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November 10, 2017 12:26 PM UTC
52 Comments
This is a teaching moment…..
You notice that Crisanta Duran did not sit there for 45 seconds, nervously fidgeting like Mitch McConnell did yesterday while the cameras were running. You notice that Duran did not preface what she had to say with, "if the allegations turn out to be true YADDA YADDA YADDA." She said he's got to go.
I'm no Mitt Romney fan, but his response regarding Moore was spot on.
Amen to that. Rep. Duran's statement stands in rather stark contrast to the overt child rape apologetics we're getting from stump-jumping GOP monsters in Alabama.
And it only took 18 months and a public statement for the House leadership to react and develop the certainty.
He needs to go.
If he’s not man enough to leave voluntarily, then the Democratic leadership needs to give him all they push they can — no endorsements, no fundraising assistance, removal from all committee assignments, censure, and public condemnation of his actions and his weak character for staying . . .
In order for this behavior to end, ALL guilty of it need to go.
What if the legislature then can't make quorum?
I noticed that instead of invoking the Mary and Joseph approach (like the supporters of Roy Moore did yesterday), Lesbock is pursuing the Kevin Spacey strategy (i.e., he doesn't remember doing what it's claimed he did, but if he did do it, the victim is owed "a sincerely apology").
I've got to wonder how sincere an apology can be if the party extending the apology conditions it as a response to a hypothetical.
At least Louis CK is expressing remorse.
That's what is so weird about evangelical apologetics about Trump's Pussy Grabbing tape. How can you forgive somebody when they express no remorse.
Do sociopaths get a Get Into Heaven Free pass because they don't believe they have done anything wrong?
This makes me sick. I met Steve Lebsock at our NE Colorado Treasurer / Sec State forum, and I was impressed by his ideas and energy.
You can see the video from the forum here and judge for yourself.
So I understand the impulse not to want to believe the allegations about Steve Lebsock. But I believe the allegations.
Nobody wants to come forward and sacrifice their own privacy, relive the humiliation of the incident, and risk their own reputations to accuse someone of sexual misconduct without damn good cause. I also know one of the women involved, and trust her word implicitly.
And I know that twisted up knot of shame that victims of sexual groping, molesting, assault, harassment, etc, endure…was it my fault? Was I dressing / acting provocatively? Will it happen again? Am I safe? Should I tell? Will they believe me? One in seven boys, one in three girls has been sexually harassed in some way. I've seen those scars and traumas acted out in my family members, in my friends, in my students, in myself.
So sorry Steve, you'll have to deal with the consequences of your actions, which in this case means you'll have to resign your legislative post and forego running for Treasurer.
I was going to write a diary about the Oct 28 forum praising you and Jena Griswold (running for Secretary of State). Well, there's still Jena. The other Democratic Treasurer candidate, Bernard Douthit, while not as dynamic or charismatic in manner as Lebsock, is more experienced with large and complex budgets.
Dave Young is running too.
Any skeletons in his closet subject to rattling?
I had to edit my comment about Dave Young, after I got feedback from some Weld activists.
He is a state rep from Greeley, the most heavily fracked area in the country. Greeley's corrupt city council has allowed drilling, well pads, basically unregulated and unlimited fracking and drilling anywhere in the city.
The latest is a planned 24 well head site next to a low-income K-8 school, Bella Romero Academy. The contractor is Extraction (the same folks who paid for Vicki Marble's party). Extraction, by the way, does not even own the mineral rights. Greeley District 6 schools does. They have sold out their own students, because presumably funding is so hard to come by under TABOR.
Dave, as a former middle school math teacher, should and does know better. He's aware of the effects of methane and other fracking pollutants on young lungs and brains.
Yet Dave Young has never weighed in on any of the many debates about siting Extraction's 24 well heads at Bella Romero, which lies within his district 50.
He has a score of 32% on AFP’s legislative scorecard, so at least he isn’t a 100% like Neville or Klingenschmitt or Marble. But on some crucial bills, like HB 1181 to make cities pay frackers for lost mineral rights, or HB1310 to make frackers responsible for earthquake damage, he simply didn’t vote. So he fails the political courage test, in my book.
I asked Dave point blank at a rural forum in Brush, whether he believed that mineral rights are a higher value than health effects on surface dwellers. He hemmed and hawed and evaded the question. Dave's donors are the usual Democratic donors – party leadership, unions and trade groups – but he sure seems unwilling to take a stand for kids against the oil and gas contractors that own Greeley.
As treasurer, this reluctance to confront O&G interests might manifest in a reluctance to change the severance tax structure, or subsidies for fossil fuel extraction.
Maybe Cary Kennedy should reclaim her old job. She has experience. But for the shitty year 2010 was for Dems, she would have been reelected.
Agreed, she was a great Treasurer.
