Is this anything? CNN just showed the clip of one of Cuomo's accusers...

[brush]

where she said: "He's a text book sexual abuser."

She continued on and the interviewer let her without correcting her that what she described was sexual harassment, not sexual abuse.

I mean, there is a difference.

[soothsayer]

1. Yeah I heard her too

[ancianita]

2. More he-said/she-said consenus case building hype.

[brush]

3. Yeah, it looks like the ball is rolling downhill and gathering speed...

to force Cuomo out. I mean interviewers should at least fact check to an accuser the difference between harassment and abuse.

[ancianita]

6. As long as the NY AG investigates, I think we should dispense with this media bullshit around here.

[uponit7771]

22. What pisses me off is we've had a week of Cuomo given time on every damn 24 hr news show

... but be damned if they're going to give 3 - 4 times that time for HR1.

We don't have a union if the kGQP gets back into control of congress and these guys are spending time on something without full investigation.

Looks like rodent sex, first stupid assed Tiger Woods now this.

[ancianita]

26. Right? And when you're right you're right!

Democracy's on the line now. We need to concentrate on that and climate crises more than on the press-driven alleged mistakes of Democratic leaders.

[Cha]

33. That sounds like what Chris Hayes

did with President Biden's accuser.. just let her run with it without any questions of her history of Lies.

[radius777]

46. +1. Hayes calls Cuomo a bully, yet said little about the bullying

done by left-Bros online that was (and still is) often directed at women and PoC.

Cuomo has his flaws but he's still one of the best governors in the country, who got the pandemic under control, who believes in science and in protecting people from virus (unlike many Repub gov's).

Those trying to take him out greatly overestimate their own electability, and greatly underestimate the GOP's ability to capitalize on Dem infighting. Pataki (R) was a popular 3-term governor.

[Cha]

47. Yeah, very selective on

who he charges with being a "bully".

Which questions credibiltiy.

I know about Pataki.. I lived in upstate New York for 12 years starting in 1998.. and then there was Spitzer!

omg!

[Silver1]

49. I was living in NYC at the time ...

I'll never forget the heartlessness and cruelty of Pataki shutting down the psychiatric hospitals in NY. People desperately needing help and care were shoved out onto the streets and left to fend for themselves. They had nowhere to turn and most became homeless and lived on the streets. God only knows what happened to them after.

That guy had a heart made of ice.

[Cha]

51. I'm sorry to hear that, silver

[Demsrule86]

4. I consider her full of shit! I didn't buy it before...not that I have seen her...classic pile on for

whatever reason she may have...could be anything.

[Me.]

10. I'm Afraid I Have To Agree With You

I am usually on the side of letting the accuser speak etc., but as we watched her this morning we couldn't help feeling there is something odd about her and her accusation. With each interview we've seen her story gets amped up.

[LakeArenal]

18. I agree to the extent that I want an investigation into both of them

Then after that I will make a judgement.

I don’t want to watch another Political Railroading.

The other thing I don’t get is....
As a Democratic Woman I have been told to speak up in your work place and I’ve done that TO my harasser/abuser.

Here we have Democratic women that can’t say to their Democratic employer to quit or be outed. I just don’t get it. I have told almost every employer, including a lesbian boss to quit and move on and never been retaliated against.
Most of them not Democrats.

[uponit7771]

21. This too, I don't see him overtly hitting on her either outside of the question about her dating

... older men and I'd have to listen to that in context.

I don't think its unfair either than we give democratic men the botd because of kGOP constantly being against equal rights, women's rights and supporting a text book admitted sexual abuser Trump

[LakeArenal]

25. When does hitting on someone who doesn't like you become harassment or abuse?

It’s damning these days to find someone sexy and say so out loud.


I can’t get over the angst over Biden telling someone their hair smells nice. In them olden days, consarn it, that was a complement.

[Ms. Toad]

31. You are aware that she DID speak up,

both to Cuomo's chief of staff and to special counsel, and was moved to a different job to remove her from a workplace she felt was hostile, right?

Sexual harassment laws are on the books because women have nearly always had to risk their job to stop workplace harassment. That you escaped the ultimate consequences does not decrease the risk women face when reporting workplace harassment regardless of party of the employer. Suggesting that it is inexplicable that a Democratic employer would retaliate against a Democratic woman for reporting harassment is out of touch with the reality of sexual harassment

[LakeArenal]

39. So patronizing.

“Suggesting that it is inexplicable that a Democratic employer would retaliate against a Democratic woman for reporting harassment is out of touch with the reality of sexual harassment”.

