Sexual harassment is disturbingly common in workplaces, and Cain’s reaction to the accusations against him reflects the persistent attitudes that make it difficult for victims of sexual harassment to seek justice. Connie Schultz writes in her new column, “Keep Talking, Herman Cain”:
You may have noticed that a lot of the coverage about Herman Cain’s alleged misconduct with women casts the controversy as a “he said, she said” kind of story.
As of Wednesday, however, it’s a “he said, she said, she said, she said, she said” story, so let’s retire the false equivalence. One of the four women already has gone public with a news conference. Another woman reportedly is urging fellow accusers to join her for another news conference.
Cain’s in a heap of trouble, which was clear during his Tuesday news conference. What a surreal performance by somebody who wants to be president of the United States — standing in front of all those U.S. flags as he talked about himself in the third person. Insisting that he was the victim. Assuring reporters that of course he’d submit to a lie detector test, if he saw the need for it — which he doesn’t.
At this point, Cain could wrap himself in Old Glory and sing his denials to the tune of “God Bless America” and no one would think him any weirder than he was when he was standing on that stage.
His problem isn’t just that he’s been accused of multiple incidents of sexual misconduct. Oh, how I wish charges of sexual harassment, if proved true, were enough to derail a powerful man’s career. It’s Cain’s arrogance toward the American people, particularly women, that will drive the nails into his political coffin with the force of a Craftsman 12-volt Hammerhead.
