CHICAGO – Are politicians in Springfield accused of sex discrimination and harassment victims or offenders?
Last week, yet more Springfield political insiders were swept into the growing #MeToo accusations. Last week, House Speaker Mike Madigan's close staff confidante Tim Mapes was forced to resign as Madigan's chief of staff and as the Illinois Democrat Party's executive director when complaints against Mapes hit headlines.
And Democrat Leader State Rep. Lou Lang was forced to step down from his high-ranking appointments when a female lobbyist accused him of making sexually suggestive comments and saying mean things when she asked him for help on legislation.
Still other female Springfield insiders shared their tales of sexual discrimination and harassments during their public service days at the Capitol in a story collection by reporter Kerry Lester.
Are more shoes to drop?
This all follows the #MeToo movement that stemmed among Hollywood glamorites over the past few months. The accusations finally led to former President Bill Clinton who had an embarrassing #MeToo moment last week in a televised interview, claiming he, too, was a victim of the sex scandal that led to his impeachment. But most voters disagree and see Clinton as a sexual offender instead.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that just 24% of Likely U.S. Voters consider Clinton a victim of his political opponents. Fifty-three percent (53%) describe the ex-president as a sexual predator instead. Another 24% are undecided.
Interestingly, men (55%) are more likely to consider Clinton a predator than women (50%) are.
Clinton in the TV interview also said he didn’t see any need to apologize personally to Monica Lewinsky, the White House intern he had an affair with and a key figure in the impeachment scandal. But 44% of all voters say Clinton should personally apologize to Lewinsky. Thirty-four percent (34%) disagree, while 22% are undecided.
