Sen. Gillibrand: I was sexually harassed by men in Congress

[SteveRogers]

So let me ask you guys this........by refusing to name names, does this discourage other women from reporting this kind of stuff?  I mean she's afraid to report some guy because he's powerful, obviously.  So does that tell other women if you're up against a powerful guy you have no chance of getting justice?

I thought the same thing at first, but you have to realize that the U.S. Senate is not the average American workplace. She's not complaining that she was harassed by a male superior, because technically the Senate is a place of equals. Likewise, there's no superior to go to, no HR department to file a complaint with, and nobody who can fire the offending senator. So I can see why she would think naming names in this circumstance would do more harm than good.

[Antonio the Sixth]

So let me ask you guys this........by refusing to name names, does this discourage other women from reporting this kind of stuff?  I mean she's afraid to report some guy because he's powerful, obviously.  So does that tell other women if you're up against a powerful guy you have no chance of getting justice?

I thought the same thing at first, but you have to realize that the U.S. Senate is not the average American workplace. She's not complaining that she was harassed by a male superior, because technically the Senate is a place of equals. Likewise, there's no superior to go to, no HR department to file a complaint with, and nobody who can fire the offending senator. So I can see why she would think naming names in this circumstance would do more harm than good.

Yes, the voters can. Of course it's obvious that conservative voters in a deep-red States are perfectly fine with sexual harassment, but if there are Democratic culprits they might get primaried.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

So let me ask you guys this........by refusing to name names, does this discourage other women from reporting this kind of stuff?  I mean she's afraid to report some guy because he's powerful, obviously.  So does that tell other women if you're up against a powerful guy you have no chance of getting justice?

I thought the same thing at first, but you have to realize that the U.S. Senate is not the average American workplace. She's not complaining that she was harassed by a male superior, because technically the Senate is a place of equals. Likewise, there's no superior to go to, no HR department to file a complaint with, and nobody who can fire the offending senator. So I can see why she would think naming names in this circumstance would do more harm than good.

Yes, the voters can. Of course it's obvious that conservative voters in a deep-red States are perfectly fine with sexual harassment, but if there are Democratic culprits they might get primaried.

Everyone knows Democrats would never stand for this sort of behavior.  Remember how Harry Reid lost re-election after he referred to Gillibrand as the Senate's "hottest member" at a fundraiser.  And Democratic voters certainly never forgave Biden for refusing to let multiple women testify at Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing who were able and willing to confirm Anita Hill's allegations.  Oh wait...

Note: This isn't a Moderate Hero post.  My point is simply that while the Republicans have definitely been much worse about, the Democratic party establishment is still largely a good 'ole boys club.  Sexism and an appalling apathy about sexual harassment are a problem in both parties (although again, the problem is worse among the Republican establishment).  A lot of these people are from generations that simply had very different (and often pretty appalling) views on women's rights.  Some of this in both the political and business communities simply won't change until these a bunch of these people age out (i.e: retire or die) and are replaced by younger generations with fundamentally different values about women's rights.

[Miles]

Inouye reportedly made the comment about her weight.

[JerryArkansas]

The comments that are being posted are disgusting.  Saying this is the reason why women shouldn't be in high office, that they can't handle it.  I understand why she didn't name him, she didn't want to drag a dead guy's name in the mud.  What he did was horrible, and history should judge him on that, but I understand why she didn't reveal it.

[Maxwell]

This isn't the first time Inouye has sexually harassed women. In 1992, it was reported that nearly two decades earlier he basically raped his hairdresser. Pretty gross and despicable guy.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Yeah, Daniel Inouye was the furthest thing from a saint.

[Negusa Nagast 🚀]

Another reason to support the great Senator Schatz!

[moderatevoter]

Another reason to support the great Senator Schatz!

I was waiting for someone to say this.

[Deus Naturae]

X, you actually believe that Reid should have been primaried because he said that Gillibrand was hot?

I wonder if it was someone other than Inouye, but Gillbrand, for whatever reason, decided to pin it on him because he's dead.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

X, you actually believe that Reid should have been primaried because he said that Gillibrand was hot?

I wonder if it was someone other than Inouye, but Gillbrand, for whatever reason, decided to pin it on him because he's dead.

Where did I say that?  My point with that was that the idea that only Republican voters often fail to primary elected officials for engaging in sexual harassment is absurd.  I believe one poster implied that unlike Republicans, Democrats will primary elected officials over this sort of stuff and that was what I was responding to.

[Deus Naturae]

X, you actually believe that Reid should have been primaried because he said that Gillibrand was hot?

I wonder if it was someone other than Inouye, but Gillbrand, for whatever reason, decided to pin it on him because he's dead.

Where did I say that?  My point with that was that the idea that only Republican voters often fail to primary elected officials for engaging in sexual harassment is absurd.  I believe one poster implied that unlike Republicans, Democrats will primary elected officials over this sort of stuff and that was what I was responding to.

Alright, but I don't see what Harry Reid has to do with it. The fact that he didn't get primaried after calling Gillibrand "hot" is hardly proof that Dem primary voters don't care about sexual harassment.

[Free Bird]

Inouye, you dirty dog

[Vega]

What he said was wrong, but it doesn't take away my admiration of him as a Senator.

I'm not just saying that because he's a Democrat - if Jon Huntsman or a Republican I liked did something similar, I'd say the same thing.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Congress needs more romance.

There have actually been three married couples (Connie and Mary Bono Mack, Andrew Jacobs, Jr. and Martha Keys, and Bill Paxon and Susan Molinari), plus of course James Buchanan and William Rufus King.

[Maxwell]

The whole pinning it on the dead guy theory doesn't hold water when you look at Inouye's history.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

The whole pinning it on the dead guy theory doesn't hold water when you look at Inouye's history.

Or it explains why Inouye was the dead guy chosen to be pinned?   (Not that there's any actual reason to doubt it either.)

[nolesfan2011]

Yeah, Daniel Inouye was the furthest thing from a saint.

Inouye really comes as awful post mortem