Hell hath no fury like a woman armed with facts, compassion, and the courage of her convictions. We're coming for you, Tiny.
103
“Chances are that running as the party of aggrieved men won’t work for Republicans...”
I’m thrilled that more women are running for office than ever before, but dismayed that the drivers of this phenomenon are the regressive acts of a corrupt and morally bereft administration.
But please - the impact of this phenomenon affect men as well, though admittedly not on all the same issues. Yes, I fully agree with Gretchen Whitmer to “build the damn roads.” Trump hasn’t been able to get any infrastructure initiatives going because he’s been too embroiled in trying to deny civil rights across the board: immigration, voting, health care.
I’m a recent cancer survivor, but of a type subject to likely recurrence. I’m scared silly that my future decisions will be between dying or going bankrupt. Health care - whether for preexisting conditions or for universal coverage - is a personal priority.
I’m willing to consider any candidate, male or female, who comes to the table not only with ideas that are not discriminatory like Trump’s, but who have actually thought through how some of their ideas might be implemented.
At 62, I don’t want to be stereotyped as a cultural dinosaur. I’m a child of the civil rights movement and the anti war movement who cares about women’s rights, diversity, and strong national security and border protection. However, Trump’s actions disgust me.
I hope the women win. I also hope they prove themselves as rational and competent so many claim to be.
27
From the column: 'Campaigning for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, Dana Nessel ran an ad asking, “Who can you trust most not to show you their penis in a professional setting?"'
This line is both humongous and stingingly grounded in truth.
As a 57 year-old white man, I'm all for the growing wave of women running, and being elected. I hope this continues all over the country into 2020 and well beyond.
If Trump helped with this, however unwittingly, I'll say what I never thought I'd utter or even think, which is: "Thanks, Donald. You've made America Great Again."
22
How is it that I don't see a single Opinion piece about the various ways the Republicans use shenanigans to overrule democracy?
Michigan supposedly was one of the 3 states that gave Trump the Electoral College, by 70 thousand votes in those 3 states. That defied the exit polls. When Jill Stein (damn her) realized what had transpired, she asked for a recount. Like Gore in 2000, she was rebuffed by a partisan court.
The Republicans control the electronic voting machines. It's easy enough for a statistician to see which districts they can tweak a few hundred or thousand votes here and there to tip the election. They're smart enough not to do stupid things like make San Francisco or NYC red.
Recent ongoing efforts by the GOP to purge certain groups from the rolls of registered voters. The Republican AG from Georgia? The SCOTUS already declined to hear one such case, one of Kavanaugh's first decisions since he was (improperly) seated.
Not a single Op-Ed on the topic. Just these rather identical articles of some combination of hope and despair.
"When the conservatives realize they can't win democratically, they won't abandon conservatism. Instead, they'll abandon democracy." (David Frum, speechwriter for GWB)
28
Vulgar Trump is indeed a most corrupt poor rich guy that never grew up, very insecure about himself and demanding continuous applause for his screw-ups. Just to keep some humility here, lets remember that we all knew, way in advance, that Trump was a crook and an inveterate liar, a 'racist', a xenophobe and a sexual predator, and a brutus ignoramus as well; and still elected him ( though true, via a most anti-democratic remnant from the early days of this republic, the Electoral College). This shows that 'Machismo' remains prevalent in the U.S., in spite of the fact that we men screwed things up, hence, lost our chance to achieve justice and peace in the world. Accordingly, it seems just and reasonable that women take the lead now...as you are doing. The current Senate's old, and ossified, white men will soon be retired to pasture, so a new era of hope may emerge, and and equality in opportunity will stop being an attribute exclusively of the 'white male aristocracy'. Let's aim to restore democracy, as the current Trumpian pluto-kleptocracy is an insult to reason and common sense, and a flagrant abuse of power. And women's WILL to change things a fresh breath of air...in this polluted E.P.A.-promoted environment, at the pleasure of our ugly American in-chief and his complicit republican congress.
18
Gretchen Whitmer: "Fix the damn roads."
Yes: Fix the damn roads. Fix the public schools. Fix health care. Fix democracy. Fix the civil rights of all Americans. This is the real Democratic party program. Vote for it.
50
We need more women in positions of leadership, both in government and in industry. I also hope the Democrats will at least take the house (if not the senate too). I sometimes have a problem however, with the hypocritical reasoning used though. Having just watched Dana Nessel's ad, I've got to say, I have a problem with it.
I hope Nessel has some more compelling qualifications than simply not having a penis.There is nothing inherently bad with having one and, this may be hard for some to believe, but most men do not go around exposing themselves. We have enough crude and crass politicians in government already, if I were a Michigan voter I think I would have to pass on Nessel. Maybe she would still get my vote, but I would first take a serious look at 3rd party candidates.
Some might say I just lack a sense of humor, they are probably right. But that doesn't change the fact that people who might otherwise be strong allies may choose a different candidate or just sit this one out.
4
Distill it down, the ‘Conservative’ label is not about returning to the past, it is about pushing White Male political power forward into the future. Ugly fat white faulty charactered males who fail to relate to and attract women have in Trump a dear leader who has it all. If only they, too, were rich.
If only they could be rich and attract polished women like Trump.
Women who weigh the odds, but choose the rich guy.
If only they could self surround with women who are attracted to ugly fat white men, polished women who the calculate risks, and choose the flawed guy.
Trump is an empty vessel, a corporate tool. Ignore his speech, just read the transcript.
The Trump enablers pushed their hero into the White House because the Electoral College is rigged, originally set up to placate the slave states. Now a tool of corporate interests that have no choice but to capture the economically enslaved, positioned there by self infliction or through no fault of their own.
In the modern slave state, corporations write the legislation, buy the politicans to pass it, but still need the voters. That will change as the Red states shrink the voter base.
Watch N Dakota disenfranchise the Native American population by no longer accepting PO Box addresses on ID cards. No street address, no place to send the card, while others work to shut down the USPO entirely. Control the mail, control the vote.
I have a PO box. No delivery on my
road. They came first for others, but I’m next.
13
This is not Susan but her husband.
Who is NOT a woman. Who is NOT young--oh, dear me no! And who IS (if it matters) white.
You speak of the "horrible months" of Mr. Trump's presidency. Really, Ms. Goldberg, "horrible" is the only word.
There HAVE been moments of laughter. You have contributed some yourself--you and your colleagues at The New York Times. Moments in which the sheer ABSURDITY or INANITY of our President's words and doings overwhelms one--
--and you sit back in your chair--
--cover your face with one hand--
--and laugh laugh LAUGH as if there were no tomorrow.
But deep down--as you know, as I know, as we all know--the man isn't funny at all. How to say this?
He is--no other way to say this!--
--he is, quite simply, a horrible human being.
Like man, like presidency. Horrible. Twenty one months of sheer horror.
Oh, Ms. Goldberg--
--how I HOPE that women come out to vote.
Millions upon millions of women!
DROVES of women--sorry! bad choice of nouns. LOTS of women.
In the last years of Mr. Obama's presidency--and I am not kidding here!--
--in those last years of horrendous Congressional gridlock--
--all engineered by you know who!--
--there were times I seriously wished--
--that every member of the House and Senate--
--could somehow be transformed into a woman.
Then, maybe, they'd get something done.
Oh you women out there!
Help bring the nightmare to a close.
Wake us up from this evil dream.
Get out there!
VOTE!
23
I have two adult daughters, one of whom is raising my granddaughter, and I cannot bear to tell them about my political despair. This country elected a misogynistic idiot as its President and you want to have an intelligent discussion about Amy McGrath and an “outbreak of male resentment”. Michelle, that just ain’t possible in America.
8
Republicans are not just misogynistic (and you just have to listen to Donald Trump and watch his loudly adoring mobs when he openly denigrates women to know that they are), they are also cowtowing to the worst traits of racism and xenophobia. It’s scary.
17
In the past few says Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, and the Heidi Heitkamp campaign have all committed a faux pas that has hurt the Democrats. Talk about stealing defeat from the jaws of victory.
4
For the Exhausted Majority
I am sad that you feel so exhausted
About the political spats between
Those who think the others stupid
And those who think the others evil.
That it is not really about policy
Or decency or doing the right thing
But more about psychology-based
Tribalism and the dynamics of resentment.
That it only concerns the fruits of privilege:
Being a matter of competing narratives
Between nasty brutish and short Hobbes
And jaded noble savages de Rousseau.
Don’t let the lies get you down
It’s only a drama orchestrated by power
Go and have a good lie down -
The Evil will wake you when it’s over.
I googled "gaslighting" and found this
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701...
Trump hits 11 out of 11
8
Remember? Hillary was going to win. And then....
4
Another sexist article/editorial basically attacking men and traditional western culture.
My father landed in Normandy, fighting fascism. My brother served in Afghanistan, fighting terrorists. My son just enlisted in the Marines to serve America. They all treated women with respect and courtesy. They are not misogynists. I’ll never vote for a party that believes white men are evil.
11
I'm not convinced that running as the party of aggrieved feminists who hate "the patriarchy" will bring victory for the Democrats.
"The patriarchy" is a term that is loaded with sexism and contempt for the current system. But, we have women Senators, Congresspersons, Supreme Court Justices, CEOs, and even newspaper columnists. If what we have now is "the patriarchy" then these women are all part of it.
Goldberg concludes that women, because of their identity with two X chromosomes, are less likely to be fascist and more likely to be good people generally. (No sexism there.) Unfortunately, in my experience, women are just as likely to be bad people as men. (Just ask Asia Argento, that #MeToo champion, pedophile, and child rapist.)
8
It may be that many women are trying to save America from Trump. It's worth considering whether America wants to be saved from Trump, and whether those women are in the best position to do something about Trumpism. I think the Democrats' tendency to join in on any hate fest the women of the Left decide on a given day has drained their legitimacy. If we need saviors, they should be centrists or moderates and definitely not a group of angry upheavalists. We, in the center, are tired of the freely vented anger on both sides.
3
I actually just offered to shuffle (Democratic) voters to vote in my Miata - one voter at a time.
9
Ms Goldberg is forgetting the soft secret weapon of GOP support: white married women, who will sink their sisterhood faster than the iceberg sank the Titanic.
White married women, as Hillary correctly said, love the fortune and privilege that comes with proximity to white male power, so Republicans essentially get a 2 for 1 vote in terms of resources expended. And NO, before you say it, I am not saying men are telling women how to vote.
White married women think their sons are in greater danger of falsely being accused of sexual assault than their daughters are of being assaulted.
White, married middle aged newspaper columnists are, across the board, once again going after strong Democratic women like Liz Warren for getting Trump to welch on another promise to charity and over their favorite target for the past 20 years, Hillary, for saying Monica was not "abused."
There is a problem in this country: white married women.
8
Great advice. It reminds me of Pete Seeger's words to the audience at his famous 1963 "We Shall Overcome" concert:
“If you want to get out of a pessimistic mood yourself, I've got one sure remedy. Go help those people in Birmingham or Mississippi.”
In that case, all the white and northern black activists going down there, often unaware of Southern culture and the work that was already being done, had some unfortunate consequences. But they also helped, and the principle is still good.
4
One of the advantages of age is seeing many things, good and bad, come and go. My first vote was for Bobby Kennedy in the California primary and nothing has been worse following an election, even Trump. We will discuss him far into the future, as we do Nixon, as a warning but we will get through it. It's only social media that makes it seem to explosive.
What does fill me with sadness is watching a group of women in Montana cheering Trump from a long line waiting to get in to his rally. His strongest base, at least half of whom are women. I did spend time as a child in ranch country and those women were strong and proud so why they would support such a lazy incompetent self-aggrandizing tool is beyond me. Those are not conservative values.
To contrast I will be attending a rally - called Pau Hana here - for my female senator who has spoken pointedly against this administration, Mazie Hirono. There is opposition and it will prevail; sometimes the pendulum has to swing far to bring solid resistance. In the next cycle you can expect those ancient white men in the Senate to "retire" before they suffer a humiliating loss.
12
We are now in the proverbial 2 minute electoral warning and Trump is throwing intoxicating (to his base) and obnoxious (to the rest of us) Hail Mary’s in the hope that it will drive his base to the polls. The problem is the same drugs don’t work for the Democrats so they need to find a similar high. They can’t, unfortunately, rely on indignation.
1
Sorry folks. The cause of the despair following the Kavanaugh confirmation isn’t solely the cruel farce of the process; it’s that Democrat ineptitude was out on full display. Instead of the powerful confrontation that was required we had a bumbling mess of passive vulnerability with a sprinkling of useless gestures and the dry run of a couple 2020-presidential campaign talking points. These are the people who are supposed to save us?
If elected Democrats had an ounce of the gumption of those ladies who confronted Flake in the elevator we wouldn’t be in the this mess. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be voting down the line for Democrats but that’s not the same as expecting them to do anything other than serve as whipping boys and straw men.
2
My mail-in ballot arrived today, and I found myself planning to deliver the ballot directly to a polling station and not mail it in. I don't trust that my vote will be counted. It's come to that.
22
My husband and I were at the polls within hours of them opening for early voting. If we expire tomorrow, at least our votes for Democrats will count.
32
It is certainly heartening to see how many progressive and even moderate Democrat women have stepped up to resist the current regime. I am delighted that there is a focus on trying to change the culture that has subjected women to marginalization and abuse. I am also concerned about the idealizing of women as the heroines of our political system.Please remember that Phyllis Schlafly, Sarah Palin, Ann Coulter, and Betsy DeVos, to name just a few, are also women – women who I would not like to see with more power. There are lots of reasons to overturn the present regime: health care, social safety net, income inequality, etc, etc. The protection of women's rights certainly is a part of this list, just not the only issue. Vote please - for women if they represent a shift in the political climate - but not just because they are women.
18
My outrage and anxiety over the depths to which national politics have gone fuels my writing on political subjects, which are published by my county democratic party.
You don't have to be a writer to help: give a ride to voter registration or to the polls, witness an absentee ballot in states that require it, become a poll worker or a poll watcher or work in a poll watcher staging area, put a political sign in your yard, talk to friends about why you have become politically active and why you support the candidates you like, read up on what candidates support and legislation that incumbent candidates have sponsored.
Above all, take the moral high road and hold your head up. We will prevail.
20
One of the oldest political tricks is to "divide and rule."
Though it started out with good intentions and delivering positive results, MeToo has since been hijacked for purposes counterproductive to its original aims.
It has become a trap used to pit Republicans against Democrats and to distract them from common threat to both, and to America: the destructive administration of Donald Trump.
Dr. Blasey Ford did in fact make a difference: she led by example, whether or not people who should realize it do so yet or not.
The way to "make the midterms a turning point" is by winning them, not by weaving badges of existential despair in order to then feel good by uncritically "doing something."
3
Political despair? This is absurd. The government of the United States including the courts continues to function. Disliking the policies of any given administration by part of the population is to be expected. This whole idea is driven by overwrought emotions which can also be called Trump Derangement Syndrome. I haven’t liked a number of things Trump’s predecessors did but I did not dispair because there were always new elections coming and I have more faith in my fellow citizens than you.
51
@TW Smith
I might have more faith were it not for the voter suppression and gerrymandering tactics being used, primarily by Republicans, which disproportionately affect those voters most likely to cast their ballots for Democratic/progressive candidates.
38
@TW Smith. Please pay close attention to the number of "recommends" that your post receives---especially compared to others.
15
As you say correctly, one can at times not favor the policies of this-or-that administration or President. I say this as someone who voted for Ronald Reagan. However, you are incorrect in failing to see that Trump’s policies are different, designed to undermine Constitutional balances, processes, and protections. His vanity, arrogance, and ignorance of a basic understanding of our history fuels disturbing autocratic tendencies.
It’s a quantum difference, not one of degrees. It’s beyond Nixon’s ‘Enemies List.’ It is an assault on civic values and democratic culture. Please listen deeply to lifelong Republicans like Pete Wehner if you don’t believe me...
17
Won’t vote for a woman in this climate of gender hysteria.
7
@M
Won’t vote for a man.
7
It's great that women are stirred up and motivated to vote and to run for office. It's understandable that they are motivated by anger, that they're not going to take this anymore. Anything that will get out the Democratic vote and throw these bums out.
But what speaks to me, and I suspect to a great many voters, is a candidate, male or female, who finally promises to "Fix the damn roads." Who promises to keep basic services functioning and infrastructure sound, like water supplies to citizens they represent. And who realize that taxes are the price of civilization.
32
Excellent column, Ms Goldberg. As a 63 year old white male, I couldn't agree with you more and share your anxiety. I hope women will save our country - men have had their chance and many of them continue to screw it up.
287
@MKlik Some women vote for Republicans - and a lot of men vote for Democrats.
2
That's all great. I accept it all except one small quibble. Someone running for attorney general based on the promise that she won't show me her penis is not telling me the ways in which she is competent to be attorney general. That is to say, not being Trump, or Louis CK doesn't automatically mean you can govern.
7
I think that Dr. Ford made a big difference. Our nation knows Kavanope's temperament. Had she not had the courage to turn her life upside down, we wouldn't know that. And frankly, I think it's comforting that we all know it and that Kavanope realizes we've learned what he's really like.
Certainly I would have preferred that the white males in the Senate and slippery Collins had real courage. But what we learned could, ideally, inspire men and women in our nation to vote.
12
Thank you, Michelle! I needed this. We need to vote!
9
If a majority of white women will vote for democrats, then democrats will win the House and the Senate. Let's hope that happens.
10
Ms. Goldberg,
Care to make a wager on the 2018 elections?
@JND -- what's yours?
Given that the Republicans have abandoned the house races, I'd say the Democrats will take it. I agree the Republicans look likely to hold the senate.
I am utterly mystified at McConnell claiming that Republicans would revisit repealing Obamacare and intend to make major cuts to social security, medicare, medicaid etc ... this isn't going to happen and he could not have said anything that will scare more Democrats to the polls.
He's normally very crafty, but this was just "party of stupid."
4
The most dangerous gaslight of all says “don’t bother to vote, it won’t matter.”
16
I'm male -- and a feminist. The only "resentment" I have is toward Republicans in general, and Trump in particular.
And, incidentally, "feminist" is not a bad word, nor is "liberal." I'd take either one (or both!) any day over a "conservative" party that is three-steps closer to fascism every day.
Hurray for female candidates! I plan to vote for every single one that I can!
350
@EDK Thank you.
4
Thank you for this, Michelle. I don't want to get overconfident before the midterms. But women's activism gives me hope. We have not forgotten 2016 or any day of the Trump presidency, and we are angry.
25
The thing is, Democrats whipped up support for the GOP when they lied about Kavanaugh. That scared a lot of women, who are rightly concerned that their husbands/brothers/sons/grandsons will get caught up in the same kind of baseless accusations and dirty tricks Justice Kavanaugh was subjected to. It's likely that up until the hearings those women would have stayed home, content with a booming economy. But now they're motivated to vote GOP. I wouldn't be surprised if the GOP added several Senate seats and kept the House, something that I wouldn't have believed possible just couple of months ago.
Feinstein really stuck her foot in it.
11
Trump's attacks on women are on par with his attacks on evidence. Trumpism subscribes to the idea that women, minorities and immigrants are sub-par humans. We must continue to fight for the role of evidence-based decisions in society, which will ultimately allow for women, minorities and immigrants to overcome Trumpism. We must continue to fight against the GOP that wants to keep the majority of Americans stupid so that it can continue to ram horrid policies that enrich the one percent down the throats of the majority.
