Possibly. Democrats committed to returning to the White House
a First Husband plausibly accused of rape seem to think so, and they have
invested some money in the project.
The gambit involves asking Republican candidates in
Connecticut state elections to denounce Mr. Trump. A disinclination to do so will
be regarded in some sense as an approval of Mr. Trump’s alleged molestations of
multiple women. Presumptions of innocence or guilt in the court of public opinion
are much different than they would be in a public court, where the accused is
presumed innocent until proven guilty. An accusation of molestation lodged
against a politician in a political campaign is usually weighted in favor of the person bringing the
charge. And depending upon the character of the politician, the charge is deemed
to be more or less plausible. Everyone will agree that Mr. Trump has led a
colorful life. But so have the Clintons – particularly former President Bill
Clinton, the big bad wolf of Democratic Presidential politics.
That was long ago, some will say.
Indeed it was. The charges made against Mr. Trump are also
old; which is to say, the charges are new, but the incidents they point to are
old. In a court of law, many of them would be dismissed because positive
evidence in old cases is perishable. It’s very difficult to prove or defend oneself
against a charge for which there is little hard, non-circumstantial evidence.
In Mr. Trump’s case, none of his accusers are waving a stained blue dress in
public. For those interested in such matters -- and who is not? -- it may be
important to point out that the latest of Bill Clinton’s accusers has only
recently charged that the former President had molested her years ago. Her name is Leslie Millwee, and her public witness is not old news; it’s new news.The former local television news reporter from
Arkansas claims she was sexually assaulted by Bill Clinton on three separate
occasions in 1980.
Bill Clinton, it has been said, is not running for the
Presidency, or co-Presidency That is what the husband and wife regime was
called way back when Hillary was defending Bill against charges he had molested
Monica Lewinski in the White House while talking on the phone to a high Israeli
government official. In Bill’s case, they could NOT have gotten a motel room,
without dragging along his always obliging Secret Service detail. Hillary was
defaming Bill’s accusers right up to the moment when Ms. Lewinski’s
unimpeachable blue dress was flourished in public. In view of Bill’s past and,
some say, recent history, it’s surprising to find Clintonistas in Connecticut
deploying their sexual impropriety howitzers against Mr. Linares, whom no one
has accused of either molestation or rape.
But they are, according to a front page piece in the Hartford Courant written by reporter Gregory Hladky
,
which appeared a little more than two weeks before election day.
Democrats in Connecticut are attempting to upend Mr. Linares
for a number of reasons. The 33rd District is a swing District, and
Mr. Linares is an able legislator and campaigner. He’s Hispanic and a reliable
conservative voice in a General Assembly dominated by progressive Democrats. Because
the state legislature is a Democratic hegemon, all Republicans in the General
Assembly are back-benchers, but Mr. Linares is an extremely capable, persuasive
and attractive back-bencher who could easily be groomed for higher office.
Democrats in the General Assembly are vulnerable this year
because they have inflicted on the general public both the largest and the
second largest tax increases in state history. The unintended consequences of
imprudent tax hikes and a nettlesome regulatory scheme are obvious for all to
see: business flight, the departure to other states of wealth producing entrepreneurs,
and a slow and very painful partial recovery from a lingering recession needlessly
prolonged by legislative cowardice. Mr. Linares is quite able to press the case
against Democrats in his State Senate campaign.
And so, General Assembly Democrats – who fear an honest
discussion of issues of moment far more than Republicans fear a connection with
Mr. Trump – are anxious to change the subject whenever possible. Front page pieces
on the highly tenuous Trump-Linares connection play, perhaps unwittingly, into
the hands of state Democrat campaign architects who are now nervously attempting to
derail public attention from issues that resonate with the general public.
There is a political dimension to the Linares attack in
particular that seasoned reporters and commentators should take note of and
incorporate into their stories. This may not happen because front page stories
that revolve around sex are sexy; they are easily understood or misunderstood and sell
newspapers. And also, as Mr. Trump has repeatedly insisted, left of center
reporters and columnists are not honest political brokers. They are instead political
players. In Connecticut – once the roof falls in – injured citizens will turn against
the tribunes of the people who have promoted the destruction of Connecticut. It’s
only a matter of time.
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