By Florida Bill These days, we are learning a good deal about the loose-zipper conduct of some prominent politicians, entertainers, and newsmen. It isn't that this is a new phenomenon in the relationship between the sexes, but it is drawing lots of headlines these days as female targets become more vocal about unwanted sexual aggressiveness.
Recently, the flood gates have opened and complaints of outlandish behavior of some "icons" and prominent men have been pouring out. Even 88-year-old John Conyers, with 52 years as a U.S. representative from Michigan, has been accused by staffers in his office for hitting on them sexually. One woman complained so vociferously of his harassment that he reached into his office budget and gave her $27,000. The House Ethics committee says it will investigate.
Funny man Al Franken, the Minnesota senator who used to be a regular on Saturday Night Live, is under the gun for delivering an unwanted kiss with his tongue out to a radio news anchor several years ago. Also, he cupped his hands over each of her breasts as she was taking a nap and had a picture of himself made, smiling at the camera so as to memorialize the fun. More women are apparently coming forward.
"I'll be happy to cooperate fully in an investigation by the Ethics Committee " said Franken apologizing and professing embarrassment as a result of his behavior. No real worry there as the complaint is in friendly hands. Discipline is rare and the ethics committee hasn't expelled anyone since 1862. Former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme court, Roy Moore, is running for U.S. Senator in Alabama in a special election on Dec. 12. A number of women are claiming that he pawed them sexually some four decades ago when they were in their teens, and he was an assistant district attorney in his early 30s. One woman says she was 14 at the time and another puts her age at 16. Whereas much of the current bad behavior is sparking heartfelt apologies and embarrassment, Moore, a Christian Conservative, has been adamant that the charges against him are "garbage," and "fake news" promoted by the Washington Post newspaper and Democrats. Currently, Judge Moore is leading in the polls against his Democratic opponent.
Pundits and some politicians are talking of possible expulsion from office for moral unfitness. If that was a possibility, a whole lot of wrongdoers got off easy in the past. Sen. Ted Kennedy, youngest brother of a popular President, was a member of the U.S. Senate for 47 years. In 1969, a presumed assignation of his with a young campaign worker resulted in her drowning in the waters off Chappaquiddick island during an auto accident from which he escaped. Kennedy plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and was given probation by a Massachusetts judge after which he was welcomed back into the Senate. For the incident, and despite his apparent felonious conduct, he became known as the "Hero of Chappaquiddick," and the "Lion" of the Senate. The Ethics committee never got involved.
Barney Frank who was a U.S. representative from Massachusetts for 32 years, retired in 2013. In the mid 1980s, Frank answered an ad for a "gay" partner in a newspaper and subsequently hired a young male prostitute named Steve Gobie as his assistant. Gobie lived with Frank, received a salary, and used Frank's auto--and operated a gay brothel from the Frank residence. Eventually the ethics committee got wind of the activity and made an investigation.
Frank was "reprimanded" by the committee for "fixing" 33 parking tickets which his roommate had received, but it determined that Frank had no knowledge of the brothel, although Gobie disputed that. The following year, Frank was reelected by a large margin to his seat in the Congress. Newsmen and members of the media are being identified as harassers of women. Recently Charlie Rose, 75, a long time CBS talk show host and journalist, has been fired for sexual mistreatment of women working for him. In some cases, Rose was said to parade about in the raw as female staffers looked on.
Popular "Today" Co-host Matt Lauer who had been around NBC for some 20 years has been terminated for "inappropriate sexual behavior" with multiple women at the station. His office was super private, sealed with a switch under his desk, and he often brought in comely young NBC staffers whom he propositioned, and sometimes showed them a sex toy, and then dropped his pants to display his package. He has apologized for his conduct, and said that "repairing the damage is now his full time job."
Fox News has been the target of numerous complaints from female employees contending that certain bosses wanted sex in return for on-air assignments. The station President, the late Roger Ailes, resigned and the popular news man and commentator Bill O'Reilly was fired after reports surfaced that he and the station had spent some $13 million settling harassment complaints against him over the last 15 years. Eric Bolling, who hosted an afternoon talk show, was fired on complaints that he had photographed his manhood on his phone and sent it to women working at the station. There are many new reports of uninvited sexual conduct by members of the Hollywood crowd. Among them are tough guy Stephen Segal, and Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Kevin Spacey. Spacey, who has also been receiving awards for his TV show, "House of Cards," has been accused of molesting actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was 14 years old, some 30 years ago. Spacey, who is gay, said that he does not really remember the incident, but if his conduct was out of line sexually, he apologizes. He has also been accused of harassing cast and staff of the popular Netflix series.
And then there is Director Harvey Weinstein (and his brother), who have been accused of sexual misconduct, assault and harassment by scores of women.
President Trump has not gone unscathed, although he denies all accusations, labeling them false and "fake news." Bill Clinton is famous for his lusting activities in the Oval office, and even the elder Bush has been sucked into the dialogue for patting some rear ends from his wheel chair. The tarred paint brush has smeared many other big names in the past, but without the boomerang effect we are seeing today, ranging from John F. Kennedy to perhaps the most shocking of them all, everybody's TV father figure, Bill Cosby.
A good question: "Who's next?" Probably, some nervous fellows out there.
xxx
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