Female pols are pathetic feminists

From the Daily News:

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan), who earlier this year received a “Fearless Trailblazer” award from the Feminist Majority Foundation, issued a statement praising Silver for acting “decisively” to punish Assemblyman Vito Lopez after an ethics committee found he’d sexually harassed two staff members.

Maloney’s statement made no mention of the secret $103,080 settlement Silver cut to resolve an earlier harassment case against Lopez — or his decision to initially bypass the Assembly ethics committee — but it did laud his handling of the matter.

“The Speaker’s actions send a clear and unambiguous message that sexual harassment will not be tolerated in the New York State Assembly,” Maloney said.

The $103,080 was apparently just a part of the secret settlement. An Albany source confirmed a New York Times report Wednesday that two women involved were also paid $32,000 from Lopez personally, plus salary and benefits from the state.

Maloney’s endorsement of Silver stands in contrast to her long record as an advocate for women’s issues. She’s usually one of the first to condemn the mistreatment of women.

But Silver is one of the city’s most powerful figures and it’s hard to run for office without his support.

Even as he issued an apology this week for the coverup, the voices that would typical bash such behavior were notably silent.

The Daily News surveyed nearly two dozen female office holders — including some of New York’s most vocal lawmakers — and most either did not return calls or offered tepid excuses about needing more information.

Other women, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, issued vague statements praising the mea culpa Silver issued Tuesday.