13
I thought I was close to despair on the night of the election two years ago; it has gotten exponentially worse since then. No matter what egregious revelations are made, no matter how undemocratic the actions (Kavanaugh's confirmation), Trump skates by. He can incite violence, call names like a grade school bully, lie with abandon, and gets total compliance from the Rs in Congress. He has been allowed to violate the emoluments clause, refuse to visit the troops, spend our tax dollars on golfing trips and rallies, insult women and anyone he considers an enemy, and all we get is radio silence from McConnell and Ryan. I am sick to exhaustion of what has happened to this country in under two years. If the Democrats do not take back the House, we are doomed to more of the same from Trump. If he wins in 2020, I will leave this country until he is gone.
31
@Greengage I feel the same way. I threatened to leave in 2016. If I have to, I will be gone a lot in 2021.
2
Ms. Goldberg, while I sincerely agree that the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh caused immense anguish for survivors of sexual assault, your focus should be precisely on that - not on denigrating Kavanaugh. We still don’t know that he’d assaulted anybody - is it not better to focus on the bad behavior that can be proven, and thus not dilute your argument?
6
Where were the women supporting a seriously flawed, unpopular candidate like Hillary, when Bernie would most certainly have beaten Trump? Die-hard Clinton supporters, in fact, gave us Trump. And this from someone who voted for her, in the vain effort to keep Trump out of the White House.
4
Maybe the women will pull their husbands with them rather than the other way around. I know my white 58 year old engineer husband is with me. He is horrified as to what is happening and he used to be a Republican. Thank goodness he came over from the dark side.
22
What a load of hysterical claptrap from Michelle Goldberg. For heaven's sake, get a grip.
"A churning know in the stomach.""Galloping anxiety." "Scared, furioius, despondent."
Do we need to go back to Victorian times and resurrect the fainting couch?
Really, take a moment and look around you. The economy is booming, jobs are plentiful. If you have a son or daughter graduating from school, it couldn't be a better time.
And Kavanaugh? Aside from the fact that the entire ginned up confirmation drama was completely bogus, we have another mainstream Republican on the court. Remember, Kavanaugh and Garland agreed virtually all the time. And this sexist "frat boy" stuff is tiresome. The guy has turned into a classic Ivy League educated bourgeoise.
N. Korea hasn't launched a missile in months. The Iranian regime, a hugely destabilizing force in the region, is in trouble. The machinations of Saudi Arabian monarchical drama is not our fault. And Russia? A third rate economy run by a third rate kleptocrat. The only thing we need to worry about there is keeping their nuclear weapons nice and comfy in their silos.
For all his bluster and past history, Trump isn't governing as a monster, but more or less as a mainstream Republican.
But of course, this is what to expect from Michelle Goldberg and her hyperventilating acolytes. All hysteria, all the time.
10
We get it. Republicans giving neo-Nazis and violent fascists a megaphone isn’t a big deal to some people. Most Republicans likely welcome it, since they never speak out against it.
8
@Karl K ... "Mainstream Republicans" grope women and brag about it on videotape?
Mainstream Republicans run shabby frauds that prey on desperate people like "Trump University?"
These were known before his election. Post election he's become the biggest liar of any president we've ever had. He's also acknowledged as the worst president in American history, by conservative historians, before he's gotten to the half-way mark of his first term!
Trump is sure no "mainstream Republican" of the past. He may be the start of the new Republicans ... as all the moderates flee the party, and all that is left is Trumpismo .. .a personality-cult neo-nazi white-revanchist party. ... led by El Lider Boca Maximo ... until he drops.
Trump himself is comic-opera ridiculous. But I do fear whoever takes over his following -- they may be much more the real thing.
11
We must not give up. Because that is exactly what the Republicans want.
10
Goldberg is a clever writer and I enjoy reading her but this column suffers from the same faulty premise that got us into this mess in the first place, i.e., the false idea that all, or nearly all, women pretty much agree with Goldberg. Sorry, they don't. Clinton's loss ought to have cured us of that belief but some just don't want to give it up. A good place to start, if you want a more nuanced view of women's views, is Susan Collins' speech defending her vote for Kavanaugh.
14
@J Susan Collins has never been nuanced, she votes party lines every time. She just like the attention that comes from fence sitting.
7
Kavanaugh was the breaking point for a lot of Republicans. They were placated with Trumps tax bill, winning thousands of seats over the past 9 years, and, generally, have been politically dominate while Liberals act like a dog in a corner.
But Kavanaugh was a big political bet, and as other polls have shown, it failed and rallied the GOP base. It was pathetic when reporters were hounding Kavanaugh's high school classmates for dirt. It brought out the fear in a lot of people that 30+ years later, someone can come back and ruin your life.
It also went against the moral fabric of this country: innocent until proven guilty. #MeToo was fully exposed on TV as guilty by mob, and not by law. Of course, the NYT ran only photos of Kavanaugh being angry, and Dr. Ford with her hand up being honest. Bias photojournalism, as usual.
Running candidates that believe in gender equality and opportunity is the way out, not blindly just saying 'women can save us!'. yeah, they can, and so can men, but that doesn't pass the 'ideology purity test' liberals run on candidates and ideas, which is slice everything by gender, sex, race, income and then lose elections. So far, their strategy hasn't been working, so double down on identity politics.
9
People respond to the truth. Cleverness is no substitute for bold unvarnished truthfulness.
People responded to Barack Obama when he went on record in opposition to the War in Iraq. Hillary's tortured explanation off her vote in favor enabled Obama to defeat her for the nomination.
Republicans in Congress and Trump in two years will not be defeated by "clever" Democrats. Blunt truth is required.
The area where Democrats struggle on truthfulness and candor is Israel and the Mideast. Obama got 79% of the Jewish vote in 2008 and 69% in 2012. One of the reasons for the shrinkage was
Obama made no effort to hide the fact that he didn't have a high
opinion of Netanyahu.
Right now the courage to be candid in this area is slightly different. Our obnoxious solicitude towards the Saudis by the Trump Team is based on the fact that the right wing of the Israel Lobby...the Adelson-Hagee-Bolton-Kushner Wing...views the Crown Prince and the Saudis as key to justifying a war with Iran.
If Democrats are not willing to say that out loud, what are they?
They're "Progressives Except Palestine." A completely contemptible lot that deserve to lose....again.
4
In 1994, the re-elect Ann Richards campaign had Dallas area volunteers phone-banking women in white, North Texas suburban communities. A friend of mine told me it was miserable. "Why are they having me call angry Republican women in Coppell?" Why indeed....
The answer in the form of another questions is "why would the women of Coppell eat chicken in our house when they can have steak in their own?" Richards' opponent was George W. Bush in 94', not the cretin Claytie Williams of "relax and enjoy it" fame of 90'. Richards discovered that the gender gap actually hurt her.
What I see are a lot of women running on the Democratic ticket this year, but not much evidence that female voters as a group are going to do anything different than 2016. Pew's surveys show white women only marginally turned-off by Kavanaugh.
The idea that women voters put gender identity first is the great Shibboleth of the Feminist movement. Richards wanted that to be the case; but it just wasn't. Women had ample reason to reject Trump in 2016 - they did by anemic 52% margin - courtesy of black women who vote Democratic for reasons other than gender. Not exactly impressive. Maybe Anglo women will crest 50% for Democratic candidates this year - but I'm not holding my breath.
7
Nice piece.
The best part is when she says that the best way to deal with Trump induced depression is to be out organizing.
Despair is a feeling of powerlessness. If you give up, your chances of winning are zero. If you fight your chances are higher. When you are fighting you feel empowered.
Working with like-minded people on a project together is awesome (especially if you have reasonable expectations of other people and listen more than you speak). Organizing is actually fun. Protesting is fun.
Music, art, writing, dancing, posters, sharing opinions and techniques, training and getting trained,... It's fun.
And we all lost weight in the first months of Occupy Wall Street, because we were too busy saving the world, while holding a park from the police and sending out dozens of protests everyday, to eat. Despair makes you fat, as you binge TV and ice cream. Fighting, even with a pen (which is mightier than the sword) keeps you healthy.
Trump's plan is to wear us out and make us give up.
Any woman or man who cares about democracy, the USA, and or Constitution, is in danger of failing into despair. Sometimes you need a day off, but he next day, you need to fight for our future.
The reason the universe contains evil, is so that you know what good is. Fighting evil makes you feel good.
8
The patriarchy is alive and well here in Connecticut, where a powerful, confident, intelligent, and inspiring woman, Alex Bergstein, is running for State Senate to unseat a Republican who has held the seat for 10 years. At every debate (3 so far) he has made patronizing comments. He's shockingly out of touch, even suggesting at a recent debate that she couldn't possibly understand bills because they are "complex and sometimes have long, run on sentences that are difficult to follow."She is an attorney and a PhD candidate at Yale who put her dissertation on hold to run for office. This is how I'm getting my anger and frustration out - working on Alex's campaign day and night, determined to win. There are over 100 volunteers, mostly women, who make calls, knock on doors and stuff envelopes every day. This is our therapy, and my only hope is that on 11/6 we experience the emotional breakthrough we need to continue on for another year!
41
I'm a 60-year-old Mom and Grandma, and I still get chills remembering my experience as I joined others in Washington DC for the Women's March last January. I know my participation meant a lot to my daughter and granddaughter and to my sons--and someday maybe even to my infant grandsons. But I've been very concerned that, in general, people are forgetting the HUGE, peaceful turnout and all that the Women's March stood for. I'm hoping upon hope that Gretchen Whitmer wins in Michigan and just as importantly, I'm hoping that Proposal 2 (against gerrymandering) also passes. And if it does pass, Katie Fahey, the young Michigan woman who spearheaded Proposal 2 deserves a NY Times cover story! So to all the men and women I know and to those I don't know--GET OUT AND VOTE!
27
Donald Trump is just one more in a long line of Presidents, to be followed by many, many more.
Contrary to the author's hyperbolic screed, his policy implementations have not been anti-female. And the assumption that his Supreme Court appointments will be anything other than fair and objective is simply unjustified.
In short, this article is nothing more than an effort to create something out of nothing, written by a bitter individual who backed the losing candidate in the last national election, and who uses inflammatory rhetoric to promulgate false narratives - presumably, thinking that these narratives will somehow obscure the facts of this situation.
15
@Objectivist
"...the assumption that his Supreme Court appointments will be anything other than fair and objective is simply unjustified."
Merrick Garland was fair and objective, and couldn't get a vote, even in committee. Mitch McConnell didn't steal that seat just to give it to someone fair and objective. You don't make the Federalist Society short list by simply being fair and objective. McConnell and the Republican donor class will only accept judges who are certain to rule in favor of corporations and the wealthy white men who own them.
25
@Objectivist - I'm guessing you're a man who doesn't have to fight for equal pay, access to contraception or the right to make your own health care decisions.
18
"In his recent book “How Fascism Works,” the Yale professor Jason Stanley wrote that patriarchy is “strategically central” to fascist politics, which always seek to cement racial and gender hierarchies."
Goldberg uses this quote in an attempt to prove that all of the horrible stuff that is happening is the lone fault of men. This, despite the fact huge numbers of women STILL support Trump. And minority enthusiasm remains muted despite Trump's blatant racist remarks.
Wasn't it men that first invented democracy in ancient Greece? Wasn't it men that created our great Republic through their own blood, sweat, and tears? And wasn't it men (primarily) that took to the battlefield to defeat fascism in the 1940s? Looks like I could make a very good argument that patriarchy is strategically central to democracy and freedom.
I'm a liberal Democrat and a white man. I loved Obama so much I was going to name my baby Barack if it turned out to be a boy. I have watched in absolute horror and despair as these identity politics extremists have co-opted our righteous fight against the Republican Party. These identity politics champions view EVERYTHING in terms of race and gender. They pit men against women and white people against people of color. The Big Tent Democratic party that existed under Obama is being shrunk daily by these social justice warriors as they feverishly work to alienate anyone from the Democratic Party that does not 100% agree with them.
I'm disgusted.
12
I love that MI women are leading us away from of all of these horrible strains on our democracy and can't wait to vote for them. Since Trump's ascendance, many of us who grew up in rural Michigan have been absolutely disgusted by how hard the NYT and other media outlets have worked to make it seem like Michigan has just fallen in line with the misogynist-in-chief and to actively promote the view that Trump's most radical supporters are infinitely more worthy of being understood. We are not now and never have been in line with this nonsense. And on Nov 6th we will prove it.
10
Some of the most impactful movements in our nation's history have been created, run and made successful by women, sometimes supported by men on the sidelines.
Everyone can point to the suffrage movement of course, but there is much more to the strong influence of women on our national history. One such was the effort to outlaw alcohol, the temperance movement. The fact that it ultimately backfired and created a climate of lawlessness does not negate the fact that it was created and led by women before they even widely had the right to vote in elections. When women make up their minds about something, watch out.
Well, here's another example of woman power and, unfortunately, it too has had a negative result on our nation. The effort to save the south from the lingering ignominy of defeat in the Civil War was headed by the Daughters of the Confederacy. This group was behind the monuments to Confederate "heroes" that were placed across the south, and even in the north, in the late part of the 19th and early 20th centuries. I am sure there are more that have been left uncovered in our history. Being kept from power might have been a factor in making these movements successful.
Many women feel revulsion toward Trump and his ugly, unwarranted attacks on women through their appearance. Does that revulsion translate into votes?
We need women, and men, who are fired up to save their nation from creeping fascism and the destructive attacks on truth and trusted news sources. Ready?
6
I run a business. I'm taking a rare day off Nov. 7 because I don't think I can focus on the work and I don't want to interact with my staff or my customers as I wait to find out whether America will live or die. I will vote Nov 6, then curl up in bed and ride out the next 30 hours.
16
As a woman, this whole discussion is making me feel like the sum of my body parts and chromosomes rather than a multi faceted individual with complex political points of view.
There is a dumb essentialism that has overtaken feminist discourse. It's strewn throughout these comments. In the 1990s version of feminism, essentialism was a bad thing because it meant that women were judged by society based on some biological "essence" rather than on their individuality. Back then, women didn't want to be tied to their biological essence because that their biology could be used against them. On the other hand, women did form coalitions for political purposes without buying into biological essentialism.
I guess my distaste with the current feminist discourse is its failure to differentiate biological essentialism (evidenced by statements that begin "women are" this or that) from political expediency that recognizes that individuals are not determined by their biological identity or essence.
I might be splitting hairs, but I would advise that today's feminism stop making blanket statements like "women will save us" or "women are telling the truth." These are essentialist statements. The flip side of the same essentializing mode of thought is for the Right to say "Women are weaker and so they should stay at home and have babies" or "Women are naturally inferior to men." Indeed, essentialism undergirds the very patriarchy today's feminism is railing against!
15
If you run a business, give your employees time off to vote on November 6th. Rearrange schedules if you have to, provide transportation if you can. Any employer, male or female, who cares about this country's future must help make it possible for his or her employees to vote.
26
There should be little doubt that we are just years, possibly months away from a full Handmaid's Tale nightmare.
Already groups of women have been spotted in the nation's capital being forced to parade around silently in those ridiculous outfits.
6
Great advice Michelle. It's making me crazy just sitting here waiting for my ballot to arrive and watching cable news. We have to end this and we have to end it now before it's too late.
11
The way things rarely are, but I wish they would be:
“It is the close of a busy and vexatious day -- say half past five or six o'clock of a winter afternoon. I have had a cocktail or two, and am stretched out on a divan in front of a fire, smoking. At the edge of the divan, close enough for me to reach her with my hands, sits a woman not too young, but still good-looking and well dressed -- above all, a woman with a soft, low-pitched, agreeable voice. As I snooze she talks - of anything, everything, all the things that women talk of: books, music, the play, men, other women. No politics. No business. No religion. No metaphysics. Nothing challenging and vexatious - but remember, she is intelligent; what she says is clearly expressed... Gradually I fall asleep -- but only for an instant... then to sleep again -- slowly and charmingly down that slippery hill of dreams. And then awake again, and then asleep again, and so on. I ask you seriously: could anything be more unutterably beautiful?”
--- H.L. Mencken, In Defense of Women, 1918.
2
Yes let's all put our fingers in our ears, cover our eyes, stand on one foot and sing la la la la la, that should help.
3
Been knocking on doors for the Democratic party for decades and it is the only thing that has kept me sane this year. And there are just as many enraged men out there each time we canvass as there are enraged women. If you feel frustrated, call your local Democratic Committee or Indivisible Chapter and volunteer to help get out the vote. Extreme partisan gerrymandering in too many states, voter suppression, a lack of interest in voting by poor people and the party's failure to advance an inspiring message are all handicaps that will make it hard for Dems to take the house in three weeks. We NEED your help. If you are afraid to knock on doors, tell your volunteer leader you need to be paired with a more experienced canvasser. You will see how easy it is and be on your own very soon. Join Us. We Need Your Help.
15
Michelle Goldberg is the best writer the NYT has. Period. And a major reason why I subscribe to this often disappointing paper of record.
8
There is an edit problem with this column:
“...Christine Blasey Ford, who blew up her life to testify that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, only to see him confirmed anyway” when she was unable to provide any corroboration at all for her 36-year old allegations.
There, I fixed it.
15
@JB - The FBI didn't bother interviewing any of the people who could have corroborated the story.
24
I prefer to believe that patriarchy is reaching the end of its natural life, and we are seeing its death throes.
Patriarchy arose in agrarian cultures--from which we are still not too far removed. It persisted through the age of industry, an unnecessary vestige, but not too much of an impediment to economic development.
In an "information age"--if that's what we choose to call it--patriarchy's weaknesses become apparent. Men have no greater ability to work with or communicate information than women, so putting women in the background wastes productive and creative capacity.
In fact, men have become so inured with the notion that they can 'get ahead' just by being male that women are having little trouble out competing them. This is apparent on most college campuses.
So a lot of men are scared. They shouldn't be. They just need to step up to the plate and prove themselves valuable contributors to society. But they can't get there by simply trying to diminish everyone else.
7
These feel like such dark times for our society so I especially need to see/hear stories like this. Thank God (or somebody) for these women who are coming forward at this difficult time.
12
Where I live, in a suburban area in Texas, we have seen an outpouring of political activism from women. We have created networks, we work well together, and we are block walking non stop. We may not win every race, but we are building a progressive movement for the long haul. We are bringing civic engagement back to our communities, and we are attracting democratic candidates who really want to know what the districts look like, and what the concerns are in those districts. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we won’t bring sanity back in a day either. It’s going to require commitment, disciplined and education.
18
Sorry, the despair overwhelms even this small bright light. What will they do that actually changes the destructive path the world is on? Stuff politicians.
It's a good thing women are running for political office because women have some unique skills that can help our country especially at this difficult time. Women have intuition and many have learned to pay attention to it resulting in the avoidance of problems and working with greater efficiency a leading to greater successes and positive accomplishments. Many women excel at raising children and managing their homes. These are an important and valuable skill set and translate well to politics. Raising children involves keeping them safe, being empathetic, and instilling in them morals in word and action. Managing a household budget is vital. These are elements that are missing especially in trump and his picks picks and are sorely needed. Our country is in dire straits and we need more than a few good women now.
