GOP Mississippi gubernatorial candidate refuses to be alone with female reporter

[John Dule]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfyjvTavGo0

Personally I don't think this is really his fault. With so many sexual harassment cases coming to light right now, it makes sense to over-correct in the opposite direction. Both the male candidate and the female reporter were victims of circumstance. Of course, she's the one who ultimately had to go and make a federal case out of it.

[Progressive Pessimist]

It's on you if you think you're too much of a lech to not make a woman feel uncomfortable. This frame of mind is nothing but an extension of a paranoid persecution complex.

[John Dule]

It's on you if you think you're too much of a lech to not make a woman feel uncomfortable. This frame of mind is nothing but an extension of a paranoid persecution complex.

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that's not what his reasoning was.

[Devout Centrist]

Jesus Christ, dude

[7,052,770]

It made lots of sense for him to do this. Why would someone polling in single digits let a liberal journalist write a likely unflattering article that no one will read anyway, when instead he can try to set off a firestorm in the national news and get free publicity? Every liberal who insults him will make him sympathetic to the base he wants but isn't getting.

Granted, it's pretty silly to invoke Billy Graham when  Graham himself had this as a guideline rather than an ironclad rule (for example, he once famously ate lunch with Hillary Clinton, just the two of them), but what does Foster have to lose? It's too late to drop out and run for his legislature seat again.

[John Dule]

It made lots of sense for him to do this. Why would someone polling in single digits let a liberal journalist write a likely unflattering article that no one will read anyway, when instead he can try to set off a firestorm in the national news and get free publicity? Every liberal who insults him will make him sympathetic to the base he wants but isn't getting.

Granted, it's pretty silly to invoke Billy Graham when  Graham himself had this as a guideline rather than an ironclad rule (for example, he once famously ate lunch with Hillary Clinton, just the two of them), but what does Foster have to lose? It's too late to drop out and run for his legislature seat again.

Okay... except he didn't. He made the request for her to bring along a colleague and she made that public.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

I would've done the same thing.

[Indy Texas 🇺🇦🇵🇸]

Even if you're a Clinton/Epstein/Trump-level sex pest, would you really be so stupid as to be sexually improper with a reporter who is writing stories about you?

[7,052,770]

It made lots of sense for him to do this. Why would someone polling in single digits let a liberal journalist write a likely unflattering article that no one will read anyway, when instead he can try to set off a firestorm in the national news and get free publicity? Every liberal who insults him will make him sympathetic to the base he wants but isn't getting.

Granted, it's pretty silly to invoke Billy Graham when  Graham himself had this as a guideline rather than an ironclad rule (for example, he once famously ate lunch with Hillary Clinton, just the two of them), but what does Foster have to lose? It's too late to drop out and run for his legislature seat again.

Okay... except he didn't. He made the request for her to bring along a colleague and she made that public.

Don't be naive. He knew what he was doing. It's a cheap Hail Mary from a hopeless loser, desperate for some kind of attention to his floundering campaign.

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Even if you're a Clinton/Epstein/Trump-level sex pest, would you really be so stupid as to be sexually improper with a reporter who is writing stories about you?

[John Dule]

It made lots of sense for him to do this. Why would someone polling in single digits let a liberal journalist write a likely unflattering article that no one will read anyway, when instead he can try to set off a firestorm in the national news and get free publicity? Every liberal who insults him will make him sympathetic to the base he wants but isn't getting.

Granted, it's pretty silly to invoke Billy Graham when  Graham himself had this as a guideline rather than an ironclad rule (for example, he once famously ate lunch with Hillary Clinton, just the two of them), but what does Foster have to lose? It's too late to drop out and run for his legislature seat again.

Okay... except he didn't. He made the request for her to bring along a colleague and she made that public.

Don't be naive. He knew what he was doing. It's a cheap Hail Mary from a hopeless loser, desperate for some kind of attention to his floundering campaign.

Well, there's no evidence to corroborate your take on this, and the "firestorm" was in fact caused by the reporter, so this is pretty much a matter of opinion.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Even if you're a Clinton/Epstein/Trump-level sex pest, would you really be so stupid as to be sexually improper with a reporter who is writing stories about you?

In this #MeToo era, I would be incredibly anxious.  If I were a candidate for office, I'd bring my wife along.

There are women who would fabricate accusations.  There are others who would attribute something that may be totally innocent as something with an inappropriate motive, and they will be believed instantly these days.  And the reaction to those who have "victimized" the "women who are believed" is unremitting.  There is no repentance accepted, no defense viewed as credible, and the desired outcome is the utter ruin of the "predator". 

And when we say that women don't lie, Catherine Crowell Webb happened.  Tawana Brawley happened.  Crystal Mangum happened.  If I were in public life, I would have a healthy skepticism as to what level someone would go to for their own fame and notoriety.

People have the right to be safe.  People have the right to experience a sense of sexual and emotional safety, and people ought to adjust to ensure that people.  But people should not be blind to the realities of the #MeToo movement, and the fact that, at present, there is absolutely no check on excesses and abuses, because these things are being denied as ever possibly existing.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

If he can't be trusted alone with a female reporter, why on earth should he be trusted with the responsibilities of being a governor?

