Election 2020

[The Feral Slasher]

I don't follow MSNBC at all. I look at CNN.com occasionally. I tend to get my news from probably more left-slanting publications (Twitter, Slate, the Atlantic, etc.) and I know I saw the news across a number of those sites. I don't think it was hidden. I saw a variety of publications reporting on why they weren't blasting it more prominently and repeatedly across their headlines (because of both her background and the inability to corroborate). Honestly I saw less/none of it on the right-leaning publications that I follow.

If it doesn't get more airplay now, then there is definitely something wrong.

I look at CNN at least once a day, never at MSNBC....however after I saw the accusations in other sources I did check out of curiousity. And CNN and MSNBC had nothing. Which lasted for quite some time. I think they are a big source of news for many and if they choose to ignore the story I think that matters. And I agree, it was covered by more left wing and smaller websites. So my commentary was more targeted.

[The Feral Slasher]

I look at CNN at least once a day, never at MSNBC....however after I saw the accusations in other sources I did check out of curiousity. And CNN and MSNBC had nothing. Which lasted for quite some time. I think they are a big source of news for many and if they choose to ignore the story I think that matters. And I agree, it was covered by more left wing and smaller websites. So my commentary was more targeted.

someone more internet savvy than I could probably figure out when the story first appeared on CNN or MSNBC.

[The Feral Slasher]

won't be arguing about this topic after all of the disgusting commentary from the Kavanaugh thread, but it's important enough I felt the need to share.

Allegations detailing an assault by Joe Biden on one of his staffers from the early 90's support and go further than the allegations of unwanted touching and kissing levied by Lucy Flores, another former staffer, seems like part of a larger pattern of abuse of power.

Listen to the latest accusers story and tell me where she seems discredited. She mentions several people who she told contemporaneously, she mentions filing a grievance. She mentions another staffer who stopped her assault story half way through, brushed it off as one of common knowledge that Biden does this. She has witnesses and evidence. Will it be investigated?

It also gets worse, as this latest victim attempted to tell her story a year ago when the other allegations came to light, but she was finally silenced in January by the Time's Up organization, supposed to support women who were sexually abused, assaulted, harassed... who's leader is a literal campaign strategist for Biden. Now the question is, will the media cover this story? So far, 2 days now, only lefty news has covered it plus 1 article from Yahoo.

You want another piece of shit mysoginist who grabs women by the pussy for President? Or will the Biden supporters here jump into the Kavanaugh supporter bandwagon and claim she's just looking for money? Or maybe somebody else on Biden's campaign forced his fingers inside of her and she misremembered who it was... yeah, that's the ticket. Media already smeared her as their favorite "Russian asset" when she initially spoke up. Doubtful this story gets any traction until the general vs Trump.

So here is the first report on RJ from what I recall.

[Sour Masher]

I assume "until now" means in the past few days.

I mean recently as in the last few weeks, and the very first reports I saw on this were from the Hill and other left-wing sources (that video that TW posted back in late March). Why hasn't the right picked up on this early? Maybe don't care or can't sell it with their guy doing the same? Or maybe, more generously, it didn't get amplified until more corroboration came out. I don't know. If this were out there in a substantive form prior to March 26th, I'd imagine TW, who was looking for all kinds of dirt on Biden for months, would have put it out there. If it were out there 6 months ago, maybe it would have mattered to the primary results.

ETA: I guess, cynically, it makes sense the earliest reporting on this would be from the far left, because they wanted to influence the primaries. The right didn't. They would prefer to sit on this until the general, weakening an already weak candidate. That isn't how it should work, but that is probably how it works. Still, for it to have really had an impact, it needed to be out there earlier than March. I don't know what can happen now to fix it. Something should happen, but it probably won't.

[DMT]

So, Obama's campaign missed this when they vetted him for VP, and she didn't bring it up then? Really fishy.

[Sour Masher]

So, Obama's campaign missed this when they vetted him for VP, and she didn't bring it up then? Really fishy.

The timing is weird, for sure, but isn't it often with these things? Even if there is a political motivation in play, it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Especially if she was talking about this back in the 90s. Maybe the VP vetting determined this was unfounded noise that is sadly in the background for just about any older male candidate.

[Sour Masher]

I didn't want to believe Biden did this either. I thought the inappropriate comments and touching were in his wheel house, for sure, but not the assault, because with all the other reports, there were no other ones going that far, so it seemed out of place.