3
@colleen -- there are guys who manage a house and raise a kid, even doing so alone -- just sayin'
And I think almost any guy without a rap sheet or involuntary commitment would be better than Trump.
My problem is why did the majority of white women vote for a guy who was on video tape bragging about groping women, and had pled guilty to "Trump University."
For any of you who think Trump did not admit guilt, he paid a 1 m$ fine to New York State. You can't voluntarily pay a fine to a state without admitting guilt.
Personally I'd take a random guy over 35, no rap sheet, no history of mental problems over any woman who voted for Trump ... even if he voted for Trump. If you consider this unfair or unreasonable -- it's just plain mentally sicker for a woman to invent reasons to vote for Trump.
It's pitiful, but being a male groper isn't as deviant as being a woman who supports one.
4
So i went to a training session about what to do in the next three weeks to encourage voting. Seriously, it felt like i had just joined the best therapy group. We were asked (about 50 of us) why we were there. One by one, men and women, wealthy and not so wealthy, young and old and middle, were opening up to strangers from deep inside our souls. We were not there because Hillary lost the election. We were there because we all felt despair, anger, rage about what it is happening to our democracy. We all had tears in our eyes when explaining in 30 seconds why we were there. Everyone understood at heart how each of us have felt for two years. I don’t know how we could go on if go deeper into this spectacle. So for now and in the next two weeks i will drag my family to talk to people and encourage them to vote.
16
As a 76 year old white guy, my hope is that in the next few years more and more woman run for every legislative , congressional and judicial seat in the USA . May they win and fix this country. The men have failed.
A good platform would be:a guaranteed living wage,
full government-funded health insurance,
free education including at the university level,
the prosecution of corporate criminals,
cutting the bloated military budget and end the empire,
criminal justice reform,
transferring power from the elites to the citizenry by providing public spaces where consumers, workers and communities can meet and organize,
breaking up the big banks and creating a public banking system,
protecting and fostering labor unions,
removing money from politics,
taking the airwaves out of the hands of corporations and returning them to the public
ending subsidies to the fossil fuel industry while keeping fossil fuels in the ground to radically reconfigure our relationship to the ecosystem.
WOMEN ON THE MOVE..GO-GO
27
What I desperately need is some advice on what the good people of this country should do when the Republicans & the Russians steal the midterms from us & we lose. Even if every Democratic candidate loses by only 1 (dubiously valid) vote, Trump & McConnell & will continue to behave as if they have a massive majority mandate. Maybe I should not panic over this scenario until it actually happens. It does feel empowering to be active on behalf of decent Democratic candidates & I will continue. But what if the system is so rigged that the majority loses yet again?
11
Your words are spot-on, Michelle.
I think the biggest threats to the majority of people, but especially women, in this country right now are fear, self-doubt and paralysis. I hear them in the voices of friends and especially in the voices of many younger women I've spoken to while phone banking and canvassing. Many who have voted in the past remain unmotivated to vote in the upcoming election. They tell me it's hopeless and that their votes won't make a difference. I counter that in the 2004, Christine Gregoire became Governor of the State of Washington by beating Dino Rossi with only 129 statewide votes.
Your votes, and the willpower and courage it takes to use them, count. Please vote!
10
Bravo for the women of Michigan who are running for state offices.
If there was a time in our history when we need a change, it is now. I encourage all women to take the banner and replace the old guard with new thought and action. Go Democrats!
10
Michelle, why don't you include how religion is linked to male power? The NYT seems to walk around this issue.
13
Thank god for the women! Please, please, please get out the message that 1) the so-called tax cuts do little to help middle and lower wage earning voters 2) the Republicans want to do away with your healthcare 3)The Republicans are saying they want to protect insurance for pre-existing conditions - what they are NOT saying is that the insurance companies can raise their rates to astronomical amounts 4) your social security, Medicare and Medicaid are threatened!!! and 5) your civil rights and freedoms are slowly being erroded every day. VOTE...but VOTE Democratic!
12
There is a gnawing sense that the coming election will change nothing even if there is a massive blue wave. The polls could be so wrong, as we all know.
The blue wave may be just a fizzled little lap at the shore. Yet, if dems do take the house, it surely would be a step in the right direction to making the country sane again.
But the Trump nightmare will go on until either his vile base has had enough of him, or he's locked up.
But we'll forever need to deal with the hypocritical GOP and its disgusting base, and all of those who are under the GOP's foul tent: the white supremacists, misogynists, xenophobes, homophobes, anti-poor, anti-labor, pro big corps, big pharma, big medicine, big ag, Kochs, Adelsons, and local GOP cheaters, gerrymanderers, and vote suppressors.
That's a lot of work and a temporary phenomenal wave won't fix that. But if anybody can sustain a prolonged fight, requiring mountains of patience and perseverance over very long periods of time, it's women. It's just too bad the men on the left aren't so stirred.
12
All this anger appears to me as being more women against men.
Are you so angry that you would rather live in a world run by women only?
And perhaps use sperm banks for reproduction?
7
@Wilfrido: Yes, actually I would prefer to live in an all-female world. Because at least I wouldn’t have to fear for both my life and that of the human race every time Trump has a bad day. If it wasn’t for women, men would have killed off the entire human race thousands of years ago. Who are the warmongers? Who wants to take healthcare away, and cut Social Security and Medicare? Who are the sexual harassers, rapists, those who brag about grabbing women by their genitalia? I could go on and on, but you get the picture. I know there are some genuinely good men out there, but I will tell you they are few and far between. It’s going to take women, and a lot of them, to clean up this mess.
10
@Wilfrido Freire - Why are some men so threatened when women speak up against men who behave badly?
None of the many men in my life (husband, boss, friends, nephews, friends) feel the least bit threatened or picked on. They're just as angry as I am by Trump and co.
Men who are secure and who treat everyone equally don't have anything to feel bad about.
13
Just an FYI, Michelle: after reading your article I decided to take further steps and will be joining the MJ Hegar campaign, knocking on doors in Williamson Country Texas to turn that district both FEMALE and BLUE.
25
This is not a good time to be a girl or a woman in America.
6
@Zejee So wrong, it's the best time. It's a new wave of the women's movement, huge opportunities to embark on change.
3
Bravo!
5
Definition of complacency is" self satisfaction, unbothered, smugness,"which on a practical level translates into a belief that 1 need not really go out of one's way to file an original story, inform the reader of what he did not know before.I read MG's articles regularly! Theme is always the same: I hate Trump, and look how we women r loving each other,coming together to defeat this simpleton, this useful idiot, misogynist in November. Thus, after the first paragraph or 2, I stop reading.Hunch that MG is so glamoured by her affiliation with Times newspaper, by frequent appearances on t.v.--remember Buck Henry's observation that if you're not on t.v. you don't exist--that perhaps, just perhaps, she does not feel she needs to go that extra mile,venture where other journos might fear to tread in order to keep her sinecure. Followed career of MARGUERITE HIGGINS when she was alive, who covered WWII, Korea VN when female foreign correspondents were the exception, or Martha Gellhorn, who were always after that next big story, and "peu importe le danger!"Author could do worse than use the abovementioned correspondents as role models!"Nothing ventured nothing gained,"or as they used to say on the tarmac of Skydive Long Island, "No pain no gain!"
6
I have in a long life known many NY Jews who got out of Germany before kristalnacht. They told me how it felt when Hitler came to power because I asked. .
I have also known some who survived the camps. Both groups had one thing in common - fear. The fact is it was obvious what would happen before Hitler came to power and many got out before that happened because of the brown shirts and those rallys.
My point is that fear if a good thing because it triggers a fight or flight reaction, Survival depends on which you chose and Trump is counting on flight.
That's no way to defeat fascism. American women have fought a long uphill battle for equality, I have been married for 60 years and if my wife was 30 years old today she would be running for office. Most of my friends, living and dead, the most intelligent, decent and practical people are/were women.
Trump expects to do to women what he did to Dr. Ford. But Dr. Ford won and the election results will prove it if we fight and show up at the polls on Nov. 6th.
This election is about fascism vs democracy. We have fascism now and it is time to show that democracy is still alive. Right now our government is up for sale to the highest bidders, piece by piece. Make the checks payable to Trump Inc.
29
When I was young and needed a question answered I went to Dad but when I really needed help I went to Mom. Well now that the Ruspublican " Dads " spend all their time at the private club plotting to maintain their power and using both physical and financial abuse to prop up their ego`s all I can say is MOM I need help! I can only hope that all the " Mom`s " can band together and knock some of these " Dad`s " off their high horse and bring sensibility back to this house.
8
Which women are going to lead and which women are going to follow?
About 54% of white women voted for Donald. While 98% of black women voted for Hillary. Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton has only excuses blaming everyone but herself for her loss. She is out collecting and counting her coins earned from public service. There is no cure for her hubris and stupidity.
2
@Blackmamba I didn’t know Mrs. Clinton was running for office. Which ballot is she on?
1
@Blackmamba So why did you vote for her?
I'm trying to psychologically prepare myself for the aftermath of the midterms. If the GOP prevails, I don't know how I will handle it. At least when Trump won in 2016 I was living outside the US and working, but even then, I cried at work and was just so astonished. After all, he "wasn't supposed to win." If I have to live even another 2 years under a regime that is so racist and misogynist, so corrupt and rotten, I don't know what I'll do except watch my pensions melt away and my health insurance costs rise beyond outer space.
17
Ms. Goldberg refers to the "the cruel former frat boy Brett Kavanaugh". I wonder if she was just as upset about the "cruel Bill Clinton" or his "cruel wife Hillary," who abetted his sexual predation. The hypocrisy of her selective outrage is, well, expected.
9
I don't mean to be critical but this is an awfully banal and uninspiring column. It reads like something that a teenager would write.
10
@Uysses - You do mean to be critical. No one forced you to read it.
7
@UyssesYou are being critical. You are commenting. Sorry Michelle disturbed your day.
3
Amen!
5
For the first time in my life, I’m volunteering for the Democrats. I tell nearly everyone I meet to VOTE BLUE.
Of course, I too have had several episodes of sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace and elsewhere.
trump is a crude and socially stupid criminal. Day after day, more odious things are revealed about him and his henchman, yet no one seems to do anything. Today, we are warned by “Politico” not to expect much from the Mueller report, if we hear anything about it at all.
So, I despair. It should be more than obvious that trump and friends are out for self-enrichment and destruction of the democracy. Yet it doesn’t seem to be obvious enough for a lot of people.
I hope that the midterms will show that the country is fighting to save itself, but hope is a thin gruel.
13
Great to hear that the pendulum might swing again. That's actually kind of hopeful. Frankly, though, I've given up on any real hope for this country. You really can't fix stupid, you just have to hope it stays home on election day once in a while.
4
Luria-VA; Sherrill-NJ; McGrath-KY. All female. All USNA grads. All bright and honest. Vote them into Congress and change the world. I ask Michelle and others to get to these states and carry people to the polls to make the obvious choice. The only competitor they have is "apathy."
10
upport for GOP would diminish in no time if we separate religion (read, Christian fundamentalism) from our Government, public policy and education- just the way our founding fathers wanted it to be.
People should stop being a Christian or Muslim or Hindu or Jews, and start being a proper human being with some meaningful education that allow them to understand truth, and differentiate right from wrong.
Most GOP and other such religious people do not know (I don't expect them to) that people who do not believe in fairy tales of God, hell, heave etc are the ones who know more about religion. In short, More you know less you would believe in those stupidity of God and prayer (Source-PEW Research).
Data says that more than 70 percent of American wealth is created by science and technology. And those who actually create it, the scientists (not any moron with a PhD or a job with 'scientist' designation, but the members of American National Academy of Sciences), who create that wealth (and power associated with it) are more than 93% atheists/agnostic. About 55% of American scientists are officially Dem, only 6% GOP, while rest r undecided or apolitical (Source-Slate).
"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weakness, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still purely primitive, legends which are nevertheless pretty childish," Einstein writes.
9
Men are also feeling politistress - (n): Fear or anxiety brought about by the operation of a government or the election thereof. Granted, not as much as women, but we share the view that our democracy is crumbling.
And the best cure is getting involved. It starts by voting, but that won't cure you. Donate, be an activist, or jump in with both feet and run for office. And don't stop on November 6. We have a long way to go.
9
Dr. Ford's courage was not pointless.
I see the effect, every day, of her bravely speaking out. The women (and some men) around me have a new awareness of the pervasiveness of assault and silencing.
She has changed the arc of history with a small bend toward justice.
10
My most standards, I'm a "older guy" and I feel threatened not by women's demand for equal recognition but by men who seem to have emerged from their caveman mentality of "me strong, you serve me" My daughters are care-givers to their partners, independent thinkers and strong-willed. Listen guys, most of us didn't get to adulthood without the influence of a mother who influenced our direction. Ms Goldberg's piece is clear-eyed at a time that the N.Y. Times now has more women op-ed columnists. Our president is definitely from Mars and it is time for a Venus-like leader to speak sensibly and intelligently without the rhetorically baiting blather of "me strong- you listen"
14
@Guitarman - I wish I could shake your hand and buy you a drink.
4
Women, please make it happen. Your time is now so seize it. The power structure must be changed. We men have had our chance and the history books are filled with the results. There has to be a better way.
7
I am encouraged by the enthusiasm of women and the increase in female candidates. However, making it all about gender is not a good tactic, IMHO. Sarah Sanders and Susan Collins are prime examples of this, as is Bernie Sanders, who would have beaten Trump. I vote for the better candidate, regardless of gender. My representative is a female Democrat (for whom I voted -- there was no choice) who happens to be a non-entity. Secondly, I don't think it is about male privilege -- it is about WHITE privilege. White suburban woman don't get killed by police for being female the way black men do. I say this as an elderly white male. Yes. the Republican party is misogynist. But we need to welcome left-leaning males (especially black males who feel ignored by the Democratic Party) to the cause.
3
You don't need to go to the doctor. This why you have that "feeling" in your stomach.
from Politico,
"Philippe Reines, who worked for Hillary Clinton going back to 2002 and was her senior adviser at the State Department, made the argument to Politico Friday that the former Democratic nominee might actually be the party's best hope for defeating Trump in 2020. He said no other Democrat has "anywhere near a base of 32 million people,..."
She can't take a hint. There needs to be an intervention. Biden should go to her as a friend. Joe must do it, for America.
3
@Mike -- I'm a 67-year-old white guy liberal. Joe is too old. Bernie is too old. Hillary is too old. Warren is too old.
Being president is too tough; if you are doing your job it's the toughest job in America. I know for a fact that I cannot work as hard as I was able to a decade ago, I also know (because I'm a working physical scientist) that my mental creativity is less. This is partially balanced by increased knowledge, but not enough to make up for the loss.
I'm also a commercially-rated pilot; still active. You are perhaps aware that age 65 is the mandatory retirement age for airline pilots? There's a reason for that. I can fly smaller airplanes, but nobody will entrust me with 200+ lives now.
Think about whom you want to entrust with 340 million, or even the whole planet.
Whatever you think of Trump's politics, Trump's personal capacities are clearly grossly inadequate to the job, and even a cursory look and listen to the younger Trump makes it clear that this one is in some early dementia.
Personally I won't vote for drifting-into-geezerdom.
3
Right on, Michelle. This suburban white woman and her suburban white husband have lived in the suburbs most of our lives, and vote for democrats. We have a Gretchen Whitmer sign in our front yard, and a most of our white, suburban neighbors do, too. Except for the white suburban folks a few doors down, who donned a large, hand crafted "Lock her up!" sign in their yard for the 2016 election.
I'm always mystified when I hear about these "white suburban woman" who have gained so much attention for being patriarchy devotees and voting for old, white men who promise to take their health care away and to not hurt them as badly as they will the poeple they don't like. It doesn't match what I see on the ground here, every day. Take that, and have a really, really good day.
4
Ah, Utopia comes to be birthed at last. I have heard this declared since the disgraced departure of Richard Nixon. The same year I graduated high school.
More like the French Revolution comes for a few months. Heads roll. Then inevitable recriminations for killing too many who were not sufficiently guilty. Then a period of dormancy and faux reflection, then on to the next cause. As American as apple pie (or key lime pie).
The thing I most like about the French is their almost genetic knowledge that we are all “bad”, and that one should be careful so as not to get too het up lest one find oneself riding in the cart to the guillotine as opposed to throwing rotted vegetables at those shackled in the cart.
But as a mob we sure enjoy the spectacle and carnival-like atmosphere.
And now, a new twist: men walking in the street self-flagellating as an example for all men. But then who expects guilt to raise its ugly head in America.
2
Many men feel perpetually anxious too, but what you describe is unique to women. I idealized the office of President - way too much, probably. But even though I hated what Reagan and Bush DID, I never was completely appalled when they won. I wasn’t disgusted by their very being - their humanity. Trump and what he stands for offends me to my core. He nauseates me, literally. He’s that leering, crude man who leans on the bar and mentally undresses women when they walk by. The most base of men. Watching hm laud “body-slamming” last night made me want to scream.
Ramming Kavanaugh through felt like an assault to women everywhere. And those sexist old coots Hatch, Grassley and Graham are maddening. The context in which we live is incredibly stressful. The men with all the power have abused it and have won - again and again. I agree that there is strength in numbers and more often than not, women use their power for good. Our life experience tells us who and what these guys are. We’ve seen far too many in our lifetimes. Thanks for the positive words, Michelle. We so need them in these dark times.
32
The only thing to ease the despair caused by this president, his minions and the Republicans who control the Congress is to vote these scoundrels out of office, convict those who’ve committed crimes, imprison those whose convictions warrant it, impeach those guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors and restore this country to a diverse republic in which freedom and pride once again reign and America again is admired and respected throughout the world.
Can we do it?
6
From the wonderful Neil deGrasse Tyson:
"Imagine how much more advanced society would be today if women, who comprise half the world’s brain power, were socially and intellectually enfranchised from the beginning of civilization."
22
Thank you for writing this column, Michelle. It has been difficult for me too leave the political despair that has surrounded me since Trump won the Republican nomination and the election of 2016. His policies are unusually bad for most of the middle class and disastrous for others. His immigration policy is inhumane. The appointment of Bret Kavanaugh should not have happened. This has been a very discouraging aspect of the Trump administration.
I am extremely concerned about the "Wapo" columnist, who was detained and allegedly murdered by a group of Saudi hit men. This was so very inhumane and it seems as this incident will be swept under the rug, so to speak, and that the Saudis and this administration hope it will just go away. Why is there not more of an outcry with the public in this matter? Would the Saudis and the Trump administration be complicit in this matter? Will there really be a complete investigation in this matter?
Also, I am extremely concerned that Russian meddling interfered with the 2016 election and that the same thing could happen with the mid-terms. Congress has done absolutely nothing to hinder this, except to appropriate money to provide for a secure election. Why is this? If a foreign government meddled in a political election, wouldn't that be a cause for alarm? These are rhetorical questions: I believe I know the answers. These things greatly concern me.
Off my soap box. Phone banking and knocking on doors are in order.
