Tara Reade Biden allegation megathread

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This thread is like a Worst of Atlas from everyone involved.

[Sestak]

Yet another hole in the story.  Reade says this happened in a hallway in the Russell Senate office building.

Reade’s assault allegation, which became public last month, involves an interaction in the spring of 1993. She said that she was sent by her manager to bring a gym bag to Biden, and they met in a hallway of the Russell Senate Office Building, in a tucked away corner. Before she knew it, he pressed her up against the wall, forcibly kissed her, and put a hand each up her blouse and skirt, penetrating her with his fingers.

Maybe, when you heard this story, you imagined some labyrinth of hallways where Tara could easily get lost and raped in some dusty nook where no one ever ventures.

Here's a floor plan of that building:



Anyone want to point out where Biden could possibly have raped Tara without immediately being seen and heard by anyone walking by?  There's only a few nooks and they're all for stairways, elevators or bathrooms.  Other than that it would have to be in another Senator's office.

Couple reasons why this isn't that clear cut. Firstly, has any account stated that this was a particularly busy time in the Senate building, or even a moderately busy time? Assuming that there would always be someone walking by seems like a leap.

Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, what Reade actually alleges Biden did in the snippet that you yourself quoted is not something that necessarily occured over some long time frame; it could've easily been over the span of just fifteen to twenty seconds.

Again, I'm not saying any of this is evidence in favor of the allegation. But painting it as some major "hole in the story" is jumping to conclusion and does nothing except make your side of the argument look worse.

We'll just have to wait for Reade to "clarify" her accusations *eyeroll*

I'm sorry, is there even a contradiction here that would warrant something like that? Because I'm really not aware of any. Has Reade said the encounter lasted for a long amount of time?

[Yellowhammer]

I didn't think Reade's allegations were real at first, but that Larry King interview is something else (assuming the caller was in fact her mother). There seems to be more evidence that something went down between them than there ever was for Kavanaugh and Ford.

[Del Tachi]

Yet another hole in the story.  Reade says this happened in a hallway in the Russell Senate office building.

Reade’s assault allegation, which became public last month, involves an interaction in the spring of 1993. She said that she was sent by her manager to bring a gym bag to Biden, and they met in a hallway of the Russell Senate Office Building, in a tucked away corner. Before she knew it, he pressed her up against the wall, forcibly kissed her, and put a hand each up her blouse and skirt, penetrating her with his fingers.

Maybe, when you heard this story, you imagined some labyrinth of hallways where Tara could easily get lost and raped in some dusty nook where no one ever ventures.

Here's a floor plan of that building:



Anyone want to point out where Biden could possibly have raped Tara without immediately being seen and heard by anyone walking by?  There's only a few nooks and they're all for stairways, elevators or bathrooms.  Other than that it would have to be in another Senator's office.

This is such a minuscule, random aspect of the story that calling it a gaping "hole" in Reade's allegations really demonstrates how much you want this to go away.

I have worked in this building.  It's a big square with long hallways, yes, but there're times/places where foot traffic is relatively light.  In the Russell Building, every entry door along the hallway is recessed from the main corridor and these alcoves are removed from the main line-of-sight for the most part (see picture).  The Russell Building also has underground areas connecting it to the Capitol and Dirksen/Hart Office Buildings; the basement floorplan is not as regular as the above-ground floors and and access to the basement is exclusively reserved for Senators/staffers.

Both these thing aren't true. And besides, the basement hallways (where this supposedly happened) are almost always full of staffers and visitors going to and from the Capitol Subway.

Visitors aren't allowed on the Capitol subway or the underground passages between the office buildings/Capitol.  Large tour groups have to enter/exit Senate buildings at ground level (at least, this is how it was like in 2016 when I worked there).  And tour groups don't get in after 3:00p or 4:00p, IIRC.  By 5:00 or 6:00, the hallways are pretty empty.

And the underground floors are more irregular, because they're connected to the Dirksen/Hart and Capitol buildings.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Yes, according to Tara the incident would only have taken 20 seconds or so.  But it clearly didn't go as Biden intended.  If Tara had actually let Biden finger her, it would have gone on a lot more than 20 seconds.

