These Weinstein revelations are shocking.
It Gets Worse
by John Cole| 84 Comments
This post is in: The War On Women, Sexist Pricks, Sociopaths
by John Cole| 84 Comments
This post is in: The War On Women, Sexist Pricks, Sociopaths
These Weinstein revelations are shocking.
Comments are closed.
rikyrah
Show me ONE Elected Democrat who has defended him.
SHOW.ME.ONE.
But, both sides and all.
Hell, they booted him from his own company in less than a week.
Will he get the Bill Cosby treatment?
Just asking.
PS- that DA in NY – GOTS TO GO.
rikyrah
Steve Bannon’s ‘war’ plans for 2018 come into focus
10/10/17 12:52 PM—UPDATED 10/10/17 12:59 PM
By Steve Benen
………………………………………………
As Bloomberg Politics reported the other day, Donald Trump’s former chief strategist is ready to lead the charge.
“We’re going to go after them. There’s a coalition coming together that’s going to challenge every Republican incumbent except for Ted Cruz,” Bannon told Fox News last night night. “We are declaring war on the Republican establishment that does not back the agenda that Donald Trump ran on. We’re going after these guys tooth and nail.”
That, of course, will require considerable resources, and Bloomberg Politics’ report added that Bannon is in the process of holding “a series of meetings with donors, potential candidates and grassroots strategists.” Not surprisingly, hedge-fund billionaire Robert Mercer, a Bannon benefactor, is reportedly involved in the endeavor.
Elizabelle
I think some of those assaults — attempted, deflected, and accomplished– happened within the statute of limitations. Harvey gonna be doing a perp walk.
He allegedly paid off settlements privately. But Miramax and TWC execs knew of his proclivities and covered for him. TWC going down.
Paltrow and Jolie are on record w attempted assaults.
MattF
I’m happy to see Weinstein go down. He was a predator.
Starfish
@Elizabelle: Someone on Twitter pointed out that they did not fire him because this happened. They fired him because the public found out about it.
Some of the pictures illustrating the stories on the topic lead me to believe a lot of people knew and a lot of photographers probably have pictures of him creeping on women a third of his age at events.
Elizabelle
And then, I hope, people will ask “now, what about Trump?” Although I personally think the Billy Bush tape might have been locker room talk. Speaks more to terrible judgment than an actionable offense. . Although: wasn’t one woman/actress named as a Trump target of attentions?
And does Trump sue a woman for breaching a Nondisclosure agreement? That’s as good as an admission that $$ changed hands due to Trump bad actions.
Elizabelle
@Starfish: would guess it’s going to be too late. All the accts have studio execs ministering to the targets, to hush them. Broad pattern of behavior.
TWC did nothing we know of after relatively recent attempt on Italian model. Who was paid off.
Wapiti
Two comments.
(1) Power corrupts. The guy had career-breaking power he could wield against any victim.
(2) Hollywood has long been known for “the casting couch”. He isn’t the first to wield such power. Unfortunately, he’s likely not the last, either.
Elizabelle
@rikyrah: I don’t recall many going to bat for Carlos Danger. He was an outcast.
Poor Huma.
germy
I would like to see his enablers in the press exposed. Sort of like the embarrassing revelations about the “progressive journalist” friends of milo.
They deliberately defamed anyone who made trouble for him. Was it just the trashy tabloids, or did some more serious reporters get involved as well?
Elizabelle
Paltrow complained to Brad Pitt — her boyfriend at the time. He confronted HW and told him to lay off.
Jolie says she chose never to work w HW again. Although Pitt did. (inglorious basterds; probably more. ). Awkward.
trollhattan
Yeccch, he’s a monster and has just become the #1 Republican cudgel to wield every time a Republican gets caught doing something naughty. “What about the liberal Harvey Weinstein?!?”
