Late last week, in an apparent attempt to inoculate himself from the nuclear Harvey Weinstein scandal, Saturday Night Live’s Alec Baldwin admitted he has “bullied women.” Baldwin seemed all-too eager to prove himself correct Saturday by victim-blaming Rose McGowan and then lashing out at alleged-Weinstein rape victim Asia Argento.
During a Friday appearance on PBS, Baldwin dropped the bombshell that for decades he had heard rumors about McGowan being raped by Weinstein, that he heard these rumors “over and over … for decades and nothing was done.”
At this point the PBS interviewer says somewhat accusingly, “and nobody said anything.” Baldwin then explained why he said nothing by blaming McGowan for taking a settlement in 1997, instead of going to the authorities. Then Baldwin admits he did not know until now that she had taken the settlement:
What happened was that Rose McGowan took a payment of $100,000 and settled her case with him, and it was for Rose McGowan to prosecute that case … I had no idea, until now, that she had settled the case … Do the settlement of these cases hurt the cause of exposing and bringing us to a place of real change? When women take money and are silenced by that money, even though they took the money and were silenced because they were told, beyond the money, it was the right thing for them to do — keep quiet, don’t make too many waves, it is going to hurt your career. When they do it, nonetheless, does it set back the cause of change?
Baldwin’s logic here is off-the-charts nuts.
To begin with, let us never forget the 1990s, and how women were treated by the national media if they dared accuse a powerful Democrat, a close friend of the Clintons (as Weinstein was), of anything.
With the ruthless help of the national political media, most especially CNN, woman after woman after Kathleen Willey after Juanita Broaddrick after Paula Jones after Monica Lewinsky, were personally destroyed by Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Secondly, McGowan was just 23 years old.
Imagine, through no fault of your own, being thrust into the black heart of a well-oiled Hollywood Payoff Machine when you are just 23. Here is just the tip of an iceberg McGowan was witnessing in the national media during that dark time…
ABC’s Sam Donaldson demeaning Clinton mistress Gennifer Flowers as “some failed cabaret singer who doesn’t even have much of a resume to fall back on.”
Newsweek’s Evan Thomas on a DC talk show smearing Paula Jones as “some sleazy woman with big hair coming out of the trailer parks.”
CNN favorite James Carville grabbing the Newsweek baton with, “Drag a hundred dollars through a trailer park and there’s no telling what you’ll find.”
The entire elite infrastructure in Washington DC and the media, something Weinstein was comfortably a part of, had all of its guns trained on any woman who dared speak out. The media even remained on Clinton’s side after the IRS went after Paula Jones.
On top of this national climate, McGowan is being told that if she dares speak out against the most powerful man in Hollywood, no one will believe her, she will be personally destroyed, and her career will be ruined.
Did I mention that she was just 23 years old?
God bless her for demanding some form of justice from Weinstein.
Forward-fast to Saturday and as you might imagine, McGowan and Argento did not take kindly to Baldwin’s victim-blaming.
According to Argento, Baldwin then blocked her and lashed out at her, and her boyfriend Anthony Bourdain, with “keep your mouth shut.”
At this point, Baldwin decided it might be a good idea to take a leave of absence from Twitter:
Sunday morning, McGowan ridiculed Baldwin’s “liberal” credentials and gave “fair warning” to those in the entertainment industry who “promote” him…
Baldwin’s rampant homophobia and sexism have been well-documented for decades.
But because his politics are correct, Baldwin will always be welcomed on the same NBC and Saturday Night Live that relentlessly smears Republicans and President Trump over the very attributes their star performer has been guilty of for decades.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
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