Tag Archives: sexual assault

national news

‘She’s not my type’

Blogger’s Note: On the advice of a family member, I am going to resume using the name of the porn star who allegedly had sex with Donald J. Trump.

The president of the United States has delivered one of the more curious “denials” of a tryst with a porn star that I’ve ever heard.

“She’s not my type,” Donald J. Trump said of Stormy Daniels, the woman who said on “60 Minutes” this past Sunday that she and the future president had a one-night stand in a hotel room back in 2006.

Is that curious, or what? How does the president get away with saying something like that?

It reminds me of the time another woman said during the 2016 presidential campaign that candidate Donald Trump had groped her. The Republican nominee made some snarky comment that her physical appearance didn’t meet his high standards for the type of women he would choose to grope. “Look at her,” he said.

Now this?

For what it’s worth, I found Daniels’s interview with Anderson Cooper to be highly believable. All of it, man! Even the part about someone approaching her in a parking lot and threatening her with bodily harm if she sold her story to a publication.

That so-called “denial” simply blows my mind.

I guess it prompts the question: “Uh, Mr. President, what type of woman would be your type?”

national news

In this corner, the former vice president …

It has come down to this.

A former vice president of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, spoke to a Miami conference and said if Donald J. Trump and he were in the same high school, he would “beat the hell out of him.” The issue on the table dealt with the treatment of women by men.

So, what does the president of the United States do? He responds via Twitter (naturally, yes?) that “Crazy Joe” lacks emotional and physical strength and that he — Trump, of course — would take him out. Here is Trump’s tweet: “Crazy Joe Biden is trying to act like a tough guy. Actually, he is weak, both mentally and physically, and yet he threatens me, for the second time, with physical assault. He doesn’t know me, but he would go down fast and hard, crying all the way. Don’t threaten people Joe!”

I do not know which is worse: the former VP saying out loud that he would beat up the president or the head of state responding via social media with a “so’s your mama!” retort.

This is the kind of stuff one usually sees occurring between middle-schoolers. It’s a close call, but I’ll give the “raspberry” in this exchange to the president.

He is the one who occupies the office that, in an earlier time, used to command decorum, dignity and discipline. The former vice president is known to be a bit loose of lip at times; but this is the first time I’ve ever heard Biden actually state a desire to do physical harm to another public figure.

Trump, though, actually has extolled the virtue of beating someone up, such as what he has said about demonstrators who showed up at his political rallies. That, however, occurred before he won the election and took the presidential oath of office.

Donald Trump promised many times he would be “more presidential” once he took that oath.

Well, so much for promises.

national news

What might happen if Roy Moore actually wins?

It’s quite possible — if not probable — that Alabama voters next month are going to send an accused pedophile to the U.S. Senate.

Democrats are all a-flutter because their candidate, state Attorney General Doug Jones, has pulled even — and actually leads in some polls — in his race against Roy Moore, the guy who’s been accused of making sexual advances on underage girls back in the late 1970s.

But we’re talking about blood-red Alabama, where Republicans seemingly have to drool on themselves in public to get rejected by that state’s voters.

The question: What kind of reception would a Sen.-elect Moore get on Capitol Hill?

Many of his fellow Republicans are pulling their endorsement of him. Others have said that “if the allegations are true” he should pull out of the race. Even other GOP senators, such as Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, say Moore should quit the race now.

The Republican Party doesn’t want to be associated with someone operating under such a sinister, seedy and sordid cloud. Believe me when I say that. It’s a given as well that Democrats detest this guy.

Moreover, I am not sure how Moore plans to stay in this race for the duration if more of his possible GOP colleagues keep bailing on him.

So, what if he wins on Dec. 12? My sense is that he’ll be the loneliest Senate freshman perhaps in the history of the “World’s Greatest Deliberative Body.” He’ll get crappy committee assignments. He won’t be invited to cloak room get-togethers. Senators won’t want to be seen in public with one of their own who has stands accused of some pretty vile behavior.

There’s also the possibility that he won’t be allowed to take the oath of office. The Senate has a provision that could call for his removal before he even takes the oath. That, of course, requires maximum courage by the Senate leadership. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has called the allegations deeply disturbing. He is one of those who said Moore should quit the race if the allegations are true.

I don’t get a vote in this race, of course. I’m only allowed to spout off from my perch out here in Texas, several hundred miles away from Alabama. You know my thoughts already on Roy Moore.

I’m just saying that if Alabama voters are foolish enough to elect this clown, they’re going to send someone to Washington who very likely won’t be able to do a single thing on their behalf.

national news, political news

Moore vs. Jones taking a weird turn

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Roy Moore is unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate for a lot of reasons.

He doesn’t respect the Constitution’s provision that declares there is no “religious test” for serving in elective office; he wants to bar Muslims from serving in Congress.

Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, doesn’t respect the oath he took to obey the law of the land and to “protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Moore told county clerks they didn’t have to obey a U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage across the land.

He continues to defame Barack Obama by suggesting he wasn’t constitutionally qualified to serve as president.

And I haven’t even mentioned — until right now — the allegations of sexual assault against a 14-year-old girl in 1979.

Former Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney tweeted today that Moore doesn’t deserve the same presumption of innocence that goes to criminal suspects. I disagree with Mitt — to a point.

I intend to give Moore some presumption of innocence if charges ever are brought against him. Politically, though, I have to wonder just how Alabama voters can possibly support someone who would take office under such a sinister cloud of suspicion.

Moore is running for the U.S. Senate seat from Alabama against Democratic nominee Doug Jones. Polls show the race now a dead heat. Republican congressional leaders say Moore should pull out of the race if the allegations are true.

I can speak only for myself, but I wouldn’t vote for Moore for anything, notwithstanding the new allegations from a woman who’s now 53 years of age. Moore — not surprisingly — denies all the allegations; he calls them “completely false.”

I dare not predict what Alabama voters will do next month when they vote for their next U.S. senator. My hope is that they turn away from a suspected sexual assailant.

entertainment news

Billy Bush is ba-a-a-a-ck … sort of

Billy Bush is trying to wiggle his way back into the media limelight.

I never thought I’d be commenting on him ever again. You know who this guy is, right? He was the other guy in an infamous 2005 video talking to a reality TV celebrity/real estate mogul about certain aspects of his private life.

The fellow to whom he was talking that day now is the president of the United States, Donald John Trump.

Bush is now 45 years of age. He got fired from the “Today” show after the video surfaced. Many Americans — yours truly included — thought for certain that Trump’s presidential campaign would go down in flames after the video surfaced. It had some audio with it in which Trump joked about how he grabbed women by their private parts.

Yep, the man who would be elected president actually admitted to committing sexual assault.

Ahh, but then we have Bush, the fellow who yukked it up with Trump as he regaled “Access Hollywood” listeners about his boorish behavior.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/billy-bush-breaks-his-silence-on-trump-the-access-hollywood-tape-nbc-and-a-comeback-plan-exclusive/ar-BBBnmi3?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Does this guy deserve to return to the public spotlight? Not if I had any pull over his future. Then again, I am just one individual.

Pop culture being what it is, however, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see this clown re-enter the entertainment world. I’ll just have to make a point to look the other way.

national news, political news

First-class passengers above ‘groping’?

rudy

Rudolph Giuliani needs to, um, no longer speak on behalf of Donald J. Trump.

Then again, turn him loose! You go, Rudy!

The former New York mayor said the following about allegations that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, groped a woman aboard a jetliner:

“Some of these things appear to me appear to me on their face to be kind of untrue,” Giuliani said. “Fifteen minutes of groping in a first-class cabin of an airplane? It doesn’t make sense. I’ve been in first class a lot, fortunately. Since I stopped being mayor, I can afford first class. You know, you see everything that goes on in first class.”

He wasn’t there. He has no idea about the circumstances. He is passing judgment — with no knowledge of the facts — on a woman whose accusation of groping fits the M.O. of other alleged incidents involving Trump.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/giuliani-alleged-trump-groping-%e2%80%98couldn%e2%80%99t-possibly-have-happened%e2%80%99-because-it-was-first-class/ar-AAj1cVi?li=BBnb7Kz

It’s fair to point out that Trump opened up this line of so-called political discourse himself by saying what he said to Billy Bush on that “Access Hollywood” tape. The Washington Post obtained it, put it out there for all the world to see.

Now … we’ve got this. A former political hero-turned-attack dog mounting a bizarre defense on behalf of someone who has admitted that he tried to seduce a married woman and has bragged about what his “star” status allows him to do to women.

Hypocrisy? There it is.

national news, political news

Hillary remains mum on Trump’s latest trouble

hillary

Hillary Rodham Clinton likely has a lot to say about Donald J. Trump’s sexual behavior.

Her problem? She cannot say it out loud. The Democratic nominee for president of the United States must rely on surrogates to express their outrage on her behalf.

She happens to have a couple of powerful surrogates: President Barack H. Obama and his wife, Michelle, who have done a masterful job of peeling the bark off the Republican presidential nominee.

Hillary Clinton’s own history — as well as the history of her husband — compel her to remain mum on the subject of those ghastly Trump comments we all heard the other day aboard that “Access Hollywood” bus in 2005.

As the New York Times has reported: “Though Hillary Clinton has stood at the center of feminist debates for more than two decades, she has also been an imperfect messenger for the feminist cause. That has never been more true than now, as her old missteps and her husband’s history have effectively paralyzed her during a moment of widespread outrage.”

