The New Republic claims to be a Democratic outfit but they seem to enjoy criticizing Democrats more than they enjoy criticizing Repubicans. How else can we explain James Kirchick’s decision to bring up a 22-year-old disputed episode to claim that “the Democratic party is crossing a line by tolerating this sort of old-school, old-boy D.C. misogyny.” The word ‘tolerating’ has a present tense, as if the Democratic Party is currently engaged in tolerance for misogyny. So, we might ask, ‘how so?’
Kirchick quotes from an old Michael Kelly article, Kennedy on the Rocks:
It is after midnight and Kennedy and Dodd are just finishing up a long dinner in a private room on the first floor of the restaurant’s annex. They are drunk. Their dates, two very young blondes, leave the table to go to the bathroom. (The dates are drunk, too. “They’d always get their girls very, very drunk,” says a former Brasserie waitress.) Betty Loh, who served the foursome, also leaves the room. Raymond Campet, the co-owner of La Brasserie, tells Gaviglio [a waitress] the senators want to see her.
As Gaviglio enters the room, the six-foot-two, 225-plus-pound Kennedy grabs the five-foot-three, 103-pound waitress and throws her on the table. She lands on her back, scattering crystal, plates and cutlery and the lit candles. Several glasses and a crystal candlestick are broken. Kennedy then picks her up from the table and throws her on Dodd, who is sprawled in a chair. With Gaviglio on Dodd’s lap, Kennedy jumps on top and begins rubbing his genital area against hers, supporting his weight on the arms of the chair. As he is doing this, Loh enters the room. She and Gaviglio both scream, drawing one or two dishwashers. Startled, Kennedy leaps up. He laughs. Bruised, shaken and angry over what she considered a sexual assault, Gaviglio runs from the room. Kennedy, Dodd and their dates leave shortly thereafter, following a friendly argument between the senators over the check.
This episode, if it occurred at all, happened in 1985. How is it relevant to today? Kirchick doesn’t say. He does mention, “since marrying again in 1992, Kennedy has tempered his behavior.” As for Senator Dodd, he only mentions him to note that he is a long-shot contender for the Democratic nomination and a former carousing buddy of Teddy Kennedy. One can only draw the conclusion that Kirchick is criticizing any Democrat that doesn’t condemn Senator Dodd at every turn for his alleged participation in the sexual assault of a waitress in 1985.
You might expect this kind of attack from Michelle Malkin. Hell, you might even expect it from a rival Democratic campaign if Senator Dodd was leading or threatening in the polls. But Senator Dodd is polling below the margin of error.
So, why attack him? Maybe because Senator Dodd has signed on to the Reid-Feingold bill that would put an end to the war? Any other reason?
Nah.
[h/t to The Carpetbagger Report]
Possibly because Dodd has indroduced legislation that would restore habeas corpus? Because Dodd is anti-torture?
I have no idea whether or not this story is true in all or in part.
I think people also grow and mature and change. But I am wondering what you would consider the statute of limitations on sexual assualt for an elected official?
The statute of limitations is the same for all citizens. I don’t know what Kirchick expects. Does he expect Barack Obama to turn to Dodd during a debate and say, “You don’t belong on this stage, you used to be a drunk, carousing, misogynistic enabler of Teddy Kennedy back in the mid-1980’s.”
Seriously. What is the point of posting this old allegation?
Not so long ago, you wrote something to the effect that Robert Byrd could never be forgiven because of his racist actions in the past. Yet, you seem more upset about the attack on Dodd’s reputation than on the alledged attack on the waitress.
Actually, I would like to hear what Dodd has to say about this matter.
1.) There should be no tolerance for this type of behavior at all at any level. I would argue that both Kennedy and Dodd should resign or at the very least not stand for election when their term is up if the allegations are true.
2.) Why is TNR dredging this up now, especially if it’s already public? On this I concur with Booman. Is it because he’s suppporting the Feingold bill? Supports Habeas corpus?
