CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At the Grammy Awards, Hillary Clinton read an excerpt from "Fire and Fury" in a comedy skit. Instead, she should have read a sincere apology to all women for not firing her 2008 campaign adviser who was found to have repeatedly sexual harassed a young staffer.
The New York Times reported that Clinton's campaign manager had recommended Clinton fire the campaign's faith advisor, Burns Strider, after the accusations against him were investigated and found to be credible.
Patti Solis Doyle told CNN Clinton "overruled" her recommendation. Instead, Strider had his pay docked and was told to undergo counseling.
The docked pay and counseling turned out not to be a deterrent. Strider went on to a high-level position with a super PAC called 'Correct the Record', from which he was fired following more allegations of sexual harassment. In 2016 Strider led an independent group that backed Clinton.
In response to the story, Clinton posted the following tweets Friday:
"A story appeared today about something that happened in 2008. I was dismayed when it occurred, but was heartened the young woman came forward, was heard, and her concerns taken seriously and addressed."
"I called her today to tell her how proud I am of her and to make sure she knows what all women should: we deserve to be heard." -@HillaryClinton - Jan 26
That's a pathetic response from someone who expected to be elected the first female President of the United States.
"Her concerns were taken seriously and addressed," writes Clinton. The "concerns" were allegations of predatory behavior. They appear to have been taken seriously only by the victim and campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle, not by Hillary Clinton.
If Clinton took the allegations seriously, she would have followed the recommendation to fire Strider and would have warned the PACs he went to work for against hiring him. Instead she gave him a slap on the wrist and allowed him to go on and victimize more women.
Clinton tweeted, "I called her today.." eight years after the young staffer was victimized.
"I was disappointed by that tweet, that response," Doyle said Monday. "I wish she had said it was the wrong call. I wish she had said, 'You know, having to do it over, I should have fired him," Doyle told CNN's Brianna Keilar. Reflecting on the fact that Strider went on to harass more women, Doyle expressed remorse that she didn't "push harder for him to be fired...I feel a great deal of regret that I didn't."
Clinton isn't expressing any regret. For her it's just "something the happened in 2008." Clinton's tone deaf response to her aides sexual misconduct in 2008 and the story being reported in 2018, exemplifies why she lost the election, not Comey's letter.
Clinton's reaction in 2008 and 2018, is indicative of the personality and character flaws that turned off voters in 2008 and 2016, notably, significant numbers of women voters.
This cartoon was first posted in 2016. Alas, the song stylings of Clinton and Pence were not nominated for a Grammy. Pence had to settle for the Vice Presidency.
Failing to fire Strider in 2008 was a bad call on Clinton's part. And the Grammy Awards' "Fire and Fury" skit was a bad call on the part of CBS, especially including Clinton in it. It's one thing if performers want to get political with their songs,performances and acceptance speeches. That's different than the shows producers and the network that airs it, intentionally politicizing the music entertainment show in a blatantly partisan way. The country is already divided enough.
The timing of Clinton's appearance was especially bad, because the most powerful performance of the night was Keysha singing a song on behalf of all women victimized by men like Burns Strider, who Clinton enabled.