Member-only story
The Biden Sexual Assault Accusation Demands a Re-Appraisal of #MeToo
What’s it going to be: Do we believe the president is a rapist, or do we think his accusers bear the burden of proof?
I started writing this article during the 2020 election campaigns, but I decided not to publish it until the whole mess was decided. I saw a sliver of hope for the Trumpists to hang onto power, perhaps by way of some 9/11-like military disaster and subsequent declaration of emergency or simply by getting the Trump-friendly Supreme Court to declare the election invalid, but at this point it seems Uncle Joe is securely ensconced in the White House, so I’ve decided it’s safe to update and publish the article. Not safe for me — far from it — but safe for Joe. I’ve got no love for him, but I’m glad he won.
Anyway. Tara Reade has accused Joe Biden of sexual assault. People who, days before, would have demanded that absolutely any woman coming forward with such an accusation must be believed; are now declaring an entirely different point of view. They say we must listen to both sides of the Biden/Reade story, and evaluate what’s true based on the evidence, like we do when people are accused of crimes that have no sexual aspect. It’s easy to understand why #MeToo boosters like Rose McGowan and Alyssa Milano changed…
