You really must read Nancy French’s heartbreaking, thought-provoking, deeply personal essay about this sordid presidential election year, with all of its allegations and accusations of groping, harassment, abuse and even rape, and how it all appears from the perspective of a survivor of sexual abuse.

What’s been particularly dispiriting this year was how many people decided what they thought of an accusation of sexual misconduct based upon the partisan affiliation of the accused. When it’s a member of the other party, the message to the accuser is, “You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed. We’re with you.” When it’s a member of our own party, the talking heads confidently declare they’re just hunting their “fifteen minutes of fame.” Who could have guessed that guilt in sexual misconduct cases aligned so perfectly with party membership?

Some Republicans reacted to the defeat of Mitt Romney in 2012 with a conclusion that character was overrated. If such a kind, decent, respectful and charitable man could be maliciously portrayed as a tax-dodging, cancer-causing, Big-Bird-hating plutocrat who put women into binders, then anybody can be repainted as the devil when facing a ruthless Democratic campaign and a shamelessly partisan media.

Considering the mess of the Trump campaign, it appears “character doesn’t count” wasn’t the right lesson to take from 2012’s disappointment. A candidate with poor character is even easier to demonize than one with good character. And we don’t strive for good character in ourselves or seek it in our nominees for the sake of popularity or winning votes. We do it because it’s the right thing – both for ourselves and for others.

In the film Rob Roy, the title character tells his son, “Honor is what no man can give you. Honor is a man’s gift to himself. Women have the heart of honor. And we cherish and protect it in them. You must never mistreat a woman, or a lame man. Or stand by and see another do so. Never worry on the getting of it. It grows in you, and speaks to you. All you need do is listen.”

Yes, we’re all flawed, we all sin, we all make mistakes and none of us are perfect. We need to evaluate our candidates, measure their strengths and weaknesses, and assess their past mistakes and bad decisions with a certain amount of humility and mercy. But we shouldn’t sign up for the Faustian bargain that the Democrats embraced during the Lewinsky scandal, excusing all allegations against “our guy” just because he’s “our guy.” This year the GOP picked a man who, it was assumed, would bring a certain reptilian cunning, a bare-knuckle ruthlessness and moral flexibility in pursuit of the ever-elusive national victory.

How is that working out for Republicans?