The saga of San Diego Mayor Bob Filner continues, as the ink is now drying on the sexual harassment lawsuit brought by attorney Gloria Allred on behalf of her client, Irene McCormack Jackson.
A few hours after the press conference with Allred and her client, in which the troubling details of Filner’s treatment of female staff members were revealed, the mayor offered this response:
“I do not believe these claims are valid,” Filner said. “That is why due process is so important. I intend to defend myself vigorously and I know that justice will prevail.”
Numerous local pundits opine that the charges against Filner are so deplorable that he will resign shortly.
I disagree.
Those of us who paid attention to Filner’s Washington D.C. antics (e.g., his assault of a Dulles airport employee) think that the man will absolutely not leave office of his own volition under any circumstances. In fact, he and his supporters will be clinging to “due process” with the same passion a drowning passenger holds onto a life preserver after fleeing a sinking ship.
Perhaps Filner believes after admitting in public that he “failed to fully respect the women who work” for him and and that at times he “intimidated them,” that he can hang onto his office and its perks as long as he isn’t convicted. He is hoping the “process” is so lengthy that the public will forget this incident.
The mayor’s supporters can now be heard chanting “due process” during public discussions of the harassment charges. And, the local Democratic Party has refused to ask for his resignation, also because of “due process”.
Party Chairwoman Francine Busby said the party was so divided and members had to take two votes during a three-hour closed session.Busby said she supports the alleged victims, but also wants to stand up for justice, adding Mayor Bob Filner should have due process before he is asked to step down.“The reason why this decision was so difficult was because the democratic party supports both principles,” said Busby. “The principals that these women were making these allegations and if the mayor has in fact done this and if we believe it is true, then we will ask for his immediate resignation, but there’s a strong sense in this room about the Democratic Party to stand up for justice.”
The continued support of Filner is also embarrassing a women’s group, who offered a twisted explanation for the reasons they continue to have the mayor slated as the keynote speaker for an upcoming event:
“We chose to have him be the keynote speaker, and make no mistake, coming before rape survivors … that’s exactly where we would like him to be,” [National Military Women Veterans Association of America President] Tara Jones said. “If he is sincere, we would be able to know.”
I will grant that Filner is sincere about one thing: Continuing as San Diego’s mayor.
It is shameful that the women in the Democratic Party and its leaders are so partisan that they can’t recognize the fact that they are now engaging in a “War on Women” of their own.
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