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Joe Biden’s Senate Staffers Were Close. Tara Reade Stood Alone. buzzfeednews.com/article/rubycr…
^^ This article reinforces a point I made awhile back.

Tara's story has changed countless times, but one thing has been constant -

25 years later, she is still pissed off about her office without a window.

2/
And this- "my job was to look for a job"- she says it like it's a bad thing. IT looks like she was kept on payroll long after she stopped doing her job.

That's not retaliation, that's generosity.

And they had replaced her, so they were paying two salaries for the same job.

4/
Back then Senators/Congressmen had a specific "Clerk-Hire" account for staff, meaning there were a limited number of staff "slots"

That means while Tara was riding the clock and drawing a salary, another position went unfilled or another staffer was undercompensated.

5/
Also, throwing away mail is a fireable offense.

You NEVER want someone saying to the Member, "you didn't answer my letter."

AOC doesn't answer mail, her followers say it's "fan mail" but nothing could be further from the truth.

Taking care of constituents matters.

6/
And SO many of Tara's complaints read like a bad 80's movie.

Here she casts herself a "loner" from the wrong side of the tracks being mistreated and excluded by the snotty rich kids.

7/
But see here --

When I was a staff assistant in 1993, *I* hung out at Tortilla Coast and Tune Inn. They had free food and cheap drinks. I even played softball even though I'm not athletic at all.

To this day, that's how staffers meet people and make friends.

8/
Sure, there were people from wealthy families, but that isn't how Capitol Hill hierarchy works.

You were judged by your job and how well you did it.

Your background didn't matter. Anyone harping about where they went to college or what their daddy did was compensating.

9/
So yes, some had help from parents but most staffers just starting out live off happy hour food.

Tara made a comparable salary. If she felt "poor" seems like she WOULD have gone with her coworkers.

Sounds like she CHOSE not to participate, network, or adapt to the culture.

10/
Most staffers lived with 3-4 roommates.

Tara lived in Thompson-Markward Hall, right across the street.

It was basically a ritzy dorm, meals provided, antique furniture, women only.

Everyone calls it the Virgin Vault. Most girl who started out there didn't stay long.

11/
But plenty of staff assistants and people her/our age lived at TMH. And THEY would have been networking and embracing the culture.

It sounds like Tara didn't even try. Several people, including Tara, have brought up how she was reprimanded for violating the dress code.

12/
Before you say she couldn't afford nice clothes, she didn't NEED nice clothes. Some skirts, some button-downs, some jackets- that's all she needed

And comfortable shoes. The joke in the mid-90's was how DC is still on the only city where women still commute in running shoes.
13/
Biden's staff all say what any other Senate staff would say: The Senator doesn't hang around the office.

Keep in mind, they don't all work together anymore and aren't in regular touch.

Tara is the only one who "remembers" him lurking around sniffing hair and touching necks.
14/
As for her social life-

The opportunity was there. Lots of outings were cheap or free. People her age were swarming the Hill looking to make friends.

Staff networking is aggressive. Nobody excludes anyone, bc you never know. She would've been included if she'd just shown up
15/
I worked in the same building in 1993, answering phones instead of opening mail.

Tara is painting a picture of Capitol Hill that never existed.

It's obvious she had a huge chip on her shoulder and complained all the time - still does - and people eventually gave up trying.

16/
Once again, Tara has cast herself as the victim of rich, powerful, mean people who wronged her because they looked down on her because she wasn't like them.

If this WERE a bad 80's movie, this is the part where she comes back 25 years later to exact her revenge...

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