The former could be sort of given a pass, because of different standards years ago, but the latter is and always was a heinous act that should be disqualifying. When I saw that video from her a few weeks ago, she seemed to me pretty spacey, honestly, and she even admits her memory on it is unclear. On its own, it wasn't enough to persuade me that it happened, but if others also remember her talking about it years ago, that is disturbing and gives a lot of weight to this for me.

[Sour Masher]

I know JJ and others in the middle and right said assault charges could and would be weaponized when us on the left were disturbed by the claims against Kavanaugh, so we should all be skeptical and cautious when condemning opponents lest we have to face charges of hypocrisy later when "our guy" gets attacked with this "weapon."

While false accusations are possible, I didn't see it that way. I said at the time the thing we should always do is take things on a case by case basis. I pushed back on the notion that I think nots made that it all comes down to politics, as he seems to be doing again now. I don't think it should be, or that it universally is. I don't think this sort of thing is or should be about the R or the D. It needs to be about the case. And it is not hypocritical for a progressive to defend a progressive and condemn a conservative if the specifics of those two cases warrant those stances. I found Kavanough's accuser credible. I found Reade, initially, to be more scattered, unsure, and questionable. That had nothing to do with the fact that Joe Biden is a Democract and Kavenaugh is a Republican, and in angers me that some here think that is all and always what it comes down to. These latest reports that her mother called in about this to Larry King years ago, and now her neighbor saying she talked about it in the 90s, as well as looking at Biden's overall pattern on behavior and how he attacked Anita Hill on her accusations against Clarence Thomas, and I've come to accept Biden is capable of this and he likely did assault Tara Reade.

I just wish all this came out early, so voters could have factored it in. March was too late, and that isn't all on MSM being in the tank for Joe Biden. The evidence wasn't there 6 months ago, years ago, or why weren't rightwing sources on this back then? For whatever reason, Reade sat on this until more recently, and things have developed fairly quickly, I think, given when she started talking about this, and given all the other things going on right now in the world.

Again, my opinion on the matter is about the evidence I am aware of at the time, and it wasn't a binary. It started out as, maybe this happened, but I don't know and I hope he didn't do this, and moved to he probably did. Some here won't believe that, and I think that is insulting, but I can't change someone's mind who thinks all opinions are filtered through the lens of party. I still think these things need to be looked at case by case. And those cases evolve with time, as this case has.

[nots]

The evidence against Kavanaugh is not as compelling as it is against Biden. However, much like TW, I applaud you at least in being consistent and not claiming something is ‘fishy’ because your guy has gotten accused. I think people saw what they wanted to in Dr. Ford and I think people see what they want to in this case.
ETA-I also think the media’s agenda shines thru here as well. It certainly didn’t take 19 days for the WaPo and the NYT to corroborate these claims.

[GwynnInTheHall]

The evidence against Kavanaugh is not as compelling as it is against Biden. However, much like TW, I applaud you at least in being consistent and not claiming something is ‘fishy’ because your guy has gotten accused. I think people saw what they wanted to in Dr. Ford and I think people see what they want to in this case.

I haven't paid attention to it because I really don't care at this point.

I'd vote for a turnip over Trump, but will still vote Sanders--Biden or whomever the DNC trots out in CA will win the state and I'll get 4 more years validation as I complain about the political system as it stands right now.

[Sour Masher]

I should emphasize again that I'm not trying to defend CNN's or MSNBC's lack of coverage on this in the last few weeks. If someone here is looking for acknowledgement of political bias from those networks, I don't think there is any disputing that.

[Sour Masher]

I haven't paid attention to it because I really don't care at this point.

I'd vote for a turnip over Trump, but will still vote Sanders--Biden or whomever the DNC trots out in CA will win the state and I'll get 4 more years validation as I complain about the political system as it stands right now.

I live in NY, so my vote doesn't matter either. I'm glad I don't feel compelled to go out and vote for Biden. I too have been mostly checked out since he got the nomination on him, because I think he will lose. I hope he gets replaced, but I doubt he will.

[Sour Masher]

For all of her faults, and so many of you were really aggressive in calling them out, at least we can be fairly certain Elizabeth Warren never sexually assaulted anyone.

[nots]

I also think it wouldx be too embarrassing for Obama, Sanders, Pelosi et al to walk back their endorsements now. I think Biden will still be the nominee.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I also think it wouldx be too embarrassing for Obama, Sanders, Pelosi et al to walk back their endorsements now. I think Biden will still be the nominee.

Did they know about the allegations when they endorsed him?