FAIR Play

Let's get this straight, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting often comes from some bizarro Earth places. But this bitch slap of Bill O'Reilly is the real deal.

I caught the tail end of the Spinmaven's assertion that the Los Angeles Times did not pursue Bill Clinton's various 36-28-38 skeltons and figured Bill had hired Rush's housekeeper. FAIR tracks down the facts which show the LAT was all over Troopergate like Arnold on a body-double.

But there is one relevant difference O'Reilly's absurd claim blows past. Clinton's Little Rock actions were as the top law enforcement officer of a state, something which could -- and in fact did -- presage his behavior as commander-in-chief. Say what you will about Arnold's behavior, but he did not use the power of the state to grab boobies.

(via Sam Smith.)

Comments

[david]

It's true. And that's what has "bothered" me about the whole "grope-gate" incident: AFAIK, according to what I've read, each incident was Arnold simply "groping." The proper response is to simply (a) slap him, (b) knee him, (c) walk/run away. What he did was piggish and gives nice guys (like me!) a bad name, to a degree, but it shouldn't disqualify him from holding elective office.

Clinton, OTOH, and as you pointed out, committed all of his crimes (actual/alleged/etc) while SERVING in elective office - ostensibly to uphold the law and serve as an example.

[Josh]

I went to school for acting. I got college credit for groping - known as voice and movement classes.

In the acting world, people tend to be very comfortable with their bodies and... ahem... each others.

So yeah, Ahnold, the bodybuilder/actor/hollywood power player groped ladies. And?

[Anonymous]

Remember that Clinton has never commented on the alleged rape of Juanita Broderick. To issue a denial, essentially calling her a liar, would open him up to a potential libel suit.

Let's also not forget the "missing" State Department file on his activities while at Oxford. There's another alleged rape victim mentioned in it, as well.

[joe]

Now that you mention it, I haven't heard Clinton say a word about whether or not he killed the Lindburgh baby, either.

So does the State Dept. give you a lump sum for storing their missing files, or do they pay monthly?

[ArNot]

Say what you will about Arnold's behavior, but he did not use the power of the state to grab boobies.

Um, Arnold didn't HAVE the power of the state when he was grabbing those boobies. As he seems to have happily taken advantage of what position and power he DID have, I don't see that state power would've been used any differently. Let's see how things shake out a year down the line.

[Don]

"If you were falsely accused of rape, Ryan, and proof that your accuser was lying, I suppose you'd keep it secret to protect her feelings."

Well, let's see. Clinton was accused of rape. And, if he has any proof his accuser is lying, he sure hasn't produced it.

Juanita Broderick's story is quite compelling. It is interesting how Democrats stand by their rapist.

[Patently Obvious Guy]

NEWSFLASH! O'reilly is a blowhard.

[joe]

...not nearly as interesting as how Republicans stand by their unsubstantiated charge, until they're ready to move onto the next one.

Actually, I think I'll go post this on one of the Iraq threads.

[R C Dean]

"First, Clinton never grabbed or forced himself on anything -- he just propositioned it."

You might want to put some ice on that.

[Wendy W]

If had to choose between a groper and a rapist I'd pick the groper every time. It's actually a choice not that different from most elections where the most you can do is hope you don't puke as you pick the lesser of two evils.

[Charlie]

Glad to see someone else point that out, Josh. I've been trying to explain to my more conservative friends that if all they can find in Hollywood is 15 women who claim Arnold patted their asses etc, then no wonder he got the reputation as a conservative.

[Jean Bart]

Its fun to watch Libertoids fall all over themselves in defense of their new "saviour." Does anyone think that Arnold's behaviour is going to stop now that he's reached the Governor's mansion?

[Thorley Winston]

Geez, are you kidding? First, Clinton never grabbed or forced himself on anything -- he just propositioned it.

Juanita Broderick would probably disagree.

[Josh]

Jean bart:

I hope you're not taking my groping comments as support for Arnold. I just find all the sex talk in politics juvenile. Sooo 7th grade, if you ask me.

My support of Arnold extends only so far as he amuses me.

[joe]

Juanita Broderick - she's the one who went public with a rape allegation after the conservative reporter told her she was going the be the next bimbo eruption, right?

Have you seen the Katherine Willey mash note?

[Joe2]

Joe,

No

[R.C. Dean]

Does anyone think that Arnold's behaviour is going to stop now that he's reached the Governor's mansion?

Actually, as far as I can tell this behavior stopped a number of years ago. What was the most recent alleged grope?

[Jean Bart]

R.C. Dean,

Three years ago from what I recall.

[bennett]

What's the mash note?

[Fred App]

Can we get past this testosterone-fueled notion that pinning a woman against a wall and grabbing her breasts is some rude but harmless boys-will-be-boys groping? It's sexual assault. And anyone who thinks that a woman who has been attacked in that matter should just have slapped Arnold has got to be out of his freaking mind. The guy's a fuckin' bodybuilder! You don't think that intimidated his victims just a tad?

And if we're going to talk about how Clinton villified those who went public against ihm, let's not forget Arnold's recent descent into the muck, (falsely) claiming that one of the women who accused him of groping is a convicted prostitute. Yeah, this is one classy guy we just elected governor. Makes Jesse Venture look like Sir Laurence Olivier.

[joe]

^About a week after the alleged assault, she sent him a note on her stationary, about how he's been "on my mind." Atrios had it up (text and image of the original), but I can't seem to find his archives.

[Ryan]

"Have you seen the Katherine Willey mash note?"

Which brings up one of Clinton's slimier behavior...the villification of those who went public.

[John Q.]

Say what you will about Arnold's behavior, but he did not use the power of the state to grab boobies.

Geez, are you kidding? First, Clinton never grabbed or forced himself on anything -- he just propositioned it. (Remember, he didn't shag Paula Jones against her will or, indeed, touch her at all -- she left the room.) And Arnold Schwarzenegger was at least as powerful in Hollywood as Clinton was as governor of Arkansas. The analogy just isn't apt.

[David]

And Arnold Schwarzenegger was at least as powerful in Hollywood as Clinton was as governor of Arkansas.

There is no analogy there...the two roles and locations are totally different. One was elected to hold public trust, and is paid with tax dollars--something that any honorable person should & would respect.

[joe]

If you were falsely accused of rape, Ryan, and proof that your accuser was lying, I suppose you'd keep it secret to protect her feelings.

Yeah, right.

[nm156]

To think this whole thread started from Jeff's inate desire to use the word "boobies" in a post.

[HH]

Where "FAIR" (and quite frankly, this post as well) goes very, very wrong is in ignoring that the LAT sat on the story, infuriating Remple and Franz, who wrote it, until the American Spectator basically forced their hand. This is hardly the same as the Schwarzenegger stuff.

[Douglas Fletcher]

Sam Smith, what a blast from the past. I thought he folded up his tent when Izzy Stone died.

[joe]

Fred gets it. The suggestion that the women should have slapped Arnold relies on the idea that sexual violence (holding, pinning, forcing) isn't real violence, and the women wouldn't have been afraid of an even more violent retaliation. Even been pinned by someone who wanted to force something on your body?

[Don]

Fred gets it. The suggestion that the women should have slapped Clinton relies on the idea that sexual violence (holding, pinning, forcing, biting the lip) isn't real violence, and the women wouldn't have been afraid of an even more violent retaliation. Even been pinned by someone who wanted to force something on your body?