Back in the fall of 2018, prominent Democratic women rushed to proclaim then-Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh guilty of the sexual assault allegations made against him by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
“I believe Dr. Blasey Ford because she’s telling the truth. You know it by her story,” proclaimed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on Sept. 20, 2018.
“I believe her,” Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) told CBS at the time. “And she has the courage to come forward. She has nothing to gain.”
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams tweeted this on Sept. 28, 2018 about Ford’s allegations: “I believe women, and I believe survivors of violence always deserve to be supported and to have their voices heard.”
“I believe Dr. Ford,” tweeted Michigan Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gretchen Whitmer on Sept. 27, 2018.
“Believe All Women” became a rallying cry during that time, done under the pretense of making sure the voices of sexual assault survivors were heard. But the real reason was far more politically self-centered to these Democratic women: They wanted to derail Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination by any means necessary.
A-year-and-a-half later, 2020 presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden stands accused of sexual assault, by his former Senate staffer Tara Reade.
Do you think these same women are still abiding by the “Believe All Women” rule they created? Of course they aren’t.
Harris, who is rumored to be on Biden’s VP short list, said she “would be honored” to be his running mate in the same interview where she was asked about Reade’s allegations. Stating Reade “has a right to tell her story,” Harris also noted that “the Joe Biden I know is somebody who really has fought for women and empowerment of women and for women’s equality and rights.”
Abrams, who lost her bid to be Georgia’s governor, has been openly lobbying to be Biden’s pick for weeks. On Reade’s allegations, Abrams seemed content with media “reviews” of the claims. “Nothing in the Times review or any other later reports suggests anything other than what I already know about Joe Biden: That he will make women proud as the next president of the United States.”
Gillibrand, who has said numerous times she’d be open to being a VP running mate, made it clear she believes Joe Biden. “[Reade] has come forward, she has spoken, and they have done an investigation in several outlets. Those investigations, Vice President Biden has called for himself. Vice President Biden has vehemently denied these allegations, and I support Vice President Biden.”
At the time Gillibrand made that statement, Biden had not said the first word publicly about Reade’s claims, let alone called for an investigation.
Whitmer, now the governor of Michigan, stated Sunday that she stood with Joe Biden. “I know Joe Biden, and I have watched his defense. And there’s not a pattern that goes into this. And I think that, for these reasons, I’m very comfortable that Joe Biden is who he says he is.”
“Not a pattern?” Hmm. Perhaps she should ask the seven other Democratic women who stepped forward last year and accused Biden of inappropriate touching and hair sniffing.
These are remarkable about-faces on “Believe All Women.”
The point of this is not to convince women that if you support one woman’s allegations you should support them all. The point is to call out how believability standards should not be based on the political party affiliation of the person being accused. In reality, the totality of the evidence should be the determining factor.
Unfortunately, these women have not had a principled change of heart. This has everything to do with raw political ambition, and nothing more. It wouldn’t serve any of them to give credence to Reade’s allegations at a time when they’re under consideration to be Biden’s pick, would it?
Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym Sister Toldjah, and is a regular contributor to RedState and Legal Insurrection.
