#YouToo

“Is there no such thing any longer as due process?” bemoans the President.  This from a man who has gorged himself for years on baseless accusations.  But there is one group whose accusations he has never believed. Women. Women who accuse men:

• Bill O’Reilly, subject of a $32 million settlement for sexual harassment allegations? “I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.”
• Corey Lewandowski? He was a former Trump campaign manager charged with battery after forcefully grabbing a female reporter. Her claims were “a disgrace.”
• Roy Moore, accused by women who were molested by him when they were minors? “Forty years [to sit on that accusation] is a long time.”
• Rogers Ailes, who resigned in 2016 as chairman of Fox News over allegations of sexual harassment? “A very, very good person.”
• And Rob Porter, who resigned after two of his ex-wives accused him of physical and emotional abuse. “He did a very good job while he was in the White House.”

Never a word about the women.  Of course, Trump cannot be in a position of ever believing the women.  That would reopen questions about all the women who have accused Trump of inappropriate sexual behavior.  Or the porn star silenced with hush money. All denied, of course, with the plausibility of a self-confessed genital grabber.

But Trump’s #YouToo moment may be coming.  A recent poll shows that while most white women voted for Trump in 2016, his approval rating among them has since fallen 10 points, with strong disapproval of the president by this group rising 12 points, from 39 percent to 51 percent.  And among his base of white women without a college degree in rust belt states like Ohio, Wisconsin and Minnesota, his numbers compared to a year ago are down about 18 percentage points.  Meanwhile, 79% of women without a college degree believe sexual harassment in the workplace is a problem. You bet they would know. 

Mr. Trump may have a tin ear on the topic, but perhaps Steve Bannon is more attuned to the zeitgeist.  “The time has come. Women are gonna take charge of society. . . . The anti-patriarchy movement is going to undo ten thousand years of recorded history.”

At yesterday’s Bridgewater Town Hall, Congressman Leonard Lance tried to have it both ways when it comes to sexual harassment.  He reminded the audience that he “criticized” the Access Hollywood tape (he NEVER uses the word “condemn.”)  Yet he referred to the Porter evidence as “an allegation.”  He was met with shout-outs from the audience, that these were “Multiple allegations!” including evidence such as “A black eye!”  It seems Congressman Lance has adopted, if not wholesale agreement, at least a typical #WeakStanceLance response to this latest example of sexual harassment by members of this administration. 

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