… Read the restJohn McCain has withdrawn his endorsement of Donald Trump. Notably, McCain explains his decision not by criticizing the language or tone the Trump used in the Washington Post video, but by citing the conduct Trump was describing. McCain does not shy away from calling that conduct “sexual assault.” Here’s McCain’s full statement, which also mentions Trump’s attacks on Judge Curiel, the Khan family, and the Central Park Five:
All entries by this author
Unraveling
Oct 8th, 2016 2:27 pm | By Ophelia BensonTic Tic repudiates Trump
Oct 8th, 2016 2:18 pm | By Ophelia BensonI think this @nytimes reader is right. Same reason GOP guys mention daughters in denunciations; we are valuable cows.
Trumps says “Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am,” Sorry but I know people who do know him – it is exactly who he is.
You can’t even tell Trump, “How would you like it if someone talked about your daughter like that” – because he has already.
remember that this is the sack of shit insisting we can’t let immigrant men in because they’ll assault women
… Read the restTic Tac respects all women. We find the recent statements and behavior completely
Also in Trump
Oct 8th, 2016 12:11 pm | By Ophelia BensonTrump is belching out so much evil we can’t keep up. There was also the fact that he made a point of telling CNN that the Central Park 5 were too so guilty.
… Read the restWading into a racially-charged case from his past, Donald Trump indicated that the “Central Park Five” were guilty, despite [the fact that they were] officially exonerated by DNA evidence decades after a notorious 1989 rape case.
“They admitted they were guilty,” Trump said to CNN in a statement.
“The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty. The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous. And the woman, so badly injured, will never be the same.”
The
Discussion
Oct 8th, 2016 11:49 am | By Ophelia BensonAnnoying responses: 1) All men talk like this (nope) 2) This is an aberration for Trump (nope) 3) No one could have predicted this (nope).
It’s too bad for GOP elected officials that there was literally no way they could have known before today that Trump was a gross misogynist.
I’m calling for a total and complete shutdown of Donald Trump interacting with women until we can figure out what is going on.
I am working on a pet theory that Donald Trump is an extremely bad person.
… Read the restBUSH COMPOUND, DECEMBER 2015 — JEB: We must stop Trump. Any ideas?
GWB: Nope
GHWB:
A power structure on which he knowingly capitalizes
Oct 8th, 2016 11:17 am | By Ophelia BensonJames Hamblin at the Atlantic points out that “graphic” sex talk is a good thing. That’s not what Trump was doing.
The thing about the Republican’s words isn’t that they’re explicit or graphic. It’s that they’re misogynistic, coercive, abusive, and dehumanizing. And as my colleague David Graham notes, illegal: The candidate is describing forcing himself on women, bragging that they’re disinclined to object because of a power structure on which he knowingly capitalizes.
Framing this as lewd, even extremely so, is a reminder of the frequent reluctance to name sexual assault. Explicit conversations are a different thing, a part of life central to mature sexuality.
Precisely. Mutual (in other words consensual) sex talk is a very different thing … Read the rest
Not fit
Oct 8th, 2016 9:55 am | By Ophelia BensonThe Guardian has a big collection. A yuuuuje collection.
Donald Trump’s apology for the latest in a string of controversial comments about women came as no surprise to the political strategist and fellow Republican Ana Navarro. “He is not fit to be the president, he is not fit to be the Republican nominee, he is not fit to be called a man,” Navarro said on CNN. “How many times does he get away with saying something misogynistic before we call him a misogynist? How many times does he get away with saying something sexist before we acknowledge that he is a sexist? It is time to condemn the man.”
But what about free speech? Heterogeneity of opinion? Vigorous dissent? … Read the rest
Zero respect for people’s lives, rights, and property
Oct 8th, 2016 9:39 am | By Ophelia BensonRobby Soave at Reason says Trump is no libertarian but a self-entitled authoritarian.
