To the Editor:
Re “I Believe Tara Reade. I’m Voting for Joe Biden,” by Linda Hirshman (Op-Ed, May 9):
Ms. Hirshman has presented us with a choice nobody in America should have to make. I totally agree with The Times’s recent editorial call for a thorough investigation to take place before the Democratic nominating convention.
If by that vital hour it is not yet clear that the former vice president would be an uncompromised nominee, I think it becomes the delegates’ responsibility to nominate someone who is. That would be tragic for Mr. Biden if he is innocent, but the stakes are too high to miss the opportunity to replace a historically bad president.
On the other hand, if close scrutiny points to Joe Biden’s innocence, he deserves to receive the nomination he fought hard for. He would stand a good chance of being elected and surrounding himself with competent people whom he would listen to, and restoring respectability to that office.
Democratic leaders who are putting their heads in the sand and assuming that Ms. Reade’s allegations will not go anywhere shamefully dismiss her right to be heard and also risk an “October surprise” that could result in either a potentially guilty man as president-elect or an unrestrained second-term power-drunk president doing God only knows what. No stone should be left unturned in preventing either of these scenarios from happening. Let the investigation begin.
Bobby Braddock
Nashville
I agree with Mr. Braddock. I am shocked by how little the party even bothers at pretending they care about rape. They don't. The whole country can see this and we are registering what happened. A woman came forward to describe an assault and she is being brushed off because she's accusing a Democrat.
It's outrageous.
Tara Reade is credible. She has corroborating testimony. She is credible.
Instead of smearing her, the media should be talking about Joe Biden's long history of harassing women in the Senate.
"Iraq snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):
Wednesday, May 13, 2020. Big Stacey lies, Little Chuckie Schumer stomps
his feet and another smear against Tara Reade gets exposed.
The attacks on Tara Reade continue. Big Stacey Abrams, for example, took the time to tell VICE that Tara is lying -- so says the woman who regularly swears to wait staff that it's just her first time through the line and gets insulted when they explain to her it's not an all you can eat buffet. Big Stacey is a big fish in no pond and she's also taken to telling reporters that she's up for any position in a Biden administration though not necessarily the court. She's not fit to preside over traffic court, let alone the Supreme Court. Big Stacey's life is a series of insignificant accomplishments. She makes Mayor Pete look like FDR in his third term as president.
Already busted once for using the talking points put out by the Biden campaign, one wonders at what point Joe's going to sit before a real interviewer who doesn't let him slide with everyone gets to tell their story -- as George did on GOOD MORNING AMERICA yesterday -- and instead points out that Joe is hiding behind advocates who attack Tara, that he never calls them out and just sits back and pretends he's innocent.
He's not. In 2008, Alexander Cockburn was writing about Joe Biden hitting on Senate staffers. Joe's creepy behavior is caught on camera and all over YOUTUBE. He's made other women uncomfortable.
Roger Sollenberger (SALON) reports on a smear that many (Michael Tracey) have been passing around about Tara Reade since she came forward to accuse Joe Biden of assault:
Last week, Guy Benson — a Fox News contributor and conservative talk radio host, as well as political editor of Townhall — published an article in Townhall headlined, "Court Records: Biden Accuser Tara Reade was Charged with Check Fraud Days Before Leaving His Senate Office." That article's central claim was based on an email chain with an officer of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court in California.
Salon has since learned the court official's statements in the email were edited, and did not corroborate Benson's central claim, which has not been confirmed by any source.
[. . .]
The court is not able to confirm or deny the specifics of the charge, the officer said. So far, that charge has not been independently confirmed from any other source
It is unclear whether Benson altered the email himself or obtained the altered email from another source. According to a conversation with the court officer, a larger crop of the screenshot would have revealed more.
By the way, how long has it been -- a week? -- since Michael Tracey trashed Katie Halper, Krystal Ball and others for believing Tara Reade and insisted he was working on a huge expose that would prove Tara was lying?