[Ms. Toad]

41. You said it.

Here we have Democratic women that can’t say to their Democratic employer to quit or be outed. I just don’t get it.

[hamsterjill]

37. Me, too.

Her speech was way too crafted and practiced. She did not impress me one iota.

[Caliman73]

5. Not arguing for or against Cuomo or the accuser but...

Sexual harassment IS sexual abuse.

Abuse can be physical or psychological. If a person makes unwanted sexual advances toward you, you have told them to stop, and they continue to do so, that is sexual abuse by harassment.

Again, not speaking about any of the details or information in this particular situation. Just making sure we understand that someone who sexually harasses people IS a sexual abuser.

[brush]

9. There was a thread on here a couple of days ago where...

this was discussed. The consensus was that what was described was harassment not abuse as there was no touching or fondling.

I do get that if the harassment persists it can cross over, but when is that? Especially if it stops after the victim expressly rejects the advancement and it stops.

[unblock]

11. While in a broad sense yes, harassment is abuse, the term "sexual abuse"

is usually reserved for incidents involving inappropriate or unwanted sexual contact.

In a political context, this stinks of trying to make it sound like something worse than what it is. That's not to say sexual harassment is ok; it's not. At all. But sexual abuse is worse and that's not something he's been accused of.

[Blue_true]

43. Inappropriate sexual contact is sexual assault, not abuse, it has gone past abuse.

Sexual abuse is putting an underlying in a position where they feel sexually intimidated by you or threatened by your unwanted, sexual based interest in them.

[Bonn1997]

13. "Abuse" is usually used to describe behavior towards children

[Mike 03]

7. I heard it, but I'm deferring to experts on this subject. She was talking about how

Governor Cuomo fixated on the fact she was a sexual assault survivor and kept bringing that subject up during unrelated conversations repeatedly. I think she was talking about what she felt was psychological abuse and her feeling that he knew it was a very sensitive topic to her but he would keep bringing it up inappropriately at work in private settings that were supposed to be about something else (like taking dictation) and then using it to segue into personal questions about whether she would be willing to start a relationship with him.

[hlthe2b]

8. Sadly, there has been some conflation in discussions here as well.

This kind of thing will set back efforts to help victims of rape, violent sexual assault, and pattern sexual harassment/sexual extortion back decades

[katmondoo]

14. She was in a position to just walk away, why didn't she?

[uponit7771]

20. I think its worse, they were both opening up to each other and this looks to be just a couple of

... conversations where she never said he overtly hit on her just said ".. I wouldn't date someone younger than 22..." or something close to that.

I'm thinking he pressed on her a couple of times verbally but it doesn't sound like that.

[Blue_true]

44. What do you mean by "in a position to just walk away"?

Do you understand how difficult that can be? Should she try to get another job in a market that may be tight?

How about superiors recognize the requirements of their position and steer clear of any act that can be seen by an underling as sexually inapproprite?

[pandr32]

12. Trump and his party put a target on Cuomo's back

Trump pardoned his dirty tricksters, too.
There are currently two Republican congressmen expressing the desire to run for governor in New York. Trump is facing a whole lot of charges there and certainly would benefit from a GQP governor in place. PLUS his family business contracts have been canceled.
Trump already has heavy mob ties there, too.

Please keep this in mind.

[LAS14]

15. This whole thing is pissing me off.

Yes, people in power should be VERY careful about trying to move forward a relationship with a subordinate. I'd hate to think of the ramifications, though, if that were just plain illegal.

Anyway, I was listening to a liberal talk show where the host said to start things out, "Well, obviously Andrew Cuomo has to resign." ?????

Then they went on to play an interview with one of the women, 25 years old, where the bottom line was (pretty close to a quote), "Well, he implied that he wanted to sleep with me and that made me uncomfortable." (For sure, she used the word "implied" and almost sure she used "uncomfortable.&quot Presumably that was the end of it.

I say, "Grow up, lady!!!"

This whole thing is a good warning to arrogant old (and young?) politicians not to be STUPID, but it's also an illustration of the infantilization of women.

Edit: Never mind "abuser," the people on the talk show were talking about "sexual assault." ??????

