Hermain Cain's Apologists Seek to Discredit Women

Apologists for Herman Cain are not only dismissing the claims of the women who have come forward alleging sexual harassment and assault, but dismissing the idea of sexual harassment altogether. Herman Cain's defenders are not claiming that they don't know what happened (i.e. "he said, she said"). They are instead claiming they know exactly what happened: nothing.

Their rationale? Women are "humorless," "irrational," "hysterical," "money-grubbing," "attention-seeking tramps." As Dahlia Lithwick notes in her great new article Herman Cain’s Conservative Defenders Are Going Totally Overboard, this is not just an effort to silence Cain's accusers. It is an effort to silence and discredit victims of sexual harassment and assault everywhere.