6
It is indeed painful, to the core. The one-upmanship of the GOP and Trump wrench my gut. They're protecting insurance for pre-existing conditions! They've created jobs! They can fix immigration! What? I'm in TN where not a one of the Dem's are throwing dirt in their faces over these lies, or even trying to show their voting records, to prove them wrong! Their campaigns are pitiful. They don't get young folks involved, they're "glad" if their opponents won't debate them! So yes, I'm terrified that we will not pull this off and stop all of this horror. The Dem men have gone missing from campaign events and all the events I go to here seem to be more social that strategic. In the South most of the Dem's I know come from other places; that's an uphill battle when knocking on doors for sure. We have a lg. Hispanic population and we do nothing to get them involved. We call and knock of the doors of people who are already going to vote Democrat. Again, I'm terrified that we haven't done what needed to be done to win.
6
I applaud these women activists. Here is Seattle we have a woman mayor, Jenny Durkan and her opponent in the election was another woman. She has been anything but threatening to the good old white boy power structure. As a nation we are long, long overdue to provide an equal voice and power sharing to women. Maybe just maybe they can help straighten out the big mess we find ourselves in.
7
"In this, she prefigured Christine Blasey Ford, who blew up her life to testify that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, only to see him confirmed anyway."
The meaning of Ms. Goldberg's sentence here is terrible for our system of justice. What she's saying is that mere testimony - uncorroborated - should be enough to get the result she wants. Think about that. Applying this principle, countless lives could be ruined - jobs lost, reputations in tatters - based solely on what someone says, even if the assertion isn't made in the context of a trial.
I grew up in the McCarthy era, and my family was personally affected by it. The fact that today's left - as opposed to the 1950s left - is supportive of the same odious tactics employed by Joe McCarthy is just beyond belief. The only rationalization I can find for what the country just had to endure is that the ends justify the means. So what if Kavanaugh and his wife and daughters are sacrificed for a greater goal? That same argument was used by some to excuse McCarthyism. So what if a few college professors, writers, and Hollywood actors lose their jobs and reputations. After all, the larger cause of eliminating Commies was served.
The real danger is, if not the law, who gets to decide which ends are worth which means. Yesterday it was Kavanaugh and his family who came within an inch of destruction. Tomorrow it could be you - and you may not be so lucky.
68
@HurryHarry
I certainly agree that the use of unsubstantiated accusations to destroy people, as was done in the McCarthy era, was wrong. However, there is a big distinction between that, and what happened in the Kavenaugh hearings. The problem with the Republican majority's handling of Ms. Blasey Ford's testimony was NOT that her testimony alone was sufficient to determine Kavenaugh's guilt (or in this case, his qualifications for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court). What is upsetting is that Republicans refused to take the time for a full and complete investigation of these very serious charges. Anyone who listened to the hearings has agreed that Christine Blasey Ford was an extremely credible witness. An FBI investigation that only interviewed four people, not including Ford or Kavenaugh, in less than 3 days, is a travesty. The fact that Republicans rushed this nomination through, despite these serious allegations, is the height of hypocrisy given their refusal to even consider the Garland nomination for close to a year.
12
@HurryHarry
Well, yes. Your point is valid, but only in a fair system. I think the issue here is that the dice are loaded. The law serves many things, and one is the perpetuation of power. For those who have it. Consider what the powerful are doing: Trump is but their point man. So, if the majority of women who have been assaulted in some form have not been served by the rules of 'the system' - shaped almost entirely be men - what are the options? I watched Ford and Kavanaugh. My gut tells me she is telling the truth ('m a man). And he was not, on many things. So, back to your challenge: What do you propose? No one sought to destroy him or his family. But if the bar is set at the criminal level for everything, including for those who have the kind of power as those sitting on the SC, how do you propose we make changes that include women?
4
@HurryHarry Your argument is good, but it needs to cover more than just one subject. Women have been on the receiving end of injustice far more often than not. When and IF we fix this problem, it will have to be a blanket cure.
1
I'm a mom of two daughters and this movement is women rising. I volunteer at voter registration tables on weekends, I've donated, phone banked and am a proud member of a women's huddle that has written 12,000 post cards encouraging our neighbors to vote. I'm nervous as heck about the midterms, but I won't give up. My daughters' future depends on it.
17
@Jill
I also have 2 daughters, and a son.
I told me daughter if anything like this were to ever happen to them, its important to tell someone immediately.
Consider if you had a son. Would you be ok with living in a country where a girl could come out of the woodwork when hes 50 years old and accuse him of sexual misconduct, with no proof whatsoever? Basically destroying his life and reputation?
But I ask you, what movement? What would you have preferred happen here? Kavanaughs nomination be scuttled, and his reputation ruined, over an accusation with zero proof? What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty and the burden of proof? All out the window?
Is that the future you want your kids to grow up in?
Seriously, think about that.
7
@Sports Medicine This is not about Kavanagh and I don't know what in my post gave you the idea that it was. In fact, my efforts pre-date his nomination. Most important, I don't think me wanting the best future possible for my daughters means your son's is at risk. Ever heard the phrase, "A rising tide lifts all boats."? Seriously, think about that.
1
I am reminded of Lincoln's musing: "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is not democracy." It would take me a little time to rephrase it regarding the patriarchy from democracy, but I stand with that sentiment.
The patriarchal structure is cruel to women who dare speak or act against it and degrades the souls of men who try to conform to it.
I for one am looking forward to more and more women in Congress, state legislatures, the courts, governors mansions and the White House.
11
Please don't "save" us. I'll take robust GDP growth and historically low unemployment rates over a moribund economy and Obama stagnation.
7
It doesn’t take a professorship to understand that we are reaping the results of the Obama Administration’s economic policies, and that Trump’s tax cuts have swollen the deficit, ensuring an end to the current boom. You’ll understand economics better when you stop watching Fox News.
21
Trump hit a responsive and sympathetic chord with his base – and to more than his base – when he said “it’s a very scary time for young men in America.” And, actually, the men most often called out aren’t particularly young. Some of the most bellicose defenders of #MeToo make no bones about the movement being, to them, about revenge, often at whatever cost to actual justice. That normalizes an attitude that accepts injustices so long as we’re absolutely sure that we’ve caught and punished all the guilty; and that is very un-American.
We’re discussing what kind of structure and modalities will be effective at severely disincentivizing sexually abusive behavior by men, particularly in the workplace, while ALSO requiring that if charges are going to be leveled having the very real potential to destroy a life then they must be credible, actually illegal and, in the end, provable. It’s very much an adversarial discussion, because women, so long denied any real power to protect themselves physically or practicably in an asymmetrical power situation at work, want as much power as they can get to define terms. It’s also difficult because proving such charges often is difficult to an acceptable standard of evidence. But men want bright lines about what constitutes unacceptable behavior worthy of draconian punishment – beyond obvious physical assault and sexual blackmail. And a mere charge cannot serve alone as a criminal conviction.
…
6
…
I have little liking for Al Franken’s politics, but what happened to him for what he is known to have done was outrageously excessive. I’d bet a lot of money that upwards of 80% of men in this country agree – and possibly even a fair number of women. So, we’ll be negotiating those terms for a long time … and, while I don’t believe that a wearable solution to everyone means that women must win or lose, I’m concerned that the heat of the negotiations and the inability of many women to see men’s concerns as legitimate might cause that women win NOTHING in the end.
#MeToo has an enormous number of men who support its legitimate goals: justice for past wrongs, not revenge; severely diminished incidence of sexual abuse in the workplace and elsewhere; and a removal of the stigma women have borne as the victims of such behavior by men. I’m one of those supporters, and a strong one.
But suggest that you really believe that it’s permissible that fishing nets seeking tuna catch and kill a few dolphins so long as you get the tuna, and there will be a formidable backlash from men, who still hold the levers of power in our corporations and in our courts.
We must NOT let #MeToo fail for excess.
As to whether Democrats flip the House or not in a few weeks, it really is immaterial to this issue. #MeToo didn’t rise on Obama’s (or Democrats’) watch but on Trump’s and Republicans’. We still need to come to an acceptable modus operandi that WORKS.
10
When 1,500 characters isn't enough, you're doing it wrong.
Why does repeat why does this prolix bloviator still have a "get out of moderation free" card, the world wonders.
10
@Richard Luettgen
I often don't agree with your comments, but I do agree with this one.
The republican leadership feels they saved a little face with the Kavanaugh nomination. What they will soon learn is that this confirmation was the affront too far, in their war for existence with an electorate, that has just been given the impetus which will enable it to enlarge it's fight to regain a rightful representation.
11
As a woman, I love my feminist brothers more than the so called "born" women who backstab feminism. Incidentally, these "conservative" women enjoy the benefits of progressive women's movement when it comes to equal pay for equal work etc. It's time that we identify ourselves as "feminists" and not expect an individual to be feminist and/or progressive just because they are "born" as a woman. Men have been some of the biggest allies and activists of the feminist movement, why do we forget that?
14
@Lesser_evil
I get your anger, but lumping women into 2 camps, demonizing one camp that contains potential Democratic voters (who may not be as hypnotized by the "patriarchy" as you are depicting them) is not going to help the Democrats win the election! You're assuming that all women fall into one of two camps: virtuous feminists and evil Serena Joys. That's too simplistic.
4
@Clarice Thank you for your response. I wish it was that simple :)...I am aware that it's not. Let me clarify, I am looking forward to starting an exhaustive conversation about women who consciously or unconsciously adopt to a patriarchal, almost misogynistic approach towards other women. I have always known more progressive women than men, but during Dr. Ford's testimony, I painfully observed that many of my female friends and co-workers, empathized with Kavanaugh, while tearing Dr. Ford apart...calling her a "liar", an "attention seeking" "money maker". I also noticed, men supporting and identifying with Dr. Ford, especially with the trauma that she had endured, and kept hidden. Men who undergo sexual abuse as children, frequently hide trauma too.
So, I humbly ask, to start a new discussion....about greater inclusion of "progressive" individuals (both men and women) for women's causes. I think we are doing a dis-service by clubbing men into one group. We are also not benefitting women's causes by assuming being "born" a woman makes someone automatically progressive or anti-patriarchal.
@Lesser_evil
Thanks for the thoughtful response, with which I agree 80%.The one facet of your answer I disagree with is that concerning Kavanaugh. You imply that the only way a woman could have possibly sympathized with Brett K (yes, allusion to Josef K intended) was due to an unconscious adherence to patriarchy. I sympathized with him because no evidence was presented that convinced me he did what CBF said he did. I also found her to be unconvincing (yes, I a woman, thought she lacked credibility-why are the Dems not pursuing her charges now?). I thought the Dems should have investigated Brett K's involvement with the torture memos and mysterious debts, not used sexual assault to get him. But thanks again for the dialogue.
I agree with everything said here, but a word of caution. Stereotyping men is convenient shorthand to make a valid point. Doing so does not affect abusers or predators, other than to make them angry. But there are men like me who are neither predators or abusers, and we don't like being painted with the same brush. The summary dismissal of Al Franken from the senate still rankles out here.
22
@Prairie Populist -- Al was not "dismissed" ... he chose to leave.
In the mix of circumstances around that debacle one thing is obvious: Franken and Tweeden did not like each other at all ... I think it is really obvious why, too.
If there's a lesson in this for guys it's really simple: don't play 13-year-old-boy humor on women who don't like you, particularly women who end up as right-wing radio personalities ... when you are a lefty.
And particularly don't do so hamming it up for the camera.
There's a fact every judge knows: the underlying crime of almost every perp that stands in front of them is stupidity, but there's no law on the books against it.
Al Franken effectively pled guilty to stupidity.
4
True fact: Women of color stood against Donald Trump before he was elected and White women elected a documented sexist and confessed sexual assaulter.
My solidarity with White women died on January 21,2017 on the ride home from the Woman’s March in Washington DC. It took me 52 years to realize that I’m not considered a woman in this society - just a Black.
Y’all talk about rage? I can’t even describe how angry I am at White women and their complicity in Donald Trump’s hatred of everyone not rich White and male. It makes me sick to my stomach, every time one of your colleagues write another “Poor suffering Melania, Ivanka, Hope Hicks, Sarah Huckabee Sanders article.
But ever the optimist I will give you the same deal I gave Barack Obama in 2008: BEFORE I WASTE MY TIME AND HEART SUPPORTING YOU, I NEED TO SEE YOU GET A LOT OF WHITE VOTERS. You see, I don’t have the cloak of Whiteness to protect myself and my family when you fail to influence your sisters, brothers, parents, co-workers, communities and elected leaders.
Y’all talk amongst yourselves and let me know what you decide. I’ll be over here preparing for the worst.
15
I wouldn't put all white women in the camp you've put them. I know a lot of white women who voted for HRC. I know a lot of white women who voted for Obama. It is also a fact that black voters stayed home in my own state of Michigan, handing our state to Trump by around 10,000 votes. That happened in other states too. My hope is that the black community, men and women, will get out and vote on Nov 6. No candidate is perfect, no proposal is perfect, but we can pick the best of the options, and that CAN make a difference in our lives.
19
My brain is overloaded and ready to explode over all that's being written about the coming elections and our political disaster. My advice? Go to the movies. Better yet, rent "Singing in the Rain."
39
@Nicole, please go to the movies. The rest of us will determine your fate with our votes.
3
File under “Attitude That Helped Begat Trump.”
4
@Nicole: we are going to see Randy Rainbow perform tonight.
This column is inspirational to me. What's perplexing however is how many women support Trump. They are afraid of immigrants and the "leftist mob" and Big Daddy Trump promises to protect them. How can that dynamic that seems to be hard-wired into some be dispelled ?
10
Thanks. Let's not give up. Help canvass for your reality-based candidates and then roll up the sleeves in preparation for 2020.
8
I, and many of my female friends became much more politically active since the 2016 election. I marched in the Women's March in D.C. in January of 2017, and countless others in NYC since then. I have donated money to democratic candidates all over the country, have phoned my Senators, have signed petitions, and am sending postcards this weekend. I am basically more involved now, then ever before, and this is just the beginning. This is the new normal. I will never stop. We must all be as involved as we can be. It is crucial, now more than ever. Our democracy, and with global warming affecting us sooner, rather than later, our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren are at stake.
10
It is going to be African-American women who save this democracy. It is going to be these women who stand in very long lines because their precinct polling places have been shut down. It is going to be these women who miss work to stand in those lines.
So my suggestion is that if you live near these places where long lines (because of Republicans) impact voting, go out with water and sandwiches and good cheer and HELP THEM.
The black women did it for us in Virginia and Alabama. They can do it for us everywhere. They are the lead force on this road back to a healthy democracy. And I want them to know that I, a white woman, LOVE THEM for being a leading force in the retaking of America from Trump and the Ugly Republicans.
18 days. I can hardly breathe. And that's no exaggeration.
752
@sophia Hugs- thank you for the excellent suggestion for providing comfort in the voter lines.
5
@sophia Assuming you are a white woman, as am I, I believe we should be willing to stand in any line, regardless how long, to vote as well. And then go grab and distribute the coffee, water, sandwiches, etc.
@sophia My suggestion to all is that if you know of or see long lines at the polling place bring them as well folding chairs, they will be much appreciated and can be shared by many all day long.
2
Iceland turned to an all female government to get themselves out of the enormous financial crisis created by their men in 2008. The women did save their economy.
We, both men and women here in Michigan, have nominated a slate of incredibly qualified, experienced women running on a practical platform of real solutions. They work very hard to get informed about what the citizens want and need.
Most of all these candidates are honest human beings who have not lined their pockets at other peoples’ expense, nor sought to gratify their egos by putting other people down.
Yes, it really is that simple. Boring maybe, but we want leaders who honor human rights as a given, and spend their time delivering the most for the many.
The biggest mistake Republicans are making is thinking that the voters are stupid.
12
Always remember and never forget that 53% of white women voted for Trump, his p-grabbing remarks notwithstanding.
Republican women in the United States Senate voted for Kavanaugh, a lying drunken frat boy attempted rapist. Remember that there are women who have bought the fertilizer that their men are in danger of having their lives ruined because some vindictive woman will falsely accuse him of sexual misconduct. Poor Brett.
Men and women who believe in putting a check on Trump and the lying thieving Republicans ought to vote for the Democrats.
Women and men who want universal healthcare, excellent public schools, true infrastructure repair and modernization, a human immigration system, more green energy producing more green jobs and fighting the ravages of climate change, a higher minimum wage and legal protection for unions and more. . . . Ought to vote for Democrats.
We get the government we deserve, and we deserve better than this.
We the People take our power back on Election Day and during Election Season. Early voting has started in some states. VOTE!!!
14
@Valerie Elverton Dixon "...who want universal healthcare, excellent public schools,..."
Am I mistaken, but hasn't K-12 been the pervue of the Democrat controlled teachers unions for the last 50 years?
I guess the students learned so much about multi-cultural political correctness, global climate warming change and personal sensitivities, there was little brain space left to reason why someone like Trump should not be elected. Or, no one reminded the students to go vote. The NYT is a long way from capturing the average 18 year old's attention.
Imagine if only people between 18 and 21 were allowed to vote.
2
Like I said before - “Nov. 6th is not an election, it’s an IQ test”, and any woman that doesn’t vote against Trump’s minions but chooses to stay on “daddy’s” and “hubby’s” coattails, deserves and dare I say, has earned her second-class citizen status.
22
One can be a decent person or a Trump supporter. It’s not possible to be both.
32
Sadly, the "existential threat" isn't from Trump. The existential threat is from those of our fellow citizens who vote for him and his lackeys.
And the only way that can be remedied is to build an educational system which teaches children to think rather than regurgitate and conform. So, that system must especially concentrate on getting us to think about what 'makes us tick' as human beings. The brilliant writer Yuval Noah Harari claims that the short adage carved on a temple in Greece is now more important to follow than ever. That adage is "Know Thyself." Seemingly simple but that's part of the problem because it's the opposite of simple. Sadly.
5
If you are that upset about politics, take a valium. Politics should NOT be that important in anyone's life.
The person most responsible for your happiness is the person looking back at you in the mirror.
Not the President. Not your senator. Not the governor.
7
I am Jewish. In my parents lifetime politics led to the death of 6 million of my people - and almost all of our family in Europe. Don’t you dare tell me that politics is not personal - and that the resurfacing of toxic nationalism should not affect my happiness.
If politics is not personal to you it is because you have the luxury of privilege- in whatever political, social or economic form it may take - and are not one of the groups this administration is trying to criminalize, disenfranchise, deport or impoverish.
539
@Samantha Thanks for saying this so well. I too am Jewish and have known discrimination in my small town since I was a child. I take Trump's ethnic and racial slurs very personally indeed.
Activism supported by organizational management is the path to control in a democracy. Though it seems gender politics is the object of today, make no mistake, this is about control. Not only by men, but also by rich, powerful women who seek to maintain the "traditional" control of the old white crowd. Why else would "conservatives" cease to be conservative? Why else would "religious" people cease to be religious? It's not the "economy stupid". It's the "turnout stupid."
2
Truth. I am calling, knocking doors and manning the local Dem office. I feel good, even when working red, rural areas; there is enough positive response to feed my soul. Get out of your house, get off fb, turn off MSNBC. Go to the office and DO something! Drop off some food for vols, vote absentee, spend an hour making phone calls, drop off coffee or toilet paper. Get out of your head and your worry; get with your people!
7
God bless the women. And the men that get it. It is time to restore America’s leadership role in the world. And it is time to rid America from the stench of Trump. How dare he applaud a politician who assaulted a reporter? Throw him out!!
13
Can these women out-hack the hackers? How honest will these elections be? It is not looking good so far.