Nice work, Harvey.
tobie
He’s a creep and he deserves whatever’s coming to him. No question. I just don’t get why this is a political story. The nearest parallel I can think of is Bill Cosby. Weinstein has never been an elected Democratic official; he has never campaigned for office himself; and unlike Bill O’Reilly he hasn’t had a nightly political broadcast on a major cable network. I’m sick of people trying to score political points off this story and I’m astonished at how bad Democrats on TV have been responding to these charges.
schrodingers_cat
HW should run for office in WV, it is one of the states with highest T approval ratings, more than 60%. They seem to love grabbers of you know what. Or WY, pretty high ratings for the predator in office there too.
Elizabelle
I wonder if HW is a suicide risk. Am sure he’s looking at a big $$$ divorce.
He has 4 daughters and one 4 yr old son. Some of the daughters must be college/high school age by now.
AliceBlue
@Elizabelle:
There’s a diary on DKos about the women who have accused Trump of sexual assault; one of them has filed suit.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Elizabelle:
It sure is intresting that Trump has been throwing a fit the last three days, which is what he typcially does when he feels threatened. Makes one wonder what Trump’s conection to Weinstein.
Elizabelle
@trollhattan: I noticed Streep was trying mightily to separate the causes he supported from the man.
Duane
Bannon was out of most people’s sight during the election. Now that he’s sticking his ugly head(and beliefs) out of the cesspool where he’s been hiding, it’s time to beat the political life out of him.With a rusty farm tool. Left in the broilng sun.
His rotting, stinking , bloated carcass can finally serve a purpose.Scavenger food.
Laura
@MattF:
He was a predator. Nope, he IS a predator, but he’s rich and powerful and his sense of entitlement is not unfamiliar to women the world over.
Ladies of the blog-show of hands, who’s been on the receiving end of sexual harassment from unwanted conversation to sexual assualt?
I have, and so Harvey is not a surprise. I’m surprised that anyone is.
gene108
@trollhattan:
Just goes to show how thorough right-wing control of the media is. Fox News was (is?) just as bad, but we can’t make Republicans defend themselves for their association with the network.
I really wish there was a way to balance the playing field, but I don’t see how unless liberals become rich enough to buy TV stations and networks.
Starfish
@germy: What the press is doing right now is shameful. They are blaming Democrats. They are blaming Hillary Clinton. They are blaming Weinstein’s victims. It is really gross.
SFAW
Meanwhile, as Cole twittertweet notes, Cilizza continues to be a fucking moron and asshole. “Why O why won’t Clinton and Obama speak out about Weinstein????? What are they waiting for??? This is so much more important than Puerto Rico, the destruction of environmental regs, Lying Littledick challenging Rexxon to an IQ-size contest, the tax-cuts-only-for-billionaires budget, and so forth!!!!”
Hey, Villago, should the first tumbrel ride be Haberman or Cilizza? “All of them, Katie” is not a valid response.
Elizabelle
Ronan Farrow reported The New Yorker article. All photos and names. On the record.
Mnemosyne
As I’ve said already, I strongly suspect that the reason he ended up leaving Miramax (which had been sold to Disney) and forming a new company was because people knew about his behavior and he was quietly blackballed. Unfortunately, he still had enough indie directors like Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino willing to work with him that he was able to keep going.
John Landis is still in a similar position because of Twilight Zone: the Movie, where three people died because of his negligence. He’ll never direct a big-budget movie again.
schrodingers_cat
@Starfish: They are fucking blaming Pelosi and Schumer for the Nazi like demands of Miller and his boss, the President in return for DACA.
Ithink
I’ll bite J.C. This cat is a cold, ruthless & repulsive S.O.B who should not be allowed in or around polite society; but then again so is our current President. Who we’ll be cruelly stuck w/ unless the Grim Reaper pays him a premature (or is it overdue?) visit or Robert Mueller delivers the inevitable damaging goods between now and the midterms.
