October 26, 2017

"Now that the #metoo movement has brought this all to light, I think I should have been a little more alarmed to be touched so inappropriately..."

"...by a man who was once the leader of the free world. He knows the power he has, and the reverence he deserves, even while sitting perhaps somewhat senile in a wheelchair. What I’ve come to realize is that if we tolerate these small comments and grazes from men on the street or former presidents, they might assume that it’s ok with us, and they may take it as permission to do who-knows-what else. I realize that making light of the situation was the wrong move. It wasn’t ok for him to do that to me. He wasn’t able to give me a job or a movie deal, so I didn’t feel compromised or pressured to do anything more, but the comments and assumptions about our bodies must stop, at all levels."

Says Jordana Grolnick, the second woman who has said she was groped by George H.W. Bush during a photo op.

Both women, Grolnick and Heather Lind, report that Bush made a joke, saying his favorite magician was "David Cop-a-Feel." The joke reveals Bush's awareness of the sexual nature of his touching.

98 comments:

Oso Negro said...

Sigh. The human condition will surely be improved by honing women's sensitivity to a razor edge. In the glorious future, perhaps all men will have chips implanted in their heads to prevent any behavior that is unacceptable to women. No unauthorized touches, no unauthorized thoughts about women, no unauthorized erections.

Carol said...

OK while we're here, I wonder if that rumor or HW's infidelity that tanked the stock market had some truth to it.

tim in vermont said...

The first woman he did it to should have slapped him. the behavior would have ended. Now we have to think of old George as a dotard perv.

James Graham said...

Is it a WASP thing?

In a biography of John D Rockefeller I read that he liked to "feel" the women who sat next to him in his limousine.

Humperdink said...

I suspect Bush the senior felt immune due to his age. In my case, I would be afraid some woman would whack me across the chops for "grazing" her. And justifiably so.

Sebastian said...

"the comments and assumptions about our bodies must stop"

How long before women start complaining that men don't "comment" on their appearance enough?

How long before people notice that living without "assumptions" about bodies actually involves the imposition of other assumptions?

And by the way, do the comments and assumptions about women by women get a pass?

Unknown said...

This #MeToo thing is becoming a parody of itself at light-speed. But it reveals a lot about our narcissistic culture, that people are willing to go full Kardashian --invite public scrutiny of every squalid moment in which they might ever have been entangled-- in order to reap what they think are the benefits, namely notoriety and the warm glow. of having Fought Oppression. Belatedly, but all the more stridently for that.

Seriously, people. Do we care? As the good Professor noted, once everything becomes an offense, nothing can offend. At least not on that same parameter. We will need to invent new scales and metrics of offense. When leers = ambiguous fully-clothed brush-past contact = bad jokes = awkward passes = unwanted touching = kidnap and penetration and brutal beatings? When they collapse onto the same word, "sexual assault"? We are willfully blinding ourselves to important distinctions, all to indulge the narcissism of the weakest among us. WHY?

Ann Althouse said...

"The first woman he did it to should have slapped him. the behavior would have ended. Now we have to think of old George as a dotard perv."

So, slap a 90-year-old ex-President in a wheelchair? She should have thought of that and done it or too late? That's your pitch?

Caroline said...

All this is making women look like overly sensitive and emotionally fragile creatures who can’t handle the kind of humor that men indulge in from time to time. Exhibit a-z demonstrating that women are wired differently than men, and that the holy grail of equality rests on the fallacy of uniformity.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

“I don’t want to belittle Heather Lind for feeling violated,” she says. “Now that the #metoo movement has brought this all to light, I think I should have been a little more alarmed to be touched so inappropriately by a man who was once the leader of the free world. He knows the power he has, and the reverence he deserves, even while sitting perhaps somewhat senile in a wheelchair.

Paraphrase: "I wasn't offended or upset then--I told people about it and we laughed at him--but now I realize I SHOULD HAVE been offended then and so I'm telling MY STORY now."

Go get 'im, Media!

HoodlumDoodlum said...

How many lines in HW Bush's eventual obituaries do you think this stuff will get?
"His final days were marred by accusations of repeated sexual assault against young women--accusations Bush's PR team confirmed in multiple statements."

That'll show 'im.

William said...

The guy's in a wheelchair and drooling. How threatening can he possibly be. Ok, it's technically sexual misconduct and no honorable woman can ignore the fact that he's a Republican, but can't you give him some kind of break.

