I want to be really clear: If you even think Biden MIGHT be a rapist, going out of your way to defend him is gross. If you think we have an obligation to vote blue, you’re right, but you can argue that without throwing MeToo or survivors under the bus. Or, if you can’t, be quiet.
People who've covered sexual assault & survivor justice since before #MeToo are being extra careful with Reade's story because we know demolishing a woman's reputation, based on things like her skipping out on rent, only harms survivors and scares them out of coming forward.
I once rented from the last great New York eccentric, a guy whose LEAST bizarre quality was that he had to collect the rent in cash, in person, on a different day every month, and once forgot to charge me for like five months. If he hates me, does that mean I was never assaulted?
Many people dislike me. I'm a strong drink. That has no bearing on my assault. If you were my friend, I'd expect you to believe me. If you were a reporter, I'd expect you to track down and verify comprehensive background info - names, dates, times, locations - to vindicate me.
Reade's harassment allegation, like those of the other women who came forward, DOES have that info, because good reporters worked on it. Her rape allegation was bungled by people who rushed to press with no info, such that every subsequent article could pose as a "debunking."
That paved the way for atrocities like the POLITICO article, which is just a throwback from a time when you were allowed to print that a woman wasn't raped because she partied too much or had angry ex-husbands. You should be angry about that and angry Reade was put in harm's way.
A lot of people aren't responding with anger or concern for Reade. There's just a palpable sigh of relief that they're allowed to go back to liking Biden and very little concern for how normalizing this kind of character assassination will impact survivors down the line.
