I’m not so dumb that I don’t see the corrosive effects on society caused by the frenzy of allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment. The end result of this is not going to work to the benefit of anyone, because, as we’re seeing with the allegations against former president G. H. W. Bush, these charges can be made for many reasons other than them actually happening. I happen to interpret those allegations as a purposeful political act designed to say, “Hey, Republicans do it, too, not just rich and influential media personalities who have impeccable political right-think.” This will end up becoming a standard tactic that will make Mike Pence look more and more wise as time goes by. Having said that, seeing the crew of cretins that is currently being burned to the ground convinces me that if society is going to be damaged by this, at least a small amount of good is coming from it. Take this, for instance:

Mother Jones magazine’s editor and chief executive acknowledged on Thursday that they investigated Washington bureau chief David Corn for inappropriate workplace behavior three years ago, warning him about touching female staffers and insensitive descriptions of sexual violence, and would now probe the allegations further in light of two emails written by former staffers in 2014 and 2015 and obtained by POLITICO. One of the emails, written in 2015 by a former staffer outlining concerns she had heard from other women in the Washington office, said Corn, now 58, made “rape jokes,” “regularly gave [several women] unwelcome shoulder rubs and engaged in uninvited touching of their legs, arms, backs, and waists,” and “made inappropriate comments about women’s sexuality and anatomy.” The other email, from 2014, was by a former female staffer who claimed that Corn “came up behind me and put his hands and arms around my body in a way that felt sexual and domineering.”

Corn, if you are unfamiliar with his work, is one of those guys who goes way beyond defending his own people. There is literally nothing this guy will not say, no lie he will not tell, no calumny he will not flog if it benefits the progressive movement. Back when Susan Rice was under attack for knowingly lying to the American people on five different Sunday shows on the same day about the deaths of our people in Benghazi, David Corn was claiming the attacks were due to Rice being a black woman. As if it were completely natural for black women to be pathological liars and racist of anyone to call them out on it.

The sweet part of this is that Corn is being hoisted by the petard of woke-ness. The allegations were previously investigated and nothing happened. Because, as in most progressive organizations, Mother Jones is organized in a very Animal Farm type of way–where all the animals are equal but some are more equal than others–nothing was done about him pawing the help:

“I am an exuberant person and have been known to pat male and female colleagues on the shoulder or slap them on the back, but always in a collegial or celebratory way,” he said. “I have never touched any work colleague in a sexual manner. Once concerns were raised about this type of contact, I have been mindful to avoid it to prevent any misperception. If anyone ever perceived any of this as ‘sexual’ or ‘domineering,’ I am sorry—that was never my intent.” “Sexual violence is not funny, and I have never joked about it, or about women’s sexuality and anatomy,” Corn wrote.

Shorter: I’m sorry you’re offended and I know who you are.

Now, because of the high profile of sexual harassment allegations, Mother Jones is reopening an inquiry Corn thought was settled and exposing him not only to ridicule (as in this post) but to disciplinary action. This never-ending liability for actions that have been previously adjudicated is one of the standards that Corn has constantly applied to people on the right.

Saul Alinsky wrote in Rules for Radicals, “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.“ As it turns out, right now they are actually cannibalizing their own movement in living up to their own rules. For the time being, all we need is a huge supply of popcorn…and the patience to wait for the shoes to drop on Keith Olbermann.