Qwinn said...

You too can avoid charges of sexual harassment, by following these 3 simple steps!


1. Be handsome.
2. Be attractive.
3. Don't be unattractive.

H/t to the only funny SNL skit of the last 2 decades.

rhhardin said...

The ass hug looks like a setup for his favorite joke, to me.

tim in vermont said...

So, slap a 90-year-old ex-President in a wheelchair? She should have thought of that and done it or too late? That's your pitch?

There was a time when a slap would have been automatic.

Henry said...

The man is a former President who gets wheeled out to bless occasions with his presence. There is a part of me that feels like the appropriate response to his geezer creepiness would be a private pushback. But he's a public figure, he made himself a public figure, and has to play by those rules.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

whatever it takes to bring down George HW Bush and dilute the Harvey Weinstein Hillarywood monster.

Shall we run the list of Bill Clinton's crimes again?

Curious George said...

"tim in vermont said...
The first woman he did it to should have slapped him."

Probably not wise to a POTUS with SS protection.

Unknown said...

William said: "The guy's in a wheelchair..." True. Context matters.

IMHO this complainant would have done better to say nothing. Life is full of sad moments and even the mighty are brought low. But if she had felt compelled to say something now --because the world was unaware of the danger of dotards in wheelchairs during photo ops, and a new law must be passed ASAP-- she would have done better to adopt an attitude of sympathy, of sadness that a once-great figure was reduced to pathetic and surreptitious bumping against complete strangers to remind himself of life's promise. Now, THAT might have made an impact. Instead we get revisionist history about what the moment suddenly comes to "mean" for her. She's "Woke" now, Hallelujah.

tim in vermont said...

Probably not wise to a POTUS with SS protection.

There was a time when a woman would have felt sufficient moral authority on the matter for a private scolding afterwards, ex POTUS or no.

Rick said...

the second woman who has said she was groped by George H.W. Bush during a photo op.

In your excerpt she claims she was "grazed". Big difference.

William said...

Maybe all the neurons aren't firing properly, and he should be retired from public appearances, but he's not some kind of sex offender. Give him a break.

Bob said...

Getting close to saturation point on MeToo. Is every male guilty and, BTW, every female innocent?

Tommy Duncan said...

Did GHWB use his wheelchair to chase Elizabeth Warren around a desk?

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Saint Croix said...

So, slap a 90-year-old ex-President in a wheelchair?

I think the appropriate thing to do is roll his wheelchair away from you.

And he wheels down the hospital like this, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

And I would laugh and get fired.

But then I would sue him for sex harassment and retire to a beach somewhere and whistle at the hotties.

Saint Croix said...

Also I think it's okay to pour ice water in his lap.

"Oops," I would say.

Fernandinande said...

Me: "A bunch of women are complaining about guys pinching their butts 30 years ago. National news!"

TheWoman: "They probably wish men were still trying to pinch their butts."

Birches said...

She says he's senile. This is senile behavior! Frankly, it's not HWs fault, it's the people who keep trotting him out there knowing he's not in his right mind anymore. His handlers have Old Man Privilege. He is completely unaware it's inappropriate.

Sally327 said...

Having had various dealings with the elderly and episodes like this from men (and women) who had never behaved like that in the past, I think it possible that there is some level of dementia here and that could explain this behavior. It would be interesting to know if he routinely groped and told similar jokes before he became old and infirm and (probably) senile, or something close to it.

rcocean said...

Yawn. So a 90 y/o guy -pinched her bottom.

Maybe, Althouse can explain the strange female phenomenon whereby they get sexually harassed or sexually assaulted, but say nothing for years.

Because they're "scared" or something.

And then when it looks like there's some favorable publicity or a law$uit, then suddenly they remember how horrible it all was, and can't wait to blare their "Secret shame" from the rooftops.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Rick said...In your excerpt she claims she was "grazed". Big difference.

I started to make a thing of that, too, but in the linked article the way they quote her makes it sound like HW grabbed/gripped in time with his delivery of the punchline of his "dirty joke," which presumably was intended to be timed for the taking of the picture (in a "goose the girl for a funny reaction" deal)...so that's probably more than a graze.

I do still have a problem with taking "touched" = "grabbed" = "groped" = sexually assaulted, but from THIS description grabbed makes more sense.

Unknown said...

I will care about this the day after Slick Willy gets indicted for rape, or even if the press decides to remember that.