No one in their right mind would try to finger-bang a staffer from the privacy of an "alcove" (really just a doorway).  What, the doorway to some other Senator's office, where there would have been dozens of staffers working?  The idea that Biden would do something so brazen and risky doesn't match with him also being so secretive and crafty that he got away being a "sexual predator" (Tara's own words) for fifty years with no one ever noticing.  Contrast this with Senator Packwood, whose sexual habits were common gossip around Capitol Hill for years before he got "exposed."

And of course, the switcheroo to "oh she said it was a hallway but she meant a staircase" is just desperation and makes zero difference even if true.  As if a stairway is a safe place to have sex with your staff?  That's an even less safe place than a doorway "alcove."

Del Tachi is trying to change Tara's story to take place in the underground passage connecting the office building to other buildings.  Once again, Tara is very clear that it was a hallway in Russell, so this isn't Tara's story at this point, it's just your imagination.  Second, if Biden was hiding in some secret corner of an underground maze, how would Tara have found him in the first place?  Did the staffer give her specific directions to Biden's secret rape den?  When you try to think about it practically it just never sounds like something that would actually happen.

And the idea that this was some late-night rendezvous at the Russell Office Building and Biden/Tara were the only two there is just another thing Tara didn't say that y'all are making up to defend her.
 And it doesn't make sense either.  The story is that a senior staffer told Tara to go bring Biden his gym bag.  So you mean to tell me that Biden, who famously took the AMTRAK between Capitol Hill and Delaware almost every day, was wandering around the office building late at night and decided to go to the gym?  What was he doing in the office building if nobody else was there?  What were Tara and her supervisor doing there?  No, this took place during normal working hours, when the Russell Office Building would have been buzzing with senators, staffers, and other swamp denizens.  There is no place in the building where Biden could have expected to finger-bang a staffer without getting caught.  Period.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

Yet another hole in the story.  Reade says this happened in a hallway in the Russell Senate office building.

Reade’s assault allegation, which became public last month, involves an interaction in the spring of 1993. She said that she was sent by her manager to bring a gym bag to Biden, and they met in a hallway of the Russell Senate Office Building, in a tucked away corner. Before she knew it, he pressed her up against the wall, forcibly kissed her, and put a hand each up her blouse and skirt, penetrating her with his fingers.

Maybe, when you heard this story, you imagined some labyrinth of hallways where Tara could easily get lost and raped in some dusty nook where no one ever ventures.

Here's a floor plan of that building:



Anyone want to point out where Biden could possibly have raped Tara without immediately being seen and heard by anyone walking by?  There's only a few nooks and they're all for stairways, elevators or bathrooms.  Other than that it would have to be in another Senator's office.

This is such a minuscule, random aspect of the story that calling it a gaping "hole" in Reade's allegations really demonstrates how much you want this to go away.

I have worked in this building.  It's a big square with long hallways, yes, but there're times/places where foot traffic is relatively light.  In the Russell Building, every entry door along the hallway is recessed from the main corridor and these alcoves are removed from the main line-of-sight for the most part (see picture).  The Russell Building also has underground areas connecting it to the Capitol and Dirksen/Hart Office Buildings; the basement floorplan is not as regular as the above-ground floors and and access to the basement is exclusively reserved for Senators/staffers.

Both these thing aren't true. And besides, the basement hallways (where this supposedly happened) are almost always full of staffers and visitors going to and from the Capitol Subway.

Visitors aren't allowed on the Capitol subway or the underground passages between the office buildings/Capitol.  Large tour groups have to enter/exit Senate buildings at ground level (at least, this is how it was like in 2016 when I worked there).  And tour groups don't get in after 3:00p or 4:00p, IIRC.  By 5:00 or 6:00, the hallways are pretty empty.

And the underground floors are more irregular, because they're connected to the Dirksen/Hart and Capitol buildings.

Visitors and tour groups are allowed to use the Capitol Subway from Russell, but not from Dirksen/Hart. And the basement and passages over to Dirksen and Hart are all open to the public. I suppose if it happened at 7 pm or something, it would be hypothetically possible, but I'm very, very skeptical. Also, I would assume the basement of Russell would have CCTV by the '90s.

[Sestak]

And the idea that this was some late-night rendezvous at the Russell Office Building and Biden/Tara were the only two there is just another thing Tara didn't say that y'all are making up to defend her.

I resent this particular mark simply because I'm not trying to defend anything here. The truth is, I haven't looked into this enough to make a definitive decision. But you're approaching it from the premise that the allegation is false and therefore you want to have the "case closed" as soon as possible.