I think it goes deeper though on two levels:
1.) An overt Republican and Necon strategy to muddy the waters around Bush and necon corruption and confuse and dishearten the public: see the dems are just as dirty and corrupt too. They abuse women, are drunks, unfaithful, whatever
2.) A warning shot to others who may be thinking of aggressively taking on the Bush Regime and the neocon machine
It may be an attempt to smear Dems because so many Republicans have been shown to have engaged in corrupt and criminal behavior. But that is beside the point. If these allegations are true they are serious. And if they are true the persons involved should be held accountable. I don’t care if they are Republicans, Democracts or the Pope. I also don’t think that supporting good legislation gives one a pass on sexual assault.
I feel physically ill after reading the description and I’m not sure I can carry on a civil conversation about the matter at this moment, so I’m just gonna step away from the computer.
I guess their strategy worked on you. That is why these attacks are successful. You make an accusation and it is as good as the truth. It makes you think, “What if it is true?” and then you think less of the accused. All the better if the accusation was raised 22 years ago.
But, we know there’s a certain pattern of behavior where Ted Kennedy is or was concerned.
And there was a much more lax standard about public officials and their treatment of women 22, 25 years plus ago. Remember Bob Packwood? Charley Wilson?
On the other hand, Dodd may have been almost passed out in the chair and Ted throws her on top of him. Who knows?
But as democrats, I do think we need to take a very clear stand on sexual assault and sexual predatory behavior. Just as I’d find it very hard to forgive a racist past, I’d find it very hard to forgive a misogynist past and impossible to forgive someone who engaged in sexual assault.
IF the allegations are true, I’d like to know why no one was held accountable in 1985 and again when the initial article or reports came out.
Dodd and Kennedy (single at the time) had a reputation for carousing (not sexual assault) back in the 1980’s. This rumor fed into that reputation. It may have happened. It may not have happened. Why is it being brought up now? That’s the point I’m making.
It was written by Michael Kelly, an inept and incompetent hack of a reporter.
I have NEVER heard of this, and if it had happened back in 1985, it would have been huge news. But it wasn’t news at all, so it was just a made up attack.
It is just so easy to make up shit, and then pretend it never happened. It’s drive-by newshackery.
Making up pretend sexual assault rumors is a great way to attack somebody.
I agree – total bullshit. No way am I going to say “hmmm – maybe” I’m reminded of Booman saying “well then you couldn’t call anybody a motherfucker.” Do we ever debate whether somebody is a true motherfucker?
It’s past time to call bullshit on this stuff. Thanks dataguy.
Who was fired from TNR for not obeying Marty Peretz’s neocon wishes? Who made The Atlantic awesome? Who died covering the Iraq War? You sure you’re dissing the right guy?
FWIW, I’ve heard this exact story before, for years. It’s still irrelevant.
Hell yes. Michael Kelly was out there, cheering on the war.
He was a war whore, and he got a just dessert – killed in the war that he did so very much to promote and get started.
Without war whores like Michael Kelly, we might not be at war.
For me, I didn’t feel bad for even 1 second when he got killed. I thought it was just and right.
That’s just such a loathsome attitude; he died on April 3, 2003, too soon to see how things would turn out in Iraq, too soon to see the error of his ways like John Edwards, and to reduce his whole career to one mistake and claim he deserved his death as a result . . . dude, that’s just not how I see the world.
Nope, not gonna apologize. Without war whores like little Mikey tooting the Administration horn, things would have been very very different.
The evidence was OBVIOUS that there was nothing there, and Kelly was all the time writing about Iraq.
So, am I sad for his wife and two children? Very. It’s a damn shame for them. For him? Well, if you call for war, …
Playing into hit pieces by acknowledging them is a terrible idea. First, there must be evidence.
I was around in 1985. This never happened. I would remember this, and I have NEVER heard of this before. It’s just crap.
1.) An overt Republican and Necon strategy to muddy the waters around Bush and necon corruption and confuse and dishearten the public: see the dems are just as dirty and corrupt too. They abuse women, are drunks, unfaithful, whatever
2.) A warning shot to others who may be thinking of aggressively taking on the Bush Regime and the neocon machine
I think this is it precisely.
