The Allegations Against Joe Biden
Political engines are beginning to rumble as another election season is coming our way. The Democratic Party has produced a large list of presidential status seekers to take on President Donald Trump in the 2020 elections. On this list there are familiar faces and new ones, ranging from a former Newark, N.J. mayor all the way to a runner up to Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election. However, there is one familiar face that has remained in the media for years. But now, it’s not for good reason. Former Vice President Joe Biden has unofficially declared his candidacy for the 2020 election, and while this is good news to some, the sentiment circulating in the media is not positive. Since March 29, 2019, eight women have come out with allegations against Biden, speaking about alleged uncomfortable interactions with him.
Lucy Flores and Amy Lappos were the first two women to come out against the former vice president. Flores, a former Nevada lieutenant governor nominee, stated that he allegedly smelled her hair, and gave her a long kiss on the back of her head back in 2014. The second accuser Amy Lappos, who was a congressional aide for Jim Himes back in 2009, and alleged that, “He put his hand around my neck and pulled me in to rub noses with me. When he was pulling in, I thought he was going to kiss me on the mouth…” which she stated to the Hartford Courant. The other six women relayed similar stories of lingering shoulder touches and “just too long” hugs.
However, all of these allegations did not affect the majority of Democrats at all, leaving them mostly unfazed. Politico found in their most recent poll that, “Half of Democrats...said the allegations from women that Biden made them uncomfortable by invading their space will make no difference in their vote.” The poll also shows that only 8 percent of Democrats believe that what Biden did was an act of sexual harassment, and this is also true for most Democratic women.
When Joe Biden was the Vice President during the Obama administration, it was strictly, “Uncle Joe” as he was viewed as just a touchy, older uncle. With the #MeToo movement chugging along ferociously, it was evident that the joke, “Creepy Uncle Joe” would come to light just like these allegations. Many conservatives found it a bit strange, while liberals still didn’t take it seriously. Many people, the majority of which were liberals, would continuously push Biden’s actions under the rug, claiming that he is just from a different generation and doesn’t get what is acceptable today. However, this was before the #MeToo movement when society really started looking closely at peoples’ actions.
At the end of the day, these allegations do not seem to be hurting Biden's chance at success if he does decide to run in the 2020 election. But these accusations don’t rise to the severity as some others that have been recently outed in the media, and it’s curious that there’s a different level of scrutiny depending on who the accusations are against. Why is this the case? It all boils down to the party the man is in.
When Brett Kavanaugh, a Republican, was nominated to be a judge on the Supreme Court, an allegation of sexual misconduct came to light rather quickly. His family and his name were completely destroyed and his life was picked apart, as Democrats were convinced that he did, in fact, commit the assault. Kavanaugh's trials and hearings lasted for ages, but he was finally found innocent, as there were no substantial evidence to prove otherwise. To this day, Democrats are convinced he did it and demand that another investigation be launched. But take a look at Justin Fairfax, the Democratic Lieutenant Governor of Virginia who has been accused by two women who claim he forced them into sexual acts and raped them. Despite these accusations, he has remained in office, with Democratic leaders “urging him” to resign. Where are the investigations, the lie detector tests, and the trials? Where is the media uproar and the support from CNN to give justice to these two women? Why is his name not being dragged through the media until the truth is discovered? Whether it’s necessary or not, this likely won’t happen. The media has moved on, and no investigation seems to be coming anytime soon. How is this fair, and why is one allegation more important than the other? The sad truth is that people follow the party line, and do not want to condemn any of their own. Where is the fairness, and will we ever see it again?