Sexual Assault is Always Bad.

Opinion from the Right

There is hypocrisy within the Democratic Party. This is an objective fact.

But there is also hypocrisy within the Republican Party… and the Independent Party, and the Green Party, the Socialist Party, Constitution Party, Libertarian Party, and even the “Rent is Too Damn High Party” (yes, that is a real thing).

Naturally, every politician wants his constituents to believe that he is the mighty exception to political rules and dominion. Surely, I am not a hypocrite. She is! They are! I’m the one you can trust.

But you don’t have to look very hard to find evidence of the contrary.

Take Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), for example. Warren spearheaded protests against conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh as he faced sexual assault allegations in 2018. Yet she defended Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner as he faced allegations of sexual misconduct this year (though she later withdrew her support after a rape accusation materialized).

Across partisan lines, Tucker Carlson (Right bias) spread rumors that Nancy Pelosi’s (D) husband was involved in a homosexual affair in 2022. Yet he defended Trump during the Stormy Daniels scandal in 2023. Both cases of salacious, provocative nature were unproven, yet Carlson’s supposedly journalistic narrative was entirely contingent on political affiliations.

Sure, the above examples are from just two (arguably radical) political figures. But the real trouble lies where the culture follows. And, boy, does it follow.

Warren was not the only leftist to defend Platner. Many bolstered this messaging further. Droves of conservatives rallied around Kavanaugh as he claimed innocence, and they unabashedly escalated rumors about Mr. Pelosi and his supposed male lover.

Is it possible that Platner and Kavanaugh have only ever been gentlemen beneath the sheets? Sure. But Warren and Carlson weren’t there. Neither were we. Why are we so quick to defend or blame in one way or the other?

In American culture, sexual assault allegations are often weaponized in the run-up to an election. When the most salacious allegations crop up at all-too-opportune times, suggestions of urgency, gravity, and even sincerity are often deduced to sideline stories within a week of hitting the tabloids. True justice and righteousness for atrocious crimes become the shadow of partisanship and mere politics. But, newsflash, sexual assault is always bad. Always.

Look at the Epstein Files disaster. Does anybody really believe that’s a partisan transgression? Of course it isn’t. If Clinton and Trump, for instance, are both guilty of sexual assault, then they are both just as guilty of sexual assault – not with any sort of dependence on who is up for reelection or whose name would more aesthetically muddy the tabloids.

Moral conduct is not exclusive to the confines of #MeToo or #ReleaseTheFiles. It is absolute. For society to function properly, it has to be.

The last ten presidential terms, dating back to 1989, have been split evenly between five Democrats and five Republicans. And what do we have to show for it?

Foreign conflicts erupted regularly. Suicide rates sharply increased. Marriage became less and less common. And socialization withered away.

These facts are grim, but they are true and worth considering. They were true under President Joe Biden when he was in office, and they’re true under President Donald Trump now. It is a gross oversimplification to suggest only one or the other is to blame.

Such black-and-white thinking is not only foolishly unrealistic, but harmful to our culture – and to our consciences.

As Americans, we are free to condemn the atrocities of some Israeli officials and some Hamas officials. We are free to support the deportation of abhorrent child predators and oppose abuse against peaceful protestors.

We are free to demand justice, but we should never do so at the expense of righteousness.

We cannot afford to abuse our freedoms by not practicing them. We can no longer ignore human rights on any side for political gain. There is just too much at stake.

Zohran Mamdani is not our biggest threat to democracy. Neither was Biden, nor is Trump.

It’s us – if we allow it to be.

Malayna J. Bizier is a News Analyst and Social Media Editor for AllSides. She has a Right bias.

This piece was reviewed and edited by Managing Editor Andy Gorel (Center), Product Manager Evan Wagner (Lean Left), and Editor-in-chief Henry A. Brechter (Center).