I don’t think we should pay these old allegations any mind because they are just put there to derail serious discussion and put forth an “everybody does it” narrative.
We need to be like dedicated bloodhounds, and not be put off scent by discredible publications.
I am not going to play into their game by discussing what it means if it is true. That’s what they want and why they brought it up. I have no idea if it is true.
I know what Byrd did is true. And what he did was a lot more serious and disgraceful that even what is alleged here. Supporting Jim Crow via filibuster vs. mauling a waitress? False equivalence there.
Everyone knows what I think about men that behave in the way alleged. But I’m not playing that game.
I see.
Have you ever had a friend or acquantiance sexually assaulted? Or “mauled” in a frat house atmosphere?
Sexual assault and battery is as bad as racist behavior and as systemic.
What?
Pawing a waitress in the way described should bring charges of assault…a serious crime. But assaulting someone is not in any way, in any universe, equivalent to denying millions of Americans their basic human rights because of nothing more than the color of their skin. This isn’t even an argument.
I’m not downplaying sexual assault in the least. There is no evidence this incident even happened. If it did, it reflects poorly on Kennedy and Dodd…but why play into their game by discussing it. That’s what they want to do…smear a war critic with 22 year old unsubstantiated allegations.
A refresher on what I do not forgive.
That’s just bullshit, Booman. I’m stunned that you would even make such a statement. A woman who has been sexually assaulted, and I have been, receives the message that her body is not her own, that she is a second class citizen, an exploitable object, without rights. It is a massive violation. You are trivializing something truly horrific. And you are participating in a cultural standard that says that discrimination against women is not such a big deal. Not like discrimination based on race. I am really offended.
you are offended that I think it is a more serious offense to deny African-Americans their basic human rights and equal citizenship than it is to be accused in a Michael Kelly hit piece of assaulting a waitress?
It seems to me that you are just looking for a reason to be offended.
I would have to acknowledge this incident even happened to be able to trivialize it. Like I said, make an accusation and people will treat it as the truth. I’m not treating it as the truth. I’m treating this as a hit job on a war critic.
If you want to accept it as true and think less of Dodd for it, go ahead. You’ve fallen for their antics.
That’s not what you said, Booman. You said that what was “alleged” is less serious; which appears to mean that even if true, it is a lesser offense. Tell me how it values the human dignity of that women or women in general when someone assumes the right to our bodies, without any permission?
I assure you, I am not looking for a reason to be offended. I am offended. Deeply offended. This is the bullshit that sets feminism back to square one. It’s the same thinking that looks at Imus’s comments as racist, and only acknowledges peripherally that it was also deeply sexist… as most of the media response did. This is why women continue to be the niggers of the world.
I don’t know if this incident is true. If so, it would not surprise me. The Kennedys have a long history of treating women like disposable objects. I would still want to see some verification before I accept it at face value.
But you are not just minimizing the story. You are minimizing the crime of sexual assault. And I am utterly horrified.
It sounded to me as if he wanted confirmation before he became offended. That’s what I want. I am not going to get offended by some made-up crap. Because that’s what this is – a made-up, warmed-over hit piece that isn’t true, and was written by a hack anyway.
Before getting offended by someone’s behavior, it’s important to ensure that the event really happened.
First, let me state that I in no way condone manhandling waitresses and anyone that throws a waitress onto a table and rubs the crotch up against them deserves to be arrested.
But if you want to call a single act of assault the equivalent of attempting to deny African-Americans the rights spelled out in the Civil Rights Act, then I could accuse you of grossly minimizing the impact of Jim Crow and claim to be horrified. Except I’m not looking for an excuse to be offended.
What Senator Byrd did was to try to maintain the institution of segregation and inequality for millions of Americans, using all his wiles as a Senator. What Kennedy and Dodd are alleged to have done was to mistreat ONE individual.
What Byrd did was legal. What Kennedy is alleged to have done is illegal. But Byrd’s crime was far greater, because he supported an institution (Jim Crow) that currently violates not only the law, but any shred of decency. His crime was to try to maintain a system that made it LEGAL to deny people’s humanity.