My concern, on the other hand, makes me want this to be looked at from as many angles and as many possibilities at possible - for one simple reason. If, in rushing to have Reade etc. labeled as "liars", "fake victims", etc., anything at all is missed, then it's almost a guarantee that it will come back in the last two weeks of October as CNN/MSNBC/etc make their final play to keep their cash cow around for four years. They are almost guaranteed to pull some shenanigan like this even if what they have is complete bullsh**t - anything they can pull out of a hat at that point that might actually be legitimate would be fatal.

Again, saying things like "since nothing was stated otherwise, it must have happened during the busiest part of the day" maybe works if you're trying to "win" the argument as fast as possible. As thoroughly as possible, no. And that's very very dangerous down the road.

[Dr Oz Lost Party!]

I didn't think Reade's allegations were real at first, but that Larry King interview is something else (assuming the caller was in fact her mother). There seems to be more evidence that something went down between them than there ever was for Kavanaugh and Ford.

You have to be trolling.

There's no way to prove the caller was Reade's mother, therefore there is no way to prove the caller was talking Biden, and there was no mention of rape or sexual assault. If you were an anonymous caller, wouldn't you be at least a little comfortable with naming a politician?

It proved absolutely nothing.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The ratio of informative posts to bickering ones in this thread is about 1:25.  At best.

[Del Tachi]

The story is that a senior staffer told Tara to go bring Biden his gym bag.  So you mean to tell me that Biden, who famously took the AMTRAK between Capitol Hill and Delaware almost every day, was wandering around the office building late at night and decided to go to the gym?  What was he doing in the office building if nobody else was there?  What were Tara and her supervisor doing there?  No, this took place during normal working hours, when the Russell Office Building would have been buzzing with senators, staffers, and other swamp denizens.

There's a members-only gym for Senators (it's actually in the Russell Building, on the first floor, behind a pair of keypad-entry doors...hmm).  Also, when else is a U.S. Senator going to go to the gym?  Its certainly not going to be during "normal working hours" (these guys' 8:00a - 6:00p schedules are pretty stacked).  And it would be completely normal for a young staff assistant and their immediate supervisor (a Deputy COS, scheduler, or someone like that) to be in a Senate office after 6:00 p.m.  I worked as a scheduler assistant in a Senate office, and what you described re: a gym bag is definitely something that would have happened in my office or any other. 

[Pouring Rain and Blairing Music]

This thread is like a Worst of Atlas from everyone involved.

Yeah, I’m not even sure why I’m reading it. But here we are.

[GeneralMacArthur]

I haven't looked into this enough to make a definitive decision. But you're approaching it from the premise that the allegation is false and therefore you want to have the "case closed" as soon as possible.

All I've done is take Tara's own words, "we met in a hallway of the Russell Senate Office Building, in a tucked away corner", and say, is there a tucked-away corner in the Russell Senate Office Building where a sexual assault could plausibly happen?

The answer is no, which is the last page of this thread is people saying things like

• "Maybe it didn't happen in a corner, it happened in an office doorway alcove!"
• "Maybe it didn't happen in a corner, it happened in the stairway!"
• "Maybe it wasn't in Russell, maybe it was in the subway tunnel!"
• "Maybe it happened so late at night that nobody would be there!"

The fact that people are writing things like this shows why my argument is effective.  The story as Reade tells it does not make sense when you look at the map of Russell.  So they have to add their own totally-implausible details, or change the details she supplied, in order to make it make sense.

My concern, on the other hand, makes me want this to be looked at from as many angles and as many possibilities at possible - for one simple reason. If, in rushing to have Reade etc. labeled as "liars", "fake victims", etc., anything at all is missed, then it's almost a guarantee that it will come back in the last two weeks of October as CNN/MSNBC/etc make their final play to keep their cash cow around for four years. They are almost guaranteed to pull some shenanigan like this even if what they have is complete bullsh**t - anything they can pull out of a hat at that point that might actually be legitimate would be fatal.

Yeah, that's what I'm doing, I'm giving you yet another angle.  I already supplied, in the first five pages of this thread, more than enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Tara Reade is lying.  You can label her a liar based on that alone.  The rest is just me supplying even more angles, even more proof, that her story is fake.

Again, saying things like "since nothing was stated otherwise, it must have happened during the busiest part of the day" maybe works if you're trying to "win" the argument as fast as possible. As thoroughly as possible, no. And that's very very dangerous down the road.

