Interesting post. Thanks.
Does it not also seem possible that it is no accident that Clinton's key enemies in this scandal are so ugly? It perhaps takes some pretty ugly people to engage in this sort of thing to bring down your political enemies, or to be used for that end.
Is it an accident that Paula Jones is swarmy, desperate, and utterly unable to speak, or perhaps think, for herself? So utterly unable to carry herself or talk for herself that she not only has lawyers funded and directed by political forces who talk for her, but also a spokeswoman to represent the "personal", non-legal side? Isn't it just possible that her lawsuit really was bogus? Surely you must agree that these funders would go forward with anything they thought could possible survive immediate dismissal. The background of the causes they had previously supported makes abundantly clear that they had little interest in harassment suits per se. But in the current climate, it doesn't take much for a sexual harassment suit to survive for quite a while. Not much at all. A great political attack vehicle.
(I think what actually happened is something like this. Jones was brought up to Clinton's hotel room after she "made eyes" at him. I think he probably did proposition her, she said what great job are you offering me fella, he said see you, no crude behavior. She left and got pissed off at the brush off. The vast zealous Repub. dragnet picked up her complaining and exaggerations to friends, and built it up from there. That's what I think likely. I think her story of coersion and highly crude initial behavior is not at all consistent with the Pres. MO, which is not at all to force.)
I.e., I think it highly likely that the Jones suit WAS bogus, in everything except he flirted with her, non crudely. Which is not harassment by a long shot. And I think the dragnet they were able to use to bring in fully consensual sex was indeed a form of sexual inquisition, as the Europeans are saying. I suppose the far religious right think the inquisition is cleansing or something. I think its appalling. And truly is a matter between him and his family.
And the Lucien Goldberg/ Linda Tripp team. I don't think its any accident that they are so repulsive. It took real sex inquisitors convinced of the righteousness of their personal campaign not to mention smelling the book dough, to do so sleasy a thing as Goldberg suggested, and Tripp performed. Outside of any decency norms.
The press may have touched on this fleetingly, but they don't really care. They are after the big scores, the terrific scandal ratings, and the laurels of Woodward & Bernstein. In a very different sort of case that deserves much more restraint and balance. And is getting vastly less.
I think it will in hindsight be recognized that the press and Washington/political elites of this country have been caught up in a sort of hysteria, quite unbalanced, at the moment.
Doug
Doug |
