I don't care. If you compare to Trump, Biden looks like a saint.
12
Why did i believe that Trump’s 40 years old draft dogging mean that he is a coward? Why did it matter that John Edwards was a horrible philanderer and Obama was flawlessly faithfulness to his wife?
It isn’t often a news article makes me question and rethink the perceptions and values I believed to be self-evident.
Thanks Professor Greenberg!
2
I'm not a big fan of Joe Biden, even if he is VERY distantly related to me (think about 300 years back when our mutual ancestors first traveled to the US with Wm Penn's Quaker colony, even though they were not Quakers themselves). I think he's a bit of a buffoon and his apologies for virtually everything he's done in his career does him no favor.
But this is ridiculous. He knew these women. He did not do this to random women at the grocery store. If they were uncomfortable, they should have told him...THEN, not 10 years later calling the media to complain. And to then say it makes him "unfit" to be President? Geeze... These days, Jesus Christ could not pass the test of many of these people.
Denunciation played a major role in Stalinist Russia communism. We appear to now be quite willing to adopt this today in the US. It is a dangerous - in fact DEADLY practice, and we must stop this before we sink into totalitarianism with no freedom of speech.
Heck, Mrs Obama famously gave the Queen an hug, which one must assume was unwanted as even touching the Queen is considered bad form, and she does not appear to be a "hugger" by nature anyway. I guess that makes Michelle Obama "unfit" if she ever decides to run for public office.
6
An increasingly silly self righteousness is running amok on the Left. Get a grip on it or Trump will win again.
16
Joe Biden's problem with women are small potatoes compared to his claims of getting a Ukrainian prosecutor fired that it turns out happened to be investigating his son Hunter's company.
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/436816-joe-bidens-2020-ukrainian-nightmare-a-closed-probe-is-revived
This is all the Democrats need, a candidate with self dealing corruption allegations facing off against Trump.
1
Oh! It's the media's fault! Of course. How silly of any us to think for a second that a man's inappropriate behavior actually be the problem. When will we ever learn?
2
And the New York Times has played a leading role in this Biden tactile hysteria with multiple front page articles and numerous op-eds including Michelle Goldberg's op-ed insisting that he step aside because his old fashioned style is out of step with Democratic Party progressives.
8
Nobody wants crusty Joe. Stop selling him as your conservative democrat candidate a la clintons, obama, etc, nytimes. We want the Bernies and the Kamalas. We don't want this retread.
1
To those who would say, "You don't see Biden neck-nuzzling men do you? He only does that to women, so there must be an ulterior motive."
Joe Biden is obviously a heterosexual male. Everyone knows that. So if Joe Biden neck-nuzzled men, even if it there was nothing sexual about it, and the press found out about it, it would open him up for even more of a press feeding frenzy.
I am a heterosexual male. I would never think of neck-nuzzling a man to show affectionate friendship. Maybe it's just me. So I would like to know how many other heterosexual men, not bi-sexual or any other male form of gender bending, heterosexual men reading these comments would neck-nuzzle another man? My guess is next to none.
Mr. Greenberg has presented argument necessary as this cultural development coalesces with our society. To be made “uncomfortable” may stem from annoyance, or embarrassment, or distress, or fear, or stress, or pain, or other. I suggest that most often this reaction is individually subjective and dependent upon circumstances of the identity of each person in the setting and relationships of the two. A physically close whisper, two-handed handshake, a brush on the cheek, hand grasp and chest bump, holding another’s arm crossing a street etc. can be “uncomfortable” or comfortable. I am NOT referring to ANY incident of sexual assault. In my father’s generation and to a substantial degree in my own (which I share with Biden) a male-to-male “hug” was very discomforting while a slap on the butt in athletics was not. Families had and have, I suspect, male and/or female tactual and arms-length members. Such has existed and continues though now with society recognizing, acknowledging and appropriately sanctioning serious offenses in the workplace.
As we all, male and female, need to be more mindful, as Mr. Biden has said, about respecting personal space in the future” so should we all be ready to voice an immediate and appropriate reaction to an offender for affecting our subjective feelings.
Children separated from parents and dying in federal custody. Lifetime appointments to the federal judiciary being handed out as fast as burgers and fries at Mickey Dees. An exploding federal deficit. Ditto the trade deficit with China - while someone crows ‘trade wars are fun and easy to win’! Grab ‘em by the — you know what I’m sayin’. When you’re famous they let you do it. Pigs, dogs, bleeding out of her whatever. I like heroes who weren’t captured. The judge is a Mexican. Adam Schiff is a pencil-neck. Enemy of the people. Carry them outta here on a stretcher. Alex Jones is ‘doing amazing things, and I won’t let you down.’ Repeal ‘Obamacare’ and let the chips fall where they may, ‘cause we didn’t know healthcare was so complicated.
“Squirrel! Joe Biden lightly brushed his lips on the back of a woman’s head— and she was uncomfortable”! Now THAT’S news. THAT’s infotainment! THAT’s how to extend the highly profitable Trump Presidential Media Circus for another four year run on a cable channel near you. That’ll juice the facebook revenue stream.
Go get ‘em, Ace. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
4
Two words, Rick Lazio. he was Hillary Clinton's opponent for the Senate in 2000 and was famously put to the flame for approaching her in a debate with a list. He was invading her space. The reaction was absurd. Biden's pawing of women is wrong. I am close to his age and would never dream of touching a women as he does. Again, forgiveness is easy if one is a Democrat.
2
This is not a scandal. She's got her 15 minutes of fame. Let's move on.
5
In the meantime the Republican are destroying women right to choose in red state and we discussing for a week two women get upset. What country.
5
While I agree with everything you say in this column, I'd like to add that my rejection of Joe as a candidate has little to do with his retail politics fondling tendencies.
Joe Biden represents the last hurrah for my generation of old fuddy duddies, who still function on programming received during our years of life before and since WWII. The Old Guard needs to step aside and let the younger generations take over, the ones who will actually live in the world that we have created for them and is extrapolating into challenges never before encountered.
2
You're absolutely right, Mr. Greenberg. The feeding frenzy over trumped up charges against Judge Brett Kavanaugh was nothing more than a horrible distortion of public opinion.
3
For crying out loud girls, where are your voices all of the sudden? Just say no I feel uncomfortable. Or, I feel a little under the weather. Or, let's not embarrass Jill. Or please I'm not rejecting your friendship, but that gives me "ideas." Please use your intelligence and sense of humor. Control your space.
Most people aren't that loving, personally, I like loving people. What would you say to Trump? Or others? You have a voice, use it.
1
everyone is overlooking the fact that when joe biden was friendly to women- THIS WAS APPROVED AND VERY COMMON BEHAVIOR. even NOW men kiss women in friendly actions. THIS IS NOT SEX, -the ME-TOO movement has been carried to ridiculous and dangerous extremes.
3
Apparently the media, along with the public, has forgotten (selective amnesia?) the tragic events in Mr. Bidens life. From the death of his wife and 13 year old daughter to the loss of his son to cancer, which he handled with grace, dignity and maturity, we have decided the most important aspect of his life is...…… inappropriate touching? Really? Frankly, I don't believe the American public deserves people like Mr. Biden. We deserve shallow, immature, people who pander to our basest instincts. Someone once said people get the government they deserve..... go home Joe, we don't deserve people like you. Onward, to Trump 2020.
2
This is a classic case of the press making a mountain out of a mole hill. Four women, I repeat four women out of the thousands that Biden has encountered in his lifetime have said he made them "uncomfortable." And this was a few seconds of non sexual contact in plain view of everyone, including TV cameras. And suppose a few more "uncomfortable" women show up. Again out of thousands. No wonder much of the voting public is being turned off by the Democratic party's lack of common sense on something like a Candidate's outgoing approach being a disqualifier for elective office. If the Democrats go down this path and lose the next election they will deserve it although the American public does not.
4
Joe Biden's behavior has become a touchy subject. I have no doubt these women felt uncomfortable, and am genuinely sorry for their unease, but it may say more about them than about Joe. Not all offenses are of equal value. It is up to us to determine the context and purpose of it all.
Physical touch is a primal communication method. Joe Biden is a tactile communicator. That does not make him a sexual predator. His long and colorful history of being touchy feely with everyone is now coming under the microscope of the MeToo Movement. At worst his behavior may point to his being out of touch to the times.https://wp.me/p2qifI-4uP
3
Mr. Greenberg's column is a breath of fresh air. Until now, I have read nothing in the New York Times that could be construed as recognizing any limits whatsoever on the Me Too movement. No one condones behavior that meets the legal definition of sexual harassment but the transgressions of Al Franken, Tom Ashbrook, Garrison Keilor, Joe Biden and many others, while now characterized as inappropriate, were not deemed terminable offenses in the pre-Trump world. Should bare allegations of past behaviors that no longer meet evolving and still murky norms always lead to career loss? Would feminists accept a similar situation if it were women who were being forced to resign?
6
It is ridiculous to call Trump the misogynist.
Trump *restored* the rights of biological women to be able to use their restrooms, showers, locker rooms, battered women's shelters and other safe spaces without having to be encountered by biological males.
Now, who took these rights away from biological women?
It was the Obama administration.
Always look at the actions of the administration.
Based on the action that the Obama administration without working with Congress just arbitrarily decide that biological males had the right to impose their will on biological females sounds misogynist.
How can someone be a misogynist while restoring the rights of biological women to have safe spaces from biological men?
1
Excellent article. I have no reason to doubt the factual accuracy of the accounts given by the two women regarding their interactions with Vice President Biden. But to discuss those as a form of sexual harassment or assault and even hint at a comparison with the actions of the Harvey Weinsteins and Donald Trumps of the world is grossly unfair not only to Mr. Biden but even more so to the many women who have experienced actual sexual harassment and abuse. The flames of the media and social media flames about Mr. Biden are likely being fanned by either (1) supporters of rivals for the Democratic nomination (if so, shame on them); (2) Trump supporters (no surprise); or Russian or similar trolls (see #2 above). But everyone else? Step back and take a breath.
3
Even he-who-shall-not-be-named has done nothing remotely as hideous as leaving a woman to die at the bottom of a pond. But were the man who did that still alive, and young, and running for president on a platform of delivering Americans sensible healthcare, he would have my vote.
Priorities, people.
"Charges about inappropriate touching must be heard and evaluated." True. But it will be interesting to see how this works out. Women: Concerned about the, "good old boys club"? It will be quiet, with whispered, furtive communication - but wait. Thought men were exclusionary before? You ain't seen nothin' yet! You've made the bed, now lie in it. Next time, report truly important infractions then and there, instead of waiting and seething for one or two decades to bring an opponent down.
Notice the proximity of the stunning report on the Murdoch Empire and it control of media, politics, and society to the Biden nothing burger frenzy. Such lazy reporting!. Women should feel abused, not by innocent expressions of affection, but by the media. This is the type of media that Murdoch and his organization have worked to create, and now quasi legitimate news is simply following the lead of the sensationalists in the right wing. The media might as well admit that the 2020 election is over, along with gender and racial equality. Anyone with hurt feelings over a Biden hug should consider how bad they will feel when abortion rights are taken away, and affirmative action is deemed illegal.
3
Ahh and so it begins - Republicans are reading this and laughing as they realize people focusing on non-issues like Joe Biden kissing someone on the back of the head will help put them back into the White House in 2020.
Look, no one is perfect. To say this is an actual issue pertaining to Joe Biden's potential ability to be president is a borderline joke.
3
I was wondering where the sanity of commentators and commenters were going until I read the comments attached to this op ed. I happily noticed that the comments which felt that the Biden touchy feely issue was blown totally out of proportion. The number of recommendations of comments putting perspective on the social interaction and critical of press handling of the incident far outnumbered those wanting to burn Biden at the stake. I can't help but think that the big blow up is both politically motivated and a way to get your 15 minutes of fame. Just consider Flores allegations alone: 1) Biden smelled her hair-how does she know or was he just breathing, sniffling, etc. and 2) He kissed the back of her head-she must have an eye in the back of her head or perhaps she moved her head into his face, 3) Why wait 5 years to say anything . I am not saying that she doesn't believe that is what happened, but she also may be terribly mistaken. I really don't want a president to quickly jump to conclusions and say they automatically believe Flores which may very well be wrong like several Democratic candidates. Look no further than the Iraq weapons of mass destruction. Do you want that person to have their finger on the nuclear trigger.
Is it just me, or does anyone else see the malign hand of the St. Petersburg trolls here?
They love to stir up the social media pot and divide liberals.
As Kathleen Hall Jamieson described in her book Cyberwar, the entire Hillary Clinton "deplorables" incident was almost totally engineered by the Russian IRA, who found the clip, pushed it out on social media, drove up the traffic with their network of bots and circular posters to the point where it was then picked up by Drudge, Breitbart and Fox and then finally, at the top of the media food chain, by the mainstream media.
And sensationalistic stories like this show how social media now completely dominate the news landscape to the point where cable news and print media are now second level news sources who derive their primary news material from Facebook and Twitter.
It is sad to read about how every newsroom now has a big-screen, social media "dashboard" mounted on a wall which details on a minute by minute basis which stories are trending on social media. Stories are routinely posted or taken down based on their social media traffic.
We can only expect more stories like these as the campaign. Speaking of that, what's the latest on Elizabeth Warren's DNA testing?
3
I think Biden has more serious demerits than this (Anita Hill, Iraq War, crime bill), but it seems to me that his handsiness is as much a sign of arrogance as anything else. What kind of guy thinks he can put his hands on the shoulders of women he barely knows? An arrogant creep. That said, I don't think this aspect of his behavior is disqualifying in and of itself. Go ahead and run, Uncle Joe, and let the people decide.
On Monday, the NYT ran a story on Biden. The headline and first paragraph portrays it like he forcibly and sordidly kissed and groped someone.
12 paragraphs later, the victim says he kissed the back of her head and put his hands on her shoulders.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/31/us/politics/joe-biden-flores.html
Partially as a result, I see story after story and post after post, tweet after tweet alikening Biden to Trump or accusing him of sexual abuse.
People hadn't heard that Flores herself denied it was sexual abuse or sexual harassment. And I must have missed that correction in the article.
I like this. I agree with it.
I have been assaulted by these stories for the last several days.
Have we lost our minds?
These stories remind me of those columns in the paper like "Dear Abby".
This is an example of why Donnie was elected----people not dealing with the real issues.
Journalist should just grow up and cover the right things.
I am also tired of people talking about what Biden did 30 years ago------in my opinion those things don't matter simply because he is too old.
"for there is nothing either good or
bad, but thinking makes it so."
~~ Hamlet 2.2.250
1
Mr. Greenberg's column is a breath of fresh air. Until now, I have read nothing in the New York Times that could be construed as recognizing any limits whatsoever on the Me Too movement.
No one condones behavior that meets the legal definition of sexual harassment but the transgressions of Al Franken, Tom Ashbrook, Garrison Keilor, Joe Biden and many others, while now characterized as inappropriate, were not deemed terminable offenses in the pre-Trump world.
Should bare allegations of past behaviors that no longer meet evolving and still murky norms always lead to career loss? Would feminists accept a similar situation if it were women who were being forced to resign?
The thing I have been wondering about in all these stories is: do we allow anyone to change, or are we going to forever categorize them by past behavior, in some cases very distantly past behavior, and ignore whatever change and learning they may have done since then? Gov. Northam is an excellent case in point - whatever his stance on racial equality was as a medical student years ago, today, as a governor, he is working hard to ensure racial justice for his citizens. Mr. Franken, however crude his humor might have been when he was making his living in comedy, worked to better things for women as a senator - and I am one of the many people who regret that he was sentenced before he had a chance to be tried. Mr Franken raises another question - what will be the fate of people accused of, even guilty of, past bad behavior? Are they doomed to eternal exile, no matter how much they change?
5
For those women like me - starting a career in the mid-80s - we spent a lot of time ducking and dodging this kind of behavior. Unfortunately, it was a fact of life you learned to deal with. Let’s hope now our sons understand why it’s wrong and our daughters won’t have to endure it.
Imagine that was Hillary Clinton or Susan Collins as VP watching a female appointee and doing the same thing to the husband....that’d get called out immediately.
Don’t completely disagree with author however - all of this focus is concerning because both sides of the aisle spend far too little time tackling the issues that will crush our children - affordable healthcare, a decent standard of living for all, and confronting the reality of climate change. Looking for people to take on those issues. Chronic fingerpointing and investigating isn’t getting the job done.
1
I agree with the underlying sentiment and thoughtfulness of the author of this article. Despite that I am a registered Democrat, however, I see using Al Franken and Bill Clinton, as awful examples of what it means when politicians are unjustly called out for bad things they have done. The Governor Northam example was apt, but David Greenberg REALLY undermines his entire argument by using the examples of Clinton and Franken. Delete those examples and this essay becomes more important, relevant, proper, and share-able for social media.
Well said, Mr. Greenberg.
I, like many women, have experienced the trauma inflicted on me by the Trumps and Weinsteins of our world. I too have experienced effusive, heartfelt expressions of caring and support from people (men and women) made of the same cloth as Joe Biden. The difference between the two experiences is so immense that they don’t even belong on the same map.
Yes, we have diffences in personal space. Yes, sometimes these differences will make us uncomfortable. But, please, let us not conflate the two. ESPECIALLY when it comes to evaluating one of the most decent and caring leaders of this generation.
7
I don't think the media will learn anything important during this episode. From your recollection of previous "scandals", it seems they are behaving the same as ever: Chasing ratings while trying to out maneuver other journalists to report the dirtiest, most jaw dropping scoop possible. It's no great wonder that many Trump supporters don't resoundingly reject Trump's statement that "the press is the enemy of the people."
They might sympathize with Biden.
I sense a feeling of backlash among many people, including commenters these recent few days. The Democrats should pay some attention to a fracture in their own party caused by Gillibrand and a few of the other candidates in bullying Franken out of the senate.
My thoughts on the closely related topic: To me the most intriguing outcome is a Biden/Pelosi ticket, with AOC and Warren poised to become the Democratic Speakers. Effective WH Executives to lead America and be supported by the rising Liberal and Progressive tide.
1
On a visit to a dear old friend whom I had not seen in many years, I gave him a mighty hug. Of course he reciprocated the warm greeting because growing up his entire family was very dear to me. Naturally when he introduced his fiance I hugged her too, but not overly much. Clearly she was nevertheless quite uncomfortable with my affection and awkwardly said so. On the way out after the dinner I made my way to the door with the faintest of goodbyes and a simple wave to her. For better or worse it's a lesson for these times today.
1
There's a lot to be applauded in Greenberg's analysis, especially his very accurate description of news media "feeding frenzies."
But, claiming that "the public was wearying of hyped-up controversies that, it was becoming clear, had little or no relevance to how a politician performed his or her job" is something which applies in today's social media fueled political environment borders on naive.
It's been many years - indeed many elections - since the American people cared much about "how a politician performs his or her job." (See GHW Bush and GWBush, not to mention many members of Congress long after Gary Hart.) Mostly, politicians are judged on things like whether they'd be fun to drink beer with. And people seem to love "hyped-up controversies" (See "Build the Wall!" and "Lock her up!")
Greenberg's analysis that "It is possible to cover stories such as these without creating feeding frenzies," that "journalists can run fewer stories on a subject, talk about it once a day on cable news and not every hour, assume a matter-of-fact tone, remind themselves that Twitter isn’t public opinion, question scandal material shopped by someone’s political rivals" is accurate; it is, indeed, "possible." But today many (dare I say most?) Americans get at least some of their political news and most of their political opinions from Instagram/Facebook/Twitter-driven social media... not from cable news, and certainly not from scant coverage on "once-a-day" newscasts.
1
I like to turn this conversation around. I am a woman and I am a toucher. I will grab an arm or throw my arm around a shoulder or offer a hug. I tend to do this regardless if the person is female or male. I try to show empathy that way. I know our culture has changed but as woman I obviously have overstepped the new boundaries. Indeed let's put all of this in perspective but also address the fact that there are women out there who have done this to men. I would like to see a discussion from both sides.
1
Who is smiling
as the press cannibalizes
people who might have
a chance to take our
country in a different
direction? Honestly, Biden
may be too physical but
is it such a big deal? There
was no malicious intent. What
are these women thinking
as they publicly complain?
What is the press thinking?
We have to call a halt.
2
As someone who has lived through the years when this type of behavior was acceptable in the workplace, I find it appalling that the media has characterized Joe Biden in such a shameful way. Joe Biden is, indeed, a man of integrity and honor. He has served our country well during his years as Vice President. The media, as usual, has gotten it all wrong. The repetitive coverage of a non-issue is despicable. The Me-Two movement has lost its way. The media lost its way ever since the 2016 election. Trump every day; Mueller, every day; subjective reporting. No news of the crises throughout the world, but constant criticism of a decent man. No individual is perfect, least of all, those in the political arena. Everyone has a history. But the good outweighs the grey areas. I hope Joe Biden perseveres.
5
Assassinating politicians, even candidates, has a long and unfortunate history in the USA. Biden is part of the new wave of character assassinations.
The media is complicit.
3
Mr. Greenberg, thank you many times over. Your column is a breath of fresh air.
I am a woman and would never, never vote for Gillibrand because of her treatment of former Sen. Al Franken. For Democrats to just follow and run with the crowd instead of leading and putting a trivial issue in perspective is very disappointing. They showed not enough civility, courage to speak up and correct the insane reaction to really nothing. All only cared about maybe losing a few votes.
76
No Gillibrand for me either. Pretty much all the other Dems (except Bernie) would be fine.
9
@R. Littlejohn
I also regret that for me she curtailed two promising careers, one of them being her own. Her treatment of Franken leads me to question how well she could hold her own in other events where the popular option isn't the right thing to do.
14
Amen and hallelujah for the voice of reason, finally. Thank you for writing this. I still bemoan the loss of Al Franken.
4
"...sometimes-unwelcome public displays of affection..." Seriously? Mr. Greenberg is doing a disservice to anyone who's been the recipient of unwelcome public displays of affection, also know as groping, which is what Biden does. There is zero need for him to be touching, smelling, or kissing anyone. His judgement in doing so is what disqualifies him from holding the land's highest office with any level of credibility...as it does the current POTUS. He has more in common with Trump than anyone should be comfortable with...Biden has a track record as dubious as Trump's, riddled with historical re-writes (check with the draft board...teenage asthma...hmm?) and ghastly acts of stupidity...ask Neil Kinnock, ask Chuck Graham. Arrogance and stupidity were the building blocks to get successfully elected to the Presidency in 2016, let's not let that happen again in 2020.
1
Biden's public displays of affections, even if some people see them as insensitive, are not the same thing as sexual assault.
But that is what is being implied.
Right-wing news is having a great time with all the dog-whistles related to this......plus it keeps everyone's eyes off the biggest villain in America.
Some will say that Biden's behavior is graceless or oafish. Even though I disagree, I can understand that point of view.
But to imply he is some sort of predator is a disservice to real victims of sexual violence. It's also not fair to him.
Biden has said he is willing to listen, learn and make changes. Apparently that isn't good enough for some folks.
Democrats will elect Trump in 2020 and this is the way they will do it.
4
The media needs to back off from making these events a 24/7 event. When specific sexual misconduct is reported then the media should indeed cover it. But whether or not Biden touches too much and someone else touches too little - in a friendly but not sexual way is a waste of the media's time. I want to hear about issues and the opinions of politicians.
3
Al Franken quit, simple as that. His choice. There's nothing stopping him from running for office again.
The idea that he was unfairly run out of office is ridiculous. Nobody forced him to take that photo laughing while pretending to fondle an unconscious woman. His choice.
Same thing for Biden. He's an arrogant, dismissive man who should have known it was time to change his behavior but chose not to. There are consequences and both men have no-one to blame but themselves.
Victims of some sort? You cannot be serious.
1
When it comes to people demanding "purity" in others, Jesus had some advice for them.
One, perhaps, might want to take the time to read the first eleven verses of St John, Chapter 8 ... and receive His wisdom.
Please, NYT, we beg of you, this time around concentrate on reporting candidates' proposed policies and records. A "horse race" approach to elections is unworthy of you. And while you're reporting on the policies and records, please do it with even-handed consideration of all candidates - no putting your thumb on the scale by highlighting some and ignoring others. Your reporting is necessary to a meaningful election.
3
Common people, I completely understand the desire for purity, but at this state of the game the foremost urgent issue is to dethrone the most despicable corrupt crook who invaded the WH and put him in prison where he rightly belongs.
Let's save the purity test for another less crazy time.
If he will be elected, I just hope he will chose a formidable woman for VP, like Elizabeth Warren or Kamala Harris.
He apologized, admitted it was inappropriate, promised to be mindful and respectful...what else can we expect?
Is anyone on this board can claim that they lived their life with no regrets, probably not.
Humans are not perfect, and we all try to do better the next time around.
1
Many, many of the men I saw over 30 years of being around politics were, quite simply, touchers or, to use today's terminology, "tactile". They often touched you, they grabbed your arm or threw theirs across your shoulder or sometimes offered a hug, an abrazo, to both men and women. It was all part of a political culture. The culture has changed today, of course, but it scarcely seems fair to criticize Biden or others because of the culture they grew up in, barring some sort of sexual touching.
44
@Lee VV
Some women, including Biden's victims, do consider Biden's actions as a form of 'sexual touching'.
1
The news of the Chinese woman gaining access to Mar-a-Lago with cell phones, laptops, malware, etc. is of much greater concern to see on the front pages of all media. This 'gotcha' news of Joe Biden has its place, but it is getting out of hand. We have so many important issues to keep up on, including the need for men (and women) to always think of others first before they talk, touch, and problem solve. When you put yourself in someone else's shoes you can accomplish great things and maybe even solve problems! People of all walks of life should be allowed to grow and change with the times. Let's hope the media and the government can focus on solving problems instead of the constant 'gotcha' news cycle. People can learn and grow from mistakes and mis-steps, and become even better human beings. The media could also benefit from learning from mistakes, why not start now?
4
You ask if the media (or more broadly, people in general) learn from their mistakes? Really?
History is replete with testimony to the fact that they do not.
It does not strike me as inconsequential that I had forgotten all about the Ralph Northam situation—wasn't that eight or nine years and fifty media firestorms ago now???
This column did call to mind again, however, the righteous indignation of so many voices who persist in proclaiming that youthful acts, or occasional lapses of one kind or other even in adulthood, can and should be the sole arbiter of fitness for office, and are a more telling reflection of human character than is a life in its entirety. And as the author suggests, only in a world that has completely lost its moorings can the purported actions of Mr. Biden even begin to compare with the frequency, consistency, and severity of those by our current president, which have been all too well documented by the perpetrator himself.
4
At least this article nudges the press in the right direction.
Most political journalism in America is either celebrity or sports coverage. Personalities or "the horse race".
Even when issues and policy are discussed, the emphasis is either on how they resonate with "the base" or are used to fit a reporter's narrative of conflict.
All reporters have a bias towards making a story interesting. That bias often works against making a story useful or even accurate.
3
Well said, Dr. Greenberg. Very well said. I hope journalists everywhere are paying attention. They are the best hope we have of maintaining our collective national sanity.
2
I have little if any patience for the women currently complaining about Joe Biden.
They knew that he had a tendency to be a bit hands on, but not a sexual abuser. They wanted him to come and help advance their careers, with full knowledge of his tendency to hug and kiss women.
Now they want to go public and whine an cry about this so called abuse. One even is using her publicity to call attention to her business ventures.
This all borders on ridiculous.
I like Joe Biden and am seriously considering voting for him. This in no way disqualifies him in my eyes.
This was a good article.
5
I guess I'm surprised a bit to see how many people are upset by another human's touch.
And this is just the start -- although Trump wallows in mud, every opponent will be criticized mercilessly by the conservative news machine for the slightest (perceived) transgression, and the MSM, along with a number of democrats, will help them out.
2
With regard to the media frenzy we see amid today's # movements, it's pretty simple really. Until the media treats the sitting president with as much contemptuous scrutiny as it did and is doing to a Franken, or Biden, or Northam … there is no validity or worthiness in the stories reporters, pundits, and surrogates generate about those in office or seeking office. The comparison of any of the "wrong-doers" in this article with the actions of our current president should make us uneasy and leery of rushing to condemn. I don't mean to suggest that accusations brought against Mr. Biden or Mr. Franken should be summarily dismissed or ignored. Instead I suggest that we re-visit the actions of one Donald J Trump who quite publicly demonstrated in the past, and continues to do so in the present, that he has an absolute disdain for women in general, women of power, people of color, people with religious beliefs, cultural or sexual inclinations different from his own, and people who simply disagree with his way of thinking. Mr. Trump has far more to answer for than any of the offenders mentioned in this article. His abuses and disgusting behavior extend back decades and exemplify his unfitness to hold a position requiring him to care about all citizens of this country equally. He clearly does not, and the media should feed their frenzy for red meat on Mr. Trump. It's a veritable buffet of misdeeds, misbehavior, and misappropriation of the American trust. We deserve better.
1
I just wrote a comment and was interrupted in the middle and the comment should have read, without a doubt can BEAT Trump.
In NO WAY is Biden like Trump. Biden is a great public servant.
4
This phenomenon cuts both men and women in public life. Who do you think will shed more blood? Who's always had to be more perfect?
I consider myself a strong feminist, but the Biden brouhaha sickens me.
These demands --of non-Republicans only-- by whoever comes forward, after lapses of many years, wanting RETROACTIVE perfection, as they define it today, lack an an appreciation of both human nature and basic fairness.
It's hardly restricted to Me Too issues. The biggest victim of Perfection Demands is Hillary Clinton. Elizabeth Warren becomes a resume padder. What defense can Amy Klobuchar muster against the "mean boss" whispers?
Biden will find forgiveness forgiveness for the supposed excesses of his warmth and empathy. Pocahontas? Don't bet on it.
1
Just as there can be substantive vs. frivolous lawsuits, there can be substantive vs. frivolous sexual impropriety allegations. We need to work together to strike a balance between warm/effusive and non-offensive. I don't want women or men to feel violated. I also don't want to take all personal warmth out of our politicians. This "incident" was held in a very public place so I don't know how "I believe her" applies? I think that "#MeToo" needs to deal with magnitude, context and intent in order to decide if a claim has real merit. We can't just use a formulaic approach that says "I believer her" and move on to public shaming. There are real consequences for Biden here. Secondary gain is clearly manifesting. Her timing is just too suspect. The Blasey Ford issue was clearly substantive. McCaskill and Hidecamp took a hit for a worthy cause. I perceive some ageism here. People are either vilifying Joe or being patronizing to him (poor Joe is from a previous generation). I can tell you that I am among a "previous generation" of Democratic voters. After the primary, I will surely support the party candidate. Before the primary, I am leaning against anyone who engaged in a Biden "pile on". Finally, the press played a huge role in defeating Hart, Kerry, Dukakis and Hillary. Democrats can't be doing work for the Republicans.
2
Isn’t it of more concern that he voted for Iraq invasion based on fake intelligence, while at other times promoting peace as a weapon against Bush 2 ? Is he not like most politicians in holding ' flexible ' views chosen for tactical reasons.
1
Biden is a really nice guy according to those who know him. A man of the people. An honest politician by the old definition. Also, not qualified to be President anymore.
1
I am not a fan of Joe Biden, never have been. That being said he is an honorable man despite the perceived miscues with women and public speaking gaffs. He's given most of his life to the service of our country and you cannot fault him for that. The issue resides with the women who surface with their stories of utter disgust after years of dormancy. If it wasn't important enough to demand immediate reprimand years ago, why is it so important to do so now? The public good isn't being served after so many years. I guess they just need their 15 minutes. So sad.