1
If you are looking for a more lasting solution to political despair, consider the teachings of Buddha and the eight-fold path: Right View: Right Intention: Right Speech; Right Conduct; Right Livelihood: Right Effort: Right Mindfulness; Right concentration. The world is no more insane than it has ever been, there's just more of it. It's screaming at us as we seek to meditate under the tree of life, just as Buddha did. It's threatening to blow up our world, it's trying to seduce us with sex, drugs, and shallow vanities. It's threatening the lives of our children and grandchildren. It's promoting fear and offering us false, temporary relief. By all means, promote what is good. Vote for what is right. But do not be disturbed when Mara ridicules your efforts and tells you what a foolish waste of time your attempts to make the world a better place have been. Do not invest in the self. It, too, is an illusion.
1
I also think it's important to remind women they are not alone.
There are millions of middle-aged white males like me who are doing all we can to fight, resist and protest this misogynistic, racist, authoritarian regime and its enablers.
The Trumps, McConnells and Kavanuaghs of the world are not the only example of what white men look like today. These hopelessly corrupt, contemptible hypocrites are a threat to all of us, not just women. Together we can show them the door.
21
Heard Joe Scarborough this morning talking about fascism on the rise, but claiming that Democrats can't use it to campaign because they've been calling Republicans fascists and Nazis and every name in the book "since 1963."
All I could think was: Turns out we were correct.
28
As an old, white guy, I too am scared of our dive into the sewer. I am distraught by the failure of our educational system, and the lack of critical thinking in our society. Education and respect are the key, and both are lacking. Please, informed readers of the Times, vote in several weeks as though your life depended on it.
13
Don't mistake Blasey Ford's testimony for useless.
It takes a long time to make serious changes in a society. It takes many, many people and the conversion of one person at a time.
In the 80s, women (including me) entered "male" professions. We were fought fiercely and meanly by the old guard. Some days ended in defeat. But ultimately we won.
To use another example, Bull Connor's turning dogs on civil rights protestors was a defeat at the moment. But those images were too ugly to forget.
It takes time and many, many incidents to make a deep change. Ford did her part, and we are grateful to her.
The old men, like the despicable Mitch McConnell, will not go down without a hard, mean, underhanded fight, but they will go down in the end.
12
The tsunami of articles saying this same thing, over and over, for two plus years, is the cause of my political despair. In 50 years I've not seen such monolithic coverage of anything. The total lack of any other editorial topic or perspective is absolutely deadening.
We get it. Men are terrible, women are great, Trump is a fascist, #metoo is the most important movement in human history and Brett Kavanaugh is worse than Himmler .
But really, did WWII get this much coverage? C'mon Times, it's a big world out there. Something, anything else...
5
This too shall pass. Like a very large kidney stone.
VOTE, or allow yourself to be abused. Period.
11
This is my experience too Michelle, it works. I canvassed for my congressional candidate this past summer and will be making phone calls, I have been working with an organization in the Hudson Valley that is helping asylum seekers. Getting out of one's head and helping to make the world a better place relieves anxiety and is invigorating to boot.
9
If there's an “outbreak of male resentment” that plays a “defining role” in the midterms, well there's probably a good reason for it. Too many columns in the NYT are rife with a high level of condescension that the majority of men find revolting. Many otherwise enlightened people seem to think that putting a man down by shaming him for the transgressions of a few criminal men is a sort of privilege or entitlement. We live in a time when so called feminists feel no embarrassment in taking cheap shots at "white males" which carries a disclaimer that prejudice against white males is not racist or sexist, since it is not directed at the oppressed...right! Or consider, for example, the number of neologisms that use “man” as a derogatory prefix & that have entered everyday language: “mansplaining,” “manspreading” and “manterrupting.” Are these primarily male behaviors that justify the gender-specific terms? No. When did misandry... a person who dislikes men become acceptable? When did the various man-hating stabs, jibes, insults & expectations become part of our culture? Why do our cultural norms protect & celebrate this kind behavior as “hip” or “sassy”? Isn't this a double standard? Misogyny & misandry is unacceptable whether it comes from the left or right? If you seriously want to tear down the web of institutions that systemically oppress women you will need as many allies as you can get. Telling half the population that you hate them, even in jest, is not the way to do that.
7
Oh give me a break.... we should be behaving with a beehive mentality like what was tried for Judge Kavanaugh? All women don't think alike and just because I have a uterus, I'm going to think for myself and logically.
6
Women are doing their best trying to save America from Donald Trump. Alas, Michelle Goldberg, the political despair we feel after 2 years of an unfit president's administration is unquantifiable. The only cure for the cancer infecting our divided country is regime change.
15
It's not enough just to reject Trump and the crooked, self-serving presidency he represents, it's also a rejection of the whole current Republican gang like McConnell , Graham and all Trump's defenders like Alice Steward and Scott Jefferies (regulars on CNN) who excuse anything Trump says or does because all that's important to them is we're makin money.
3
The difference I sense is fear. Fear that this can’t be undone, fear that the divide is too deep, fear that it's too late and THAT is what sits in the pit of my stomach. Knowing there is a groundswell of woman (and good men) who are fighting back reminds me the same feelings of hope I had at the Women’s March in Vancouver. I looked around that day and thought, it will be women who will turn this ship around.
Do not let this man define your country a moment longer, show the world you are better than this and vote on November 6th.
12
" the statistics website FiveThirtyEight gives Democrats a roughly five-in-six chance of at least taking the House"
Just like FiveThirtyEight gave Mrs. Clinton a five a roughly five-in-six chance of winning the election.
Oh, wait. She did win the election. (Just not the presidency.)
4
@Padonna
The Republicans don’t have Manafort around to buy an Electoral College during a Congressional election. Smile.
3
#MeToo, Michelle! I'm for the Constitution, for democracy, for human decency, and for all the women in America who stand against the fear and hate, the racism and misogyny, the daily destruction of our "rule of law" and are for the values of plain old American respect exemplified in the saying "As American as Mom and Apple Pie." Moms and their men are ready and eager to vote to serve a helping of humble pie to the Trumpublicans who have demeaned and dehumanized them.
7
Russian roulette is a rather grim analogy but five-in-six chances are good. Said another way, Democrats have about an 80 percent chance of retaking the House. If you were to take a pair dice, the Republicans have about the same chance of winning the House as you do of rolling a 7 in one throw. Unfortunately, these are about the same odds Phil Bredesen has in the Senate.
I know we all feel much better surrounding ourselves with optimistic and empathetic individuals. It makes you feel good. From a strategic stand point though, you're more than a little late to the game if you're just checking-in now. We're three weeks out from election. Many states have already closed voter registration. About the only thing you can do at this point is arrange transportation and provide services for people at the polls. Please do.
However, I think more people need to understand the mechanics of how an election actually works. I find the recent editorial blitz by the New York Times slightly disingenuous. If you value the opinions of voters, female or otherwise, the time to encourage their engagement was over six months ago. That's when voters have a stake in shaping policy and nominating candidates. Coming to the door now is basically asking a voter to support what you chose for them. That's not a very democratic gesture coming from Democrats.
How to interpret the incomprehensible fact that fifty-three per cent of white women voted for Trump in 2016? I await with my own inner panic the expectation that white women will effect his repudiation in 2018 and beyond.
2
Sigh. I'm getting pretty tired of the 'frat boy' cliche. Are there fraternity chapters whose members act badly?YES. Are all fraternity members misogynist bullies? NO. Have many fraternities improved their behavior since the 1950s? Yes. So BKs behavior in college was likely to have been bad (to put it mildly), and maybe his fraternity brothers also acted badly, and yes he should have owned up to his past behavior, and yes his behaviour during his confirmation should have disqualified him. But that does not justify casting all fraternity members under the bus.
3
Been making calls for Anthony Brindisi in N.Y. 22nd Congressional district. It works for men too!
2
American women are the last redoubt for a presidency gone amuck. In the privacy of the voting booth, it is imperative that they go against the beliefs of their husbands and vote against Donald Trump and his ilk. The very future of the United States depends upon it. If your husband is a reasonable person who allows you the space to exercise your own judgment, you might tell him what you have done. If he is not, keep it to yourself, knowing you have done what's best for the country.
In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer using a "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof of how we have tricked this survival program with our ridiculous beliefs about just what is supposed to survive - creating minds programmed de facto for destruction. When we come to understand this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity.
See RevolutionOFReason.com
4
"In this, she prefigured Christine Blasey Ford, who blew up her life to testify that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, only to see him confirmed anyway." I hadn't known she came forward in order to wreck his nomination. This explains why Senator Feinstein's office kept the letter hidden until the end of the hearings and did not seek a full FBI investigation. Evidently, from what you say, Dr. Ford's minders had a political goal and not one related to finding the truth or seeking justice. I believed Dr. Ford had not wanted to destroy Kavanaugh's nomination. I thought she had said she did not believe his teenage deeds warranted the destruction of his career. Now that you have explained more fully the scope of Dr. Ford's political motivations, I better understand her sense of frustration and failure. My God. This was really nothing more than a political assassination, an attempt to destroy a man's career, his reputation, and an assault on those who supported his nomination. This was diabolical. Thank you for exposing this.
5
By focusing on the mirror image of the grievance politics successfully deployed by Trump ("I told you I was sexually assaulted and you didn't pay attention"), Michelle Goldberg does a disservice to the many men who are not only repulsed by the current regimes in Washington and Lansing, but equally fed up with those who continually turn every political conflict into one of group identities. Our currently dysfunctional politics are unlikely to change until we begin to consider what is best for our county as a whole, and not just address the perceived injustices every sliver of society brings to the table.
5
I am starting to get a little despondent about the NYTImes total focus on identity politics in this elections in terms of Man Vs Woman and that women are trying to save us all from Trump. Firstly it ignores and denigrates the men who are fighting against the GOP and second it completely ignores the fact the 53% of WHITE women voted for Trump in 2016. We could not have GOP majorities in the House, Senate and local legislatures without majorities of White women voting for the GOP. As studies have shown, only twice in recent political history (50 years) have white women majorities voted for Democrats. This is not a war of Men vs Women. Its more a war of white women vs women of color who consistently and in large majorities vote democrat (over 80% if women of color voted for Clinton). Please stop creating simple barrier lines between groups when the picture is much more nuanced than that.
3
Those women should feel panic.
Not much will change for the better.
The Republicans have wrapped it up with
1. money (United Citizens)
2. gerrymandering
3. Restricted voting hours
4. Uneducated population who vote against their own interests
5. Hate
6. Racism and the other isms
7. Lies (outright lying)
8 Failure to vote.
Which one of these do not those women with hope understand?
Come back in 2 1/2 weeks. It will no longer be panic, but even greater hopelessness, helplessnes and despair.
esp
2
This would be more compelling if the evidence were not clear that Democrat Party Feminism is a Female Supremacy Movement.
Zero concern for men and boys who are sexually assaulted by women.
Zero concern for basic due process rights like a right to legal counsel, a right to know the charges against you, the right to ask questions, and the right to an impartial judge.
Zero concern for allegations made in employment, where Allegation = Permanent Unemployment.
Zero concern for men's health issues, like the epidemic of oral and throat cancers in men caused by HPV as a result of providing oral pleasure to women.
Zero concern for the many structural ways that K-12 education is stacked against boys (and those girls who are active or experiential learners).
Nope, for Michelle and her friends, it is ALL about JUST WOMEN, ALL the time.
The Matriarchy is Female Fascism.
5
@Frank
'it is ALL about JUST WOMEN, ALL the time.'
Must you be so dramatic when other Americans express concern about issues that don't personally effect you?
6
Sorry but I am tired of hyperventilating. Listening to women like Ms. Goldberg, you’d think that the second coming of Hitler is at hand. Or is it Stalin? As opposed to most American, however, I know from my own family history what real totalitarian regimes were like. My grandmother faced not microaggression but bullets. Her sister was shot and thrown into a ditch with her dead children. Her husband was arrested by the KGB on false denunciation. And I’m supposed to get hysterical because of the confirmation of Kavanaugh? He was not my choice for the Supreme Court but I don’t think that an unproven accusation should derail a man’s career. Trump was not my choice for president but he is not a totalitarian dictator. As a woman and a feminist, I am getting very tired of the “sisterhood of hyperbole” represented by Ms. Goldberg and her excitable fans.
7
I am quite literally physically sick this campaign season. I have a chronic headache and my stomach hurts all the time. Did I say I was running for office as a Dem in a very very very red state? The stress is making me ill. I am still, however, working the doors, the phones and the mail to get the message out that we need Democrats in office. Somehow we need to right the ship before the long slow slide into fascism is complete. Get out and VOTE!!!!
9
I'm still wondering why, in 2017, a woman was not elected Mayor in New York City or Governor in New Jersey. New York City is very blue, as is New Jersey. Maybe it is not enough to babble about misogyny, and time to admit that a woman's integrity and moral fiber, position on issues and political party do matter.
3
Thank you Michelle for putting down in words my gut wrenching fear of the midterm outcomes. It is still unbelievable that we are here in this time and place with these white old men telling us to sit down and shut up. Vote blue.
9
All women are not democrat lapdogs like Goldberg and her ilk. They voted overwhelmingly for Trump and his agenda and he has delivered in spades. Economy booming. Peace in the world. Supreme Court is now Trump's court. These are good things. Look for red wave in 19 days.
2
My wife is not given to deep political considerations. She made a statement recently that I found to be somewhat disturbing. She said that she didn't think that the United States would last much longer. In a sense, she could be right. The country has already changed from what it once was. If it is to be saved, it's probably up to the women to save it.
6
I’m in, Michelle! I’m a Boomer from the West Coast, and I’ve been ready for this since the 60’s. Not to be too nostalgic or corny, but long ago I chose Helen Reddy’s I AM WOMAN over Tammy Wynette’s STAND BY YOUR MAN. (And I’ve had a lasting marriage for over 50 years.)
My stomach sunk also when Kavanaugh was confirmed. My visceral feeling mimiced that when Trump was elected. To be honest, both men make my skin crawl. Yet, and perhaps it was that metaphorical tidal wave that surged through this nation of strong women that I sensed, I was ready and more willing than ever on the very next morning to take on this unjust misogyny and patriarchal control spewing from our now three branches of government.
We can do this, we must do this. We sisters from the north, east, and west are with our “steel magnolias” from the south. Let’s get ‘em!
364
@Kathy Lollock
We brothers are with you too.
I believe that we will win!
4
Unfortunately, women in America are far behind the men from very inception of this great county. Women had to wait to have voting right for long time. We do not have woman head of the state yet when so many countries including UK, Germany, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Srilanka, Indonesia, South Korea, Argentina and so many other countries have head of the government. We came very close to have woman president in 2016 but Russia, Comey, Facebook, Wikileaks and some social media together destroyed the possibility ( Hillary's campaign was number one responsible for loss). Hope this midterm election will bring some good news for women and men as well. Remember our mother, wife and daughters are women.
4
I would like to see more women running for public office. It’s all to the good to get diverse opinions in government. But this article seems to be making the assumption conservatism is bad for women and that women by definition are liberal. I simply do not believe this to be the case. This hysteria (and yes I do know the root of this word) about Trump is unhealthy in that it encourages opposition to every thing the man does or wants to do when a better course would be to put forth reasonable, practical, solutions to society’s problems. As an example, look at immigration. It would be far more productive to get behind a program for expanding and accelerating legal immigration than to wail about the people who come here illegally. Yet the left prefers to wail and in the process alienating moderate voters.
4
@TW Smith - let me see if I can explain it to you. It’s not about conservatism or liberalism per se. While there are many reasons to resist the trump administration, when it comes specifically to women, trump is bad for women’s status as equal citizens who have a right to equality and self determination. This is demonstrably true based on his behavior, speech, policy ideas and treatment of women. As such, many women see a primal need to defend themselves against Trumpism which seeks to diminish us (and others). How can we be expected to look past this for any reason?
10
@TW Smith - I'm a woman who left the Republican party because conservatism as it stands today is bad for women in every way shape and form, starting with economically because the party refuses to get behind things like equal pay, affordable health care and education.
7
Do you have it exactly backwards. The left is not wailing about immigration, the nativist right wing is. They have absolutely no concept of what A sane immigration policy looks like, all they want is to see nonwhites not entering the country.
9
New Mexico needs to use the Michigan Democrats play book. I noticed on my sample ballot for my State district that there was no Democrat running for two offices - State Representative, and Public Education Commissioner, the latter Republican wants to supplant the Constitution with the Bible, and vouchers for private school. Albuquerque is predominantly Democrat. I'm a retired educator. I'll run against that guy next time. I feel guilty for not paying better attention. That's it many times - pay attention Democrats.
46
@M.S. Shackley
Like President Trump, you mistakenly invoke the ‘presumption of innocence’ to defend someone who is not on trial, hoping folks will abandon critical thinking. Sorry, no dice. Either Blasey Ford or Kavanaugh is lying. Take a chance that it’s not Kavanaugh (who lost his temper and, at best, grossly misrepresented his drinking) and put him on the Supreme Court for life? Not if you care about the Supreme Court more than you do about partisan power.
1
@M.S. Shackley
Here's hoping that you run in two years, collaborate with a group of powerful women, and WIN. Come back, New Mexico!!
1
If the Kavanaugh nomination was successfully scuttled, then then Im sorry to say, the mob would have won over the rule of law. The presumption of innocence and the burden of proof are 2 of the most basic tenets of American society. Were we to just toss them aside this one time? This one time because it was a Supreme Court seat? What kind of precedent would that have set? Put on a great, convincing perfomance, and we could prevent anyone from attaining any higher office, or any job. That is the sole reason why we came up with those basic laws in the first place. It is quite disheartening to say this, but Democrat politicians, together with their enabling cohorts in the media, and not to mention their paid underlings accosting Senators in elevators and restaurants, lowered themselves to an out of control mob. That should scare any American, and any immigrant aspiring to come here to flee lawlessness and oppression. If thats what they are capable of when their back is against the wall, how far would they go if they were in power?
13
@Sports Medicine Perhaps, if OUR representatives deigned to meet with us, their constituents, we would not have to resort to "accosting" OUR representatives wherever we can find them just so we can inform them of how we, their constituents, are thinking about issues before them.
40
The "presumption of innocence" is a legal concept applied in a criminal proceeding, not a hiring/confirmation process. The allegations against him were not thoroughly investigated. Why the rush to a vote?
59
@Sports Medicine
There is no presumption of innocence in a Supreme Court nomination. Kavanaugh is UNFIT to serve on the highest court in the land. Rather than a mob, what you hear are people doing their civic duty.
37
I always voted and thought it was enough.
And then George W. Bush was elected, and I started giving money to campaigns. I thought it was enough.
This year I am phonebanking, writing postcards, and I'm signed up to canvas in the last days of the campaign. I hope it will be enough.
I am 58 years old. Women of my generation are the invisible Indivisible. Older women just sort of fade into the scenery for most people. But we quietly get the job done when it comes to volunteering in schools, soup kitchens, and doing the thankless gritty work of helping those in need throughout our communities. We are now putting that energy into political campaigns.
The NYTimes can keep running its endless series of interviews with male Trump voters gassing away in midwestern diners about how happy they are with the status quo.
We don't care. We'll just keep quietly working for change.
If you are part of the invisible Indivisible, i hope you will join us. We need you.
275
@Brenda
I am and I have. I am 59. You are not alone.
2
@Brenda with you sister 100%. I SEE you.
3
@Brenda
you are , and we who believe in you, the Siilent Majority.
