When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
Now. [2]
[1] At this point, someone will likely howl “How DARE you call them ‘indescretions’? They are CRIMES!” Well, no – the offenses of the people I’m referring to in this post are well south of the level required to be a “crime”.
Someone will also howl “Don’t you BELIEVE victims in sexual harassment cases?” Believe me – I’ve seen what sexual harassment looks like, from the perspective of someone with no power to do a damn thing about it. I’ve also seen some completely fake cases.
If someone is accused of a crime, they’re innocent until proven guilty. If someone is accused of something that is unethical and immoral but not criminal, they should be too. And of course, we’re talking the court of public opinion here – but in that court as well as the actual legal one, your best option is almost always to just just your endlessly flapping mouth.
[2] “WHAT? You’re telling sexual harassers how to defend themselves?” No. I’m telling anyone how to deal with a PR crisis. Your indiscretions and immoralities are between you, your offended/affected colleagues, your boss and whatever creator you believe in.
I miss the It Was Twenty Years Ago Today posts…
was 1997 a quiet year?
Pingback: In The Mailbox: 11.13.17 : The Other McCain
Mitch,
In COURT, you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. You are not afforded that presumption in public. If you feel strongly otherwise, then please say that Hilary Clinton is innocent and shoudl be afforded that presumption.
However, the case with Roy Moore, which is at least a decent probability a part of the reason or the topic of your post/comments about sexual harrassment/assualt, the challenge is this, any evidence is decades old. The cases, alleged cases, would have been complaints by young women against a very powerful man. Rape, let alone lesser degrees of sexual assualt, repeatedly go unreported, and so, uncharged, let alone the accused going free because of some parochial attitude that the victim somehow helped contribute to the event. I have a 3 accusation rule, generally, where sexual harrassment or assault is concerned if no other corroborating evidence is present. One case, ONE, could be some extraordinary case of misunderstanding, Two is NEARLY impossible, Three, impossible. Women (or men for that matter) do not, will not, come forward to make accusations of assault very easily in very many cases. They feel ashamed, violated, and they want it to go away. I believe you that you have experience where there was nothing you could do, and so you have I assume the experience to know there are LOTS and lots of women who feel they have nothing they can do and so remain silent.
Five cases, including the case today especially, is not a mistake, it is not a coincidence. Roy Moore indicted himself on Sean Hannity by talking about having dated teenagers when he was in his 30’s. He further did so by saying he’d “ask the moms for permission”, such an attitude suggests he understood these were children, and so, people with whom he had NO business having any association. He indicted himself further STILL by saying he didn’ know the woman today, nor the restaurant, and then she produced a year book with a note from him, noted the restaurant, and signed as a DA, a note he does not deny and sure as hell looks like his signature. IN short, he got caught in a lie, and when physical evidence no longer exists, and the statute of limitation has run out, what court do you suppose they will bring Moore to trial in other than the court of public opinion? In THAT court, unlike the investigation of Clinton by the FBI where her charge-ability was weighed and the case found wanting, in THAT case for Moore, 5 people who were otherwise silent and not seeking publicity, outweigh the words of a man who has shown he dated teenagers, lied about his past, showed contempt for the law and for the Constitution and seems, allegedly to have behaved in criminal conduct in his past.
If you cannot find your voice in that kind of situation, and instead want to hide behind the “innocent until proven guilty” when no case can be brought and evidence no longer exists, then I am baffled when you WILL find that voice. You weren’t afraid to find it with Clinton about something less serious (the inadvertent disclosure of secret material). So, outside telling someone facing that sort of trouble to shut up, advice that seems intended to help Moore salvage his chance of winning his seat, what actually helpful stance will you take?
To be clear Mitch, I GET that your point was shut up when in trouble. I do. But seriously, is that the point today? The Roy Moore situation is a national issue of real merit. You have said the Dems are full of hate, but it’s the state auditor in Alabama who tried to excuse Moore by likening his story to that of Joseph and Mary, it was a GOP office holder in the state who said better a pedophile than a Democrat. The GOP needs to find its voice here, or at least, some of it does, some of it has, thankfully, but should the story here really be “PR advice to “unnamed” , when in a hole, shut up.” Are you trying to offere advice only generally here? Are you merely expressing your feeling of head shaking as Moore digs his hole? Don’t you have more to say? Doesn’t your conscience compel you to say more?
Yeah, well this is what I’ve been telling y’all for 10 years. And what really torques me is, you link to a guy WHO GIVES BAD ADVICE.
And if you aren’t ready to tell the 100% unvarnished truth, God help you. Look: there are only two courses of action to take when the government asks you questions. Either tell the 100% complete truth or SHUT UP. Nothing in between.
NO asshole. There is no in between and no either/or. Unless you’re auditioning for the role of the drunken trailer park boyfriend, or the busted crack ho on an episode of COPS, say NUFFIN. Nada. Just STFU.
I wouldn’t hire this guy on a bet.
There are accusations. There is the timing of the accusations. There is a chorus of voices from people with suspect motives. There is likely to be a Supreme Court seat to fill which requires a majority. None of this is cut-and-dried and there isn’t time to sort it out, which was intentional.
This situation has nothing to do with right or wrong, guilty or innocent. It has to do with politics and that’s a lot more important to the nation in the long run. We need that Senate seat. It’s too late to replace Moore on the ballot. Fight for him to win and then, if the holy saints in the Senate Republican caucus are too pure to allow a tainted mortal to be seated with them, refuse to seat him and let the Governor of Alabama appoint some other Republican to replace him.
Want to test my theory to see if I’m right? Try this thought experiment: if the situation was reversed and a disgraceful candidate threatened to cost the Democrats their majority, what would Penigma, the Democrat leaders and the entire media be saying?
Funny how penny is not calling for Menendez’s head. Never mind allegations, Menendez actually had charges filed against him and is currently on trial. All this hand wriging about what Moore allegedly did 40 years ago, and nothing on Menendez who is on record hiring underage hookers. NOTHING. How do you pretend to be taken seriously in your tl;dr screeds, penny? How do you look at yourself in the mirror? How?
But there is more! Ever heard of David Alcon? No outrage there. Nosireebob! What we need is more moore!