Blake Farenthold and the Grandfathering of Sexual Harassment
Clarence Thomas
On the surface   Representative Blake Farenthold ’ s arc this week is familiar : Politician is accused of bad behavior ; politician is accused of even more bad behavior ; politician announces he ’ ll leave office . In the case of the Texas Republican   that came after the series of scathing exposes in The New York Times and then CNN . The Times described an alcohol - sodden   sexually charged office in which “ women would discuss which male lobbyists had texted them pictures of their genitals   and both men and women would talk about strip clubs and whether certain Fox News anchors had breast implants .” CNN heard that Farenthold screamed at staffers   called them “ fucktards  ” made rude comments about a staffer ’ s fiancee   and left the staffer in severe pain with daily vomiting . By Thursday morning   Farenthold was announcing he wouldn ’ t run for reelection   though he intended to serve out his term . ( His ability to follow through will depend on whether further revelations emerge   and what sort of political pressure he receives — especially from other Republicans .) Related Story Who Survives a Sexual - Harassment Allegation ? But Farenthold ’ s case is also significant for its deviation from the normal pattern . Thus far   a strange dichotomy has developed within claims of sexual harassment . The last two months have seen many women newly inspired to share stories of bad behavior   be it recent or two decades ago . The men they are accusing have in many cases been toppled   for sins ranging from groping and lewd comments to rape . Meanwhile   men who stood accused of harassment or abuse before the sudden downfall of Harvey Weinstein have   for the most part   managed to remain in positions of power . It is as though accusations B . H . ( Before Harvey ) are grandfathered in . Farenthold   however   breaks the pattern : Even though stories of sexual harassment surfaced as early as 2014   that didn ’ t inoculate him . Examples of this grandfathering effect abound . Within politics   the most glaring example is President Trump . It has become truism to note the dissonance between his continued tenure as president   despite having been recorded boasting about sexual assaults   even as other abusers are forced from office — sometimes over behavior that is at once unacceptable but also less serious than the allegations against Trump . Trump is hardly alone   though .  Clarence Thomas  continues to enjoy  his  lifetime appointment at the Supreme Court   despite the allegations Anita Hill lodged against  him  during  his  confirmation hearings . Representative Alcee Hastings   a Florida Democrats   was known to have been sued for sexual harassment several years ago   though Roll Call only revealed the $ 220   000 settlement paid to his accuser last Friday . Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky but survived office and has enjoyed a post - presidential career as a globetrotting elder statesman and grand old man of the Democratic Party . ( Clinton ’ s past behavior did play a role in his wife ’ s loss in the 2016 presidential race   and while there is a move to reassess his legacy   it comes so late in his career as to be barely consequential .) Outside of politics   there are plenty of other examples . Dylan Farrow   who has long accused Woody Allen of sexual abuse ( and whose brother Ronan Farrow helped break the Weinstein story )  wrote in the Los Angeles Times   “ Why is it that Harvey Weinstein and other accused celebrities have been cast out by Hollywood   while Allen recently secured a multimillion - dollar distribution deal with Amazon   greenlit by former Amazon Studios executive Roy Price before he was suspended over sexual misconduct allegations ?” Across entertainment   from R . Kelly to Casey Affleck   man accused of harassment or worse have kept their careers alive .
On the surface   Representative Blake Farenthold ’ s arc this week is familiar : Politician is accused of bad behavior ; politician is accused of even more bad behavior ; politician announces he ’ ll leave office . In the case of the Texas Republican   that came after the series of scathing exposes in The New York Times and then CNN . The Times described an alcohol - sodden   sexually charged office in which “ women would discuss which male lobbyists had texted them pictures of their genitals   and both men and women would talk about strip clubs and whether certain Fox News anchors had breast implants .” CNN heard that Farenthold screamed at staffers   called them “ fucktards  ” made rude comments about a staffer ’ s fiancee   and left the staffer in severe pain with daily vomiting . By Thursday morning   Farenthold was announcing he wouldn ’ t run for reelection   though he intended to serve out his term . ( His ability to follow through will depend on whether further revelations emerge   and what sort of political pressure he receives — especially from other Republicans .) Related Story Who Survives a Sexual - Harassment Allegation ? But Farenthold ’ s case is also significant for its deviation from the normal pattern . Thus far   a strange dichotomy has developed within claims of sexual harassment . The last two months have seen many women newly inspired to share stories of bad behavior   be it recent or two decades ago . The men they are accusing have in many cases been toppled   for sins ranging from groping and lewd comments to rape . Meanwhile   men who stood accused of harassment or abuse before the sudden downfall of Harvey Weinstein have   for the most part   managed to remain in positions of power . It is as though accusations B . H . ( Before Harvey ) are grandfathered in . Farenthold   however   breaks the pattern : Even though stories of sexual harassment surfaced as early as 2014   that didn ’ t inoculate him . Examples of this grandfathering effect abound . Within politics   the most glaring example is President Trump . It has become truism to note the dissonance between his continued tenure as president   despite having been recorded boasting about sexual assaults   even as other abusers are forced from office — sometimes over behavior that is at once unacceptable but also less serious than the allegations against Trump . Trump is hardly alone   though .  [TGT] Thomas  continues to enjoy  [TGT]  lifetime appointment at the Supreme Court   despite the allegations Anita Hill lodged against  him  during  his  confirmation hearings . Representative Alcee Hastings   a Florida Democrats   was known to have been sued for sexual harassment several years ago   though Roll Call only revealed the $ 220   000 settlement paid to his accuser last Friday . Bill Clinton was impeached for lying about his affair with Monica Lewinsky but survived office and has enjoyed a post - presidential career as a globetrotting elder statesman and grand old man of the Democratic Party . ( Clinton ’ s past behavior did play a role in his wife ’ s loss in the 2016 presidential race   and while there is a move to reassess his legacy   it comes so late in his career as to be barely consequential .) Outside of politics   there are plenty of other examples . Dylan Farrow   who has long accused Woody Allen of sexual abuse ( and whose brother Ronan Farrow helped break the Weinstein story )  wrote in the Los Angeles Times   “ Why is it that Harvey Weinstein and other accused celebrities have been cast out by Hollywood   while Allen recently secured a multimillion - dollar distribution deal with Amazon   greenlit by former Amazon Studios executive Roy Price before he was suspended over sexual misconduct allegations ?” Across entertainment   from R . Kelly to Casey Affleck   man accused of harassment or worse have kept their careers alive .