For an equivalent offense you would have to see Kennedy filibuster a law making sexual assault a crime. If he did that then I would see the equivalence.
This is much more about the staggering crime I see in Robert Byrd’s behavior than any minimizing of the alleged conduct of Kennedy. I simply refuse to accept it happened or to fall into Kilchick’s little game of trying to smear Dodd with this.
But if you want to call a single act of assault the equivalent of attempting to deny African-Americans the rights spelled out in the Civil Rights Act, then I could accuse you of grossly minimizing the impact of Jim Crow and claim to be horrified. Except I’m not looking for an excuse to be offended.
Again. I am not “looking for an excuse” to be offended. And I would appreciate it if you would stop implying that you can read my mind. I am telling you straight up that I am offended by the entire tone of this diary and your comments throughout. You are minimizing the importance of a crime. A crime that affects roughly 1 in 3 women and girls. What is institutionalized, though not by law, is the implicit acceptance of these occurrences as trivial, which you have done, in this diary.
What’s trivial is this 22 year old allegation parading as the Democratic party actively tolerating misogyny. What part of that don’t you get? I’m dismissive of this tactic, not dismissive of sexual assault. What? You want me to wring my hands bemoaning the inherent awfulness of this despicable and wholly unsubstantiated and ancient allegation?
That’s falling into their trap.
And the idea that a single act of assault is the equivalent to Jim Crow is ludicrous.
That’s like saying that Preston Brooks’ caning of Charles Sumner was the equivalent of slavery.
This is what’s dismissive. It’s relevant. I don’t care how long ago it occurred. This is exactly why, while we continue to make strides in recognizing racism, we are way behind the power curve when it comes to treating women as equal citizens. Because people keep acting like it’s trivial and dismissing this shit with a nudge an wink. Would you be as willing to ignore it if Kennedy had been accused of beating the crap out of a black guy 22 years ago because he was in the wrong neighborhood? Or would you actually give enough of crap to consider that, if true, it was a serious moral failing?
For the record, I’m not saying this one act is the equivalent of Jim Crow. I’m saying dismissing this kind of conduct as unimportant, even if true, is part of a larger pattern of implicit cultural misogyny. One that costs women their dignity, sense of safetey, and even their lives. And I’m calling bullshit.
What act? What are you talking about? This is all made up.
I don’t know if this happened or not. You’ve made an assumption about it’s veracity. I’m agnostic on the point. My problem with this entire exercise is that Booman has stated that even if it occurred it was a long time ago, so who cares. I care.
When did you stop beating your husband?
Seriously.
You are falling for the trap and not even realizing that that is what you are doing.
This is not a crime. There is no there there. No way would any sane, reasonable person grant any credence to such crap as this crap. What is going on is that lies have been elevated to the status of crime.
Lies are lies. Lies are not crimes.
When someone is convicted of something, that’s a crime.
Hypothetical crimes are not crimes. They are just fiction.
As a point of reference, the statute of limitations on sexual assault actually varies from state to state and there are differences as to the sort of people for whom the statute is extended longer.
For instance, in the states of New York and California, the statute for child sexual assault perpetrated by members of the clergy never runs out. Inexplicably, in other states such as Florida, the statute runs out even on clergy if the victim is 13 years of age or older, but does not if they are less than thirteen. (Sort of cruel for the unfortunate 13 years and up group of minors.)I’ve researched this recently since the founder of my former alternative schools, (Summerlane School in North Branch New York and Green Valley School in Orange city Florida), George von Hilsheimer, was a brutal rapist and pedophile operating in these states and also in California and South Carolina. But he is only liable for legal remedy in the states of NY and Calif, where he raped some of his underage victims.
As to the Kennedy/Dodd story, Like most everyone else here I have no idea if it’s true or not at all. I will say though that I have always held Kennedy in contempt since the death of Mary Jo Kopeckne and his shameless, arrogant, and self-serving cowardice in the immediate aftermath of that unnecessary tragedy. I think he should have withdrawn from public life immediately and the fact that he did not only heaps more disgrace on him in my mind. (I waited on him at an expensive French restaurant in South Florida in the early ’80s and he was roaring drunk then too as were some of his dinner companions. But being a public drunk is one thing, abandoning a woman to die and hiding ones own involvement in it is something else again, as would be the sort of sexual assault described in this suspicious article.
