Access Hollywood Redux

As more and more stories have become public and accepted as true (many admitted by the perpetrators themselves) of men in power sexually abusing women -- because, being in power, they could get away with it -- it would be great if, at some point, focus can be put back on the 16 women who came forward ON THE RECORD to accuse Trump of sexual harassment, who himself admitted it on tape.  And by focus, I don't only mean the press investigating or question the press secretary pointedly, but also law enforcement looking into if any charges have been made within the statute of limitations.

And to clarify one thing that keeps getting endlessly repeated in defense of Trump: that Access Hollywood tape was NOT locker room talk -- not just because it's not how guys generally talk in locker rooms, but far more importantly...THEY WERE NOT IN A LOCKER ROOM, they were AT WORK. That was *workplace* talk, and as such was egregiously inappropriate, and it was an admission of guilt.

When the Access Hollywood tape became public, I believe there was far less acceptance of such charges against a big public figure than there is today, November 10, 2017.  With all the many stories, all the women coming forward on the record, all the well-known once-admired powerful public figure offenders acknowledging at least some truth of the charges, all the discussion, I think that if the Access Hollywood tape became breaking news today, followed by the on-the-record charges by 16 women, I think the response would be significantly different.  And flipping that, if all these other stories of sexual harassment and sexual abuse making the news today had occurred perhaps two years ago, then Trump may not be president today.  Not that "everyone" would believe the charges -- no, not remotely, he will likely have his defenders for (as he said) shooting someone on Fifth Avenue.  But given the razor thin margins in states like Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire where only a tiny shift would have changed the Electoral College count, it seems possible, if not likely that were would be a difference in the ultimate result.