Rank misogyny has been just as blatant as Trump’s racism in this campaign
by digby
He’s basically been calling Latinx migrants vermin and referring to black candidates as “unqualified” and “thieves.” But let’s not forget that his incessant braying about Kavanaugh every night is nothing more than unfiltered misogyny:
Barely a month after CNN reported that President Trump’s initially “respectful” treatment of a sexual assault accuser left his aides “quietly stunned,” President Trump’s last two speeches before Tuesday’s midterm elections attacked the women who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.
“This woman came out and said she made up the story,” Trump said on Monday evening in Fort Wayne, Indiana, referring to a woman in Kentucky who reportedly admits she fabricated an allegation against Kavanaugh.
As the crowd started chanting “lock her up!” Trump added, “And they gotta look at the other ones also, folks, because… take a look at the other ones, folks!”
By “other ones,” Trump was referring to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, two women who accuse Kavanuagh of sexual assault.
A couple hours later in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, Trump seized upon news of the fabricated Kavanaugh allegation to make a case that all of the women who accused Kavanaugh of misconduct were lying.
“It was false accusations, it was a scam, it was fake, it was all fake!” Trump said, ignoring that both Ford and Ramirez have corroborating evidence for their claims.
Shortly after she came forward publicly with her account of being assaulted by Kavanaugh at a party while they were in high school, Ford disclosed she and her family weren’t living at home because of threats she was receiving. Trump, however, called for renewed scrutiny on her anyway.
Despite what Trump’s comments might lead people to believe, neither Ford or Ramirez have recanted any part of their claims against Kavanaugh. But the president’s decision to attack and subject them to further threats and public ridicule illustrates why women are reluctant to come forward with allegations against powerful men in the first place.
“Lock her up!” chants weren’t just directed toward Kavanaugh accusers on Monday night. During his rally in Missouri, Rush Limbaugh and U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley (R) each prompted the chant to be directed toward the typical object of Trump’s abuse, Hillary Clinton.
If women do come out to vote for Democrats in the numbers predicted in the polling, Republicans have no one to blame but their Dear Leader and themselves for their disgusting behavior toward the women of this country.
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