Can’t we just say this behavior is reprehensible no matter who does it? And not see it through a tribalist lens, hard as it may be? I had no idea who in the hey this guy was until the story broke in the NYT & his ex-defense attorney Lisa Bloom was being interviewed on GMA. Otherwise talented, influential guy whose getting his just desserts; the current administration & its titular heads, not so much. Lady karma is being a trolling bitch these days!
Mnemosyne
@Starfish:
The press is trying to deflect attention from the fact that THEY helped cover this up. The NY Times has already been publicly busted for killing a story about this back in 2004.
Elizabelle
Fuck the rightwingers. Throw Ailes and O’Reilly and Trump and Gingrich in their faces.
But do name the MSM outlets that run w their complaints. We can further identify the rightwing knobpolishing set.
Betty Cracker
From the article:
Nope. Fuck off, pig.
One thing that article illustrated so well was how unequal power works in the rapist’s and/or sexual harasser’s favor. I remember rolling my eyes 25 years ago when male friends expressed doubt about Anita Hill’s testimony because “why should she still have a friendly relationship with him if he did that?” The women in that story knew people wouldn’t believe them for the same reason.
Gin & Tonic
@Elizabelle: I’d assumed he was a lightweight. Good for him.
Mnemosyne
@Betty Cracker:
His second chance was The Weinstein Company, and he fucked it up.
Second chance is already up in smoke.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@rikyrah: So how does 15 senators, if they win, and not even half of the GOP senators, change Senate procedure and outs the Senate Majority leader?
Ah, well that’s right, the GOP donars are pissed and not donating, so Bannon is looking to tap that money by leading the charge against the dysfunction he helped create. It’s the grift and nothing but the grift as always with the Republicans.
I mean seriously, what kind idiots are these conservative donors, if I was a conservative donners and Bannon came to me I would reply “you mean so you can squander it like you did during the six months you were in the administration by infighting with other conservatives?”
Tilda Swintons Bald Cap
This will be the “but her emails” of the 2018 election season.
gene108
@tobie:
Democrats are not wired to respond to crazy ass allegations that fuel a torch and pitchfork wielding mob. They do not expect it. Democrats go about their jobs and all of a sudden they are being asked about how they helped Weinstein play grab-ass with the girls. These right-wing drudges up attacks come seemingly out of nowhere.
Right-wing media does nothing but create angry mobs based on crazy speculation.
It is a perfect mismatch in their favor.
Tokyokie
@Wapiti: The only thing I find shocking about this story is that people are claiming to be shocked. An emotionally and physically ugly man had power over some of the world’s most beautiful actresses. What did folks expect he’d do with that power?
Another Scott
@Mnemosyne: NYTimes guy says, “I wasn’t here in 2004. But it is unimaginable to me that The Times killed a story because of pressure from Harvey Weinstein, who was and is an advertiser.”
Inconceivable!!11
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
SFAW
@schrodingers_cat:
A commenter at LGM (I think) suggested that Miller see how well Nazi-enabling worked for Chaim Rumkowski
What’s it gonna take, Steve, you fucking Nazi-wannabe? Whatshisname Spencer coming to the WH and shouting “Juden ‘raus“? Lying Littledick will be the first to turn on you, asshole.
Elizabelle
@Mnemosyne: Yeah
Did you see Dean Baquet’s weak sauce response? To which they did not allow comments? NYT got amnesia over there — nobody remembers. And he swiped at Waxman. Said they put professional investigative journalists on this latest story. So what does that make Waxman? Who was a NYT reporter, w travel and reporting expenses paid by NYT?
Most important: isn’t Baquet from the LA Times? How did he not know what was an open secret in Hollywood?
Baquet is a bad, bad hire.
Mnemosyne
@Elizabelle:
As G was saying to me this morning, half of the board of The Weinstein Company resigned when this news broke, which forced Harvey’s own resignation. How many members of Fox’s board quit when the accusations about Ailes and O’Reilly became public?
