Right on cue, the 'liberal' media derided by Herman Cain for planting false allegations about his behavior with women, has dug around and stirred up background information on his latest accuser. Sharon Bialek is the fifth woman to make accusations of sexual harassment against Herman Cain and the first one to willingly humiliate herself in this way.
Cain accuser has history of financial troubles, legal squabbles
The emerging portrait of Herman Cain's most recent accuser shows a suburban homemaker with a history of financial and legal troubles, but one who supporters say has the guts to do the right thing.
Sharon Bialek, 50, is the fourth woman — and the first publicly — to accuse the Republican presidential hopeful of sexual harassment.
Records show she twice has filed for personal bankruptcy, first in 1991 and then again in 2001. In the latter case, she claimed $5,700 in assets and more than $36,000 in liabilities. Among the creditors seeking payment was a management firm demanding back rent of $4,500, four credit card companies and a lawyer asking for his legal fees.
After the case was discharged, she accused a former boyfriend of harassing her for repayment of a loan, court records in the bankruptcy case show. Bialek borrowed $4,500 from William Concha, though Concha now believes she had no intention of paying him back, according to his brother, Mario.
At least two liens have been filed against Bialek, according to records from the Cook County recorder of deeds.
The IRS filed a tax lien against her in 2009 for nearly $5,200. In August, the Illinois Department of Revenue claimed Bialek owed the state more than $4,300, including penalties and interest, relating to income taxes from 2004, according to county records.
Note that they say she is the fourth woman to make the accusations even though she is actually the fifth. And the implication that somehow because she has had financial troubles and legal 'squabbles' that this obviously limits her credibility as a possible victim of sexual harassment. Because, as everyone knows, bullies don't pick on the weak, easy victims. They target people who have the resources and power to fight back against them. Not, people who have just been fired, owe money and are desperate for a job and are likely to cross all manner of previously established moral lines in order to get one.
The article goes into further great detail about Ms. Bialek's personal life: where she lives, the size of her (large) house, her work history, her political affiliation, how she met her fiance, even her dating history with a moderately 'famous' Chicago White Sox sports analyst. Because, sexual harassers sure take the trouble to investigate all those details before attacking their victims.
And, as everyone knows, this public humiliation is something any woman would willingly sign up for and it's simply shocking that the previous four women wouldn't be willing to have their personal lives thus exposed under a public microscope.
And now that someone has publicly come forward, and is no longer 'anonymous' as Cain earlier demanded, his defense and cries of innocence are getting more hysterical. On Jimmy Kimmel Live he claims his wife was 'shocked' to learn of these accusations, saying he would never do anything this 'silly'. Sexual harassment is 'silly'. We are expected to take the word of someone as a character witness who thinks sexual harassment is 'silly'.
Ironically, the man who starts his statements with 'I don't have facts to back this up', insists on facts from anonymous accusers, demanding that they step forward and make themselves public and put themeselves through more humiliation to 'prove' that he sexaully harassed them. Now that someone has done so, he doesn't seem to have any response. I wonder if in his upcoming press conference this afternoon where he intends to 'set the record straight', he will again try to claim that his record of rising up the corporate ladder for three decades 'speaks for itself'. Because again, obviously a successful corporate career proves that one wouldn't take advantage of that position by harassing women in lower hierarchical positions. Because, as we all know, sexual harassment is such a corporate career killer. As everyone knows, it's a one-way ticket out of the corner office for the harasser, right Mr. Cain? Actually, no. It's a one-way ticket out of the cubicle for the harassee.
Well, Mr. Cain, the rules are a little different in politics and hopefully it will be a career killer now.
UPDATE: In a preview of what might be Cain's strategy in his upcoming press conference, his campaign is attacking Bialek's lawyer as an 'activist, celebrity lawyer':
Herman Cain's campaign released a statement on Sharon Bialek's accusation against him, following a now-familiar damage control strategy of talking past the details of the charge and attacking the messenger:
Just as the country finally begins to refocus on our crippling $15 trillion national debt and the unacceptably high unemployment rate, now activist celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred is bringing forth more false accusations against the character of Republican front-runner Herman Cain.
All allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are completely false. Mr. Cain has never harassed anyone. Fortunately, the American people will not allow Mr. Cain's bold "9-9-9" plan, clear foreign policy vision and plans for energy independence to be overshadowed by these bogus attacks.