complaints...
Now for a PSA..
"If you or a loved one died from injecting yourself with disinfectant, please contact URA, MORON & D'ZERHVOT"
This concludes this PSA...
Are we going to talk about Tara Reade? Joe Biden and the sex assault and harassment claims hovering over his candidacy
https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-are-we-going-to-talk-about-tara-reade-20200429-c5zfvo5srfhhblscteakm7s72u-story.html
It's universally accepted by those with more than 2 brain cells to rub together that the Tara Reade rape criminal complaint is NOT going to go away before 3 Nov 2020....
It's a given....
Despite an obstacle-strewn ascension similar to a “Game of Thrones” episode, former Vice President Joe Biden managed to slay every metaphorical dragon he faced in becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, from old policy specters to campaign trail gaffes to a primary opponent who was stubborn to concede.
But there are more gauntlets to run. Biden wants to defeat President Trump by drawing strong contrasts on competence and character.
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Before that fight, though, Biden will have to contend with another pressing matter that has been bubbling up for months. Her name is Tara Reade.
She alleges that while working for the then-senator in the early 1990s, she was sexually assaulted by Biden and then retaliated against professionally for complaining to his staff. These claims are beginning to get the traction they deserve, with recent stories in mainstream outlets like the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, CNN and Politico joining the rash of coverage by conservative and alternative press.
It's mainstream now...
Democrats are wondering if Joe is really the nominee they want...
Dammit!! I did it again!!!!
GRRRRRRRR...
My kingdom for an edit feature!! :D
Mike
44
President Trump never said anything of the sort..
But, once again, Victoria proves how she has to lie about everything, how she can't handle the facts or reality about anything...
I can handle facts just fine; however, you wouldn't recognize a fact if it lived on your face. Apparently, you're content to live in denial over on Earth 2 where every Democrat accused of some sudden thing after thirty years is suddenly pronounced guilty while Republicans are as pure as the driven snow.
So I repeat/recap: If you refuse to hold Donald Trump accountable, you don't get to hold Biden accountable.
If it's really that simple like you said, then why don't you practice what you preach?
It’s possible Biden’s assuming that voters’ antipathy for Trump will supersede any qualms they may have with his behavior, regarding Reade or any of the other women who have complained about unwanted touching. He may be right; plenty chose not to care about the multiple allegations against Trump in 2016.
But that’s even more reason for Biden, Democrats and the media to address the accusation fully and head on and let voters decide what to believe. This story likely isn’t going away, and pretending it isn’t real is just ignoring a ticking time bomb.
Democrats CAN'T address this yet.. Biden has not been sufficiently coached and calmed down..
He tries to go public now, he will convict himself in the eyes of the public.....
Donald Trump: Yeah, that’s her. With the gold. I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.
Billy Bush: Whatever you want.
Donald Trump: Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.
As I said and as you have proven...
President Trump said nothing of the sort..
YOU claimed President Trump "confessed to grabbing women's genitals"
As your own comment proves, he said nothing of the sort..
So, looks like you proved yourself to be a liar..
"If you or a loved one died from injecting yourself with disinfectant, please contact URA, MORON & D'ZERHVOT"
If you are the POTUS that announced to the world that you thought it would be a good idea to look into injection of disinfectant into the lungs, please contact: IMA, IDIOT & LAUGHINGSTOCK WORLDWIDE.
IMA, IDIOT & LAUGHINGSTOCK WORLDWIDE.
Finally.. Victoria and I agree on something..
She is, indeed, an idiot and a laughingstock of the world..
And, to make it extra special nice she is really peeved that Joe Biden is getting his ass kicked.. :D
AND she admits she is a liar about what she claimed President Trump confessed to.. :D
Wow, it's been a great day for me.. :D
Mike
55
So, looks like you proved yourself to be a liar..
Looks like you proved yourself to be illiterate and in Donald Denial... again. #SSDD
Apparently, though, you've got no problem voting for a rapist so I cannot fathom why you think this will hurt Joe Biden at the ballot box. It's good enough you and to get your vote, and you talk incessantly about what a great man Donald is. So rape is obviously not a problem for you... not sure why you think it should be a problem for other voters.
So, to recap..
Victoria claimed that she WASN'T a Democrat..
She lied..
Victoria claimed that President Trump "confessed" to grabbing women's genitals..
She lied..
Victoria is "peeved" that Joe Biden's campaigned is being DECIMATED by the rape criminal complaint against Biden...
Yep.. A VERY good day for me.. :D
Mike
57
IMA, IDIOT & LAUGHINGSTOCK WORLDWIDE.
Finally.. Victoria and I agree on something..
I'm not the POTUS that suggested it, but it's good that you admit you agree with me about the Moron Mobster POTUS. Such a breakthrough for you!
