Haberman on Wave of Sexual Misconduct Allegations: Women Are Very Angry Over the Election of Trump

EXCERPT:

CUOMO: "When we’re talking about a Barton and his — what he was doing when he was separated, not separated, whatever, I’m not talking about the abuse of power, I’m talking about his love life. We’re not talking about those settlements that we’re all paying for that every congressperson says they don’t want to talk about. Legit assault, bordering on criminality, harassment where there is a an endemic, a systemic culture of bullying. You know, if we stay on it we have such a better chance at change. That’s my concern. Do you choose the new or do you go deep and go after what really matters?"
HABERMAN: "I think the reason that the new is important, just looking at it from various vantage points, the new is important because as we have seen, it is such a pervasive issue. It is across industries, it is across continents and it was hidden for a very long time. And I do think that there is a case, James Hohman in 'The Washington Post' made this point yesterday, I have made similar points to people, I think that this is more than in part a backlash to the election of last year. You had — first you had the Fox News settlements and then you had the 'Access Hollywood' tape. And with the 'Access Hollywood' tape you had the person who led the interview get fired and the person who gave the interview got elected president. And I think that sent a message to women. I think women are very angry, and I think that is what you are seeing. The flood gates are opening and perhaps the flood gates are opening all the way in, everything is coming out, which I think is part of what you are saying, but I think that it is -- it is an important moment and it's an important conversation. I don’t know that everything needs to be looked at through the precise same lens because everything is not the same. But I think it is more important to have that conversation than to not."