Assault allegations against Biden will fade away

To the Times:

Over the past week, the allegation by Tara Reade that she was sexually assaulted by the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, Joe Biden, has exploded across the print and social media.

The debate, did he do it, did he not do it, is it even at all credible, is still raging. Like so many sexual allegations that reportedly occurred so many years ago, in a “he versus she” scenario, it’s impossible to be 100 percent certain of the facts. What is certain is that Ms. Reade has a right to assert her case, but, does not, or should not, have an automatic right to be judged accurate or even truthful.

What is perfectly clear is that

Joe Biden has an amply evidenced history, of being overly physically “handsy and touchy” with women. He has publicly acknowledged this and repudiated this behavior and promised not to repeat it in the future. It is also abundantly clear that a charge of such a crude and forceful sexual assault is totally out of character for Biden and that there is no history of claimed sexual misconduct against him.

Now, compare this to Biden’s election opponent, President Donald Trump, for whom over 20 women have alleged sexual misconduct, assault and even rape. Now that’s a real history and undeniable pattern of alleged sexual misconduct. As far at the November election goes, given the incredibly short attention span of the public in the turbulence of a constant barrage of scandalous news stories, and the allegations against Biden and Trump,

Ms. Reade’s allegation will fade away into oblivion and have no real effect on the election outcome.

Ken Derow, Swarthmore