Trump, HRC, and Women

One of the worrisome trends I've been seeing with the 2016 election is how sexual assault has become a partisan issue.

Right now there's a lot of outrage over Trump's assaults on women. There is also debate over the veracity. Let's assume for the sake of argument that they're true. Bill Clinton has also been accused of rape over the years. Let's assume those accusations are true, as well.

The people who are willing to believe Trump's accusers are the same people I've seen label Bill Clinton's rape victims as "trailer trash" and "opportunists." Similarly, the people I've seen willing to believe Bill Clinton's victims, but dismiss those against Trump as made up by the media. In other words, which victims you believe has a lot to do with your party. That really shouldn't be how it works.

Now, I do see HRC supporters argue that Hillary isn't Bill, so she's not morally tainted like her husband. The problem there, though, is that Hillary knew of, condoned, and helped cover up Bill Clinton's rapes. That's according to multiple victims. She may not have been the rapist, but she was right there alongside him making sure no one stopped him. That makes her morally equivalent to Bill, who committed the acts. This, in turn, makes her morally equal to Trump, who stands accused of similar. (To be fair, Bill Clinton has done worse to his victims than what Trump stands accused of so far.)

But when you point out this fact, the narrative instantly switches to, "Well, if  equal, at least she's more qualified." Covering up sexual assault counts as a quality her supporters desire in a president, it seems. One HRC supporter even said, "Well, of course she'd threaten someone endangering her marriage. It makes her more human!" Apparently threatening to ruin the life of a rape victim, and possibly have her killed, makes someone more human. But only to a Democrat.

Much of the protest over Trump's actions are from HRC supporters. Their willingness to sweep under the rug or outright dismiss Hillary's own role in perpetuating sexual assault shows it isn't "outrage over rape culture" that is motivating them. If it was, they'd be just as horrified at how Hillary bullied victims into silence for decades. To them, the victims are nothing more than a means to an end to help condemn someone they don't like. And Clinton's victims can be ignored because their rape doesn't count.