… Read the rest“You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful [women]—I just start kissing them,” Trump toldAccess Hollywood‘s Billy Bush, according to an audio tape leaked to The Washington Post on Friday. “It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”
Emphasis mine, because, well, you can’t do that. Grabbing an unsuspecting and unwilling person’s genitals is a criminal act of sexual assault under any definition of sexual assault. Trump is evidently proud of the fact that he wielded his wealth and
From astonished to apoplectic
Oct 8th, 2016 8:57 am | By Ophelia BensonTrump stayed up late last night to do an “apology” video which briskly morphed into an attack on Bill Clinton, who isn’t running for president. (This is, though, one of many reasons I detest this new idea that relatives of former presidents have an inside track to the office. I have never thought it was a good idea for Hillary Clinton to leverage her husband’s stint as president into her shot at it.) I haven’t watched it yet…and don’t look forward to it.
CNN sums up the current state of play.
… Read the restHouse Speaker Paul Ryan, saying he was “sickened” by Trump’s comments, announced Friday night that the GOP presidential nominee would no longer attend a Republican event in Wisconsin
The H word
Oct 8th, 2016 8:43 am | By Ophelia BensonAnother man sighs wearily as he opens the laptop to explain why Elena Ferrante has no right to anonymity or privacy, this time in Prospect.
The hysterical reaction in some quarters to Ferrante’s so-called “doxxing” is producing more heat than light. Books are largely read by a culturally elite group, the same people who commission think pieces, invest their cultural capital with importance. Journalists writing about this phenomenon fuel it, and to be honest, as we condemn the article that caused this mess, we are also profiting from it.
The “hysterical” reaction. Wouldn’t you think men who write words as a profession could learn to stop calling women “hysterical”? Ok he’s calling the reaction “hysterical,” not Ferrante … Read the rest
This is who he is
Oct 7th, 2016 5:51 pm | By Ophelia BensonI never heard him "apologize" for talking to me & others about his family member's spouse, and especially her breasts. THIS IS WHO HE IS. https://t.co/W9RH1otj0t
— ashley judd (@AshleyJudd) October 7, 2016
But we’re not choosing a Sunday school teacher
Oct 7th, 2016 5:39 pm | By Ophelia BensonThe Guardian has a live updating page on Trump’s contemptuous rapey remarks about women. An hour ago they posted what Corey Lewandowski had to say:
… Read the restEven Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager and one of the staunchest supporters of the businessman, has refused to defend the comments.
“Look, I think what this comes down to, and this is not a surprise, is clearly this is not how women should be spoken about. But we’re not choosing a Sunday school teacher.
“And I want to be very clear about this, what we know about Donald Trump this was 12 years ago, this audio tape, and does not reflect or bring to mind the Donald Trump that I’ve spent 18 months
Serious
Oct 7th, 2016 4:55 pm | By Ophelia BensonEmily Crockett at Vox on Trump and rape culture.
… Read the restThe Washington Post’s headline describes Trump’s comments as “extremely lewd.” But they’re a lot worse than that.
This may or may not actually be typical “locker room banter” for some men. But one thing is clear: It’s an explicit description of sexual assault.
Whether or not Trump is bragging for effect or machismo, he is saying that he thinks it’s no big deal to grab or kiss a woman in a sexual manner — either by moving too fast for her to consent or resist or by exploiting his power until “they let you do it.”
It is sexual assault to “just start kissing” a woman, much less “grab” her
“Grab them by the pussy,” Trump says.
Oct 7th, 2016 3:00 pm | By Ophelia BensonLe tout Facebook is talking about the Washington Post’s new story about Trump.
They got possession of a video that has Trump talking on a hot microphone.
The video captures Trump talking with Billy Bush of “Access Hollywood” on a bus with Access Hollywood written across the side. They were arriving on the set of “Days of Our Lives” to tape a segment about Trump’s upcoming cameo on the soap opera.
I recommend playing the video to get the full flavor – the laughter, the boasting, the time someone says “it’s good” and you’re not sure if “it” is a woman or not.
… Read the restThe tape obtained by the Post includes audio of Bush and Trump’s conversation inside the bus,
Denis Mukwege
Oct 7th, 2016 12:30 pm | By Ophelia BensonNPR reports: a doctor in DR Congo who treats rape survivors is a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize.
… Read the rest45,482.