A 90-year old grabbing ass does not equal rape, but one is headline news, the other is untouchable (pun intended).

Gahrie said...

Are women trying to make men hate them?

Left Bank of the Charles said...

I think the Secret Service would love to see one of their charges get dressed down for inappropriate behavior. A good slap would make their year. You have to respect that H.W. has essentially copped to his bad behavior. Maybe Barbara gave him a good hard slap in private.

mccullough said...

Explains why HW and Clinton are good friends.

Tom said...

The orbital-prefrontal cortex regulates this sort of behavior. It’s the thing in our brain that says “I wouldn’t” when an inappropriate impulse hits us. We are designed to stay alive and to propagate the species - so we have all sorts of impulses that are not helpful in our modern world. For the elderly, the orbital-prefrontal cortex can degenerate, removing the filter. It’s like removing a restrained bolt on an assassin droid in Star Wars. I’m not saying that George HW Bush doesn’t have some control of his behavior. I am suggesting he has significantly less control than Harvey Weinstein or Bill Clinton. His behavior shouldn’t be condoned but it’s also probably time for an end to his public appearances. But his actions are not the actions of serial sexual assaulters and we should we wise enough to see the difference.

David said...

A blundering possibly senile old man acts inappropriately. Publicity ensues. Eventually.

The graceful thing would have been to ignore it or to deal with it privately. But that way won't get you in the newspapers or on the internet.

Your 15 minutes are over, ladies.

Bob Boyd said...

I predict #MeToo will revert to the norm regarding negative reports on public figures. It will be used to attack Republicans almost exclusively. Dems will largely get a pass.

Tom said...

Ugh, I so wish there was an edit button.

Bob Boyd said...

It might be time to start zip-tying HW's wrists to the arms of his wheel chair for any events that will include women with backsides.

sparrow said...

All this gossip smears everyone involved. A public pronouncement is proper for an assault but a minor infraction like this should have been just a verbal rebuke, given at the time to directly HWB, considering his physical state. On the other hand a healthy man deserves a slap. It's about a proportional response: a public tweet greatly magnifies the rebuke.

mccullough said...

We'll eventually hear that HW has been doing this his whole adult life. Kennedy-envy

Bob Boyd said...

Just lean back and think of England.

Fritz said...

Dammit, they eliminated the "old man gets one free grope" rule just before I was eligible.

Earnest Prole said...

[Bush spokesperson Jim McGrath said] “To try to put people at ease, the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner. Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate. To anyone he has offended, President Bush apologizes most sincerely.”

M Jordan said...

Trump was too vulgar to be president — in Bush World — but HW grabs ass while hanging out the side of a wheelchair.

The Bushes are the worst ... and to thin I voted for them 4 times.

The Godfather said...

"Me too" is something children say, and the hashtag is encouraging some juvenile reports by women who ought to have outgrown such behavior (also some legitimate reports, of course). What I want to know is what movie roles did Bush offer Grolnick and Lind for allowing him to pinch their bums? Or was it an ambassadorship? No, nothing like that? So it wasn't much like what Harvey Weinstein did, was it? In fact it was NOTHING like what Weinstein did. If they were offended at the time, they should have said something at the time, like, No, Mr. President, don't do that! If they weren't offended enough at the time, then these women that nobody ever heard of are just jumping on the "Me Too" bandwagon to garner [sic] some unearned publicity.

JAORE said...

I've already seen articles that list the famous sexual abusers. Bush (the elder) listed, Weinstein, of course, and Trump, of course, listed.

No mention of (any of the) Kennedys.

Not B J Clinton.

Nor Biden.

It's a "tell".

Unknown said...

"Inappropriately" is now, for me, a "tell" that whatever follows is to some degree contrived to serve an ugly political agenda.

Darrell said...

Tyrone F. Horneigh on Laugh-In

Tyrone: Do you believe in the hereafter?
Gladys: Of course I do!
Tyrone: Good. Then you know what I'm here after!

Freeman Hunt said...

If this is senility, the people around him should have made him stop or been careful to position him in photos so that this could not happen.

Freeman Hunt said...

Seems a little odd that his name keeps making headlines for accusations of sexual assault but not Clinton's.

Birches said...

Yep, Freeman, it's his handlers fault this is happening, not his. I'm sure they didn't want to say anything because then they'd have to say to people who are looking for a photo op, "you can get your picture right next to GHW or he'll behave inappropriately." They just want to pretend everything is fine.