[lostnfound]

17. All New York Dems ought to cancel cable TV for a couple months

CNN is nauseating right now, over and over and over.
It’s the Cuomo-Negation-Network

[uponit7771]

19. RIGHT ?! She never said he openly hit on her just said she took it that way because of his

... statement I wouldn't date anyone younger than 22.

[brush]

24. Yes, from what I understand, what reportedly happened is far from...

assault or abuse. It seems to keep being hyped up.

I mean some people do flirt at work. Let's wait for the investigation to see if it was flirting, clumsy flirting even, or harassment. It certainly wasn't abuse or assault.

[FakeNoose]

16. Don't be surprised if Cuomo's accusers are being coached by lawyers

How would this accuser even know what "textbook sexual abusers" say and do? Suddenly she's an expert on sexual abuse? I thought she was just an innocent young staff assistant.

[halobeam]

23. this is maddening. Just investigate and wait for results, right?! wth.

I am hardly over Franken and how it went down, not making any statements about the result of an investigation (was there one? not sure there was one).. I'm saying the pre-judging. To me, it feels like a political hit job when they aren't being fair to find the facts out first.

[Silver1]

27. Charlotte Bennett's resume

Wow, she has a lot of experience with sexual assault and harassment issues.

I find it very strange that a person with her previous work experience didn't know to say something like 'I'm not comfortable talking about this with you', and put an end to it. She kept the conversation going.

From 2014 to 2016, she was a volunteer at Hope’s Door, a non-profit in Pleasantville, Westchester County that provides counseling and resources to survivors of domestic violence. (a) (b)

From 2015 to 2017, she was a volunteer at The Center for Sexual Assault Crisis Counseling and Education in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA. (a) (b)

From September 2016 to February 2017, she was an education intern at Planned Parenthood in Utica, Oneida County. (a) (b)

While in Hamilton College, she founded the Sexual Misconduct and Assault Reform Task-Force (SMART) in October 2016 and the Policy Advisors for Sexual Assault in January 2017. She served as the director of the latter until May 2017 and the policy committee chair of the former until September 2017. (a) (b)

https://conandaily.com/2021/02/28/charlotte-bennett-biography-13-things-about-andrew-cuomos-ex-aide/

I edited to blockquote but no success ....

[brush]

28. Hmmmm? That is a lot of experience counseling on the issue.

Why didn't she nip it in the bud? Cue the investigation, please.

[Silver1]

29. Exactly.

[Pongo]

30. Isn't she the one who immediately reported it and was reassigned to another office?

Please explain what she did wrong. Really amazed to see victim-blaming here on this site.

[Silver1]

32. That's just it - no one wants to misplace blame

I find it hard to understand that given her extensive experience with sexual harassment, both as a counselor and director, that she didn't use what she knows to put an end to the conversation if she felt it was going that way.

I mean, it's her area of familiarity and expertise.

Given this and what's at stake, an investigation is completely appropriate.

In the mean time, we should be able to discuss what happened freely as it directly affects each of us and the political future we live in.

[brush]

36. The term "text book sexual abuser" seems to be an exaggeration.

[Blue_true]

45. I too am stunned by what I am reading.

If the AG’s independent investigation dogs up more issues with Cuomo and young female subordinates, if he doesn’t resign, NY Senate Democrats should remove him.

I thought that we had resolved two decades ago our expectations of how politicians treat subordinates, in all areas, including not coming on to them.

[SMC22307]

34. She must be the one who was just featured on the NBC Nightly News.

She said Cuomo was "nice" to her for a year then was going to let fly once her guard was down. I cringed when those words came out of her mouth... didn't find her believable at all.

[brush]

35. Sound like she was coached, especially using the term...

"text book sexual abuser" when what she described is sexual harassment at the worse.

[harumph]

38. Yes, "textbook case" b/c that might be what inspired the narrative.

From her account of his alleged behavior...it does not rise to "abuse." The amount
of outrage appears ginned up. Call me skeptical.

[brush]

40. Her phrasing does seem exaggerated. And how does one...

ever get into a converational relationship with you boss where your sexual abuse victimization was a discussion topic?

[occupant]

42. Experienced

Oh with that laundry list of experience in the sexual harassment and abuser dept, methinks lil missy wants some attention. She also may be a tRumpette that is trying to make the Golden Cow grin. DH says check her bank account...

[Generic Brad]

50. She is text book confused with the English language

I am not refuting her charge of harassment. But harassment, especially what she reports to have experienced, is not abuse by any stretch of the imagination.