N.O.W. agrees with me about sexual harassment

No, really, they do. At least they did back in 1998.

Judge Susan Webber Wright's ruling dismissing Paula Jones' complaint against Bill Clinton certainly gives lie to the right-wing charge that anti-discrimination laws have gone too far.  And it shoots down the tired complaint that a man can't even compliment a woman at work anymore.

Jones alleges that Clinton ran his hand up her thigh, exposed himself to her, asked for oral sex and pointedly reminded her of his friendship with her immediate boss.  No woman should have to put up with such behavior at work.  But according to the judge, even if then-Governor Bill Clinton propositioned and pawed then-state employee Paula Jones -- certainly misconduct for  any employer or supervisor, Jones does not have a valid harassment claim because she could not prove that the overall result was a hostile work environment.

At least they agreed with me when a Democratic politician was threatened by accusations of sexual harassment.


Okay, N.O.W. is a joke that no one takes seriously but the judge here is right: inappropriate sexual behaviour towards an employee is not sexual harassment by itself. So far we have evidence that suggests Herman Cain may be an unfaithful husband and a bad boss but we do not have any evidence of anything that looks like sexual harassment.

But even if it isn't sexual harassment, the alleged behaviour is troubling:

1. My personal moral standard is that if the allegations are true, then I would hope people would not support Cain. I thought the same of Clinton. 
2. If, on the other hand, the standard for what politicians can do without repercussion is what feminists said was okay from Bill Clinton, then Cain can run with impunity.