2
Interesting that none of the media frenzies applies at all to Trump. Somehow they recognize the horrendous creature that he is, and have determined that none of it matters.
4
The fear him. As he said: power is fear. Indeed.
Until we can determine what constitutes appropriate as opposed to inappropriate touching sorted out, it is probably best to limit contact to a handshake.
2
Mr. Greenberg's reference to potential political opponents bringing this issue forward needs much more exploration. What can possibly be the motivation for these women coming forward now with such exaggeration of at worst insensitive behavior? Do they furiously want a woman candidate for President, as many women in these pages unabashedly assert?
Are they Republican trolls who laugh out loud at how easy it is to arrange Democrats into a circular firing squad?
2
I am female, around Joe Biden's age, and consider myself a liberal. As a professional woman for several decades in Washington, DC, I had several experiences of highly inappropriate grabbing, touching, sex-talking, and worse from men, some of which I reported (when there was someone to report to), and all of which are vivid memories that still bother me. I also experienced uninvited, sometimes (but not always) unwelcome nonsexual hugging and touching from both men and women, but I suppose I shrugged most of those experiences off and can only vaguely recall them now.
We all seem to have different sensitivites about touch and some of us are more or less sensitive at different times on different days. It's good and proper progress that we now call for respect of our private space in all circumstances. But I can't see blaming Joe Biden for being a bit touchy/feely in another era.
Bravo to Mr. Greenberg for pointing out how silly we can be and how outrage often seems to carry us too far for too long. It will hurt, not help the #MeToo movement if we can't get a grip on ourselves.
5
These are right-wing attacks meant to discredit someone who, without at doubt, would be Trump.
Period, plus...
I miss Al Franken, a great Senator. Seems like there are quite a few women candidates who also would like Biden to be gone.
Period.
Biden may be too touchy-feely, and certainly he now has the message. But I really don't care. I want a competent person in the White House who can lead.
And Biden can, Period. So could Al Franken, and so can Bernie Sanders, and so can perhaps others. A Biden-Harris ticket would be a winner. Sanders-XX would be a winner.
Can we please move on and get to who can lead the country? Because IMO, Trump is disastrous.
3
I have long thought that Sen. Franken should have run in the election over his successor. This would have given the voters of Minnesota the option to chose for themselves just how much it mattered to them. Trust the people.
7
It’s next to impossible to turn on a cable news channel and get the news. It’s all opinion. And it obsesses on the ridiculous. Joe Biden picks his nose for a minute and forget about the tsunami that just swept 200,000 people to their deaths. The fact that Mr. Biden (or whoever) picked his nose suddenly becomes the focus of unrelenting, mind-numbing day-in and day-out broadcast coverage. Kudos to Mr. Greenberg for an excellent article on a topic. His article should be required reading in every newsroom and op-ed department, print and especially broadcast. This obsession by the media, and particularly the cable “news” channels is helping to drive everyone in this country stark raving mad.
9
We have plenty of good younger candidates who don't have Biden's baggage (Anita Hill, waffling on abortion and segregation, etc. Let's choose a fresher face to oppose Trump.
1
These younger candidates however have no experience or historical memory—that also matters.
4
The distinction between what is private (personal) and what is political (of concern to the governance of the community) and the dangers of simply conflating the two has been central to serious political thought since the Greeks (Oedipus Tyrannis). Since the proto-feminist attack on Bill Clinton (a poor husband perhaps-but a beneficial politician) that "character is politics" that distinction has been substantially diminished. I really don't care that much that Clarence Thomas was a pudgy middle-aged guy excited by a very pretty underling, Anita Hill, and that he engaged in clumbsy dopey flirting in a pathetic effort to encourage some sort of reciprocity; I care far more that he has been one of the worst judges appointed to the Court and that his reliably conservative vote has done significant damage to the public welfare.
Greenberg is spot on and is exposing a dirty little secret namely that our (NYT readers et.al) contempt for the intellectual defects of the Trump base fails to acknowlege that we share many of their limits. "Trump" is click bait for us; and the cable TV producers are fully aware that they are thriving on our taste for juicy "gossip" rather then serious analysis of public policy.
4
Joe Biden is a touchy-feely guy with women--and men. He's a hugger, he leans in, he puts his hands on people not in a sexual way, but in an "I want you to know how much I care about humanity." I honestly don't think he sees his actions as sexual.
And yet he's now being vilified as a kind of predator of women. Let's move forward people. Joe can try to be less physical. He's apologized for offending anyone. He's not Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose, or Donald Trump.
Lay off him, or you're going to keep the Democratic Party on a path where it's mired in minutiae. It's a gift to Trump, this focus on Biden's behaviors. And ladies, if he touches you, speak up and tell him to stop it. Don't squirm or move sideways. He's an older man and maybe he just needs this stuff pointed out to him.
6
Thank you for this perspective. The breathless attention given to the Biden story over the last week has been disappointing for its lack of distinction between his behavior, which, based on what we know so far, seems minor in the scheme of things, and the much more serious types of behavior underlying #metoo.
5
I would be horrified if the Democratic Party nominated Joe Biden, but not because he's a hugger. The lesson of Donald Trump's election is that the electorate is thoroughly tired of the same old same old. If the Democrats nominate good old Joe, they would be playing into the hands of those who fund (and profit by) President Trump. From all we know (and we know a lot), Joe is a good guy. But he is still the same old thing from the same old system. I don't care what the polls say. To beat Trump (and save our country), the Democrats better nominated somebody whose best friends are not billionaires and who sincerely intents to address the economic concentration that is threatening to topple the entire planet's economy.
3
Biden is perhaps the only candidate that could defeat Trump in the general election—though I acknowledge it’s early. So many candidates are pushing for a “purity” test of values in the Democratic Party. Many on the fringe are blindly trying to put a gag order on him because he’s competitive. This isn’t a Republican conspiracy, it’s a fracture in the Democratic Party.
Joe Biden has been a powerful and steadfast politician far longer than anyone else in the race, for many candidates, decades longer. This is a strength. And his blue collar roots are exactly what will unite working class white voters. In addition, a SC poll of black voters last week puts Biden far past Booker and Harris. Others wanting the top spot will stop at nothing to prevent him from declaring candidacy.
People will look back on April 2019 as the moment Joe Biden could have made his big push, and instead the party nominated a candidate who was perfect for the convention, but way too controversial for the general election. Not unifying the party around a nationally capable candidate will all but guarantee Trump’s re-election.
4
"It is possible to cover stories such as these without creating feeding frenzies. Journalists can run fewer stories on a subject, talk about it once a day on cable news and not every hour, assume a matter-of-fact tone, remind themselves that Twitter isn’t public opinion..."
yes to all of the above. but you could make that argument not just for sexual harassment stories, but for pretty much everything the media chooses to cover in 2019 in all arenas, from politics to baseball to architecture. this is how media works, and has worked for quite some time. 24-hour cable news makes it bad, twitter makes it worse, and something will come along sooner or later that will double or triple down on all of that.
which leads to the question: why are you using the very real issue of sexual harassment as your vehicle to make this complaint?
1
Thank you for this article!
The issue is not whether people like or dislike Biden’s behavior. Rather, the issue is how much attention we pay to it. Every politician has one or more attributes voters would view as unsavory.
In the context of Biden’s multi-decade career in public service, it is beyond absurd that I have yet to see one article about his policies and positions.... it is - and always has been, unfort - solely about the game of politics.
Exhibit 1 of how this can lead to unanticipated results is Hillary’s emails. Though I commend the NYT for much of its reporting and investigations, it magnified the email story beyond reason and context as if it was an attack dog - not a news org - that simply couldn’t let go... it dwarfed the rare article on Hillary’s and trump’s policies and public history. Further, it dwarfed any coverage of GW Bush’s deletion of 20 mil emails (per NYT at the time).
3
Yes, the recent Biden "stuff" is news, and journalists should report the news. Yet I share some of the author's discomfort with this and other recent stories about candidates' being under fire for their past behavior. The recent articles on Klobuchar's and Sanders' treatment of her staff come to mind. The point is not whether these their of things ought to be reported or not. The issue is how much time, resources, effort go into these stories versus other, more important stories. Journalism involves making choices about priorities, and it's clear to me that too many journalists are making questionable choices because the subject is easy, provocative, and is sure to grab attention and create "buzz" on the mass and social media. It's basically low hanging fruit. And it only helps to make our public discourse sound more like the Dr. Phil Show. And then public figures like Al Franken buckle under the resulting pressure, resulting in a loss for his constituents and the Senate. If only that much time and attention were placed on how these candidates might actually perform their job if elected, their policy ideas, their experience, their ability to get things done in Washington.
3
I retired from a federal agency after almost 30 years of service. In my career as a specialist in a male dominated work place I have not personally encountered any instance of sexual harassment or unwelcome attention. Understand that this is unusual but there it is. But as a volunteer Equal Opportunity counselor I became familiar with many instance of discrimination and harassment and worked to surface the issues for resolution. Having said all this, my experience is that many women speak up early. Otherwise, memories fade and their credibility gets questioned. It isn't fair, but there it is. in the case of Joe Biden my question to the media is - why didn't these women come forward when he was nominated by Obama to be VP? If he didn't decide to run for president, would we have ever known? And now I read that the first woman didn't consider it sexual harassment per se. Really? Then what is the point? The women I helped had a motive for reporting their instances of harassment and to request relief. As for the media - the question of why now needed to be reported more thoroughly. Joe Biden has been VP for 8 years and prior to that flirted openly with the idea of running for president. He is different from your random minor politician. Am I splitting hairs? Maybe. But hairs worth splitting.
5
@Mahalo - what is the point? The point is that this is a politically motivated hit job designed to try and stop the Biden campaign in it’s tracks. The radical progressives want to stop Biden from even leaving the gate, much less running. The women want 15 minutes of fame. The media wants eyeballs. End of explanation.
3
@Ann I meant what is the point of this woman coming forward with a pretty lukewarm accusation. The media needs to drop it
1
Mr. Greenberg makes a persuasive case that relatively minor infractions should not destroy a basically decent politician’s chances in the ballot box. And he’s right to urge that the news media should ease off on sensationalistic reporting, but instead concentrate on the issues that really matter. However, Mr. Greenberg overstates the conclusion to which his argument entitles him when he asserts, without justification, that “a great president or Supreme Court justice can be a flawed or rotten person, and a noble soul might be a lousy senator or governor.”
This goes too far! Granted that a somewhat flawed individual might still make a great president or Supreme Court justice, but a “rotten person”? Hardly! Mr. Greenberg himself seems to recognize his rhetorical overreach when he acknowledges in his next sentence, as a parenthetical aside: “(Of course, we can all think of a horrible human being who also made a terrible president.)” Yes, character does matter, and it’s a tragedy that an amoral man like Trump ever managed to get himself elected! On the other hand, an occasional faux pas by a basically good man like Joe Biden should not disqualify him from consideration as a candidate for the presidency. And to that extent, Mr. Greenberg’s argument is surely right!
3
Affectionate people need not apply?
Many women like me have been subjected to unwanted and unnecessary advances by men in power for many years. These advances may have taken the form of aggressive touching, undesired massages at our desk, late-night calls, pressing against us in elevators, physical assaults, and firings for not responding in a positive fashion. These things are wrong. I am proud we are talking about them now as a nation.
But now we are starting to insist that our male political leaders be people that never show affection or spontaneity. This differs from predators, who take what they want. I kissed a child on his head; does that make me tender, or a pedophile? I grabbed the hands of my colleague and danced around the office in glee; does that make me impulsive, or harassing? My boss once gave me a hug when we won; was he happy, or a threat? Only one person knows, and the tolerance for warmth seems to be shrinking.
So sorry, buddy—you are a warm, outgoing, affectionate male. We can’t count the number of hugs, flesh-presses, and head pats you’ve doled out in your years in politics. You’re therefore unqualified to be President—even though an admitted predator still is—because we just can’t tell the difference. We want a future of being led by more careful, colder hearts.
Wait, unless it’s a woman running for office—then she HAS to be warm. Right?
7
Where does this end. Suppose a woman feels that her personal space is in invaded if a man shakes her hand. Have to have some kind of reasonable attitude towards all of this. What Joe Biden did was nothing. These women were overly sensitive and at least in one case have political motives.
4
Somebody might eventually introduce professor Greenberg to #metoo
Journalists are giving into their need to attract eyeballs and ears for the advertisers who pay their often minor rock-star salaries. They are giving into what it takes to continue to exist and prosper in their industry. Those who refuse to give in wind up on PBS and podcasts.
In giving into this need (which is ultimately the need to not lose their positions) they open themselves to being used by political actors (politicians, media personalities, or large often secret political donors) to knock off opponents or potential rivals. This use often entails creating or furthering a media frenzy.
Journalists and media frenzies are both part of a system that journalists can drop out of but cannot change by themselves. This system is perhaps working as designed, but is not working to promote a transparent and decisive democracy. Who can change this and how is not yet known or figured out.
1
If Joe Biden can survive this process without groveling this might be what it will take for him to beat Donald Trump. Many of the voters who voted for Trump will feel sympathy and will respect Joe Biden enough if he does not grovel. If you think that Donald Trump's loss is guaranteed, you are sadly mistaken. Joe Biden has a connection with people and can work with the GOP so that something positive can be done to help our county.
4
@jbb, Trump’s loss is not just not guaranteed, he’s practically a shoo-in. The country isn’t ready for and doesn’t want a radical left progressive who plays identity politics, and that’s what the Dems are going to give us. Start crying now.
1
The reason that extreme views on both ends of the political spectrum take sway is because the vast majority of us don't speak up and don't participate. Today's silent majority (not the conservative version of the Nixon Era) hardly participates in primary elections and that leads to candidates like Trump on the right and Sanders on the left. I wonder if Presidents Obama or Clinton would be considered too much of a centrist to win a primary in today's world.
3
@Louis
“..I wonder if Presidents Obama or Clinton would be considered too much of a centrist to win a primary in today's world...”
Clinton would be, and is, for sure. Obama would be forgiven because he’s black. It’s called identity politics. And I say that as someone who voted for Obama. I also voted for Hillary. But yes, things have gotten way out of hand in today’s Democratic Party.
3
“... As for character, the real test of it may be whether a politician has the fortitude and self-confidence to brave the media storm...”
If Biden wants to be President and serve the country by being a statesman of integrity, bringing a lifetime of knowledge and courage to righting the ship of state and restoring respect for the US throughout the world (or at least stopping the bleeding), then he should run as an independent, start the Centrist Party of America, and not even try to get the crazy people who have taken over the Democratic Party to make him their nominee. He could get Nikki Haley to leave the GOP and start the CPA with him. Let her be VP. Cultivate the center and hold your head high. Brave the storm. The last thing Biden should do is change himself to please the radical left. They will never accept him.
2
A line in the article caught my eye: "Charges about inappropriate touching must be heard and evaluated." No, actually, they do NOT need to be heard and evaluated. Political opponents, people paid to make up stories, and bald faced liars come out of the woodwork every election. The media does not need to give any of these allegations ten seconds of attention. The media needs to focus on the candidates and their platforms and the issues that concern Americans. Who Joe Biden patted on the head 15 years ago is not newsworthy - it is a smear campaign. People claiming Joe made them feel uncomfortable three elections ago need to repent and stop their attacks.
6
I didn't pay much attention to the "touching" stuff about Mr. biden. But as an Independent voter who is disgusted by Mr. Trump, I don't think Mr. Biden is a good choice for Democrats. He comes across as an old line, big smile politician who craves attention, and makes too many goofy comments in that quest. And as numerous articles have pointed out, he has a lot of baggage from past decades. Now, after collecting $200,000 to address a Republican-leaning audience last November, he reminds me of Ms. Clinton's exorbitant "speaking fees" from Wall Street firms and major campaign contributions from Mr. Rich's wife. How about a serious, thoughtful, ethical candidate interested in representing all Americans?
4
I have an iron clad solution for this entire "what to do about inappropriate touching/sexual harassment/misogyny?" issue, guaranteed to solve 99 PLUS percent of the problem when it's applied to our public officials:
Elect women.
4
Franken was railroaded. Stone was behind that attack and when he saw that posed picture with the right wing pundit Tweeden, he used it to get rid of Franken. Stone announced the night before that it was coming but the press never investigated it.
Tom Arnold was at that station and heard Stone rehearsing Tweeden on how to present that story but he was never taken seriously. Everyone was out to get Franken and he was never given a chance to defend himself.
3
Thank you, Mr. Greenberg--well said. Mr. Biden's behavior over the years certainly does reflect a society that did not and still does not treat women fairly. That does not, however, make him anywhere close to as bad as the probable assaulter and harasser Mr. Trump or the likely perpetrator of attempted rape Mr. Kavanaugh. Frankly, this is not nearly as bad as the misogyny demonstrated by Senator Sanders' supporters in 2016. If we are not telling Sanders to drop out, we must certainly not compel Biden to do so. The Democrats will have a chance to vote in part based on whether they believe either man and his supporters have demonstrated an adequately modern and equitable outlook. As Speaker Pelosi said, no more touching!
1
You beltway technocrats are really freaked out by the possibility of a left-of-center candidate clinching the nomination, aren't you? Can't make the Chamber of Commerce mad, I suppose.
The best gift you can give Republicans in a post-Kavanaugh political environment is the ability to point to people like Biden and say "See? The Dems are just as bad about dealing with this kind of thing as we are."
The “news,” especially on TV, hasn’t been news for a long time. It’s entertainment and filler between pharmaceutical ads. Scandal within is more entertaining than policy analysis or coverage of the world outside our insular “homeland”. It’s a lot cheaper to “cover” it than actual news (no research or overseas bureaus required!) and the “journalists” don’t have to be particularly smart, or even a little bit smart. They just need good hair and teeth and a total lack of integrity. And so we have arrived at the Idiocracy. RIP Fourth Estate.
Finally, a sensible response.The Times has been ridiculous in this coverage. Biden hugs men, puts his hand on the shoulders of women and kisses the backs of their heads to try to comfort them. Flores has clearly tried to make money off her "revelation". He's been around politics for 50 years. Things have changed a lot. He will evolve as he has previously. Everyone makes mistakes/has quirks. His seem easily fixable. Don't forget that he was the most prominent politician to suggest Iraq remain a country but be split into three zones - Kurd, Sunni, Shia; probably the right idea. The point is, he has experience and can win the swing States. Trump cannot go after him on his treatment of women. He's a descent man and electable.
1
VP Biden needs to answer this quickly in a forceful, fulsome manner; otherwise, like Hilary Clinton who waited months to clarify her private email use, the issue will destroy him and his legacy.
Revenue hungry Cable-TV is relentless to attract viewers with scandal or scandal-like time fillers, non-stop. Perhaps a public dialogue between Lucy Flores, Mr. Biden and Jill Biden would be helpful. BTW, the difference with Al Franken was that Franken was clearly touching a sleeping woman’s chest, in jest he said; whereas, Mr. Biden is/ has been affectionate in an asexual way and in public. One wonders had Ms. Flores won her election for Lt Gov., if she would have raised her shock at being “touched” by Mr. Biden at the rally that Mr.Biden had come to give her support. Ms. Flores, a Bernie Sanders supporter, needs come clean as well.
Like the Jeff Bezos affair, this “scandal” has the whiff of a premeditated political attack.
2
Examining “a person’s fitness for [public] office,” to be elected/selected policymaker, local, regional and national,as well as the complex issue of “due process,”regarding accusations, two additional issues merit exploration.What are the basic skills, abilities, and internal resources which have been adequately demonstrated, over reasonable time periods, which are generalizable to a range of contexts, issues and problems, that the candidates are likely to confront and be challenged with? What are the basic specific ones for a specific position? Questions too general to ask during an era that mantrafies “evidence-based,” as a secular-scientific belief system? Given that many [most? almost all?] national DC elected officials spend, on average, 1 hour in policymaking activities for every 4 hours fund raising for themselves, and their party, how is this related to being effective for what they were elected to DO for their constituents, their area and to BE? Skill and ability related? As for “due process,” a loaded term, concept, process, value and norm, voiced and written about often. Misused and even violated by many powerful individuals and systems! Too often Neither voiced nor written, and rarely if ever implemented is “due accountability.” For harmful word and deeds. In our daily enabled toxic WE-THEY culture which, past and present violate created, selected targeted “the other(s).” Age, gender &identity, ethnicity, religiosity, beliefs;noted!Personal accountability?
I'm studiously avoiding reading articles about 2020 presidential candidates in the first place. It's way too early to be handicapping next year's Kentucky Derby. I only dropped in on this one to share this perspective. The media is in a frenzy about all the candidates and following their every move. Can we just give it a rest for several months?
1
Here's my modest proposal to members of the press.
You may reveal some long-ago offense on the part of an office-seeker (or other object of your attention) if you also include an example of one of your own personal indiscretions.
Having been in the news biz for most of my working life, I can attest that I have a long list of foibles (not notable in the '60s, but quite verboten now); I will gladly donate examples of my youthful folly to any millennial journalist who comes up short in the "did I actually DO that?" department. I await your requests.
The Democrats need a candidate not tied to the Clintons, period. Trump won because the country was tired and fed up with Clinton family. I like Biden but picking him as the candidate will distract the voters away from the "Golf Cheat in Chief". There are a lot of other candidates with more spunk and fighting spirit. Warren as President with Bernie as Vice or Bernie as President with Warren as Attorney General. Someone new. Remember no one had heard of Obama before he started his run.
1
Media feeding frenzies seem to be driven by emotion in both the media and the public. Suddenly people feel outraged because of reports of what some well known person did and the frenzy is on. I think it is exaggerated nowadays by 24-hour cable news and 24-hour newspaper websites. Social media favors emotion over analytical thought which also contributes to the frenzy. American society has become largely dominated by entertainment values and these frenzies become part of what is called infotainment. Most voters should probably be looking at the voting records of the candidates and their positions on various issues but that can't compete with a media feeding frenzy when it comes to getting the attention of voters.
I like the individual reflective ness of this piece. Unfortunately, the emphasis on collective rage and group think have the one effect of not taking the new “woke” women and the metoo movement seriously. When our country was founded women, unpropertied men, indentured servants, and slaves were not included. As with John Locke, the founders assumed that propertied, educated, white males were those with the independent judgement, education, and rational faculties to vote in a democracy. Right or wrong, Locke placed great stock in these men to proceed rationally with independent responsibility and Christian values. Does the feminist and “woke” movements prove Locke right about women? It seems these movements reflect the mobacracy and emotional tribal thinking our founders feared.
If he is not hounded out of the race, then the voters will let him know what they think of his actions. They will either forgive him and vote for him, or find his actions disqualifying and vote against him. I admit, letting democracy work is perhaps too radical an idea in today's world but it should at least be considered.
If leaders in a representative democracy ought to reflect the people who elect them, then there is room for everyone, even Donald Trump (I am sad to say). It seems to me that at worst Joe Biden is an older guy who got caught by the undertow of changing social mores. Would I chuck him in the ashcan for that? No. Compared to our president the guy is a boy scout and choir boy rolled into one.
1
Gillibrand's treatment of Al Franken makes her forever unqualified to be president, in my view. Self-serving in the extreme.
6
If being touchy feely and being clueless about is his only offense. He should not be disqualified from holding public office. If you find a tape of him proclaiming his routine sexually assaulting of women like the current President --then he should quit. Until then miss me, with this fake story by women seeking attention. Biden is not a sexual predator but Trump is undeniably and 80% of republicans are still supporting him.
3
I’m afraid this story is not going to go away. More and more women will pile on Biden while the media does what it does best, that is, harp on a story over and over and over again ad nauseam.
If Biden is in it to win it, he has to genuinely talk about what was socially acceptable in his generation is now not tolerated. He will have to keep his big warm heart open but his hands in check. He needs to practice staying in his bubble and setting personal boundaries (like we are doing with our six year old grandson). It may be hard for an old guy who has been a handsy huggger all his life to change his public persona.
2
Look at the issues, on those Biden is a corporatist fence sitter who wants to appease the Trumpkins. Not worthy of consideration.
1
The recent media exposure about Biden’s propensity to invade women’s “private spaces” should not be dismissed as “media frenzy”. Biden is a public figure and the media as the “Fourth Estate” of our venerable democracy should examine and deliberate over his record - that’s all.
We all need to come to terms with the fact that media exposure is very much a part and parcel of a politician’s life - specially, who wants to be the President of country. C’est la vie!
1
One dirty little secret of journalism that explains why these stories flourish? They're easy. They don require, say, a tedious slog through courthouse records or donor databases. You just get the quotes, speed dial some "experts" for comment, rinse and repeat.
5
Media again looking at the shiny, salacious story at the expense of the important stuff. Perhaps they'll never learn. Perhaps we will never learn as well.....
1
I just can't wrap my mind around it: If we can put such a despicable man as Trump into the White House, how can we possibly even consider that Joe Biden's affectionate behavior disqualifies him for the presidency?
3
@hark - The answer to your question is that the radical left progressives have taken over the Dems and they want what they consider to be a “pure” Democratic Party, ie, if you don’t please the “woke” #metoo’ers, cater to all identifiable minorities, and engage in identity politics, then out you go...straight into the trashcan. Biden could deny climate change is happening, but if he checked all the other boxes, they would forgive him. Because, of course, hugging is way more important that rising sea levels and species extinction. Go figure.
1
I'd love to criticize these Biden hit-pieces as the Left veering into Neo-Puritanism, but I know it is all for show.
But it's always uncomfortable when the Left tries to moralize. It's like wearing a rubber S&M suit under your Sunday-Go-To-Meeting-Clothes. Seems like you can get away with it, but it just ends up being hot and itchy.
2
Very suspicious that Lucy Flores, who was an adult when Joe Biden kissed her waited until now to accuse Biden! Joe Biden was VP back in 2014, and should have been held accountable then! And now another woman, saying he touched her inappropriately! In 2004! Both these women were adults! Why wait until Joe Biden is about to announce his run for POTUS?!
And for those who are upset that we, Democrats are treating Biden differently than Kavanaugh: One victim was fourteen years old....Biden’s accusers were and are adults! If a man inappropriately touched or kissed me, I would slap him or kick him where it hurts!
Something smells.
4
"Mr. Biden, who is famous for overly tactile friendliness, has been dealing with two women’s charges..."
Interesting choice of wording in that almost parenthetical clause. More accurately, it should read "Mr. Biden, who is notorious for overly tactile friendliness, has been dealing with two women’s charges..."
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
1
Will someone please forward this column to Michelle Goldberg? TIA.
1
A nothing story. But it sells newspapers.
2
Anytime the media - be it State T.V./Fox News or the so-called "liberal press - refer to Biden's probably unwelcome familiarity, it would be helpful perspective to show that clip from the Republican 2016 convention when the just crowned candidate was greeting his daughter, Ivanka, on stage. They briefly hug and then Trump runs his hands down her side and pats her creepily on the hips, near her buttocks.
I am the same age as Trump and have a daughter about the same age as Ivanka. I can say that in my entire life, where innumerable were the occasions where I would hug my daughter (virtually every time we part company), I would never touch her in that manner. It made me cringe just to watch it. From the reaction by Ivanka - a subtle stepping away - I doubt she felt comfortable in that moment, either.
Any chance we'll see that clip on Hannity? Just kidding. Not on your life.
If only lesbians are allowed to touch women, there would not be a problem.
1
Meanwhile the admitted sexual predator in the White House gets a pass.
2
A political operative, publicly complaining, years later, about behavior that supposedly "made them uncomfortable" is "creepy". My guess is that Bernie and his supporters looked at Joe's poll numbers and came to the conclusion that they needed to do something about them.
10
The Democrats are doing a great job of cannibalizing their own while the Republicans laugh all the way to the White House.
7
@Bernard
Yes, I agree. And Joe Biden may be the very worst candidate the Democrats can come up with.
Joe Biden represents the past, Obama, the Clintons, etc.
Joe Biden, will become a "punching bag" for Trump.
---------------------------------------------------------------
It the Democrats only have Biden, they may lose big.
Many voters are sick and tired of the old Democrats.
They want a new wave of democracy, right now.
Leonard Cohen sang: "Democracy is coming to the USA".
That was back in 1992. Now, 27 years later, there is a new wave of democracy coming, but Biden is not leading it.
Good bye, Joe Biden.
Hello, new Democratic wave!
2
@Harry Pearle
I see that the NY Times has just published the following column by Frank Bruni:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/opinion/pete-buttigieg-joe-biden.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
which begins:
"How do Democrats properly vet their candidates for president without cannibalizing them? How do they rightly insist on sensitive and inclusive leaders while making allowances for past mistakes, present quirks, human messiness and the differences in the conversation and the culture now versus 10 or 20 or 40 years ago?"
The feeding frenzy is ridiculous. If you must cover it then just cover it and move on. This is really nothing that we didn't know about Biden anyway but it is revealing about Bernie.
Personally I'll never vote for Bernie and as for Biden I like him very much even if he is a bit too touchy feely. But the bottom line is I'm really not looking for an old white man this time around no matter how kindly. All day every day I get to look at trump and mcconnell giving money to the rich and stealing our Democracy. Enough. I'd like a true patriot in office who puts country before personal gain and party.
3
What kind of a world are we living in when a hug becomes "sexualized" or creepy? Who are these people who are so quick to find a demon in every male-female encounter?
I feel like I'm living in Salem and we're about to start throwing people into the river to see if they sink or float. And to all of those "presidential hopefuls" who jump on labelling a good , kind, affectionate and DECENT man a predator - well guess what - all you are are politicians, not statesmen and I don't want you as the leader on this country.
Can we focus on the real bad actors and stop chasing the pixie dust of the ultra right wingers and political hacks. As I see it there are a few guys in congress already who should be exposed and encouraged to resign-
I'll be more than happy to get a hug from Joe Biden- and I'll hug him back.
7
It’s not that the media raises these issues that sinks candidates
It’s how the candidate handles it. It’s a great window into how they handle a crisis.
Bill Clinton survived his issues during the primaries where Hart mishandled his.
Kavenaugh handled his and survived confirmation. As did Thomas many years before him (with some help from Biden).
In the 1988 primaries Biden did not survive his campaign after Maureen Dowd exposed his plagiarism in speeches. And he may not survive this either. That says a lot about his ability to handle a crisis (and about his propensity to self inflicted damage)
I have no problem with the media exposing them and learning more about the candidate - more than the issue: how they deal or don’t deal with it.
Here’s to a robust media.
Flores is a Sanders supporter but she didn't hesitate to take Joe's help when she thought it would help her. All she had to say was Mr. Vice President don't do that it makes me feel uncomfortable if in fact it really happened. A look or just simply pulling away would have sent the right message but no she wants to demean Joe because he is the front runner even unannounced. He is the only potential Democratic candidate who out polls Trump and he does that by 10 points. Get in the race, Joe and let the voters decide not some rival's sycophant.
4
This is the best commentary on the issue that I have read thus far, and I am very glad that The Times chose to publish it. I would emphasize two points:
1. Middle aged people are not identical with the persons they were in high school, college, or medical school. People do mature and grow in wisdom and civility. (See: Gov. Northam)
2. "Zero tolerance" means not ignoring or excusing a transgression. It does not mean imposing the maximum penalty possible in all cases, without regard to the degree of the transgression. (See: Sen. Franken)
3
“If you can’t do; teach.”
That’s the lesson here, right?
“Front-page stories, 24/7 coverage and viral tweets can easily knock someone out of contention. Should they?”
Did I just get Inception’d?
The fallacy of this column is the belief that “journalists” are held to an ethical and intellectual standard exceeding that of their fellow humans. The common denominator of any journalistic enterprise is to first survive and then succeed. That requires readership, which demands focus on issues that quickly engage the public—and the loudest voice garners the most attention. Mr. Greenberg displays a noble naïveté.
