In this item, we see if what conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote years ago about date rape is similar to something Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders wrote years ago about rape fantasy.
Yes, the 2016 campaign season has come to this.
The claim we’re checking was made on March 11, 2016, at the end of a week in which Bradley was in the news for writings she did in college and for a case she handled as a private attorney.
Bradley viewed the disclosures as aimed at boosting JoAnne Kloppenburg, a state appeals court judge and former Supreme Court candidate who is challenging Bradley in the April 5, 2016 Supreme Court election.
The claim
The claim we’re checking was made on "Here and Now," a Wisconsin Public Television public affairs program. There were two Madison-based guests: Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal advocacy group One Wisconsin Now, which revealed Bradley’s college writings; and political consultant Bill McCoshen, a former Republican state official who said Bradley’s commentaries were written too long ago to be relevant.
Ross said Bradley had written that "women have a legitimate role in date rape. I mean, these are ugly things to say. They're out of touch . "
McCoshen then interjected, saying:
"By the way, that last comment -- Bernie Sanders said something very similar when he was in college, and he just won the Michigan Democratic primary. So, let’s have the same standard for all candidates for public office."
Sanders’ comments about rape also were viewed by some as demeaning to women.
It’s fair to say up front: Both Bradley’s and Sanders’ comments are open to interpretation.
What Bradley wrote
The 1992 student magazine column in question by Bradley (her maiden name was Grassl), who was 21 at the time, was an opinion piece against feminism, which she said "has adopted an agenda that no longer articulates the feelings of the average American woman; instead, it advocates the extremist platform of the issues advanced by the political left."
The portion of the column highlighted by One Wisconsin Now referenced author Camille Paglia, a professor at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Bradley wrote that Paglia had been "prevented from speaking at several colleges" after Paglia "legitimately suggested that women play a role in date rape."