Editor’s Note: I was planning on writing an editorial today about the Grossberg situation. Then I read this statement, and realized it said what I wanted to say, and said it better. I asked for permission to post it, and that permission was granted.
As a Democratic campaign professional and with my role on the Louisville Democratic Party Executive Committee it is my practice to not comment publicly on any situations involving Kentucky Democratic candidates or elected officials.
But I am today. The accounts of multiple women, in multiple settings, that have credibly accused Daniel Grossberg of sexual harassment, sexual assault — which is what “inappropriate touching” is — as well as deeply distasteful and other inappropriate behavior, has made me feel I have no other ethical choice but to give my opinion on this matter publicly and stand with all of the women who have come forward.
Daniel Grossberg should resign. I say that as someone who has worked in campaigns and with elected officials for several years in messaging, strategic communications, and crisis communications. It is fully beyond the point of if any of this is legally proven in a court/ethics commission or not. You simply cannot be an effective leader for your district with these kinds of stories coming out almost weekly for months. Even his decision making around texting inappropriate statements brings into question his competence. One of the very first rules of politics is never put anything in writing that could be misconstrued or possibly put you in a bad light. I continue to be shocked that an elected official would text anything close to what Daniel has over the years.
The bottom line is that District 30 constituents are not being represented and they deserve better.
To my lawyer friends: I know some of you will not understand my reasoning for making this statement, and the question you will ask me: “But what if this is all proven false?” I am deeply doubtful of this, but for the sake of the question – one of the biggest ideas that I teach people who want to run for office is that politics is not fair. And if it all would truly come out that none of this was real, yes, that wouldn’t be fair – but again, politics isn’t.
But I do not believe that is possible, and I do not think my lawyer friends believe that either. There are too many accounts by too many women who do not run in the same circles. Women who could easily reach the Governor, and women who dance for money in strip clubs on 7th street are all saying the same thing about him. Research has over and over shown that it is incredibly rare that accusations of this kind are false. And then to have several? It is simply not believable that this is all made up.
For my women friends who are older than the women who have stepped forward, many have said that what these young women are experiencing is not harassment, and then they recount a story of what they put up with when they were younger as proof that it could be so much worse. For those of you who feel this way, I encourage you to think deeper on these issues and stand with younger people trying to create a world where everyone is free from harassment, and that men with power cannot get away with horrible behavior towards women.
The accounts of the women who worked in strip clubs have especially bothered me. These women have everything to lose by coming forward. They do not have power. I commend them for telling their story. How bad do you have to be to get kicked out permanently from a strip club in Louisville? Pretty damn bad, it turns out. I find their accounts of stalker-ish behavior, demanding sex for money, forcibly trying to touch a woman’s genitals, and Daniel’s threatening of the strip club with legal trouble or shut down when he was kicked out, to be harrowing.
To all of the women who have come forward: none of you deserved how Daniel treated you. This is not someone who should be in office. To all of the women that I am aware of who have been afraid to come forward, or the ones we do not yet know about (and I am fearful that there will be more), none of you deserved how Daniel treated you either.
Daniel has shown himself to be deeply disturbed in multiple ways, without the temperament needed to be an elected official. He has made it quite clear he cannot be trusted, and will abuse power if given the chance.
Again, I call on Daniel to resign, to get professional help, and to let his constituents be represented by someone who is ready to lead without the weight of all of these significant and disturbing accusations. I know that Daniel is not likely to do this, which shows even further how little he is suited for office or how much he cares for his constituents.
Beth Thorpe
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