Actual NYT headline: "Does a Sex Assault Claim Kill a Political Career? It Depends."

[muriel_volestrangler]

Not the NYT PitchBot, which will need to up its game:

The swift exit of Graham Platner from the Maine Senate race followed Eric Swalwell’s similar exit from the California governor’s race, but Republicans have taken a different tack
...
It is a question on which the left and right have largely diverged: In recent months, Democrats have sought to expel problematic men swiftly, while Republicans in the era of Trump have often batted back accusations and stood by their men. There are notable exceptions in both directions, but the different approaches have cost Democrats talent and energy, and allowed some of the nation’s most powerful conservative figures to flourish.

Donald J. Trump won the presidency in 2016 even after the accusations of at least a half-dozen women who said he had groped or forcibly kissed them. He denied every one of them, but he would later be found liable by a jury for sexually abusing the writer E. Jean Carroll, yielding a $5 million civil judgment that a federal judge on Wednesday ordered him to pay.

The president went on to stand steadfastly by his nominees for various offices when they faced allegations of sexual improprieties, including Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — and so did a vast majority of his party. Each man denied the accusations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/democrats-republicans-sexual-assault-politicians.html

I mean, contrasting them seems the right thing to do, but their tone is just "look, Republicans are powerful and flourishing, because they stand steadfastly by their men, while rejecting sexual assailants costs Democrats talent". Because sexually assaulting someone shows you have "talent".

[spanone]

1. Not if you're the president.

Or not if you're a republican president.

[House of Roberts]

2. Correct me if I'm wrong,

but I thought the 5 million was for defamation after the first verdict, the actual sexual assault case, was awarded 83 million.
If that's true this writer needs to stop using AI to write his/her articles.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. No, it is, surprisingly, the $5 million verdict that explicitly includes the sexual abuse verdict

E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump is the name of two related civil lawsuits filed in federal court by American author E. Jean Carroll against United States President Donald Trump. The two suits, both overseen by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, resulted in a total of $88.3 million in damages being awarded to Carroll and are undergoing appeal efforts. The cases were related to Carroll's accusation from mid-2019 (during Trump's first term) that he sexually assaulted her in late 1995 or early 1996. Trump denied the allegations, prompting Carroll to sue him for defamation in November 2019 (a.k.a. Carroll I).

In November 2022, Carroll filed her second suit against Trump (a.k.a. Carroll II), renewing her claim of defamation and adding a claim of battery[a] under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law allowing sexual-assault victims to file civil suits beyond expired statutes of limitations. The suit went to trial in April 2023. Evidence included testimony from two friends Carroll spoke to after the alleged incident, a photograph of Carroll with Trump in 1987, testimony from two women who had separately accused Trump of sexual assault, footage from the Trump Access Hollywood tape and his October 2022 deposition. In reaching the verdict, the judge asked the jury to find if the preponderance of the evidence suggested that Trump raped Carroll under New York's narrow legal definition of rape at that time, denoting forcible penile penetration. The jury instead found him liable for a lesser degree of sexual abuse, as well as defamation, and ordered him to pay US$5 million in damages. Trump unsuccessfully made a counterclaim and appealed to the Second Circuit. Trump then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case in June 2026.

In September 2023, Kaplan issued a partial summary judgment regarding Carroll I, finding Trump liable for defamation via his 2019 statements. The jury verdict from the January 2024 trial was $83.3 million in additional damages. Trump secured a bond for this amount plus 10% to appeal. The Second Circuit rejected his effort in April 2026. Trump's team indicated that it would ask the Supreme Court to use the Westfall Act to swap the Department of Justice in as defendant, which would moot the case as the federal government cannot be sued for defamation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Jean_Carroll_v._Donald_J._Trump

You might think that the one with the finding of sexual abuse would carry the higher damages, but that's the justice system for you.

[House of Roberts]

11. OK, generally I don't delve into details

which is why I said correct me if I'm wrong.
I'm fine with it as long as he loses and pays.

[Blue Owl]

3. Be sure to downplay trump's allegations of exploiting kids, NYT....

Wouldn’t want to upset the people who voted for a pedophile that trafficks, tortures, rapes, cannibalizes, and kills little kids now, would we….

[Blues Heron]

4. Iokiyar

[maxsolomon]

21. That's essentially what the article says.

It is a question on which the left and right have largely diverged: In recent months, Democrats have sought to expel problematic men swiftly, while Republicans in the era of Trump have often batted back accusations and stood by their men. There are notable exceptions in both directions, but the different approaches have cost Democrats talent and energy, and allowed some of the nation’s most powerful conservative figures to flourish.

But DU's knives are always out for the Gray Lady.

[muriel_volestrangler]

23. My knife is out for the NYT because of the way it admires what the Republicans do

I pointed out its language in the OP. It's in favour of electing or appointing sexual abusers.