Of course, you're now putting words in my mouth that I never said.  Here, let me make the "time of day" argument clearer:

Given that the Russell building is essentially just a square of long hallways with doors to offices, literally a single person walking down a hallway would have heard or seen Biden sexually assaulting Reade.  Biden isn't an idiot, so he wouldn't have done it unless it was a time when he was absolutely sure he could screw her in the hallway and not get caught (this is assuming no CCTV and no security/custodial staff).  But if you assume this is true there's a lot of tough questions you have to answer:

• Reade and her supervisor were still working -- were they the only staff in the building?  Why was Biden's office the only one doing any work?
• Biden was not a work-late guy, he took the train home to be with his kids and did his work on the train and at home.  Why would he be the only senator up late in the office?
• Biden wasn't even working, he was about to go to the gym.  Why would he be going to the gym late at night when the capitol was abandoned?  That contradicts what we know about Biden's habits.
• Biden wasn't in his office, he was elsewhere in the office building.  If nobody else was in the building, what was he even doing?
• Why would Biden take this risk in the first place?  Why wouldn't he just do what Senator Packwood did and find some abandoned office or hotel room to invite her to?

[GeneralMacArthur]

I didn't think Reade's allegations were real at first, but that Larry King interview is something else (assuming the caller was in fact her mother). There seems to be more evidence that something went down between them than there ever was for Kavanaugh and Ford.

You have to be trolling.

There's no way to prove the caller was Reade's mother, therefore there is no way to prove the caller was talking Biden, and there was no mention of rape or sexual assault. If you were an anonymous caller, wouldn't you be at least a little comfortable with naming a politician?

It proved absolutely nothing.

I know it didn't "prove" anything, and I didn't say it did! It is something worth investigating though, but that'll be more difficult now that CNN has scrubbed it from their archive.

CNN doesn't have any Larry King in their archive (just thumbnails with the show dates) and video of the call is already up on YouTube.  So you are definitely trolling here.

[pppolitics]

I didn't think Reade's allegations were real at first, but that Larry King interview is something else (assuming the caller was in fact her mother). There seems to be more evidence that something went down between them than there ever was for Kavanaugh and Ford.

According to Reade...

Biden told her to serve drinks because he likes her legs.

She refused and got fired.

The act wasn't sexual.

There you have it!

That's the story that Reade's mother wanted to tell Larry King!

Employment documents provided by Reade show that she worked in Biden’s office from December 1992 to August 1993.

Reade recalled a handful of times Biden touched her. On one occasion they were before a group of interns when he put his finger on her neck. She doesn’t remember how many times Biden touched her in that manner, she said.

“I was trying to be seen as a professional,” Reade added.

Reade said her expulsion from Biden’s office stemmed from an early 1993 staff argument over the suggestion she serve drinks at an event. According to Reade, Biden wanted her to serve because he liked her legs. Reade didn’t hear Biden make that suggestion, instead learning of it through his staff’s argument. Reade opted against serving drinks, a move she believes sidelined her career.

The friend in whom Reade confided at the time said they discussed Biden. Reade asked her friend if she should take any action. Being young and relatively new to D.C., she wondered if anything was wrong with Biden’s behavior.

The confidant said she asked if Reade would let her younger sister work in the office. When Reade said “no” to the hypothetical question, her friend said Biden’s actions weren’t appropriate.

Reade said she spoke to U.S. Senate personnel about her concerns. Word got back to Biden’s office.

“My life was hell,” Reade said. “This was about power and control.”

“I couldn’t get a job on the Hill,” she added.

In June 1993 Reade found herself in an office without windows. Two months later she left Biden’s office, she said.

Reade said Biden’s senior staff protected the senator. She was considered a distraction. Reade said she didn’t consider the acts toward her sexualization. She instead compared her experience to being a lamp.

“It’s pretty. Set it over there,” she said. “Then when it’s too bright, you throw it away.”

Reade said she tried to share her story when she worked for Biden, but was told to say nothing. Then Biden ran on Barack Obama’s ticket. Reade thought he may have changed.

Reade said she rethought her years-long role as a foot solider for the Democratic Party when she learned of Flores’ disclosure.

She wants more than “Sorry” from Biden.