I don't know what's funnier -- that Michael could produce something huge or that he's working. Beggar boy is a lot like John Nichols. We don't cite John Nichols here anymore. In 2008, he went on DEMOCRACY NOW! when Barack Obama was in trouble for telling the Canadian government that anything he said about NAFTA and overturning it was just for show to get votes. The AP broke that story. John Nichols took to DEMOCRACY NOW! to insist that wasn't true and that it was actually HIllary Clinton who had been telling the Canadian government that about herself and that he was working on this story and would have a big expose soon.
He never had one. It didn't exist. The spotlight was on Barack and the point was to get it off Barack so John Nichols lied.
Just like Michael's lying now.
By the way, anyone noticing a trend in 2008 and right now?
How many weeks are we supposed to ponder who will be Joe Biden's running mate? Which woman will he give the rose to?
If you've forgotten, Barack's 2008 campaign used that tactic to distract the media as well when Barack was in trouble.
This is a non-story. When Big Stacey is on camera, it's a non-story. Everyone backing Biden that has his ear will tell you that fat woman is a joke and will not be on the ticket. But there she is all over the media -- fake news with a pulse.
Tiana Lowe (WASHINGTON EXAMINER) quotes Joe stating yesterday on GOOD MORNING AMERICA:
Well, that’s their right. Look, here — look: I think women should be believed. They should have an opportunity to have their case and state it forthrightly — what their case is. Then, it’s the responsibility of responsible journalists like you and everyone else to go out and investigate those. The end of the day, the truth is the truth. That’s what should prevail, and the truth is: This never happened. This never happened. I assure you. That’s the truth."
Eddy Rodriguez (NEWSWEEK) offers the same quote. So (a) why isn't he being asked about his attack dogs and (b) why isn't he being investigated?
The ridiculous Senator Chuck Schumer wants you to know that the matter is over because . . . well, because he says so. No, it's not over. Nor does doing two hand picked interviews end the issue. Joe continuing to hide in his basement does rule out press conferences for the moment. For the moment. But this isn't over. And let's stop pretending he's been asked any real questions.
By the way, let's note Megyn Kelly's interview with Tara again.
It currently has over 721,000 views but, if I were THE NEW YORKER, I guess I'd just say over 500,000 (see Elaine's "THE NEW YORKER struggles to cover serious issues").
Staying with numbers, Michael Keogh (NEWSDAY) reports:
Nearly half of Democrats in the US are satisfied with former Vice President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, a new poll finds. The poll also indicated that nearly a third want to replace him.
Only 54% of Democratic voters want the party to keep Biden at the top of its presidential ticket, while 28% want to replace him with another candidate, and 18% remain undecided, according to a poll published Tuesday by Rasmussen.
The poll was conducted May 10-11 among 1,000 likely voters, and has a margin of error of roughly 3%.
Let's note this from Scott Jennings (BOWLING GREEN DAILY NEWS):
These allegations went largely ignored for weeks by the media types and Democratic politicians who pilloried Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings. Biden finally denied them and a horde of liberal politicians and talking heads now say they “believe” Biden, or, even if he did it, so what?
“Compared with the good Mr. Biden can do, the cost of dismissing Tara Reade – and, worse, weakening the voices of future survivors – is worth it,” wrote Linda Hirshman, a well-known feminist author who believes in “sacrificing Ms. Reade for the good of the many.”
Of Kavanaugh, she demanded his impeachment: “Kavanaugh … can be unbenched. Women are simply not going to accept this monumentally unfit man remaining on the Court regardless of what the Republicans manage to ram through this week.”
Now, with Hirshman and other liberal hypocrites cheering them on, Biden and his party are doing the ramming. There was no corroborating evidence against Kavanaugh whatsoever. Biden’s creepy shoulder rubs and unwanted hair sniffs are, on the other hand, legion, not to mention Reade telling people about it at the time.
It is clear now that Democrats never cared about the truth when they were grilling Kavanaugh, a sacrifice made for the sake of abortion. And it is clear they are again willing to sacrifice any objective view of a sexual assault allegation, again for the sake of abortion.
What’s a red-cloaked “Handmaid’s Tale” protester to do with her time, I wonder?