CStanley said...

Birches and Freeman beat me to it. How in the world have his family and staff not realized that they needed to put a stop to this? Apparently some of them have been warning the women, but if someone had told me this I would have assumed they were joking.

The people close to him have done a terrible disservice. If I'd been one of the women, I think I would have insisted on speaking with a nurse or someone else in his entourage and let them know that they were putting him at risk of having undignified behavior exposed to the public.

Like Freeman too I find it absurd that women are coming forth with these stories but the sisterhood still keeps the code of silence about Clinton. It's pretty sick, really.

Darrell said...

Blogger Freeman Hunt said...
Seems a little odd that his name keeps making headlines for accusations of sexual assault but not Clinton's.

10/26/17, 10:31 AM

Here 'ya go . . .
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DNCxKHaVQAAoOYS.jpg

Mary Martha said...

The trope of a 'Dirty Old Man' exists for a reason. When men get old enough it's like their self restraint has just gotten worn out.

A family member was always the most proper and respectful of men... until his final year.

Then it's like his switch flipped and he was the stereotypical dirty old man. One nursing home insisted that he be moved out of their facility because he was sexually harassing the nurses. He couldn't get out of his chair, had no idea of what month it was (he knew the days based on the menu) but he was making the nurses uncomfortable with his comments.

Have we reached a point in our society where we can no longer allow people to have their dotage in peace? We all must be politically correct then too?

Humperdink said...

I think I have it figured out. This a conspiracy by Trump to make the Bush clan disappear from the political scene once and for all. No more comments from Jeb! and W.

SeanF said...

I can't tell, when people talk about "HW", if they're referring to George H. W. Bush or Harvey Weinstein.

Darrell said...

Blogger Mary Martha said...
The trope of a 'Dirty Old Man' exists for a reason


Want a Walnetto?

dreams said...

Apparently it works both ways with old people who've lost their filter.

"After all, if Bush's behavior can be called sexual assault, then I have been sexually assaulted countless times. I travel around the country for speaking gigs and have frequently been touched, especially by the older set, in ways that I can only describe as "familiar." Here's one example: An extremely old woman said she wanted to take a picture with me "for her grandson." Likely story. During the photo she squeezed me around the waist suggestively and told me that she "just started dating again." Everyone laughed, and so did I.

Another example: After a speech, a similarly old woman approached me to tell me how much she appreciated my comments. As we talked, she grabbed my hands and didn't let go for several minutes. I would not have been OK with this if it were a young woman (or a young man), but this woman was older than my grandmother. I figured that yanking my hands away would be an ungracious and rude response. Finally, the woman's daughter came up and joked that if her dad saw the two of us, he'd want to beat me up. We all laughed. Then I went on living my life. Little did I realize that I'd just been sexually assaulted, yet again, by a sweet old lady. It never even occurred to me to think of it that way. Probably because I'm not deranged."

http://www.dailywire.com/news/22778/stop-it-george-hw-bush-did-not-commit-sexual-matt-walsh

gg6 said...

"... if we tolerate these small comments and grazes from men on the street...."
Yes, Feminism has now gone absolutely batshit. 'First they came for the rapists and assaulters, then they came for the hardhats and male pedestrians, then they came...."
Maybe they should just wear burkas and stay home?

Denever said...

The way to make it stop isn't to bitch about it years after the fact. When it happens, you say, "Take your hands off me, you dirty old man!" You demand and receive an apology then and there, you let other people spread the story (assuming they think it is one), and you move on with your life. I can't believe what ... pussies these women are.

Mark said...

Is this the worst or only experience of inappropriate touching they ever had? I would have to believe no.

So why single out this guy? Are there some partisan politics at play here?

tim in vermont said...

This a conspiracy by Trump to make the Bush clan disappear from the political scene once and for all. No more comments from Jeb! and W.

Eleven dimensional chess sir!

mandrewa said...

"A certain kind of Parkinson’s disease (PD), called vascular parkinsonism, is thought to be caused by small strokes in the part of the brain associated with the motor symptoms of PD (the basal ganglia). This type of PD is often unresponsive to dopamine replacement therapy, so scientists and physicians alike continue to search to find better ways of treating this condition."

That's why George H.W. Bush is in the wheelchair. The part of the brain that controls the legs isn't working right.

Tom talked about the orbital-prefrontal cortex. And if he's had mini-strokes there, well...