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/missteps-in-hillary-clinton%e2%80%99s-past-leave-her-muted-in-furor-over-donald-trump/ar-AAj00Y1?li=BBnb7Kz

And the outrage hasn’t let up since the video and audio recordings were released to the public.

As for whether any of this damages Hillary Clinton’s political standing, I happen to believe it will not.

Her tactic so far has been to change the subject when the talk turns to Trump’s statements about attempting to seduce a married woman, or how his “star” status allows him to grab women in their private areas, or allows him to kiss them aggressively without their consent.

The two of them have one more joint appearance to endure before voters have their final say. It will occur, interestingly, in Las Vegas, Nev., where Trump has some significant business dealing and where — one might presume — he has engaged in some of his untoward behavior with women.

Will any of this come up when the event opens? Uhhh, let me think for a second … yes, it will.

Do not look for Clinton to go there. She’ll likely just let Trump rant like a madman over the former president’s misbehavior.

From where I will be sitting while this event occurs, that will look like a good call.

Then she’ll likely sic Barack and Michelle Obama on him.

national news, political news

Trump’s record ‘too controversial’? Hmmm …

trump-bill-clinton-2-580x344

This is too good to keep to myself.

OK, it’s already out there in the public domain, but I have to share a bit of it here. It involves something Donald J. Trump told columnist/TV commentator Chris Matthews in 1998.

It comes from the Guardian in Australia. A friend of mine sent it to me overnight in an e-mail. To wit:

“During a 1998 appearance on CNBC with host Chris Matthews, current Republican presidential nominee and then simple tycoon Donald Trump declared that if Bill Clinton’s personal peccadillos were enough to prompt impeachment proceedings, his own history with women was more than sufficient to keep him out of the White House.

“‘Can you imagine how controversial I’d be?’ Trump said at the time. ‘You think about him with women. How about me with women? Can you imagine?

“Trump was still confident that ‘his women’ would be better received by the American public. ‘Yeah. They might like my women better, too, you know?'”

Hmm. Well, time will tell — probably around, oh, Nov. 8 — whether Americans like Trump’s women better. My strong hunch tells me the decision voters make — once they get past his utter ignorance of the substance of anything at all — will also be based on Trump’s “own history with women.”

national news, political news

Trump mounts disgusting ‘defense’

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Let’s see where this story is going.

Donald J. Trump has admitted to “Access Hollywood” that he has tried to sleep with a married woman and has boasted about how his “star” status allows him to grab women in their private areas.

Then came the accusations by several women who have said the Republican nominee for president of the United States has groped them and sexually assaulted them.

How does Trump respond to this?

In a most disgusting way.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/301074-trump-defends-himself-against-accusers-by-attacking-their

He’s called the women “horrible, horrible people. Liars.”

But then he singled out one of them. Jessica Leeds told the New York Times that Trump had assaulted her 30 years ago.

His response? “Believe me, she would not be my first choice,” Trump said. “That I can tell you. You don’t know. That would not be my first choice.”

There you have it. The man who wants to be president of the United States belittled an accuser with a veiled implication about her physical appearance.

Can this get any lower? I would say “no.”

Then again, tomorrow is just around the corner.

national news, political news

When will speaker really walk away from Trump?

694940094001_5164431143001_examining-speaker-ryan-s-history-of-support-for-donald-trump

U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan’s endorsement of fellow Republican Donald J. Trump had the look of a shotgun marriage when he announced it some weeks ago.

Then the bad news began pouring forth.

The continued ignorance on all policy matters; the terrible debate performance with Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, followed by a second less-than-stellar performance; the report of a huge business loss and the notion that it allowed Trump to avoid paying federal taxes for 18 years … and then the release of those video recordings of Trump suggesting he had had committed sexual assault on women.

Republican members of Congress began unendorsing Trump almost overnight.

Ryan disinvited Trump to a campaign invite in Wisconsin. Then he said he cannot “defend” the nominee and said he won’t campaign for or with him. He said he would concentrate fully on protecting the GOP majority in the House of Representatives.

But the speaker hasn’t yet pulled his endorsement of Trump.

Let’s remember that Ryan’s initial statements about Trump had to do with whether the nominee adhered to “true conservative principles,” to which Ryan said he is most faithful. The speaker called Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the country a “classic” form of bigotry.

He waffled and wavered over an endorsement. Then he delivered it.

Now, though, his colleagues in the GOP House caucus are running like frightened rabbits from Trump.

The speaker doesn’t strike me as someone who frightens easily, but seriously … it’s fair and logical to wonder when he’s going to end a political relationship he never seemed comfortable consummating in the first place.

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/s-e-cupp-paul-ryan-smart-article-1.2827124