With all the crises facing humanity daily, our politicians waste their time bickering over irrelevant trivia, and the media inflate this out of all proportion. The public are sick of them.
The upcoming election promises to be another round of vacuous rhetoric - same old .... same old.
It's no wonder voters are sick of them all, and at election time go out and vote for populists, even if the populists seem a bit wacky; at least they don't engage in "politically-correct" phony speech, day-in, day-out.
The day I get thrown off my game because someone kisses me on the head and/or hugs me is the day that I rethink my strategy. Flores's strategy is not one that any woman should follow: to not speak up on point the moment the hair kiss happened, if it so unset her. To make her accusation 5 years later: at the pivotal moments before Biden declares he's in the race. Flores chose a cheap way to try to justifying her own response which was completely void of courage,honesty or integrity. A Public Advocate who can't advocate for herself with courage is no advocate at all. I also resented her talking about her dirty hair. Yet the way she accused Biden reeked of dry shampoo on dirty hair. Biden was decent (as he has always been) not to judge Flores for her earlier associations with gang member and her delinquency and she payed him back with a side swipe that has nothing to do with woman's equality and everything to do with being manipulative and sneaky. News Hour covered the story in a few sentences with further ado. That is all it ever deserved.
4
This story has been reported wrong from the start.
For one thing, it's not a "me too" moment. It has nothing to do with sexual harassment. For every woman who complained that he was too "touchy feely," you'll find 10 other women who would disagree, who had the same experience.
So how should the story have been reported? It shouldn't have been. It's a non-story.
The bottom line is, the press was manipulated to report a petty complaint in order to stop this man from declaring his run for the presidency. Then several other women with similar petty complaints have added their 2 cents worth. By tomorrow, I'm sure there will be additional complaints reported.
You would think that someone in the news media would have stopped and considered the thousands of people Joe might have posed or shaken hands with. I mean, give us touchy-feely people a break! We can't help it. We sincerely have great affection for people - all people!
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, this nonsense really has to stop.
3
How depressing reading the comments that most of them of people who actually have no idea who Joe Biden is or what his record says about him. They "like" him. That's how we ended up with Trump as President.
So many uninformed people, voting on their gut instinct rather than doing some research. I recommend everyone commenting here with a positive response to Biden to read "The Unwinding" by George Packer. It is much too important to get the next election right, do a bit of work before you cast a vote!
1
Hair smelling will no longer happen after all of ours falls out due to industrial pollution.
In addition to the scent of someone's rotting flesh.
Shoulder rubs too will cause large patches of skin to detach.
Perfection will allow us to embrace a Hiroshima, or napalmed look.
The Democrats have some really bright, informed, personable potential nominees, with policy chops and varied experiences that do not include violating the personal space of women (note: Biden doesn't grab men to "console" them; he grabs women). The majority of them are significantly younger than Joe Biden.
That's good: We need generational change.
I'm Joe Biden's age, and in my view he is simply too old to be president--he would be in his eighties. Kind of like the too-old-to-learn-new-tricks current president. Biden's only a front runner in polls at this stage because the whole country recognizes his name as former Vice President. We should give this fine new crop of Democrats a chance, not go back to a guy who has lots and lots of problematic stuff in his political history.
2
Trumpism triumps!
Trump has numerous times, speaking of events against US interests, chosen to believe the verbal denials of responsibility made to him by dictators, over the conclusions of US intelligence. Trumps says the denials sound sincere and he believes them.
Various Democratic politicians (mostly women) have stated that they believe the woman who has accused Biden of sexual misconduct sounds sincere and they believe her.
What happened to concepts like "beyond a reasonable doubt" or "more likely than not" or "innocent until proven guilty" or even "evidence" or "common sense" or "better to free a guilty man than to convict an innocent one"?
2
“It is possible to cover stories such as these without creating feeding frenzies. Journalists can run fewer stories on a subject, talk about it once a day on cable news and not every hour, assume a matter-of-fact tone …”
All this sounds fine, but it assumes we’re still living in an early 1960s media environment. Sometime around 1970 it dawned on broadcast news executives that there was vast entertainment potential in news. Why subsidize an independent news division in the public interest when news could be profitably treated as another form of popular fare? Today the line between investigative reporting and tabloid journalism, like the line between public and private, grows ever fainter. Especially given the competition of the web, neither broadcast nor print journalism could long survive without catering to the public’s appetite for titillation. How long would CNN keep its sponsors were it to focus soberly on the issues of the day and forgo “Breaking News” on the hour? Even the Times has taken to running personal interest stories that the Gray Lady would once have shunned in horror. Political issues can be complex and tedious, unlike politicians' gaffes and scandals.
There’s no recovering our innocence. Still, Mr. Greenberg does well to remind us that the public can push back against the media storm.
Are we really a culture that hates to be touched ? The Japanese, for instance, hated it when American soldiers touched children's heads. "We don't do that here,"I was told. A friend says that when her family members leave a holiday gathering they engage in a huge group hug. Yuch, I said.( My family wasn't huggy or touchy. Toward the end of his life my father said, " What's wrong with you kids is that we didn't give you enough affection." So was that why I didn't mind when an older colleague at the University gave me big bear hugs that other women employees reported to the boss? ? The issue is psychologically and culturally complex. Has to do with the setting. The intent. Different ideas about what is appropriate and where. Gender. ( ( Would Flores have cared if a woman politico had kissed her dirty hair? ) . Joe, promise never to do it again and declare your candidacy. I'm not voting for you in the primary for other reasons.
Why is psychological testing and in-depth analysis of aptness for office not required for presidential candidates who may hold the most powerful office on the planet? Throw in a lie detector test as well. It would have easily been a disqualifying factor for a certain contender as we all witnessed in 2016. Peccadilos of minor sexual nature and use of marijuana "inhaled or not" are only a part of a person's past defects of character and pale in comparison to the mental stability of a possible president who will hold the immense responsibility of pushing the button to unleash nuclear warfare.
2
As a woman I am appalled that women are making touching an earth shattering demoralisation of her very being. Worthy of making headline news worldwide. Next we are going to pillory a man because he glanced in our direction? Every man out there can recall an incident where he has been touched by a woman without giving her permission. Will he have the opportunity to make it front page news. Most likely not. The metoo movement is now grasping at straws to continue their crusade. If women are so weak that they can't evade an unwanted advance, I don't know why they expect to be handed the keys to a company. Are they going to be able to deal with the mulitude of cultures in the world? Can they handle being bumped into? Will the sky fall if a man opens a door for her. Will she be able to shake hands? My gender is indeed acting very week
4
Mr. Greenberg has hit the nail right on the head. Our journalistic standards have come to resemble those of the supermarket tabloids and the services old “if it bleeds it leads” standards of the newspaper tabloids of generations past. The case. Of Sen.. Gillebrand—a mediocre senator by any measure—is now running for President. What asurprise, with one of her abler, left of center possible rivals disposed of,with the help of a rush to judgment press leading the charge.
1
I saw Biden speak at a gala for Mariska Hargitay's organization a few years ago. Raul Esparza had performed a song and Biden called him on stage to compliment his performance. Biden put his arm around Raul during his praise and then kept his arm around him, for what seemed like an eternity. My friends and I were suppressing laughter. Point is - Biden seems generally touchy feely and it isn't directed only at women. It's pretty strange, but doesn't seem sexist or malicious.
4
If we've learned anything in two years of Trump's BizarroWorld, media frenzies over scandalous behavior no longer generate a lasting impact. Today's ADD culture, social media hyper-saturation and general numbness to the daily horror means that "bombshell" stories are consumed, excreted and flushed like yesterday's Big Mac. See: Ralph Northam. Biden's "problem" has been a right wing meme for years. How about we don't do the heavy lifting for them? One can only hope the current news cycle doesn't light a serious fire for the perpetually aggrieved and outraged purity police of the left who insist that the battle for the high ground outweighs the war over the future of the republic.
Many think that candidates should be judged on the basis of policy positions and voting record. But in today's twisted propaganda climate that's easier said than done. Knee jerk negative reactions are the aim of all disparaging propaganda hits.
2
Biden has the right to run. He has evolved more than any pol, including Obama since he was the one to convince Obama to support Gay marriage and he let the fight to make sure rape kits weren’t charged back to the victim! Had Obama listened to him about addressing the needs of the disenfranchised around the country, Trump wouldn’t be president now. Biden is more astute on international matters.
He is not Harvey Weinstein or the list of other predators. This in my opinion happened because he is ahead in the polls without even declaring. The Media has been trying to put him down since his name came up......age, Anita, etc. dismissing him at every point. Funny, they did that with Trump. How did that work out!
Biden has accepted that his affectionate manner may not always be welcomed and apologized. That should be enough! Move on everyone!
3
Your header says it all. If it bleeds it leads has been the mantra since pen was put to paper. Journalism has catered to mans worst instincts because it is profitable. The social compact, the theory that the press will keep us free, is rapidly going away. Shame on all of us...
The way the Democrats are behaving now, they deserve Trump to win in 2020. But the rest of us don't.
2
I am glad to see this opinion article. I am horrified that we might lose Biden, a decent man well qualified to be President and the Democrat most likely to defeat Trump, to this nonsense, some of it from a supporter of a competing candidate.
No sane person thinks that Biden is a sexual assaulter or harasser.
I also grieve that we lost Al Franken, thanks in no small part to the witch hunt lead by his competitor for the 2020 nomination Kirsten Gillibrand. I hope he decides to run again.
I am a metoo person, but this has gone completely off the rails.
3
There were times in my life where a comforting hug, touch on the shoulder or kiss on the head would have comforted me or calmed me down. Biden is instinctual and needs to become more thoughtful when reaching out physically. I’m positive he can become more sensitive to the personal space of others and I’m also sure that his past physicality comes from a kind and nurturing place in him. Many people have received his gestures with openness and have been touched by his natural affection. Some have been made uncomfortable. That’s feedback he should take to heart.
That this has become a big issue saddens me. There is affectionate touch. There is sexual touch. Nobody has said that his touching of them felt sexual or that he said anything of a sexual nature.
Some women found Biden’s touch unwelcome. Coming forward to the media with their complaints after the fact looks political and petty to me. I cannot believe that these women were permanently scarred. There is behavior that DOES leave a forever wound. Biden’s behavior doesn’t rise to that level.
Let’s focus on his lifetime of service to our country. Has he made mistakes along the way? Yes. Is he a decent guy? Overall, yes. Can he lead our country better than Trump? Please. The answer to that question is blatantly obvious.
2
Being Canadian, I suppose this is none of my business, but you made it my business two and a half years ago when you elected a man with, as the article puts it, a "contempt-filled view of women as veritable pieces of meat" who has gone on to hurt our entire country's economy simply because he doesn't like our much better looking Prime Minister.
I would love to see Joe Biden (or just about anyone really) replace that person, but must admit I have had a VP in the company I worked for nuzzle my neck unexpectedly and without provocation. It disgusted me then and still does.
While that kind of behaviour would cause me to question a politician's judgement, your President has set the bar of decency so low that a neck nuzzling, head kissing, touchy feely type, with an IQ above 45 sounds pretty good to me!
“Consciously or intuitively, most of us know that public morality is distinct from private morality…”
So the philanderer president who besmirches himself and his office in the pursuit of some illicit sexual fulfillment, in the White House no less, should be left to the vagaries of his own conscience — and not be the object of public scrutiny or sanctions?
And what is the deal with Biden anyway, did no one ever council or mention that his long standing borderline physical misbehavior needed to be addressed and corrected?
As for the 24 hour full-court-press media, their ravenous appetite for red meat is legendary. The bigger the gotcha, the more salacious, the more embarrassing the transgression the better. This enterprise demands dismembering every possible issue and blemish as completely and as many times as the blood and gore can be squeezed from the subject. When the corpse seems finally exhausted there is still grist for endless speculative and all too often inane commentary.
It should have been left to Minnesota voters to decide Al Franken’s fate. This voter was delighted to vote against Democrats who called for him to resign.
2
I don't want to see Biden running for another reason. His treatment of Anita Hill was a disgrace. And I do believe that it ties into how he treats women. I'm not saying that he does what Trump has bragged about doing. I'm saying that he does not respect our boundaries, our rights as women to say no.
I don't think most men understand how women can perceive unwanted touching. It's one thing to shake hands and quite another to hug a person, bury your nose in their hair, or pat them on the back. If you've ever been assaulted, sexually abused, physically abused, or you just don't like being touched (whether you are male or female) it can be perceived as an invasion of personal space.
As someone who has been physically abused and sexually molested I do not like being touched by just anyone. I resent the assumption made by total strangers that it's fine to give me a hug or touch me. I am resigned to it but I don't like it. I'm one person but there are plenty of other people, male and female, who have issues with just being touched.
Again, I see this as part of a bigger issue that most men don't have to deal with because they are not put into the same situations adult women are put in. Women are supposed to be feminine, soft, appealing, etc. Women who are not are at a disadvantage. And touch is, all too often, used as a way to control women, to throw us off balance.
2
This is a job interview. Creepiness is not a selling point. Does Biden offer anything that balances out this clear defect of character?
1
Perhaps the DNC has already made their choice for the nomination. The questions is: Who will be the last Democratic/Democratic-Socialist male left on the stage? Bernie (too old for many on the left), Castro (latino vote), or Booker (black vote)?
Biden’s act of poor judgment, stubbornness and obtuseness may cost him the Presidency. He could have shown genuine concern and empathy, by sincerely apologizing for inadvertently making someone uncomfortable with his unwanted physical touching. But he didn’t do that. To the contrary, he flatly denied the other’s experience by claiming that he never did anything inappropriate. Denial is not a desirable leadership quality.
2
Well said!
And an issue many voters have been thinking and talking about.
It's about time that the media faced its own role in fostering the backstabbing, rumor-driven, drive-by media mugging climate of today, especially when it comes to rumor, innuendo, and anything to do with "personal" conduct -- instead of policy, positions on issues, and political accomplishments!
Click-bait, generating "traffic," and breathlessly racing to be the first to report on anything and everything, often based on only rumor and innuendo.
As an aside, this media frenzy about Biden -- and Warren not so long ago -- also seems to fit into the "Swift Boating" line of right-wing attack politics, whereby Democratic politicians and presidential candidates are smirched by all sorts of charges. Kerry and his military service... Obama and his birthplace...Clinton and her use of e-mail... Ths list goes on and on. The effect is to tar leading Dems and create an impression that "everyone's corrupt." which is how the far-right have been keeping their hold on US politics -- and actually expanding it.
Ironic that Mr Greenberg's piece runs on the same day that the Times also runs a major story on Murdoch and his "empire"? Murdoch and his ilk are the leaders in this sort of sleaze journalism, based on disinformation, rumor, and even outright lies.
3
Extremism in any thing is not a good idea, Last night at dinner, my teenage son told me that he nows looks at the floor to avoid eye contact with female students and teachers “I don’t want to get in trouble”. This is a sweet kid. He has female friends, mostly girls he’s known since he was in 1st grade (he is now in 11th grade). He showed me his list for Colleges: half are in Canada, 1/4 are in Europe and 1/4 in the US: “I think I will be more comfortable outside the US. I would really like to go to College in the US but it is scary when you are a guy. I understand that women had enough and have to fight to get respect and equal treatment and I want to help them. Now I even hesitate to hold the door for a girl at school as she might get angry. I often freeze and don’t know what to do. Should I keep giving my seat in the subway when I see an old lady or a pregnant woman? I keep doing it for pregnant women but I am not sure I should do it with old women because it is not easy to guess their age (I thought that was funny)”. He knows the rule “Never be alone with a drunk girl. Never leave a drunk girl alone” but “amended it “if I see a drunk girl in College, I will first try to find one of her girl friends - 2 would be better - I will help them take her back to the dorm but I won’t carry her inside the dorm and certainly not to her room”. Social medias are killing human interactions and if we keep going too far, I don’t how our relationships with men will be like.
1
@Jeanne
What a shame he has been made to feel that way. Sounds like a sensitive, well-mannered young man to me.
1
No, ... they're aware what readers "want," and that's now measured to death in all sorts of ways.
I forget whether you know what is the oldest or 2nd oldest profession, but GOSSIP probably has an equally long beard!
Used to be, of course, that the Times and a few other "quality" newspapers would not deign ... but that, too, is ancient history.
Sadly, this abnegation of standards costs us.... The state of the "art" re news & communication even 20 years ago would have made Donald's election all but impossible.
Twitter has a lot to answer for, ... and while the Times did a lot of altogether pointless "soul searching" in the month or 2 after Nov. 2016, they still report every Presidential tweet.
I suppose you could make a case that they ARE news, hence meriting a line or 2 in the paper of record, but there's plenty of stuff impacting millions of lives that is omitted, and just as there's "no bad publicity," the Times' reporting of things like Trump-talk and Biden-bashing serves to LEGITIMIZE things every bit as FAKE as the denial of climate change.
Yesterday in his speech to the NRCC Trump mocked Joe Biden and the Democrats saying Biden was being taken down by "the socialists" i.e. progressive members of his own party. This coming from a serial misogynist and adulterer who really hasn't paid a political price for his transgressions. Trump and his supporters are having great fun watching the Democrats take each other down with their little "purity tests" - good politicians who could help the Democrats reclaim the Senate and White House. I'm thinking of Al Franken along with Joe Biden. Although boorish behavior shouldn't be excused, their transgressions were not malicious and didn't rise to a level that warrants public shaming and banishment. Many Democrats feel that way. Lucy Flores and Kirsten Gillibrand should stop to consider the consequences of their political "posturing" if they want to fare well with voters. I for one won't forget what Gillibrand did to Al Franken and would never support her candidacy for President. Leave Biden alone. This could have been handled privately.
3
I have an iron clad solution for this entire "what to do about inappropriate touching/sexual harassment/misogyny?" issue, guaranteed to solve 99 PLUS percent of the problem when it's applied to our public officials:
Elect women.
1
There are four places in the New Testament that refer to the “holy kiss”—Romans 16:16; 1 Corinthians 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; and 1 Thessalonians 5:26.
From my understanding, the Greek words describe a sacred kiss, pure and morally blameless. It was the custom in those days in most nations for people (Christian or other religions) to kiss each other at meeting or parting to display their love and friendship for each other.
I remember from times 30 years ago or so, when that kind of kiss was quite common among residents of Mediterranean countries (of many religions). I don't really see it so much anymore, especially when they are doing business in America.
The writer uses the term "feeding-frenzy" three times in his opinion piece. I won't take on his argument because I find it totally stupefying.
1
To me, someone who invades my space is someone who continues to push the boundaries even after I keep walking away. I'm thinking of how Trump stalked HRC on stage during the debates. Now that was creepy.
What Biden does is in no way, shape or form "creepy" nor does it meet the minimum criteria for sexual assault.
Instead of walking away, though, we have actually seen photos of Flores touching Biden on the shoulder from behind during more than one gathering and in another warmly greeting Bill Clinton. I certainly don't think she was sexually assaulting these gentlemen nor even invading their space. How is that even possible in a crowded room with hundreds of people packed together like sardines?
The MSM seems to turn a blind eye to these and to photos of Joe hugging men as well. There are photos of Joe weeping, but readers won't see any of these during this current feeding frenzy. Nor will the media take the time to notice that Gillibrand is receiving mostly negative reactions to her campaign because of her leading the charge against Franken. Please explain why the difference in coverage.
Finally, and as an aside, I think it's a sad commentary on us as a society that we are unable to distinguish between affection and sexual assault. Maybe we should go back to the days when women sit or stand on one side of a room and the men on another. Meanwhile, Joe Biden can come up behind this old lady any ole day, touch her shoulders, sniff her hair, and kiss the back of her head.
1
When George W. Bush gave Angela Merkel a backrub, no-one suggested he should resign the Presidency, even those of us who thought he was doing a terrible job.
3
Professor Greenberg: Finally!
It was inevitable that the MeToo moral panic would eventually reap what is has sown.
2
You're right: Far too much focus on his "creepy" touchings, and not enough focus on his role in the war on drugs and its mass incarceration, or on his participation in an administration that routinely used drones to kill, knowing they would result in thousands of deaths of innocent people. Biden should be rejected early to give room to potentially acceptable democratic candidates, but not just because of creepiness.
2
Biden has no self-control (or "awareness") and is Trump-lyte in that regard.
2
While the author makes some good points, there is evidence of bias and tunnel vision in this Op-Ed.
At one time, journalists may have cared about something beyond just attracting eyeballs--such as fairness, and due process, and the good of the nation--but I doubt it.
The "feeding frenzy" is every journalist's dream. Readers anxiously await the latest journalistic development. Politicians tremble at the power of the fourth estate. And now, the whole frenzy is fed even faster on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
So the #MeToo feeding frenzy devoured Al Franken, and is beginning to consume Joe Biden, and David Greenberg now objects. Sadly, journalists, professors, and all of us only become concerned when our own side is damaged.
What about the other media feeding frenzy, called Russiagate? Does Mr. Greenberg not worry about the journalistic inflation of scandals and accusations in the political realm?
1
Surely we can forgive Biden's inability to discern how inappropriate it is to approach a woman from behind, sniff her hair and plant a kiss on the back of her head. It's creepy but maybe that's just Joe, let it pass.
Like when someone says silly, old-fashioned, inappropriate things at the wrong time. You don't argue but cringe and look away.
Or when you excuse someone for 'un-evolved' opinions on gay people. You avoid them.
Or you hold your nose when a politician wants to take away a woman's right to choose because of HIS religious 'beliefs'.
Yeah, just as in the past, we should all give Joe Biden a pass for being a bit dumb sometimes and doing the wrong thing at others. He's just a guy being a guy, right? Boys will be, etc.
But we shouldn't nominate him for president and put him up against the GOP piranhas who will grind him up.
Besides, we have an dumb, insensitive, egocentric, older guy in the White House now. Biden's not nuts and his heart is probably intact and in the right place, but he's too little too late.
1
I find it immensely annoying that one of the most decent and scandal-free presidents we have ever had, Barack Obama, is so reviled by a group of people that largely identifies itself as having highly moral Christian values. A good many of those same "Christians" support Trump.
2
Wow what a FANTASTIC article on a sorely needed topic. I would just add that many times these so called "scandals" are fed and propagated by the political opponents of these candidates for naked political gain. The fact that Biden's "accuser" is a political operative by the Sanders campaign should have given great pause to the media engaging in these political assassination feeding frenzy but it didn't. It is worthy of note that the NYT certainly participated in this feeding frenzy as well but at least they published this OpEd as part of a reflection on the issue.
PS: As the author pointed out these suspect feeding frenzies around minor incidents many times have the opposite effect on public opinion. I for one will not under any circumstances vote or support the Sanders campaign no matter how much I hate Trump (and I hate him a lot).
2
Still in recovery from Trump (I quit the Republican Party)) and seeing the new ultra-PC Democrats in action, I am in a dizzying despondency. I want sensible experienced proven dependable. Likable also helps. Forget the nonsense. Run Joe, run!! For my sake, for America’s sake. ( and please, not so much apologizing). (And please no pandering) Joe, you will win!!!
1
I'm not sure what universe this author lives in but it's not the one populated by human beings. Appealing to the id SELLS. And the media, including the "news", is first and foremost a business.
So whether it be a good knock-down, drag-out fight against a hated enemy (see, e,g, the collusion delusion hysteria) or something having to do with sex (e,g, nowadays, any man who's not a Harvey Milquetoast is a raping, pillaging Attila the Hun), get used to it, it ain't going nowhere. At least not until "we, the people" start elevating reason and empathy over atavistic wants and fears.
2
This feeding frenzy just turns me off to the writers who write much ado about nothing much. Who are they to judge whether someone should run or not, who is too old or not? Just give me the facts and let me decide who I'm going to vote for.
"a great president or Supreme Court justice can be a flawed or rotten person"
We're all flawed, some more than others. There are many details of public officials' lives that simply do not seem relevant or interesting to me. But I do like to follow the news -- so here's what I do: when Anderson Cooper starts his panel discussions with minutia and tries to provoke scandal commentary -- the he said-she saids, the what do you think and what's the implication of what you think . . . I just turn the tv off. At that point, it's just clearly not news; it's gossip. Readers and viewers need to know the difference between the two and stop the momentum in its tracks. The only reason the news media gloms onto "character issues" is because people seem to enjoy it -- it's the modern equivalent of throwing people to the lions.
I am male and roughly Mr. Biden's contemporary. I am also sick and tired of hearing about a "media frenzy" or, even worse, Biden as a backslapping politician. Mr. Biden himself has kept the story going. His penchant for sticking his nose in a woman's hair is no more "backslapping" than Trump's admission of guilt as a sexual predator is "locker room talk". His "wishing I could have" given Ms. Hill a fair and supportive hearing is not an apology or an admission of culpability. Anyone who has heard of a guy by the name of Merrick Garland knows what kind of power a Senate committee chairman has. It is absolute, approximating the power of the Almighty himself within the committee. With absolute power comes absolute responsibility, and his admitting anything less only underlines his responsibility and refusal to apologize. Times may have changed, but a politician trying to hide some truly despicable behavior behind an avuncular façade is as old as democracy itself.
52
@BSH
I understand your thoughts but condemning Biden for the Anita Hill debacle without acknowledging that the Kavanaugh debacle was just as bad and that it appears we really haven't made any progress since 1991 makes it a little disingenuous to condemn a man who was wrong in 1991 when we were just starting to grapple with sexual harrassment and who has had a redeeming political record since, without admitting the fact that today we still have male politicians who feel the same as during the Anita Hill hearing. At least Joe Biden has learned and evolved.
21
Technological progress and the resulting shifts in our culture require that each of us make appropriate adjustments in our priorities & behavior. These changes have more powerful implications for our democracy than many of us recognize. It is obvious that the rapidly growing volume of information thrust in front of us and the ever diminish reaction time available for all of us to evaluate its accuracy and relative value is every bit as revolutionary as the printing press and electronic communication (accelerating the movement of information from the speed of a fresh horse up to the speed of light). At the risk of over-stating the significance of recent events, most sectors of our society have failed to adequately adjust our personal responses or make the required adjustments to our political & economic institutions. Our collective failure to moderate our impulsive behavior, manifested by our obsessive focus on smartphones/social media has destabilized our political culture. As direct, organic contact with other human beings becomes much less the norm, the reassurance derived from maintaining our tenuous sense of belonging to our "tribe" of choice becomes essential to our identity.
Honestly, if Biden was going to run for President, declare already. He's had since 2016 to decide the pros and cons of running this time. If he can't make this decision, how can he make pressured decisions in the White House?
Oh, and pollsters, please remove him from all polling stats until and unless he decides to run.
3
Without diminishing the reality and validity of the need to out the many true predators in our midst, the real question I struggle with is at what point and in what context should women take responsibility for speaking up, at the time, when someone, intentionally or not, does something that makes them uncomfortable and what level of discomfort producing conduct is above or below the "get over yourself you are an adult and life is not always comfortable" threshold.
These are difficult distinctions, even for those of good will and a belief in "wokeness", which don’t lend themselves to slogans and an everyone is the enemy mentality.
1
Hoisted on their own #metoo
5
What hypocrisy!
Yesterday the NYT ran three hit pieces on Joe Biden, tossing him under the bus for being a hair-nuzzler, a leaner-in, a violater of personal space. (see 4/2/2019 items by Michelle Goldberg, Ross Douthat and Jennifer Senior)
And today in this article the NYT castigates all the other media and individuals who are trying to knock Biden out of contention.
One must ask why, if Biden is out-polling other Dem Presidential candidates, the NYT and other media are dredging up old news and old photos of Biden's proclivities. These peculiar behaviors have been known for years, so why are they being highlighted at this moment?
The media (and some instigator) are clearly pulling a coordinated Kavanaugh caper, trying to discredit Biden and blow his candidacy out of the water. That leaves Beto, Mayor Pete, Elizabeth, Bernie and a host of others who have declared their candidacy. I wonder which one(s) will be the media's next target.
And, of course, waiting in the wings for a groundswell draft by Democrats desperate to save the country, is...Michelle Obama.
3
The media frenzy about Hillary Clinton emails helped elect the most unqualified candidate as President . Now that same man is calling the mainstream media " the enemy of the people ".
6
Yes, indeed, the sharks are in the water and Fonzie, Michelle Goldberg, and Kirsten Gillibrand are on their water skis jumping them. (I'll bet you Fonzie is the only one of those three who even bothers to read this piece, by the way).
We bid thee farewell, Joe. And we can't wait to hear Sarah Huckabee Sanders insist that Trump's 2021 inauguration crowd was the largest ever. Period.
With bitter irony, it's beginning to dawn at least a few of us that certain elements of the #metoo movement are working overtime to help the current Groper in Chief in office for another term.
5
@ToddTsch,
I'm sure that they don't see it that way, but yes, you are 100% correct.
The DNC's motto should be: "Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory for more than a century!"
1
Politicians must keep up with the times. They should realize behavior that was unnewsworthy a few decades ago is no longer acceptable today. President Clinton was a good example of this. Back in the days of President Kennedy, reporters refrained from writing about hanky-panky with women at the White House, but by Clinton's time it was news-meat. The moral is: if you don't want stupid stuff reported on, don't do stupid stuff.
2
"Trump — a rank misogynist..." So that is where this opinion piece is going? I thought it was about Mr. Biden. Wolf writers dressed as sheep, bah, bah, bah.
3
There is a short space between reporting the news and creating it. The sheer banality of the menu of daily news fed to us certainly is an extension of the social media addiction to report garbage all day, all the time.
The competition for views, online and in print has managed to elevate gossip and accusation to a breathless equivalency with hard, important, factual reporting. Much like feeding a mixed slop to captive pigs, unable to look for...or distinguish... pearls from corncobs.
And so a kiss on the head and a rubbing of noses are debated as disqualifying behavior while a crotch grabbing president smiles in complete comfort, looking for four more years.
3
The MSM is Gillibranding Biden. It sells papers and cable time.
5
@Lucretius,
It's the new progressive way. The Gillibrand/Franken example shows that they will eat their own. Biden is far too centrist for the progressives; he never had a chance.
Don't worry, once they've killed Biden's chances, and warned-off the likes of Michael Bloomberg, they'll start eating each other, like a baby shower among the Titans!
When somebody gets in your space or makes unwanted contact (such as grabbing your genitals), tell them about it. If it rises to the level of assault, tell the police. That is the way to appropriately respond to and effectively change the situation. Waiting a long time and bringing up the offense at an opportune political moment may make you fell empowered but it does nothing for the rest of us.
2
The way you deal with frenzied Journalists is to corral them, stand up to them and point out the rabidness.
Congratulations to Bernie’s babies and bullies for this so far successful attempt at destroying an opponent. And shoutout to the media for enabling it.
You’re all disgraceful.
7
@Brad,
Gillibrand already cleared her path by doing the EXACT SAME THING to Al Franken. Character assassination is now the first chapter in the progressive playbook.
1
Love this article , about time after yesterdays of all online papers even New York Times media frenzy multiple articles.
2
Some day the editors of the NYT are going to look back , re-read the online front pages of their " Newspaper " from the last two years , and say , " What have we become ?" Every piece concerning US politics is either on opinion or a commentary . Our dislike of certain people has caused us to pursue every rumor , report them as scientific facts , and declare them as a bomb shell .
4
And yet Trump's disgusting, tasteless, tacky, suggestive, overtly sexual behavior--- that he has BRAGGED about-- did not hinder his ascension to the presidency. (Although he lost the popular vote.) Any criticism just slides off his fat, ugly, teflon-coated body.