But I'm not even sure how much of this is sexual. From the sound of it, I think it was more of a practical joke on Bush's part. But it really doesn't matter. These two women should have been able to handle this kind of thing with ease.

It's a curious thing. There are two wrongs here being prominently displayed to us. One, we have a former president, 89 years old, probably with dementia, but certainly with reduced mental capacity, slapping women on the ass.

And then we have these two women, and others, exploiting this for their own gain.

My moral compass tells me that one of these wrongs is much worse than the other.

Unknown said...

Dreams said: "...'then we all laughed.'..."

Exactly. What has happened to the laughter?

Why did we let this jackass SJWs steal the laughter?

I am not trying to make light of real assault. I am arguing that our ability to make light of awkward moments, misunderstandings, even "inappropriate" overtures, is vital to our healthy social life.

I hate the SJWs with a passion and this is why. They want to seize the necessary commons of tolerance and self-confidence. Do we really need to appeal to some Bureau of Outrage to vindicate every slight?

Bob Boyd said...

Call me when the NYT sends a reporter to talk to Juanita Broderick.

walter said...

It seems the issue of Parkinson's meds having certain side effects has been pushed out of the equation.

jaydub said...

This is not a serious country anymore.

Caligula said...

So, how do we determine who's telling the truth?

My vote is, Trial by Ordeal. Let God sort out the guilty and the less-guilty.

(Less guilty, and not "not guilty"? Why yes, for surely all have sinned and all have fallen short! Let the Inquisitor begin!)

MD Greene said...

At the moment, it's a game to identify which prominent man is misbehaving and which prominent woman has been offended.

Meanwhile, how many young women working the graveyard janitor shift are threatened with firing by their supervisors for not putting out? How many prison cops have we read about in recent years abusing female inmates? How many male coworkers whose propositions have been spurned have blackballed female colleagues for job promotions in work environments that start at fast-food restaurants and range up to fancy law firms?

Would we listen if these multitudes of women came forth to say, as Sojourner Truth did, "Ain't I a woman (too)?"

Heck no. We worry instead for poor Gwyneth Paltrow, defended only by Brad Pitt, and the poor gal on a stage with five ex presidents. Also the poor, dear ingenues who took six-figure settlements with no-disclosure clauses and, by their silence, enabled years of further abuses.

All my friends have "me too" stories, but they're sitting out this ridiculous spectacle because 1) they don't want to be cast as helpless "victims" and 2) the only people whose grievances matter at the moment are famous people.

mockturtle said...

Some of you remember the Clarence Thomas hearings where a scorned Anita Hill played the sexual harassment card based on a couple of offhand, impersonal remarks, no touching involved. This idiocy did not start yesterday.

Rabel said...

There was a time not long ago that I would have defended the old man. But no more. He and his whole clan of "proper gentlemen" who failed to fight back against the Leftists in the media and the Democratic party (and they continue to fail) have led us to the absurd political situation we are in today.

To Hell with him. Let this be the lead item in his obituary. WWII was a long time ago.

n.n said...

Morality follows a bell curve. We begin our evolution as liberal, discover principles, then return to a liberal-paved road and a mortal end.

Night Owl said...

Let's simplify things: Let's hear from the women who never had their asses grabbed.
#WhyNotMe?

Night Owl said...

"...I think I should have been a little more alarmed..."

You mean like going from a level 0 of alarm to .01, on a scale of 1 to 100 of alarm? That much alarm?

'Cause really, who gets alarmed by a 90 yr old man in a wheelchair telling dirty jokes and patting women on the ass? Good grief!

Let me reword her statement for her:

"Now that the latest SJW hysteria has brought to light how much attention I can get over this non-incident in my life, I'm going to feign outrage and sell myself to the media to get my 15 minutes of fame."

Night Owl said...

BTW, anyone who knew me would know I'm the last person who would make light of sexual harassment as an issue. So if the #MeToo movement has lost me they are doing it wrong.

walter said...

Let's hear from women who have used their looks to advance their career, curry favor from male co-workers and superiors.
What's the # for that?

mockturtle said...

Night Owl suggests: Let's simplify things: Let's hear from the women who never had their asses grabbed.
#WhyNotMe?


LOL! Then we'd hear about 'ass-shaming' from women whose asses were not deemed 'grabbable'.

Unknown said...

