On Wed, Feb, 24, Lindsey Boylan, the former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to Gov. Cuomo published a column exposing a toxic work environment in which top female aides “normalized” their boss’ behavior.

“I’m compelled to tell my story,” she wrote, “because no woman should feel forced to hide their experiences of workplace intimidation, harassment and humiliation – not by the Governor or anyone else.”

In 2018, after she was promoted to a senior advisor position, Cuomo seized his opportunity. According to Boylan, Cuomo “stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips,” during a one-on-one meeting at the governor’s Manhattan office. The unwanted advance from New York’s most powerful Democrat came after years of harassment.

“I had complained to friends that the Governor would go out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs,” she writes. “His senior staff began keeping tabs on my whereabouts.” Those who follow the news know the bi-partisan criticisms of New York’s governor for his actions in the face of the COVID-19 pestilence, but Boylan’s expose fits into a more interesting series of outrages.

People gifted with a moderate historical memory will remember that liberal politicians and their faithful servants in the media, the entertainment industry and academia had committed themselves deeply to a political strategy that relied heavily on accusations of misogyny, racism, and homophobia.

Trump’s boasts and history of hunting blondes energized this strategy. And the revolts against ungovernable male libidos gave it a non-partisan spin. And there, right off, we saw a factor that blurred the focus of the liberal strategy. It was the lurid record of sexual misconduct by Harvey “the Toad” Weinstein that inflamed the protest and inspired the tidal wave of stories of masculine excesses.

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This ties into the fact that the industry and culture symbolized by “Hollywood” is the site of lots and lots of sex and liberal, or even far-left politics. There was no way to identify the entertainment industry with misogynistic Republicans  The boomerang began with the Toad, well-known as a liberal fund-raiser and set off the the Me Too movement which went on to target one liberal hero after another.

And it spread to include important liberal political figures. New York lost a liberal attorney general, then Gov. Elliott Spitzer, and now Gov. Cuomo has popped up down range. Senator Al Franken (D.-Minn) was photographed clowning around in a sexually significant manner and resigned in disgrace.

Stories about Bill Clinton’s escapades came back to life and feminists were less willing to give him a pass. He was out of office and it was no longer useful to defend him. The Enraged Left had already turned against him and his Hillary as “corporate Democrats” who had sold their souls to the bankers.

It turns out that the more “relaxed” liberals were no more willing to attack those to their left than the more relaxed Republicans were willing to repudiate the more inflamed followers of the Trump Tower Gargoyle. People who have read a lot of political history would not find it easy to name any political leadership that openly attacked a numerically significant faction on their end of the ideological spectrum. That’s just not good politics. The first rule of politics is always protect your base.

The bottom line here? Liberal Democrats, like Joe Biden and his ilk, find it easier to quietly walk away from the Clinton than join those condemning them. Their innermost thoughts are not available for public examination, Politicians are  typically more comfortable with evasion than frankness. What matters more for the moment is that their strategy for attacking Republicans as demonic enemies of women has suffered crippling blows.  They’ll keep it up as best they can since they don’t have an alternative ready at hand.

And that good old standby, rally the Afro-Americans by convincing them that the Republicans are their relentless enemies? Trump improved his showing in that part of the population despite four years of condemnation for racist works and policies.

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Liberal Democrats seem to be all aboard the “systemic racism” prattle, but that promised a powerful boomerang effect. If racism is, indeed, built into American law, politics, and culture then the Democratic Party must share the condemnation. They have not been innocent by-standers in the creation of the United States as it now stands.

During the primary debates Kamala Harris chided Joe Biden for his opposition to busing and friendly relations with segregationist senators. She has now forgiven him. Is this forgiveness universal?  Now we read that President Barack Obama is being criticized for not supporting reparations.

Will Good Ol’ Joe escape criticism for tip-toeing around the reparations issue? He has spoken of forming a commission to study reparations. Such commissions are traditionally a method of burying delicate and dangerous issues. We’ll see how well that tactic  works this time.

John Frary of Farmington, the GOP candidate for US Congreess in 2008, is a retired history professor, an emeritus Board Member of Maine Taxpayers United, a Maine Citizens Coalition Board Member and publisher of the Frary Home Companion. He can be reached at jfrary8070@aol.com

 

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