Kenneth Starr and the Republicans are still dismissed as partisan witch hunters. But liberals might be willing to concede that the Lewinsky affair was a pretty big deal morally, a clear abuse of sexual power, for which Clinton probably should have been pressured to resign.
.. I’ve always been a little mystified by the scale of Republican dislike for the most centrist of recent Democratic leaders.
.. After doing all this reading, I’m not sure my reasonable middle ground is actually reasonable. It may be that the conservatives of the 1990s were simply right about Clinton, that once he failed to resign he really deserved to be impeached.
.. Yes, the Republicans were too partisan, the Starr Report was too prurient and Clinton’s haters generated various absurd conspiracy theories.
But the Clinton operation was also extraordinarily sordid, in ways that should be thrown into particular relief by the absence of similar scandals in the Obama administration, which had perfervid enemies and circling investigators as well.
.. Something like Troopergate .. seems like it was probably mostly true.
.. If exploiting a willing intern is a serious enough abuse of power to warrant resignation, why is obstructing justice in a sexual harassment case not serious enough to warrant impeachment? Especially when the behavior is part of a longstanding pattern that also may extend to rape?
.. Would any feminist today hesitate to take a similar opportunity to remove a predatory studio head or C.E.O.?
.. There is a common liberal argument that our present polarization is the result of constant partisan escalations on the right — the rise of Newt Gingrich, the steady Hannitization of right-wing media.
.. But returning to the impeachment imbroglio made me think that in that case the most important escalators were the Democrats. They had an opportunity, with Al Gore waiting in the wings, to show a predator the door
To Defend Trump, the GOP Is Becoming a Party Bill Clinton Would Love
Donald Trump’s supporters create endless alibis for him, just as Bill Clinton’s did for him.
.. He inspired such fanatical devotion (and gratitude for his key policy decisions) that men and women were willing to lie for him, sacrifice their principles for him, and in one notorious case even go to jail to protect him.
.. He inspired such fanatical devotion (and gratitude for his key policy decisions) that men and women were willing to lie for him, sacrifice their principles for him, and in one notorious case even go to jail to protect him.
.. This meant that they simply held him to a different standard. He could lie; his opponents could not. He got the benefit of the doubt despite admitted affairs, multiple credible claims of sexual harassment, and even one disturbing account of rape. But that’s just Bubba being Bubba, right? How can he help it if women love him, and besides, aren’t we Americans just a tad too uptight about sex? European politicians flaunt their mistresses and no one cares.
.. The question of the controversy morphed. The central question wasn’t “Did Bill Clinton commit the crime of perjury by lying under oath?” It was instead, “Who do you want to win this political battle? The president of peace and prosperity or the sneaky Linda Tripp and the obsessive Ken Starr?”
.. Think of the avalanche of vitriol against James Comey. Trump fired him, misled the public about the reasons, and then absurdly trashed his reputation. But how dare Comey fight back and defend himself? How dare he “leak” a memo?
.. The Clinton playbook left a party robbed of moral authority to confront Trump, and it indeed helped make his victory possible.
.. The Clinton playbook left a party robbed of moral authority to confront Trump, and it indeed helped make his victory possible.
Kenneth Starr’s Baylor Exit Followed Years of Hidden Turmoil
Starr and Briles were fired last May following an outside investigation that described “institutional failures at every level” in addressing sexual violence on campus.
.. Baylor officials told The Wall Street Journal that the investigation found 19 Baylor football players were involved in alleged incidents of domestic and sexual assaults since 2011, including four gang rapes.
.. The backstage disputes provide a window into how a prominent former federal judge turned no-holds-barred prosecutor—best known for his controversial 1990s investigation of Bill Clinton—lost his job in part for not effectively responding to reports of sexual misconduct.
.. Briles’s attorney, Ernest Cannon, said he believes “there was a great deal of friction between Starr and the regents, and they saw the (investigation) as a way to get rid of him.
.. while Starr was a standout at external functions such as alumni and student relations, he was a poor administrator when it came to managing a university with an annual budget of almost half a billion dollars
.. he is skeptical of some of the allegations released thus far.
“I personally have doubts that there were gang rapes,” he said.
.. Baylor boomed during most of Starr’s leadership: applications soared, fundraising hit new records and many of the school’s athletic teams— including football—enjoyed unprecedented success.