“‘I changed the trajectory of your life,’” she wants to hear him say. “‘I’m sorry.’”

https://www.theunion.com/news/nevada-county-woman-says-joe-biden-inappropriately-touched-her-while-working-in-his-u-s-senate-office/

[GeneralMacArthur]

Biden didn't tell Reade to serve drinks because he liked her legs.

According to Reade herself, this is simply gossip that she overheard from other staffers.  "Of course Biden picked Reade for the party, she's got gorgeous legs", that kind of thing.

There's zero evidence that Biden actually made sexist decisions like this and even Reade herself isn't saying that.

[Del Tachi]

Gen. MacArthur is taking a very expansive statement on the part of Reade - "it happened in a corner of a hallway in the Russell Senate Office Building at a time no one was around" - and saying the alleged event based upon this imprecise description is impossible.

Posters here aren't adding to Reade's story, they're pointing out that Mac's over-literal interpretation of such an unspecified description as definitive proof of its impossibility is ridiculous.  "A hallway in a Senate building" could mean a lot of things (especially considering this is a 30 year old allegation), and there's nothing internally or externally inconsistent about this aspect of Reade's allegations. 

And for added context, Christine Blasey Ford couldn't even locate the house where she claims Kavanaugh assaulted her, does that make her story literally impossible?

[pppolitics]

Biden didn't tell Reade to serve drinks because he liked her legs.

According to Reade herself, this is simply gossip that she overheard from other staffers.  "Of course Biden picked Reade for the party, she's got gorgeous legs", that kind of thing.

There's zero evidence that Biden actually made sexist decisions like this and even Reade herself isn't saying that.

Still, it is probably not a coincident that "Reade said she tried to share her story when she worked for Biden, but was told to say nothing" line up perfectly with what her mother said on the Larry King interview “My daughter has just left there after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all, and the only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him”.

[7,052,770]

She claims to have told multiple people in Biden's office (she has been inconsistent about the exact number) and then filed a formal complaint with the Senate detailing what happened.

If such a report was filed today, there's no question that there would be a paper trail that could be uncovered in >20 years' time.  However, this was 1993.  The Act formalizing how Congress dealt with internal sexual assault allegations wasn't even passed until 1995.  I can't find anything on what the process was before 1995, but it makes me think there might not have been a formalized one.   

I mean, sure. Maybe the complaint itself got destroyed in the coverup, but there would still be people in the personnel office who would have known and kept silent for 27 years, including now when it's in the national news. I just find it hard to believe no one would speak up and say "Yes, I remember she filed that complaint."

I understand that society has evolved on things like harassment and power balance ickiness, but Reade claims she reported a full on rape. That would have raised eyebrows in Biden's office and in the personnel department. That would have ended Biden's career if it were proven, even in 1993, and it would be among the worst complaints anyone in the personnel office ever read.

[7,052,770]

Also, nobody should be analyzing anything other than Reade's own words. No one should be inserting their own made up details to make her story more or less plausible. Don't try to find an alternate location, don't try to declare what time of day it was, and don't overrule Reade on what she did or didn't write into her complaint.

Let her story stand on its own.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Gen. MacArthur is taking a very expansive statement on the part of Reade - "it happened in a corner of a hallway in the Russell Senate Office Building at a time no one was around" - and saying the alleged event based upon this imprecise description is impossible.

Posters here aren't adding to Reade's story, they're pointing out that Mac's over-literal interpretation of such an unspecified description as definitive proof of its impossibility is ridiculous.  "A hallway in a Senate building" could mean a lot of things (especially considering this is a 30 year old allegation), and there's nothing internally or externally inconsistent about this aspect of Reade's allegations. 

And for added context, Christine Blasey Ford couldn't even locate the house where she claims Kavanaugh assaulted her, does that make her story literally impossible?

No, but if Ford had said "it happened in an upstairs bedroom in the house at 123 Main Street" and then someone went to the house at 123 Main Street and found that there was no upstairs and the only bedroom was directly adjacent to the living room where the party took place, that would certainly make her story a lot less credible.

There's nothing over-literal about this.
She said it happened in the Russell Office Building, so I looked at that building.  What's the less literal interpretation?  How is that open to interpretation at all?
She said it happened in a hallway, so I looked at the hallways.  What's the less literal interpretation?  How is that open to interpretation at all?

These aren't vague details that she would mis-remember 25 years later.  This is where she was when she was raped.  This would be the office where she worked, and the office where the Senate Gym is located.  It seems extremely implausible to me that she would mix it up with some other building.

