A Little Self-Awareness Please

Perhaps Joe Biden doesn’t actually believe in due process for those accused of sexual assault, but a little self-awareness would be nice.

On Wednesday, Biden said if he were elected President, he would reverse a rule issued by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that strengthens due-process of students accused of sexual assault on college campuses.

In a statement, Biden said the rule was an effort by the Trump administration to “shame and silence” survivors of sexual assault.

The timing couldn’t be worse.

Biden is currently embroiled in a sexual assault accusation himself. Tara Reade, who worked in Biden’s Senate office, claims in 1993 he forcibly pinned her to a wall and penetrated her with his fingers. Biden has denied the accusation, and his Democratic allies have rallied around him – backing off their claims that every woman should be believed, to every woman deserves to be heard.

Alyssa Milano, who was at the forefront championing Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh shifted her #Metoo perspective to validate her continued support for Biden. She said Americans should continue to believe women “but that does not mean at the expense of giving men their due process and investigating situations, and it’s got to be fair in both directions.”

Well then, it seems both Milano and Biden should back the new rule coming out of the Education Department. Instead, they’ve both blasted it.

The ruling, issued Wednesday, requires schools to produce evidence of said assault and allows for the cross-examination of students who say they were assaulted. The entire rule was written to ensure those accused receive due-process.

“Too many students have lost access to their education because their school inadequately responded when a student filed a complaint of sexual harassment or sexual assault,” DeVos said in a statement. “This new regulation requires schools to act in meaningful ways to support survivors of sexual misconduct, without sacrificing important safeguards to ensure a fair and transparent process. We must continue to fight sexual misconduct in our nations’ schools, and this rule makes certain that fight continues.”

Under the old system, many innocent boys were thrown out of school or unreasonably punished without being given their fair say. As Robby Soave of Reason magazine notes, “If the allegation against Biden were being decided by the kind of adjudication system that he helped enshrine of college campuses, it’s quite likely that he would be found guilty.”

This double-standard has put Democrats in quite a pickle. Due-process for me, but not for thee. 

Again, a little self-awareness, please.