Reminds me of a couple years ago when Sen. Jerry Sonnenberg (R-Sterling) publicly referred to Sen. Kerry Donovan (D-somewhere around Vail) as "eye candy." I think Sonnenberg did immediately apologize and was appropriately remorseful.
Donovan, in Birkland's KUNC article, said
From what I've seen of Sonnenberg, appropriate remorse is not his go-to response.
Anyone else remember when pervert Shawn Mitchell said this about Senator Morgan Carroll, in a public meeting? This stuff isn't new, but hopefully women are feeling more empowered today than they were in 2009. (I hope so, anyway.)
http://www.coloradopols.com/diary/10227/stay-classy-shawn-mitchell#sthash.OLBjmk8N.YPkdopWR.dpbs
Who can ever forget Shawn's little wet day dream.
All of the present furor and indignation about sexual harrassment and abuse by men in position of authority and power is justified, and those who abuse their positions and are incapable of conducting themselves with respect towards others must be held accountable. Doesn't matter if they're a Democrat, Republican, movie mogul, or celebrity – it must stop.
Several months ago Vice President Mike Pence was ridiculed (and by many on this blog) for his faith based behavior of never being alone in a room with a woman who was not his wife. I am not a religious person ( I'm pretty much an agnostic) but I came to his defense on this blog because here was a man of faith who practices what he believes in and has a moral and ethical compass that guides him in his everyday affairs.
I see a contrast between Pences' behavior and the seemingly never ending daily revelations of illicit, disrespectful, and clearly unacceptable behavior by those who have no moral compass, no self control, and obviously never learned how to act like a gentleman – that women are to be respected and protected, not objectified and abused.
Well, it would prevent most of the harassment
But it's still suppressive and obnoxious
It limits his female associates' chances to climb the political ladder. If they can't be alone with the boss, they can't be in on the big decisions, or be the VP's "right hand man". If Bill Clinton had taken similar precautions, we might now have had 8 years of President Gore instead of W Bush, and our planet would be in much better shape.
But if Pence thinks that limiting his circle to “males only” will prevent sexual harassment, he needs to be introduced to Mark Foley or Dennis Hastert.
Still, I understand the caution. Teachers these days are encouraged to not be alone in a room with a student, or to sit where they are visible from the door or a camera. When we hug a student, it's the sideways hug. When every week brings a new revelation of abuse from someone in a position of trust over kids, we really can't be too careful. And again, it's a shame.
As our esteemed Moderatus might note . . .
. . . not everything the Taliban does is evil!
Pence is applying a fifth-century solution to an issue that could just as easily be solved in the twenty-first century with a modicum of respect and decency, and perhaps a small bit of self-control. (Although it is an admittedly better solution than grabbing at every woman of any age who moves, and then blaming her for the attack.)
And, upon further review . . .
The Vacuity of the Vice President
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/10/opinion/the-vacuity-of-the-vice-president.html
Read it. Loved it. Thanks for the link, Dio.
Can he go to jail?
I don't think any of what Lebsock did warrants jailing. Of course, we don't know all the details, and maybe never will.
Really, it's a fricking shame. Lebsock's a likeable guy, probably basically a good person, decent legislator with some accomplishments to his name.
No , he's not.
The otherwise, apparently, nice guy who really isn't a nice guy, isn't a nice guy.
I don't dispute that what Lebsock did was wrong and that he is also wrong to be in denial about it. I think he needs to resign, both from his legislative post, and from running for Treasurer. Even if he were willing to fess up and apologize, as Louis CK has done, trust would have been broken, and his effectiveness as a legislator degraded. He needs to go, nice guy or not.
I just don't feel a need to demonize him as well. He's probably an alcoholic – at least, many of the worst incidents seem to have happened "under the influence". That isn't an excuse, of course. Just a factor.
The common thread in all these incidents is patriarchy – a system of thought, culture, religion, and law, permeating almost every country and culture worldwide, in which women's bodies are seen as essentially "up for grabs" by men, and women's ideas, intellect, souls, are seen as inherently inferior. Research "it's the patriarchy stupid" for variations on this theme.
You are more forgiving than I.
He's an otherwise nice guy, just having made commonly made mistakes in this part of his life, and probably with personal challenges. Because if that's the standard – wow! – then the judge was right about Brock Turner, an otherwise good guy of accomplishment and potential who just got a little rapey one night.
Please, do try to tell me more about patriarchy, though. Especially the part which excuses men too stupid, weak, horny , famous, rich, powerful, etc to control themselves.
And then can we talk about privilege?
Remember – it's a beautiful fall weekend, so there's football everywhere in America. Football causes brain damage – the more you play, the more damage. Go Football!
Didn't say anything about forgiving or excusing. As a survivor of abuse, I can tell you that "forgiving" is not the same as "forgetting". Forgiving is what I do for myself. "Not forgetting" is what I do for the future. Keeping instances of sexist behavior in a political context of patriarchy is a hard won perspective from decades of existing on this planet in a female body.
