This is not only a grotesque distortion of what “believe women” is supposed to mean, it undermines the good work the phrase’s use was doing. The term “believe women” was never supposed to mean “believe everything that women say and don’t bother to investigate their claims”. This kind of dirty politics can be effective, but the real losers are the women for who 'believe women' still means somethingThe goal is to put the offense on a higher level than one of just lying. This kind of dirty politics can be effective, but the real losers here are the women for whom “believe women” still means something. Using “believe women” in a smear campaign can only work to support the big smirk and the eyeroll of the people we need most to sway.

Source: The Guardian January 17, 2020 11:20 UTC