And now, it’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo saying ” I believe all women ~but not that woman”.
Earlier this week former aide to the Governor ,Lindsey Boylan alleged Cuomo sexually harassed her. On her Twitter account she wrote ‘ I’m angry to be put in this situation at all. That because I am a woman, I can work hard my whole life to better myself and help others and yet still fall victim as countless woman over generations have. Mostly silently. I hate that some men, like @NYGovCuomo abuse their power'” She’s asking Joe Biden to reconsider appointing Cuomo attorney general.
The pattern is familiar, all women are to be believed, until they represent a political liability.
Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey thought they ended the metronomic debate of “He Said – She Said” with an emphatic chorus of ‘She Said ‘ in their Pulitzer Prize winning book of the same name. Sadly, the book credited with “Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement” is more political than analytical. If there’s a movement, it’s only when it’s convenient.
Most women have a #MeToo story. Often they withhold the graphic, life-altering details of abuse in fear of experiencing additional psycho-sexual harm, job loss, or family disruption. “She Said” acknowledges the secret side of the #MeToo phenomena. However, rather than using this book to promote a psychological understanding of sexual harassment, it reduces the subject to partisan pugilism.
Loosely divided into three parts “She Said” is a 320 page book beginning with an explanation of what’s required to ‘get’ a sensitive story to print. Essentially, Kantor and Twohey cliff-note Journalism:101. The book moves into Harvey Weinstein’s pattern of predation through intimidation, corporate complicity and institutionalized indifference towards sexually abused women. The final third of the book pivots to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Scattered randomly throughout the text are Donald Trump’s alleged sex-capades.
When the authors stay on topic they outline Senator Dianne Feinstein’s coordination of Dr. Ford’s litigation team that included attorneys Debra Katz and Lisa Banks. ‘She Said’ explains how the lawyers meticulously counseled Dr. Ford so her testimony could be used as a vehicle to advance the greater ambitions of #MeToo. For them, the ultimate goal was to #resist Brett Kavanaugh because he was an appointee of Donald Trump. ‘She Said’ is a playbook for ‘how-to pimp women for politics’.
Discounting Joe Biden’s viability as a candidate at the beginning of the election cycle, Congressman Seth Moulton ran for President. Trying to capitalize on the Ford /Kavanaugh cabal Moulton included this picture on his instagram account. To date the former Democrat presidential candidate hasn’t added a button in support for Tara Reade, the woman who credibly accused Joe Biden of sexual assault or Lindsey Boylan who says she was sexually assaulted by Cuomo.
To the detriment of the #MeToo movement, sympathizers of convenience like Congressman Moutlon, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, unnecessarily conflate the pandemic of sexual abuse with their partisan agenda. Initially, ‘Believe all Women’ was politically agnostic. If the chorus of #MeToo’ers only believe Dr. Ford and ignore acquisitions against Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo then ‘Believe all Women’ is just a new #PoliticalRag on ‘some’ old men. As Moulton said “To my friends in the Senate, history has it’s eyes on you. I hope you make the moral choice.”
‘She Said’ was released in paperback June 30, 2020, Readers Beware, it’s less of a book on igniting the #MeToo movement than it is a playbook for how-to-pimp women for the cause du’jour.