BooMan is right though about his main point; regardless of whether this story is true or not, why are the DLC type hacks at TNR bringing it up now?
We don’t know what happened with Kopechne. I assume that he tried to get her out, and was unable to.
Thank GOD for Senator Kennedy for much of his service. He has done A LOT of good.
We do know that she died in the accident. We do know that Teddy was driving the car, that he left her in the car underwater, that he failed to report the accident until 9 hours later, and that in his police statement were plenty of assertions that were simply not true.
I don’t deny that Kennedy’s presence in the Senate has resulted in plenty of good legislation over the years and that he has been a figure of positive influence there for progressive ideals and ideas. But if I lived in Massachusetts I would not have ever been able to bring myself to vote for him. In my mind, he is unfit to serve just as so many others in government are.
The child abuser I mentioned in my previous post, (the Reverend George von Hilsheimer), had a beneficial effect on some people also, and even had some enlightened ideas. Nevertheless he is a violent pedophile and if justice were to be served he should be in jail.
I’ve been curious about this school you have written about, so I went and googled it. It sounds utterly fascinating and yet horrible because of its founder. I’d love to hear more about your experiences with it, how you got there, when you got there and what it was like.
I went to a “hippie” boarding school that was a working dairy farm. We grew most of our food, milk, eggs, and exported maple syrup. It was sort of like a commune, but also very much an organized and accredited school.
Kamakhya, nice to see you. I’m not participating here as much as I used to but I remember enjoying your comments previously and I’m pretty sure we each wrote in response to each other occasionally.
Summerlane School where I went first began as a Summer Camp in Rosman, North Carolina in the summer of 1963. The local rednecks got all riled up because there were black kids and white kids together at thois camp so they attacked it, set foire to the lake with gasoline, stabbed one of the staff people, threw rocks at campers and staff alike, and shot out the windows of the small school bus the camp had as the campers and staff were preparing to flee.
I arrived at the new location of what was then Summerlane School in Mileses NY in early 1964. Not long after my arrival the school mooved to Buck Brook Farm near the very small town of North Branch, NY. Summerlane was modeled after Summerhill School in England, and also after a school started by a fellow named Homer Lane., except that, for the most part, we students were from troubled families for the most part. The underlying philosophy of the school was that kids learn best when they choose for themselves what they want to learn about and so classes were not compulsory, (there were no classes anyway). Also, everyone, students and staff alike all shared in the day to day duties of running the place; cooking, cleaning, cutting firewood, etc., (and later, milking cows, harvesting the hay and picking the apple orchards, and tapping the maple trees in season), as well as all having a vote when we would meet to address various issues and problems. This sort of work democracy was quite a good thing in many ways, and if it weren’t for many other things going on at the school many of we students would likely have had a much better time of it when reintegrating into the “real world” after leaving the school.
Summerlane was one of the early “hippie schools”, but unlike so many of the others, it was not accredited, was shabby and dilapidated with respect to the physical plant, (i.e. buildings, etc.), and there was virtually no academic foundation, even a rudimentary one. And of course, there was quite a bit of violence and sexual abuse and other inappropriate interaction perpetrated by the aforementioned von Hilsheimer and his two chief cronies Ron Nowicki and Charles “Skip” Weatherford in those early years as well.
I’ll write more about this tomorrow Kamakhya, possibly sending it to your personal email so as not to go on too much here off topic to the main thrust of this diary.
And a little further off topic, I Googled “George von Hilsheimer,” and the vast majority of hits were laudatory, how to get an appointment, and books he wrote, with only your comments here and an elderly Time magazine article presenting negatives.
To me, this is an imminent threat to innocent people seeking mental health treatment, and maybe this is a case where Googlebombing is justified.
I’m just grossed out that such a person still has office hours.
