Trump Guy-talk Controversy a Distraction From What Really Matters

PARIS -- If you're among the more than 100 million people on this planet who purchased and was titillated by "Fifty Shades of Grey," the best-selling novel about a sadomasochistic sexual relationship between a wealthy young businessman and a college senior, then the second U.S. presidential debate was likely right up your alley. If you were looking for some depth and substance, then you were out of luck.

Co-moderator Anderson Cooper of CNN wasted little time asking Republican Donald Trump about a leaked tape from 2005, recorded prior to an on-air "Access Hollywood" segment in the company of host (and George W. Bush cousin) Billy Bush. Trump is heard engaging in the same kind of talk that I've heard in rugby clubhouses, among military-veteran pals and even while working as a co-host at the Fox News Channel.

If we're going to start disqualifying guys for talking like this among other guys, then we're going to have to make some awfully deep cuts in almost every important facet of society. We'd also be getting uncomfortably close to the dystopian measure of sanctioning thought crime, just like in the Stephen Spielberg movie "Minority Report," in which Tom Cruise plays the head of a police task force that stops crime before it's committed.

On the tape, Trump is heard describing, in blunt terms, what people in show business can get away with. And he wasn't incorrect.

What matters more to me is how Trump treats the women in his company. In a CNN interview last year, Trump attorney Michael Cohen said that female executives outnumber male executives at the Trump Organization, and females earn more than their male counterparts who hold comparable positions. That speaks to Trump's respect for the women in his company and their abilities.

During the debate, the well-known sexual shenanigans of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's husband, Bill Clinton, were also rehashed. Three women who had accused the former president of sexual misconduct attended the debate, as did Bill himself, which made for an interesting dynamic.

Cooper and co-moderator Martha Raddatz of ABC News were responsible for framing the discussion, and they accommodated whatever sexual salaciousness would generate the most media buzz. If you can make politics about interpersonal drama and sex, then you don't have to deal with complex and nuanced policy implications. Ultimately, all of this serves no one. Women have far more important things to worry about, and the debate didn't give them the chance to ascertain how the candidates would deal with critical issues that impact women directly.

For example, there is heated debate in Europe about whether the wave of immigrants from the Middle East is posing a safety risk for women. In Germany, more than 1,000 women across the country were sexually assaulted on New Year's Eve, according to a leaked police document, and about half of the suspects were foreign nationals who had recently arrived in the country. Earlier this year, a Swedish newspaper reported police had covered up reports of girls being sexually harassed by immigrant youths at a music festival in mid-2015. It's a topic that most politicians prefer to avoid. After all, it's tough to keep flooding the country with cheap labor if citizens start pushing back in defense of women.

Hillary Clinton had the audacity to call German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who's chiefly responsible for the European immigration crisis, her favorite world leader, adding that "her bravery in the face of the refugee crisis is something that I am impressed by."

Clinton's actions as secretary of state contributed to failed military campaigns in Libya and Syria, leading to the creation of the Islamic State, whose acts of terrorism have taken lives on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Clinton Foundation accepted contributions from Saudi Arabia while knowing that the Saudis supported the Islamic State. An email that Clinton sent to her campaign chairman, John Podesta, on Aug. 17, 2014, (and was published by WikiLeaks) makes it clear that she knew about this link. "We need to use our diplomatic and more traditional intelligence assets to bring pressure on the governments of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which are providing clandestine financial and logistic support to ISIL and other radical Sunni groups in the region," Clinton wrote.

I couldn't care less if Trump's mouth needs an occasional soap wash. What matters far more is that Trump has unwavering clarity of vision and purpose, can identify danger and is action-oriented in its elimination. Those attributes could benefit not just women, but everyone.

Exactly. It’s good to see some intelligence come out of Townhall.com for a change.

We must fight the left’s attempt to de-gender men while attempting to artificially elevate women. The feminists are no longer happy to be simply equal; they now want women to be considered superior. In other words they jumped the shark.

These militant brain damaged feminists are NOT doing women any favors. Howabout we simply have some basic respect for one another while also treating a lady like a lady - with respect. While we’re at it; maybe we can bring back some courtesy for our elders as long as they aren’t jerks.

I don’t like Trump’s recording either, but there is a big difference between potty talk and leaving 4 dead Americans in Benghazi after their 600 calls for help were ignored.

Furthermore, some of Trump’s leading critics are hypocrites. Geraldo?> Really? The same guy who published a BOOK about how many times he boinked Sen. Javitz’s wife! The same guy who appeared in a trench coat on the cover of same book posed as if he were about to “flash” the reader.

How about Hillary herself? Hillary who regularly dropped “F” bombs on her staff, on the Marines guarding her, and on the Secret Service. It’s far worse to abuse those working for you and those charged with guarding your safety than engaging in a little locker room talk.

Mr. T’s actions in question were all consensual right?

And done in private, right?

Mr. T, like a lucky young male college student, made advances, of which all were accepted.

I bet Mr. B. C. made advances as an adult male to women not his wife.

[And as we know, unlike Mr. T’s, not all of Mr. B. C.’s advances were welcomed.]

Did Mr. B. C. get the Lewinsky type service in Little Rock too?

Did Mr. B. C. get lots of “satisfaction” as the Big Man in Little Rock?

[My guesses are probably the same as yours.]

If Mr. B. C. actually got 100% “satisfaction” from young women as the Big Man in Little Rock, would Mrs. H. C. think that Mr. B.C. should not be qualified for The Presidency because of it?

What do you mean come out of Townhall.com for a change?

Townhall.com is the publisher of the op-ed. Rachel Marsden is the author of the op-ed.

How many times do I have to explain the difference between a publisher and an author.

BTW had I known she had the op-ed on her own site I would have probably posted it from there

Secretary Clinton, should a person be denied a job because of private, adult consensual sexual activity?

Secretary Clinton, should a law be able to punish an employer for refusing to give a person a job because of that person’s private, adult consensual sexual activity?

Should Mr. Florida be denied a senior executive position if Mr. Florida got his homosexual fantasies satisfied by private, adult consensual sexual activity?

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