The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is circulating a number of clips to reporters suggesting that Sen. Scott Brown's (R-Mass.) revelations of sexual abuse as a child is either a political stunt or a hypocritical move in the light of his endorsement of a congressional candidate who was accused of insensitivity to sexual assault -- including this column by the editor of a Cape Cod website:
Many have questioned how Brown could let a pedophile run free instead of stopping what could be a serial molester who may now have been at it for upwards of 40 years. Among the “believers” are many who are appalled that a U.S. senator would throw a literary grenade at a respected Christian summer camp and not disclose a name so that Cape officials can pursue the attacker and defend their reputation.
On the other side are alumni and friends of the camp who accuse the senator of fabricating the whole matter for political purposes – or at least to sell more books – leaving Camp Good News with a damaged reputation and no way to refute his accusations.
As I wrote when the story broke, publicly sharing such an intensely personal and scarring experience is a brave and laudable move, particularly for a prominent politician. Brown must have agonized over the decision to open up about his childhood trauma. That a handful of partisans and critics would cast doubt on his account, or somehow find a way to blame the victim for what happened to him, is a regrettable reality of modern American politics. That the Democratic Party has officially chosen to embrace and amplify those smears is dumbfounding. What a contemptible, shockingly callous, line of attack -- the DSCC should be ashamed of itself.
As an aside, the the basis for the claim of Brown's "hypocrisy" is, and was, a long-resolved non issue.
Even ignoring the indecency and inhumanity of the DSCC's slime job, liberal blogger Nate Silver is blown away by sheer political stupidity of it all:
This story has been developing over several days, and I'm still at a loss. Absolutely shameful.
Democrats seem inclined to follow Coakley's lead by making every mistake possible when running against Scott Brown.