The gross calculation of Degette’s Biden endorsement

Apparently when you’re rich and powerful “you can do anything… grab them by the …” (ahem) and get away with it. Guess Trump was right about that.

Recently Colorado Congresswoman Diana Degette endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden for president with nary a mention of the accusations of sexual assault against him. Former Senate staffer Tara Reade has accused him of grabbing her by the above mentioned without permission. People she told at the time of the incident have stepped forward to corroborate her story.

Congresswoman Degette’s endorsement of Biden and her silence regarding the accusations reek of double standards. Two years ago, she called Christine Blasey Ford a hero even though there was a similar level of second-hand corroborating evidence to back her claim that then-supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were in high school. “We can’t just give Judge Kavanaugh a pass on his alleged behavior,” Degette said. Ford’s claims were investigated and dismissed. Degette should have held off on her endorsement of Biden until Reade’s claims received similar vetting. Otherwise, it looks like she’s giving him a pass on his alleged behavior.

Even so, I don’t blame the congresswoman for endorsing the Democratic nominee. As long as the federal government wields enormous power and money, gaining or maintaining power will trump all other concerns. Character only matters to us when we assess the failings of our opponents.

This sort of unseemly pragmatism may feel a little uncomfortable during the #MeToo era, but it’s nothing new. A little over 20 years ago, I had a front-row seat at the Clinton impeachment trial as a congressional staffer. During the proceedings, several accusations came to light: a tawdry affair with a White House intern, sexual harassment while governor, even rape, and yet the National Organization for Women continued to support him. Democrats I knew seemed unconcerned about Clinton’s actions while Republicans talked about the paramount importance of character, fidelity, and truth. I drank that Kool-aid and the poison only wore off recently. I now understand that power matters substantially more than character. The left-leaning NOW crowd was acting in its best interest by backing Clinton.

Don’t get me wrong, bad character does have consequences. Bill Clinton’s treatment of women debased the office, got him impeached, and harmed his wife’s election prospects. Likewise, President Trump’s adolescent rants on Twitter, mendacity, and other bull-covfefe have alienated international allies, cost Republicans seats in the House, and degraded the office. His foibles evoke feeble justifications from supporters and from his opponent’s endless pearl-clutching, elitist scorn, and misguided knitting. Yes, I’m talking about those stupid pink pussy hats.

Just as Democrats backed Bill Clinton despite his behavior because they supported his policies, Republicans will support Donald Trump in November despite his behavior because of his policies. Those who supported Clinton are not in a position to castigate Trump supporters. While Trump supporters can and should point out Degette’s double standards vis-à-vis her treatment of Kavanaugh versus Biden, they cannot criticize her endorsement of Biden for president. She’s making the same pragmatic decision they are to gain a policy advantage by supporting a person whose skeletons have left the closet.

Now we could reduce the scope of power enjoyed by those in high office, revert to a more limited federal government model, and allow state and local governments and the people themselves to regulate their own affairs. That would lower the stakes at election time. People would have the freedom to be a bit more selective in their choice of president. Character would matter more because federal policy would matter less.

Then again what would we do with ourselves if we couldn’t engage in rank hypocrisy, breathless denunciations, and virtue signaling?

Krista L. Kafer is a weekly Denver Post columnist. Follow her on Twitter: @kristakafer..