Tara Reade rape allegation aftermath megathread

[Bidenworth2020]

To those who are saying this needs to disappear-- pluralities of Americans believe this allegation, including 10-20% of democrats. We have an obligation to let the facts of this case be known.

[Bidenworth2020]

I don't know about you guys, but I have absolutely zero interest of hearing the opinions of someone who supports someone in court right now for having raped someone on sexual assault issues. The fact that Fuzzy feels the need to compare this to Kavanaugh, and not Biden's actual opponent, is quite telling.

[Bidenworth2020]

I've come around to the belief that we should be requiring a polygraph exam of anyone who wishes national attention over long ago allegations of sexual abuse before these things are allowed to detail our political processes.  There is no reason to believe Blasey Ford and disbelieve Reade or vice versa.  Not requiring this has brought us to the point where people only believe what is politically expedient for them to believe.

Blasey Ford took a polygraph.

And what were the results?

That she was likely telling the truth.

[Bidenworth2020]

Omar is gutter trash, news at 11.

[Bidenworth2020]

https://twitter.com/Bencjacobs/status/1264681648773357568

Omar is an idiot and takes the bait.

Wow. I owe Fuzzy & OSR an apology.

I won't go that far. I've always had my issues with Omar, but whenever I find myself wanting to unite in opposing something she did, her right wing opponents then end up taking it too far and making her sympathetic. This, however, is not one of those moments.

But with Fuzzy being so supportive of the Reade allegations, I wonder how he is taking this...actually I don't! I take it back!

Ilhan Omar is insane, a complete idiot, and an absolutely despicable person.  But we already knew that.

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/499283-why-joe-biden-can-do-no-wrong

The freedom that is Biden is nowhere more evident than in a recent column by The Nation’s Katha Pollitt, who wrote about the allegations of sexual assault made by former Biden staffer Tara Reade. Pollitt dispensed with any struggle over feminist or moral qualms, declaring, “I would vote for Joe Biden if he boiled babies and ate them.”

As Pollitt explained, “We do not have the luxury of sitting out the election to feel morally pure or send a message about sexual assault and #BelieveWomen.” Otherwise, Pollitt would have to deal with her column during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, in which she denounced “some of his defenders [who] seem to be saying that even if the allegations are true, it shouldn’t really matter.”

The article I cite shows other shining examples:

Others have struggled with an answer until they discovered the presidential bull. Women’s rights attorney Lisa Bloom said she believes Biden did rape a female staffer and has lied about it publicly but she still will endorse him for president. She tweeted, “I believe you, Tara Reade ... sorry.” To use Pollitt’s language, defending a rape victim is now a “luxury.” Likewise, Linda Hirshman wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times titled “I Believe Tara Reade. I’m Voting for Joe Biden Anyway.” She explained, “Democratic primary voters knew all about Mr. Biden’s membership in that boys’ club when there was still time to pick someone else. Alas ... I’ll take one for the team. I believe Ms. Reade, and I’ll vote for Mr. Biden this fall.”

The article quotes Karine Jean Pierre who stated in 2017:  "I think we're at a point in time in this country where the 'Me Too' movement has really gotten some traction. We’re finally listening to victims ... and I think if you’re running for office, you can’t have been accused of sexual harassment or assault."  She just joined Biden's staff as an adviser.

Here's how bad it is:  Ilhan Omar is a Force For Morality in today's Democratic Party (if you grade on the curve).  She hasn't gotten any better, mind you, but on this issue, she has a smidgen of integrity that the entire Feminist Left lacks.

The Feminist Left, if they wanted to, has the power to drive Biden off the ticket and compel the Democratic National Committee to name another candidate.  This would be foolishness against anyone else, but there is reason to believe that a substituted candidate could do well.  Indeed, Tara Reade is almost the perfect excuse for the Democrats to dislodge Biden.  The Democrats, however, have failed to see this as a blessing in disguise.  They're going ahead with a candidate who's rapidly becoming a joke.  Now I've never liked the Feminist Left, but it's good for America to see their Feminist Left's Machiavellian nature up close and personal.  "I believe you, Tara Reade . . . sorry."  That kind of says it all, doesn't it.

If the candidate who is "rapidly becoming a joke" leads Trump comfortably, what does that make Trump lol

[Bidenworth2020]

This was already posted in the megathread. Mods, please merge.

[Bidenworth2020]

This was already posted in the megathread. Mods, please merge.

The megathread is pointless and annoying at this point. No one reads it.

It's also the megathread, where we post stuff like this. No point in having it if we aren't gonna use it.

[Bidenworth2020]

Do you guys understand the concept of a megathread? Mods, please merge.

[Bidenworth2020]

https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/1265333486694563840

This is genuinely sickening.

[Bidenworth2020]

Let's not with the memes

[Bidenworth2020]

While I am no fan of Shahid Buttar, calling this accusation credible is a dubious statement. The accuser apparently has a history of making up harrassment/assault claims.

[Bidenworth2020]

Reade being willing to speak at the RNC just proves that this was always about some vendetta against Biden.

She rightly has little credibility at this point and this will damage hers further in the eyes of the general public, but it doesn't do this. It's easily characterised as grift and probably is, but it's also quite plausible to imagine an upset survivor being willing to participate in a political campaign against their abuser.

Not when their opponent has 40 allegations of rape and sexual assault.

Anyway, grift harder, Tara.

[Bidenworth2020]

https://mobile.twitter.com/xeni/status/1294977240170545159