by Brigette Lugo and Albert Serna

“Grab them by the pussy” is the now infamous phrase about women uttered on a hot mic by the current GOP candidate for president, Donald Trump. Since then, Republican leaders are jumping ship and trying to salvage what’s left of this election. Many have called Trump’s words vile, offensive, and downright disgusting, and they are.

Some of the vulgarity was in reference to former Access Hollywood anchor Nancy O’Dell.

“I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there, and she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she’s now got the big phony tits and everything.”

He went on to comment on the attractiveness of Days of Our Lives actress Arianne Zucker, who he was about to meet, before making these comments:

“I’m automatically attracted to beautiful [women] — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

For over a year now, Americans have had to listen to Trump as he swept the Republican primaries spitting insult after insult at those who opposed him. He didn’t just attack his enemies, but also flung hate speech at minorities — which didn’t seem to bother his supporters in the slightest. Mexicans were called criminals, drug dealers and rapists, and Muslims were called terrorists. He insulted a Gold Star military Muslim family who lost their son.

He called Venezuelan beauty queen Alicia Machado an “eating machine,” “Miss Piggy, ” and Miss Housekeeping. There was outrage by Latina women and the left wing, but that outrage was not echoed by Trump’s supporters, or the GOP who still defended the candidate.

But it wasn’t until he commented about white women and their genitalia in a creepy, sexual assault way that the GOP finally had enough.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was outraged.

“I am sickened by what I heard today. Women are to be championed and revered, not objectified. I hope Mr. Trump treats this situation with the seriousness it deserves and works to demonstrate to the country that he has greater respect for women than this clip suggests. In the meantime, he is no longer attending tomorrow’s event in Wisconsin.”

Majority leader Mitch McConnell was outraged.

“These comments are repugnant, and unacceptable in any circumstance. As the father of three daughters, I strongly believe that Trump needs to apologize directly to women and girls everywhere, and take full responsibility for the utter lack of respect for women shown in his comments on that tape.”

Even his vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence, spoke out:

“As a husband and father, I was offended by the words and actions described by Donald Trump the eleven-year-old video released yesterday. I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them. I am grateful that he has expressed remorse and apologized to the American people. We pray for his family and look forward to the opportunity he has to show what is in his heart when he goes before the nation tomorrow night.”’

But all of them kept their endorsement of Trump.

So why did the GOP only become outraged when they overheard Trump’s comments said 11 years ago on an Access Hollywood bus with anchor Billy Bush? During the Associated Collegiate Press conference in DC, Interim Democratic Chairperson and political analyst Donna Brazile said that it’s not just about race, gender, or the word pussy.

“I think the Republican party is struggling with how to address these issues, how to talk about these issues. I think one of the reasons why they were so reticent is because they don’t have a policy. The Democratic party has a policy on sexual assault.”

Brazile pointed out that over 20–22 million women and girls have been victims of sexual assault and that we need have policies in place to prevent this from happening.

“It shouldn’t take a 59 year old man who is now 70 to be caught saying these things for us to be outraged. We should be outraged when it happens in our own community, when it happens on our own campuses. We should be outraged and we should have policies that prevent women and girls from being assaulted in the first place.”

Brazile said that we need to train young men to know the difference between right and wrong.

“Our brothers, our young boys need to know that this is inappropriate behavior. This is not locker room talk.”

She added that she’s glad that some of the GOP have come forward to take a stand against Trump.

“I don’t know why it took that particular video tape for the GOP to finally be outraged, but I’m glad they have spoken out. And now numerous women have come forward.”

Brazile said she was happy to see that Republican former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice was fed up with Trump’s sexist attack and comments. A few days after Trump’s hot mic recording was released, she posted a statement on her official Facebook page:

“Enough! Donald Trump should not be president. He should withdraw.
As a Republican, I hope to support someone who has the dignity and stature to run for the highest office in the greatest democracy on earth.”

Nicaraguan-born CNN, ABC, and Telemundo contributor Ana Navarro rebutted RightAlerts.com political editor Scottie Nell Hughes’s on CNN days after Trump’s comments were released as well.

Navarro said, “He’s a disgusting man who has consistently disgusted me from the first day of this campaign. And I think that every single Republican is going to have to answer the question: ‘What did you do the day you saw the tape of this man boasting about grabbing a woman’s pussy?’ Period.”

When Nell Hughes told Navarro to refrain from using the word “pussy” because her daughter was listening, Navarro said, “Don’t tell me you’re offended when I say ‘pussy,’ but you’re not offended when Donald Trump says it. I’m not running for president, he is…Don’t tell me you’re offended when I say ‘pussy,’ but you’re not offended when Donald Trump says it. I’m not running for president, he is.”

At the end of the day, Brazile is right. It’s not just about the word “pussy” or what color the woman is. Every day, young girls and women are being exploited, sexually abused and assaulted. And, no matter what party we belong to, we should all be outraged.