Former Vice President Joe Biden raised the specter of rape from the 1972 shock movie “Deliverance” in defending Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s accuser in a Today show appearance Friday.
“What should happen is the woman should be given the benefit of the doubt and not be abused again by the system.” @JoeBiden talks Anita Hill and Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford pic.twitter.com/TicXcSZvGl
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) September 21, 2018
Emphasizing how “hard” it his for victims of sexual abuse to come forward, Biden said that men should imagine being the character raped in “Deliverance” when considering what Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford is going through in mulling a Thursday appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I always say to men, they say why so hard, how about if you had been abused? You seen the movie Deliverance? How about if you were the guy strapped to the tree? Would you come forward? Would you want to relive that? I serious. I’m deadly earnest,” said Biden.
But in raising the buildup of Ford’s testimony to a new high, Biden got the story wrong.
In the movie, the man strapped to the tree played by Jon Voight, observed while the character played by Ned Beatty was raped in the woods.
The movie was a breakout for its star, Burt Reynolds, who recently died.
