Stephanie Carter Sets the Record Straight: That Viral Image With Joe Biden Was Not a #MeToo Moment

[highplainsdem]

From Mediaite this evening. Btw, Carter and her husband set the record straight years ago, but unfortunately this smear was resurrected by Flores and made an issue again.

https://www.mediaite.com/politics/stephanie-carter-sets-the-record-straight-that-viral-image-with-joe-biden-was-not-a-metoo-moment/

Stephanie Carter took to Medium on Sunday to explain a viral image of her with Joe Biden that has been circulating online in various forms.

Back in 2015, Carter joined Biden for a White House event captured on video.

A still from the video looks decidedly cringy, which has been pointed out again and again.

Here is one version, showing Biden’s hands on her shoulders.

Link to tweet

/photo/1



But as Carter notes, it is not the whole story. In fact, it is not even the right one.

In her own words, Carter explained how she had slipped on the ice just prior and was uncharacteristically uncomfortable when her husband, Ash Carter was being sworn in as Secretary of Defense.

By the time then-Vice President Biden had arrived, he could sense I was uncharacteristically nervous- and quickly gave me a hug. After the swearing in, as Ash was giving remarks, he leaned in to tell me “thank you for letting him do this” and kept his hands on my shoulders as a means of offering his support. But a still shot taken from a video — misleadingly extracted from what was a longer moment between close friends — sent out in a snarky tweet — came to be the lasting image of that day.

She also noted that in the next days the rumor mill didn’t stop, even when her husband told the press that they were friends with the Bidens.

“Ash tried to joke that it was the only way people knew that he had been sworn in,” Carter wrote. “At his first available opportunity, he told the press that we had been friends with the Bidens for years and it wasn’t at all what people thought. But that didn’t stop people I had not heard from since high school sending me messages — usually with some joke or demanding to know what he had said to me.”

Carter concluded by saying she thought if she didn’t dignify the whole thing with a response, it might go away.

It did not. Instead, due to the Lucy Flores story, the image — and accusations — have been circulating once again.

“I thought it would all blow over if I didn’t dignify it with a response,” she said. “But clearly that was wishful thinking.”

She added: “I won’t pretend that this will be the last of that picture, but it will be the last of other people speaking for me.”

-snip-

RWers have kept trying to misuse this for years.

I'd expect that of them.

I wouldn't expect it of a Democratic politician, especially one Biden had helped in the past.

As I've mentioned elsewhere, the fact that Flores resurrected this smear and even said, in what looks like a deliberate lie, that Biden was nuzzling Stephanie Carter's neck, is what really made me doubt her motivations and veracity. What made me think her own story of allegedly inappropriate behavior by Biden wasn't just a misinterpretation of Biden trying to reassure her when he and Flores appeared at the same event in Nevada years ago.

[dalton99a]

1. A timely reminder

[Agschmid]

2. Kick.

[JI7]

3. my problem with Flores was her using these other women to attack Biden

and it seemed to me like she made up what happened to her based on what she saw in pics and videos with him and other women. that's why she kept bringing them up.it wasn't her place to speak for other women.

and we have seen the pics of her with Biden after the alleged kiss and she seems perfectly fine and even putting her hand on him.

[highplainsdem]

8. I had a serious problem with that, too, especially since she should have known

she was using old smears that had been debunked. Actually, she probably did know they'd been debunked, especially the smear involving Stephanie Carter, which made me particularly unhappy with Flores.

But I'm still not sure Flores completely fabricated all the details of that encounter with Joe Biden, because she apparently mentioned something about it in old emails.

As I've said elsewhere, I think she misinterpreted reassuring gestures, was embarrassed that Biden was so close to her when she hadn't washed her hair that day (that was such a bizarre detail for her to bring up that it had to have been very important to her), and her embarrassment turned to resentment of him.

Probably she realized it was too trivial to bring up at the time.

But she's a Bernie supporter, and with Biden leading Bernie in the polls, she wrapped herself in the flag of the #MeToo movement, tried to weaponize old smears that had already been debunked, and set forth to try to slay the enemy.

I believe it will backfire, that it's already backfiring.

[Demsrule86]

13. I think it is pure BS. Women like her will destroy me too.

[kag]

34. That's my problem with it too.

She's trying to "Al Franken" Joe Biden and it pisses me off. Me Too isn't about affectionate men creeping out women who go on to attack that man for their affection. Flores even maintains that the incident with herself wasn't sexual assault. Me Too is about sexual assault, and women who co-opt it for politics should STFU.

[Demsrule86]

42. This weaponizing of Me Too is disgraceful.

[Cha]

38. I doubt if cared she

was using old debunked "smears" .. she tried to "smear" Hillary in 2017 After the GE.. with this Hogwash..

Link to tweet

[elleng]

4. Thanks

[TwilightZone]

5. A few DUers kept posting the Carter meme as "proof" of a pattern of behavior.

I kept posting the Snopes article debunking the claim.