And, to make it extra special nice she is really peeved that Joe Biden is getting his ass kicked.. :D
Nope. Only peeved that Tara Reade would accuse another woman of being an "enabler" of "powerful men" and spew that right-wing talking point that men's actions are somehow the fault of some woman who allowed it. That's the right-wing talking point she's now spewing after years of praise of Biden, voting for Biden multiple times, voting for Hillary multiple times. That plus all the Putin praise for two years is a red flag for a right-wing hit job.
AND she admits she is a liar about what she claimed President Trump confessed to.. :D
You're a troll and just generally full of bullshit up to your eyeballs 24/7/366 <--- leap year.
Wow, it's been a great day for me.. :D
Awwwwww. It's sad that trolling people and spewing your repetitive shit over and over is what it takes to make you feel good about yourself, and you'll always have my unwavering pity... that is for sure!!!!!!!!!!!
When all is said and done..
One fact remains..
Ya'all ignored this rape criminal complaint as if it was meaningless... Nothing..
I called it that this was going to get legs and bite Joe Biden on the ass..
Once again, I was dead on ballz factually accurate..
Ya'all were, as usual, wrong about it all...
"These are the facts of the case.. And they are undisputed.."
-Captain Smilin' Jack Ross, A FEW GOOD MEN
:D
Mike
59
Victoria claimed that she WASN'T a Democrat..
I'm not a Democrat.
She lied..
Troll.
Victoria claimed that President Trump "confessed" to grabbing women's genitals..
He confessed it to Billy Bush. Do you not know what the word "confessed" means? I'm sorry if you're illiterate, but it's never too late to get an education. I recommend any college that's not named "Trump University."
Victoria is "peeved" that Joe Biden's campaigned is being DECIMATED by the rape criminal complaint against Biden...
I don't think it's being decimated at all, and there is no "rape criminal complaint," but there is a police report that does not name Joe Biden.
Yep.. A VERY good day for me.. :D
You have my unwavering eternal pity. Always! :)
All the name-calling in the world won't change the fact that YOU were wrong.. AGAIN..
And I just PROVED you to be a liar.. :D
Great day for me.. :D
Victoria bullshitted:and there is no "rape criminal complaint,"
Tara Reade, who last month accused the former vice president and longtime senator of sexually assaulting her in 1993 while employed as one of his Senate staffers, told police that Biden “assaulted her in a Senate corridor, shoving his hand under her skirt and penetrating her with his fingers,” {{Textbook definition of rape}} Business Insider reported Saturday while also noting that the “statute of limitations for the alleged assault...
https://www.allsides.com/news/2020-04-13-0855/former-biden-staffer-files-criminal-complaint-dc-police
Once again, Victoria is proven to be a liar.. :D
OH FRABJOUS DAY!!!! :D
Thanks to Trump, we have the first FLOTUS with her own page on PornHub.
Saw this in the comments over at FoxNews and got a huge laugh.
Mike
61
When all is said and done..
One fact remains..
Ya'all ignored this rape criminal complaint as if it was meaningless... Nothing..
I haven't ignored it, JL hasn't ignored it, and most everyone else here already discussed it at length when you weren't around... so you're (again) full of shit up to your eyeballs. No one has said it was meaningless.
I called it that this was going to get legs and bite Joe Biden on the ass..
You also "called it" that Joe Biden's campaign would basically be over on Super Tuesday after I crunched the data and told Elizabeth Miller what was about to happen. You also Bernie's campaign dead when he had a heart attack and then turned around later and claimed that on Super Tuesday Bernie would win the day and eventual nomination because Biden would likely drop after his poor showing.
Once again, I was dead on ballz factually accurate..
Is your self-esteem so damn down in the swamps that you have to constantly fabricate scenarios to make yourself feel prescient? I mean, dang! Nobody -- repeat nobody -- here "ignored" Tara Reade's allegations, and there is not a "rape criminal complaint" in existence but a police report that doesn't name Joe Biden.
Ya'all were, as usual, wrong about it all...
Do you feel better about yourself when you've concocted the standard bullshit of the day... that utter asinine spew, standard fabrication, trashing and slashing circle-jerk routine of yours you've got down? *laughs*
Welp, it's that time again..
Look forward to decimating ya'all again tomorrow.. :D
Hasta...
Awwww. The fake cop keeps claiming there is a "rape criminal complaint" against Joe Biden when there is a "public incident report" -- a.k.a. police report -- filed in Washington, DC, and it does not name Joe Biden at all. Big difference in a police report and a rape criminal complaint.
