Former Vice President Joe Biden's pursuit of the Democratic Party's presidential nomination hit another sag this weekend as the 2014 Democratic nominee for Lt Governor of Nevada, Lucy Flores, shared her experience of an invasive and boundary free Joe Biden and how he humiliated her. Ruth dubbed him "Boundary-Free Biden." Is it harassment or another example of Biden's sexism? Stephen Collinson (CNN) explains:
Joe Biden is facing the first crisis of his yet-to-be-official, front-running 2020 Democratic presidential campaign.
An allegation by Nevada Democratic politician Lucy Flores that he once made her feel "uneasy" by smelling her hair and kissing the back of her head forced the former vice president's team into damage control mode over the weekend.
Biden
said in a personal statement that while he did not recall the alleged
incident, it is important for women like Flores to be heard.
Again, sexism or harassment? Remember, his run for the 2008 nomination -- his failed run -- stumbled out of the gate with charges of racism over Joe's remarks about Barack Obama.
On Sunday, Lucy Flores spoke with Korva Coleman on NPR's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED:
COLEMAN: Ms. Flores, can you describe the encounter in your own words?
FLORES: Sure. Well, I mean, it's just as I described. It happened very suddenly. I was not expecting it. It was a campaign rally setting, so there was a lot of chaos, a lot of people, a lot of energy. We were all kind of in public. Vice President Biden and I were never alone together. So as we were waiting to be called up to the stage, the rally had already started. People were already speaking. We were waiting in line. Eva Longoria was in front of me. Joe Biden was behind me.
And, you know, I just all of a sudden feel his hands, and I feel him get up really close to me. And I'm just, you know, at that point processing, and I'm thinking, OK. This is really weird. But then he leans in, and then he, like, inhales. And then he proceeds to plant this long kiss on the top of my head. And the entire time, I'm just kind of, like, what is happening?
COLEMAN: As we mentioned, former Vice President Biden has released a statement and says if he did behave this way, he doesn't believe he acted inappropriately. What is your response to his statement?
FLORES: I need the vice president and all men and all people who are in positions of power to understand that in that setting, in that situation, that kind of behavior is absolutely inappropriate. A big part of the reason why I'm also speaking out now is because he has a history of this. This is not an unknown issue. There have been stories. There are pictures. There are videos. I think that there is a very severe disconnect and lack of empathy for what the women on the receiving end are feeling.
I understand that he's trying to clear up his intention. But it's not about your intention. Whether it was an innocent gesture, whether it was a sexual gesture - none of that matters. It is about the person on the receiving end of that inappropriate behavior by someone who is very, very clearly more powerful than you. That power dynamic is important to recognize.
Former Secretary Ash Carter and his wife Stephanie Carter are longtime friends of Joe Biden which is why it's no surprise that Stephanie has been trotted out to defend Joe Biden and minimize his own actions in public with her. Before Stephanie's allowed to minimize again, every reporter repeating her claims needs to acknowledge that she's been provided to the press by Joe's 'exploratory' campaign. This is not a woman coming forward on her own or as an independent agent the way Linda Flores did. This is a woman allowing herself to be WHORED by a political campaign -- and that's the only word for it.
A woman has come out and made a serious and honest charge and Stephanie is trotted out to WHORE and to minimize what Joe did.
There's no need to hide behind skirts, Joe, so stop doing. And stop setting one woman against another. That's not presidential. It also dishonors the six women -- a record breaking six women -- running for the party's presidential nomination this year.
From Ruth's "Can Bill Press and Howard Finemann please shut up?:"
Lucy Flores has told her truth. Bill Press and Howard Finemann have butted into the converssation to insist Joe Biden is wonderful.
Both men are elderly and have been in the press for years. Neither ever felt the need to write about what Mr. Biden's groping might mean to women. But now they want to rush in and try to seize control of the conversation.
It is time for them to shut up.
This conversation was not started by them and they have spent lives ensuring that the conversation would not take place.
For at least two weeks, how about we let the women like Ms. Flores speak and share?
Just two weeks. Surely, these big boys can shut their mouths for two weeks to allow women to discuss this topic.
You'd think so, Ruth, you'd think so. But they can't, can they? From Marcia's "Nutless fat f**k Rob Reiner needs to shut his damn mouth:"
If you want to talk, tell us what you really did to Corey Haim, otherwise shut up. Or maybe you want to address what your son told everyone in rehab? Of course, addressing that would kill your career wouldn't it?
But haven't all your latest films -- bombs one and all -- already killed your career.
Just shut up trash.
This is for women to be heard not.
Not nutless fat f**ks like you.
Shut up, no one needs to hear from your or your pampered ass.
And Rob, Howard and Bill weren't the only ones who needed to stop talking. From Kat's "Maybe Alyssa can just shut the hell up?:"
There are four women now. Four who have stepped forward to say that Joe Biden groped them and that it made them uncomfortable. Four.
Yet we have Alyssa Milano rushing to insist Joe did nothing wrong and didn't mean any harm.
Imagine if he killed four women. And Alyssa rushed forward to explain he didn't mean to kill 'em.
Alyssa is not a feminist. She needs to be called out. She needs to learn she's just a former TV actress who has nothing to offer anyone -- not even TV -- these days and so she should her fat mouth and stop dismissing the women who step forward. Victoria Gagliardo -Silver (INDEPENDENT) explains:
Joe
Biden, who Milano sees to be “a leader and a champion on fighting
violence against women for many years” is part of the problem.