I would have thought by now that most Democrats would understand that "creepy Joe" was a right-wing fabrication that's been around for years and that a little research might be in order before repeating the old claims. Guess not.

[highplainsdem]

9. Thanks for correcting those smears when you see them.

And I agree that DUers should have known better than to drag those RW smears onto this board.

[Cha]

39. Mahalo for Debunking it, TwilightZone..

I wonder if any of them were pissed at Gillibrand for "railroading" Franken?

[IndyOp]

6. I am glad she spoke up - speaking your truth

Is the essence of @MeToo

[Jarqui]

7. The accuser is starting to smell bad ,.. and it's not her hair ... nt

[SMC22307]

10. "it will be the last of other people speaking for me"

Good for her. People really gotta stop with the knee-jerk reactions and projecting onto other women.

[Demsrule86]

11. Someone put her up to it,

[DoctorJoJo]

12. Not Exactly a "Grab Them BY the Pussy" Moment! Get Real Folks!

[JoeOtterbein]

14. The picture does not help Biden. n/t

[JI7]

16. her words matter

[highplainsdem]

17. I don't see anything wrong with it.

And I get so tired so tired of people using photos to try to smear politicians and other public figures.

Biden's been subjected to this way too much, and his enemies have also photoshopped some pics to make them look worse.

Don't help RWers try to destroy Democrats who might be able to beat Trump.

[qazplm135]

19. how so

explain.

[John Fante]

29. The Flores smear-job is on life support. Get over it.

[Inkfreak]

41. Try reading, too.

[pnwmom]

15. I'm glad she finally spoke up. Her husband's laughing comment didn't convince me,

but her own words did. Good for her.

[Beartracks]

18. Remember when Pres Obama scoped out that girl's butt one time?

It, too, was a still shot from a video that clearly shows that's not what he was doing.
Just like this still shot of Biden supposedly doing something inappropriate. And you know why political adversaries isolate images out of context and drop them in places where Democrats will easily find them? Because it works: in today's Me Too world a great many Democrats will believe what they think they see and spread the images far and wide, risking damage to an influential Democrat without the Republicans getting any blood on their hands.

========

[highplainsdem]

35. Yes, I remember the fuss about that. And I agree with what you say about Democrats foolishly

copying RW smears of our leaders and candidates.

[highplainsdem]

20. Lucy Flores not only hasn't tweeted about Carter's denial, but worse -- she's retweeted

a follower of hers raving about the lie another Our Revolution alum, Nomiki Konst, pushed about this on CNN today.

This is her tweet and the post she retweeted:

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

That follower of hers is raving about what Konst said at 5:55 in that video, so apparently Flores wanted her followers to focus on that.

What Konst said, incorrectly, was that Biden was "sniffing her (Carter's) hair."

I think it's disgusting that both Flores and Konst are promoting a discredited smear.

[Aussie105]

23. It's out there . . .

Tribes of people hell bent on smearing politicians of a persuasion they don't like, digging up old stories, using pictures to 'illustrate' the moral depravity, oh, how really, really evil!

Don't buy into it!

But if you do, I have pictures of an old guy in a red suit and a huge white beard - probably fake to hide his identity - with a YOUNG girl on his LAP! Talking to her, definitely grooming her for the Evil that is sure to come.

Pure evil! Happens a lot at Christmas!

Like I said, don't buy into it. Question the motivations of the accusers instead.

[PatrickforO]

21. Biden is from a different generation.

If we continue to go this route we might have to just get rid of all men who are older than a certain age.

[highplainsdem]

30. Don't be silly.

The problem here is Biden's lying accusers.

[PatrickforO]

31. Indeed. Someone shows affection, then it shows up later as a smear.

[highplainsdem]

33. I don't think it's going to help our society at all if people become afraid to show affection.

[IluvPitties]

36. That's where we are heading if we don't put all of this stuff in context!

[videohead5]

22. She does not seem to mind Bernie touching her shoulders

Link to tweet

[BlueFlorida]

26. great find nt

[Aussie105]

27. Oh, no!

The shoulder touch! That's how it starts!

If you hate Bernie, I'm sure you could spin the one picture into something really bad. And I'm sure someone will.

Seriously. It's normal in a selfie to position yourself like that. The hand is used to steady youself, so you don't make accidental contact with lower parts of the body.

[videohead5]

24. Here she is touching Biden's shoulder

Link to tweet

[Aussie105]

28. That hand

doesn't quite look normal. Sure it is a human hand?

[John Fante]

32. It almost looks like a tickle.

Did she sign the proper consent forms before performing this salacious shoulder touch? Human contact is strictly forbidden.

[IluvPitties]

37. If we follow the logic of some people

we will have to sign forms to shake someone's hand...

[BlueFlorida]

25. K&R nt

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

40. The Right once again demonstrates its hypocrisy.

Where was their outrage when Dubya gave Chancellor Merkel a shoulder rub?

#IchAuch

[Cha]

43. KICK

[betsuni]

44. K&R