2
@Sasha,
..and Biden is (was?) your best chance of actually beating Trump, because he's the one candidate that can assure the DNC wins Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania!
1
Maybe journalists are dumb? Don't know enough about the substance of issues to ask anything but high level questions or -- track down tales of wrongdoing. Maybe that's why we have had the ongoing deluge re Russian collusion that has turned Russia back into our arch enemy and Trump into a traitor. Except those narratives aren't true. The whole collusion delusion affair made no sense to begin with. But people with little critical thinking skills will fall for anything. Ditto climate change. Let's say that over the last 2+ years the biggest stories have been collusion and climate. But outlets like the Times -- to my knowledge -- never published a single editorial or news story at all critical of either topic. Ridiculous. That's not journalism. That's propaganda.
Of course, most of this junk reporting is about Repubs, old white guys OR issues near and dear to the progressive heart. So Biden, even though a dem, gets attacked because of the "me too" movement (you must believe anything any woman says about some no good man), he's an old white guy AND he's not progressive enough. Poor Joe. Of course he's awfully touchy, handsy, etc. But some people are like that, and are touchy with both sexes. They don't have a good feel for personal space. I find it annoying -- but I find a lot of things people do annoying. But it isn't disqualifying.
2
I may end my relationship with this paper based upon the evil (I rarely use this word) and brainless "effeministic fascistic allegations that I hesitate to call "reporting", the first occupation protected by our Constitution . I am repeatedly feel ill with something akin to mation sickeness of the temporal lobes-I can no longer tell which direction the Times is trying to move towards. People like Sheryl Gay Stolberg and numerous free riders on the op-ed pages are turning the once great paper-respected the world over, into a compendium of 7th grade notes written on gum wrappers, passed hand to hand out of sight of teachers, alleging all kinds of awful-usually mistaken and as often ignorant, informed rumor from the "girls' bathroom about the sexual and social mores extant 5 decades before.
I expect such idiotic blather from school girls-
single sex education systems encourage this, but to read that a politician-a former vice president be ostracized, if not eviscerated because he breathed while touching a woman's shoulders is more than dumb or laughable-it is offensive to every known normal & proper behavior in bus or a crowded elevator.
NY Times articles now enumerate these whiny & weepy assertions of women who -who freely entered politics: prime "flesh pressing" ocupation- now squall how awful "men", never other women, made them uncomfortable-perhaps once. I assume if women do this to each other, it is understood as sisterly affection.
2
I agree with Matt Damon. We need a spectrum for physical contact allegations with 10 being a rape. I would put nose rubbing or he kissed the back of my head as ".3".
But we need another category for security breach:
Maria Butina, the Russian-NRA advocate..who appears to have hugged every known Republican.
LiYang, the massage parlor owner Chinese operative..who appears at the White House and Mar-a Lago more often than FOTUS.
They both need a "9" worth of trouble.
2
A rating or relativity scale is fine but two points: individual women get to set their own ratings on that scale - one woman’s 1 might well be another’s 5, and that appearing anywhere on the scale should result in social isolation and whatever degree of consequence the individual woman so chooses. For instance, an unwanted smile might cause one woman to simply call out the male at the time of the offensive act and dish out some well deserved public shaming, while the woman’s who sets the glance at a 5 wants him to experience the loss of his job.
Stop ! The NYT is contributing to this frenzy by publishing Biden in public getting close and kissing. This is bullying jouralism.
This was also the case with Al Franken and then his female colleagues in the Senate led by Kirsten Gellibrand led the charge like the ride of the Valkyries to destroy him.
In the latter case the press should have been examining the source of these charges.
ENOUGH!
2
Media frenzy indeed!
Yesterday the NYT ran three hit pieces on Joe Biden, tossing him under the bus for being a hair-nuzzler, a leaner-in, a violator of personal space. (see 4/2/2019 items by Michelle Goldberg, Ross Douthat and Jennifer Senior)
But today in this article the NYT castigates all the other media and individuals who are trying to knock Biden out of contention.
One must ask why, if Biden is out-polling other Dem Presidential candidates, the NYT and other media are dredging up old news and old photos of Biden's proclivities. His peculiar tactile behaviors have been well known and photographically documented for years, so why are they being highlighted at this moment?
The media are clearly pulling a coordinated Kavanaugh caper, trying to discredit Biden and blow his candidacy out of the water. That leaves Beto, Mayor Pete, Elizabeth, Bernie and a host of others who have declared their candidacy. I wonder which one(s) will be the media's next target(s).
And, of course, waiting in the wings for a groundswell draft by Democrats desperate to save the country, is...Michelle Obama.
Mr. Biden who has always been viewed (from BOTH sides of the aisle) as a voice of reason and pragmatism, has the internet to contend with, which exponentially magnifies everything bad brought out in the press, and without due process.
Forget Clinton and his affairs, Nixon and his Racism, Obama and his "blow", .....can you imagine Kennedy and all of his exploits with the internet bot rumor mill at full blast?
Kennedy is only a noteworthy President due to the manner in which his term ended. Prior to Dallas, he was unsuccessful in his actions with Congress and likely a one term wonder. Many hated him. In his autobiography, Sam Walton refused to confirm or deny stories that he threw an office party the day JFK was assassinated to celebrate the demise of a person who’d caused him so much harm.
Giddy journalistic derangement and orgies of saturation news coverage won't end because of the simple reason that sex sells.
Now there are photos (legitimate) of Lucy Flores with HER hands on Biden's shoulder. BTW, there are many photos of Biden hugging men and putting his hands on men's shoulders. Odd how the NYT hasn't printed one yet.
3
What's even more disturbing/upsetting for me is the outright misogyny being displayed by the MSM daily. The coverage of non-candidate Beto OR, the emerging of Mayor Pete, the non-compliant Bernie and his tax returns, Grandpa Joe and his touchy feelies. We have some serious, experienced, highly intelligent women running for President who are diminished, not covered, not taken seriously, while we read and hear about all these men constantly. Why can't we finally stop looking at EVERYTHING through the male lens? What has the coverage of Hillary vs Trump taught us? I believe we the people learned a hell of a lot more than the MSM. Same old, same old...
1
Written by a white, 51 year old male.
1
I work in a health care institution. A few months ago I was walking behind a female staff member who was walking towards the waiting room to go call a patient. Her scrub pants were falling off, revealing a good deal of her panties and only slightly less of her butt. I was about to call her to tell her, but then had second thoughts. Given what things have come to I was concerned (rightly or wrongly, but it's of course subjective - so rightly for me) that I'd be called to task "for looking at her rear end!" So, I let her go on her merry way & changed direction. No idea what happened & no interest either.
1
It has been my stark assessment that the female candidates realistically are actually running for Vice President, certainly Gillibrand and Harris, presumably on a ticket led by Biden. Klobuchar, what is even her claim to fame, other than being snippy with Kavanaugh? Biden is the only candidate that can make serious inroads into Trump’s base and the one he most fears. In his absence, unless Sanders catches lightning in a bottle, look forward to four more years of Trump.
@Patrick
AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
We would not have these discussions about "inappropriate touching" ETC. if only women were running!
And Klobuchar was snippy with Kavanaugh? It was the other way around, Patrick.
And it doesn't appear that any "claim to fame" is necessary for ANY presidential candidate these days - look who's in the White House...
2
As a woman of a somewhat older generation I am perplexed at the way this conversation over Joe Biden is going. I'm glad the time is over when we thought we had to put up with unwanted social touching. but it also comes with the responsibility to speak up and tell the person who is invading your space that that is what they are doing and take care of the issue then and there. People sometimes sincerely don't realize how you feel. What invades one person's personal space, doesn't feel like an intrusion to someone else. If women want an equal place in society, to lead and be heard they need to also learn how to speak up about their feelings at the time it happens. That is courage and growth.
Since Mr. Biden’s behavior was not sexual or harassing, according to the complaints, why not let him know personally that his behavior was not appreciated. That would have been empowering and Mr. Biden would have learned his behavior was not acceptable to you.
I don’t excuse his behavior, especially if the women felt violated, but social interactions are a two way street and I’m very thankful that today we feel free to speak up for ourselves and feel empowered instead of victimized as these women feel.
2
It can get a little weird when people are judged by standards that have changed (evolved) during the lifetime of the person being judged. We can't really expect people to have signed on to societal change before it even happened.
5
Yes, but . . .
Among those NOT getting a pass are women in public life. Need I recount the savaging of Hillary Clinton over her emails. Only one major news outlet -- I think it was Buzz Feed -- did the spade work to ascertain that the accusations against her were exaggerated and groundless.
Fast forward to 2019, and already the news media has turned its aim on Amy Klobuchar, accusing her of "abusing" her staff and generally being a mean person, despite her Minnesota nice persona. The accusations were all anonymous, and were countered and denied by more than 60 former Klobuchar staffers who stated -- on the record -- that the Senator was hard-driving and demanding, but in no way the ogre the press had made her out to be.
I fear that the claim against Klobuchar has sabotaged her campaign. Every time she is mentioned, reporters almost always bring up the anonymous accusations of meanness. It has shrouded her campaign and pretty much knocked a progressive moderate out of the race.
1
Some on the left want to coronate the D nomination instead of letting the primary process play out. I, for one, want to hear all the candidate's issues and how he or she will get them through Congress. There will be past faults and stumbles coming out, and that is a good thing. We need to objectively understand who each candidate is regarding past policy positions, current policy positions and how he or she sees their policies play out for the future. However, character and integrity play a role in deciding who will best represent us. Let the best woman or man win and go on to pummel Trump.
4
Joe Biden has proven time and again that he is a sincere public servant. He is also a politician, and possibly he got carried away with the idea of showing that he was a warm and caring individual. He also lived through the 70's, 80's, and 90's, when hugging and touching were taken as gestures of warmth and caring. He may have been awkward or insensitive to how he was coming across -- but it was not an issue until the #metoo movement grew to it's current form.
Here's my question to the #metoo movement: what matters? the fact that Joe Biden gave an unwelcome neck massage 20 years ago, or the reality that the Republican bozos who are immune to #metoo are dismantling abortion rights, education reform, and healthcare, among other concerns.
I think Trump and his cronies are immune because then never represent themselves as sincere, or caring, or open -- so when they do male chauvinist things it is completely in character and passes for integrity. Not so with Biden, who has slipped up, and is now branded a hypocrite.
This is flat out unreasonable. #metoo, in this case, is doing Republican dirty work -- eliminating an real competitor from the race. This is not smart. I hope Biden stays in the running, and I hope he -- or whomever he supports -- wins.
3
I have stopped watching CBS this morning. I used to consider John Dickerson a real journalist, no more. The Nora and Gail self righteousness show is out of control. I just turned off the TV when I saw Jodi Kantor, a serious journalist who took down guys like Harvey Weinstein lending herself to this ridiculousness. How can these people be talking about this in the first 15 minutes while the president may close the southern border, crops are flooded and levees breaking in the Midwest, bond markets going crazy, Brexit in shambles.
Indeed, they prove mr. Trump right that they are a biased bunch of hysterical hyenas, focused on not important stuff. People care about news that affect their lives. I want to know what happens of the border is closed, I want to know about the Chicago election, I want to know about Boing. The NYT has become the paper of record for the faux easily offended or “triggered”. Business insider and the BBC will give you better news.
I don’t care that Ms. Flores is such a wilting flower that a kiss on top of her head is so uncomfortable to her.
3
Journalism today has forgotten the Fourth Estate charge....
But how else will the voting public know who is worthy of our votes.
Of course ..... journalism helped elect trump.
Sadly.
Biden has a reputation that preceded him.
Everyone knew he would defy personal space. But he surprised some by a sneaky approach. Smooch! Back of your head stuff!
So while the revelations are appreciated by potential voters
We would enjoy less frenzy.
Go back to journalism 101.
Please review.
Here we are again: America (actually, the U.S.A.) embarrassing itself with its obsession about physical contact of any kind. When Bill Clinton got into his mess with Monica Lewinski, most of the world (and, for sure, the entire Europe) started laughing at the U.S.A. for spending years and tons of money on a case where a president slept around and betrayed his wife. But he lied under oath! Yes, but why was he even asked that kind of question to start with? Can a president who denies under oath having , let's say, smelly socks be impeached when it was revealed that he was telling a lie? Yes, he lied under oath! It would be as ridiculous as the Lewinski lie. In most of the world, but not in the U.S.A. And now a potential candidate under fire for... having rubbed noses with a woman? And that while 60 million people voted for a president who slept with prostitutes while his wife was pregnant and bragged about grabbing women by their genitals? Horrifying. In most of the world, but not in the U.S.A.
1
Being a progressive liberal Democrat, I loath neoliberal, Iraq War lovin, Clarence Thomas lovin, Wall Street lovin, student debt into perpetuity lovin Joe Biden. He's just another Centrist, Republican Lite Democrat that our party (and our economic equality/class sundered country) needs now like a hole in the head. He's Hillary Clinton in pants. You know how that story will end.
THAT SAID, most "journalists" I see these days, whether yapping on cable TV or flouncing through the pages of the NYTs, the Washington Post or Wall Street Journal have the judgement and instincts of cats (just as shallow and just as changing). They are skilled careerists, though!! Credit where credit is due.
As for the "Media Frenzy” you seem to decry? Surely, you jest. "Frenzy" is media's primary product these days. Frenzy is great cause it riles up the yokels, the better to distract the public from awareness of the policies of both parties that are destroying their lives.
As for “journalists” serving up important news, facts, analysis, gravitas? Not so much . . . I haven’t seen the likes of Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow lately. You?
8
The mainstream television media relishes the comeuppance of AMI (National Enquirer) as they imitate its worst instincts. As a registered Republican, I was appalled at all the free press coverage given to Donald Trump's malicious antics in the run-up to the 2016 election. It was with mouth agape that I witnessed Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski insist that the public didn't know how GENEROUS and kind that Trump, quietly behind the scenes, was. This , of course, was absurd since we all knew that Trump was a proud pig who injected himself into the public discourse for decades. Now these "journalists?" obsess at Joe Biden's tactile interactions, make Beto out to be a pollical rock star (even though, if you photoshop Elizabeth Warren's head on his body, his mannerisms were first hers). constantly recall that Amy Klobuchar is a surly boss, and remind everyone of Kamila Harris eschews policies that she embraced as a prosecutor. Instead of journalism we get ET and Access Hollywood (D.C. edition) Thank God for the endurance, in hard times, of the print medium where we can actually receive news that informs our minds and forms our national character. Today's TV "news light" makes me want to puke.
2
Please keep your hands to yourself Joe and leave those kids and women alone. I think you should check yourself in to a locked down ward in a mental hospital for now but until then just quit politics. I have absolutely no respect at all what so ever for anyone from Atlantic City.
1
Yeah, what's going on with your reporting/punditing on Biden, journalists? Don't you know that he's a Democrat, and hence he wears an invisible shield that protects him from criticism? As a result, we'll never see the hashtag, #JoeMustGo. But go he should.
3
When Trump became President there was a choice to be made, Take the high road or the low road?
This newspaper decided to take the low road along with most other media outlets. Once again it was all about the $$$$$.
5
Biden certainly isn't my ideal choice as the Democrat candidate. But the current media frenzy reminds me of the one that equated Hillary Clinton's emails with Trump's obvious corruption, lying, misogyny and bigotry. As I recall, the NYT was one of the main media organizations responsible for that.
1
This opinion is the NYT double standard exemplified. Just as we saw with the Virginia governor and lieutenant governor, Democrats always get a pass on controversial issues. There's always an excuse for why everyone should let it go when it's a Democrat.
With conservatives? Off with their heads.
6
At the end of the day, touching co-workers is unprofessional. If you want to cheat on your wife and run for President find a porn star and get her to sign a none-disclosure agreement.
2
The media’s worst instinct was to promote Bill Clinton, the “admitted philanderer”, and ignore a credible accusation of rape, as well as multiple accusations of sexual assault. President Clinton then had an affair with an intern half his age and lied about it to the American people. This confirmed to the American people just how complicit the media is, and it led to the election of Donald Trump. That's their worst instinct.
2
Journalists report the news. This story about Joe Biden is news. The author of this column teaches journalism, but if he was a working journalist, he'd be digging into it like a good journalist, not writing editorials to criticize those who are. Well, I guess this counts as a publication for him.
Love watching the libs self destruct. At least they are consistent.
They wouldn’t believe Kavanaugh. So now they shouldn’t believe Biden.
5
Trump need not defeat the Democrats for they are capable of defeating themselves. And the so called fake media is not fake at all just obsessed with ratings and hyperbole.
Go ahead Democrats back stab your own while the sharks on the other side feast on the kill.
The Me too movement should be about forward thinking not backward complaining. No one wins especially the ladies. Keep it up and men who are sensitive and supporters of the Me too movement will find themselves victims of hugs and kisses past turning them into misogynists because of undue shaming and character assassination. To be sure, I'm not talking about substantiated physical abuse here.
Once more for the team ladies attack the past on minor hugs and kisses and wake up to a few more Kavanaughs on the court.
2
Every woman who has ever been pawed by a male dinner party partner knows how semi-creepy Biden's kind of behavior can be. If you're fond of the person, and you admire the person, how do you say--especially in a public setting--"Don't touch me?" Years ago, I did this to a dear male friend who was patting my pregnant tummy at a party. I've never forgotten how deeply my words cut him. Sure, maybe he should have asked before he touched me. But it certainly wasn't a crime.
Yet times have changed, and in the #MeToo era personal space must be respected. Even so, the new rules mean so much is lost! If conveying concern and affection through touch is confined to intimates, we might as well all be programmed robots.
Biden did not grab women's breasts or crotches. He did not (as far as I have seen or read) kiss them on the lips. He did not say suggestive things to them. He did not do his touching and feeling in private. He did not use touching and feeling to extort sex from women over whom he had power. In sum, what Biden did wasn't ever sexual harassment.
P.S. I'm a Democrat who wants to see as many candidates as possible enter the race and see who shakes out. Even though Biden isn't my preferred candidate, if he enters the race and emerges the victor, I';l be there for him --or whoever else wins--100 percent.
2
Thanks for stating the opinion of nearly every Democrat I have spoken with about Biden. Are candidates now required to move through life inside of a plastic bubble, or observing a 6 foot DMZ as if their immune systems were compromised? Grabbing and groping are not at all the same as hugging and "air kissing". I guess all those politicians who kissed babies in the 20th century should now be put on trial for child molestation. We have serious threats to our democratic republic. Focus, people!
Unlike the Kavanaugh story...this is real...we can actually see the pictures of Biden’s behavior.
6
You wrote - "two women’s charges".
But there were 2 more women yesterday, so now the total is 4 women this week.
Plus the many other women/young girls who Biden has touched/kissed on camera in front of other people.
The guy is a serial pervert. He cannot keep his hands to himself around females of any age, kids included. This is NOT normal behaviour.
3
@Michael,
I agree, 100%, but where was all this concern, when he was the VP? Why didn't ANY of these accusations come-out, last year, at the height of the #MeToo movement?
Biden IS creepy; he always was! There's video of him feeling-up women and young girls, with their faces CLEARLY showing they are uncomfortable, dating back thirty years! Google "Creepy Uncle Joe Biden," and you'll find AT LEAST a dozen such videos.
Why is this happening, now? Could it possibly be because he's the DNC front-runner, and he's not "progressive" enough?
What I'd like to see is, who is behind this? Will the DNC and the media BLAST whomever is behind this (Sanders)?
If you think that this is an organic movement, you probably also believe that Vladimir Nesski was killed by his wife.
1
The New York Times should lead the way in showing some maturity about which of these issues to cover and how much.
3
I think the U.S. is on its last legs. There are just too many dumb people in America to keep a democracy. Just look at the international test scores...we are close to the bottom on almost everything. Think about it...could any intelligent and decent person actually listen to Rush Limbaugh's or Sean Hannity's diatribes for more than one minute, let alone support an ignorant sociopath like Donald Trump?
3
@Cowboy Marine,
Just as disgusting are the rantings of Don Lemon, Wolf Blitzer, and ANYTHING on MSNBC.
The problem is, people on the left buy Maddow's garbage, people on the right buy Hannity's garbage, and in the world of instant gratification, people seek media outlets that tell them what they want to hear.
The left (as exemplified by many posters here on the NYT site) will insist that Trump colluded with Russia, in spite of the Mueller Report. Likewise, the right will insist on overturning the ACA, just to "win," when they could just as easily use the ACA as a starting point, and try to improve it, rather than killing it.
As a nation, we ARE too stupid to support a functioning democracy, not because of a lack of intellectual capacity, but because MOST of our populace REFUSE to actually use their brains!
1
You missed the Kavanaugh frenzy. Perhaps if we went back to Biden’s high school exploits...
2
Seriously folks. This is just dumb. Don't let the republicans decide who becomes the Democratic nominee. Joe Biden is fine it's people's overwrought sensibilities that seem to be out of whack these days. Remember Al Franken. We lost a great senator when the biggest offender goes absolutely unpunished! Until trump gets his comeuppance then no Democrat should be bounced from this race.
2
I believe that I may have incorrectly had Michelle Greenberg jumping a shark with Fonzie and Kirsten Gillibrand in a previous post. If so, I deeply apologize to her. It was my intention to have Michelle Goldberg strap on those skis while a reluctant Al Franken fired up the boat.
I love that this story won’t go away, the Democrats are beginning to eat their own, which was only a matter of time .
The fact that the New York Times, the only publication that protects the Democrats regardless of what they do, jump in on the frenzy and take their own bite .....ha
1
I never thought much of Biden because he's a plagiarist. Doesn't anyone remember that?
5
I distinctly remember it. He attributed the quote in campaign stump speeches over and over again. He forgot the attribution ONCE, and it became plagiarism. Not a big deal to me at all. Melania has repeatedly demonstrated what actual plagiarism looks like. She apparently is very fond of Michelle Obama's writings.
If it bleeds, it leads, and it's all about greed, whether it's Rupert Murdoch, David Pecker or the nonstop 'Breaking News' cycles perpetrated by our 'award winning' cable & MSM networks.
No worries. Lack of apologies, lots of lawsuits and the beat goes on.
It’s the Times media frenzy. All other media except Fox News exactly follows the Times coverage. The Times influence is incalculable.
A woman business associate of mine occasionally when I'm at my desk will come up from behind and rest her hand on my shoulder and commence a conversion or ask a question, I wonder if that is sexual harassment. Should I be offended, will I be emotionally traumatized the rest of my life and need to seek professional counseling. No, she is genuinely an affectionate person also prone to bear hugs and I wouldn't change her for the world.
5
In other parts of the world one is seen as cold, uncaring, aloof, etc., if a greeting is not accompanied by an embrace.
The focus on Biden’s alleged misdeeds only highlights that the rest of the world sees Americans as cold.
This is especially true among groups like Greeks, Italians, and also among Latin Americans , a group the left purports to represent.
Sexual misconduct should always be a priority, and thank you to the #metoo movement for bringing it to forefront. But an embrace is not an assault.
3
Merely symptomatic of the general madness that seems to have gripped the country, a reflection of a civil society confused, manipulated, and exhausted by technologies whose impact no one really comprehends, much less understands, and a political culture immersed in deceit.
3
An excellent article, Professor Greenberg, and needed, desperately. But please, when the article is anthologized, change "veritable pieces of meat" to "virtual pieces of meat."
Margaret Mead, during her last meeting with Gregory Bateson her erstwhile husband and father of her child was asked: "What is the greatest danger to the nation?" As was
her habit, she had a ready, succinct answer: "The inability of this nation to hang a man for the right reason." That provocative answer has haunted me for a half century, and I believe should haunt us all today. This excellent article, though it has only the tip of the iceberg in sight, is evidence of this continuing disease, which, with current media, is a ubiquitous contagion.
I've lived through the sixties when it became stylish to claim there was not enough touching, open expression of LOVE (please tilt and scramble that to a Robert Indiana logo, and a US postal stamp). We were depriving each other if we did not fall into each other's arms and exchange kisses. Overnight we became a more demonstrative society, eschewing public and personal reserve as a mark of backwardness. Since then the pendulum has swung back and forth many times, knocking down many people in its wake. A grown woman, like a teen age child making a bid for fame by accusing some one of making her feel uncomfortable! How sick is that? Al Franken, Joe Biden, who's next.
2
Well, I'm sorry, but when someone seeks the people's trust, his or her whole character is under consideration. Cheating on your life partner, using privilege to let others be killed for your country, and succumbing to the easy solace of recreational drugs reveals traits that I don't want in someone in a position of power.
Journalists, do your job. We can judge for ourselves if the transgressions are damning or not. Let Mr Greenberg bemoan the "media frenzy" all he wants.
24
@A.P.P.,
So you want to read an NYT article about Biden using his position as VP to extort the Ukrainian government into firing their top corruption prosecutor by threatening to withdraw $1B in US loan guarantees if he wasn't fired? Oh yeah, did I mention that Biden's son was part of that investigation, and had been paid more than $3M by the firm at the center of the investigation?
No, what you want is an editorial noting how pathetic his apology to Anita Hill was. If he wished he could have done something, WHY DIDN'T he? He was the Chairman of Judiciary Committee at the time, after all.
While we're at it, how about Biden voting against the '91 Gulf War, because he was AFRAID of Saddam's military (how stupid does that look, in retrospect), but he voted FOR Bush 43 to have the right to invade Iraq in 2003?
5
@A.P.P. These hate stories are fueled by the right wing; destroy; slander; hate . They feed on it. It is a self fueling fire of hate; pushed by FOX; right wing hate on Social Media. MSM falls into their cycle for the boost in publicity. Right Wing looks for any flaws in Democrats and attacks; attacks and attacks some more. Do not fall into their trap of hate. Ray Sipe
10
@A.P.P.
If "cheating on your life partner" or "succumbing to the easy solace of recreational drugs" disqualifies someone for elected office, then the vast majority of Americans (as well as current office holders) would be disqualified.
Those things have nothing to do with how someone will perform in office.
6
This is why the Democrats will accomplish the seemingly impossible in 2020: lose a presidential election to a corrupt and inept serial liar and former game show host. Unlike the Republicans, who unify around the bigger picture of improving their economic and political interests – – no matter how wrongheaded they may be – – they don’t quibble amongst themselves over trivial matters such as uncle Joe’s old-school but obviously innocuous behavior toward women. All of this is aided and abetted by a media obsessed with ratings and profits. Unless all of this changes, the country is screwed.
8
Don't look to "the press" (which is a questionable premise in itself in today's mass-communication landscape, where even traditional outlets are sucked into a vortex of animalistic, survival-mode behavior) to "change." For better or worse, it's on each member of the public to control her or his own focus even in the face of thematic tidal waves (aka viral memes, ugh). Unfortunately, only an ultra-narrow sliver will see this thoughtful op-ed piece or anything like it.
Regarding how the candidates themselves react to such exposure, self-administration of law and order is a good thing albeit sometimes overdone. One one end of the spectrum is Al Franken, who after having acting like a jerk a number of times shouldered all the punishment that others wanted him to have. On the other end is Mr. Trump, who revels in the fact that his behavior throughout his life has been egregious.
As for Joe Biden himself, he's an honorable and decent man who's been to hell and back more than once and I wish him and his family nothing but the best. I think he should spare himself the punishment of a presidential campaign. He's given much more than most to this country already.
https://twitter.com/LevineJonathan/status/1113436119042015233
Watch Jon Stewart's take from 2015, and tell me his behavior isn't a) cringe-worthy, and b) out of touch with the current moment. Not criminal, but creepy, and an important fator when deciding on a nominee.
2
I disagree on Biden. He speaks of the past, not the future.
In 2012, Obama's slogan was "Forward" (not backward).
Biden is history. Democrats must look forward, not backward.
Leonard Cohen sang, "Democracy is coming to the USA". (1992)
Now, Trump seems to be creating a democratic backlash wave.
But no, I cannot see how old Joe Biden is all the Democrats have.
Yawn, yawn, for Joe.
Democracy is coming...to the USA, if Democrats get real...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
3
While Democrats are demanding contracts to be signed before any hugs...
Trump will lie is way into another 4 years.
Wake up Democrats.
3
Bernie sanders it is time to come clean.
Sir, you will not be the chosen one so say something for us to remember you by.
I do appreciate Senator McCain`s republican daughter Meghan to come to Joe Biden`s defense.
2
"More recently, Governor Ralph Northam of Virginia was found to have displayed a photo in his medical-school yearbook of a student in blackface beside another one in Klan robes. Despite a cascade of calls for his resignation, he instead vowed to redouble his commitment to racial justice — and, a short while later, it turned out that most African-Americans in the state wanted him to stay put."
I think what happened was many people realized that the Governor changed for the better. Recognizing this is a positive incentive to others change. If one never forgives there will never be an incentive for positive change. Many Democrats looked bad on this matter and came across as if they were holier than tho.
I think this year voters are really concerned about issues and not this background noise.
Gotcha journalism is little more than cheap gossip monetized by the media. It works because:
People love to pull someone else down (makes them feel less small themselves).
Self-righteous indignation is addictive.
It doesn't take concentration and intelligence to write or read it.
2
I'd start with the Times' own Michelle Goldberg, whose "Al Franken Must Go" Op-Ed was the peak of the Franken media frenzy
Here's her apology for that shameful episode, admitting she was playing politics
Michelle on her Franken hit piece:
"Almost as soon as it was published I started having second thoughts," Goldberg said of a column she wrote last week. "I spent all weekend feeling guilty that I’d called for the sacrifice of an otherwise decent man to make a political point."
Now she's back at it with Biden
My guess is she'll hound him until he decides not to run, and then tell us all how really, truly sorry she is
9
@Marion Grace Merriweather,
Spot-on! This is just a political hit piece by the "progressives," led by the Sanders Campaign, to eliminate the leader of the DNC (in the polls), because he's a centrist.
Frankly, if journalists would do their jobs, we'd already have disqualified Kristin Gillibrand on the grounds that she threw Al Franken under the bus for essentially the same reason. Franken was a much better known progressive, and would have dominated "her space" in the 2020 election.
Get used to it, people: Remember the 2016 Republican Primaries? That's going to be the DNC, this election cycle. The Democrats will eat their own faster than the Titans of Greek lore, and if they do enough of it, Donald Trump might win the unwinnable.
The DNC, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory for more than a century!
1
Joe Biden is a good man. Polls show he has the best chance of beating Trump.
If the NYT doesn't stop this inexcusable assault on him--as they did with the relentless and ridiculous criticism of Hillary's emails during the last campaign that may have been the difference in causing her to lose--we will have four more years of Trump.
And then there will be no more NYT. And we will have lost our beloved democracy.
Over an affectionate, clearly nonsexual kiss and hug!!!
I always viewed the NYT as one of the last bastions of responsible journalism. Until now.
Please stop this insanity!!!
5
An insincere article at best. Media showed very little of the alleged restraint during Lewinski scandal Media will never stop because this is how they make money. Especially in the age of click bait. Even this op ed and our comments are adding fuel to the dumb fire.
1
He has not even entered the race, yet the Dem establishment is including him in every piece that relates to 2020. How about if they stopped at that point. Then we do not need to discuss the creepy handsyness of Uncle Joe.
How about reporting on the policies and plans that those in the race have to get us out of this quagmire?
2
Did you actually see where Biden “nuzzles” the daughter of Senator Chris Coons? She looks away from him, shrinks from him, her mother tries to intervene and gently push Biden away by guiding his shoulder away from her daughter. Please look at the video of this and then see how her father denies what is plain to see, and throws his own daughter under the bus to support his “mentor.” I think this behavior is creepy and should be called out. Of course that’s not the only reason he shouldn’t run. How about Anita Hill (“I wish I could have done more,” indeed—he kept three more women from testifying against Clarence Thomas)? And he kowtowed to the credit card industry so that now, students unlike others can’t declare bankruptcy.
