In an article titled, “Since Chappaquiddick, Democrats’ views of women have evolved. Republicans’ still need to,” feminist commentator Jill Filipovic correctly notes that the Republican Party has a bad habit of slow-walking its response to allegations that its members have sexually assaulted or harassed women. If it isn’t dragging its feet, she writes, it’s outright ignoring the accusations.
This is a fair criticism in some cases. It’s what the GOP gets for aligning itself with candidates like failed Senate candidate Roy Moore, R-Ala., who has been credibly accused of assaulting minors, and President Trump, whose personal history is rank with the stench of sexual misconduct about which he has actually bragged.
But the problem here with Filipovic’s op-ed is that, at its heart, the core message is this: It was bad that Ted Kennedy was able to get away with involuntary manslaughter, but the GOP is still worse.
Jill Filipovic: Since Chappaquiddick, Democrats’ views of women have evolved. Republicans’ still need to. https://t.co/295tmNcWrj via @NBCNewsTHINK
— NBC News (@NBCNews) April 6, 2018
If that’s your chief takeaway from the miscarriage of justice that is Chappaquiddick, you’re not really here to speak on behalf of the marginalized and abused. You’re here to score political points.
Also, as a side note, Filipovic argues the Democratic Party has come a long way from the Chappaquiddick episode. You can maybe make an argument that there have been some marginal improvements since 1969, but let’s not forget that these abuse cases — even the recent ones — have not at all been concentrated on the Republican side of the aisle. Former President Bill Clinton, former vice presidential candidate John Edwards, Bob Filner, and John Conyers have all had scandals, in addition to other recent ones (Ruben Kihuen, Al Franken) in the #MeToo era. Each of these involves accusations of genuinely awful abuse and misconduct that occurred decades after Chappaquiddick.
Filipovic isn’t wrong to whack the GOP for its own problems involving sexual misconduct. She is also careful to include criticism aimed at the Democratic Party. But her article, which was published Friday by NBC News’ op-ed arm, THINK, still falls short of being an insightful analysis precisely because its chief aim is to defend the party that protected and lionized Ted Kennedy, who actually left a woman to die, by arguing that the other guys are worse, because… well, apparently because they’re not Democrats. See, it’s not about how you treat people, it’s about what your political ideology is.
The contention that Democrats are doing a better job “cleaning house” is also somewhat empty, considering that the ones who get caught — the example of Filner is especially appropriate here — have often been busily at it for years, in full knowledge of Democrats they interact with, and are finally forced to step down because they were exposed. It also seems a bit self-serving when the main thrust of the piece is to attack the other side.
This is a political attack dressed up as a call for justice. Be honest with your readers. They can detect a sales pitch when they see one.
