Our country has made it almost impossible for victims of sexual assault or misconduct to come forward. Women have so often been silenced, berated, and scrutinized when they try to speak out, and sadly, this tradition continues to this day. The good news is, things have started to change, and I’m committed to being a vital part of the paradigm shift in how we meet allegations. That’s why I firmly and unabashedly believe all women who accuse Republicans of sexual misconduct.
The sad truth is, often women are intimidated and steamrolled because it’s easier to stifle the voice of a person with little power than it is to accept that a powerful man you like is capable of causing that kind of harm. For me, this problematic pattern is not an issue because I don’t like Republicans! In this way, I am always able to give the benefit of the doubt that women so badly need and are constantly denied when they accuse Republicans of misconduct.
Believing all women is a driving philosophy, not a dogma. Obviously, false claims exist, albeit in far smaller numbers than some conservatives would have you believe. For example, claims against men such as — and this is just off the top of my head here — President Biden or Governor Andrew Cuomo, just seem a little sketchy, and while I do believe women, I myself am a woman, so I also have to trust my own intuition on these matters, too.
Or take Al Franken, for instance. I would say I “believe” the claims of misconduct against him insofar as there are “photographs” of it happening, but also, was it really that bad? Honestly, I can’t help but sense that Republicans didn’t really care about the feelings of the “victims” so much as they just wanted to see something bad happen to a Democrat, and that doesn’t sit right with me.
As Democrats, we can’t let our superior morals become our own downfall, or even really apply them to ourselves at all. If this doesn’t sound right to you, just remember: Republicans are bad! And people who commit sexual misconduct are bad. So when a Republican is accused it’s like, that makes sense, but when a Democrat is accused that doesn’t make sense, and we should be filtering everything through this lens.
That’s why I will always believe women who accuse Republicans of misconduct. And when it comes to Democrats, you know, let’s take it case by case.