Enough!
3
Anything to stop him running.
2
Go to YouTube, and enter "Joe Biden Creepy". There are many videos showing hundreds of instances where Biden not only inappropriately puts his hands on women, but many little girls. You could brush off one or even 2, but when you see him touching their faces, running his hands through their hair, taking every opportunity to grab them, it shows a very creepy and disgusting pattern. This guy has a problem.
Go ahead, see for yourself.
1
A simple fix - Al Franken for President!
3
This article is, unfortunately, descriptive of WHAT the media does, but silent on WHY so many in the media do it. The lack of analytical explanation in this article is a serious flaw. The media, overall, plays a terribly destructive “dumbing down” role, particularly in the coverage of politics. Simply exhorting political commentators (and please include headline writers) to do better, without any examination of WHY they do so poorly, is not enough. I doubt it is simply stupidity or lack of journalistic ethic, although both factors surely play some role.
If you asked political writers what their function is in society, would an honest answer be, “My primary function is to generate profits for my company’s shareholders.” Or maybe, “My primary function is to advance myself by generating clicks. Promoting conflict generates more clicks than providing actual information.” Or maybe, “I am on a deadline. Writing shallow garbage is quick and easy.” Or even, “My job is to protect the interests of the 1%. My pushing pablum on the masses is good for the folks in charge.” I would love to see a follow up article from this writer, as an insider to the world of media, on the WHY aspect.
2
We are in such trouble when journalists succumb to the demands of the marketplace. John Adams wrote "Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people..." It's getting harder every day to find the "general knowledge" of policy and implementation strategies among the news. Because our "free press" is mostly owned by corporations we get lots of celebrity stories and titillating nit-picking like the Biden and Franken frenzies. Even the respected institutions of the NYT, WaPo and NPR unconsciously(?) take on the weasel language of the Trumpian defenses. How do we keep our democracy from slipping away past the point of no return?
1
It is much easier to pick on your friends than your enemies, who will fight back.
Pure pseudo-journalistic laziness. Trump's popularity does not change no matter what the revelation about his incompetent, lying, self-serving corruption. Frustrated by that, media go after soft "targets", thus allowing "journalists" and their publishers to feel like they are having an effect.
The allegedly responsible media is merely joining in the Democrats' circular firing squad.
3
OK, it's time for me to come out and tell my truth. Ten years ago, I was walking around, just minding my own business when a motorcade passed through carrying Joe Biden to a scheduled conference at the United Nations headquarters. At least that's where they said he was going, but it happens that he had them stop the car so he could go out and shake some hands. STRANGERS' HANDS! And without my asking Biden actually walked over to me and had the audacity to shake MY hand which I hadn't even decided to extend. I was seriously afraid that he was going to embrace me but, thank gosh, he just grabbed my hand and then moved on to the next person. I felt as though I had dodged a bullet right then but was so offended by his physical presumptuousness (or was it presumptuous physicalness?) that I thought about reporting the incident to the handshake-police. I couldn't find any of them around (not surprising considering that NY is a liberal city) so I figured I'd try to forget the whole thing. And I managed to do so, but all these years later with information coming out that Biden has gone on to rub people's noses and smooch the backs of their heads the whole revolting episode has come back to haunt me anew. Please, God, make it stop!!
Trump/Pence 2020
comment posted 4/3 at 10:44 AM EDT
10
Excellent column! Biden has a lifetime of service………good service…………….and to see people who have done nothing close to that buying into the idea he is a sexual predator to get him out of the race is just disgusting. They know he is not. Are there things to criticize?....of course...times and mores change. The press coverage has been tabloid-worthy............it's going to be a long slog till next November. Bernie is my senator and I supported him last time, but the way he’s tried to play this really bothers me. Ms. Flores comes along 5 years later saying Biden “invaded her space” and just happens to be a Bernie supporter. It is impossible not to see the connection. Bernie is not without his own issues……………. his wife’s involvement with the Champlain College financial collapse was not benign, and where are those tax returns he keeps promising? He had freshness last time…………. but I don’t think he would be a good president………….he has turned into an angry old man who yells at and lectures everybody. That’s not governing. I’ll ultimately vote for whomever the Dems nominate………getting rid of Trump is the obvious priority....but the Dems need to stop the circular firing squad.
3
The coverage of this hoopla around the inappropriate/appropriate behavior of Biden is seriously ridiculous. It is garbage drama like this that makes me wonder if the 'Fake News' chant isn't quite so wrong. Following the news carefully for the past two years at least has made me understand why good upstanding people refused to participate in the last election and refuse to read certain newspapers
1
Cop a feel --I believe is the correct term .. Biden's actions are inappropriate .. The 2 known scenes with the children are the most irksome..... those will do him in.....
1
Despite the media's distaste for Trump, it is the media and the Russian's who helped elect Trump. The media dollars Trump brings in and continues to do so through the repeated influencing with moment by moment coverage, reality show programming and the modern day soap opera are far too important. The media are the purveyors of information. The repeated soundbites provide this inattentive society their uninformed brainwashed message. It is also less costly, less time consuming, less work intensive , less effort for the media to do more investigating, research and know the subject matter better with which to report and ask questions. This would also require everyone to act with integrity, trust and respect. This doesn't exist. Individuals who are interviewed who blatantly lie-- should not be invited back to a network. (That would probably be everyone in the Trump administration) How much chasing the White House for interviews-- no press conferences--should be tolerated. Ignoring is the best medicine for this administration. There are plenty of issues to research, interviews and reporting that are directly about/deal with the White House, etc. that doesn't require their direct interaction. The press often sounds like caged animals and Sara Sanders like a Nazi Commandant repeating lies instructed by the top, -
Methods need to change if you want results to change.
what in the world possessed you to write this article? the media just wants to get eyeballs. it's up to consumers of media to decide for themselves if there is any value. so for example, as a consumer i have decided this article has no value to me.
No...what we're actually experiencing from the mainstream media, and mainstream journalists, is the non-frenzied coverage of Joe Biden's influence on the regime change in Ukraine, on behalf of the Obama administration, and how his son, Hunter, magically found himself on the board of directors Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas firm.
Biden was neck deep in representing U.S. interests in moving Russian friendly Viktor Yanukovych out of the Ukraine presidency, and anti-Russian, but neo-Nazi, Petro Poroshenko into the top position. We're experts at regime change, and political interference in the elections of sovereign nations, especially when we don't like their leadership...as we don't like the current leadership of Venezuela.
Now, funny enough, it looks like the next leader of Ukraine could literally be a comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Biden's closet is deep with skeletons. Breathing down the necks of woman is just a sideshow.
2
I believe Joe Biden's questionable behavior has flown under the radar for years. He's gotten a 'get-out-of jail-free' pass because he was portayed as something akin to a comfortable pair of bedroom slippers or a comfy liiving room chair.
Biden is simply not savvy to the change women have been undergoing since Title IX, 1972. It's a new world and guys like Biden just aren't on board, acting like they've been doing so for decades, ignorant and self serving, bent on getting what they can because they're men.
1
"I have no reason not to believe the women." That statement ranks right up there with "Our thoughts and prayers...."
I will probably need smelling salts if I ever hear someone say "I have no reason not to believe (fill in the man's name here______).
Snowflake Dems now regret the Kavanaugh debacle. Oldschool Joe will be torn into pieces by the GOP.
2
@Alex Emerson
No doubt.
I often warn people that "political correctness", while probably born out of good intentions, is extraordinarily dangerous. It will be a long time, still, before people wake up and realize that you can't have things both ways.
2
In this age of social media there is nothing we enjoy more than a public execution. After Vice President Biden goes down in flames who is the next victim? Democratic nominees beware, one of you will be next as the misogynist in chief sits back and enjoys the show.
I have no problem with showing Biden the door from the candidate's room, he should have settled for being a brilliant mentor and coach.
But this is a shameful display of journalism, so-called. This is journalists forgetting their place, their calling, their critical function in American society.
Sadly, this is also not new.
Journalists, "the news" as we used to say, turns out to be the American rope Chairman Mao apocryphally said we'd use to hang ourselves.
All our prissy niceness about "independent media" undermined almost viciously by corporate ownership and and a flagrant unwillingness to police itself.
Alex Jones: news or entertainment? Now one thing! Now another! But stupid-to-the-bone and easy to dismiss, if the American public had not proved to be equally stupid.
OK, then, The Murdochs: news or entertainment? Well, let's see: this sentence here, that one's news. The next one? I don't know, what do you think, news? Opinion maybe? No, let's go with entertainment. But the guy who said it, he's definitely news, and he gets all the newsy privileges, yes?
Or how about really, truly responsible media, like NYT? That's a puzzler. They still do the occasional serious, liberalish news, but they always, lately, counter it with misleading click-bait introductions like "The Riches of ANWAR" when the article says, explicitly, "What Riches?"
Read the headlines, the link, you get one story, actually read the article, get the opposite.
Please keep your hands to yourself Joe and leave those kids and women alone. I think you should check yourself in to a locked down ward in a mental hospital for now but until then just quit politics. I have absolutely no respect at all what so ever for anyone from Atlantic City.That may be your problem.
And are we headed for the day when hugging seniors, because of media obsession, become suspect “Pedophile Grandfathers”?
2
Even the Times has given far too much coverage to the innocuous actions of Biden. I am not a fan of Joe Biden but he is not the true victim of these silly stories. Our democracy is threatened by side issues that are irrelevant while the important issues are given less coverage. One of the standers of justice is the statute of limitations. How do you defend yourself against charges occurring five or twenty years ago? The ultimate absurdity of deciding our country's future on the question of kiss on the back of the head is beyond stupidity. It is frightening. And the Times is also responsible for the many boring irrelevant stories on the subject.
But this has been going on for a long time. And not just with politicians.
Look at the recent media frenzy about Boeing. It’s true that they cut corners on training, and they are paying dearly for that, but the 737 is not the Flying Titanic depicted by the media.
It can be argued that Hillary Clinton would be President now if the media hadn’t obsessed about her emails. And Bill Clinton wouldn’t have faced impeachment if the media hadn’t obsessed about fellatio.
So now the Democrats, with the media’s help, are taking down Biden because he’s a touchy-feely guy with no sexual intent, but because it looks a little creepy on an old guy.
Maybe some journalists need a hug.
1
Feasting on a politician's personal screw-ups is nothing new. Maybe the solution is for the politicians not to screw up.
1
Trump was the object of a media storm long before the Russia connection. He seemed to love it, to thrive on it. It never seemed to get him down. Americans seemed to like him for just standing up to the media or not even paying much attention sometimes to the criticism. My question has always been why? One of the reasons is that he came across as authentic, and the possessor of a backbone. In my view Americans are hungry for this, not someone who responds to every poll set back or criticism by changing, trying to please, or even worse cringing. I think the voters admire that, especially if the criticism is of the politically correct sounding variety. I, for one, just want a straightforward and no nonsense reaction to the criticism and no trying to please the media. It is impossible to please that media anyway. Besides the journalists have to fill the content of the 24 hour news channels so the politicians should not really take it as seriously as they sometimes appear to do. They are just filling space and attracting an audience with the, "oh my god would you believe this" reporting, followed by four talking heads explaining it all. How tiresome all this is getting to be. I think the three Virginia politicians have handled it all just fine. Biden should make a comment and move on. That said, I hope he doesn't run, but that is not because I think his puppy like behavior will hurt his chances. I just think it is time for new faces.
1
The media is an unelected player in government, with little to no accountability nowadays. Who is pulling the strings behind the curtain? We the public deserve to know. Perhaps we need a media disclosure law to require all publishers, editors, reporters, journalist, and opinionists, both print and electronic, to disclose the source of all income (not the amounts, just the sources). It would be nice to know who is paying who to say what. Right now, I don't trust much of anything I read or hear in media. It all sounds like the National Inquirer on steroids.
3
I strongly disagree. This is an important story, and it merits extensive coverage. It allows us women to say "Cut it out Joe" until he either gets it or withdraws from the race. Respect for women matters. Uninvited petting is not a small issue; it's a small piece of a big issue.
3
Biden is only one of many people—we all know of or have met them—whose touchy-feely approach to life sometimes makes people (like myself) feel uncomfortable—or worse. Yet I don’t think I’ve seen a single article in any of the news media that I follow, in which this type of behavior is discussed from a cultural standpoint: when it’s acceptable, where the boundaries should be, where it can be helpful and where it can harm. When, if ever, is it okay to be physical with someone who one does not know well? How best to handle it when these well-meaning (usually, but not always) folks make us feel uncomfortable? The Biden story could have led to meaningful discussions, but instead, it has—as the author of this article notes—turned into a feeding frenzy against a single man, with the real issue obscured.
4
Your suggestion of the "debauched or deformed character" of President Johnson (one can only hope the reference is to Andrew Johnson) deserves at least a riposte from someone who still appreciates the character of Lyndon Johnson, a leader who knew how to effectively govern and legislate across the partisan aisle, and not solely for the wealthy and the privileged. A President with a debauched or deformed character well might (i) appoint industry lobbyists to the head of agencies whose regulations they have opposed, and then seek to undercut, (ii) encourage foreign and hostile nations to interfere with our elections, (iii) conflate neo - Nazists and white supremacists with
civil rights protesters, but such a President would certainly not labor for and secure passage of, e.g., the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, nor the Fair Housing Act of 1968, to name just a few.
9
It is an incredible time in our history for women, in which we can voice our disdain for inappropriate sexual conduct that has been sanctioned since the beginning of time. That said, the media MUST be more responsible in giving stories, such as the Biden ones, credence. I realize we are now reluctant to question the source of allegations so as to not victimize individuals again. However, the timing and substance here don't pass the smell test. When these allegations are made, context, substance and intent matters. Who are these individuals, what do they have to gain by coming forward? Accountability matters, on both sides. Let's be more intelligent. Time to grow up.
3
Journalists have plenty of bad instincts, but holding people accountable for bad behavior isn't one of them. Men, such as the one who wrote this article, on the other hand have a very bad habit of kneejerk defending other men. Al Franken's offending behavior was literally photographed -- if he wanted to stick it out for a formal investigation, that would have been his right, but what are we expecting an investigation to turn up? Democrats have no moral high ground over Republicans if they will tolerate the Al Frankens or, even worse, the Bill Clintons (who this article gratuitously defends as well, for some reason).
The media, for better or worse, aren't just passive observers, their reporting itself helps to shape public opinion. The Me Too movement exploded into mainstream public view after an investigation by this very newspaper. If the media ignores or downplays stories like Franken and Biden, it sends an implicit message that this behavior is acceptable.
Of course, the author himself realizes that -- it's the whole reason he takes issue with the "feeding frenzy." And sometimes maybe the "feeding frenzy" really is uncalled for. But I'd argue that comparing an affair or drugs with unwanted touching (or worse) is a false equivalency. The former may, in the view of some, be a moral failing, but the latter is a tangible offense against another person. This is why consent is so important. To draw a line from Hart to Biden is nothing more than rhetorical sleight of hand.
@Chris M That would be all well and good if you were actually talking about anything, but when your words are placed into the context of this conversation, it becomes clear how vacuous they are. Because what are we talking about here, where men and women are "disagreeing"? We're talking about how women feel about how men touch them (or worse). If Leeann Tweeden says she didn't want Al Franken to grope her, what is there to disagree over? That she actually did want it? When Lucy Flores says Biden kissing her made her uncomfortable, do you for some reason feel entitled to "disagree" that she felt that way? Or is your disagreement not about how they felt, but about whether it matters? Would you propose a point/counterpoint, "A person's body is not a prop for someone else to do with as they please" vs. "Yes it is"?
It makes no difference whether the one who "disagrees" is a man or another woman, because consent is offered (or not) by the individual concerned. Women who question Me Too, or the women Biden has trotted out to make clear that they did consent to his touch, have no more authority than men to ratify non-consensual contact with somebody else.
You don't have to believe this should scuttle Biden's candidacy if you don't want to, but the idea that women should "agree to disagree" over whether they exercise sovereignty over their own bodies is ridiculous.
Who was the one who's said that considering Trump's record, the more such 'inappropriate behaviour' accusation hurled against Biden, the more he'll appear qualified for the presidency.
2
How about we hear from the scores of women throughout Joe's 50 year career- who are OK with his "touchy feely" affection?
Unless a mass of women state on record, "I loved the way he hugged me and sniffed my hair, I truly felt he cared about me"
Until now I've only heard, "Well it didn't bother me" or "I didn't think anything about it"
Either way Joe is political toast.
1
@Aaron
If only woman had volition. Then they'd tell Biden in no uncertain terms to stop it. But again and again we hear for the first time accounts of events that happened years ago, wherein the poor, defenseless women "froze" or "became confused" when Biden touched their shoulders or kissed their heads. Did they tell him to cut it out? Nope.
Women can demonstrate their strength by simply saying "No," or they can be professional victims, but they can't have it both ways. They're either the equal of men or they are not. With so many running for the highest office in the land, it's time to decide.
2
It' about time we see an opinion pice on this subject that is sober and thoughtful; one that displays the wisdom of historical hindsight; and most of all some sensible perspective.
The idea that Biden, always known for sometimes overdone "public displays of affection" as David Greenberg put it, has made a few recipients "uncomfortable" is not much of a surprise; but that such mild, momentary discomfort could be seen as scandalous or disqualifying for any politician, much less someone with the stature of a Biden, is a travesty. Time for the press - and the rumor-mongers - to grow up.
8
I think the press would be better off doing reporting on policy issues rather the old stuff about Biden.
With Trump being elected even with his wicked background it is clear this is not an issue with the public,
16
Mr. Biden's touchy-feely does seem kind of creepy to me. But way more disturbing is his record - it seems that he came down on the wrong side of many, many issues, including his vote to go to war in Iraq, the bankruptcy bill which makes it way tougher to declare for the average American, and on and on. No wonder he and the big banks are such friends. He is what we do not need in a president at a time of the worst income inequality since the Gilded Age.
7
Fair enough...except one of the implications of this article is that we need a little more than a headline to evaluate what’s going on, not to mention who’s wrong and who’s right.
The problem is that 24/7 cable news appearently don't have much to to talk about that engage their audience. So they keep repeating the same stories over and over. I personally can't watch any of the cable news (Fox, CNN MSNBC) regardless of their political inclinations.
8
@bruno, the real problem is media out words and thoughts into our heads. Without them around we wouldn’t think we would just merrily go about living our lives.
1
The problem with journalists these days is that they are liberal, progressive, permissive, politically correct, and seek diversity.
4
@Southern Boy
so, if I understand you correctly, they should be conservative, make believe we are still living in the 1950s, puritanical, disregard the feelings (and basic humanity) of others, and advocate the silence or exclusion of all those they do not consider "real Americans?"
14
@Joe,
Actually, they need to exercise critical thinking skills, which they should have learned in college and schools of journalism. Critical thinking is supposed to lead one to question things as a way to arrive at the truth. I do not believe that goes on in college anymore, as liberal-minded professors are intent of spreading their world view. The media coverage of the Mueller investigation, publication of the final report, and public summary demonstrated the media's rush to judgment, constructing a storyline based on assumptions about President Trump, which turned out to be false. The conclusions of Mueller's final report contradicted the reality which they tried to shape. The journalists did not critically think their way through their reporting, they both fell for and played up the hype, and in the end fell flat on their faces, proving to be the fools that they are. Thank you.
3
Oh noes...diversity! Liberalism, like the worldview that insists a Southern Boy’s views are represented too!
By the way, aren’t you the guy who constantly complains that white men are discriminated against?
Biden should not be a candidate for president because of his active participation in what happened during the Clarence Thomas's appointment for the Supreme Court. Biden was, in my opinion despicable. And the #MeToo will pick up on that. Now this media frenzy about his "affectionate" behavior toward some is just adding the cherry to the ice cream.
5
Senator Franken was crucified by Torquemada wannabe Kirsten Gillibrand. It was pure political opportunism by her on the back of the "Me Too" movement. She thought it was a win win, but in fact it was a lose lose: We lost Franken, an outstanding senator; the GOP is still doing a happy dance over his resignation; and Gillibrand has made herself unelectable for president. It serves her right.
34
The media has always trafficked in trivia and hyperbole and social media has elevated this process to absurd heights.
Under the feeble justification of "starting a conversation" editors and writers take whatever they think the public will get riled up about and run with it. Find something that the internet "explodes" about (what doesn't the internet explode about?), give it an in-your-face headline ("It’s Possible Leggings Are the Future. Deal With It.") and the Times, the paper of record, does a totally unnecessary story about a woman who wrote a letter complaining about young women wearing leggings at Notre Dame.
Journalistic integrity has devolved into how many clicks a story gets regardless of its news value.
AG Barr is hiding the Mueller report and House committees are preparing to issue subpoenas to force its release and I can't find a word about it on the front page of the Times.
11
The internet doesn't explode. A few comments are cherry picked by the media to feed the 24 hour news cycle. At least you can get a fuller view of world news from the Times. You would barely know Brexit was a thing from the cable news channels. That alone makes it worth my while to tolerate social engineering masquerading as journalism.
1
Something a man would write...if a creepy woman rubs her hand across your back and breathes in your hair, you wouldn’t be weirded out? As a young woman who has met the creepy overly friendly man in the workplace, I say no to Biden. It’s time for someone new.
6
@Madison
You will meet all kinds of people as you go through life. If someone’s behavior “weirds you out”, just say “please don’t do that.” Any decent person would respect your boundaries.
"It is not what was intended but what was received."
quoting Nancy Pelosi speaking about Joe Biden; also every Human Resources manual in America.
To both these sources, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!!
I say this as having been raised a stuffy WASP who hates to be touched and jokes about my "42 inch zone of personal space."
We need some sort of OBJECTIVE standards as to what it socially appropriate and what is not. The current ideology of "feelings" does nothing but empower passive-aggressive people who characterize themselves as "victims" to vent their anger, make themselves the center of attention, or far too often (in my first-hand experience) work things up to a successful legal settlement. Anyone can "feel" anything they want to as suits their own, dishonest purposes.
Further, all this shrieking about the odd touch trivializes real assault, rape, and offenses that actually matter, and discredits the bureaucracies that promote this stuff.
If someone's life is ruined because Joe Biden gave them a handsy bear hug, then they have far larger problems. Those cannot be solved by playing "gotcha" in the media or in court, but rather in a therapist's office.
I do not like the huggy kissy, kissy world that we live in now. I was raised to shake hands politely, period. But you know what? I deal with it. Even when it is (in my case) handsy women who do not accept it when I tell them that I am more gay than straight and that it is not welcome. I can always say no. I do!
That is on me!
6
Agree. But news outlets are a business - and people buy US and People. It’s so tempting for a journalist wanting clicks and a newspaper wanting to sell to go for the easy stuff and turn into muckrakers. Good for you for pushing back (and please go remind your bosses to do the same).
You could see the Joe Biden stories coming a mile away. He is just from a different era.
4
great op-ed. But it begs the question why didn't you and your MSM friends write the same thing during the SC hearings on Kavanaugh. I guess politics got into your rose colored glasses. BK was charged with 35 yr old charges that couldn't/wouldn't be substantiated by even one of the 4 named witnesses.
You'd have some standing if you weren't just playing politics.
6
The answer is, the media took the money when their tabloid amplification of clickbait issues increased readership, making them professional outrage factories. Any now, they will reap what they have sewn with their tabloid activism.
They've created a cottage industry attempting to usurp the opposition candidate with no questions about journalistic integrity...Trump, Kavanaugh, Covington High, but now they want to pump the brakes on the smear campaigns. I wonder which will prevail...clickbait or journalism? I'm guessing clickbait.
3
The only problem with your op-ed is that you give credit to some people by calling them "journalists." They are not. They are just hacks, Living in an era with too little real work and too much idle opportunity. This too shall pass.
3
Isn't media content an editorial responsibility? Many of us want more then "If it bleeds it leads." reporting. Many of will take the easy way, if management will let us. So political claims of "inappropriate" conduct, and health stories of associations based on poorly controlled studies are written. I think it is an editorial responsibility to decline to publish them.
Publishing trivial claims delutes the total product and thus weakens the political position of NYT and Fox news.
2
Great, David. A rare urge for enlightened balance in journalism.
3
All of America's - and much of the worlds' - media have caved to the bottom line. When CBS (or was it NBC?) made the News Department a division of the Entertainment Division it was the beginning of the end of any actual journalism.
No one covers wars (and no journalists are on the scene anymore), famine, strife, political power plays or any international news at all - unless it's the bonus viewer-grabbing plane crash.
We are all just looky-loos now because that's all the media gives us. It's too bad there are no intelligent people in journalism or on TV who have the knowledge and experience to inform us about the real issues we face.
Walter Cronkite would never have dragged America through this mindless, contrived, nonsense (reportedly orchestrated by Bernie, another rich, old, frumpled white guy).
Report the news - you know, the journalism that requires confirmation from two independent sources and that is actually real and relevant.
2
thank you. If trump is a genius at anything, it is his ability to direct the media feeding frenzy away from his own abhorrent policies and incompetence.
2
There isn't all that much difference between what Al Franken did, and what Biden does (except of course that Franken supported #MedicareForAll, and Biden doesn’t). Franken was defenestrated; Biden is not. Why does Biden get a free ride? It appears that Democrats, especially the identity politics-flavored liberal Democrats, have no consistent principles whatever, which is remarkable, considering the quantity and volume of virtue signaling they do.
The headline I'm waiting for: “Second student alleges that Joe Biden condemned her to a life-time of debt slavery.”
2
Oh please, the press is being incredible gentle with Biden because he’s their last chance to stop Sanders. If Bernie had harassed even one of the multitudes of women Biden did, the press would tear him to shreds.
2
Me too no longer has any meaning. It’s just a tool for ruining people.
1
There are two factors at work in the Biden saga. One is the sexual harassment mess which has gone overboard. Another is that blowing up these things is easy and requires no work. The media for decades has been into the horse race side of politics with few doing the work of focusing on policy issues. We need far better from the media. The coverage of the last presidential campaign went a long way to electing spanky.
3
Democrats keep trying to shoot down their own front-runners in the presidential election, and the media is a gleeful accomplice in this circular firing squad. If it persists, they'll both be handing Trump a gift-wrapped victory in 2020. Journalists helped Trump win last time around by over-emphasizing HRC's "unlikeability" and piling on about her private e-mail server while giving Trump a pass on many of his obvious faults. Now they're doing it again by stressing the trivial over substantive policy issues. Sure Biden intrudes on personal space but let's not make him a victim of #MeToo overreach. Sure Amy Klobuchar yells at her staff, but then so does Trump. And all this coverage of the #NeverKamala ignores the fact that she is eminently more qualified to be president than the current buffoon in the White House.
8
After Clinton and Trump the bar for presidents is set so low that a president who only gropes women above the waist is considered perfectly acceptable.
1
Indeed.... nobody is perfect, but lest we forget: the purity test for many progressive voters is not the lowest common denominator #metoo offense but rather support for the greatest military misadventure in the history of the USA.
Hillary failed; Joe fails.
1
Please stop this madness. Biden in a public figure almost forty years, now that he is leading with double digits, somebody is after him.
This is one example where the media stirs the pot and cause more damage than reporting the news.
5
Dan Quayle,Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney, and Mike Pence. Republican sure know how to pick their vice presidents.
3
It appears that humans in the media are forgetting who they're broadcasting to...other humans! A seriously flawed, ridiculous species intent on destroying not only each other, but all the other non humans on the planet.
2
All of a sudden Mike Pence is looking like the smartest guy in the room.
4
Biden is neither a predator or a problem. If Democrats don’t stop this kind of strange cannibalism they will not just lose elections but also will lose the hopes of and support from millions of reasonable, good people that just don’t like the Inquisition. And thats how they will lose the elections. Anyway, speaking of tone-deaf, the orthodoxy-loving weirdness seems very tone-deaf.
4
Stories detailing how Biden has just been accused of violating a standard of conduct that he was virtually celebrated for displaying until a few days ago don't really belong in newspapers.
This is a bottom-feeder story even for Twitter. How about relegating it all to Facebook?
4
I saw a post from a random republican yesterday crowing about the fact that they no longer have to work to smear Dem candidates, as we are ruining them ourselves. This is true. And sorry, although I would never cancel my NYT subscription, I still hold you partially to blame for the Dem loss last time, either due to the HRC negativity or the highly miscalculated polls.
7
This is so much ado about nothing it makes my hair hurt.
Dear media, give it a rest.
7
When will the purveyors of news stop telling us how bad it is that the media is perpetually distracting us from important issues and simply stop distracting us from important issues?
6
Why is Trump not held to these standards? He towers head and shoulders above all of these offenders. Just demonstrates massive amounts of cowardice by all involved far and wide....
6
#notme
This is another case of the media deciding what the news is, and I’m getting pretty sick of it. Does anyone honestly believe Joe Biden would sexually assault a woman in full public view? I mean seriously.
Yes, he’s a little touchy-feels for my taste. But that’s who he is. All these women either waited ten years or are Bernie Sanders supporters. Sorry, not interested.
6
Fantastic article. Isn’t NYTimes part of that feeding frenzy? Of course, they do that and try to douse the fire with these articles. I now worry that the author will be taken to shreds by extremists on the left. If Biden is taken to task for his policy that would be fine, but this character assassination is disgusting. I worry these extremists on the left will help elect Trump in 2020.
3
Democrats are funny. Mr. Greenberg wouldn’t have written this, the Times wouldn’t have cared to publish it if the subject was a Republican.
I sit a smile at the hypocrisy every single day.
Kirsten Gillebrand, you will never escape the issue of having driven Al Franken from the senate. I love watching you spin your wheels gaining no traction on your quest for advancement.
5
We’re just sitting here watching the Trump gears at work.
1
It is going to be a terrible and twisted irony that the Me Too movement will help put the most misogynistic political figure of our time back into the White House.
3
Of course journalists and the media are all over this with every little innuendo, whisper, and tidbit. We have seen this play before about the Clinton’s, and the endless story after story after story about the stupid emails. It is intellectual laziness, after all isn’t it much more fun to chase a story with no socially redeeming value and beat it like a dead horse then to do an oh so boring story about say, climate change, price of prescription drugs, homeless people, etc. Get over yourselves.
2
Much of the left has lost its mind. It has caught that well known disease from the right called victimhood. Everyone wants to be a victim. Everything must be blamed on someone. Because Joe Biden touched someone's hair or rubbed someone else's back isn't the end of the world. And it isn't a crime. You don't like his touchy style of friendliness, great. Tell him so and go on with your life. Don't come back years later and make a stink about it like an accuser from some old Salem witch trial.
6
Joe Biden ought to thank his stars that this stuff dominates instead of his actual governing behavior.
The Senator from MBNA, Clarence Thomas, regime change and crushing life-long personal debt really does have something to answer for....
Journalists' "worst instincts" will have to do, in the absence of any real reporting.
2
Biden is a decent man. Lay off!
This is the “me too”movement gone awry!
302
@Sandy, Just Curious,
I agree.
The press SHOULD be paying attention to things like:
1. Biden's apology to Anita Hill, last week, is pathetic. Joe Biden was the CHAIRMAN of the committee; he could have stopped it in a second!
2. Biden was on the wrong side of every AUMF vote. He was against the Gulf War, because he was afraid of Iraq's military. He voted FOR Bush 43 to invade Iraq, twelve years later. He backed the forays in Libya and Syria.
3. While VP, he threatened Ukraine, telling them he would revoke $1B in U.S. loan guarantees unless Ukraine fired their main corruption prosecutor. Oh yeah, that corruption prosecutor was investigating a Ukrainian natural gas company that paid Biden's son more than $3M for Lord know what. The corruption prosecutor was fired.