It is obvious that it will be up to the women in this country to save it from the men in power who are dragging us all through the mud and slime of a ruling clique that has dropped all pretense of adhering to ethical or moral boundaries. You may be our last hope for tipping the scales back towards a civilized country.
52
@Etienne - You may be right but what keeps me going each day is that none of the many men in my life are anything like Trump or his supporters.
There are a lot of good men out there, they just don't make headlines.
3
Framing the political battle as one of women vs. men is the best way to ensure that the Republicans will remain in control.
106
@Martin I see it differently. Republicans framing themselves as victims when they assault women, is why Dems are taking back the House in a few weeks. Maybe we can even impeach Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas for lying to Congress, under oath. We'll definitely subpoena Trump's tax returns, to find out how much he's in debt to Russians, and how much money Russian billionaires and gangsters laundered through Trump's failing businesses.
6
@Martin
It's the Republicans who frame it that way. If *they* are successful at doing so, as they have been successful at framing so many other political battles as "everyone else v them," then they will indeed remain in control.
1
@Martin
Sorry, you don't get to tell women what they should be doing.
5
patriarchy again and always? may I
be allowed to point out that "patriarchs "
gave us our greatest works of art ,our
infrastructure which keeps this country
moving and a constitution and declaration
of independence which has kept it free
for hundreds of years. I will vote for
whoever I think will do a good job
fighting Trump, regardless of whether
they are men or women.as for Ms.
Goldberg and her endless critique of
the male species, she will end up
creating resentment and division
which will only divide America.
7
@Frank
umnmm, need i remind you that for most of history women weren't really allowed to create great works of art , though they did anyway. they weren't allowed to be involved in the creation of infrastructure that keeps the country moving. they weren't allowed to contribute to the writing of the declaration of independence because they weren't considered independent. it would be an interesting intellectual exercise to contemplate how the country might have "grown up" if women had been given equal representation. Perhaps slavery might never have been codified. Perhaps the native american population would not have been decimated by the deliberate introduction of smallpox. It is entirely possible that the country might have been in a better place than it is today, which is an admittedly low bar given where the country is today.
Oh, and just for the record, I am a 61 year old MALE.
48
@Frank: "our" greatest works of art were identified as such by male critics who belonged to a male-dominated profession. Men had the money to buy art and they bought what they wanted and what reflected their own taste. Men prevented women from becoming educated, banned them from universities, the church, and government. In many countries women could not own property on their own. We could not even vote in this country until the 1920s. It is difficult to build infrastructure or to make art in a land where you are not allowed to become an engineer, an architect, or an artist. Your argument that men's skills are historically superior is a specious one that has been used for centuries as justification to maintain the patriarchal structure. Of course women won't produce much of anything if they are banned from studying or practicing most professions. Read some history about women and their struggles to gain entry to all male-dominated schools and professions before spouting off about things you obviously have not thought about very deeply.
31
@Frank
Let's recount what the patriarchy has given America (and the world):
Slavery, the original sin that haunts this nation to this very day. Slavery, embedded in the Constitution that blacks were to be counted as 5/8th of a person. Yeah, some real wisdom and empathy from those Founders Fathers.
Jim Crow. A deliberate attempt to have two nations within the one. A society for whites and another for blacks. Separate but equal, white men falsely claimed, while holding this country up to the world as a beacon of freedom, liberty and justice. Try telling the spirits of every lynched black man, woman and child as a result of that lie.
The deliberate near eradication of the indigenous Native American population, followed by history's biggest land grab. Done, of course, under the guise of white Christian Male patriarchy.
The disenfranchisement of women for more than two centuries. The winks and nods at bad behavior by men in both high and low places.
It is the American White Male Patriarchy and its actions that has brought the nation to this perilous point in history. You want the privileges that comes with the status, but accept no responsibility for the damage your hubris and greed has inflicted. A second American Revolution is coming. Let's hope it is a peaceful one.
13
The implicit claim, citing Jason Stanley's recent book on fascism, that men gravitate to fascism, while women "intuitively" uphold liberal democracy, is historically false and politically misguided. It is a well-established historical fact that the Nazi party made enormous inroads among women voters between 1930 and 1933. In many areas of Germany, the Nazis made greater gains among women -- especially from the middle class -- than among men. This process reflected a lower level of female commitment to the Social Democratic and Communist parties, which were anti-fascist and strongly supported by industrial workers.
The lesson to be drawn from history is that a serious and effective struggle against the growth of the extreme right should be based on the recognition of the primacy of class, not gender, in the determination of political orientation. Opposition to Trump requires the unity of working people, men and women, based on their shared class interests.
164
@Morris, good point.
Over all of history, from Moses leading his people out of the Egyptian Empire, Christ trying to overcome the Roman Empire with Love, our own starting of a "Revolution Against Empire" [Justin du Rivage], and all modern 'nation-state' centric Empires, like the Nazi Empire --- the only accurate and effective action for 'we the people' to make is to vote toward making our country "act like a democracy" vs. voting to allow a continuation of Emperor Trump's making our country "act like a global Empire".
1
@Morris
Sure. Meanwhile, it appears to me in Colorado, that women in fact are the ones getting the job done.
Join in. But don't undercut the leaders.
1
@Morris, the class struggle is secondary to the gender struggle. Marx turned this upside down because he was so very male. It is hard for men to admit, but the most important change society needs now is to once and for all, stop cahuvinism, the mechanism of gender domination. All other struggels will come from there. Women vote with their husbands out of fear.
2
There’s another big unknown: election fraud. I would be a lot more confident about the Democrats taking at least the House if it weren’t for voting machines without paper trail, hackable machines etc.
53
@Brewing Monk why do you assume that the hackers would favor the Republicans ?
2
I hope conservatism or at least American conservatism is identified as the cancer that it is and America can join the 21st century.
It is a different world here in Quebec where finally men are empowered to report spousal abuse. This isn't a struggle between men and women. We share a common humanity and the we have to stop the idea that the weak are to be left to the mercy of the strong.
The poll that shows that 38% of the US population that believes Kavanaugh is telling the truth doesn't taken into account that 38% of the American population lie to pollsters.
7
Excellent advice.
There are few feelings worse for the soul than a sense of powerlessness in the presence of evil.
Vote,
ONLY for Democrats.
Actively encourage and help others to vote -
ONLY for Democrats.
-- Stuff envelopes
-- Make telephone calls
-- Knock on doors
-- Contribute money
-- Drive other voters to polls
Finally, poll watch to help prevent Russian-Republicans from stealing another election.
14
This is assuming America needs saving from Trump, we’re the only economy hitting on all cylinders right now, everybody has money, everybody has a job and property values as well as market values are peaking.
Somehow, I don’t think women are the answer, but if the Democrats are going to run another woman for president, we’re going to see another term for Trump, it’s that simple
4
@Crossing Overhead
I don't broadly agree with you, but I do believe that if the tone-deaf Elizabeth Warren is the best candidate we can offer, then Trump will indeed be re-elected.
4
@Crossing Overhead.That is not the whole picture. How many people are working two or more jobs to make ends meet? You can thank President Obama for putting in the polocies that are showing positive results now. The insane tax cuts McDonnell and Ryan helped push through will destroy that growth in the near future. They have constructed a house of cards that will come crashing down sooner rather than later. Have you seen those deficit numbers? It is only going to get worse.
@Crossing Overhead
Educate yourself. If you think that "everyone has money, everyone has a job..." then you are clearly depending on FOX and Friends for your news. Investigate other sources of information and you will see that it is only the top 1% that is benefiting.
Yes, the politicians are concerned first and foremost with holding their power; the Republicans have shown their complete disregard for human decency, they have risen up (descended ?) to support Donald Trump, a most despicable a thing as has ever walked on this planet, solely because he can attract the vote of the racists, misogamists, xenophobes, and homophobes, which I am shocked to learn there are so many.
I guess if one can insist on absolute proof before taking some preventative action to combat global warming, one can insist on a full jury trial proof before rejecting a hard drinking fraternity boy from a lifetime appointment to our highest court.
I'm afraid to ask people their political affiliation, I might find some of my friends are Republicans, then what would I do ?
3
It won't be enough, Michelle. There are too many weapons aimed directly at voters: gerrymandered districts, oppressive ID requirements, voter purges, issuing wrong voting information, threatening and intimidating voters.... We all know the drill.
We need a national women's strike to effect lasting change. America doesn't run on testosterone. If women struck for a full 24 hours and shed all of their roles and obligations, the country would get a pretty good and accurate idea of the power and worth of women.
Iceland did it in 1975 with a "Women's Day Off", and it forever changed the political makeup and power of women there.
25
@aek use Lysistrata for ideas.
Here in Arizona the candidates for Flake's Senate seat, both women, conducted a debate. The Republican candidate used the Trump Kavanaugh Playbook which was effective. Today Trump is in Arizona to conduct a "Keep America Great" rally! Ducey, our Republican Governor, is gaining on the Democratic opponent.
Women have got to get out and Vote and Vote Blue or we'll be right back in Trump Land!
15
@LGL
It would help if you put a name to the Democratic candidate.
Somebody needs to lead a Democratic charge. I like Kamala Harris she’s smart, no nonsense and on the way up. The current Democratic leaders should step aside because it’s an ugly new world that needs fresh tactics.
I just watched Chuck Schumer on Morning Joe and I disheartened and disgusted that he he starts out with a pleasant baseball story to lead off with. It’s not in Chuck’s character to lead the battle to save America and push back the cancerous plague that is taking over this country.
A strong Democratic leader would tell Joe Scarborough to stuff it and quit blaming the Democrats. The Democrats are victims and don’t forget that without Russian involvement, Comey’s comments and other outrageous actions that DonaldvTrump would not be president.
8
It isn't only a gender issue. Trump mocked Dr. Blasey Ford's heartfelt and painful testimony at length at one of his rallies. He later bragged about it.
Trump's GOP turned the investigation of the accusations into a rushed joke with most of the 40 witnesses never interviewed. The Supreme Court now has two men accused of sexual misconduct, and the law and justice itself were twisted to put them in power.
Children have been kidnapped from their families by the thousands, an atrocity of historical infamy.
A journalist has been cruelly, barbarically murdered and butchered, and he is being smeared by the GOP. Across the nation, Trump clones lie and viciously attack their opponents with childish name calling that real children would be scolded for.
There is evil abroad in Trump's America. Yes, fascism is rising. Corruption is ignored. Crimes are minimized if they are by white or wealthy men.
But the taint is sinking deep into the blood and soil of Republicans. That is what is terrifying. They normalize and justify atrocities and pure evil as well as daily pettier malice. This evil is corrosive.
That has not been who Americans are. It has not been what America was. But they are making it so.
Evil prevails when good men and good women do nothing. Vote.
22
@SMB "Trump mocked Dr. Blasey Ford's heartfelt and painful testimony at length at one of his rallies."
It looked like he was reading back her testimony.
@Mike - Watch it again. He was jeering at her and she isn't the first person he has jeered at. He's mocked and denigrated a handicapped person and the grieving parents of a fallen soldier among others.
1
You know, Michelle, the widespread desire to rein in Trump and his minions, and to prevent the election to Congress of Republicans who would support him, is in no way limited to women, and is not somehow an outgrowth of the #MeToo movement. Not every political movement or impulse can be distilled down to issues revolving around male dominance. The crimes and general destructiveness of Trump and his pals is way bigger than that. Open your eyes a bit wider, Michelle, and stop sounding so shrill.
3
I want this energy and enthusiasm to last long beyond the Midterms. But in order to do that we need tyo feel good about what we are doing. Democrats don't want this to be all about Trump. Impeachment is, incredibly, unlikely. So rather than spending the next two years trying to force the square peg into the round hole, why don't we start to tackle the problems that need addressing. Create and promote bills to fix infrastructure, revise Obama care, widen our approach to global warming, address the education of the workforce so more Americans are prepared for the open jobs, and so on. If Trump won't sign them, blast him and use that against him in 2020. But if all Democrats do is try and take Trump down, we will be blamed for not doing anything.. America is tired of Trump, so instead of constantly swatting at this annoying, dirty fly in your house, go about your business.Instead of throwing rotting fruit at it to try and kill it, deprive the fly of food and eventually you will find it dead on the window sill. Show America you are smarter than he is and you have a better plan.
19
Exactly right. After the 2016 election a group of friends and I (all middle-aged wives and mothers with jobs) got on a chartered bus in North Carolina and went to the Women's March in D.C. The solidarity there has carried through until today. We write post cards for candidates; we phone bank; we canvass in neighborhoods; we group-text each other every single day to make each other laugh, share the burden of despair, and encourage each other to keep trying to make a difference. This election feels personal because it is. We women know it is no accident that the single greatest predictor of state violence is how that state treats its women. Fascism and patriarchy are indelibly linked - and we are ready to see both come to pathetic, shriveled end here in our own country. Vote on Nov. 6th (and in every election moving forward)!
33
@AMinNC Read Virginia Woolf’s “Three Guineas” for analysis of how patriarchy and fascism work in tandem to create war.
Michigan has the right idea; women should be running for every single elected office. It's not only the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do.
The reason that there was a massive Republican attack meant to keep Christine Blasey Ford from testifying, (including death threats forcing her into hiding), and a concerted effort to discredit and mock her after she testified, was because Republicans were sure she was telling the truth all along. The GOP closed ranks with Trump because it's intent on protecting powerful and corrupt sexual predators. It achieves this by viciously attacking any rape victims who dare to speak out.
Something just as sinister is also happening. If you have authoritarian aspirations, as Trump and the GOP certainly do, you need to attack and discredit the most ardent defenders of American democracy, which right now are women.
Republicans confirming Kavanaugh no matter how many women objected served many purposes. It consolidated right-wing control over an already compromised judiciary by placing an inherently corrupt and partisan sexual predator on the Supreme Court, and it showed that women, Trump's most powerful opponents, were unable to stop it from happening.
It tells you something that my very elderly father, not exactly a feminist, recently said: "I hope all these women get in. Trump thinks he's a tough guy because he's spent his life pushing little people around. He can't handle these women. They're furious and they aren't afraid of him."
30
It's ironic that the people who have been hurt the most by our American culture and laws are the only ones who can save our democracy.
Women, native Americans, blacks, immigrants, LGBTs and non-Christians have all suffered at the hands of our white patriarchy. Yet they are the only groups strong enough to keep old white men from driving us off the cliff.
When these groups finally grab their rightful share of the power they deserve and have been denied for so long, I truly hope that each member of these groups will remember his or her struggles, embrace truth and kindness and still grow and nurture the steel backbone needed to govern for all of us.
37
I will vote Democrat BUT I am in despair about the way the Party is handling itself. This article is a symptom. To someone who doesn't see from Goldberg's perspective, this kind of article makes it seem that the Democratic Party is the Party of only women and metoo. If you're trying to win over voters, I presumably including male voters, that's not necessarily a smart strategy. I know there are many highly enlightened men who write NYT comments supporting this viewpoint, but how many?
I fear this kind of article soothes the "blue" areas of the US, but does little or nothing to win over skeptics in purple and certainly red areas.
I also feel that the Democratic Party has no coherent vision for the whole country and that the Party stuck its head in the sand after 2016 election and never worked out the Clinton/Sanders rift that represents a major fissure running down its center. This failure to examine the issues underlying the rift may be why the Party is having a hard time articulating a vision other than that "Trump is evil." When people walk into a voting booth, they need to know what the overall vision is. I know this will provoke comments like :"The Dems DO have a vision, blah blah." But the vision not coming through coherently, in my opinion.
I'm voting Democrat out of my own long-held principles (and hope the Party will preserve them even if they are not getting them across), not something that is coming through from the Party.
22
@Clarice:one of the most insightful
comments concerning this column.
Goldberg thinks that women running
will solve all of our problems. I think
that properly qualified women should
run,but not with some entitled idea
that they are the saviors of America. we need a combination of good women
and men to defeat Trump. if we take
the point of view that women can
do this alone, we will go under in 2020.
5
@Clarice: Your post is good evidence of what happens to people's thinking when they are not politically active. If you had been working for a local Democratic candidate, you would have seen and heard the candidate yourself, in person at least once, and probably multiple times. You would have read the platform, known what issues the candidate is campaigning on, and would be far more informed than you currently are. If you are only getting your news from the Times and other mainstream media outlets - especially television - your knowledge is going to be limited. Right now, fixing the ACA and reforming healthcare are the top issues for most Democratic candidates. Ignore the frantic DNC emails begging for money, and get on down to your local candidate's headquarters to start volunteering. You will be amazed at how quickly you will find out what the real issues are, and you will be delighted at the intelligence, energy, and commitment the Democratic candidates are bringing to the table. It's a whole different ballgame than the one the media portrays. Remember that media thrives on division, anger, and controversy. You won't find that if you're out there volunteering for a local Dem.
4
@Allison
This is an extremely patronizing reply. I have been politically active for decades, on the progressive Left.
It is well past time to end the process of respecting women only to the point that they remain just beyond the equality threshold.
I may not always understand how women think or why they do things differently than me but that does not mean they are any less able. Women deserve equal consideration and treatment as men in whatever field or social status their personal strengths lean too. If for some reason you feel as a male that you are a dominate genre then you are part of the problem and should expect a very rough road ahead.
Living in the past means you have not grown, have not learned and are more than likely a detriment to society. Time to open your mind or move aside and allow a future where men and women meet on equal terms across the spectrum.
7
There is no cure. The Tone Deaf Twins, Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton, just drove a stake through the Democratic takeover hopes. What were these otherwise fine people thinking?
Remember where you read this first: Republicans keep the Senate and pick up 6 House seats.
4
@Lorem Ipsum
Could not disagree more.
2
Again, nothing that 100% Democratic voter participation would not fix.Trump is a minority President, especially when everybody votes.
9
Michelle Goldberg is the right new columnist at the New York Times at the right time. I hope she wins a Pulitzer for her incisive writing at this critical juncture in our history.
I also hope she's right, because we have been slipping into "fascism lite" with at least the acquiescence of a strong plurality of the country -- male and female. It's discouraging that such high percentages of white women not only voted for Donald Trump but the execrable Roy Moore in Alabama.
As a white male myself, I pray (figuratively) that at this moment women abandon our usual tribalism and vote in their own self interest for the rights and respect they deserve. In doing so, they may well be saving our nation too.
6
Sometimes, in order for good things to happen, horrible things have to happen. The election of Trump and the confirmation of Kavanaugh were horrible. But women can be a powerful antidote to the poison if they vote to oust the Republicans who know Trump is toxic but are too scared to stand up against him.
6
Any repetition of the extraordinarily nightmarish election result of 2016 would be simply too hard to bear for many, including this reader. Should the GOP retain the House it will be hard not to conclude the US has a serious and wholly untreated preexisting condition in that it actually prefers to elect bald faced liars and people as uncaring and vicious as those they've been watching on television these past two years.
22
It may be to late, but remember - billboards. Those who ignore anything contrary to their own beliefs, still drive, and billboards are hard to ignore. Thought for the day - Republicans don't care, and they sure don't share.
2
I hope that Dr. Blasey Ford knows that for many of us her bravery and honest portrayal of what she experienced was inspiring regardless of the tone deaf, bizarrely whiny, cowardly and yet abusive response.