That is the number of rape survivors treated by Dr. Denis Mukwege and his associates at Panzi Hospital between 1999 and 2015. Some 35,000 of those survivors, who range in age from toddlers to seniors, suffered complex gynecological injuries, inflicted by members of rebel groups and the Congolese military.
Mukwege, who for the past several years has been considered a strong candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, began his career as a gynecologist wanting to help the women of the Democratic Republic of Congo, his homeland.
When he opened Panzi Hospital in 1999, he envisioned it as means to
Not “woke” or “with it” or one of the cool kids
Oct 7th, 2016 11:38 am | By Ophelia BensonBruce is wondering what’s taking the bus so long.
… Read the rest[I]t’s not as if I haven’t made comments that should rile these people. Yet, I’ve been left alone. People haven’t got the message that I’m persona non grata. Allow me to make a few more inflammatory comments that I regard as true, in one convenient place so as to incriminate myself. As I’m not trying to convince anyone, but rather trying to get them to condemn me, I’m not going to put too much effort into justifying myself.
***
Not all oppression is based on identity. Do you think the oppression suffered by pigs entails their identity as porcine? An organism doesn’t need to be self-regarding in order to
Theocrats call LGB activists “far right”
Oct 7th, 2016 11:07 am | By Ophelia BensonThe AhlulBayt Islamic Mission, which as Peter Tatchell said is hosting the Islamist preacher who advocates death for lesbians and gay men, has issued a statement on how wrong people are to object to clerics who advocate death for lesbians and gay men. The AIM is an offshoot of an Iranian organization, and is a big fan of the theocratic regime in Iran.
… Read the restThe AhlulBayt Islamic Mission (AIM) issues this statement to clarify its position on the baseless allegations made against Shaykh Hamza Sodagar by far-right media outlets.
AIM prides itself for being active in campaigning against extremism, sectarianism, intolerance and racism both locally and globally. We have been consistent in our efforts to spread justice, peace, and tolerance;
It’s not a subtle point
Oct 7th, 2016 10:23 am | By Ophelia BensonTrump says it’s all a joke, it’s for laughs, it’s entertainment.
Donald Trump said Wednesday that derogatory statements he has made toward women were all for the sake of “entertainment” and did not reflect his true feelings.
“A lot of that was done for the purpose of entertainment; there’s nobody that has more respect for women than I do,” the real estate mogul told Las Vegas’ KSNV-TV in an interview taped Wednesday ahead of a rally in Henderson, Nevada.
Oh Donald. Donald Donald Donald. Don’t be ridiculous. Of course there’s anybody who has more respect for women than you do. There are billions of people who have more respect for women than you do. Billions. With a B.
Mind … Read the rest
Pence talked about the beauty of adoption
Oct 6th, 2016 5:21 pm | By Ophelia BensonKatha Pollitt wants us to make sure we understand how terrible Mike Pence is on abortion.
… Read the restMr. Kaine talked about trusting women as decision-makers. Mr. Pence talked about the beauty of adoption — in the context of criminalizing abortion, that really means forcing women to bear children for other people — and “health care counseling” for women. When he says that, he is surely referring to so-called crisis pregnancy centers, which try to dissuade women from ending a pregnancy, often through deception, scare tactics and Christian proselytizing, and to which Governor Pence has funneled millionsof Indiana taxpayers’ dollars.
Mr. Pence’s demeanor on Tuesday may have been calm and friendly, but his record on reproductive rights is horrendous, and
Second – burn them to death
Oct 6th, 2016 4:08 pm | By Ophelia BensonPeter Tatchell urges the Home Secretary to revoke the visa of an Islamist cleric who endorses killing of gays.
… Read the rest“In a free society, Hamza Sodagar has a right to believe that homosexuality is sinful but not to preach about ways to kill lesbians and gay men. Many people with far less extreme views, who have never advocated violence, have been banned from entering the UK. Calling for death to LGBT people crosses a red line. The Home Office was wrong to grant him a visa and should now revoke it. The cleric should be ordered out of the country,” said human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell.
US-born radical Shaykh Hamza Sodagar – who has dubbed non-Muslims “kuffars” and released a video
