OPINION: SUDDEATH: A problem without partisanship

Glasgow Daily Times (KY)

Sept. 27--Bill Cosby is in prison, yet another political figure has been accused of sexual misconduct and it's been raining so much I wouldn't be surprised if animals started migrating toward the Ark Encounter in pairs.

It's been quite the week, and we're just getting started.

While almost daily we are subjected to something that should be shocking -- our President's alleged involvement with a porn star, our governor insulting teachers or Kentucky's perfect football record -- the unexpected has become the norm.

But what truly is surprising is that after all that we've seen, witnessed and endured, many of us still live under the illusion that political parties care about anything beyond winning the next race.

On Thursday, Christine Blasey Ford is slated to testify about her allegations of sexual assault against Supreme Court justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Like you, I really have no idea about what happened between these two more than 30 years ago. Like you, there's a mountain of evidence out there I can access that shows victims of sexual assault sometimes take years to report the crimes that were committed against them. Undoubtedly, some never report them, and based on how Ford has been portrayed and treated by some, that's understandable.

Admittedly though, I am suspicious of the timing. I don't care that these two were teenagers when the alleged incident occurred. Sexual assault is a crime whether you're in high school or nearing retirement. But the timing and publicity of this claim as Kavanaugh nears confirmation makes the journalist inside of me wonder how much of this is about politics.

Pump the brakes before you shout obscenities at me. Two things can be true. It can be true that Ford was sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh and that he should pay a price for his actions. It can also be true that this was brought to the forefront as a way to keep President Donald Trump's nomination from seeing the Supreme Court. If you don't think politics is that dirty, you don't know politics.

Democrats have largely decried the GOP-led Senate and those who have supported Kavanaugh as good ole boys who helped create the type of atmosphere where women can be sexually assaulted and people think it's no big deal. Republicans have accused Democrats of being obstructionists who are using any tactic possible to keep Kavanaugh from being confirmed.

I, for one, would like to go on record as saying both parties are largely full of it.

Let us not forget that one of the most embarrassing cases involving extramarital affairs and politicians came when Bill Clinton was president. Had as many Democrats been as fired up then about Clinton's actions (don't forget he lied about them) as they are now about the allegations against Kavanaugh, we could have possibly reached this tipping point much sooner than now.

And we are at a tipping point. Women are fed up with men's inappropriate actions and there's not enough room in this newspaper to detail all the reasons why they're right. But let's not be mistaken -- Democrats haven't exactly championed positive treatment of women.

Republicans have also acted pretty shamefully over the years too. We've seen sexual misconduct cases against GOP leaders in recent years in our own state. Republican platforms can easily be interpreted as anti-woman, especially when we talk about health care and reproductive rights.

Again, Democrats, hold off on your judgment because the allegations aren't limited to Republicans, or only sexual misconduct against women for that matter. Last year, former governor and current state Sen. Julian Carroll was removed as the Democratic Minority Whip after allegations surfaced that he groped a man in 2005.

As far as obstructionism goes, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better example than Republican congressional members during President Barack Obama's administration. Remember how proud Sen. Mitch McConnell was that he kept Obama's final Supreme Court nominee from being confirmed?

If Ford was assaulted by Kavanaugh, he has no business being on the Supreme Court. The problem is that it will be very difficult to prove this allegation after so much time has passed. But this incident can teach us a lesson.

If we're upset over how women are treated, both parties have some soul-searching to do. What happens Thursday will affect the choice of a Supreme Court nominee, but changing the sexual misconduct culture isn't a revolution that's going to be televised. That kind of change has to come from each of us, especially us men, and it's the kind of change that isn't blue or red.

Suddeath is the editor of the Glasgow Daily Times. His column appears in the Thursday edition and at various times throughout the week. Reach him at 270-678-5171, or by email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DsuddeathGDT.

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