Not going to defend the ass-grabbers but it is worth noting that their behavior did not occur in a vacuum. I speculate that when HW Bush learned his "basic repertoire" of "guy moves" his model of womanhood --part of the drama in which he acted imaginatively-- would be responding in a certain way. Namely: (1) instantly shocked and outraged (2) smacking him (3) scolding him (4) giggling (5) suggestive and even inviting. Somewhere on that or a similar spectrum. He was not TRAINED or EXPECTING to address a different response spectrum, which today might look like (1) Neurotic and instantly hyper aggressively angry (2) passive and paralyzed until she could find a lawyer (3) perfectly indifferent until some decades later she saw possible advantage in feigning outrage.

There is a good reason why we have a statute of limitations and a presumption of innocence. It's to filter out the bullshit.

Unknown said...

Women aren't inviolable unless they have a male escort.

PatHMV said...

I have a very hard time believing that these women would have issued the same statement (and the media carried it with the same prominence) if it was, say, Bill Clinton whose hand had brushed their rear end.

Doesn't make it right, if Bush did that, of course, but if is one of the ways that media and cultural biases are promoted. Nobody ever says that it's ok for Democrats to do some particularly sordid thing, they just don't call much attention to it.

When Dan Quayle says to stick an "e" on the end of "potato," he's a moron. When then-candidate Barack Obama talks about visiting all 57 states, he's just tired and making a minor gaffe.

For the record, the statement from President HW Bush is that because of his wheel chair, his hand is normally at rump height, and thus makes contact with people's rumps on occasion during photo ops. His lame joke, he says, is just a poor attempt to make humor out of an awkward situation.

Do we believe him? Hard to say. Are the women saying he cupped his hand and actually fondled their rumps, or just that there was some kind of contact between his hand and their rump?

PatHMV said...

Ok, I've read the specific quotes from Ms. Grolnick about the incident. I'll take her side that she's telling the truth and accurately characterizing what happened. She specifically says that at the same moment he made the "cop-a-feel" joke, she "felt his hand dig into [her] flesh." That's copping a feel. Not appropriate in most settings, including the one in which it occurred.

That said, there's a lot of levels of inappropriate, and a wheel-chair bound 90+ year-old ex-President grabbing a rump, over the clothing, is not on the same level as, say, what Harvey Weinstein did. Or what Al Gore did with the massage therapists. Or Bill O'Reilly. Or Bill Clinton with just about any women he ever met, I suspect.

Ms. Grolnik do not seem to be saying that there should be new laws passed or that legal action should be taken by her or others against President Bush. She's just saying hey, this isn't just limited to extreme examples like Weinstein, gentlemen need to remember that it's not appropriate to cop a feel from a stranger, and men shouldn't do that. That's a perfectly legitimate message.

walter said...

(3) perfectly indifferent until some decades later she saw possible advantage in feigning outrage.
--
Yep..

Quaestor said...

Seems a little odd that his name keeps making headlines for accusations of sexual assault but not Clinton's.

Rip van Freeman awakes.

Night Owl said...

"Let's hear from women who have used their looks to advance their career, curry favor from male co-workers and superiors. What's the # for that?"

The obvious answer is #AllWomen.

Which I believe already exists but for a different purpose.

But seriously: Women who are young and/or attractive will get favors for their looks w/o even trying. And a pretty young woman who is well endowed will get unwanted attention and offers all the time-- unless we put her in a burka. It's just the way it goes. Attractive men also get perks, as do tall men, etc.

But I know what you're getting at; the ones who deliberately dress and act sexually provocative in order to get favors. There may not be a hashtag for them but there a few words that come to mind.

I've been critical of female journalists who wear a ton of makeup and cocktail dresses while all the men wear serious suits and ties. I would sometimes get so distracted by their appearance that I wouldn't hear what they were saying. When I would say out loud that they undermine their credibility by dressing that way my husband would reply that I sounded like a judgmental prude. So go figure...

CJ said...

When you are confined to a wheelchair in close proximity to other people, there's going to be a far greater incident of coming in contact with people below their waist, whether intentionally or unintentionally. You very well can't simple tap someone on the shoulder in order to get their attention. So, one cannot chalk all this up to simply the actions of a pervert without further context. GHWB and the entire Bush clan are also known for having a rather earthy sense of humor. Not a fan of any of the Bushes, but this seem like it's blown out of proportion, especially in comparison to Weinstein's demanding sexual favors for a job.

Anonymous said...