Kay
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap:
I don’t think so. Trump didn’t denounce this. He said he wasn’t surprised. He’ll say something stupid if they ask him again because he doesn’t actually believe this is wrong and he’s incapable of an unexpressed opinion. This is risky for conservatives. They shouldn’t linger long on it. Big mouth will have something to say about it eventually.
It is funny how they’re insisting Clinton address it. Two weeks ago they were all telling her to shut up.
Elizabelle
@Mnemosyne: great question. How many indeed re Fox board? Haven’t they had at least 3 firings for sexual predation in recent years?
What about it, Fox Board?
A Ghost to Not
@Mnemosyne:
None of them, Katie.
Mnemosyne
@Elizabelle:
I bet he did know. But IIRC the Weinstein Company is based in NYC, which may be one reason why LA-based actors and directors didn’t hear about the allegations, or heard about them from a distance and dismissed them.
The big person who I think is going to be in trouble here is Quentin Tarantino. He already has kind of a reputation himself for being a frat-bro type, and this is NOT going to help. Kevin Smith pretty much doesn’t have a film directing career anymore, so I don’t know that this will hurt him.
Kay
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap:
Also, and it doesn’t make what happened to the women any less horrible but it IS true- most people don’t know who Harvey Weinstein is. I didn’t know who he was. I recognize the names of the movies now that I’ve read them but that’s all I know.
Gin & Tonic
@Elizabelle: The NYT is all about the amnesia. See Duranty, Walter.
Elizabelle
@Kay: But she can answer Qs about HW.
And then, sit down and shut up again.
I do think the Obamas need to say something. Malia interned. Be interesting to know if there was an extra layer of protection for her. No time alone w Harvey. Ever.
Elizabelle
@Gin & Tonic: Judith Miller.
Jayson Blair scandal informed us they didn’t have common sense controls in place.
Mnemosyne
@Kay:
They were huge players in Hollywood until 2005, when they left Miramax and founded their own NYC-based studio.
And the killed NY Times story was in 2004. Very interesting timing, that.
Elizabelle
Quentin pushed for Rosanna Arquette to be in Pulp Fiction. He knew then she’d had trouble w HW, who had to acquiesce to QT’s casting decisions.
Mnemosyne
@Elizabelle:
I guarantee you that HW was always kind and affable with her, and never bothered her one bit, because messing with the president’s daughter would get him into actual trouble.
That’s why Meryl Streep is shocked — he never treated her with anything less than total respect, because she has equal or greater power. That’s the insidiousness of harassment. Harassers pick on the powerless.
Elizabelle
@Mnemosyne: I would love to see the NyT get a bloody nose over this.
Some good content, but in some ways they are just whores for access and advertising.
See Judith Miller. And their current stable of Republican whisperers. And the misleading headlines, which is all a lot if viewers ever see.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
The films Landis directed after the Twilight Zone incident:
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
The manslaughter trial ended in 1987. After that … career cut off. He was blackballed.
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
Also, notice that two of those post-1987 movies starred Eddie Murphy. I think there’s a vampire movie in there somewhere post-1987 that Murphy starred in as well.
Murphy remained a loyal friend, but as Murphy’s own career started to wane, he couldn’t help Landis out anymore.
Hungry Joe
One woman friend of mine used to work in the film industry (on the production end), and one woman friend still does (writer). Both say this happened/has happened to them — more than once. Quote: “I’ll make your movie if you fuck me.” Just like that.
For the record: no movie.
eric
@Elizabelle: that should not be lost on woody allen.
bemused
Two wives had to know or at least had some inkling something very wrong with Harvey. I’ll never understand Camille Cosby either.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
Horseshit. We have this mess, the Alamo Draft House scandal with similar charges of abusing women.
The entertainment industry is rife and has always been rife with problems of powerful people, usually but not exclusively men, abusing talent. It is an industry that is all about attractive bodies, and about people who will do almost anything or put up with almost anything to try to make it in show business.
