It’s Time for Joe Biden to Address the Tara Reade Allegations

One of the problems with politics these days is that it’s increasingly difficult to hold a single line of argument without veering out of that lane and ramming into something else.

The pundits and politicians fighting over Tara Reade’s accusations against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden often careen around like drivers without brakes or steering. Start talking about the case against Biden and you can suddenly find yourself talking about the media’s grotesque mishandling of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings or the sexual harassment accusations against Donald Trump. Those who desperately want to defeat Trump come close to arguing that we can’t take the Reade allegations seriously if they derail Biden’s chances in November or increase the likelihood that Bernie Sanders will be the nominee. 

It’s fine to berate the media for its shifting standards for Democrats and Republicans accused of sexual harassment, or to point out that Trump has his own credible accusers. Biden supporters can worry about helping Trump or Sanders. But none of that stuff touches on the questions at the heart of the matter. 

The most obvious question, and probably the hardest to answer: Did he do it?