Funny how he NYT doesn't mention any of this, nor do they pick opinion writers that will.
Here's an article on the last item:
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/436816-joe-bidens-2020-ukrainian-nightmare-a-closed-probe-is-revived
Here's actual video of Biden bragging about the event (sans discussion of his son):
https://www.cfr.org/event/foreign-affairs-issue-launch-former-vice-president-joe-biden
16
@Sandy, Just Curious
I am a female and I totally agree. The man is from another era that's all.
8
@Sandy, Just Curious This is not the "me too" movement. This is the right wing hate mongers pouncing on a Democrat. Read the hateful Twitter comments; all Trump/conservative supporters. Ray Sipe
8
You mix apples with oranges. In no particular order: 1. Biden. Not only is he out of touch, but he has an historically slow learning curve (his remarks on 7/11 clerks, Anita Hill, etc). Quayle never recovered because one gaffe followed another, causing most to question how far he would have gotten if not born into privilege (he once said, after a junket to Latin America, that he wished he had studied Latin in high school, so that he could have spoken their language). How we choose presidents: you should write a column about how two states -- NH and Iowa -- are given a disproportionate voice in the primary process? Journalistic sensationalism: you're in the business of selling papers and getting ratings. And sex sells (ergo Hart, Franken, etc.). Cable news has too much time to fill: try watching any one of them for 4-5 hours in one sitting. Not possible. This is what Gillibrand exploited when she drove Franken (whom she saw at the time as her only obstacle to the White House) out of the Senate. As for the spectacle of Trump, "porno prez" and the poster boy of medical deferments, saluting when he gets on and off Air Force 1, you should comment on that. And what about the courage of those who didn't go with the flow, and helped bring the war to a swifter conclusion, by moving to Canada? They voted with their feet. You could write a column about them. Apples, oranges, and... bananas.
1
Pot and sex (unless it involves assault)? Yawn...Vietnam? That should still be a litmus test for those who were able bodied to serve and avoided doing so.
As for Biden specifically; while his 'touchy feeliness' is somewhat troubling, more concerning is his 'borrowing' from Neil Kinnock (and others) and his performance during the Thomas confirmation process.
Thank you for calling out the nonsense and reminding us what truly matters.
1
An accused sexual predator who is also a traitor, is currently mocking an American patriot who may be slightly misguided about keeping up appearances in the age of political correctness. The hypocrisy is staggering. We only have two political parties in this country, yet somehow they are judged by two completely different sets of standards.
1
"offenses inflated into mortal sins."
And yet here we are with Donald Trump. firmly entrenched, the biggest mortal sinner of all.
What we are witnessing is the mainstream media morphing into the National Enquirer. Tabloid journalism rules. Stories which get the clicks, eyeballs, and profits are the vogue. This should have been the obvious trend given Uncle Rupert "I married a Chinese Spy" formula for huge profits and success.
Please NYT no tongue clicking. You play the same game.
4
You can hang the Joe Biden fiasco all on Kirsten Gillibrand. She led the charge to oust Al Franken, whose charges included one comedic photo from a time when jokes like that were on television, and several anonymous claims of harassment. Gillibrand lumped Franken in with serial rapists and workplace harassers like Harvey Weinstein.
That one recent episode, joined to the "me too" movement led to now. Anyone accused, anonymously or not, for any accusation from unwanted hugs to forcible sex, recently or 3 decades ago, to the media frenzy described here.
Of course, Gillibrand now plays the hypocrite, on television saying she believes the accusations against Biden, but refuses to condemn him like she did Franken. She's the one who started this most recent frenzy in the Democratic. She should at least own it.
3
I am not touchy-feely but I can live with it.
I have never forgiven the revolting Anita Hill treatment.
But I find this press-frenzy disgusting. What on earth has this to do with far more important matters, ie. health care, trade, education, NATO and the future of the US?
I am getting really tired of 'personal space invasion', 'shoulder-touching', 'hair-smelling' trivia.
Let it go, folks.
283
@EGM My question to myself is always, why should I have to live with it? Why shouldn't the other person have to live with my hands-off preference instead? My concern is less that Joe (and other touchy-feelies) are "friendly," but more that I'm the one in the awkward position of having to choose between tolerating unwanted conduct (usually from a superior or person in position of some authority or influence over my life) or calling someone out and almost certainly getting a hurt-feeling, Bidenesque "apology" for my trouble, and possibly damage the relationship, but no real relief. I often choose to tolerate, but that doesn't make it ok. And that IS the connection between this and larger issues - it's another barrier women often encounter in education and work.
A real apology from Joe, showing real introspection and contrition and a genuine understanding of why this matters, would have been REALLY awesome - and probably stemmed this "frenzy." Alas, that's not the path he chose to walk.
2
@Maggie But it is being elevated to the level of what trump did which was truly disgusting.
10
@Maggie you don't have to live with it, speak up and tell the guy lay off -- you don't have to ruin his career -- do you actually get relief blasting something like this over the media and wrecking the man's chances for a job he might be very capable of doing? For goodness sake, even the so-called victims of his touchy feely approach say that it was not sexual -- I call this just plain dirty politics, even Trump, talk about the pot calling the kettle, is taking jabs on him.
4
Reality dictates we must deal with the political opponents we have. Democrats don't get to pick how decent, honest or scrupulous Republicans will be in waging their political campaigns.
Remember the GOP primary where John McCain was falsely accused of fathering an interracial child. Or Swift Boat Veterans working for Bush smearing the heroic war record of John Kerry. And Trump's numerous vicious lies 'criminalizing' Hillary & Obama, Ted Cruz's father, or when Trump hauled Bill Clinton's accusers into a pre- presidential debate forum.
Trump & the GOP play very very dirty.
Those trying to exculpate Biden say, rightly, that a dozen women have accused Trump of sexual assault - & Trump's response is to threaten them.
But remember: there are no photographs of Trump sexually assaulting anyone.
There are photos online of Biden grabbing & nuzzling young teenage girls - some are grimacing.
Trump will weaponize these photos of Biden to dominate the campaign the same way he used Hillary's emails.
This is not about the media. Trump & Co. will use the photos against Biden whether the media pushes the story or not.
Donald Trump is going to push this story.
Folks who like Biden should wake up & realize those photos are a minefield for Biden, who has no satisfactory explanation for his behavior.
This is our political reality.
Trump & the GOP will bury Biden under a pile of manure on this issue.
Democrats need a candidate without this baggage. Or we'll lose another election.
3
The knives are out for Biden for a number of reasons. One is that he was on the opposite pole from Hillary Clinton and John Brennan on foreign policy in the Obama Administration (and --before). He wants--and wanted--to end the war in the Middle East, and the deep state is strongly against, as it is against Trump for the same reason.
Deep into US war industry profiteering. War makes corporate money.
Let's be honest here. Joe Biden is a nice guy who sometimes rubs people the wrong way.
3
A brilliant, sober, timely column. Unfortunately, I fear it may be a cry in the wilderness. Whereas reasonable people consider a brief, uninvited touch on the shoulders to be nothing but a swiftly forgotten, momentary annoyance, the current frenzy has elevated it to the level of a mortal sin. Predictably, the circular firing squad has been assembled and the Spanish Inquisition of purity testing has rallied to arms. If they get their way, we'll end up with a candidate so dull, so milquetoast, so mild and so incapable of ever having caused anyone the slightest perceived offense that Trump's reelection is assured.
The last sentence is particularly important. I hope desperately that Joe Biden will simply ignore this nonsense until it goes away.
3
Where is the frenzy at the verbal sexual abuse of the mayor of San Juan by the POTUS that results in the delay of federal disaster assistance to tens of millions of Americans across the United States? This is today of course but journalistic context would require the exploration of the ethnic/racial prejudice that reasonable and informed, rational humans would conclude make this POTUS and administration complicit in the deaths of thousands of Puerto Ricans. Where is the factual examination of the disaster dollars that republican senators are foregoing for constituents in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina to abet the cruelty of a known sexual predator's attack on Puerto Ricans? Is there a similar story line to explore in the same republican senators dismissing the Constitution and their sworn oaths and duties at the expense of national defense spending in their districts to prop up the racist political symbol of the POTUS? Don't get me started on the distraction this frenzy is from the cruel and abusive policies toward young immigrant women, mothers and children. Real issues, involving real policies that impact real people.
6
Thank you for this much-needed article that point out two things:
Women take stock. Sexual assault and harassment is different from a man getting too touchy-feels for BENIGN reasons. Mr Biden did. It was not appropriate. He will stop. My God, can we not tell the difference? Why this urgent need to share this! Physical space. Our bodies. Don’t hug me. We get it. Don’t sabotage what the Me Too movement is about.
Media take stock. You are shameless and will become useless and there goes democracy. Is there nothing you can do than spend your time on this 24/7. Fox is heinous and you know what else ? As a liberal and a CNN and MSNBC viewer you lost me. Good luck getting your soul back.
5
I confess. I touched Lois in Sunday School. Does that mean I can never become president?
So sad and pathetic. At times it appears that news organizations and social media are anti democracy and pro scandal. Money is all that matters , personal 15 minutes of fame.
There is so much happening in the world and it’s troubling if you have the ability to think.
The media is corporate shareholders and the love affair with ratings and money is not about truth but about ridiculous headlines st times.
Currently we have security issues at the White House a whistle blower who just happenes to be a woman being abused by the storm troopers of the administration. Yesterday during a committee hearing a representative with his own sexual scandal from Ohio STATE is mouthing off at a committee hearing. HIS wrestling scandal has been quietly buried why is that? Is it because he is a loud mouth ex military Trump lover? Ohio state is asking them not to print stories? He supposedly put other people’s children in sexual danger so we go after priests all the day a very different reporting scandal for him.
The security issue is important to America I don’t care about Mr. Biden hugging a person. I would rather have a hug vs a hater throwing paper towels at me like I am a caged animal .everyone needs to grow up or see a therapist. Stop worrying about yourself and care about the country this goes especially to the media.
"Pundits are now discussing whether these actions should end Mr. Biden’s (as yet unannounced) presidential candidacy and even declaring point blank that he is the wrong man to succeed President Trump. Charges about inappropriate touching must be heard and evaluated."
Good God. Look at who we have right now as so called president. How is it that Donald Trump has gotten away with allegations of sexual misconduct by at least 23 women, not including one since he became president? Why is it that the "Me Too Movement" has remained largely silent while this psychopath, who has violated so many women and boasted about grabbing their genitals while calling them all liars, remains in power?
3
Let me first say that Biden is unimpressive, stands for very little, and will make a mediocre President if elected. I am certainly not for him.
However, watching this non-story story unfold in the form of a ‘feeding frenzy’ — as you rightly call it — is just appalling. The media at this point, especially MSNBC and CNN, the two 24/7 television stations biased to the left, are making fools of themselves. (Any shred of credibility they had remaining disappeared with the Mueller report coverage.)
Don’t they realize that they’re a central part of the circular firing squad, in fact the ones pulling trigger, that has now become the Left?! This while the Right merrily whistles past our identity-politics graveyard.
Pathetic.
5
When did Trump "admit" to sexual assault As I recall the Access Hollywood tape, he said "And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.", There is consent based on being a star. Crude? certainly. Assault? Not likely!
1
Excellent column! The latest "feeding frenzy" we are now enduring is disgusting.
Having been pawed by a "great guy" at work whom everybody just loved, back in 1973 when it would have been job-threatening to have complained about it, my perspective differs. Certainly there's a spectrum of sexual harassment, but creepy behavior is creepy behavior, even if it's on the milder end of that spectrum.
This might be a press "feeding frenzy," as it always is when a good guy is accused of bad behavior, but it reflects the importance with which half the population regards the behavior of the other half.
82
@Megan
One flaw in the response to these events is the tendency for women to "snap on" their own experiences, bringing their bias and animus to a situation that may not be quite the same. Sometimes these events seem more like a Rorschach test for women who have deeply rooted anger towards men with whom they've worked. The politicians become a surrogate for the person who offended them.
100
@AACNY,
You just described the entire Brett Kavanaugh "affair".
4
@AACNY What you are talking about is that "women snap" - they (we) have put up with so much for so long that it's no wonder something snaps and we just decide not to lie about it any more, not to "let it go", not to smile and pretend it's OK, that the deal old dolt means well and doesn't know how belittling it is. If he doesn't know by now, it's willful ignorance. So yes, women do snap.
3
Bernie bros making sure Democrats lose another election.
4
@ericwinter1, seriously? Hillary lost because of her campaign missteps, no other excuses needed. But if you want to feel good, go ahead and concoct theories...
1
One consequence of this type of feeding frenzy is that it may discourage the best men and women from seeking office. What sane person would want to be tweezered to death by reporters looking for another Watergate-type triumph? You announce, then wait for somebody to cast the first stone.
1
The feeding frenzies aren't just about sex. As a still bitter Hillary supporter, we need look no further than the media's 18-month email obsession, which culminated in the bizarre, Pearl Harbor-headline treatment of the two-sentence Comey letter that completely dominated the last week of the campaign and ultimately derailed her election.
Then, at the very same time that Trump was paying off his mistresses, the media had its month-long Wikileaks frenzy, in which the daily document dumps of the stolen emails were breathlessly analyzed every night (John Podesta's risotto recipe, anyone?).
As Kathleen Hall Jamieson reports, at the peak of this feeding frenzy, the AP actually had 30 reporters assigned to reading all of the stolen emails, looking for juicy tidbits.
And of course there is a simple explanation for all this which the author, like most media critics who restrict themselves to content analysis, refuses to discuss.
Namely that journalism is now largely an entertainment medium, reflecting its ownership and operation by the giant movie entertainment companies, such as Comcast, Warner, Disney, Fox and Viacom.
All news now is run through an entertainment and ratings filter, largely dictated by computer algorithms, page clicks, book sales and Nielsen ratings. The goal is to entertain and titillate for profit, as well as to inform.
This ratings focus is indelibly ingrained into the journalistic culture. They just can't help themselves.
2
Make no mistake the "Biden scandal's" origin and purpose is very different than most of the scandals mentioned in the article. This one has insider Democratic politics written all over it. The former Vice President is seen as a moderate male presidential candidate who will appeal to a broad swath of moderate Democrats in the primary elections and hence a threat to the Democratic female candidates who will also run. He needs to be eliminated and what a better way than to accuse him of the sin de jour the media is certain to endlessly run with. I sense Debbie Wasserman's cunning hand in this somewhere.
2
While never an admirer of Dan Quayle, I wonder why you felt it necessary to revive 30-year-old “rumors, never proven” about Dan Quayle cheating on his wife. Class act.
Why should Democrats settle and doubletalk and excuse? We’ve got a large slate of candidates for 2020, most of whom have never been credibly accused of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or sexual misconduct. Can’t we just nominate one of them instead?
1
It's true. People can be good at something and bad at something else. Clinton could have been a great president but let his attitude concerning a White House intern allowed his full potential be stolen. He also left evidence of his behavior that could reject any denial. Biden also left a trail of photo evidence that remove any question as to whether the physical contacts occurred. His reaction to the complaints was, " “Not once — never — did I believe I acted inappropriately.” Those are the words of someone who believes he is entitled to touch women without asking. Not only that, but they yearn for and cherish the very thought of his nose rubbing against theirs, snuggling their hair, kisses on top of their head etc. etc. etc. It isn't out of character. As a senator we were given repeated sound bites about himself. In one committee meeting a network counted the times he said the words "I" or "Me" while questioning the person before the committee. There were more times than minutes. It seemed just days after Clinton lost that he announced he would have won. There are a lot of candidates who are running for the nomination. The rush to excuse him may be concern that none can beat Trump. Their hopes are that ma maybe someone from the past can and that narrows down to one, Joe. But the new candidates are very verbal and not willing to back off of good old Joe's history and attitude. It could be harsh.
I think people like these stories for the same reason they like sports and weather: anyone can play. To evaluate Iraq or Iran, you have to know something. To talk about “inappropriate touching,” not so much.
1
Commendations to The Times for running this piece.
The coverage approaching hysteria on this topic has been disappointing. It is minor in comparison to multiple domestic and international issues, yet has had front page display for two days. Vice President Biden's tactile, gaffe-prone style is well known to voters. If you learned he had a substance abuse problem, that would be news.
We depend on the judgement of reporters and editors of this great newspaper to keep a professional perspective when choosing what merits our time and attention in these stressful times.
Let us hope they at least read this well-reasoned statement.
1
This is about how people in positions of cultural and political authority on the left have abandoned all critical thinking and vilify any who won't abandon their circumspection by smearing them as racists or misogynists. It's no longer about how the traditional media acts, but about a small incredibly vocal faction of the far-left of the Democratic Party exploiting social media, and specifically twitter, to drive their agenda and force out any out who don't conform to it.
Joe Biden is facing a very deliberate ideologically driven hatchet job to drive him from running for president because while Biden is very liberal, he's unforgivably an old white guy who is not a doctrinaire leftist, who also unforgivably acts with the physical affection of many very decent working class people, as opposed to how the college campus elite has determined all people must behave.
The resurgent left's obsession with absolute purity, a lack critical thinking, and an utter disregard for due process, is destroying Biden. The traditional media just keeps chasing every tweet by prominent members of the left, or their proxies, as they've done with Trump for years.
The destruction of Joe Biden was already a central part of far-left thought, specifically on college campuses, in which professors have been mobbed and driven from their jobs for daring to advocate for things like due process. Sadly, it is now the default among the Democrat establishment because of those who claim to be all sorts of Woke.
2
If Biden had a resume that illustrated his achievements that were out standing, then smelling a women’s hair would not have the impact it had.The fact is none of the men in this article that had to withdraw ,were outstanding.The Presidency demands a man of great stature, in scholarship $ leadership, otherwise ,you have a Trump.George Washington was such a man as was Jefferson & Adams. Since then we have chosen our leaders on the basis of their loyalty to the Party he or she belongs to, or on the donations they can generate.Sex abuse has become a lethal weapon that can ruin one’s career & personal life.If we cannot find a man of great stature to be our candidate, we must find a man with a very low sex drive.
In the present Biden frenzy no one seems to be mentioning Biden's use of lines from a speech by Margaret Thatcher challenger Neil Kinnock during his 1988 run for the Democratic nominee, though it was widely reported at the time and caused him to drop out of the race. Not only were the lines plagiarized, they contained falsehoods about his family's history. This says more about his character in relation to serving in public office than getting too handsy while on the campaign trail.
I emphatically agree!!
We even have Lucy Flores now telling us that she doesn't feel that her accusations merit consideration in Mr. Biden's candidacy. So why on god's Earth did she say so in the first place and why is it a story at all? It is a clamor with a recommended outcome of "never mind".
Only some of the public will take notice. That is the horror. After all, Donald Trump is more than likely president at least partly because of a similar media clamor over his Circus act. The press couldn't let go and gave Trump a dominant position in the campaign.
Surely, editors have the depth of knowledge to realize non-stories when they come up and either don't print them or give them 50 words on the 50th page.
1
Are Biden’s actions that bad, no. Are they indicative of a time when men felt entitled to do as they wished with women’s bodies, yes. Biden, you had your time, that time is now over. Move gracefully aside and allow room for the future of the Democratic Party. It’s for the good of the republic.
"The #MeToo movement served a valuable purpose at first but as survivors of sexual assault gained media attention and fame, women everywhere began to search their memories for any assault that might bring them the same attention."
So in the writer's view, women are all such sad, shallow, attention starved neurotics that they're willing to inflate, exaggerate and slander every man they've ever known just so they can have their little "look at me" moment.
Wow.
No other possible explanation occurs? Like maybe no searching of memories was required. Like maybe millions of women have true stories of being humiliated, frightened and treated with supreme disrespect, and we've never shared them with you, writer, because we didn't think you'd believe us, let alone sympathise. Let alone help.
Hands in pockets, eyes on floor? In your case, maybe a good idea.
The main problem with Joe Biden is not his serial creepiness. The real problem is his inability to think and behave outside of the Old Boys Club roadmaps. Yes, he's updated some of his social views but, essentially, he's the same guy who presided over the Clarence Thomas hearings. Those videos will get a lot of play time during the campaign and I don't know how women will be able to vote for him after watching the evidence of how he destroyed Anita Hill. Biden should step aside. If he wants to help he can campaign for a younger and more capable candidate. I don't know what Obama saw in the guy.
2
Tabloid News would have it that our president asked Mr. Biden if he is enjoying himself. 'How thoughtful of you to ask, Don, and I hope you are weathering Stormy Daniels'. Joe Biden, however, refrained from engaging in such scurrilous discourse.
The latter, a gentleman, who is keenly aware that the president is no babe when it comes to abusive personal comments on the fairer sex, he is not going to remind the Public that if the president had not sired his daughter, his paternal hands might have been the cause of groping.
It has come a cropper to some American voters that our former vice-president has an eye to the ladies and has invited some in yesteryears to engage in a merry fling and a with a spring in their steps.
On revisiting the Past where Dan Quayle made a 'potatoe' out of comparing himself to John Kennedy, it was all over when Lloyd Bentsen, his fellow debater, retorted that he was not made of the same fabric, stunning the audience at large and reducing his opponent to a squeak.
Sending a large bouquet of spring flowers to Joe Biden and his family, remembering his son Beau on this day; and The Press to get its act together, past this stale salacious trail it appears to enjoy, and move forward.
Biden voted for war in Iraq.
No more war or candidates that vote for war.
Bernie voted against war.
1
Can anyone say Salem witch trials?
Fortunately, the news cycle is so quick that it is hard to remember why we were so concerned with the last topic to cause a frenzy.
America has been dumbed down to a terrible extent by TV. We see life from reality show and sit-com perspectives, and use those genres as our measuring sticks. Journalists and news reporters, with fewer and fewer exceptions, are both victims and exacerbators if the situation. They would loose revenue or their jobs if they didn’t feed the hunger of the masses for junk food life.
The media hits a big drum and like drums, once you get passed the sound, you find it is empty.
1
To those who complain about the sort of behavior Biden has exhibited:
"For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool / By making his world a little colder." If I'm showing my age by quoting such lyrics, so be it.
There's too little warmth, too little decency and understanding in the world right now -- too many people too quick to impugn their neighbors and traffic in outrage, grievance, and offense.
That's the sort of behavior Biden's accusers have exhibited.
I hope, instead of apologizing, Biden calls them out for it.
It's time we got out of the box Trump has baited us into!
1
I was a young career woman in the 1970s and I knew many Joe Bidens. At the time, women pursuing careers in a man’s world had other issues with men to deal with. Some men simply ignored us. Some pressured us for sexual favors. And then there were the Joe Bidens.
Because being patted, stroked or snuggled like a pet dog was so much less awful than other bad behavior, we tolerated it without complaining. But women aren’t pet dogs. If you wouldn’t fondle a male colleague, one shouldn’t assume a woman wants to be fondled… even if the motivation is perfectly innocent.
It concerns me that Joe Biden, who isn’t hearing this complaint for the first time, doesn’t realize that behavior from the 70s should be left in the 70s. If he hasn’t figured that out, I can’t help wondering what else he hasn’t figured out.
92
@Leslie: But what if you WOULD fondle a male colleague? Anyway, did you ever consider telling any of those folks (who I assume were all males) that their behavior was making you feel uncomfortable?
Personally, I wish we all knew many Joe Bidens and wish one of them were sitting in the White House right now.
comment posted 4/3 11:12 AM
18
@Leslie
I really doubt he was aware because many women who have known him didn’t feel uncomfortable with his affection. Had he been told, he would have stopped. And he did apologize.
At this time I will proudly vote for him. But I want to see the debates.
19
@Leslie Yes, it is that "what else" that David Greenberg is concerned about. Journalists are tempted by the easy story that sells, but we really should be asking whether Biden will support policies being articulated by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, or does he represent the recent but old Democratic Party that has been unable to do anything significant about wealth inequity or climate change.
7
The Mueller string has played out so we need a new shiny object. In the age of Trump, I see we on The Left are forming the circular firing squad once again. How dare us to question the motives and the timing of the accusers? We allowed Al Franken to walk the plank in the name of political correctness and many of us are having remorse about that. No one said anything Joe did was sexual but the media is minimizing that fact. It is like circling sharks because they smell blood in the water.
1
I’m sure Biden is a nice guy but touching women from behind, whispering in their ears and sniffing their hair is really creepy. And I will never forgive or forget his treatment of Anita Hill. He is partly responsible for Clarence Thomas’s lifetime seat on the Supreme Court. That along with looking old and out of time makes me hope that he decides not to run.
It’s constant news because a whole bunch of hypocritical Democrat candidates see it as a way to sideline a front-runner. An all too willing & compliant press pool is glad to go along for the ride - the stories draw eyeballs. Don’t be a hypocrite about this. The media knows exactly what it’s doing and they’ll keep on doing it until they help elect the socialist they pine for. When that happens they really then should worry about their First Amendment protections.
As a culture westerners are confused and unclear about "character" and values. The Catholic Church, a prominent entity in the western world, refuses to recognize gay marriage but knows under its very own skirts, there is rampant gay sex between priests and unwilling young boys and men. For decades and decades the Catholic Church allowed this to happen, abuse of both boys and girls, they hid the complaints by transferring priests from one parish to another, one country to another. The same Catholic church is supposed to be the upholder of moral values, character and divine qualities. If priests can get away with temptation, then mere mortals like politicians are more than willing to take chances. In a sense, the Catholic Church "lied". So why shouldn't politicians lie about their character flaws. The media has long lost its ability to give us objective facts and news/reports. The entire media has a tabloid flavor. And it is 24/7 "breaking" news repeated incessantly.
1
By using the enticing headline "The Joe Biden Media Frenzy" Mr. Greenberg is actually playing on the very same feeding frenzy that he disapproves of in his Opinion piece. He could have chosen any number of different headlines but decided that "Joe Biden" would get more reads.
1
Thank you for writing this. Well said.
1
"How the press handles Mr. Biden’s penchant for handling others will test whether it has learned from its mistakes in the days of Hart and Ginsburg and Quayle."
But why SHOULD it learn if there are no consequences to the press for irresponsible reporting? There ARE consequences, but to others. The press only makes more profit.
Yep. Just yep. Focus on the issues, please. (“Fit” news does not mean 500 repetitive articles about emails, either. ). Make America smart again.
Joe Biden is a disaster waiting to happen, and I say that as a Democrat from Delaware. He's a poor choice for a number of reasons, but if this is what it takes to get him to stay out of the race, I'll take it.
Also, Mr. Greenberg seems unaware that if people didn't click on the stories, they wouldn't turn into a feeding frenzy. Stop blaming the media for giving the gullible public what it craves.
1
Every “victim of the press” mentioned by this author just happens to be male.
Poor guys. Always misunderstood, misrepresented, by picky nasty women hungry for the spotlight, and by the sleazy press. When really these good guys are just being themselves ... boys will be boys.
Now. I like Joe Biden. He’s older (even older than me), and has acted bravely through an awful personal tragedy. And anybody who has worked with Obama deserves a pat on the back from all of us.
But he’s not the right presidential candidate for 2020. He’s run twice already and repeatedly kicked his foot into his mouth. And his behavior, reported here, though “benign” (because condescending), proves that he’s a member of a generation of men who consider women generally “cute.” And especially cute when they’re kinda helpless and quiet.
Enough already.
I do fear that no woman or any gay man (Buttigieg) can be elected president, given the legions of racist, sexist, and homophobic voters who’ve risen to power in the US thanks, in part, to their vicious leader, Trump.
AND YET, I also recommend that this professor imagine himself as a woman for three months. Dress up like a woman. Act like a woman. Be apologetic like a woman. “Secondary” like a woman. Then report back. Thanks.
1
I got about 1/2 way through the column and BOOM....there it is.
Trump is a confessed sexual assaulter.
The Professor apparently is neither attractive enough nor rich enough to have ever had very attractive women throw hotel room keys at him or unwanted advances from women interested in getting a piece of the 'pie.'
I know of dozens of very wealthy and attractive women who hunt as much as Mr. Trump has hunted over the years. The stories they tell are Fifty Shades of Grey and then some...allowing and even requesting men to do things to them and their private parts that would make Hugh Hefner blush..if he were still alive.
Let's stop pretending that the sexual assaulting of Trump is anything worth mentioning except in the same political context of Joe Biden creeping on young girls and women who are not his wife. It's political.
Had the Professor seen what he was doing in this column by using the same political hatchet against Trump as the rest of the media is doing against Biden, Franken and others..he might have admitted that men do need to become more chivalrous.
The problem with chivalry, of course..is the moment they hold a door open for a woman or stand when a woman enters a room, they are accused of being sexist by the same media.
Men can't win. It's a woman's world and no..women don't get paid 20% less than men.
I just checked. Women at LaGuardia airport selling croissants make the exact same amount as men selling croissants.
There's just got to be something more important to talk about. Let's talk about Joe Biden's service to this country. His decades worth of service. And judge him on that.
1
For all the talk about Fox and its influence, often fact free reporting, the "liberal" mainstream press has its own issues. For one, go back and look at the Times coverage of the election in 2016. What one sees over and over by implication is Hillary's flaws are equal to Trump's flaws. Really? The same is true now. I am still amazed that the Times didn't run stories week after week about Klobuchar and the comb, or Warren and her DNA tests.
1
And while we all squabble with these ridiculous purity tests trump is waltzing towards another four years (in addition to the next two years we will have to suffer, hoping the Democratic congress can keep the damage minimal) and laughing all the way to the "bank" as he continues to rape the nation of her funds. It is estimated that his weekend trips to Ma A Lago are costing the taxpayers $3.5 million a trip yet no-one is discussing that, even though the so-called conservatives' heads exploded over Obama's handful of trips to Hawaii. He demonstrates daily a loss of cognitive ability but nothing is said. His proposals will harm millions of people either through loss of healthcare, loss of income with his ridiculous war with the "4 Mexicos" which is estimated at costing the economy billions a day if he closes the border that will affect all Americans not just the Democrats he and his sycophants viciously hate. His promised trade deal with China by the end of March, always "the greatest ever", is no longer mentioned. Where is it? The constant lies are swept under the rug, the constant damage is swept under the rug; the attacks on education, the EPA whose budget is being slashed 30%, his empty promises to the rust belt manufacturing, his abject failure at doing anything that will help the struggling working class. Pays are stagnant, the tax cut is a joke, his megalomania is dangerous. Yet here we are beating to death the non-story Joe Biden story. Will Democrats ever learn?
1
I, for one, do not want a flawed or rotten person as my President in the hope that he will overcome his or her basic character and become a great leader. I offer as Exhibit 1 Donald Trump.
1
The media will always go for the simple, dramatic, juicy, sex and drug stories because the reading (those who still read) or viewing public basically doesn't understand much else. The media has to appeal to the largest audience possible since they are basically money making, and no longer public service organizations. As such, they have to "go low" because of the statistics of IQ: half the voting public has an IQ below 100 (burger flipping gets too complicated much below this level), and the rest are just used to the dopamine hits. Until the media is again paid mainly based on the quality of their fares, it's junk food and probably, curtains.
Amusing that this article, a needed corrective, appears on the same day as a big feature about the world's greatest tabloid distortions, Rupert Murdoch. The Times, sadly, has fallen a bit into the Murdoch mold. Presumably the editors think this necessary, but more than anything, it's pathetic.
As for Joe Biden, he's always worn all his feelings out on his sleeve, and to not-so-great effect many times over the years.
But that's part of who he is, and while that trait has made a lot of people "uncomfortable" or worse over the years, including me, paradoxically it seems to also reflect a fundamental sincerity and decency lacking in most of Washington culture.