[Fuzzy Bear]

If he can't be trusted alone with a female reporter, why on earth should he be trusted with the responsibilities of being a governor?

Perhaps he doesn't trust the female reporter.

He'd be ridiculous for taking this posture 15 years ago, but it's not 15 years ago.

[brucejoel99]

Ladies & gentlemen, the modern day Republican Party.

Side note: he's already fundraising off of the publicity, so it really wouldn't surprise me if somebody in his camp had this whole thing planned out so they could pander.

[OneJ]

Reminds me of Pence.

[DrScholl]

Oh, woe as him. He's afraid someone will think he had fleshly contact with a woman who is not his betrothed.

Seriously, he knows his own behavior better than anyone so if he can't be alone with a female reporter that says something about him.

[7,052,770]

"In this #MeToo era"

3 examples listed from long before the #MeToo era, one from as far back at the mid-1970s (!), and none of which involved a politician

[7,052,770]

It made lots of sense for him to do this. Why would someone polling in single digits let a liberal journalist write a likely unflattering article that no one will read anyway, when instead he can try to set off a firestorm in the national news and get free publicity? Every liberal who insults him will make him sympathetic to the base he wants but isn't getting.

Granted, it's pretty silly to invoke Billy Graham when  Graham himself had this as a guideline rather than an ironclad rule (for example, he once famously ate lunch with Hillary Clinton, just the two of them), but what does Foster have to lose? It's too late to drop out and run for his legislature seat again.

Okay... except he didn't. He made the request for her to bring along a colleague and she made that public.

Don't be naive. He knew what he was doing. It's a cheap Hail Mary from a hopeless loser, desperate for some kind of attention to his floundering campaign.

Well, there's no evidence to corroborate your take on this, and the "firestorm" was in fact caused by the reporter, so this is pretty much a matter of opinion.

Again, don't be naive. Foster knew this would blow up. It was a surprisingly smart and inspired strategy from someone who's been a total dud up until this point.

[Fuzzy Bear]

"In this #MeToo era"

3 examples listed from long before the #MeToo era, one from as far back at the mid-1970s (!), and none of which involved a politician

Are there false accusations in this, the #MeToo era?

That's a "yes" or a "no".

[Fuzzy Bear]

It made lots of sense for him to do this. Why would someone polling in single digits let a liberal journalist write a likely unflattering article that no one will read anyway, when instead he can try to set off a firestorm in the national news and get free publicity? Every liberal who insults him will make him sympathetic to the base he wants but isn't getting.

Granted, it's pretty silly to invoke Billy Graham when  Graham himself had this as a guideline rather than an ironclad rule (for example, he once famously ate lunch with Hillary Clinton, just the two of them), but what does Foster have to lose? It's too late to drop out and run for his legislature seat again.

Okay... except he didn't. He made the request for her to bring along a colleague and she made that public.

Don't be naive. He knew what he was doing. It's a cheap Hail Mary from a hopeless loser, desperate for some kind of attention to his floundering campaign.

Well, there's no evidence to corroborate your take on this, and the "firestorm" was in fact caused by the reporter, so this is pretty much a matter of opinion.

Again, don't be naive. Foster knew this would blow up. It was a surprisingly smart and inspired strategy from someone who's been a total dud up until this point.

Now I might agree to that.  A guy that far behind does need a gimmick of some sort.

[7,052,770]

"In this #MeToo era"

3 examples listed from long before the #MeToo era, one from as far back at the mid-1970s (!), and none of which involved a politician

Are there false accusations in this, the #MeToo era?

That's a "yes" or a "no".

Yes? You didn't list any though.

George Takei is the only high profile one that comes to mind that was demonstrated to be false. I'm sure there have been some lower profile others, just with probability and all that. And Aziz Ansari and Neil deGrasse Tyson were "accused" of things that while probably true, were not actually bad enough to be lumped in with the serious assault and rape allegations, and that was pretty unfair to them.

The idea that Foster had to be careful because this professional reporter (who is a lesbian for the record) might accuse him of rape or sexual assault is insulting and outrageous. There is no reason to believe that she might do that.

What's next, refusal to be alone with a black person because they might murder him?

[lfromnj]

This is a perfectly normal common reaction.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/men-are-afraid-to-mentor-female-colleagues-in-the-metoo-era-heres-what-not-to-do-2019-05-20

Are 60% of managers rapists now?

[JA]

Claiming we live in the "#MeToo Era" is a deliberate attempt to negatively portray the attempts by victims of sexual assault and harassment to speak out about a serious, long dismissed issue that can have serious psychological consequences for its survivors. These people blaming the victims for speaking out, as if it's their fault that so many men are inclined to predatory and abusive behavior, are disgusting. If you feel uncomfortable around women because of this, then everyone should question what sort of behavior and thoughts you have to make you so overly cautious and feel persecuted.

In short, this guy is a moron and if he can't handle being around women in a professional setting, then he doesn't belong in a professional setting. The same applies to anyone else who feels like they need to protect themselves from women because of the "#MeToo Era."

[Arson Plus]

Ahh... True Family Values /s