Even my female friends who skew Republican and are quick to offer caveats like "well, Obama caused some problems" are reluctantly coming to the conclusion that as mom's, aunt's, grandma's, daughters, caretakers, mentors, employees and employers, they simply can't afford to support the Republican party and feel good about themselves or hopeful for their loved one's. Beyond that, women know that the chances of their voices being heard go way up when the person listening is a woman.
12
Michelle- I so hope you are correct in your assessment. Up here in Northern Michigan local women seem to be from a different era. They have more hostility by far towards Hillary, Elizabeth and the pro women's movement, which boggles the mind. They feel Kavanaugh was railroaded, and think "The Don" is the greatest thing since sliced bread. There are pockets of concerted opposition such as Traverse City, but generally, these women are throwbacks to 1950s America. One is hard pressed to understand the phenomena with all the revelations of male misconduct, particularly from the "assaulter and chief" himself. In the midst of the Kavanaugh hearings, one of my neighbors sent out posts about Hillary's emails in apparent opposition to Dr. Ford's revelations.
One can only hope that the downstate urban vote will overwhelm this women hating women mentality, and usher in a welcome change after the debacle of Rick Snyder and his cohorts.
35
Conservatives believe that everyone has to stay in their place for things to run smoothly. Non whites, women, non-Christian, non-heterosexual oriented, etc., have no cause or right to ask for equal treatment or equal value as human beings. Conservatives stigmatize such requests for dignity and demands for equal worth as "identity politics", the whining of "snowflakes", "socialism", "feminism", etc. They react to their demands as threats and portray themselves as victims of an "angry mob'.
On November 6, 2018, let's turn the gas off.
13
There are menial, non-glamorous things to do, that are being done all over the country: perhaps phone banking is the most menial. It works by elimination. The phone banker eliminates those who put down the phone as soon as they hear the word volunteer and campaign (refused) and those who never answer (not home); the phone banker speaks to those who have not been concerned enough to inform themselves about who is running (can I tell you about the candidate? What are your greater concerns? Are you willing to check her out?); the phone banker speaks to the lukewarm (are you a voter? Do you think you may vote? Are you an independent voter? Will you be a voter?) I am closing in on 1000 calls by volunteering just two hours of my time once a week since June. Perhaps I have reached 100 people who have been nudged by the call to register, to vote, to vote early. 10 of us would encourage perhaps 1000 to vote. 100 of us could reach 10,000. We could transform every race in every district in every county in every state. We can start now, today, and persist.
9
At my Advanced age, I have many more close female friends than male. This is partly because too many of my cherished male friends are no longer around. It is also partly because my female friends are truly to be cherished and respected.
So it disturbs me greatly to see one of our two major political parties, at this moment the party in absolute control of the levers of power, set up a pointless conflict between men and women. Thank you for this, @RealDonaldTrump.
I do not blame the #MeToo movement for this. Women are simply calling to account men who have behaved abominably toward them.
Sadly, there has been a handful of injustices against some men, no doubt. Brett Kavanaugh is not one of them, notwithstanding the mock outrage expressed by Republicans about him.
44
Rely on women and men doing grassroots organizing and prepare for a long struggle to build a real democracy. Not relying on the Democratic Party, the media, and the judiciary, who have never stopped Trump and his sexist wave, inoculates you against disappointment, fear, and despair.
10
The day that Trump is finally escorted out of the WHITEhouse will be a day of national celebration. This stain upon the soul of America will not fade quickly or easily.
Our best hope is a pink wave that takes over DC and forces the old boys into retreat.
We need more women and people of color and diversity to reverse the damage done and to reclaim our nation.
54
Dr. Blasey-Ford's testimony was not at all in vain. She has galvanized an electorate to vote, to rid our country of the politically malignant tumors in the White House and in the GOP congress. I'll gladly vote for every woman Dem I can here in PA, where GOP shill Pat Toomey has helped to steal our future with his tax bill, his fossil fuel backing, his anti-women stances, his total silence before #45's attacks on the constitution and the rule of law. Great column!
15
Men will greatly benefit from the election of these women running for office. Men, with some exceptions, have ceded their free will to the propaganda machine of Fox News and even those not in lock step with Trump, seem fearful of his followers, that loud and vulgar base that keeps our guy in the Oval Office energized.
These candidates should remind themselves that the forces of evil they are taking on believe that the turnout of like-minded voters-minorities, young people and women-will be modest and they are counting on that.
Prove them wrong. Defeat them.
22
and so...the Democrats will re-take the House. The question is, "Then What"? They will get on camera, thank their spouses, partners, supporters, and eventually make their way to Washington. They will decorate their offices, assemble their staffs, reward their supporters, and arrange for their government medical care and benefits...and then...nothing. They will tell us, as did Joe Biden and others that "according to the rules" nothing can really be done...they will make noise about change, but will lack the courage to really do anything...they will be busy fundraising for their next election, meeting lobbyists, passing legislation naming post offices...tell me-name one piece of transformative legislation conceived of and passed by Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, or any of them...nothing. Yes, for the sake of decency this current corrupt presidential regime might be slowed, but transforming our plutocracy? Never will happen. If in 2008 President Obama had, at the very least, prosecuted the Bush era torturers, maybe, maybe we would have had a return to the rule of law...but in abdicating that responsibility we surrendered to the corruption of our country's soul.
7
@Sage613
And isn't it sad that one of the two deciding votes was cast by Susan Collins.
1
Has the Saudi debacle served to take our outrage offshore like fat cat money. To distract from voter suppression at home, from tots separated from mothers by border patrol agents, to whitewash the outrage of a preppie brat given to drink, sexually mauling women, blackouts and hissyfits now seated on the Supreme Court, for life.
Yes!
Do not be distracted by offshore misdeeds, ignore the President’s infantile tweets, hang up on pesky in your face pollsters, and work to get out the vote: offer rides, canvass women in nursing homes, coffee shops, on public transportation, anyone who will listen. If each of us can convince one American to vote we’ll win back our country and our sanity.
5
Faith is strengthened by good works. Preach it, Michelle, Preach it.
6
And yet, one has to wonder what are those women doing at Trump rallies. Is that self hate? I’ve read about the tribal thing but I find it unconvincing. I’m gay and have the same feelings for “gay republicans”. Stockholm syndrome?
12
@Alfie - The Republican women in my family are dependent both financially and emotionally on the men in their lives. Echoing the party line is the only way they can gain acceptance and approval with their husbands, neighbors, coworkers etc.
3
So ironic that this piece appears on the same Internet page as the story about Gillibrand, Warren, and Harris. Women had on magic glasses in 2016 when they backed the most despised nominee in the history of the Democratic Party, when Bernie would have beaten Trump easily, as all the Rust Belt exit polls proved. Let's hope that women don't doom us to four more years of Trump's march to fascism by foolishly nominating another woman incapable of beating Trump. The only way for women to escape despair is to defeat Trump. Unless women can come up with a much stronger woman candidate than these three certain losers, the women had better nominate a man, though the male line-up, except for Bernie, is none too inspiring either, I'm afraid.
4
I have admitted to a few people that in September 2016, when I realized “President Trump” was possible, I agonizingly hoped he would be elected. (Though I couldn’t vote for him, I voted for Hillary.) Things had to get much worse, and quickly, I thought, for the silent majority to arise. Trump, and Republican politicians more generally, would be the bonfire necessary to awaken the slowly boiling frog. It seems to have worked.
The 19th Amendment, which, 132 years tardy, finally gave women the right to vote, was ratified in 1920. As the centennial approaches, November 6 is the first truly big step for women, both as a more cohesive voting block opposing the entrenched patriarchy and in assuming a fair share of political power. The next, even bigger step, looks more possible than ever in 2020.
The big test will be November 6. If enough women are elected, the prospects for 2020 – for women in politics and for our country’s future – will look bright. What better way to celebrate the centennial of women having the right to vote than, instead of re-electing a misogynist “President Trump,” electing our first “Madame President”?
14
Interesting perspective. I get where you’re coming from, but this might be a case where the “cure” is worse than the disease.
"Many women I know — though, of course, not only women — are walking around with a churning knot of terror in their stomachs."
I can believe you. And I know why. From 2012 until the election, you were reminded, Hillary will be the nominee. She would blast through the glass ceiling like the space shuttle, escaping the Earthly grasp. Buuuuut....
She was and is not very inspiring. She should have beat Trump with out trying, because Trump was so bad. Everyone knew.
Starting several months after the election, a whisper campaign started, there was going to be a Blue Wave. As time went on and there were some special election victories, the Blue Wave went from a whisper, to a promise. It started to sound just like the Hillary campaign. That's why your stomach is in knots.
So, if all of the voters that didn't show up in 2016, show up this time, it's Blue Wave time. And, we all know, everyone that voted for Trump regrets it now. (Hillary will win.) Question, how many people do you know, that voted for Trump have said they regret their choice? I haven't. And I can't wait for the polls to open.
If the Republicans hold the House and gain in the Senate, I fear some of you people will take the long walk off the short ledge. Add to the list of worries, you have too many people running for president. Do you remember how giddy you were when Republican debates had to be split in 2, because of the dearth of candidates?
2
@Mike Perhaps if you start with "us" rather than "you," YOU might get more traction.
1
I despair too, but the author is right; when I stood in a parking lot to register voters, I talked to people and felt better. The lifelong Republican who was changing parties gave me hope that there may be more out there. The many already registered who were enthusiastic about change were heartening. I don't know if it's enough, but that and making phone calls at least assures me that I have done my part. And I adopted a kitten. That helps too.
9
The country will be much better off if roughly half of the adult population has a equal chance of running for office and winning.
167
@sbanicki And how about voting? The popular vote hasn't succeeded, which has only served to embolden voter suppression by the Republicans, who have no interest is sustaining a Democracy.
1
I am convinced that we men can longer communicate with each other. The gulf between the so called conservatives and so called liberals may be insurmountable. It is time to elect women to local, state, and national offices. Maybe they can find a new language so we can share our experiences and come together for a human centered agenda.
Amy Klobuchar for President.
12
I got a political “high” this past Tuesday. Went to my polling station and cast my early vote for Stacey Abrams, Governor, Sarah Amico, Lieutenant Governor, Jen Jordan, State Senator, and Betsy Holland, State House Representative, all Democrats, all women.
This old man never did that before in any election cycle, all women for Georgia senior political positions. Great going ladies, the movement continues. And I plan on living long enough to see a woman in the Oval Office, hopefully in 2020.
22
Someone questioned David Frum, according to his writing in “Trumpocracy”, as to what we as voters could do to counteract the Trump movement. His reply: Get active, do anything to become involved; it doesn’t necessarily have to be something in which all like-minded people participate. Sharing disdain about the direction of our country will resonate, especially if it’s positive and heartfelt.
Take the high road: Plant seeds of positivity, not of doubt. Getting out the vote will be the single most important thing to happen if we want to to stop Trump, his appeasers and enablers in their tracks.
There are some signs of weakness in the women’s movement and this needs to be countered with well-meaning arguments and warmth to get voters to see the reality of what will happen to our country should Trump and conservatives prevail.
I cannot help saying this, but I can only hope Millennial Women have come to grips with Hillary Clinton defeating Bernie Sanders in 2016.
Why? Well, as we approached the 2016 election, I vividly remember the instance I saw a lot of Millennials dealing with their frustration by wearing teeshirts that read, "Anyone but Hillary".
Hillary defeated Bernie and apparently they'd become convinced they'd lost a good hance of getting someone to address the load of 'student loan debt' they'd encumbered themselves with.
Well, we've all seen what that got us. And now, all of us who believe in what Bernie was talking to in the run-up to the 2016 election have to show it and get to the polls and vote this gang of lying thieves out.
8
I'm a man.
I hope the women of the USA will save us. The men won't. The record of the male leaders is open to all. Failure. Our current president is despicable to put it mildly. Women,help! Take the reins and drive in another direction.
On another note,
Trump is not — thank goodness — an autocratic ruler of the United States. But he is behaving like one. Encouraging violence against political opponents is no joke when it comes from the president. It is a classic tool of autocracy. And it’s one more sign that Trump does not accept fundamental tenets of democracy, including the rule of law.
The president, writes The New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin, “tonight celebrates an assault on a reporter in Montana at the same time as his Administration tries to minimize the murder of a reporter in Turkey. His words matter, and they reveal his character.”
18
Yale professor Jason Stanley is absolutely right when stating that "patriarchy is strategically central to fascist politics." It's also central to religious fundamentalism. Patriarchal rule exists, not only in the Middle East by the Taliban, but also within the United States. It exists in conservative, fundamentalist Christian denominations and persists in the Catholic Church. Few women, if subservient to their husband/priest/minister, will disagree with them (at least not openly).
294
@Sunny
Yes Sunny, I agree and have to say how spot-on I believe your Comment is.
And more to a different point-an observation, whenever I see all those smiling faces at all those Trump rallies, 'specically women's faces, I see Fundamentalist Religious Right women strategically placed directly scattered behind the podium for effect-optics they call what they're up to, holding 'Women for Trump' signs.
The Relgious Right is effective at what they do and so dangerous.
4
@Sunny
Despite Professor Stanley's excellent video warning against the modern (20th century) political pathology of "fascism" which fueled the Nazi Empire, 'dividing' people with nationalism, ethnicity, and religion leading to the Second World War of Empires --- the only 'division' that has oppressed our world consistently over millennia is the 'divide and conquer' deceit between the tiny diseased cells of "Empire-thinking' and the human and humane majority of all men and women in "democracy-thinking".
As I have long written:
"Fighter pilots have a saying that, "speed is life". But, for all the rest of us, "inclusiveness is life" --- and tribalism is death by the oldest lie of empire.
Racism is another deadly old lie of empire, as is aggressively fundamentalist religion.
Nationalism is a somewhat newer lie of empire, proving particularly deadly in the 20th century.
While, economic ideology is the newest, and current, lie of empire (which is causing our economic and environmental collapse).
But all the lies and deceptions of "empire-thinking" lead ineluctably to the very same grave --- so choose your empire poison, stupidly. Or choose your inclusiveness, wisely."
BTW, the term 'fascism' is a poor point to argue --- since some will call it a pathology of the right and others will argue it's a pathology of the left (based on Nazism's deceit of calling itself National socialism).
Such absurd argument is eliminated with the term 'Empire' as all should Americans know.
1
@Sunny Yes and let's not leave out fundamentalist Judaism.
1
Writing GOTV postcards and sending them off from Tokyo, where I am now, is my therapy against despair. Each trip to the postbox is a small act of defiant hope.
8
I'm uplifted by the raised voices of women during these dark times. My wife is angry any woman would vote for any Republican. We are both concerned and implore every woman to vote.
16
The best cure for political despair is political activism. Knowing you are not alone and are doing something is empowering and fun.
39
I am working for the Andrew Gillum campaign in Florida and I see these amazing women every day. They are proud, smart, determined, and giving of their time and selves to take back America not just from the patriarchy, but from those who have no respect for people or the rule of law. So easy to fall into a depression by reading, listening to or watching the news. Get out and do something and the hope it brings to all aspects of your life is transformational. We can win this election - not just women but people who believe in this country and the spirit it lives by and was founded on. Thank you Michelle for this column.
55
I am as desperate for a take-over of Congress by the Democrats as likely anyone here. But knowing how key constituencies often don't bother to vote, as well as all the voter suppression tactics that the GOP has employed, I am pessimistic. So I encourage everyone, despite how tired we all are of this nightmare, to remember this is a marathon not a sprint. We can't allow ourselves the luxury of apathy should Democrats not take back Congress next month. We must fight to take back our country and work at it until we do, no matter how long that takes, and *never* forget what the GOP has done these last few years.
As Churchill said, "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
68
Hasten it, Max. Quit calling them a Grand Old Party, the way you just did. Twice.
Unless you are a headline writer desperate for space, write the word Republican all the way out. If that's too much work, bless your heart, a single letter R works just fine.
The more that Donald Trump denigrates women, the more obvious it becomes that he is terrified of women the same way that a middle school pre-adolescent boy is afraid of girls. His rallies are fascist iterations of the Little Rascals' He-Man Woman-Haters Club.
We should treat Trump with all the derision we can muster. He is a weakling at his core.
We must treat the establishment which spawned him with equal derision as a balance to our well-placed fear. We should also recognize that this is essentially a class war. The Republicans under Mitch McConnell have been made no secret of the fact that the next big item on their agenda is to slash Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and Social Security. The citizens who depend the most on these programs are women and children.
Trump's tweets calling women names might sting and cause outrage. But the economic attacks on women's pocketbooks and pantries literally endanger our lives, if we are not so lucky to reside in the top 10% of income earners.
Rather than merely demand protection for the increasingly whittled-down social insurance programs we contribute to all our working lives, we must insist upon their enhancement. The Democrats have to do more than pay lip service to diversity and gender rights. We have to ensure not only equality of opportunity, but basic fairness of economic outcomes.
Repeat after me, ladies: Conservative men are afraid of you. Use the power that has been within you all this time. Make them even more afraid of you.
176
I was just recovering from clinical depression after Trump was elected. Going to the Women's March in DC and all the other demonstrations has been a huge help. But I must admit that the Kavanaugh hearings and ensuing confirmation took a toll on my nervous system. Seeing how the GOP male senators behaved has filled me with unexpressed anger that I'm often depleted. In my state of Georgia, Republicans are actively working to suppress the votes of people of color. Even if I'm clinically depressed, I will vote for women candidates who are pro choice, pro healthcare, pro environment. Stacey Abrams, Sarah Riggs Amico, and Lucy McBath are my candidates in the midterms.
105
@Christine Same here: I'm a survivor father-daughter rape, and both Trump's election and the Kavaugh confirmation felt like I was back in my father-rapist's house. It felt like No Escape. Nightmares, flashbacks, anguish, the whole nine yards. However, what has worked for me was to create a large sign with an image of Kavanaugh, his hand pressed over a young girl's mouth, and the words IMPEACH KAVANAUGH. I stand at busy intersections dressed in a Handmaid costume and I refuse to let people forget what was done. When they honk and give me a thumbs up, I yell "VOTE!" I will never let people forget that a rapist is on the Supreme Court - and when Dems get back the Presidency, Senate, and Congress in 2020, I will pressure my representatives to impeach Kavanaugh every single day. We may not get the Senate Votes required to convict and remove him, but I will never let this go. Never.
5
Thank you! Here in central PA, sadly, there are far too many white women who proudly say aloud that they believe kavanaugh and many of them are also mobilized to make sure that there is a "red wave". I really would like to believe that there are many who feel otherwise but as a lone liberal in a very red neighborhood, I am not very optimistic.
41
@Amy Agreed. There are white women who are more invested in their men and in the continuation of white privilege than they are in equity, safety, and choice for their own gender.
9
@Amy...there are a few of us here in Cumberland county, too! It is depressing, though, how many women take the “it was 35 years ago” line about Bart. Or “he was in high school, give him a break.”
3
@Amy Without cowardly women like that, male supremacy could not survive.
A personal comment: living in NYC has two political sides. We tend to vote Dem--good. But our votes tend not to matter as much as votes in sparsely populated areas--not so good. In 2016, the GOP won 1.1% more of the popular vote nationally that did the Dems, yet the GOP won 37 more House seats than the Dems. I point this out not to suppress anyone's vote but the contrary. If we need excess votes to win, let's get them. And in the future, when some have the courage and the clout to address the undemocratic nature of the constitution and our procedures, let us have the data to hammer the points home.
