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Senate Democrats Don’t Owe Greg Taylor Due Process

Umito November 25, 2024

Democrats who voted to keep Sen. Greg Taylor as president last week aren’t explaining why they thought it was a good choice in the immediate aftermath. IndyStar released an investigation revealing allegations of sexual harassment against him by three women.

The best understanding we have of their thinking is a social media post by Senator Fady Qaddoura, one of Taylor’s apparent supporters, stating: “I strongly believe in the importance of due process to achieve justice for victims and to resolve these issues thoroughly and fairly.” »

Based on the process of eliminationQaddoura appears to be among five Democrats who voted to retain Taylor as Senate minority leader on November 18. The others are Indianapolis Sen. La Keisha Jackson, East Chicago Sen. Lonnie Randolph, South Bend Sen. David Niezgodski and Sen. Gary Mark Spencer. .

Niezgodski has her own story of alleged sexual harassment and maybe owes Taylor a favor for supporting him a few months ago.

Let’s be generous and assume that non-Niezgodski Taylor supporters share Qaddoura’s honorable commitment to due process. This is a false reason to keep an alleged sexual predator in a position of power.

The Democratic caucus leadership vote was a political act, not a legal proceeding. The only criteria Democrats should have applied to Taylor’s suitability for minority leader are whether Taylor helps or hurts them in that role, and whether he reflects the party’s values.

Let me phrase this as a question: If you are a Democrat in the Senate, would you rather give the top spot in your organizational structure to a freshly accused sexual harasser or to a literally anyone else?

If you tend to overthink this, let me add this: Taylor is an ineffective minority leader. It doesn’t really help Democrats raise money or expand the caucus. His speeches on important topics, from Indiana’s abortion ban to this year’s efforts to kill the Blue Line, are meandering celebrations that help make Republicans’ points. Taylor’s leadership is probably a net negative for Democrats at best.

Today, Taylor is a weak leader with an alleged history of harassing women. The Senate Democratic caucus nonetheless looked at Taylor’s record last week and said, “Yes, he is the best possible person to represent us.” »

It’s not like there aren’t alternatives. State Sen. Andrea Hunley, an Indianapolis Democrat, ran against Taylor for minority leader. She is not only literally anyone elsebut she is also an eloquent and effective state senator who may also be the most promising political figure in the entire Indiana Democratic Party. There were good reasons to vote for her, even if Taylor were not credibly accused of sexual harassment.

And yet.

I’m still going to guess what Qaddoura might be talking about by “due process.” It would be reasonable to say that people in the media and politics have been too quick to destroy the careers of others because of comments and behavior that do not meet modern standards. Call it cancel culture, if you will, for lack of a better term.

That’s not what’s happening here. Three women told IndyStar that Taylor harassed them, including at least one instance of physical assault. Taylor wasn’t accused of careless words, outdated jokes or too much hugging. He was accused of calculated and predatory behavior that threatened women.

The standards are extremely high for publishing accusations of wrongdoing, such as IndyStar’s investigation into Taylor’s behavior. These accusations have been carefully investigated. Taylor acknowledged a degree of personal failure.

Senate Democrats have good reason to conclude that Taylor has been a threat to women in the past and could be again. Knowing this, they voted to keep him in the highest position in their caucus. This is not due process. This is empowerment.

Contact James Briggs at 317-444-4732 or [email protected]. Follow him on X And Topics to @JamesEBriggs.