{"id":2900,"date":"2020-05-01T10:25:25","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T14:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=2900"},"modified":"2020-05-01T10:25:30","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T14:25:30","slug":"double-standard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2020\/05\/01\/double-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"Double Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Morning Workout<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So, I do a workout most mornings.  Since I\u2019m \u201conline teaching\u201d, I time-shift my schedule, doing school work from six to eight, then take an hour to hit the elliptical machine and do some calisthenics.   It\u2019s good to do something to stay in shape, particularly in this time of  \u201cstay-at-home orders\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This morning I made sure I was on the elliptical machine when Mika Brezhenski interviewed Joe Biden on MSNBC\u2019s Morning Joe.  <\/em>This was Biden\u2019s first response to an accusation of sexual assault made by former staffer, Tera Reade.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reade was a junior member of Biden\u2019s Senate staff in 1993.  A couple years ago, she claimed that Biden inappropriately touched her hair and shoulder in a Senate hallway during that time.  She readily admits she is unclear on the actual time or date.  Her accusation fits a pattern that other women have said about Biden, that he was a \u201ctouchy-feely\u201d man. Biden hugged, patted, and put his hands on shoulders, men as well as women.  Some women complain that they felt that contact was inappropriate, and Biden issued a blanket apology for making them feel uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But two weeks ago, Ms. Reade changed her accusation.  She now says that then-Senator Biden did more than just inappropriately touch her:  that he in fact reached under her clothing and penetrated her with his fingers.  The \u201cinappropriate touching\u201d became sexual assault.  She even went so far as to file a police report with the Washington DC police, even though the statute of limitations has long passed. Oddly, the report does not name Biden, though she later said that it was him (Washington Times<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#METOO<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If this were Donald Trump, I would assume that the woman was telling the truth.  It certainly would fit the pattern of dozens of other women who claim the Trump did those kinds of things.  I wouldn\u2019t even wait for any further \u201cevidence\u201d that could exist.  It\u2019s the kind of guy Trump is, from paying-off affairs to the Access Hollywood <\/em>tape.  Somehow though, Trump has gotten a \u201cpass\u201d from much of the nation for his actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as a Democrat in the third year of the #METOO era, I am in a difficult dilemma.\u00a0\u00a0I believe that there are men who abuse their power and assault women.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ve known some men like that, and I\u2019ve supported women who stood up against them.\u00a0\u00a0I was and still am appalled that our politics are so polarized that many of my Republican friends found ways to excuse Mr. Trump\u2019s behavior.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Record<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I reluctantly agreed that Democratic Senator Al Franken resign from the Senate.  Franken too was a \u201ctouchy-feely\u201d guy, but worse, a former comedian with photos showing him pretending to commit sexual assault.  It all broke at the height of the Alabama Senate campaign, with Democrat Doug Jones running against a credibly accused child molester, Judge Roy Moore.  The national party had to make a clear demarcation between Moore and Trump-like behavior and what Democrats stand for.  Franken paid the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I also agree that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh got a \u201cpass\u201d for his possible behaviors.  Some credible (and some not so credible) claims were made that he committed sexual assaults.  The critical event of that time weren\u2019t so much the charges, but that there was no real investigation into the women\u2019s claims.  Instead, the FBI was ordered to do a whitewash, and prevented from following up any leads they received.  The Republican Senate made sure that Kavanaugh owed them for a lifetime; in return he received his lifetime appointment to the Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Interview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

So here I am, hitting my mileage on the machine, and listening to Joe Biden.  Here are Biden\u2019s bullet points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n