Assault allegation weighs on Biden VP selection
WASHINGTON — Skilled, diverse and barrierbreaking Democratic women are competing to be the party’s vice presidential nominee. That contest should focus on what the candidates bring to the ticket, activists say, not whether they can stand by their man.
Presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden committed to naming a woman as his vice presidential candidate before former Senate staffer Tara Reade went public with allegations that he sexually assaulted her in 1993. Biden has denied it, but the controversy hasn’t gone away, at times dominating the discussion about which woman he’ll pick. That dismays activists who argue the selection focus should be on which woman would be ready to step in as president, not on how well they defend Biden.
“It’s a national pastime to make women answer for the men in their orbit when allegations arise or when they exhibit any kind of bad behavior, so of course we’re seeing the rush to go there now,” said Jess McIntosh, a Democratic strategist and commentator.
Advocates for women and diversity in the party fear they see a familiar pattern playing out as possible vice presidential candidates, including senators Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, are repeatedly asked by the media about Reade’s allegations. Republicans have been quick to jump on them, with the Trump campaign blasting out emails like “Stacey Abrams, ‘Me Too’ Hypocrite,” and “Kirsten Gillibrand, Queen of the ‘Me Too’ Hypocrites.”
Abrams, the former candidate for governor of Georgia, and New York Sen. Gillibrand, like Harris and Warren, have been vocal advocates of the #MeToo movement and have said women who bring forward credible claims of assault and harassment should be given the benefit of the doubt. Critics, meanwhile, see a double standard in their waitandsee posture toward Reade.
National media outlets have published think pieces on how the running mate’s job requirements now include defending Biden against the allegations. “The Democratic vice presidential nominee must now defend him against sexual assault accusations without looking hypocritical,” Politico declared, and an opinion piece in the Hill argued that Reade’s charges mean “a female nominee who will be a loyal supporter is even more necessary — as is the importance of a female with a good record on sexual harassment issues.”
But advocates for women say the focus is misplaced. It’s Biden’s job to defend his record, they say, and repeatedly asking potential running mates about hypocrisy does those qualified politicians a disservice.
“He’s not picking the good wife, he’s picking the vice president,” said Christine Pelosi, a women’s rights attorney and chair of the California Democratic Party’s Women’s Caucus.
“He is picking the person who’s going to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, someone who’s going to be advancing his presidency and his candidacy forward. That’s her job: offer a compelling vision for the future.”
Biden has denied Reade’s allegations that he sexually assaulted her in a Capitol hallway, a new charge on top of her allegations last year that he touched her inappropriately. Although the former Delaware senator said the events she described didn’t happen, he said she deserves a chance to make her case and have her allegations vetted. His campaign did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
Women are not the only Democrats being asked about Reade’s allegations, and activists say the question is fair game. But once the possible running mates have made a public statement, they say, they don’t need to be asked again. And, they say, President Trump’s record deserves equal mention. More than 20 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct, and Trump was recorded on the infamous “Access Hollywood” video bragging about assaulting women.
“If the media wants to set a standard, and we are all going to agree that every time somebody talks about Joe Biden we’re going to ask about the allegation, then every time someone is going to talk about Donald Trump, we should be asking about E. Jean Carroll,” Pelosi said, referring to one of the women who has accused Trump of assault. “When was the last time that (Vice President) Mike Pence was asked about E. Jean Carroll?”
McIntosh, the Democratic strategist who at times has been critical of Biden, said picking a woman as a vice presidential candidate was still important to his pitch to women, but not because of the allegations.
“It’s about the fact that he’s using his position to promote and support women,” McIntosh said. “Picking a woman VP really does matter, and it does help assuage me that he understands what women are asking for, which is a full and complete seat at the table and a chance at leadership of that table.”
She added, “I don’t think it’s on her ever to explain how she feels about the allegations. That adds nothing to the conversation. It can’t be productive, it only serves to undermine, to be yet another obstacle in the path of women who are trying to achieve leadership.”
Biden’s team is vetting potential running mates and has invited many of them to join him in campaign events, which are now virtual because of the coronavirus pandemic. When he was vice president, Biden’s close friendship with former President Barack Obama was the foundation of their partnership, and many Democrats expect Biden to similarly look for a running mate he trusts and connects with.
As a vice president who had served in the Senate, Biden also had a policy portfolio and key role negotiating with lawmakers for Obama, another quality he may look for in his conominee.
Several Democrats hope he chooses not just a woman, but a woman of color. Aimee Allison, who runs the group She the People, which promotes women of color in politics, said she has long been critical of Biden’s record on women’s rights and treatment of women. But she supports him now that he’s the presumptive nominee, she said, and thinks his choice of running mates will be crucial to building a diverse policy team.
“If he picks the right person who brings the communities along ... if the VP candidate is that kind of leader, I think it overcomes what happens to many women,” Allison said, “which is isolation, which is whisper campaigns mischaracterizing (her), which is the focus is on the smallness, the petty, the personal — when what’s called for is the visionary, the capable.”