COMMENTARY | The backlash to Monday's news conference by Herman Cain accuser, Sharon Bialek, was swift and fierce. Cain's camp came out with two releases; the first stating Cain has never been sexually inappropriate with anyone, and the second specifying there was no truth to Bialek's claims that he groped her in his car in 1997.
What was more interesting than Cain's predictable denials was the response by Cain supporters in social media outlets and in comments to news articles. There are two main camps of supporters. The first declares any negative commentary on Cain shows the racist nature of the commenter. Cain cannot be criticized because of the color of his skin. If you don't like his tax plan, you're racist. If you are concerned about sexual impropriety allegations by four separate women -- two of whom received financial settlements from Cain -- you're racist. If you think he has no clue about economics, law, or politics, you're racist. It's a tiring and lazy comeback, but is unlikely to subside anytime soon.
The second defense is to show that all male politicians are the same. The most common finger-pointing is at Bill Clinton, who was caught in a scandal in 1996 with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Clinton, after many denials of a sexual relationship, finally admitted to it, resulting in impeachment against the president. The second comparison by Republicans is to Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner. Weiner was caught posting lurid photos of himself on Twitter to various women. Weiner resigned after finally admitting the pictures were indeed of him and that he was responsible for posting them.
There is a vast difference between Clinton and Weiner's activities and those that Cain is accused of. While Clinton's affair with Lewinsky was extramarital, it was consensual. He did not sexually assault her. Weiner's indiscretion was not in person and did not harm anyone. That is a far cry from groping a woman under her skirt in a car and reminding her that she was the one who wanted a job. That is sexual assault and in a completely different category than the Democratic comparisons.
The lack of differentiation in many Republican minds between consensual sex, explicit photos and sexual assault is frightening on many levels. If these voters can't distinguish between these, how can they be expected to understand the impact of the candidates' economic plans? Unfortunately, the right to vote doesn't come with the responsibility to exhibit common sense.
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