[blubunyip]

5. The Republicon male candidates know

that R women will support them and look the other way. D women will not typically look the other way and the Dems lose voters if they support rapists and known abusers.

Elect a rapist --get f-----. There is a connection.

[erronis]

12. Being a molester, rapist, pedo is a badge of honor for the r's. R women absolutely love their men that way.

[harumph]

7. Sad headline, but accurate.

- but different from the pitchbot because it's self aware of how cheek it sounds and gets attention.

One could substitute "murder" (covid, etc., etc.) instead of self assault. Republicans will forgive anything if it gets them what they think they want.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. Read the excerpt. These are not self-aware journalists. They're excuse-making scum (nt)

[harumph]

9. Thank you MV, I will.

Ok, I read it more carefully. It seems like they're trying to conflate some accusations that don't bear up to scrutiny with ones that have more evidentiary weight. For example, the Franken affair was clearly different from the Platner case. That's being disingenuous by the columnists. Can Democrats jump the gun sometimes based on mere accusations and perceived optics? Sure. At first I supported Platner and gave him the benefit of the doubt as being just a rough around the edges kind of guy - all the while opining that the choice offered (Mills, Platner) was a very defective slate. I'm in my 60s and earnestly want younger people to run. So I supported Platner at first while hoping that nothing else would surface. However, at some point the Platner accusations became both more serious and more credible and it is clear that he is a very suspect candidate. Maybe he has sought help and reformed, but he is simply too damaged at this point. He did a disservice not being candid with Sanders and Warren. The answer to this problem is better vetting, not acceptance of sexual misconduct.

[lostnfound]

10. Cost talent. Wow. From a certain point of view. But man it is an ugly world they bolster.

This happened only FIVE years ago. We don’t need to keep any man raped a woman at any time for any reason as a US senator. I’d rather lose the race and the Senate.

I say this as someone who held a small hope that he would be breaking the mold. A macho persona and direct way of speaking, potential media attention that would cross barriers with ideas. Maybe such a person could move certain political goalposts to the left by brute force. Public discourse is hopelessly narrow. Maybe a voice like that can break through some of the closed ears of men who have been supporting MAGA. I hoped, but it was hopeless. It always seems to work this way.

What an ass, so lacking in self respect and in empathy.

But it is not our principles as a party that cost us talent. It is the misogyny and the poor-upbringing (by the culture, not solely by the parents) that tolerates and equates use of force with manhood. We refuse to overlook it, the GOP overlooks anything.

Not comparing rape to consensual infidelity but as far as standing by their man, i remember when Hillary Clinton was derided or made fun of for doing just that’. Perhaps the Ken Starr, Karl Rover (sic), Brett Kavanaugh trio perhaps hoped that the in-office dalliance would cause an Oval Office divorce. GOP guys like that don’t understand that a marriage of equals with a strong woman can contain loyalty and love that is deep enough to forgive and survive.

When denial becomes futile, the GOP version tends to fall in three camps: religious pretense: ‘my husband and I are relying on God and on our faith as he makes our marriage stronger than ever’, financial bribes: ‘pay them off or threaten them with a fixer’, but especially through a media-shutout. The media is so locked up now, that GOP scandals evaporate before they get airtime.

We dodged a bullet. Better to suffer this now than have six months of media time devoted to the hypocrisy of a party electing a guy like this to the US Senate. The media would give that free airtime forever. Or they’d blackmail him, he’d change his positions, and we would have another DINO helping destroy our agenda in critical senate votes.

[FakeNoose]

13. If he did it once, and admits to it ...

... it's just as likely to be a behavior pattern of other bad decisions throughout this guy's life.

If this was a one-time-only thing then I feel sorry for him. But if it only happened once and never again, why couldn't the accuser find a way to forgive him? It just looks like a pattern, that's all.

[Martin Eden]

32. I can't concur with this: "I'd rather lose the race and the Senate."

The United States is in an existential crisis. Control of the House AND the Senate may determine whether our Constitutional rule of law survives, or fascism tightens its grip beyond reclamation.

The stakes are simply too high to cede the Senate.

I'm not saying we would have a better chance to win by sticking with Platner. This is a hypothetical question prompted by the statement quoted in my subject title.

I am weighing the laudable principle of maintaining a higher standard for our candidates than the Republicans against the survival of our democracy, and I feel compelled to choose the latter.

It's possible that control of the Senate in 2027 & 2028 may not be the deciding factor. On the other hand, it might.

Again, this is hypothetical. We will never know if Platner with all his baggage would have won, or if he would have been the Senator that Maine voters hoped he would be. Nor do we know at this point if the new nominee will win.

I'm just saying that faced with an either/or proposition, I choose winning control of the Senate.

[BannonsLiver]

14. That's probably how a lot of low info low involvement people see it as well.

Unfortunately they actually have the ability to vote, unlike the NYT.

