I absolutely agree this was political for the Democrats and I of course absolutely never would want to live in a world where public opinion could be enough to convict a person.
I have way more to add to this but am in lack of time for now - I do want to point out two things that are closest to my heart and I would want more people to understand:
Trauma can 'hide' for 36 years, easily, and suddenly burst when triggered with a sharp enough knife. This is how the brain keeps us sane, literally. The worst things that happen to us are put in a brain box only to be opened when stimuli that are closely linked to that trauma pop up again. Hence why it makes loads of sense these cases often 'suddenly' appear when a name gets more attention/a face pops up on tv. This is literally a stimuli that pokes the trauma box and opens it. It's like a soldier that can live a happy family life for decades and suddenly burst in tears when a loud bang sound happens and he starts to relive all his past war traumas for the next few years.
36 year is a long time and don't forget that how difficult it is now, in 2018, to get some justice for sexual accusations - it was 10 times more difficult 36 years ago when women were even less visible and/or part of the law making, the political discussion, the doctors offices, than today. So if I told you how many women I know today that don't even dare to come forward with something that happened to them 2 years ago and it's now 2018... - I don't even want to think how much women 36 years ago were 'able' to come forward about this.
And yes, the ethics get very muddy if a trauma gets 'poked' and someone comes forward and politicians use it to their advantage. I would want to live in a world where justice could happen for no reason other than 'getting justice'.
I agree it must have been insanely hard to do come forward 36 years ago and it still is today. The problem is that we don't actually know if she experienced this trauma she claims to have gone through.