I have to confess, though, that it's awesome when people who've spent years claiming their nonexistent "law enforcement bona fides" keep proving over and over ad nauseam and without doubt that they have no clue whatsoever about actual law enforcement. *laughs*
Thanks for the assist, fake cop!
Russ
65
Thanks to Trump, we have the first FLOTUS with her own page on PornHub.
If the current FLOTUS was the wife of a Democratic POTUS, the GOP would call her a "Commie ____."
Saw this in the comments over at FoxNews and got a huge laugh.
FoxNews is always good for a laugh... until their bullshit causes people to get hurt, of course.
Strange that the link to Michale’s story from allsides.com takes you to a Daily Caller page if you want to read the whole story past what he posted here. Gee...a click bait site.....who could have guessed that’s where Michale gets his info from?!?
But I decided to follow the links to actually read the article...something Michale never bothers to do, obviously. The first thing you see when the Daily Caller page is loading is a giant quote box from the podcaster who broke this story stating that Reade has been attempting to tell this story since 1993....
Which is simply not true! Reade has only tried to tell THIS story since it became clear Biden was going to win the Democratic nomination. Prior to this, she had been telling a very different story for almost 30 years! If the podcaster did any research into the matter, they would have realized that Reade saying she’s tried to tell this story since 1993 was not true. That leaves two options: either 1)the podcaster is not a journalist and her story should not be treated as coming from one, or 2) she knew she was lying when she made the claim. Either one makes the story completely unreliable and therefore completely unfit to be reported as news.
This is Trump’s MO for going after someone he dislikes. The Republican Party did this with Hillary for 35 years, and they have been doing it against Biden since Trump took office and it was clear that Biden might run in 2020. The problem is that Trump is truly stupid...literally the dumbest person to ever be in the White House. He’s always had enough money to avoid getting caught in the past, but that doesn’t work as well when you are the President.
Hope this makes you proud, Chris.
But, then again, I suppose you got pretty much what you asked for.
:-(
Russ
70
I know, right!?
And suddenly, Tara Reade now decides that Biden is her "rapist" and Hillary Clinton is his "enabler"? I call right-wing hit job, and how is Tara Reade not an "enabler" herself? GOP hit job. I would wager the woman needs money and has found a way to make some, and she dang sure isn't the first women who was recruited by the GOP to smear a Democrat.
Here is the biggest factor for why this story is nothing like the Kavanaugh allegation. Kavanaugh was known to drink until he blacked out during the timeframe from when the allegation claims the assault occurred. He claimed to have no memory of the assault ever happening... but “having no memory of it occurring” is not the same as being able to state that he did not do it!
Kavanaugh, having admitted to drinking until he blacked out on occasion, should have simply stated that he had no memory of doing the things he was accused of doing, and was horrified to think that he could have hurt someone so badly and they have lived with the pain from that event all this time. He could have made it clear that while he has no memory of it having occurred, he has no reason to doubt Ms. Ford’s testimony. He could have apologized if he did attack her, and promised her that he never would have allowed himself to get so drunk if he believed that he was capable of doing such a horrible thing. He could have apologized for her years of suffering silently, and while he can not remove the pain he caused her, he would take the lessons he has learned from this with him. He could have said that his new perspective on sexual assault cases would be with him as long as he sat on the bench.
That would have been Kavanaugh showing that he could not claim that he never attacked Ford because he cannot say what he did when he blacked out! Since no charges were filed at the time, this was never thoroughly investigated and so it’s the best result we could have hoped for.
Biden was not a black out drunk during the time period in which this allegation lies. So when he says he didn’t do this, I have no reason to doubt his memory or his word.
Elizabeth Miller
71
Hope this makes you proud, Chris.
You've spent quite a bit of time bashing Hillary Clinton in the comments section here... even to the point of continuing to do it... Hi Paula! You proud about that? You sure seem really proud about it.
But, then again, I suppose you got pretty much what you asked for.
My Momma always says, "If you're going to dish it out, you best be prepared to take it." Now is the part where get as good as you've given and you reap what you've sown. You're on the other end of it now; suck it up, buttercup. :)
Bring it on, Kick.
Good point, Russ!
Why won't the Clintons just go away?
They have both done quite enough damage already.
Kick,
So did Reade not actually name Biden in the statement she made to the police? I haven’t followed this story very closely because it is such an obvious hit piece directly from Trump’s playbook, but not naming Biden by name would make it clear that she was attempting to avoid being charged with entering a false police report. How pathetic is it that the GOP’s mastermind is now Trump, himself! Makes me actually appreciate Karl Rove’s talents after all these years.
Kick,
Chris is quite capable of defending himself, okay?
Russ
73
Oh, that whole Kavanaugh thing can be summed up in three words as far as I'm concerned: "Elections have consequences."