And at least at the moment, Joe still looks like the best candidate to help rid the world of that horrible human being and terrible president alluded to in the article.
Maybe Joe and "Mayor Pete" or Mr. Hickenlooper as a ticket?
2
Find ONE human who is the perfect "moral" exemplar- male or female.
I don't vote in US elections, although I have the right to do so. I have no vested interest in Democratic party candidates.
I hope that Mr. Biden declares and sticks it out. In my view he is the most capable of any presidential candidate so far, announced, official or not of either party.
If he seeks the nomination and loses, I hope it will be on issues, whatever they might be, and not based on turning him into a scapegoat for a generation or more's faults. See, e.g. today:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/opinion/joe-biden-metoo-president.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
Re Gov. Northam and Lt. Gov. Fairfax sticking it out see:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/02/us/virginia-scandal-northam-fairfax.html
Good luck to Mr. Biden!
1
What does this list of offenders say about many people who run for such high offices?
(But lets first distinguish Obama smoking some dope sometime in his past and even the legal affair of Hart from crimes and disgusting behavior, such as sexual harassment and supporting a war while finding tricky ways of making sure only the other guy is sent to fight it.)
The ego, drive, and realization that you must deceive, divert, spin, and give up your normal life leads to a lot of scoundrels (ranging from those with yucky behavior to Trumpist crimes) to run. It also reveals what we find when we scratch the facade off a lot of deceptively OK human behavior.
We have along way to go in teaching ourselves how to be good humans. Religions are not around for nothing -- they conceal, project, fantasize, and confuse about what we are, what we could be, and how some imaginary world "on the other side" fixes this messy one of ours on this side.
Biden is yucky at best (take seriously what he did to Anita Hill). There are better candidates in the pool. Let's not get hung up on him.
Sure, the press should be responsible in what and how they report things. But we citizens need to learn to read through their hype and separate the wheat from the chaff.
Enough of marketing controlling the message. Give us the best you can find out about the character and policy plans of the candidates. Don't hype a story or exaggerate. Keep your eyes open and mind clear and read on.
1
This is what we have become in the era of the #MeToo movement. Was Biden inappropriate in his deeds so allegedly described? Yes, but only within this context. 20 years ago this would not had happened. But we now don't live in the ethics and morals of 20 years ago. I smell a conspiracy to derail the best candidate to defeat Trump and his minions in 2020. As for me, I'm never touching another woman again, and that includes my spouse.
As a woman working for a large company, we were given many instructional courses about inappropriate conduct in the workplace, and that was years ago. I love Biden, but find it astonishing that conduct like this has never reached his consciousness at the level in government that he has operated for many years.
But Biden has the intelligence to self-correct and understand how his behavior is uncomfortable for women. How has his wife never noticed this and complained?
86
@LAH
His wife never complained because he has done nothing wrong. He is a "touchy-feely" kind of guy with men, women and children. He is not a deviant. I know several people like this including my wife and I love her for her love of people.
If someone is uncomfortable with this type of person, they need only pull back and show or speak of their discomfort, and it will likely never happen again.
41
Completely agree. Corporate America has invested heavily in training programs to ensure employees understand what constitutes sexual harassment and/or discrimination. That is why we have seen so few Corp execs accused of these acts. Did Joe and all the others skip these training sessions or did they believe the rules just do not apply to them.
I cannot imagine taking hold of one of my female employees and kissing her head. Would I give someone a pep talk before a big meeting, help them get ready for a major presentation - absolutely yes and have done so many times. But it never involved touching or kissing.
Joe said he never did anything ‘he’ felt was inappropriate. What he does not understand is he does not get to make the rules and that the rules in 2019 are different from the rules in 1975.
7
@LAH You assume that women that interacted with Biden found his behavior objectionable. Many didn't - ask them.
19
I appreciate the comparisons of these accusations with those against Franken. An unfortunate pattern has developed which begs for a label. Perhaps “Gillibranding” is fitting since it implies political motivations.
1
I am not a hugger. Would usually rather not. Yet in the 30 years I’ve lived here in California, I’ve accepted that this is what Californians do. It pretty much always makes me a little uncomfortable because it’s a personal space thing. But honestly, I’ve learned to appreciate the sentiment it’s meant to express and I accept the well meaning gesture. Why not?
So I think I get the objections of those complaining about VP Biden. But can’t we also acknowledge that in addition to the very few women who have called him out, there are thousands of people, women and men, who have been comforted by or otherwise appreciated the support or fellowship these gestures have tried to convey. C’mon people, if the gesture truly isn’t sexual (and all have said it isn’t) What really is the point of your complaining? You either demure at the moment of contact & wriggle away (sorry, I’m not a hugger) or you let it be. Sorry, but this moment drips with political motives.
And oddly, even we non-huggers sometimes recognize the need for and importance of human contact. Go figure.
294
@Clarissa. Well said. To me, this fuss about Biden is “safe spaces” taken to an extreme. Life is full of uncomfortable moments. Either deal with them as they occur, as you note, or forget about them and move on.
53
@Clarissa
Amen, Clarissa, a great comment.
5
@Clarissa
Sorry, it's not hugging. It's not comfort or support. Look at the pictures of Biden and you will see that he places his hand too close to women's breasts. It was clearly noticeable during the campaigns with Obama. Do you see Biden pawing men in the same way?
1
Good column. But: much of the coverage of this aspect of Biden eventually mentions Anita Hill -- and that is no small matter in our history. I think we are experiencing some second thoughts, as we tried and failed to do with Hillary Clinton. In the age of Trump and Faux News, Biden will be very vulnerable fodder, and not just for nose-rubbing. Looking at the Democratic field, it is clear that we can do much better than Uncle Joe.
1
This is really hilarious. Media companies are responding to what is popular. Because these companies seek to maximize profits. Our society is interested in this sort of stuff, in the same manner that shows like The Bachelorette and Keeping Up with The Kardashians get huge ratings.
4
I will categorize the former VP as creepy. His behavior may be grandfatherly or avuncular but he was interacting with people far outside his family circle or even outside his circle of friends and colleagues.
The real problem with Joe Biden is his political history. His explanation of his committee's treatment of Anita Hill was hardly an apology and avoided responsibility, as he was chairman of the committee. On foreign policy, on criminal justice and on his support for harsh bankruptcy laws he has proven himself out of tune with both today's Democratic party and with his image of being a "nice guy."
121
@Arthur
I believe there's much truth to your view. However decent an individual he may be, Biden comes with a long list of questionable votes, prominent gaffes (which for whatever reason haven't been scrutinized much yet), and incidents of uncomfortable handsiness.
The latter might not be the most substantive issue, but it's well known – the Daily Show covered it in 2015 ("The Audacity of Grope"). Call it avuncular if you want, but I'd be far from pleased if he demonstrated his "affection" with my niece. I'm hard-pressed to watch a montage of these incidents and believe that the recipients (some quite young) are all completely comfortable with it, and it just doesn't play well in the #metoo era.
Contrary to the stated belief of many here in the NYT comments section, we do have less flawed candidates to offer as a party.
34
@Arthur Noticve that those who want to run Biden out of the campaign, usually connected to Sanders, dont want to give us a chance to decide on the basis of these policy issues. Just like with Hilary Clinton's emails we are seeing the frenzy block out the very concerns you are speaking of. It seems to me that with all the talk of Sanders not engaging in negative campaigning he sure knows how to distract the conversation onto the irrelevant. And the great thing for him is that these same journalists will not question him about either character or policy.
25
@Greg Jones
I'm not convinced that everything is Bernie Sander's fault. I'm not voting for Bernie in the primary either.
I don't think Biden is a "bad guy." I think he's out of touch with the Party. And I guarantee that his past voting record, past comments about women's bodily autonomy, and his overly friendly "handsiness" is going to be an issue in the primary.
14
Yes, Joe Biden’s a touchy-feely guy who came of age in an earlier time. Yes, in retrospect, he shouldn’t have done some of the things he’s done or been accused of. Although his acts weren’t intended as sexual, it’s evident that his invasions of some woman’s spaces have resulted in discomfort. However, looking to the 2020 general election, there’s no way these acts should be a show-stopper running against a President that cheated on three wives and admittedly grabbed ladies’ private parts. By any standard, the latter is far worse than anything Biden’s accused of.
And for this Democrat, none of the President’s salacious acts were disqualifying for him serving as President. With Trump, MANY other things he’s said, tweeted and done are disqualifying – just not these! Based on that, it’s time for the former Vice President to declare his candidacy and enter the primary race. It’s past time for him to compare and contrast his experience, record, vision and platform against the other Democratic contenders and moreover, against the sitting President.
Everyone is flawed in some way but whether their flaws are connected to an immoral, inappropriate or even illegal behavior is another matter altogether. To cast everyone into the same cauldron that must withstand the heat of public scrutiny is to make a mockery of our code of ethical behavior. Candidates for highly appointed or elected offices should vet themselves before throwing their hat into the ring, thereby sparing an ever-increasingly stupefied public from having to discern and judge their past wrongdoings. The media, like everyone else, is drowning in the daily barrage of questionable character traits, words and actions. The age of Trumpism has waylaid the norms of decency and thrown our prior understanding of morality into a place that many of us do not recognize or even want to acknowledge. Nevertheless, silent acquiescence is akin to acceptance, so people of good conscience must continue to speak out regardless of their livelihood.
2
The author of this op-ed is a professor of both history and journalism at a well-respected public university. Here is part of what he has written:
"Not one of our baby-boomer presidents served in Vietnam — a fact that troubles few people today.
So are we now able to evaluate aspirants for high office dispassionately, on the basis of their experience, achievements and qualifications? It sure isn’t looking that way."
Read those sentences carefully. The very clear, very direct implication is that military service would somehow not constitute a part of a potential candidate's "experience" or "achievements" or "qualifications" for political office. If we evaluate those three factors "dispassionately," a career of military service would not even weigh in the balance.
It has always been the case, in my memory, that presidents have said their most difficult decision was whether to send troops into battle. Notwithstanding that fact, the author believes that actual military service is effectively irrelevant as a qualification for high office. Presumably, this is the message that is conveyed, explicitly or implicitly, to his students of history and journalism. Astounding.
@David W.
No, he is implying that, as a society, the issue of service doesn't bear on polling the way it once did. He takes no moral position himself.
3
@David W.
"...the author believes that actual military service is effectively irrelevant as a qualification for high office."
That is one interpretation. I don't know what anyone, including the author, actually believes. But another interpretation here is that the author is offering a view that actual (vs National Guard?) military service has shown to be less relevant to voters among other qualifications such aselements of "character" (including marriage fidelity) than they may have been formerly. To his comment of "...a horrible human being who also made (past tense, by the way) a horrible president" is he suggesting the last Bush president ,or LBJ (possibly the most despised in recent history for his escalation of the Viet Nam war -which seems, ironically, he is suggesting to be less of an issue for those candidates who did not server, or maybe it is more of a positive issue?) or Wilson? Or any of our former slave-holding presidents? IDK. I can't think it's Trump because the author used the past tense "made" vs "is". Or maybe his use of past tense is reflective of a wishful thought on the author's part. Is it too early for a Scotch? Or too late?
Forty years ago as an accounting major in college, one of the required courses in the curriculum was auditing. "Materiality" was a key concept that we learned early on. No set of financial statements was perfect. No company was perfect. The auditors often needed to make a judgement call as to what truly was material and therefore needed disclosure.
As I read opinion pieces such as this and then scan the comments, I often feel as if I want to scream like the character Howard Beale in the movie "Network". Where in the world are we headed? Is there no common sense as to what really constitutes bad behavior?
Recently I sat next to three woman at the bar of a nice restaurant. The one nearest to me turned out to be, as I am, single. After a fun ninety minutes or so we finished dinner at the same time, and I helped the woman put on her coat. As I drove home that evening, it occurred to me that simple gesture would today be viewed by many as a negative. I've "marginalized" that person by assuming a position of male dominant superiority. I on the other hand simply view it as decent manners. Can we just take a deep breath before we shout out our outrage upon being offended?
6
I think we have come, perhaps, to a tipping point with respect to how such stories are covered.
On the one hand, there is no question of Joe Biden's physicality. There is more than legitimate doubt regarding Biden's motives, and no one has yet suggested that he is guilty of the sort of predatory and abusive behavior that Donald Trump is guilty of.
On the other hand, we are at a place in this country where tit-for-tat politics has become the norm. It is accompanied by vengeful sort of reductio ad absurdum logic employed in order to drive home possible character flaws highlighted by the most extreme interpretation of someone's behavior.
Overlayed on all of this is the rise of the Me Too movement which has heightened the sensitivity given to allegations of sexually and gender-based abuse and the evolving standard that judges long-ago past behavior by current and evolving standards.
The saddest part of this is that Joe Biden is, by all measures, a decent human being, even allowing for his mistakes, and one of the single-most qualified individuals in the United States to serve as president.
Is this a teaching moment for Biden. Sure it is. But it would be a tragedy to lose him over this, particularly when his political opponent is, by his own admission and incontrovertible evidence, guilty of far worse.
Perhaps, it should be a teaching moment for the rest of us as well.
379
@Quoth The Raven
He is NOT qualified. He is dragging around a bunch of ancient ideas including that touching everyone in sight and fondling their hair and faces then kissing them is appropriate.
Joe Biden brings zip to the table. He's a clown. He says dumb things. In the past we would have never considered him because he isn't presidential. He's shown zero talent for leadership.
I think many of the commenters here a towing the old Geo W rope, "Well, golly, I'd like to have a beer with him."
I don't want to drink with him. I don't even have to like him. I want someone who can return this country to some semblance of what it was before Trump and I want a person who understands the century we now live in.
I am not a Sanders supporter. He too is an old man with old impractical ideas and no idea how to accomplish them.
6
@mj You can dislike Joe Biden, disagree with his policies, take exception to his physical contact with women, and other things, but you're flat out wrong that he is not qualified. He is absolutely qualified unless, of course, you're a Trump supporter, in which case you have no idea of what qualifies an individual to be president.
24
@mj.
I bet there are very few commenters here who believe that Joe Biden is a clown with no leadership potential or more demonstrably, leadership history.
Additionally, your unashamed ageism is pretty repugnant.
I think you've just discredited yourself more convincingly than Joe Biden ever did.
20
Gary Hart actually started it all by daring the media to find anything on him. That turned out to be far too easy. I think he should have toughed it out, and I believe Joe Biden should, too.
Everybody makes mistakes in life, and adopting a holier-than-thou posture encourages the sharks to seek them out. Voters at this point do not take the bait very often.
As a Democrat, I have to wonder what Trump has done to match the factory closings, lives lost, and skyrocketing medical care costs masterminded by WJ Clinton, GW Bush, and BH Obama, so that everyone assumes Trump's so terrible. Unlovely, unlikeable, yes. The previous three guys' actual, on-the-ground adverse results don't look so great, however much they are loved, liked, or admired. They all took the big donor money and turned it into more money for donor, while the rest missed out.
Are we really nostalgic for 1992-2016? If so, do we think the rest of America agrees with us?
2
@mitchell "As a Democrat...."
This is a tactic frequently used by conservative trolls. 'I'm a Democrat, but I don't understand why everyone's so unfair to Trump... 'I can't stand Trump, but he's doing a good job,' etc.
If you really do have to wonder why everyone "assumes" Trump is so terrible, ask yourself, for starters, why he's favored by neo-Nazis.
1
Well said.
I've been appalled by the sensational coverage of the Biden non-incidents. It makes a mockery of the serious charges made by the victims of Trump, Cosby, Weinstein, Jackson, Aisles, and other sexual predators.
The Biden accusations should never have been front page news. They really should not have been covered at all, as no substantial accusations were ever made. Unless, perhaps, nose rubbing has become a federal offense.
It would make more sense to discuss why our society seems on one hand to cover up predation by people like Brett Kavanaugh and on the other to become hysterical over displays of grandfatherly affection.
We might consider too the degree to which this press-fueled hysteria harms the Democratic Party. I'm a lifelong Democrat, but I will not continue to support the party if doing so means people can no longer show affection without having their careers endangered.
621
@Josh Hill "I will not continue to support the party if doing so means people can no longer show affection without having their careers endangered."
My suspicion for some of the noise is that Biden has been at the top of the candidate list for some time now even though he has not 'announced'. Cheap political hits from Bernie and his supporters feed the MSM media thirst for blood. Bernie's strategy on Hillary redux.
To some Bernie is Tweedle dee to Trump's Tweedle dum(b). Lots of noise but little, if any, substance. He is not even a democrat. We are watching a lesson in How to destroy the Democratic Party.
67
@Harold
Can we please stop blaming every other candidates shortcomings, perceived or real, on Bernie? There are a lot of forces that align to bring such things to light, or not. Some may be attributable to Bernie, but not all. And finally, Hillary lost to Trump in a general election that occurred after many months of opportunity to win over progressive Democrats. She failed to do so on her own merits. Move on please.
38
@Harold
I'm actually a Sanders supporter myself. I think that the 99% is hungry for a more economically populist politics, and given his poor performance in the primaries, I question whether Biden could prevail over Trump.
But I have never doubted that Biden is a good man -- compassionate, caring, honest, and smart. And I don't want to see him or any candidate slimed for innocent behavior, any more than I want to see a predator like Trump get away with behavior that is anything but.
46
I grew up in a world of independent, erudite, accomplished journalists who didn't rely on 24-hour news cycles punctuated with click bait required for profits for their corporate overlords. They reported real news, educated the public and tried their level best to get to the bottom of real stories. Those type of journalists still exist today but can probably be counted on two hands. Today's group of vapid, opinionated, ratings obsessed talking heads and bloggers depend on outrage and tribalism. Policy is generated by Fox and Friends. Donald Trump's latest embarrassment dominates MSNBC. "Good video" of the type that the producer in the movie "Broadcast News" railed against seems to dominate the regular 6:30 PM network broadcasts. Put all that together with the so-called liberal and conservative "ideologies" now prevalent which seem to have no sense of proportion, and fixation on nonsense is the end result.
107
@Elizabeth This is the best articulation of the situation I have seen. I was with network news in the 80s and it was exactly as you say. Thank you for your insightful words.
5
@Elizabeth Thank you for saying this so well. I've noticed a degrading of nightly news reports by the three traditional networks into tabloid voyeurism a couple of times - most recently (for NBC anyway) in the last few months. I turn it off the moment a horrifying video capture comes on. It's not news. Unfortunately, I doubt that democracies can be sustained by a citizenry well-schooled in the latest horror or scandal.
3
@Elizabeth I think there are WAY more than a handful of good journalists working today. Many are right here with the New York Times.
1
Thank you Professor Greenberg. Would some of the twits in our media have disparaged the allied WWII war effort because General Eisenhower was having an affair with his female driver? Maybe...
Our problem is not fake news, it's fake news media.
Not fake news, but trivial news sold as entertainment by fake news media. It's way, way easier, and also less offensive to the institutions of power, to focus on very minor personal transgressions, real or imagined, than to focus on the social, economic, technological, demographic and environmental realities our political leaders will face on our (we hope) behalf. And scandalous headlines are click bait. They even still sell some newspapers and magazines!
What are the policy differences between Sanders, Warren, Biden, Gillibrand, Booker, Klobuchar, Buttigieg, well, sorry, I won't name them all, on the issues? Way more important than whom did each of them hug or kiss, when, and was the overture welcomed? We all misread or are insensitive to somebody sometime. When these missteps do not amount to assault or rape or racial oppression, and are not pursued, they mostly offer no guidance on the quality of the leadership offered.
We need more substantial and less trivial reporting on the political issues and candidates we are confronting.
And yeah, I still miss Al Franken in the Senate, despite his foolish sophomoric behavior in some instances off the Senate floor.
155
@Russ. Yes, Russ. Perfect analysis and I agree 100%!! It is the fake news media that is doing so much damage to civil discourse in this country. Think about our young people who consume this drivel day in and day out -- how are we to expect them to develop critical thinking skills while they observe adults obsessing over these non-issues? And the NYT is right in step -- how many more days does Biden's touching have to be on your front page? How about a story on Biden's policies or proposals? I could follow that kind of approach.
5
I'm not buying that this is being exaggerated. If anything, this is being downplayed by Democrats. If any one of us "little people" went up to a co-worker and did what Joe did, we would not only be fired immediately, we'd be facing criminal charges.
Think I'm wrong? Go up to a co-worker today and try to do what Joe did, and see what happens.
But of course Joe gets a pass because he's a DC politician, right? It's good to be the king, right?
Good to be a man in power these days. You get to touch anyone you want without consequences...consequences and legal penalties are for us little people.
33
@Joe Arena I was a summer associate at a large firm in the mid-90's. A female senior associate for whom I was doing work put her arm around my shoulders while introducing me to someone. It was demeaning, and I also had a nagging question about whether there was a come on involved. Nothing further happened, and it never occurred to me to complain.
What would I do if I were in that situation today? Almost certainly nothing. It wasn't clear that it was sexual and there was no subsequent "ask" or suggestion of coercion. People have different ways of connecting and sometimes misjudge situations. I recall hugging a guy who I hadn't seen in many years when he would have clearly preferred a handshake. These sorts of interactions, while unwelcome by one party, shouldn't trigger Draconian consequences.
That said, repeated behavior of this sort (again, we are talking about non-sexual contact) suggests a higher level of insensitivity. If I were the senior associate's peer (or superior) and I witnessed this on multiple occasions, I think I would have an obligation to tell the associate that her physicality is inappropriate. But I don't think it would be grounds to destroy the person's career.
5
@Joe Arena
You are correct. Well-meaning displays of affection that even come close to physical contact could be career ending today. I guess you approve of that.
Biden went to Nevada to campaign with members of his Party, including this woman, at a political rally. That is not the same as sidling up to a co-worker in the hallway.
2
Joe Biden is, unfortunately, a product of his times. By contemporary standards his behavior towards women was objectionable and paternalistic. But the time to object to that behavior was when it occurred--not now.
In any case, the dems need a younger candidate, not an old fossil.
5
This is a good column. But I'd add two points:
1. 'Regulating' the media so it doesn't report hugs isn't going to happen. However, people can turn off their boob tubes and read a decent newspaper. No one is forcing people to keep cable news on all day. Even a few minutes of it ratchets up my anxiety level.
2. These simplistic stories are popular because they are easy for people to understand and to form an opinion on (i.e. "my dad kissed my head so I think it's OK"). Finding solutions to complex problems is hard to read about and discuss.
1
The media frenzy may be similar to the Hart, Ginsburg and Quayle days but there is an important difference that makes today's behavior less acceptable. In the earlier examples, the media was frenzied but Hart's infidelity was documented, Ginsburg admitted to smoking pot and Quayle didn't serve in Vietnam. Should any of these be disqualifying offenses? Probably not. But the individuals, media and the country were operating with a set of facts that were more or less agreed upon.
This is not the case today. With Biden (and to a similar extent, Kavanaugh) we are seeing two new rules that came out of the #metoo movement. (1) Believe all women and (2) a wide range of behaviors including physical assaults, verbal offenses and non-events get lumped together. These are bad rules. They don't align with the morality of most Americans and they don't align with journalistic standards.
Even with the media frenzy, we could still debate whether or not it was OK for Gary Hart to be with Donna Rice or for Ginsburg to smoke pot or for Quayle to avoid the draft. In today's environment we don't get debate whether it was OK for Biden to touch Flores or kiss her on the head. She says she was made uncomfortable and that's enough. Never mind that there is evidence of her in similar situations with other men and women. Never mind that most of us are generally OK with this type of behavior. A woman claims she was uncomfortable. Let the frenzy begin.
4
"We are now witnessing a feeding frenzy over Joe Biden’s penchant for sometimes-unwelcome public displays of affection. ...Charges about inappropriate touching must be heard and evaluated. But ... [should] these charges...become grounds for feeding frenzies?"
I'm speaking as a woman who has been sexually harassed, but who does not consider herself a Me Too woman. There is a difference between what is unwanted but basically harmless and what is scarring and harmful. Harmless can be rebuffed, harmful is predatory. My experience has been that most men are not sexual predators.
So my main concern is that the "feeding frenzy" over every incident of men behaving badly denigrates the women of Me Too who have suffered the life-changing trauma of rape, physical abuse, being stalked, or economically blackmailed. These women said No and the pain did not stop. These women survived the unspeakable. These women hid their pain, their humiliation, their suffering from the world until they could no longer contain their stories. And those stories should not be cheapened by incidents that could have been stopped cold simply by moving away or looking someone straight in the eye and firmly saying "Don't."
5
I have been stunned this week by the amount of air time given to the Biden story compared to the limited attention given to Trump overriding rejections of security clearances for his family and comrades. The latter is a much greater threat to this country. Maybe the sexual innuendo just raises ratings more.
9
Joe Biden has my vote just based on the expected The Onion coverage alone.
4
POOR JOE. Being in the same age group as Joe Biden I must admit that these outward forms of affection were normal for our time period. Not only normal but sometimes expected and well deserved. It is obvious to me that these people who come forward with such trivial accusations were probably never shown the love and care of a loving person in their lifetimes. These seem to be people who are definitely looking for their 15 minutes of shame. As I watch the news and see these people coming forward all I see and hear are loud mouths with cold eyes and no signs of love what so ever. For anyone to wait five or ten years or more to come forward with such trivial matters just shows how little these people really are. Get a life.
6
It is possible that this media frenzy is legitimate. From reporting that I have seen, reporters and others observed Mr. Biden's unusual touchy-feely behavior for years without it becoming a significant storyline. He now wants to enter into a contest where it is incredibly important that the moral high ground is not lost. The media may actually be doing us all a favor by reminding that Mr. Biden's entry into the race will most likely produce an invevitably embarrasing meme combined with a laughing stock nickname -- and ultimately a lost election.
17
@ZA , if "moral high ground" can be lost over a kiss on the back of the head, then the political climate in this country has gone from horrific to, well, much more horrific. As far as I'm concerned, a candidate's "morals" have to do with his or her proven compassion for others--especially those who are perpetually discriminated against and in danger as a result of that discrimination (and no--"danger" doesn't include a platonic perceived invasion of one's personal space, or whatever, and "discomfort" with that), the homeless and at-risk, children who are neglected and abused (including those caged by our own government), and anyone, anywhere in the world, whose lives are controlled and made almost unlivable by those in power and who see them as inferior.
As for who should be president, in my opinion, it would be a person who has that kind of compassion AND the intelligence, experience, and will to make things better, whether he or she is 30 or 76, and prone or not to displays of genuine affection (I actually prefer the latter, being old enough myself to appreciate warm physical interactions that obviously don't signal malicious intent).
7
@ZA
This is a political witch-hunt by Democrats because many women on the receiving end have stood up for Joe.
It’s because he’s ahead in the polls and young Progressives will go to any means to stop it.
Had “Me Too” started years earlier, he would have stopped.
3
Calling out Biden does not mean we ignore worse offenses by other people. Like everything in life, someone’s ability to make people uncomfortable is on a spectrum, and what Biden did was solidly in the middle of that spectrum. Can we find a candidate who doesn’t feel the need to press his face and hands against women he doesn’t know without their consent? Also comparing non consensual touching to affairs, drug-use, and draft-dodging seems lazy as all those actions are CONSENSUAL. Look up the word, then send the definition to Biden.
12
@Melanie,
You may rest easy and reassured that vice-president Pence maintains an 'open door' policy on such matters. In the past, if and when a woman has shown Biden that her hand is already taken, he has a fine understanding of what she is talking about.
3
@Melanie
Women he doesn't know - you mean another member of the Democratic Party who asked Joe Biden to campaign for her? To do her a favor?
You act like he walked up to her on the street and grabbed her. Not a serious comparison.
A central issue raised by this piece is the media's pervasive use of the word "inappropriate," which has been indiscriminately affixed to at all sorts of alleged misbehavior from Weinstein's flashing to Trump's grabbing to Biden's hugging. But what does the word really describe? When does "inappropriate" become "appropriate" and vice-versa? When does it go from trivial to unfortunate to serious? How does it mutate according to specific circumstances? And just who is the putative victim of inappropriateness? Does she/he have a history of similar complaints? Was she/he merely surprised? Only outraged? Lastingly damaged? Responsible media would try to shed light on these questions. They lose trust when they fail to do so.
2
I think the media should look closely at which campaign is behind this effort to keep Biden from running. Rumors are swirling that it’s operatives on the Sanders campaign. Is it? If so, that’s the story.
14
@Lee How can you believe "rumors"? The press should
also learn how to use nuances .
1
The common wosdom is that the mainstream media are out to get Donald Trump. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, the so called "liberal media' (a false label) acts almost as Trump's campaign managers. Their questions at his brief news events are designed to play to his strengths and virtually allow him to drone on and on in a filibuster style. They cover his rallies like ravenous hyenas barking for the scraps and morsels he feeds them. Far from acting as the institution who speaks truth to power, they end up enabling his vile campaign rhetoric. The mainstream media are Trump's secret weapon. They tend to feed off one another and both are after the same thing--ratings.
5
@wjasonjackson The most charitable reply I can make to your comment is that you are watching and listening and reading different news than the rest of the world. We have a free press in this country and if they want to peddle a liberal agenda that is their First Amendment right. But to. deny the obvious and claim that nothing could be further from the truth than the MSM is out to get Trump is delusional
The biggest problem with Joe Biden isn’t that he tends to be a little too “touchy-feely,” although this is certainly a problem for him. The biggest problem is that he has been so consistently wrong on so many important issues: the Iraq war, trade, Anita Hill, mass incarceration etc. etc. He would be a terrible candidate for the Democrats to run for president.
3
@Hubert Nash,
Other than Anita Hill, you're describing HRC.
On some level, I feel as though the Biden accusations are well-timed in that I would hope any other persons who felt offended, harassed or abused by Biden would come forward now. If Biden is the Democratic nominee (big IF) and an accuser comes forward, I would surely hope the media would be willing to ask "why now?" without screams of "victim blaming!" drowning out all reason. If the worst Joe ever did in a personal interaction was kiss the back of a woman's head, then I think the types of questions being asked now will be well dead and buried by the time the Conventions come around next summer.
2
It is shame that some democrats are cheering for Trump's 2020 win. Mr .Biden has even announced his candidacy and preemptive damage is already done. Trump was heard bragging about touching women without their consent and now he sits in the oval office.
1
Sorry, but I see this as the spin Dr. Greenberg protests.
The problem with Biden's behavior over the years is not so much that he has been "affectionate" to everyone he meets (or at least all the women), but that he has no insight even today -- even with all his political coaches -- into how that behavior may have been inappropriate.
It's like his comment on the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Right war, just the wrong implementation.
These are the kinds of judgments I look to the press to uncover before we put anyone in a position of power. Why blame the messenger?
3
Another aspect of this current hysteria is the competition for Democratic presidential contender front-runner status. Biden is a target in a crowded field. I’m not excusing his behavior but trying like most to put it in perspective. I’ve noticed even in these comments that partisans in one breath are criticizing Biden’s behavior while promoting their preferred candidates. Worse, they are using this hysteria to criticize Biden’s policy ideas and past political votes before we’ve had a single honest debate among the candidates, before he’s even announced his candidacy. They seem so threatened by his name recognition and front-runner status that they are willing to use this situation to shut him up before we’ve even had a chance to hear what he has to say.
8
Great piece! And while this issue needs to be discussed, I'm still somewhat bewildered that the press, primarily the 24 Hour News channels, after getting pounded in 2016 over their out of touch, blind endorsement of Clinton and following shock that she lost, are still sitting in their air conditioned studios and really not getting to the roots of what happened or is happening in America.
