Yes, by all means let’s ‘train’ male members of Congress not to grope women
“Bad behavior transcends party labels.”
– Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va.
No kidding. Sexual boorishness would seem to be the one truly bipartisan activity in politics right now. New revelations and accusations are surfacing almost constantly, to the point that the House on Wednesday approved a plan to intensify anti-harassment training in Congress.
It would be neither surprising nor unfair if taxpaying Americans’ response were something short of overwhelming acclaim.
Because while there are probably some fine lines and gray areas and grounds for misunderstanding that need airing out and clarification, it’s hard to see how most of the stuff that’s been reported (and surely even more that hasn’t) involves things alleged grownups need to be “trained” not to do.
For example, does Congress need a training segment on why a male lawmaker who encountered a female counterpart — on the House floor, no less — then “came up behind her, grinded up against her, and then stuck his tongue in her ear,” as Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution … well … shouldn’t do that?
Or why a similar encounter, described by Rep. Robert Brady, D-Pa. (“the Congressman walked by and groped her from behind”), is a no-no?
Maybe there should be a training day dedicated to why texting nude pictures and sexual messages to women you’re having adulterous affairs with, as did Rep. Joe Barton, R-Tex., might be considered poor form.
Rep. John Conyers, D-N.Y., might benefit from some constructive instruction on why encounters like the one described by a former aide named Deanna Maher (“For [Conyers] to grab you … and force you against the wall and stick his tongue down my throat at my age — I was 61 at the time — that was pretty devastating”) might not really be the kind of attention women welcome.
(There’s also the little matter of Conyers first denying, then admitting, settlement of a sexual harassment complaint from 2015.)
And of course there’s Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who in addition to that infamous leering video, has now been accused by an Army veteran named Stephanie Kemplin of having cupped her breast during a photo-op when she was deployed in Kuwait. Kemplin is the fifth woman to allege misconduct against Franken, whose office responded that he has never “intentionally engaged in this kind of conduct.” (Maybe there needs to be a training segment on how to avoid unintentionally engaging in this kind of conduct.) The absurd statement evokes a comic exchange from TV’s political drama “The West Wing” when White House speechwriter Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) tells communications director Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff), “I accidentally slept with a prostitute last night.” “I don’t understand,” Ziegler replies. “Did you trip over something?”
The congressional Office of Compliance might or might not, after hearings later this month, reveal just how much money taxpayers have shelled out in sexual harassment settlements. We’re not holding our breath.
This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 6:09 PM with the headline "Yes, by all means let’s ‘train’ male members of Congress not to grope women."