U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, who detonated the Christine Blasey Ford bombshell late in Kavanaugh’s process after sitting on the allegations for weeks, made a disgusting about-face when confronted with Reade’s allegations. The California Democrat savaged Reade, blaming her for waiting too long to come forward.
“And I don’t know this person at all who has made the allegations. She came out of nowhere. Where has she been all these years? Why didn’t she say something – you know, when he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee or after that?” Feinstein said.
Her tune, of course, was far different during the Kavanaugh hearing. When Republicans raised similar questions, Feinstein said: “Victims must be able to come forward only when they are ready.”
Call it the Politics of Hypocritical Convenience, wherein you say whatever gets you through the moment regardless of what you said when the shoe was on the other foot.
Every presidential cycle finds the Democratic Party refusing to court the left. These days, they take their orders from the neocons who can't stand Trump. Without a left base of support, who will hand them victory in 2020? The independents and swing voters?
No, they tend to feel the way Scott does. Polling backs that up. And every time a Dianne Feinstein or a Big Stacy attacks Tara, it only hardens the middle's distrust of Joe Biden.
There was never enthusiasm for him to begin with. And that's only more true as he brings on predators like Chris Dodd to his team.
Iraq? Over at WAR ON ROCKS, Doug Ollivant offers:
“Iraq is like a race car that has been neglected and repeatedly wrecked. Al-Kadhimi is not the race car driver. He’s the tow truck driver.” This is how Yazan al-Jabouri describes the task ahead for Iraq’s new prime minister. And it makes clear the need for all observers to take an appetite suppressant, as it were, when judging the potential — and eventually the accomplishments — of the new Iraqi government. The electoral results of 2018 still govern the universe of possible outcomes, none of which are favorable to major reform. Iraq is still a “race car” with immense potential (human capital, educational institutions, oil, rivers, fertile land, access to the sea, road networks), as anyone who visits sees clearly. But the world should expect little from this prime minister, other than setting conditions for the next prime minister’s success.
More than six months since the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, and after failures to form a government by two previous prime minister-designates, Iraq’s parliament confirmed the majority of Iraq’s proposed ministers early in the morning of May 7, 2020. Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a former journalist and human rights activist turned spymaster, was sworn in as Iraq’s latest prime minister. Once again, Iraq has executed a peaceful transition of power, an accomplishment that — despite all the necessary caveats — must be noted and applauded. Furthermore, this transition is particularly notable as the resignation of Abdul Mahdi was caused by nationalist demonstrators. The Iraqi political system — for all its very real flaws — was able to react to this resignation in a way that appears to have modest approval from some (though by no means all) factions of the demonstrators. Finally, this government was formed in the shadow of incredible tension between Iraq’s two most important patrons: the United States and Iran. The Iraqi political system seems to have walked the tightrope to arrive at a solution that appears acceptable to both.
Let's wind down with this:
The following sites updated:
The attacks on Tara Reade continue. Big Stacey Abrams, for example, took the time to tell VICE that Tara is lying -- so says the woman who regularly swears to wait staff that it's just her first time through the line and gets insulted when they explain to her it's not an all you can eat buffet. Big Stacey is a big fish in no pond and she's also taken to telling reporters that she's up for any position in a Biden administration though not necessarily the court. She's not fit to preside over traffic court, let alone the Supreme Court. Big Stacey's life is a series of insignificant accomplishments. She makes Mayor Pete look like FDR in his third term as president.
Already busted once for using the talking points put out by the Biden campaign, one wonders at what point Joe's going to sit before a real interviewer who doesn't let him slide with everyone gets to tell their story -- as George did on GOOD MORNING AMERICA yesterday -- and instead points out that Joe is hiding behind advocates who attack Tara, that he never calls them out and just sits back and pretends he's innocent.
He's not. In 2008, Alexander Cockburn was writing about Joe Biden hitting on Senate staffers. Joe's creepy behavior is caught on camera and all over YOUTUBE. He's made other women uncomfortable.