Are they making the same mistakes again? Instead of providing a platform for endless discussions about Trump's misguided tweets, and anybody else that has a gripe about a candidate when it's politically convenient to do so, maybe it's time to do some stories on what people across the country are really thinking and concerned about and what their day-to-day lives are like.
My Dad, a big time liberal, referred to this type of reporting as being performed by "Limousine Liberals" and here I am decades later agreeing with that sentiment.
Don't tell me!
Show me!
8
The media indeed are guilty of sins of commission as this article points out, but let us not forget that they have committed sins of omission as well.
The media’s power to take down candidates is fierce and they must own up to their responsibility. I have not seen many mea culpas among members of the press or the talking heads on TV.
The omissions I refer to are blatant. In 2016, it was the ignoring or disparaging of the Sanders campaign. This year again we have the trivialization of his accomplishments and the lack of coverage of the crowds he is pulling in at his rallies. Every rally of Trump’s was and still is covered. Even the fund raising accomplishments of Sanders are downplayed.
Elizabeth Warren’s expertise and creation of policies that would truly change our lives is moved to second place to make room for pictures of Beto on tables.
Mayor Pete appears admirable in many ways, but how about a story on how experience or its lack affects a presidency? Would a Lyndon Johnson have been more effective than an inexperienced Obama? Explore.
Biden is now getting unfairly attacked, but coverage of his policy history that may be truly problematic with voters is given short shrift and polls are constantly touted that make him a front runner before he has even had the courage to enter the race. Really? Lack of ability to make a decision at this late date is a sign of what admirable trait?
Know thyself, news media. Do more self reflection. It’s good for the soul.
18
@TM
"Lack of ability to make a decision at this late date is a sign of what admirable trait?"
Late date? Really?
We've still got nearly two years to go, so Joe is hardly "late".
Well, it's more complicated than this "one size fits all" questioning of so-called character tests. Greenberg corrals many different issues into one alleged media phenomenon.
For example, anyone's marijuana use, from Douglas Ginsburg to Dan Quayle, is harmless. This has always been a victimless "crime" and portends nothing about a possible leader's suitability to lead.
As much as I despise infidelity, consensual sexual behavior is primarily an issue for the parties involved, including a violated spouse. (I am a sexually reasonable child of the 60's but still question Clinton's behavior. Perhaps impeachment was extreme, but had he been a candidate rather than president, his sex with an intern had power dynamics that would have been disqualifying for this voter.)
Draft dodging is different. For example, someone who used privilege or dishonesty to avoid the draft has questionable integrity. Someone who went to jail or conscientiously objected has admirable integrity.
So, scrutiny of candidates can reveal very germane character traits. The answer is not to stop looking. It is to exercise balanced judgment based on context and a long view.
In this sense, Biden's behavior is, in my view, on the border. It is not clearly disqualifying - certainly not harassment or assault - but it also shows a pattern of paternalism, condescension and entitlement. Are such things disqualifying? That's up to voters, but it's not a bad thing that we wrestle with it.
9
Frankly you lost me when you described Biden’s behavior as “overly tactile friendliness.” Wow, what a description. Basically what he did was use his considerable power to invade women’s personal space and touch them in unwelcome ways. And the targets/complainants didn’t protest at the time because he was the Vice President of the United States. The bottom line is he should have known better, especially since he claims to be a champion for women who have been subjected to various forms of coercive control (i.e., domestic and sexual violence survivors). I don’t think Biden’s behavior automatically disqualifies him from running for president. However, I don’t think he’ll ever get elected because he has quite a few other skeletons in his closet. Finally, I do agree that we should probably move on to another topic since our country is coming apart at the seams right now.
7
@Zareen
Many people like people who are physically expressive. Some people are huggers and touchers. There is nothing sexual in it at all.
All touch is not sexual.
People have different sensitivities to personal space and touch.
This obsession with "uncomfortable touch" is a new thing. It's gotten blown all out of proportion.
To equate all physical touch with sexual harassment does real sexual harassment harm.
@Sharon
Who's equating all physical touch with sex/sexual harassment? I simply stated that Biden should have known better in terms of making sure his "physically expressive" behavior was actually welcome before he touched/hugged/kissed another person, especially a woman or girl, since he supposedly works on behalf of survivors of domestic and sexual violence which means he should be very knowledgable and particularly sensitive to issues regarding power, coercive control and consent. Why is that so difficult to understand?
1
The media played a part in Trump’s election and there was much navel gazing from them after the election. But yet they appeared to have forgotten this and once again are focused on creating ahah moments to drive more eyeballs to their story. Are these two allegations, and the mountains of footage with Biden touching and hugging, the only story that’s important this week? We are heading down into that rabbit hole again unless we as citizens demand in depth equal reporting on all candidates.
19
An excellent article with excellent advice. The only thing that seems certain is that journalists will ignore it in favor of those vital inches of print and air time and the Democrats will winnow down the candidate field to someone sufficient in his/her political correctness to re-elect Donald Trump.
16
I agree with this column, especially the last sentence. The news media should refrain from engaging in feeding frenzies regarding minor incidents from years ago. But what is current is how the politician handles the allegations in the present time. The President of the United States is routinely subjected to relentless criticism, and even, unfortunately, mockery. No matter what he/she does, someone will be opposed. So how a candidate handles criticism and the nonsense that makes it into the public sphere does provide information as to how the person will handle the presidency.
6
First of all Biden should know what Trump and the Governor of Virginia have proven, no real person much cares about these peccadilloes from so long ago [I don't think Trump's actions were really peccadilloes but even with his reprehensible conduct it hasn't affected him]. The press loves this. While Elizabeth Warren has put out two strong policy positions, one one financial reform and one on helping rural America, all anyone is asked about is Joe Biden. Please. I come from North Jersey the home of the man hug, the cheek kiss. I have never been very comfortable with either [why only my therapist knows] , anyone who lets an exuberant show of affection bother them longer than the three seconds of contact has bigger problems than having their nose rubbed. This country has much bigger problems, just stop.
38
Al Franken should never have stepped down without the charges coming to a broader light. THAT was a disservice. Perhaps, in the end, he would've needed to resign.
However, if Biden hasn't egregiously trespassed, then it's another rush to push him out. Still, the guy has got to stop touching the children of politicians and lay off the shoulder rubs and sniffing. That isn't appropriate in a professional context. Can Joe learn boundaries? I'm betting he'd be better at it than Trump.
Still, with younger candidates that behavior will NEVER be acceptable. If you wouldn't do it to a man, don't consider doing it to a woman, teen or child.
10
A brilliant and timely column.
Doesn't the media breathlessly cover these stories because people want to hear them, and don't people want to hear them either to revel in faux-outrage and judgment or, more possibly, because it is something people can relate to and talk about?
My spouse, friends, and I don't have much to say about the tragedies in Syria, Venezuela, etc. But we can all weigh in on whether Joe Biden's hands on our shoulders justifies trying to destroy his career years later (I say no, but then again I grew up with people touching my hair and have a "whatevs" attitude).
My concern is that hysteria over Biden being a press-the-flesh politician (which used to be not only accepted but expected as part of the job), gives cover for the Harvey Weinsteins of the world. They recruit enablers by painting their accusers as petty vindictive women out for attention. I wish these women would be largely ignored because they trivialize the MeToo movement.
16
By having multiple affairs, Martin Luther King Jr. failed in one of his primary duties a minister: to live in accordance with biblical mandates. Yet we should all be grateful that the newspapers didn't get a hold of that story before Dr. King changed the course of American history for African Americans.
For today's pols, the obligation to be a moral example for others is, at best, a secondary qualification. Of course crossing certain bright lines should be disqualifying (Mr. Trump). If there were credible claims of sexual assault from multiple women, it would not matter if Joe was legally guilty or not. His candidacy, in the face of those claims, would send the wrong message to our daughters about their rights over their bodies and about speaking up if those rights are violated.
But that is not what is going on here. The fact that someone is offended by Joe's actions (or words) does not necessarily make those actions or words objectively offensive. It is impossible for anyone to know all that might offend someone else. Unless these women told Joe to stop and he continued or had told him previously that his light affection made them uncomfortable, then folks should ease up on their judgmental inclinations and consider how many times they have unintentionally offended or angered others.
28
Thank you for this article. It is very welcome.
23
Part of this "Biden Problem" stems from the fact that our head of state and head of government is the same person. Other countries have prime ministers along with presidents or monarchs. Prime Ministers can "take the fall." Part of it finds some origin in our puritanical roots. These two can be a deadly intersection. When one adds in a 24x7 news cycle with print, multiple institutional and individual online vehicles, and a political atmosphere of intolerance for "the other" the whirlwind is as predictable as the sunrise. None of this excuses the media: the must-have-protections of the First Amendment are also a powerful breeeding ground for abuse. We are left with media self policing. Given the conflict of interest within the media (eyeballs and advertising dollars), I am less than sanguine in thinking about corrective actions.
4
It isn’t generational. I am in my 30’s. I similarly appreciate a hug from a man or a woman, but I now stay entirely away from offering a woman any physical contact at all and turn to wood when they engage in a hug.
Is it that big a deal that I miss out on this non-sexual, physical expression of love? Not really. The last thing I (and I imagine VP Biden) would ever want is to make someone feel violated in any way. I wish we were intuitive enough to read situations perfectly to know when there’s a green light, and when there isn’t.
But I do fear literally distancing ourselves from affection drives a deeper wedge between us, that to not be able to express love with a hug with only the best of intentions continues to expand our culture’s crisis of loneliness.
23
@Al
You raise a really good point. The people who want physical contact are now at the mercy of this minority of people whining over nothing. They are robbing everyone else of their hugs.
1
This is the first of four or five articles I've read on this that puts it into a rational historical and cultural context as opposed to merely shoving it through the zeitgeist narrative meat grinder.
I also think we ignore at the world's peril the fact that, with social media, the chum is being thrown not just by the opposition in the primary or the opposition in the general election but the opposition in the Kremlin.
We need to start a national—really, an international—discussion of best practices for regulating social media, conducting campaigns and verifying elections.
But even if we started that today it wouldn't be until well after 2020 (and quite possibly 2024) before we're finally able to say we've risen to the challenge the whole world began to face in 2016 with Brexit, Trump and the rise of the global nationalist right.
Whether we're able to change how things approach us, we can change how we approach them.
That would seem to be useful to remember on more than one level in this discussion.
7
I have long ago decided that the seeking of the lowest common denominator in journalism to boost sales rests at the feet of Rupert Murdoch. I know, such stuff has always existed and appealed to a certain segment, but this is the breakthrough. Michael Jackson’s trial sent network coverage off the cliff. Now, I’m afraid a large segment of of the population thinks Mario Lopez is a journalist. If he would only tell his viewers to vote.
6
@Matt If you think that the lowest common denominator in journalism started with Murdoch you should brush up on your history. The press today is calm compared to wars started by the press (Does Remember the Maine and the Spanish American war ring a bell?) and yellow journalism of Pulitzer and Hearst.
1
David Greenberg is spot on. I hope Joe Biden enters the race. He's not my top choice right now, but he just soared ahead of some of the other candidates that jumped on this bandwagon. (Kirsten Gillibrand remains at the very bottom of my list due to her attack on Al Franken.)
26
@Karen
Amen, Karen!
1. The media probably wants Trump to win, even if not explicitly. The man has been great for their ratings / finances and they will repeat the same nonsense they did in 2016. They have not learnt any lessons.
2. The Democrats will get into a firing squad and end up losing again in 2020. This is a preview of what's going to happen - where we hold people to insane standards for behavior over public careers that have lasted generations. I wonder what they will do if Bernie gets accused of being too friendly next.
3. Trump is most likely to win again in 2020: Between being an incumbent president, inheriting and now running an economy that's relatively chugging along well (despite himself), and a media that covers only the extreme fringes of the left ("they are advocating socialism!" and not their sound policy positions (tackling global warming, fair pay, extreme inequality) - most voters will end up going for Trump.
17
@Pranav I hope you're wrong about Trump winning again. I don't think this nation can survive another four years of Trump and his cult of personality.
1
@Pranav
Personally, I hope that eventually, when the Dem primary gets going in earnest, the media will start covering the candidates' ideas and not the latest microscandal.
I also hope beyond hope -- were I a religious person I would be buying kneepads -- that trump and his apologist party get a well-deserved trouncing in 2020, as they did in 2018. True, 40ish% of Americans have ceded their brains to Rudolph Murdoch and the Fox "News" propagandists, but 60% still have more-or-less-independent control of their faculties.
1
Lucy Flores had 5 years to tell this story. She’s a public figure, yet she waited 5 years. Why? Was it so traumatic? Was the memory of having her hair smelled so powerful and debilitating that this otherwise strong, accomplished woman was paralyzed until... the beginning of Biden’s campaign? Or maybe, just maybe, the timing is no coincidence. What an incomprehensible logical leap to think that a staunch Bernie supporter might have some sort of political agenda.
Seeing the Bernie Bros sabotage Biden is just the first episode in the new hit show “Democrats Eat The Own”.
54
FLores is not a Bernie Sanders supporter. You can google it. She removed herself from Our Revolution, Bernie's group, last year in a huff. She is not involved and has had no contact with Sanders' campaign since. Everyone expects her to go with Kamala Harris. So stop this nonsense, which is designed to make her suspect. THe easy answer is that she is trying to stop Biden. Most Bernie supporters want Biden in the race, actually, because it will stop the "too old" mantra from the centrists. So your attempt to malign her by the awful suggestion that she did it to help Bernie is appalling. She had those views, and has a history of calling out sexual harrassment (she did so in Bernie's campaign, too.)
3
For serious. Just wait Gillibrand will soon use this fake scandal to try and take out Biden the way she did Franken.
4
@them Stop blaming this on Bernie...and everyone isn't a "bro".
2
It could be generational. My father would kiss the top of my head. It was affectionate, not sexual. It wasn't very often but clearly it was his way of saying good night and I'm glad your mine. Anyway, some people don't like to be touched at all. Some draw the line at strangers. But a kiss on the head does not a sexual predator make. Women run the risk of making a very serious problem ridiculous with this kind of whining. I can't help but wonder if they didn't care at all about Joe's behavior at thectime but thought it might help their favorite lady candidate. Don't try to make this woman feel guilty about liking Joe and Pete and Julio, Bernie and Cory. I'm going to vote for the person I think we need to get us over the travesty of Trump nationally and internationally. I'd love to see a woman president but it is not an important characteristic when I go into the booth. I refuse to see gender or sexual preference as a reason to vote for a person. Brains, integrity, experience and realistic solutions carry more weight for me. The Dems have a terrific group of candidates. Head and shoulders above DJT, every single one of them. Let's rejoice. The future looks whomever wins. Don't play the gender or predator card. We lost a good Congressman because a certain someone passed judgement without thinking. She won't get my vote. That being said I do think we need 100 more women in Congress if you want to drain the swamp! That is where voting gender will have the greatest impact.
16
Seriously. When I was a child there were some older men who did similar things that Biden does. It was not sexual. I think they were just nice older white men who were affectionate. Yes. Thats a thing. There are lots of good hearted old white men.
Finally some common sense! I hope your journalistic colleagues listen. Biden wouldn’t be my first choice for the Dem spot, but I like him. And this whole thing has reached ridiculous levels.
12
Journalists -- especially TV journalists -- are going to cover topics like inappropriate touching, sex scandals, etc. 24/7 because that's what the market (i.e., viewers) want. And to a certain extent, that's a good thing: For far too long women have been abused and exploited by powerful men in our society, and it's good to see powerful men held to account. That might help deter other men from engaging in such bad/unjust/injurious behavior.
This is a byproduct of the 24/7/365 demand to fill news space.
Problem is, important news doesn't happen enough to fill the void, so anything and everything must be reported on. Because if their news outlet doesn't do it, they know another will...
And if enough of a frenzy is created - well, that's news too isn't it...?
With respect to Biden, I think this is a good example of what was socially acceptable back in the day - but is taboo in todays 'me too' movement.
The best that can come of this is that it will kill Biden's re-election hopes and you'll avoid another 70 something president..
3
I never thought about Biden's touching others. I do think of Trumps constant insulting of others, using our bully pulpit to be a bully and I am sick of it. Nonetheless, that is not relevant. T is acting, really, acting as president, in a cocoon, being a reality star, knowing nothing and doing damage daily (Puerto Rico, Health Care, close the border, close the government, all over piques or vanities in his mind). Whatever the press does to besmirch him doesn't work because his base is focused on the chaos that they somehow believe is what our country stands for and needs. So we stand apart, unable to solve the problems that are essential to the future. Them in chaos and darkness, us in the grace and light of moral purity. Al Franken would have been the best next president. Thanks to the media for all those emails and all those moral stains.
2
President Bill Clinton should have resigned. Not because he had an affair in the White House, but because he told America he did not have an affair and this was a plot by his political enemies. His actions did not rise to being 'high crimes or misdemeanors', but was a lie told while swearing he was telling the truth and people were making this stuff up, while looking the American people straight in the face.
He should have resigned, no matter what good he was doing as president.
2
Some of us -- the mad fringe -- are actually more interested in well explained proposals for resolving such matters as curbing global warming, making affordable health insurance available for all, keeping out of foreign wars, balancing our foreign trade, etc. -- than we are in the off-duty recreational or sexual habits of the politicos proposing them. We are mad, however -- unsuited either for attracting readership or political followers. Some of us are so demented that we still hope for sensible consensus on such issues.
5
Once again, egged on by the media, Democrats open mouth, insert foot, repeatedly. Democrats appear not to want to win the next presidential, how sad for Democracy.
8
The author takes as a given that a politician committing sexual harassment or assault is on the same moral plane as a candidate smoking pot or having an affair. But sexual misconduct is not a victimless crime. The lack of attention to the survivors and victims of predation in this column is telling. These are human beings, not just props and supporting characters in the narratives the author discusses.
2
I’m tired of the “whataboutism” whenever some kind of bad behavior is revealed. It is childish. There is always someone who has been ‘worse’. Is that a defense? We have a choice of multiple great candidates for 2020 with fresh ideas and impressive qualities. This 68 yr. old is looking forward to one of them in the White House, not Joe Biden.
2
This should be required reading in every journalism school and newsroom.
1
Plus, the journalists who descend into such a frenzy, in effect serve the interests of any other nominal front-runner and starves other candidates of coverage.
1
The problem is not the media. Rather, it’s the public’s insatiable appetite (i.e. addiction) for continuously updated “breaking” news. Perhaps if people could break their addiction and spend their time doing useful things that contribute to the betterment of themselves, their families, their employers and their communities as a whole, and less wasting their lives on nonsense, we’d be better off. How about this radical idea: Just read a newspaper in the morning and watch the evening news, and that’s it!
2
Thank you for the thoughtful article. All people, men and women, are flawed. This is becoming so much like The Crucible that I am surprised the estate of Arthur Miller is not asking for a royalty.
Al Franken needs to read this. As does Kirsten Gillibrand. Maybe they can read it together and learn what not to do.
Aside from Kamala Harris, Amy Klobuchar and hopefully Pete Buttigieg, the Democratic nominees are starting to look as ridiculous as the Republican choices in 2016. A clown car of mediocrity.
I already see it on all the news shows. Donald Trump has no chance of being re-elected so don't worry.
Please, everyone. Worry every day!
4
@New Milford
I'd love to hear how you think Sen. Warren is looking ridiculous?
1
@Bruce Mellon
I am not saying she isn't very intelligent with some good ideas, but she has to stop making herself look foolish (or trust other people trying to promote her)
How about how she handled the entire Native-American thing? Terrible. Just own up to it.
Did you see her video shot from her house either on Youtube or Instagram?
"I'm gonna get me a beer!" She actually said that. Do you think she truly speaks like that?
Thanking her husband for being there. At his own house!?
This is not confirmed, but there is a lot of speculation that there is a racist caricature behind her on top of the cabinets as well.
This has not been confirmed.
We need candidates that don't shape-shift.
She does not appear to be one of those.
Competition to "get the scoop" is endemic in the media, and scandal journalism not only gets the headlines and the talk show flabbergast, but is easy to write up. It's called lazy journalism. We hear it all the time: "He made me uncomfortable." Discomfort then becomes a the test of a politicians competency.
Much of this is not actually the journalists fault, it is that of editorial policy and the constant push to get anything that will cause people to change channels. Slander over discomfort has also become a favored tactic of opportunist, mainly Democratic Party politicians, to boost their own careers to the detriment of even their own Party.
Changing this foolish dynamic should come from the management of media outlets, and I would suggest that Nacny Pelosi has taken exactly the right position with regard to Joe Biden's public demeanor. He just needs to keep his hands in his pockets and keep smiling. Handshakes establish distance and do just fine with respect issues.
2
@Svirchev
"Much of this is not actually the journalists fault, it is that of editorial policy "....
I suppose if that helps a "journalist" sleep at night, then so be it.
Well said. A sober assessment of these journalistic feeding frenzies is long overdue.
In the Biden case, it is striking how un-newsworthy some of his behavior is. Journalists as well as Biden's accusers (and Biden himself) should reflect on the fact that Jonathan Stewart ridiculed Biden's touching years ago on The Daily Show.
1
If you want to know why there won't be any perfect candidate for national office, look no further than this. I suspect Biden will not enter the race. Why would anyone want to put themselves through this? Today the Times has another story of more women coming forward saying Biden made them uncomfortable. What did anyone expect would happen? He was a touchy-feely guy. I am sure there are dozens/ hundreds of women out there who felt creeped out by him. At some point we will reach a point of "OK, I get it already". He crossed the line. But his acknowledgement of his behavior and apology won't be enough. He needs to be beaten to a pulp. And the press loves this stuff. Do women want men to recognize the wrongness of their past behaviors and try to be better? Or do they want to put every person who has ever committed a misogynist act in stocks in the public square? The public square will get awfully crowded awfully fast. Perhaps the better way is to include women in government and business. To help show the right way moving forward to those who see the error of their ways and work towards meaningful change. Is the answer here to force guys like Biden into the eternal confessional? Perhaps, instead, for him to admit his behavior was wrong and for him to look for guidance from the women around him. Those women should work instead towards getting their Trump loving peers to stop inviting him into their beds because he paid for dinner.
1
As my life has included a dalliance or two that some might find inappropriate, experimented with friends in some mellowing substances (though never acquired a habit), and avoided service in a stupid war, I never found any of these situations disqualifying in a candidate. Someone of my generation who avoided doing all these things would be what I used to call a "straight arrow".
A "straight arrow" was someone so steeped in conventional, accepted, middle of the narrow path activities that they were almost robotic pillars of good behavior. As such, they bore no relationship with real people. Such flawless people are unadventurous, and too good to be true. Which means they are also too good to be real.
2
An overall sensible piece, but I can’t agree with calling Trump “a rank misogynist and confessed sexual assaulter.”
I haven’t seen any evidence of misogyny, in fact he seems to treat women including his wife and daughter quite well. Is it because he was married previously or made crude comments on Howard Stern? Who cares?
The sexual assaulter claim is even more troubling, as its likely based on some unproven allegations and an Access Hollywood tape of him joking around in private. I’d say most men have said and heard such things in private, and then went home to be dutiful husbands. Again, who cares?
2
Finally, a good story about this nonissue. Bravo!
3
Well, if having "the fortitude and self-confidence to brave the media storm" is the real test of character, President Trump's must be of the highest order!
This accusation is too convenient and timely when Biden is supposedly the front runner.
I am not a supporter of Joe Biden but I want trump to be the one time President. The Democrats are making it so easy to have trump to be reelected again.
Joe Biden is a decent man have gone through enormous tragedy in life to come to this point.
Yes, he is friendly sometimes displays his friendship and support by being openly physically close
Time to figure out this timely accusation as I have .
Yes Gary Hart was banished as Democrats are known to eat their own.
It is Biden`s turn to get Al Franken treatment.
This nonsense has to stop.
9
Al Franken was accommodating enough to his enemies and detractors to have had a picture taken of his comedic antics with a sleeping woman. Hard to recover from that type of image gone viral. Biden did nothing like this. He showed affection to many women publicly and a small number were just incapable of handling it. I think that is their problem, not Biden’s, but I am likely wrong in our current environment.
2
It is more than just #MeToo. Amy Klobuchar was attacked for being "too mean". She is a very effective Senator and she knows that she needs to maintain a talented a loyal staff. Gov. Northam was universally vilified by all of the Democrats. Virginia voters should have been the ones who decided. That story (despite further bumps in the road) has died down because he has moved toward learning and dialogue. The Dems need to get on top of this issue. Republicans have taken down many Democrats with irrelevant media attacks ( Dukakis, Kerry, Hillary, etc).
2
The media has too much time to fill and "breaking news" every hour with self-appointed experts how quickly judge before all the facts are in and thus cause a feeding frenzy of rumored "facts" that cannot easily be defended by the accused person on whom these lasers mean are focused.
It is a media world gone mad.
While we're talking about media scrutiny, how can we explain the media's quick loss of interest in the Governor and Lt. Governor of Virginia?
1
Lucy Flores had 5 years to tell this story. She’s a public figure, yet she waited 5 years. Why? Was it so traumatic? Was the memory of having her hair smelled so powerful and debilitating that this otherwise strong, accomplished woman was paralyzed until... the beginning of Biden’s campaign? Or maybe, just maybe, the timing is no coincidence. What an incomprehensible logical leap to think that a staunch Bernie supporter might have some sort of political agenda.
Seeing the Bernie Bros sabotage Biden is just the first episode in the new hit show “Democrats Eat The Own”
10
Very valid points. Thanks.
Nah. This story is catching on because Biden is more than double the median age of the population and the pictures and video are a stark and creepy reminder of the facts. It’s a very clear sign he’s not the guy to lead this country forward.
I think the article is wrong. Biden should take the heat whatever it is. So far I still support him, warts and all, as the best choice to beat trump.
3
The ratings driven media help enable the election of Donald Trump by practicing serial false equivalency, and giving a pathological liar a platform to spew an avalanche of falsehoods, before belatedly exercising its editorial responsibility. Continuing to disingenuously, and implicitly equate Joe Biden's insensitive behavior, to the abhorrent " me too" scenarios is another example of the media abnegating its journalistic responsibility in pursuit of " faux scandal driven " ratings.
2
I invite posters defending Mr. Biden to access, not just still images, but the numerous videos available of him pawing, petting and kissing any number of prepubescent and teenage girls at various meet-and-greets and photo-ops, often while whispering odd, disquieting and inappropriate things such as “remember, no boys ‘till your 31” or “remember, don’t tell anyone”. Whatever your construction of what is happening, it should be clear to anyone thinking straight that these videos make him utterly unelectable. Think about who he would be running against.
2
These articles prove Trump is right about “fake news”. Although I suspect Flores is part of a Sanders plot. And I feel sad to see the Times jump on the bandwagon to destroy good politicians. The author also didn’t include Gov. Northam in his list of those who refused to go.
1
The worst case of journalistic frenzy back then was a slew of reports that Congressmen had "bounced checks" at an institution called the House Bank. The fact that the Bank treated overdrafts as loans was ignored, and several careers were ruined over a perfectly legitimate practice. Eventually the House closed the institution after trying and failing to explain the rules to brainless reporters.
It strikes me as tragicomedic that behaviour that amounts to a relatively minor infringement of personal space by a Democrat creates a tsunami of a reaction by the media *and by the Democratic Party*, who seem all too eager to throw their own under the bus. In contrast, accusations of blatantly lecherous behaviour and horribly offensive bragging by the guy living at 1600 Pa Ave causes nary a ripple.
I must say, I miss Al Franken’s humour-with-a-message and his sharp rebukes of trump.
3
This feminist will never vote for Krisiten Gillibrand. That was a put up job, or if not, it sure was a rush to judgement. I would love to see a woman in the White House. As far as I'm concerned, Hillary should be our sitting president. But I don't want anyone to win based on the kind of over the top, Purtitanical frenzy that's going on now with Joe Biden. He touched Ms. Flores five years ago! And now there's a photo of her touching him. It's turning into a circus.
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Yes, “allegations” must be taken seriously - and supported by evidence. And anyone accused must be given a fair opportunity to defend himself/herself. These recent accusation and media frenzies have become law and justice perverted.
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What's the point of this article? That a racist, say, can also be an extremely skilled craftsman? I'm sure that is true, but I wouldn't ignore the character issue if I had to give him/her a job.
The author is partially accurate, and partially providing cover for Biden and other politicians whose character and integrity are legitimate, relevant topics.
The author would have done better to encourage journalists to do full dossiers on the financial, political, personal, business, policy and other issues for each candidate.
As regards Biden, his unwelcome behavior with women is very relevant, because he sided with Clarence Thomas against Anita Hill, ensuring Thomas a place on the Supreme Court.
It would also be good for journalists to point out that Biden entered Congress as a right-wing, anti-abortion, pro-war, pro-Wall Street Catholic conservative.
I want journalists to dig up all the dirt possible on all candidates.
Their personal behavior, such as whether they cheat on their wives, is a litmus test for whether they'll cheat on us.
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@Steve Davies Steve, you want perfect...and you got Trump! Joe Biden is a career politician, who has proven to grow and improve as the years have progressed. He is sensible, competent, moderate and likable. If elected he’d be the best president since Clinton. He has shown abilities that few have, to work effectively with both congress and foreign leaders. We of the “middle” need him.
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@Steve Davies, I don't want a saint. I want a good leader. I don't care that CHurchill that drank too much or what kind of affairs Eisenhower or FDR had. I only care about their professional resume.
Leave the dirt to the tabloids.
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@Steve Davies, I think your comment is phony on the Anita Hill hearings. Joe Biden voted against Clarence Thomas' nomination for the Supreme Court. In no way did he "side with Clarence Thomas against Anita Hill" and put Thomas on the Supreme Court. That you cannot forgive that behavior, when you don't even know what that behavior was is very telling, and I don't believe you that it is your reason for opposing him. The same goes for all the other people pulling that hearing out and misrepresenting what happened with that nomination to defend themselves for siding with this political hachet job.
I watched the Thomas hearings from start to finish. At no point was Joe Biden in favor of Clarence Thomas being nominated to the Supreme Court. Never.
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It is sickening to see Joe Biden put though the grinder when all of these women have said there was no sexual harassment.
Yes, Joe Biden is from a different era when things were different back then. He needs to show that he understands the moment we are in now.
We the people need to understand Joe too. Joe has had so much loss in his life. Some men would have turned away and never go near anyone. Joe needed to be close to people (men and women) so that he could survive his losses.
Let's all take a deep breath and until there is an actual accusation of sexual
harassment we should not feed into this frenzy!
I for one want to hear from all the candidates and their policies.
Character matters and ethics matter but so far I haven't seen a candidate that should be disqualified.
Vice President Joe Biden is especially qualified to be president. He is not a perfect man but he is a good man who could be our next president if everyone just calms down.
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Context is king..or in this case queen. Women are learning to have their personal space respected and speak up when it's not. This is a learning curve and those who have been in violation of this fledgling social norm need to pay closer attention. It's also a truism that the older the candidate, the more likely they are to have trails of socially unacceptable behaviors in their past. The question is where are they now and are they able to articulate a sincere heartfelt "I get it" that resonates. I feel the media is not assisting in this social evolutionary process in many ways by the style and focus of its reporting---but then news is now a for profit business driven by ratings, etc. It's getting more difficult to find good news reporting with the level of integrity and sophistication that avoids the aspect of self-righteous indignation that is isomorphic of our political landscape. Let's not get mired down in issues that are in process of moving forward. It would be great to reframe some of these issues noting the progress we are making.
1
Totally agree with Prof. Greenberg on this one!
Trump is of course totally wrong in his condemnation of The Press. However, there are times when The Press is wrong, and Prof. Greenberg describes it so well.
Sometimes journalists sink to being gossips.
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