Tellin' it Like It Is

From Charles Blow's NY Times op-ed today. 

"To put it more succinctly, Donald Trump is a lowlife degenerate with the temperament of a 10-year-old and the moral compass of a severely wayward teen."

Invulnerable to Prosecution?

But there's more. Blow's reference to a rape case pending in New York against Donald Trump (the hearing scheduled in December, after the election) got me digging.  Just when I thought I couldn't be more disgusted by Trump and his followers, the bile rose in my throat.  This Republican nominee for President has been sued no fewer than 1,500 times, not just for fraudulent acts involving Trump University, but, and this one really boggles the mind, by young women, now in their 30s, who contend they were raped, not sexually accosted, but raped, by Trump when they were 13 years old!  At parties, the existence of which was well known by many in the 90s, thrown by his pal Jeffrey Epstein. According to a rather thorough summary of the suit here, Epstein "has been named in multiple sexual assault lawsuits over the last several years, served 13 months in jail, and is registered as a sex offender for life." And yet, Trump, the Republican "party of family values" candidate, not only attended these parties but expressed public admiration for the guy. ' "I've known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,'' Trump booms from a speakerphone. "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it — Jeffrey enjoys his social life." '  Younger side indeed. (More on slime ball Epstein here. He has some interesting pals, or did.)

Apparently Donald's momma never told him people judge you by the company you keep. 

So a guy with the "moral compass of a severely wayward teen" has the support of, according to lawn signs, a substantial number of folks in my neighborhood despite his despicable reputation, or, more frighteningly, because of it. And that's what scares me.

According to a Huff Po article about it, "The rape case must be viewed through the lens of Mr. Trump’s current, longstanding and well documented contempt for women. Men who objectify women are more likely to become perpetrators of sexual violence, just as one with a long history of overtly racist comments is more likely to commit a hate crime." Unbelievably – though this presidential candidate has "taken lifelong joy in objectifying women, including his proclamation: “Women, you have to treat ‘em like shit.” – he has the support of not only a huge portion of men but some women as well. That any woman supports him is shocking. Does she not realize that, despite Hillary's many faults, it's because of women like Hillary that she gets to vote at all? Is it a case of national Stockholm Syndrome or what?  And who are the kidnappers? Ans: The Republican Party.  The same party whose base has preached for years that women belong at home, powerless, pregnant and prayerful, where they might silently and dutifully (Melania, an example) reproduce white- skinned  babies in sufficient number to out- populate the dark folk. Zeig heil, mon herr.

My party believes women belong in the House... and the Senate... and the White House. And have the right to decide when and with whom to procreate.

The older I get the more I can't help but see most social issues, from war to civil rights, through the lens of feminism. Because it is increasingly obvious, and to that extent Trump has done us all a favor by making it so. Anyone who still denies that this election is anything other  than  the ultimate smackdown between misogyny and feminism is blind, or willfully so. Because there's nothing more vulnerable to exploitation than a child who's broke and homeless, and tied to a bed by a monster who believes he's invulnerable to prosecution, answerable to no one.

Pray God someone proves him wrong.