Alyssa
Milano, and other so-called feminists, in defending him and dismissing
Lucy Flores’ claim, are a larger part of the problem.
That is not feminism, no matter how Milano may try to frame it. She is enabling rape culture by denying that these women were made uncomfortable because it benefits her politics.
As Milano tweets, “I
believe that Joe Biden's intent has never been to make anyone
uncomfortable, and that his kind, empathetic leadership is what our
country needs”, she fails to realise that the intent behind these gross
boundary violations is not what matters, but the fact that women were
made uncomfortable by these actions in the first place.
When
women come forward, you believe them, trust and verify their claims,
because sexual assault and unwanted touching is absolutely unacceptable,
regardless of what side of the political aisle instigates it. Empathy and kindness do not excuse violating women’s boundaries. Empathy and kindness are not synonyms for consent.
From Betty's "Fake Ass Alyssa Milano disappoints even more:"
Alyssa Milano, the face of fake feminism, the face of White entitlement. Lucy Flores comes out to complain about Joe Biden groping her. Three women follow her. And Alyssa's response? 'Joe is a good guy!' She needs to learn to shut the f**k up and that she's not the voice of women, not even the voice of White women.
From Elaine's "Alyssa will surely insist that it's not a real issue:"
Hagtress Alyssa Milano will, no doubt, show up to defend Joe Biden again. Probably insist, "Yes, he touched Caitlyn's leg but he did so at 'an event about sexual assault' and we have to give him credit for attending the event! That's the important thing!"
In what world did Alyssa Milano, a failed child actress, become someone to listen to?
She's not an Emmy winner or even nominee. She's never given a convincing performance, she's just managed to heave her bossom and mumble some lines. She's done nothing with her life but, honestly, pose nude and then spend years griping about how her nudies ended up online. They ended up online because you posed for the pictures, Alyssa. Even somone as stupid as her should be able to grasp that.
Grasp also that the photo she's posted of her with her 'friend' Joe Biden? Who wears that kind of top to meet a vice president? She's forever thinking she's 17 and wearing age inappropriate clothing. She's really a piece of work.
So is Joe Biden. No wonder that she's rushing to defend Joe and his groping.
Some offered crazy defenses of Joe, like an MSNBC personality. From Marcia's "Morning Mika's off her meds:"
Well said. Now in yet another stark raving mad TV moment, Mika has declared, "You’re
eating your young. You’re eating those who can beat Trump. You’re
killing the very people who have been pushing women ahead, who have been
fighting for equal pay, who have been doing everything they can to
respect women in their lives."
We are eating our young?
Mika,
dear, I believe Joe Biden is 76-years-old. Are you off your meds
again? Is that the reason for your meltdown? Or did you catch Joe with
a younger woman? Again? Oh, Mika, you're so pathetic and really no
one to try to be a voice for the workplace. It's one thing to borrow a
stapler at the office but -- please, pay attention, Mika -- you
shouldn't ask a co-worker if you can use their genitalia. That's really
bad form, Mika. When you grasp that, you might have something to
contribute to the conversation. Until then, just accept that you're a
butt ugly woman who was thought pretty when you didn't have so many
wrinkles just because you had blond hair. You're not young anymore and
you were never pretty. Joe could do so much better.
After releasing a video on Wednesday claiming to get it, Joe, on Friday, mocked the issue. From Marcia's "Blow, Idiot Joe, just blow:"
So we got jokes? Get that, we got
jokes. Joe Biden thinks his groping is funny and something to joke
about. Joe's got jokes. Mmm-hmmm. THE HILL reports on it here.
"I'm not sorry for anything that I
have ever done." He said that. And it's "ever" please note. C.I. was
right to this into Joe on Iraq and it is a paternalistic attitude and it
is why he has been so supportive of war. Joe isn't sorry for anything.
You know what, Joe? Blow. Just
blow like a popsicle stand. We don't need you. Honestly, we never
did. The sheer stupidity of declaring what he did today goes to how
unfit he is for the office. Anyone else would have paid attention to
what they were saying and at least acted contrite. Not idiot Joe. Blow
Idiot Joe.
The issue is not going away as C.I. noted in Friday's "Iraq snapshot:"
I know Joe and we were going to have to cover this topic for that reason alone (this site doesn't exist to protect my faves). But as I have noted throughout the week, this is a conversation that is much larger at the campuses we've been speaking on. The students see this as a very serious issue and they see it as an abuse of power. This is not minor and I'm very glad for those who have shared with me this week because I'd hate to sound as idiotic and out of touch as Gloria Steinem does.
And Rebecca offered "the only reason joe biden should run:"
there is 1 and only 1 reason that joe biden should run for the democratic party's presidential nomination ...
so, during a democratic presidential debate, we could see a woman slap the s**t out of him onstage.
would it be tulsi? elizabeth? kirsten? amy? marianne? kamala?
whomever it would be, it would be a tv moment.
you know joe won't be able to keep his hands off them. in the middle of answering a question about deficit spending, he'll probably be wandering over to 1 of them.
i hope it's kirsten only because i bet she'd punch. i don't think she'd slap. i bet she'd punch right in the face and knock him out.
and after that? the presidency is hers - you knock out the former v.p., i think they have to give you the white house.
go, kirsten!!!!