I wrote that I wanted Lebsock gone from the legislature and from the Treasurer's race.
Please restrain yourself from ascribing thoughts or words to me that I have not written. If you don't get nuance, and need people to be black-and-white heroes or villains, just keep right on scrolling past my posts. The world is more complicated than you'll ever be comfortable with.
Your anger at Lebsock's betrayal of his colleagues is justified, as is Duran's, Esgar's, and all of the other women in the legislature. My anger is mixed with sadness – he seemed like a good candidate to me. It’s disappointing… That doesn't make me evil or naive, or maybe in your eyes, it does. Don't know, don't care.
It's the same sadness we all felt about Bill Clinton or Gary Hart's failure to keep their zippers up in consensual affairs- which had global political consequences. Patriarchy comes into play when power is used to coerce sex – when it's non-consensual. Lebsock's transgressions belong in that non-consensual group.
If you want to know more about patriarchy, research it yourself. It isn't my responsibility to educate you.
You've got your hands full educating me.
"…don't feel a need to demonize him as well. He's probably an alcoholic – …"
I do.
"What we've got here, is failure to communicate."
I am not judging you.
Being drunk isn't a factor. It doesn't make your gayness manifest itself in diddling children (Kevin Spacey). It doesn't make you suddenly embrace the existence of a vast Jewish conspiracy (Mel Gibson). And, it doesn't turn you into a horrifying prick who assaults women when they won't put out for you.
It doesn't matter what good Lebsock did or whether his politics were "good." I feel the need to demonize him and everyone of his ilk who believe that they have the right to demean and demand things from those who won't or can't fight back. There is never an excuse for this behavior, and people won't stop engaging it until we make it utterly and, yes, painfully, clear that anyone who engages in it will become a pariah.
No “nice guy” has ever done what Lebsock is accused of.
^^concur, emphatically
You nailed it, mamajama55. Acknowledging a contributing factor is not the same as justifying, or excusing his actions.
What is behind this is power and privilege to create the perverse justification, and the alcohol to unlock the lips. It is a larger societal problem — not just about any individual — the unwanted gift patriarchy keeps on giving. I hope the state legislature considers training on sexual harrassment prevention the next time there is a group oath of office.
For what it's worth, Steve was nice to me several years ago when I ran for office, but I can't help but wonder if the alcohol has taken over in his life. I hope he gets help. And to the victims — THANK YOU for speaking up! He needs to take responsibility for his actions, and he can't… and won't … until he is pushed, apparently.
No doubt in my mind that Jerry Sonnenberg is one of those unnamed.
Not sure this helps.
Ok, then, publicly stoning Lebsock is probably off the table? . . .
. . . but his slinking away back into his hole quietly now still seems among the best options.
He's labeling it "dirty politics" and calling for an investigation going through usual channels…..
Throw in long dong silver and we may be looking at a re-enactment of the Clarence Thomas hearings of 26 years ago. It doesn't sound like he's going to slink back into his hole quietly.
I think Duran needs to get the process started a.s.a.p. so they can do the ethics investigations and be ready to vote to expel him in January.
Oh gawd, is this shitbird an attorney, too???
“there are other complaints about a handful of male senators touching women’s lower backs, giving lingering hugs, making uncomfortable and unwanted comments about appearances, massaging necks, telling off-color jokes of a sexual nature and showing pornographic pictures.”
Wow. Someone sounds pretty Randy.
mustachio-rodeo
please please no
Didn't it come out during his primary race with Jean White that the Stache had a convicted sex offender living on his property?
It's funny how often extreme rightiness and sexual harassment are of a piece. Because the Moores of the world are just chimpanzees at heart. Lizard brains and simple animal displays of masculinity winning out over thoughts, feelings, and humanity.
For those keeping track, we've moved to phase II. The new "apology" tracks with standard phase II protocol– I was only being fun and flirty, and, although I can certainly remember that was true, I can't remember saying the things these women say I did. So, I remember, but only the things it's to my advantage to remember.
The good news is that we may skip phase III, abject apology and request for mercy– attempting to allow him to stay in office– and go directly to step IV– the asshole does what he should have done in the first place and resigns/withdraws.
State Rep. Steve Lebsock issues fresh apology to three women who accused him of sexual harassment
Yeah. Fuck your sorry, Steve.
Well, he does get the part right about impact absolutely trumping intentions.
If only he could go back in time and decide not to "flirt", er, harass at all.
Oofa.
The Sunday update reminds us that GOP pervs by no means have a monopoly on the non-apology apology. Disgraceful.
Steve made the national news, along with other members of the Harassy McGrabbyhands club.
Silence Lifts in Statehouses as Harassment Scandals Bring Swift Penalties
Well, maybe swifter for some than others.
Colorado lawmaker Faith Winter says she’ll file formal complaint against colleague Steve Lebsock