The New York Times pathetically tried to turn the shock resignation of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman accused by several women of physical abuse into a political plus for Democrats, even though Schneiderman was one of the legal leaders of “The Resistance” and a #MeToo crusader for women.
Thursday’s New York Times front-page story by Alexander Burns read: “Sex Scandals Hit Both Parties, But One Sees Double Standard.” Yes, the NYT actually believes that the Democrats have been unfairly punished for sexual scandals, yet who were protected by their party and the press.
The Times ran the same whine in two front-page stories six months ago, when it was “feminist” Democrat Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota who was forced to resign after multiple credible accounts of sexual harassment.
Then, the paper put the Democratic Party on the moral high ground while worrying that the Democrats were just too tough on themselves. Two names conspicuously absent: Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy, legendary Democrats credibly accused of offenses worse than sexual harassment.
Twenty years ago, during the Monica Lewinsky days of the Clinton presidency, the mainstream press mocked the square GOP for not embracing the sophisticated, ooh la la! of Europe when it came to sexual relations among politicians. Now the paper is celebrating Democratic toughness on the harassment issue and turning it against Republicans to help the Democrats in November.
Again, there is no mention of Bill Clinton or Ted Kennedy:
The moment of political reckoning began a day after President Trump’s inauguration, when millions of marchers protested his policies and treatment of women. That outpouring of energy has rippled through elections over the last 16 months, as women have turned out in force to vote -- and often to punish the Republican Party.
But for Democrats, the process of confronting sexual misconduct in politics has also grown complicated and emotionally fraught. If Mr. Trump’s election ignited this national conflagration, the president himself has largely escaped consequences for his behavior so far. And a number of the politicians exposed as predators and abusers have been men whom the left once viewed with admiration.
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The White House’s exultation grated on politicians and strategists in both parties, who view Mr. Trump as a fatally compromised messenger on women’s rights. As galling as some Democrats’ hypocrisy may be, a president accused by more than a dozen women of groping and forcible kissing can only make things uncomfortable for his party by engaging in a political tit-for-tat, some Republicans outside the White House say.
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For Democrats, the White House’s gloating strikes the rawest of nerves: Already, there is a mood of seething frustration among liberals, who see themselves as aggressively policing misconduct on their side, while Mr. Trump and his party approach it with comparative indifference. Most of all, Democrats fear that Mr. Trump could escape political repercussions for his actions -- and that accused offenders on the left like Mr. Schneiderman might ease the pressure on the president.
Burns seems to be fishing for compliments for the Democratic Party for eventually doing the right thing on the issue (again, after the party spent decades ignoring Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy’s behavior):
Less straightforward, for Democrats, has been the experience of cleansing their own ranks as Mr. Trump heckles them from the West Wing. The party has pressured a succession of liberal men to resign amid a range of allegations, including Mr. Schneiderman, former Senator Al Franken of Minnesota and former Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, who was the House’s longest-tenured member....