During the 80s a lot of this bad behavior was passed off as the residue of too many drugs in the entertainment industry. The LA Times did a series on problems in the music industry, including documenting a disgusting incident in which a music executive walked up to a secretary and her desk and exposed himself to her.
More recently, stories keep emerging about a famous comedian who supposedly exposes himself to female comedians and compels them to watch as he pleasures himself. It is almost an open secret who this person is. And yet, as so often happens, there are stories about people keeping quiet because they don’t want to upset powerful people.
The other common thread is that this behavior is tolerated because the powerful people involved keep making hits and thus keep making money for everyone.
Harvey is little more than the sacrificial lamb thrown to the wolves so that business can get back to “normal.”
eric
@bemused: Because the men would and could destroy the women. They knew how brutal the men could be. I do not judge them harshly.
Starfish
@Brachiator: What was the Alamo Draft House thing?
People really do not want to believe the Louis CK thing.
Elizabelle
@Brachiator: Did not know the Alamo Drafthouse had a problem. And who is the comedian? Why cover for him? Identify him as the target of rumors. That would be true.
zhena gogolia
@Tilda Swintons Bald Cap:
Sad but true, I’m afraid.
bemused
@eric:
Still, wealthy women would have more power to get out. Pretty awful for all the kids now everyone knows their dad is a filthy predator.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
Landis made films through the 90s with Sylvester Stallone, John Goodman, and others. Maybe he was blackballed, or was not as bankable anymore. The music videos kept him viable and also won a boatload of awards.
And Hollywood “punishment” is odd. Landis continued to work as a director of episodic TV and commercials.
Brachiator
@Starfish:
@Elizabelle:
This was the big scandal before Harvey’s problems became page one news. From Variety, Hollywood Reporter and others:
To their credit, a number of film writers and podcast hosts have spoken about this and very clearly criticized those who kept things quiet. Some of these people had worked with or been inspired by Knowles and some of the other people involved. These people also offered to provide a place where women and others victimized could speak.
YellowDog
The New Yorker photo could be one of a mob boss (Tony Soprano?). He gives off that sociopath vibe. Seems about right.
Gravenstone
@Ithink: You are perhaps aware that the only people enforcing the “tribalist lens” on this are … Republicans? They (and their media enablers) are doing everything in their power to try and paint all Democrats with the broad brush is “supporting” Weinstein – when Democrats are universally denouncing and distancing themselves from him. Unlike Hair Furor, self admitted sexual predator and molester of women through the years. Him the Republicans continue to idolize and support because he remains a useful idiot for their higher aspirations of fleecing the masses to further enrich the richest among us.
Lurking Canadian
@Mnemosyne: I think that’s probably the explanation for all the liberal types who are now being smeared by association.
“I mean, sure, I’ve heard stories about Harvey, but he’s a powerful Hollywood figure. There are always stories. I just didn’t believe the stories because of how he always treated me/my friends/whomever”.
? Martin
@Brachiator: Everyone knew about this. Maybe not all of the details, but of the general arc – even here in CA.
The problem with speaking out is that when you are breaking into a career and are both powerless and lack credibility, speaking out usually only punishes you. If later you speak out, you become complicit by not speaking out earlier, even if the cultural norms moved the behavior from tolerable to intolerable.
And nobody should aid this bullshit. Weinstein gave $2.3M over two decades to a variety of candidates. That’s sofa change compared to what the GOP billionaires give to guys like Trump, who has been accused of the very same things for just as long, and whose behavior as well known as Weinstein. Yeah, throw the book at him, but blame politicians for receiving money from him? Please…
? Martin
Oh, and put me in the not-shocked category. The only thing that should be shocking is that we still widely tolerate rich and powerful people doing whatever the fuck they want without consequence – from the WH on down.
quakerinabasement
After reading the article, I say he belongs in jail.
