Has the certainty over time that we have a serial sexual predator/ rapist in the White (Supremacist) House deadened us to new revelations criminal behavior? Is that one reason why E. Jean Carroll's account of child concentration camp landlord Donald "Rump" Trump's raping her 20 years ago faded so quickly?
Melinda Henneberger
"Joe Biden accused of standing too close" is apparently a way bigger story than "Donald Trump accused of raping a public person in a public place." Unlike most women, men and children who are sexually assaulted, Carroll told two friends at the time, and they back her up.
Why then is White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s husband so lonely in noting the credibility of this 16th sexual assault allegation against the 45th president of the United States?
Yes, we’re exhausted by the sheer volume of Trump scandals, and yes, we’re bored with rape, too, because that is so last year.
Maybe if he had been accused of swiping a sweater from Bergdorf’s, that would be new and different? Because allegations of slamming a woman against a wall and penetrating her is same old, same old at this point. [snip]
To Trump’s faithful, his denials and claims that “I’ve never met this person in my life” are in no way undercut by a photo of them chatting at a party. But for those who know better but can’t be bothered, I’m sorry to see the extent to which this man and this topic have worn us down and worn us out.
Megan GarberAnd to those who purport to support women but wish this particular woman had said something sooner, later or not at all, I say: What else is new? (our emphasis)
... The sheer number of women who have accused the president of misconduct seems to have helped diminish the impact of her accusation. The notion of a president who is a sexual predator is profoundly familiar at this point, in part because Trump himself has been caught bragging on tape about the predation. (I moved on her like a bitch. Grab ’em by the pussy. When you’re a star, they let you do it.)
That explains, in part, how a famous woman could make, it is worth reiterating, a credible claim that the president of the United States raped her and see that claim dissolved within a weekend’s news cycle: A news media that is so efficiently calibrated to report that which is new isn’t fully sure how to report on that which is manifestly not new. The numbers give way to a numbness. He said and she said and she said and so did she, and the many, many shes, rather than amounting at least to the sum of their parts, end up canceling one another out. Defeatism sets in. The women’s stories tell us what we already know, and so they fade away. (our emphasis)This effect also has worked in Trump's favor in the exposés of his financial corruption and ineptitude, his repeated efforts to do Putin's bidding, the multiple and public efforts to obstruct justice during the Mueller investigation and, of course, just the firehose of lies that come from him every moment of every day. As much as many in the media would like to portray it otherwise, there is no equivalence to this supernova of criminality, immorality, ignorance, and treasonous behavior.
Yes, he's worn us down over the past 2 1/2 years (it seems much longer). And we have no words of wisdom on how to deal with this vicious malignancy, other than to redouble our resolve to see to it that this will end through our common efforts, our voices and our votes.
BONUS: Totally in (rotted out) character, as a "defense," Trump says Ms. Carroll is "not my type." So, he has a "type" in mind when he goes out to rape and assault? Good to know.
(Photo: Trump's "grab 'em by the pussy" moment.)