Roger Sollenberger (SALON) reports on a smear that many (Michael Tracey) have been passing around about Tara Reade since she came forward to accuse Joe Biden of assault:
Last week, Guy Benson — a Fox News contributor and conservative talk radio host, as well as political editor of Townhall — published an article in Townhall headlined, "Court Records: Biden Accuser Tara Reade was Charged with Check Fraud Days Before Leaving His Senate Office." That article's central claim was based on an email chain with an officer of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court in California.
Salon has since learned the court official's statements in the email were edited, and did not corroborate Benson's central claim, which has not been confirmed by any source.
[. . .]
The court is not able to confirm or deny the specifics of the charge, the officer said. So far, that charge has not been independently confirmed from any other source
It is unclear whether Benson altered the email himself or obtained the altered email from another source. According to a conversation with the court officer, a larger crop of the screenshot would have revealed more.
By the way, how long has it been -- a week? -- since Michael Tracey trashed Katie Halper, Krystal Ball and others for believing Tara Reade and insisted he was working on a huge expose that would prove Tara was lying?
I don't know what's funnier -- that Michael could produce something huge or that he's working. Beggar boy is a lot like John Nichols. We don't cite John Nichols here anymore. In 2008, he went on DEMOCRACY NOW! when Barack Obama was in trouble for telling the Canadian government that anything he said about NAFTA and overturning it was just for show to get votes. The AP broke that story. John Nichols took to DEMOCRACY NOW! to insist that wasn't true and that it was actually HIllary Clinton who had been telling the Canadian government that about herself and that he was working on this story and would have a big expose soon.
He never had one. It didn't exist. The spotlight was on Barack and the point was to get it off Barack so John Nichols lied.
Just like Michael's lying now.
By the way, anyone noticing a trend in 2008 and right now?
How many weeks are we supposed to ponder who will be Joe Biden's running mate? Which woman will he give the rose to?
If you've forgotten, Barack's 2008 campaign used that tactic to distract the media as well when Barack was in trouble.
This is a non-story. When Big Stacey is on camera, it's a non-story. Everyone backing Biden that has his ear will tell you that fat woman is a joke and will not be on the ticket. But there she is all over the media -- fake news with a pulse.
Tiana Lowe (WASHINGTON EXAMINER) quotes Joe stating yesterday on GOOD MORNING AMERICA:
Well, that’s their right. Look, here — look: I think women should be believed. They should have an opportunity to have their case and state it forthrightly — what their case is. Then, it’s the responsibility of responsible journalists like you and everyone else to go out and investigate those. The end of the day, the truth is the truth. That’s what should prevail, and the truth is: This never happened. This never happened. I assure you. That’s the truth."
Eddy Rodriguez (NEWSWEEK) offers the same quote. So (a) why isn't he being asked about his attack dogs and (b) why isn't he being investigated?
The ridiculous Senator Chuck Schumer wants you to know that the matter is over because . . . well, because he says so. No, it's not over. Nor does doing two hand picked interviews end the issue. Joe continuing to hide in his basement does rule out press conferences for the moment. For the moment. But this isn't over. And let's stop pretending he's been asked any real questions.
By the way, let's note Megyn Kelly's interview with Tara again.
It currently has over 721,000 views but, if I were THE NEW YORKER, I guess I'd just say over 500,000 (see Elaine's "THE NEW YORKER struggles to cover serious issues").
Staying with numbers, Michael Keogh (NEWSDAY) reports:
Nearly half of Democrats in the US are satisfied with former Vice President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, a new poll finds. The poll also indicated that nearly a third want to replace him.
Only 54% of Democratic voters want the party to keep Biden at the top of its presidential ticket, while 28% want to replace him with another candidate, and 18% remain undecided, according to a poll published Tuesday by Rasmussen.
The poll was conducted May 10-11 among 1,000 likely voters, and has a margin of error of roughly 3%.
Let's note this from Scott Jennings (BOWLING GREEN DAILY NEWS):
These allegations went largely ignored for weeks by the media types and Democratic politicians who pilloried Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearings. Biden finally denied them and a horde of liberal politicians and talking heads now say they “believe” Biden, or, even if he did it, so what?