Ohio Mom
@Elizabelle: How interesting that the writer is Ronan Farrow — there can’t be more than one Ronan Farrow who is a journalist — he is the son of Mia Farrow and that other famous Hollywood paragon of virtue, Woody Allen.
mouse tolliver
@Ohio Mom: FWIW, Ronan Farrow despises Woody Allen. And it’s obvious from looking at him that Frank Sinatra is his real dad.
mouse tolliver
Matt Damon is a disingenuous POS. He now claims he didn’t know about Weinstein when he helped killed that NYT story from 2004. And says he wouldn’t support that kind of behavior. At this time last year Damon used his clout to pressure reporters into not asking Casey Affleck uncomfortable questions about his own sexual misconduct. It paid off with a controversial Oscar win.
NorthLeft12
Just finished reading the whole article. Jeez Louise what a scumbag.
But the worst part for me is how normally good people are drawn in to enable and cover up his criminal behavior.
If anything good has come out about the revelations regarding Ailes, Deadbeat Donald, Cosby, O’Reilly, and others too [sadly] numerous to name here, is that the culture appears to be changing, certainly not enough yet, and this criminal behavior is being called for what it is, and the victims are hopefully being supported, and not vilified.
Ohio Mom
@mouse tolliver: Yeah, I’ve heard that. It just struck me that if I had his background, I’d be specializing in writing about gardens or something else that wouldn’t be a big reminder of my family of origin. But to each his own.
Mnemosyne
@Brachiator:
It ain’t just Hollywood where women get harassed and there’s sexual misconduct. A second head of the USC School of Medicine just had to resign. It came out fairly recently that Isaac Asimov was a notorious lech who would grope women at science fiction conventions.
This shit happens anywhere and everywhere that a powerful person is allowed free rein. Larry Ellison, in Silicon Valley.
And, yeah, being blackballed in Hollywood is weird, because it’s all about the prestige. Directing a TV show or a “Blues Brothers” sequel is NOT the same as directing a big-budget blockbuster or an Oscar bait movie. Landis will never get assigned that kind of movie again.
Felony Govt (formerly Old Broad in California)
I think it’s hard for good men to believe the truly vile and disgusting things that other men do and say to women when no one else is around. I was certainly the recipient of some of that behavior during my corporate days. All the women in my company knew the Vice President was a lech and that it was not a good idea to be alone with him. However, it did not occur to any of us to speak up about it. We would not have been believed (or even humored).
Kirtaf
@Gravenstone: I don’t know any women who haven’t been sexually harassed at some point in their professional lives. From unwanted comments about their bodies to sexual innuendo to unwanted touching to any number of other things, these are everyday occurrences. The only surprise here is that HW is actually facing some consequences for his actions. That rarely happens. Usually it is the harassed one who has negative consequences not the harasser.
J R in WV
@schrodingers_cat:
You should stick to things, people, and places you know something about. While there is sexual crime here in WV, it is taken seriously and prosecuted harshly. I know this from serving on a Grand Jury that handed up many indictments for sexual abuse of various sorts, all ghastly, horrible, and prosecuted.
The fact that poor people left without jobs because of global shifts in technology and economics can make poor political choices is not the same as ignoring sexual crime. I’m a little surprised to see you propagating vile stereotypes, but I guess anyone can be sucked in by that sort of thing.
I see lots of headlines about sexual predation in big cities, by rich people taking advantage of poor people or people seeking career advancement. You aren’t talking about that much, though.
Grow up. And Screw you for attacking people you know nothing about!
Gelfling 545
@Wapiti: Doesn’t mean he should not be widely shunned by decent people and prosecuted where possible.
Brachiator
@Mnemosyne:
True. However, the world of show business, movies, music, entertainment, has long been notorious because you have so many young, attractive people trying to get into show business, and so many people who claim to be able to help, for a price.
And, yeh, scandals are erupting all over. Silicon Valley, the Alamo Drafthouse, USC.
Also, the other thing that is true in Hollywood is that if they think that you can deliver a profitable hit film, much can be be forgiven.
Raven Onthill
Oh, hell, he’s a compulsive rapist.