I am an Arizonan and a constituent of Martha McSally during her years in Washington. I have been seriously perturbed by Senator McSally’s claim of having been sexually assaulted in the military, and it’s not like I’m a firm believer in the rectitude of men in uniform.
Let me start by saying that I am inclined to believe any woman who claims sexual assault, based on my seventy years of being female. I don’t believe Sen. McSally, and it wasn’t until I read the account of Sarah Tirschwell, who lost her job at a Wall Street firm after accusing her boss of sexual assault in the Business section of the NYT today that I figured out why: Martha McSally has no skin in this game. She hasn’t made a claim that is verifiable; she wants to reap the rewards of #MeToo without being subjected to any of the indignities that go along with outing a powerful sexual predator.
AND it is a smart political move on her part now that she is faced with a formidable Democratic challenger in Mark Kelly. Martha McSally is trying to appeal to the Republican women who are disgusted by Trump and who would see her as a strong champion of women despite having consistently voted against women’s issues (and with Trump) during her 4 years in Congress.
I imagine that this is a topic that most men will avoid like a case of Ebola, but I hope that other women will respond, because I can’t decide if I just overly cynical or am on the money about a woman who waged the nastiest of nasty political campaigns against another woman.
Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., said Wednesday that while in the Air Force, she was raped by a superior officer.
The dramatic revelation came as she testified before a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing on sexual assault in the military.
“I was preyed upon and raped by a superior officer,” McSally told the hearing in her opening statement.
She testified that she blamed herself, adding, “I was ashamed and confused.” She said she did not report her assault, saying, “I didn’t trust the system at the time.”
Later in her career, McSally said, she felt the need to let some people know that “I too was a survivor.” McSally said she was “horrified” at how her attempt to share her experiences was handled and that she almost left the Air Force.
And then there is this one:
During her 2018 campaign, McSally said she was assaulted by a coach in high school.
I’m kind of surprised she didn’t report both of them at the same time.
Yes, false reports are sometimes made, but it’s fairly rare, so better to err on the side of accepting her report at face value. Besides, it sounds like a number of witnesses could confirm that she had indeed talked to them about the incident(s).
According to the left and the feminists, “Every woman has the right to be believed.”
That is, unless you’re RAPED by Bill Clinton, BEATEN by Keith Ellison, GROPED by Cory Booker or KILLED by Ted Kennedy.
Better yet, we absolutely can’t believe their accusers because in EACH of these cases, there’s actual proof. Multiple women who are begging to be heard in the cases of Clinton and Ellison. An actual article written by Booker himself. Mary Jo Kopechne.
Oh, and let’s not forget the slush fund using taxpayer dollars for sexual harassment settlements.
Yeah, every woman has the right to be believed, unless you stand on the wrong side of the aisle. Then, it’s swept under the rug.
I think your last paragraph is the most telling. You are unsure of your accusations. You imagine that you would have behaved differently than did she, perhaps in not reporting an incident at the time it happened or in lying about it for political gain.
Tell me:
Did you support Kyrsten Sinema or McSally in the election?
Did you believe the uncorroborated claims of Blasey-Ford against Kavanaugh?
Did you believe the allegations against the Duke Lacrosse Team?
Did you believe Tawana Brawley and Al Sharpton?
Since you are but a few years younger than I, you should be familiar with each of the three above apparently false accusations.