“Compared with the good Mr. Biden can do, the cost of dismissing Tara Reade – and, worse, weakening the voices of future survivors – is worth it,” wrote Linda Hirshman, a well-known feminist author who believes in “sacrificing Ms. Reade for the good of the many.”
Of Kavanaugh, she demanded his impeachment: “Kavanaugh … can be unbenched. Women are simply not going to accept this monumentally unfit man remaining on the Court regardless of what the Republicans manage to ram through this week.”
Now, with Hirshman and other liberal hypocrites cheering them on, Biden and his party are doing the ramming. There was no corroborating evidence against Kavanaugh whatsoever. Biden’s creepy shoulder rubs and unwanted hair sniffs are, on the other hand, legion, not to mention Reade telling people about it at the time.
It is clear now that Democrats never cared about the truth when they were grilling Kavanaugh, a sacrifice made for the sake of abortion. And it is clear they are again willing to sacrifice any objective view of a sexual assault allegation, again for the sake of abortion.
What’s a red-cloaked “Handmaid’s Tale” protester to do with her time, I wonder?
U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, who detonated the Christine Blasey Ford bombshell late in Kavanaugh’s process after sitting on the allegations for weeks, made a disgusting about-face when confronted with Reade’s allegations. The California Democrat savaged Reade, blaming her for waiting too long to come forward.
“And I don’t know this person at all who has made the allegations. She came out of nowhere. Where has she been all these years? Why didn’t she say something – you know, when he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee or after that?” Feinstein said.
Her tune, of course, was far different during the Kavanaugh hearing. When Republicans raised similar questions, Feinstein said: “Victims must be able to come forward only when they are ready.”
Call it the Politics of Hypocritical Convenience, wherein you say whatever gets you through the moment regardless of what you said when the shoe was on the other foot.
Every presidential cycle finds the Democratic Party refusing to court the left. These days, they take their orders from the neocons who can't stand Trump. Without a left base of support, who will hand them victory in 2020? The independents and swing voters?
No, they tend to feel the way Scott does. Polling backs that up. And every time a Dianne Feinstein or a Big Stacy attacks Tara, it only hardens the middle's distrust of Joe Biden.
There was never enthusiasm for him to begin with. And that's only more true as he brings on predators like Chris Dodd to his team.
Iraq? Over at WAR ON ROCKS, Doug Ollivant offers:
“Iraq is like a race car that has been neglected and repeatedly wrecked. Al-Kadhimi is not the race car driver. He’s the tow truck driver.” This is how Yazan al-Jabouri describes the task ahead for Iraq’s new prime minister. And it makes clear the need for all observers to take an appetite suppressant, as it were, when judging the potential — and eventually the accomplishments — of the new Iraqi government. The electoral results of 2018 still govern the universe of possible outcomes, none of which are favorable to major reform. Iraq is still a “race car” with immense potential (human capital, educational institutions, oil, rivers, fertile land, access to the sea, road networks), as anyone who visits sees clearly. But the world should expect little from this prime minister, other than setting conditions for the next prime minister’s success.
More than six months since the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, and after failures to form a government by two previous prime minister-designates, Iraq’s parliament confirmed the majority of Iraq’s proposed ministers early in the morning of May 7, 2020. Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a former journalist and human rights activist turned spymaster, was sworn in as Iraq’s latest prime minister. Once again, Iraq has executed a peaceful transition of power, an accomplishment that — despite all the necessary caveats — must be noted and applauded. Furthermore, this transition is particularly notable as the resignation of Abdul Mahdi was caused by nationalist demonstrators. The Iraqi political system — for all its very real flaws — was able to react to this resignation in a way that appears to have modest approval from some (though by no means all) factions of the demonstrators. Finally, this government was formed in the shadow of incredible tension between Iraq’s two most important patrons: the United States and Iran. The Iraqi political system seems to have walked the tightrope to arrive at a solution that appears acceptable to both.
Let's wind down with this:
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