Just two days before, John Conyers also left his seat in the House just two days before Franken.
Allegations of sexual misconduct are not isolated to these instances on Capitol Hill. When it comes to this topic, the spotlight shines on Donald Trump. Trump has a history of unwarranted sexual advances on women. An entire blog could be written on that, but for now, let us return to Congress and focus on somebody who is not yet in office: Roy Moore.
Roy Moore is currently running against Democrat Doug Jones in a special election for Congress. Moore has been met with countless allegations of sexual misconduct. These allegations are surfacing now, but are about his behavior decades ago as a thirty year old, when he allegedly sexually assaulted minors and tried to go on dates with teenagers. Although many different women have similar stories, and there is evidence from local newspapers that confirm such allegations, Moore still vehemently denies sexual misconduct. Mitt Romney, John McCain, and other members of the Republican Party (Democrats too, of course!) have already spoken out against Moore, demanding that he drop out of the race. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell made it clear that he does not want Roy Moore in Congress.
Some Republicans see this as a dilemma. Keep Roy Moore in the race he is very likely to win, while essentially condoning his strong allegations of sexual misconduct, or risk losing the seat entirely to Democrats.
1. Should all politicians verily accused of sexual misconduct step down? Why or why not?
2. Should Trump be held accountable for allegations against him? Is it in the nation's best interest to conduct investigations for all politicians? Would this interfere with lawmaking?
3. What should be the appropriate response to sexual misconduct allegations. Might it be an Ethics Committee investigation? Immediate resignation? Is there a better solution?
2. I believe that as the President of the United States, Donald Trump is responsible to address the allegations against Roy Moore. Sexual misconduct is a very serious and important topic, and by not addressing it, our president has proven that he does not care about it or think it is important. While it is important for other officials to recognize the allegations, Donald Trump sets the tone and through ignoring it, he is essentially condoning that these things are acceptable in the United States. In order to represent ourselves as a nation that does not condone sexual assault, to both the citizens and other countries, we must conduct investigations now. Any interference it may have with lawmaking is worth the trade off to sort out these problems.
ReplyDeleteI believe he should be held accountable for the allegations against him especially because of the position he holds. It sets a bad example to put people in power who have been accused of abusing it in this manner because it lets others know that they can raise to high levels and get away with things that are inherently wrong. With Trump advocating for investigations into Hillary Clinton for her alleged wrongdoing it should only be fair that he is held to the same level, if not a higher level, of scrutiny in all areas. It is possible that this would interfere with lawmaking but it would be for a worthwhile cause seeing as our president reflects on our country as a whole and it reflects poorly on us if we allow people to lead us who have possibly committed acts of sexual misconduct.
ReplyDelete2. As president, Donald Trump has the responsibility to comment on issues such as the sexual allegations made towards Roy Moore. Especially since Donald Trump has proved to be favoring with the republican nominee Roy Moore, he should have be accountable to say something regarding the allegations. By not addressing the topic of sexual misconduct, the president should be held responsible since he has clearly proved that discussing such an important and prevalent topic is necessary. It seems that Donald Trump continues to ignore making statements regarding sexual assaults and blames the victims in return. Donald Trump silence in all this shows that it is acceptable in the United States for a politician to sexually assault or empower a women without getting in trouble.
ReplyDelete1) I believe that if a congressmen is accused of sexual misconduct, they should be required to step down. Not only are sexual assault cases extremely serious for the accused and the accuser, but they also distract Congress from working effectively. Someone such as Roy Moore would have just been a burden to Congress.
ReplyDeleteTrump should be held accountable for allegations against him. Despite his status as president, I don’t believe this job title should give him the privilege and advantage to violate the law. The president is the essentially the representative of the country and a sexual predator does not and should not represent an entire nation. I think it is in the nation’s best interest to conduct investigations for all politicians to ensure we are represented by the right people. If these investigations were to be conducted however, I think it would likely interfere with the lawmaking process in the initial stages of its implementation. Despite possible interference to the lawmaking process, I think it would be more beneficial in for the nation in the long run.
ReplyDelete1. I believe that if a politician is accused of sexual misconduct, they should definitely have to step down from their position. They need to be held accountable for their actions and should not get to hold their position while the case is being tried. Also, this creates a lot of distraction in the media an prevents critical work from getting done within the government. If they set down an handle the issues, this stops the potential roadblocks that it could cause in the government.
ReplyDelete1. Any political nominee or current seated official should step down when such allegations are placed because it effects more than just that person. It can cause a bad reputation for a party or position of government. Many of us would like to see a step down but often it is not seen. We have however seen this practiced with Clinton its a significant causal and needs to be addressed with full attention. This is not a small issue and needs to be dealt with full effort in order to find a conclusion.
ReplyDelete1. I think it's the moral responsibility of an accused politician to step down amidst allegations merely because it is their duty to serve the nation and it's hard to do so with allegations of that level surrounding you. With that being said, I don't think it should be forced without an investigation. It must be voluntary and it should be. If you have the case, for instance, where allegations surface but they're fraudulent, then of course the politician would be unwilling to step down. Of course, I'm not trying to defend Roy Moore or any other who has been accused. I'm just saying that forcing candidates to step down as soon as allegations surface would be a complete overstep of power if an investigation hadn't even finished at the time.
ReplyDelete1. Because of how serious sexual accusations are, I do believe that it should be in the Congressmen's best interest to step down. Congress is made up of politicians that we, the people nominate and it is their duty to stand up for the party and their voters within Congress. That being said, I don't think that people vote for Party members because they are sexual offenders, which is why they should step down.
ReplyDelete1. I believe that Congressmen accused of sexual misconduct should definitely step down. These types of allegations can be very serious and cause a huge amount of uproar. In addition, these types of cases can be huge distractions and taint the parties. However, I do believe that an investigation is necessary when handling these types of cases.
ReplyDelete1. All politicians accused of sexual misconduct should most definitely step down. Whether or not it impairs their ability to conduct politics, politicians are the face of the people and we don't want a sex offender as our public face.
ReplyDelete1. I believe that it is hard to force politicians accused of sexual misconduct to step down. In this country, people are innocent until proven guilty, so unless there is a conviction, many politicians will need to voluntarily step down. So, while I believe that politicians who conduct themselves inappropriately need to step down, I don't see that becoming a reality in today's political climate.
ReplyDelete1. Although false accusations are rare, I think that if a politician is accused of sexual misconduct, the allegation should be verified first. If it is true, then the politician should step down. Politicians should be representative of the people, and I don't think it's appropriate to have sexual harassers represent us.
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