52
@Des Johnson This vote skewing will keep happening as long as you permit corrupt gerrymandering of electoral boundaries. It is unbelievable that the governing party has control over shaping the electorates. You need to establish independent electoral commissions who rigorously and transparently oversee all aspects of the voting process - otherwise how else will you ever have corrupt-free elections. This is a far bigger problem than any foreign interference.
77
@Des Johnson Check out Fairvote.org. Ranked choice voting and a proportional House would solve some of the structural problems. It's not a panacea for social ills but a major leg up, I believe.
5
@Patrick R: Thanks, Patrick. I grew up with Proportional Representation and the Transferable Vote. The Irish manage those very well, but I fear they would be too complex for many Americans ;-)
I have little doubt that there will be far more votes casts for Democratic candidates for the House in a few weeks--and probably for Democratic Senate candidates as well (though the latter may not be distributed optimally).
What I worry about is whether such votes will be COUNTED as such.
Gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics aside, I worry that too many of the close races are in areas in which there are only electronic voting records and no back up paper trail, and in which the electronic recorders are vulnerable to hacking. And I have no doubt at this point that unscrupulous hackers will attempt to alter the vote counts if they can--the Republican reactionaries have already, as David Frum points out, rejected democracy in favor of power.
All I can say is that if you are a voter in one of those non-hard-copy areas, make your own hard copy of who you voted for and store it safely. I don't know if that will help, but we have to try to ensure that there are accurate voting records somehow, as I expect there to be a lot of disputed results. (And, of course, lobby your legislators for auditable election paper trails.)
135
@Glenn Ribotsky -- Good idea, thanks. I think I will take a photo of my ballot before submitting it. I have no doubt whatsoever that if the numbers are not overwhelming one way or the other they will be electronically manipulated by Republicans. Gone is any idealism I had in the past that they might still do the right and honorable thing.
1
@Glenn Ribotsky
"Gerrymandering and voter suppression tactics aside, I worry that too many of the close races are in areas in which there are only electronic voting records and no back up paper trail, and in which the electronic recorders are vulnerable to hacking. And I have no doubt at this point that unscrupulous hackers will attempt to alter the vote counts if they can--the Republican reactionaries have already, as David Frum points out, rejected democracy in favor of power." I am in total agreement, and I wish more people registered this concern about corruption involved in the ultimate tallies. I am concerned that there will be a huge number of Democratic wins, (in reality), that will become Republican wins instead, and in some cases only marginally so, to preserve the versimilitude or illusion of democracy. I am afraid that votes will be stolen, just as I believe they were in 2016. There's got to be a way for people to prove the truth in the long run, if this does occur. And I know it's not environmentally sound, but I really think we have to consider going back to a complete and total "paper trail."
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Michelle says:
" It is unlikely that Republicans will keep total control of Congress, allowing an increasingly authoritarian Trump to consolidate his power. "
but considering the Radical Rightists Pres. Weasel 45* has in his party now, Trumpists running the Senate will still give him as much power as he needs.
With Sen. Grassley running the Judiciary Committee, passing through nominees while the Senate is in RECESS, without a single Dem Senator being in the committee hearing:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/us/politics/senate-republicans-judges...
lifetime appointments are being passed out en masse by those interested in buttressing the patriarchy that Yale professor Stanley correctly identifies as being central to fascism.
Dems need the Senate as bad as we need the House in order to be able to have a check on the rolling, careening Trumpster Fire - even if Pres. Weasel gets ejected from office following the Mueller report, a Pres. Pence would continue putting forth the same ilk of judges for lifetime appointments, if Trumpists still run the Senate.
Dems must have the Senate as well as the House, in order to stop the pollution of the federal bench - damage which isn't reversible by a Dem POTUS with new Executive Orders, or regulatory agencies administratively deep-sixing Trumpist policy.
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Unlikely? I say the blue wave crested a week ago and is now receding, thanks to the headline-grabbing antics of Warren and Clinton.
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@Lorem - It's almost statistically impossible for Dems to defend their 24 Senate seats up for election, AND take some of the 9 Trumpist seats; not utterly impossible, but Dems have to be realistic what taking only control of the House would change.
Meaning Dems have to turn out in force this year, overwhelming the polls every day they are open, same as Pres. Very Stable Genius overwhelms each news cycle.
In 2020, the math is almost completely the reverse, with Dems having to defend only 11 Senate seats, to the Trumpists 21, and heavier Dem voter turnout being helped since it's a White House election day.
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@R. Law
Trump is clearly unfit for office. He is unwilling and unable to put We the People above his personal interests.
That makes every official decision he makes corrupt by definition, including appointments to the Supreme Court and lower courts.
Congress knows this and should be doing something about it, but Republicans have put their personal fortunes above the Constitution.
SHUT THE SENATE DOWN!
Decades ago on an early Sunday morning I saw a lone man sitting at a small table on 5th Avenue with a hand written cardboard sign calling for restoration of the death penalty. His single mindedness, his perseverance scared the wits out of me. I thought he very well could be successful.
I think the power of our own perseverance, community, dedication, vision exists outside any election cycle. It keeps forming, growing and will take multiple forms. The resistance to the oppressive powers of the society, the soul deadening, deeply repressive, oppressive nature will obviously run up against a ferocious counter attack. The forces of repression are real and virulent.
I think one problem I have seen is that many of us who are deeply critical of the society, in my case I am more than deeply critical, don't fully believe our own words. We somehow buy the hype and aren't prepared for the actual ugliness underneath the ugliness we complain about. So we are more vulnerable to assault than we want to believe. At least that's true of me.
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Everyone who can has to vote in November for any democrat that is up for office, male or female. This is a tipping point. If we don't take the House, Trump and his enablers in Congress will be even empowered and anything is possible. Please vote and make sure your family and friends do, too.
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Despair? I am carrying so much despair that I fantasize about starting fight with these fascists goons. I went to a tough high school. I have seen what happens in fights. People end up in the hospital.
Usually the fights were between someone twice as big as the victim or the victim got "jumped on" by at least three guys, overwhelming odds. These assailants were bullies of the worst kind. They were criminals who committed acts of assault.
Yesterday, Trump sickened me. He praised a bully. A fascist goon, a member of Congress, attacked a reporter and slammed him to the ground. The crowd cheered. They thought it was great.
Now, how great would that incident have been if the goon tried that stunt to a large powerful man who would fight back? There would have been a different outcome. Someone would have ended up in the hospital and it probably would have been the goon. Bullies don't start fights they think they might lose.
I can tell you that this 162 pounds would have fought back and as hard as I could. There would have been nothing for anyone to gloat about when it was over.
This is how these fascists are treating women. They are being assaulted by goons and bullies because they think the women cannot fight back. Yes you can!
Fight back at the ballot box. FIght back with your voices. But rest assured, there are plenty of men out there who will fight back with you... as hard as we can.
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@Bruce Rozenblit Right On Bruce!!!
@Bruce Rozenblit
Good on you, Bruce!
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@Bruce Rozenblit - Hear Hear!
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Michelle, thank you for this provocative essay.
I believe there are millions of men like me: white, over 70, fiscally conservative and socially liberal, who believe that Trump is an embarrassment to the male gender specifically, and to humanity in general.
I caution all about the results of the coming mid-term election. It is a start, not a finish. Very hopefully it will be a victory for those who believe in a free press, fairness, humility, and compromise to find the greater good. It will be, no matter what the outcome, a call to continue to organize and express the power of the vote for the common good.
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Amen to Bill in Florida. I’m on your team. The next thing we need to do is find younger leaders with whom the electorate will follow their words and examples. I can just hear my granddaughter saying “Oh, Grandpa!” But she and her cohorts represent the future of our country.
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Agree. I am not one for strict age limits, but we need younger individuals with education, experience, energy, and insight. And they are out there!
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The Chicago Women's March this past January, focused on getting involved in campaigns and running for office, drew 350,000 women and their male supporters. This past week, another march, this time focused on registering voters and increasing turnout drew 100,000. Where were the other 250,000? My guess is that many of them (me included) were out in the Chicago metro area working in campaigns. Very few will fail to vote.
I could be accused of wishful thinking. Or just maybe we're witnessing a revolution that will save America from Trump.
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Earlier I was preparing for a discourse on our current state of affairs, one that I would bring to Paris visiting my relations, now at rest. A memory flash of their debating the sale of a large illustrated print of the signing of The Declaration of Independence, my French stepfather with a love for America, a descendant of Charles Carroll, the only Catholic among these men, and his visit to cousins in Baltimore.
It would be impossible for 'Mimi', my mother not to ask about Trump at lunch, while her sharp husband was listening carefully, and no fool was he, who would have thought I was a fool for writing to a newspaper.
- America is having a break-down;
- Trump is not a recognizable president to half the country;
- Our mind is not made or is troubled keeping up with this technological revolution;
- Revisit Sinclair Lewis and Huxley;
Sense and sensibility would be needed for a visit, and an invitation to Ms. Michelle Goldberg to join us at the table. This is no jest.
To my brother, the child of the first bed, happily married to a prominent professor at one of our famed colleges and a feminist, remember 'We Will Always Have Paris', and I know there is no other place in the world you would wish to live than in Manhattan.
You were in despair over Watergate, while I was brushing my hair, but read what Jacques Prevert wrote of 'Despair' and do not go there.
Sending the Blue Bird of Happiness your way on this autumn day, while birds of another kind are soaring.
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In Texas, patriarchy reigns along with big hats and no cattle. We have many women judges, have had a woman senator, governor, and yet in the Kavanaugh drama, women have pushed men into an "outbreak of male resentment," as the Wash. Post wrote and you quoted. In Texas, we hope for Beto's victory over Cruz for the many reasons he espouses that are in marked difference to Cruz. This hope feels diminished, but I will concentrate on women who believe in a world different from that of Trump's view of this world and men as well where we strive, at least, for better, inclusive, progressive ideas and elect those who share our beliefs to run our cities, states, and federal government.
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My path through life has undoubtedly been greased by white privilege and male privilege as well but I did need to work hard as well to get where I am.
From my current vantage point, I have never felt the need to use the tools of suppression whether to potential voters or those in the generations which will follow mine. I understand they have or will earn the right to make the choices to guide their lives. But I do fear the rising tide of revanchism among those who see life as a zero sum game. I, too, am working for a political campaign to return us all to a more sensible and balanced relationship to one another.
Those who scream to maintain their entitlement do scare me but what scares me the most is apathy. Having no voice, doing nothing and ceding the field to the loudest among us makes a person a "good German" in 1937 Germany. Get involved as if your life, your child's life or the life of your neighbor depends on it because it does.
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@Douglas McNeill - This is one of the best posts I've seen in a long time. Thank you for speaking up.
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Douglas. That is such a reasonable assessment. Hope many read it.
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@Douglas McNeill
I agree completely, but would point out that white males who, as yourself, have worked hard to get where they are don't readily identify with the appellation of "privilege". That's for those with inherited wealth.
Perhaps it would be easier to acknowledge that we have not been encumbered with the disadvantage of being non-white or the disadvantage of being female. It's plain that those groups have had a raw deal forever. We should man-up and do something about it.
Despite all our technological advances, we have learned little about living in harmony with each other and sharing the planet equitably. This is a critical time where the direction of our country is in the balance. People of good will need to get involved, and not just for this election cycle.
The stakes are the highest they have been in my lifetime.
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One of my fears is the media/poll blasts that say "its in the bag for democrats". Many might stay home since their vote is not needed.
The number of strong, intelligent women running for office at all levels though is encouraging. Here is my world we have Stephanie Murphy a US House rep who even has the heart for bipartisanship. She works hard for us.
As a white male I am full of admiration for these women, including Dr Ford who was absolutely terrified but stood there and delivered.
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Thank you for this column, Michelle. Let's hope we have reached bottom as a country; that this is simply the first half of the story of this administration, and that we will soon have a female infused Congress that will force a change in course.
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It amazes me that women have not made a big deal about the fact that we are just six months from the 100 year anniversary of getting the vote.We should be celebrating women who have blazed a trail for us and should mark this milestone by electing even more women to office.Men seem to have a good old boys club and support each other.How about women being equally supportive of each other and loudly praising women who are running for office.The anniversary of the 19th ammendment which gave women the vote should inspire women to even the odds - the Senate and House are not 50/50 men and women- they should be!
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@Janet Michael You're absolutely right - we should be making a huge deal about suffrage. I read an article in the NYT a week or two ago about people who don't vote. One was a woman in her sixties who gave up voting years ago. If she had a thought for the women who struggled and fought to win that right, it was not included in the article. She may not even know her own history. I'm lucky; my mother modeled this civic duty very well, studying all the issues thoroughly and always voting - even on the way home from the hospital. Thanks to people who can only win by stealing elections we have a lot to worry about when it comes to voting, but to abandon that right ignores the long struggle to achieve it and I think it's a disgraceful thing to do.
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@kathy. thank you for your eloquent response to my comment-our mothers and grandmothers gave us a great legacy.
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@Janet Michael
Ratified on August 24, 1920. Let’s finish getting the votes for the ERA for our anniversary!
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"A great many American women seem to understand intuitively that Trump’s threat to liberal democracy and his threat to gender equality are intertwined."
I too am terrified. All my life, I may have disliked certain leaders, but I've never been frightened by them.
Like many, this knot in my stomach is taking its toll, because of the 24/7 overkill of polls and predictions.
The other day, I shared a video on Facebook which is unlike me because I feel the social media giant has played a huge irresponsible role in creating the climate of fear and dystopia we're living.
It was a short clip called, "Rising," featuring 8 prominent female candidates, all with either military or public service backgrounds each speaking one word of a sentence designed to uplift and inspire. Every now and then, I watch it again to get an uplift.
Michelle Goldberg, in reading your quote from the Washington post about an outbreak of "male resentment" defining the midterms, I felt like throwing up.
Of all the people to feel resentful in the era of Trump, I'd put males last. They've never have it so good, assuming male supremacy is their goal.
That said, I do hope resentment creates unprecedented turnout next month--from women and the men who genuinely love them.
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I want you to know that when I read an op-ed and the comments, I always read your comment with attention and appreciation. Keep up the good and necessary work.
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@Bill: Why thank you! I very much appreciate this.
@ChristineMcM
I'm among the resentful men, not because I feel threatened by the rise of female power, but because of the sociopath who occupies the White House. What right has he to serve as a role model for men? Real men don't hate women.
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I must admit, it has been a long and tedious road starting with the Women’s March to the 2018 Mid-Term elections…our group has marched, educated ourselves, written letters, made phone calls, canvased, held events, shared news articles and election information…it has been exhausting at times but we have never felt so engaged and involved in our community and democracy. We have gotten out of our comfort zones, our silo of friends/neighbors, and have rolled up our sleeves working side-by-side with so many diverse women, listening and learning to needs greater than ourselves. We no longer discuss the news coming out of the white house, how many stories do you need to listen to, to understand this white house is corrupt and needs to be held accountable. The Mid-Term Elections are approaching fast and we have work to do, so we are heads down moving forward towards a brighter future for our family, friends (new/old), our country and democracy.
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@Ann,
A voter here, a first-time for the Mid-Term elections, with appreciation to you, and Ms. Goldberg for writing of the Michigan governor's race, and one strong vote for Gretchen Whitmer, regardless of gender, who supports the restoration and rebuilding of America.
'Infrastructure' is a word seldom used by some of our Elders in denial, while the Community unites in repairing our homes and schools. Washington remains far away, and the importance of clean uncontaminated water gains our attention.
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@Ann
If we survive Trump and his party, he will have made us all far stronger.
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"There is, I find, only one thing that soothes my galloping anxiety" and that is . . . talking to other committed Democrats? Yes, Democrats ought to be worried, they exist in a closed loop talking to one another about issues of interest mainly to them: minority rights, women's rights, open borders, democratic socialism (plain old socialism by another name), topics of interest to them that aren't gaining traction with non-Democrats--Dems aren't making converts, that's the real source of their anxiety. Their agenda is an Edsel, all the PR hype in the world can't make non-Dems buy it. They know this, to keep their spirits up they preach to the converted and interpret the enthusiastic response they get back as general voter approbation--secretly they know this isn't true.
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Minority rights and women's rights are NOT just of interest to Democrats. They are of interest to all women--half of the population--and to all minorities, who make up an increasing part of the population. These rights are important to immigrants and to many Republicans, especially educated ones or those who share common American values including suburban women or those who care about the futures of their children and grandchildren. These rights are important to young people who are tolerant and diverse.
Perhaps white men don't care about these rights but I would challenge that assumption also. People genuinely want what is best for their families, and few families are exclusively white male. Praise the lord.
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@Ronald B. Duke Nah. I can’t count the number of friends who are now ex Republicans. A NPR story reported yesterday that 2018 midterm turnout will likely be largest in over 50 years. That ain’t Republicans. Darn right I hold onto that kind of news. Our country depends on it.
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@Ronald B. Duke,
While staunch Republican women of all ages have been leaving the Party in this rural valley of America these last two years, it is unlikely that with few weeks remaining to the Midterm, there will be new converts to the road of enlightenment.
However, one never knows what is happening behind open doors at the polls, and all women in our community, with few exceptions, are voting and not on the coat-tails of the men in their life.
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Dr. Ford did make a difference. She helped to clarify just how serious the situation is.
Trump's presidency, inc. the Kavanaugh confirmation, is a call to action. America will become what Trump and his backers want it to be, unless those Americans who believe in a better America become more active in politics.
Volunteer.
Vote.
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Here's what I saw just last night in the headquarters of a female Democrat running for state representative in a midwestern state. There were approximately 2 dozen (mostly women) volunteers all writing postcards to registered voters urging them to vote for the candidate. I was one of the 4 or 5 men writing these cards with a brief, simple message. I have knocked on doors, placed signs in neighborhoods, phone banked but this was my first experience with a postcard writing effort. The mood was upbeat and cheerful because myself and others were actually doing something to support our Democratic candidates. The lady candidate behind this was also endorsed by the two major newspapers in the area.
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@tom boyd - People like you are like a balm on my wounded heart and soul. Thank you very much.
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@tom boyd "lady candidate?" What century do you live in?
I agree, but...this has to be about more than working against and voting against Trump. A vote for Democrats should be a vote FOR ideas and values that are integral to the institutional strength of the country. My grandparents came to America FOR the potential they believed could be found here, and only here.
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@Josh Conescu: Let's see Josh can we think of a reason to vote for a Dem as opposed to an R? How about HEALTH CARE and it's pre-existing conditions? There's one. Do you need any more? Really?
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@Josh Conescu
FDR didnt go out of their way to support illegal immigrants, or provide safe havens for them.He also wasnt a socialist, which I am sad to say, the direction the Democrat Party is heading
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@Josh Conescu Oh please. That's like being for good health while not getting your lung cancer treated. We're in mortal danger, and so we need to fight on those terms.
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Of course I am anxious about the midterms, but the energy and involvement I have seen in the last two years from friends and acquaintances who always voted but never were involved in the political process become involved and informed. It has been so encouraging to me -I grew up in the midst of the civil Rights movement and the Vietnam protests-most of us then got involved and stayed involved in politics-and it was hard for me to convince younger women that staying informed and involved was important-but the election of the SCPOTUS has been a five-alarm clarion call to arms for many women of every age group. No matter the result of this election, we will stay involved, informed and filled with righteous anger.
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