i've said before that i think that bill clinton should have just admitted it. but, that had to do with the consensual aspects of his accusations.

my understanding of the lewinsky situation is that it wasn't just consensual, but she actually thought she was in a serious relationship with him - that she was stealing him from hillary. and, i have a hard time believing that he in any way broadcast that. i don't think there's any question that there was a power imbalance at work. but, you can only take the situation so far before you run into a set of fantasies on the other side. if the truth is that what lewinsky actually wanted was more than what bill was willing to offer, it's hard to consider that harassment, even if the power imbalance was at the crux of it. you can have eager consent in a relationship with a lopsided power imbalance, too. and, what bill is consequently really guilty of, here, is leading her on - hardly an actual crime.

correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't recall any accusations of actual assault surfacing while bill clinton was in office, or any correctional bodies dealing with anything of the sort. it was just about the question of whether extramarital sex is immoral. and, on that point, you have to defend the president against the moral zealots, if you want any claim to being a liberal at all.

that's a separate issue to any claims of rape or assault. and, i've kind of heard of them, but haven't really looked into it much, and so don't have a real opinion on it. i'll remind you that i was a teenager at the time.

the one thing i have looked into is the lewinsky thing, and i'll double down that he should have just admitted it.

jagmeet singh must cut his beard.