I believed Ford, but I did see the inconsistencies in her story... the same inconsistencies you'll get in any story that's decades old, I can assure you. I didn't believe Kavanaugh, but "elections have consequences." Trump won and should have been allowed to pick his own Supreme Court Justice... even if it wasn't Trump's pick but the actual pick of the retiring member of the SCOTUS.
Biden was not a black out drunk during the time period in which this allegation lies. So when he says he didn’t do this, I have no reason to doubt his memory or his word.
The whole "Hillary is an enabler" of Joe Biden bullshit for endorsing him is straight out of the right-wing playbook. They're sorely mistaken if they think women are this stupid. Got to drag Biden down to Trump's skeevy level and play the old "both sides do it" and hope it peels off women voters. They won't likely vote for Trump; they're more likely to just not vote. Hopefully it backfires. They're clearly trying to "Al Franken" him.
EM
80
Chris is quite capable of defending himself, okay?
I think you've mistaken me calling out your hypocrisy and whining as an attempt to defend Chris. How sweet. :)
Knee-jerk reactions should always be assessed thoughtfully and critically.
Mine was warranted.
Leave me alone.
Elizabeth Miller
77
Why won't the Clintons just go away?
Why don't you ask your rapist pal Joe why he wanted Hillary Clintonn's enabling... I mean... endorsement, and report back to us all, EM. Chop, chop. Time's a wastin'.
Shut the fuck up, Kick. Your contributions here, along with Michale's own gems, have helped to make this place what it has become. You can be proud, too, I guess.
Russ
79
So did Reade not actually name Biden in the statement she made to the police?
No, she did not name him in her public incident report to the Washington, DC Police Department.
I haven’t followed this story very closely because it is such an obvious hit piece directly from Trump’s playbook, but not naming Biden by name would make it clear that she was attempting to avoid being charged with entering a false police report.
I agree.
How pathetic is it that the GOP’s mastermind is now Trump, himself! Makes me actually appreciate Karl Rove’s talents after all these years.
Trump is addicted to Adderall and shits the bed near nightly, and that's about all he can actually "mastermind." *laughs*
So, I've started watching Homeland. Can ya tell? :)
Elizabeth Miller
83
Knee-jerk reactions should always be assessed thoughtfully and critically.
Mine wasn't a knee-jerk reaction so you must mean yours was, and I assessed you quite accurately... and thank you for proving it with your subsequent posts.
Mine was warranted.
You want a medal or a chest to pin it on?
Elizabeth Miller
84
Leave me alone.
No way, Canada. You going to dish it out, you best be prepared to take it.
Elizabeth Miller
86
Shut the fuck up, Kick.
Language! Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
You will awaken and upset that judgmental poster from the land of maple with a flaming sense of entitlement to post exactly as she pleases and yet (for whatever reason I cannot fathom) cannot allow herself to stop assuming the role of board police.
Your contributions here, along with Michale's own gems, have helped to make this place what it has become. You can be proud, too, I guess.
Pound sand, Canada!
Heh.
EM
Heh.
Now you know I was kidding about Joe, of course, EM. Just let all this right-wing chatter about it roll off your back. Disinfectant Injector Donald is on meltdown and threatening to sue his own campaign manager, and he is one scared POS who's definitely feeling cornered. The GOP does not want to run against Joe Biden. Donald Trump has already been impeached in perpetuity over his quid pro quo to kneecap Biden's candidacy, and rightly so.
Remember that time we discussed what Biden would be up against, and you thought I was crazy?
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2019/04/22/democratic-field-still-growing/#comment-134053
Well, here we are now... nothing that wasn't expected. It only gets worse from here because Trump is a criminal likely to be tried for crimes known -- and as yet unknown -- to the public.
Let it roll, and buckle up. Trump is an angry, malignant narcissist who has no empathy for people, but we eat bastards like him for breakfast. Scrambled eggs. Trump too shall pass... sooner or later, but the turning point will arrive.
I see.
michael j. stern in USA Today goes over some of the things that are fishy about tara reade's story. these things don't necessarily make it false, but they do give any reasonable person pause when it comes to believing what she says on the subject.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2020/04/29/joe-biden-sexual-assault-allegation-tara-reade-column/3046962001/
I wish you knew Joe Biden like I know him, Joshua.
not many people do, liz.
That's a problem.
If I didn't know Biden like I do, I'd be wondering a bit, too, I suppose, maybe ...
… Biden hasn't exactly been beloved by his own party. He has often said in the context of senate hearings that 'he's not on the right, he's not on the left, he's in the middle with Biden … come join me'.
Many Democrats think they are merely 'settling' for Biden. Little do they know how impressive a president he will be.
Make that coulda, woulda been ...