I mean, here is your story, if you try to write a plausible account that aligns with Reade's testimony:  "It was late at night in Washington DC.  Joe Biden hadn't gone home like he always did, and wanted to do a late-night workout.  His office staff were still there working, but he was very confident that nobody else was in the building.  He also knew that there were no cameras, no security, no custodial staff.  So he attempted to sexually assault Tara Reade in a hallway where everyone could see her and, thanks to the marble floors, everyone could hear her."

[pppolitics]

Also, nobody should be analyzing anything other than Reade's own words. No one should be inserting their own made up details to make her story more or less plausible. Don't try to find an alternate location, don't try to declare what time of day it was, and don't overrule Reade on what she did or didn't write into her complaint.

Let her story stand on its own.

What happens if you overlay what Reade's mother (supposedly) told Larry King, “My daughter has just left there after working for a prominent senator, and could not get through with her problems at all, and the only thing she could have done was go to the press, and she chose not to do it out of respect for him” with what Reade told The Union newspaper last year “Reade said she tried to share her story when she worked for Biden, but was told to say nothing” ?

https://www.theunion.com/news/nevada-county-woman-says-joe-biden-inappropriately-touched-her-while-working-in-his-u-s-senate-office/

[wbrocks67]

Also, nobody should be analyzing anything other than Reade's own words. No one should be inserting their own made up details to make her story more or less plausible. Don't try to find an alternate location, don't try to declare what time of day it was, and don't overrule Reade on what she did or didn't write into her complaint.

Let her story stand on its own.

And Reade's own words have been.... faulty at best

[Don Vito Corleone]

According to the Washington Post article, Tara called the neighbor and "refreshed her" on the story.

\Where did you see that?

[pppolitics]

According to the Washington Post article, Tara called the neighbor and "refreshed her" on the story.

\Where did you see that?

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-former-neighbor-of-joe-bidens-accuser-on-coming-forward-2020-4

McHugh: And did you ever talk about it in intervening years? I mean, a lot of time has passed.

LaCasse: Well, she left for Seattle not that long after. So we didn't get to talk much about it, about anything. So really we didn't talk about it after that much. I mean, not at all. It was just that one incident when we talked about it. I just remember, I rubbed her back and we talked and, oh, but it was awful. I think I may have referred her to, well, I don't know if she was already involved, but I may have referred her to the women's shelter, something like that or some kind of women's group. I don't know.

[...]

McHugh: When did this come on your radar again?

LaCasse: Just recently. Tara called me and said, "Oh my gosh, this Joe Biden thing is coming up again." I said, "Oh my God, that." I had forgotten about it.

[Progressive Pessimist]

I just want to note how lucky Biden is that this story is breaking while the pandemic absorbs most, if not all, of the attention of the news media. Even if he has to confront this eventually, as he and his campaign probably will, he at least has time to come up with a strategy to address it. Though for now, it probably isn't a bad idea to just ignore it and not give it more oxygen. They can deflect about Trump and the GOP's hypocrisy on this, bring up examples of legislation that Biden was integral in passing like The Violence Against Women Act and his determination to have a female running mate and representative Cabinet, they can bring up how Obama thoroughly vetted him and wouldn't have picked him as his running mate if there was evidence of an incident like this, etc. If they're smart they can get through this. The one thing they shouldn't do is go on the offensive against Reade, that will only make things exponentially worse.

He is also fortunate that he is running against Trump, possibly the biggest misogynist to ever become President-someone who bragged about molesting women, has been credibly accused of misconduct by over two dozen women, and has had extramarital affairs. I don't think it's possible to reach Trump's level of infamy among women, even if Biden too has committed a gross indiscretion. As cynical as it may sound, if the Reade story does end up being backed up more and puts Biden in an awkward position, the women of this country would still be better served with him as President than with another four years of Trump. They can dislike Biden all they want, but he isn't worse than Trump.

 It makes me feel conflicted but if we're stuck having to choose between two creeps for President, but Biden is still the better choice. He at least is also willing to fess up to mistakes and learn from them. Hopefully voters keep that in mind if this story escalates, post-COVID. I know that I sound like a total hack here, I'll admit to it, but the stakes are still too high in this election. I can't say that I'm not worried about other women coming forward at worse times (say, October) though.