I keep hearing about how liberated women are, but really strong women would not just put up with disrespect like that, staying silent and saying nothing - then maybe playing the victim later, if there is cashing in to be done.

The correct action is to make some comment that would make it clear that such behavior is unwelcome.

Do women today not realize how much the sort of men who bully hate being caught and called out? The more they want power, the more they hate being rendered impotent; the more they enjoy humiliation, the more they hate being on the other end of humiliation.

You don't have to be super aggressive. A witty little zing is usually enough. (This may be why supposedly liberated women adore Jane Austen novels. Can you imagine a forty-six-year-old spinster Elizabeth Bennett tearfully confessing that when she was a young girl, mean old Mr Darcey violated and body-shamed her?)

Jim at said...

Why didn't anybody bother to let Barbara know this was going on?

From what I've seen of her - in more than 30 years in the public eye - she doesn't strike me as the type of person who would allow HW to do this. If not for his image, at least hers.

My wife would cup me upside the head if I pulled this crap.

Daniel Jackson said...

Look; the old man is a notorious womanizer and now he's a bit dotty, with a real lack of impulse control, when he sees a nice piece of ass, he reaches out and squeezes the peach.

Unlike Bull Dog Billy, Bush senior was able to keep his liaison with Jennifer Fitzgerald out of the press. It was common knowledge with the neighbors on Capital Hill. She was with him a long time, certainly since his days running the embassy in China.

That's the Old Man. There are no points in saying the old guy copped a feel. He's been doing it forever. It's establishment. You don't want him to feel up the babes, don't invite him.

The Godfather said...

I get the joke, but please don't refer to George Bush, the 41st President of the US, as "HW". That never was his nickname. He was always "George Bush" until his son got into politics as George "W." Bush, and then everyone started referring to the senior Bush as "George H. W. Bush" to avoid confusion. But he was never "HW".

But if Bill Clinton is entitled to a blow job for preserving legal abortion, surely George Bush (41) ought to be entitled to an ass pinch for seeing the world through the collapse of the (nuclear-armed) Soviet Union without war.

Darrell said...

Bush senior was able to keep his liaison with Jennifer Fitzgerald out of the press

Yeah. Because when the Press investigated the rumors fell apart. The rumors were predicated on a woman--any woman-- being incompetent in the diplomatic service and they were started by the gay mafia Carter put into the diplomatic corp. Nightline covered this extensively in the day and the rumor mongers looked ridiculous on camera.

Daniel Jackson said...

"Nightline covered this extensively in the day and the rumor mongers looked ridiculous on camera."

Oooo. NIGHTLINE! Oh yes. They covered it very well. Always believe Terrible Ted. He is someone to be relied on. And of course, GB is always to believed.

http://www.dkosopedia.com/static/j/e/n/Jennifer_Fitzgerald_e075.html

http://tca-reference-desk.blogspot.fr/2004/04/jennifer-fitzgerald-described-as-george.html

http://people.com/archive/george-bush-confronts-a-rumor-vol-38-no-8/

http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/Jennifer-Fitzgerald

Times were different back then. Bull Dog Billy changed all that with his rock and roll ways. He would have, and did, get similar treatment if he had been more discrete like his predecessor.

Alas, we are entering a period of political prudery. Something we will all have to live through.

Same as it ever was.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Look, somebody has to say it.

He did the girl a favor.

How many still-fresh girls, even given Clinton, can say they've had their ass pinched by the President of the United States?

She had her chance. She could have accepted the touch, then turned around, pinched him on the cheek, and said --- something witty. How about, "Why you sweet old dirty old man you! Hasn't anyone ever told you not to do that to a girl? Now apologize!" or something more or less restrained according to her diagnosis of his condition and mental state.

Now that would be a girl to propose to!

I wish him well.

Please stay out of politics, or else be supportive, Mr. President, if you are listening. Let us think of you kindly. If you want to help, maybe have young George give him a call sometime.

FIDO said...

I suppose it is possible. I would also think it's a false accusation based on getting a few Republican scalps to try to 'even' things with so many feminist male Democrats being shown to be the people they are.

FIDO said...

You know, I read in women's magazines about this dearth of 'real men' who are strong and masculine and aggressive.

But then they get their panties in a wad over being pinched by a 90 year old man. God help any man who tries to steal a kiss.

The price of the goods seems like it is exceeding its quality these days.

Unknown said...

Give the old man a break, and a little love. Take it as a complement and move on.