[modrepub]

15. Fetterman Was Considered Talent

See how that turned out.

I will say on Fetterman, a friend of mine in SW PA expressed unease with him before the primary. Wouldn’t say why though. Maybe just a gut feeling or maybe there were signs there that most of us ignored.

And truth be told, what morally responsible person would want to be a big time politician? There’s a lot of sacrifice and unwanted scrutiny involved with that job.

[Zelda_Orchid]

17. Only for Democrats

[BannonsLiver]

18. But voters will reward the party for that down the road.

Oh. Wait. That never happens.

[GiqueCee]

19. Regarding who might take Platner's place...

... I am close to completing my 79th circumnavigation of the Sun, and I fully support encouraging younger people to assume the reins of power, but not at the expense of knowledge, experience, and hopefully, wisdom. There's a delicate balance between youth and wisdom.
Which brings me to my question: Given the horrors we know another Republican regime would visit upon the country, and that winning the midterms is of critical import, is there a Mainer who can manage that tightrope walk between youth and the qualities required of a responsible senate candidate? I like Janet Mills, but she is only a couple of months younger than me, so even completing one 6-year term might be a challenge. Ain't nobody perfect, but sexual assault cannot be forgiven, of course, and high standards must be upheld, but neither should we allow perfection to be the enemy of good.
A conundrum of epic proportions.

Edit to add: Troy Jackson might have the chops, but he'd better be damned sure his closet is clean! NO skeletons.

[Initech]

20. We elected a fucking serial rapist as the president of the United States, dipshits!

Twice!

[maxsolomon]

22. They know that. They just can't publish that.

so they allude to it:

It is a question on which the left and right have largely diverged: In recent months, Democrats have sought to expel problematic men swiftly, while Republicans in the era of Trump have often batted back accusations and stood by their men. There are notable exceptions in both directions, but the different approaches have cost Democrats talent and energy, and allowed some of the nation’s most powerful conservative figures to flourish.

[Initech]

25. I know, it's so damn infuriating.

I hate that fucking asshole with every microfiber of my being. He has to be stopped, but who's going to stop him?

[maxsolomon]

26. In the end, Death.

In the interim, a Democratic Congress will stop SOME of it.

[Martin Eden]

33. Senate majority is extremely important

As is the House.

[maxsolomon]

34. Just 1 chamber will do it.

The Senate is going to be a stretch. The House, too, after the recent Gerrymandering.

[Martin Eden]

36. Senate confirmations for cabinet, possibly Supreme Court

Conducting impeachment trials, even if not enough to convict.

[LeftInTX]

24. I don't have time to read, but the GOP kicked out Tony Gonzales at the same time, we kicked out Swalwell

Democrats were willing to tolerate Platner's texting, but the assault was the last straw.

Tony Gonzales (R) was never accused of sex assault. But he was having an affair with one of his staffers, which is against congressional ethics and rules. Eventually some sexting rumors also came out. However. by then he was done.

[rampartd]

27. sexually assaulting someone means they can not take no for an answer

i think it is disqualifying in most cases.

as for the ny times, are they kidding. repubs have been getting away with this stuff forever.

franken ,weiner, gary hart spitzer, cuomo how many others while gingrich and hastert did this stuff from the gavel. the senator with the "wide stance." the florida guy with the house pages, etc etc etc matt gaetz is still working.

[nerdytrey825]

28. It was the right choice

This is just the Democrats falling in line with what the party aims to project: morality at the forefront of their policies.

Yes, Republicans have seemingly 'won' by allowing candidates like Kavanaugh, RFK Jr, and Hegseth to compete in their elections or stay in their positions anyway, but with the way the Democratic Party wants to win, it's unsurprising that Platner dropped out. They've routinely chose to stay on the path in which they believe upholds their moral standards.

As many have said, Platner's drop out was the right choice, and we can only hope that we find someone to go against Susan Collins at the convention. If Platner won with SA accusations on board, it wouldn't have felt like a win.

[surfered]

31. Let the GOP be the hypocrites.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

37. Welcome to DU

[unblock]

29. Written from a perspective every bit as amoral (at best) as the republican party's

Which is par for the course these days for the msm.

All the objectivity and fairness republicans will barely tolerate and not an iota more.

[senseandsensibility]

30. I am glad that they made it clear that Rs are the ones ignoring these allegations

and willingly giving these men power. It's more than I expected. I expected a bunch of voth sider BS, to be honest.

[Bettie]

35. I've been saying for years

that if a Democrat steps out of line at all, they are gone (Gary Hart, for example), while a Republican could murder someone on camera and still win a House or Senate seat. Heck, we have a guy roosting in the White House, openly corrupt and he's still....there.

Any Democratic president doing 1/10th of what he's done would have been gone so long ago.

Republicans can, seemingly, get away with anything.