Bernie Sanders has dropped out of the race. The 2020 presidential race will now be between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. While Joe Biden has never been my first choice for president, I have said that I would #votebluenomatterwho. What about the sexual assault allegations made by Tara Reade against Joe Biden? Is voting for Joe Biden, even though he has been accused of raping Tara Reade, hypocritical to my beliefs?
Tara Reade was a former staffer of Joe Biden between 1992-1993. Reade alleges, during an interview with podcaster Katie Halper, that Biden took her to a “side area” down towards the Capitol Building. Without exchanging words he held her up against the wall went down against her skirt and penetrated her with his fingers.
There are questions that some Democrats have, including myself. The first being why didn’t she come out with rape allegations in 2019? I understand that the 1990s was a different time and a different culture. She was one of the women that accused former Vice President Biden of inappropriate touching. In 2019 she stated that Vice President Biden ran his fingers up her neck. This was at the same time that other women accused him of sniffing them or kissing their hands without permission. Why didn’t she come out with rape allegations then?
If we follow the Kavanaugh standard and believe her without questioning her story or motives, do we allow four more years of Trump? Because we already know that Republicans do not care if their candidate is a sexual harasser or rapist. Even when the candidate says so with their own words.
We should question throwing away anyone’s career and good name because one person has accused him of rape at a politically opportunistic time. I hate saying this. I really do. But with politics being the way they are it is very difficult to believe her unconditionally. She says she has two witnesses, but they aren’t willing to speak to the media. None of Joe Biden’s other Congressional staffers have come forward with sexual assault allegations. This feels opportunistic.
The women who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein did so after a large group of women also accused him of rape. The same with Bill Cosby. Others came out in 2018 and 2019 and told their stories. It wasn’t until the Brett Kavanaugh accusers came forward that these accusations took on a political motivation.
Kavanaugh’s accusers came forward after he was nominated for the Supreme Court. The three women accused Kavanaugh of three different bad acts. The question became, does Brett Kavanaugh lose his chance to be a Supreme Court Justice because of sexual allegations that could never be proven.
At the time Democrats were saying yes. Because nobody wanted President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court and were angry about Neil Gorsuch not even receiving a confirmation hearing.
Now with Biden, I think many, myself included are wondering if they are hypocrites for questioning Tara Reade’s accusations. Are we questioning her because she’s accusing the Democratic candidate for president?
This is the same question that political candidates are asked all the time. You believed X twenty years ago and now you say you believe Y, isn’t that hypocritical? I think as new information is given, and as time passes we have to grow within our believes.
The #METOO movement says that people should be allowed to be heard. That women who have been assaulted should be believed enough that her case should be taken by the police and investigated. She shouldn’t be dismissed because of her close, location, or her past sexual history. Does that mean that the accused doesn’t deserve his due process? No.
So no, I don’t think it’s hypocritical to vote for Joe Biden even though he has been accused of rape. Although, I am allowed to change my opinion if new evidence arises.