JA,
Recent news is that George von Hilsheimer is once again actively engaged in seeing youthful “patients” in Maitland, Florida where he delivers some sort of biofeedback regimen which he claims with much grandiosity to have profound positive effect. It would be a great public service to the folks who might be tempted to send their children to this hack to read the details of the hearing and subsequent judgment wherein the State of Florida revoked his license to practice psychology. Links to case detail here, and Final Order here. The words of the presiding judge sum up the nature of this brutal and self absorbed predator and hack quite well. She says, in the Final Judgment;
“Considering the totality of the record, the Board concludes that license revocation is the appropriate penalty. The Board concurs with and adopts Petitioner’s arguments including the assertion that the record reflects that Respondent exercised “undue influence” over the two complainants and their families.
The Board determines that the penalty recommended by the Administrative Law Judge is insufficient to protect the public safety and welfare because Respondent, after subjecting the complainants and their families to unconscionable abuse, was uncontrite, seemed unaware of the harm he had caused, and did not acknowledge that there was even a possibility that his behavior might have been wrong.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that Respondent’s license as psychologist in the State of Florida is REVOKED…”
{emphasis mine}
This creature should be prevented from being alone with any children, not to mention being able to advocate and inflict his other bizarre and destructive sorts of “treatment” for his patients, whether it be the crackpot allergy stuff, the pornography viewing and excessive electrical shock behavior mod stuff, the “gassing” regimens, (Carbon Dioxide inhalation), or any of the other regimens and procedures that were thrust upon the latter year students/ patients at Green Valley School and Residential Treatment Center, (Green Valley being the later incarnation of the original Summerlane School referred to previously).
Von Hilsheimer is a medical fraud as well as being a violent sexual predator and pedophile. Had I the strength and financial wherewithal I’d print up a whole bunch of flyers about him and paper the neighborhood where he lives and where he works with them, notifying his neighbors and unsuspecting victims that he is a fraud and a sick and perverted threat to their children. As it is though, in the meantime there are some serious efforts in the works that will expose this criminal to legal jeopardy, and these efforts are due to bear fruit very soon.
Please feel free to write me. I really am curious about your experience at Summerlane and Green Valley. I also googled Dr. Von and found he is still in practice. Sigh. I still want to know how you got into the school, how it effected you and stuff like that.
My own experience with boarding school was positive. Even though I was not like the other kids (not rich, not connected, etc.), the experience was profound. I would not be who I am today without it. I chose the school because I wanted a more rural experience. I didn’t want some rich kids college prep school, I wanted a place where I could be myself. I found independence and confidence, which helped me later when I went to college and back into the real world.
Again feel free to write. I have the background on your school, but would really be interested to hear what it was like for you.
Hugs.
explain it, let it go away, obvious a smear attack in the stream of shallow politics.
Michael Kelly WAS a huge fan of the war, and obviously also another reportojerk. When he died in Iraq, it didn’t bother me in the slightest. War whores like Mike need to go and fulfill their fantasy. OOPS! He died. WHAT a shame. We would not be in the war in Iraq without war whores like Mike.
There is no evidence the allegation is true. It is in the same class as Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Publications with a history of lying should not be taken seriously.
when they stand up to the national security conventional wisdom machine.
there is a huge vested interest in covering up the circumstances that led to the Iraq war. There is a huge vested interest in their being no meaningful investigations, nevermind war crimes trials.
TNR is well aware that Chris Dodd’s father led the Nuremberg trials. Right now there is increasing anxiety within the power elite that this might not be like Iran Contra. That this time the guilty parties will be held accountable. This is the first in a series of assaults against those who might lead such an effort. If we want our country back we need to have Dodd’s back. We need to have ALL our leaders back. Everytime the neocons come up with a diversionary tactic we need to cast it aside and insist we discuss the issue at hand.
This diary and comments are a great example of why sensible persons in public do NOT discuss hypotheticals. A hypothetical has not happened, and can be cast 12 different ways. Here we have a tissue of lies about Kennedy and Dodd, and a hypothetical problem:
Lost in this blizzard of wild speculation is the sliver of truth: This is all crap, and brought out as a hit piece by a dead guy who was loose with the facts. That’s the truth in the situation.