Is the Left Using #MeToo To Overhaul State Governments and Mobilize Women?
Ever since pink-hatted protestors marched on the Mall the day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Democrats have been predicting a “Year of the Woman” ahead of the 2018 midterms.
Almost a year since the Harvey Weinstein story broke in October 2017, the #MeToo movement has sparked a flurry of allegations, resignations, and ultimately, generalizations painting women as victims and men as perpetrators. Now that Weinstein accuser Asia Argento stands accused of sexual assault herself, some in the #MeToo movement have seen the need for greater discernment and due process. These voices were virtually absent when the shoe was on the other gender’s foot.
What is the aftermath of this broad-brush bandwagon so far? In the case of state governments across the country, something unprecedented is happening.
On Feb. 2, 2018, a Tucson.com headline read: “Arizona Rep. Don Shooter stripped of his gun, then his House seat.” The ironically named Shooter — a Republican — was expelled on a 56-3 vote for sexual harassment. He has consistently denied the charges and is now suing members of the state House for the lack of due process. There hasn’t been an expulsion in that body since 1948, when two members were removed after a fistfight.
One month later, on Mar. 2, Democrat Rep. Steve Lebsock was expelled from the Colorado House of Representatives amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment. The last expulsion in that body was for perjury in a bribery investigation in 1915.
In an attempt to defend himself, Lebsock distributed his version of events to House members, who called it “retaliation” and further evidence of his guilt.
One Democrat announced his intention to vote “yes” because his wife had been the victim of sexual assault at the age of 17. Another revealed that he had been wearing a bulletproof vest for two weeks. The implication was that Lebsock, a former Marine who had opposed his fellow Democrats on a sweeping anti-gun bill, might take a shot at him. None of this would have been admissible in a court of law, yet it was tolerated from the people who make laws.
In the final 52-9 tally, all Democrats voted for expulsion, along with 16 Republicans. As expected, Democrats immediately pressured Republicans to expel four of their own accused representatives. Two just happened to be in leadership.
Lebsock later alleged that, 48 hours after the accusations against him were made public, Democrat Congressman Ed Perlmutter called to persuade him to resign, and then offered him a job so he would “land well.”
How many more cases are there like these? According to a Ballotpedia report, 30 states have reported one or more sexual misconduct allegations since October 2017. Sixty-seven male lawmakers have been accused; 32 have resigned, were expelled or did not seek re-election.
There were also two related suicides: Republican state Rep. Brandon Hixon of Idaho in October 2017, and Democrat state Rep. Dan Johnson of Kentucky in December 2017.
Since women already vote Democrat in greater numbers than men, they make up the left’s ideal victim-group-turned-voting-bloc. Women are also more likely to support gun control. The repeated mention of guns in these cases is incongruous until we look at it in this context.
Every victim group needs a collective perpetrator. At its best, the masculine ethos epitomizes capitalism, which prizes competitiveness, resilience, and the need to provide for and protect one’s family.
With demeaning slogans like “toxic masculinity” and “a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” the left has long encouraged women not to marry men, but rather to marry the government.
And so the left has set its sights on straight men in state government — Republicans and Democrats who don’t toe the party line. Whether it was engineered or not, their results are impressive: They’ve forced 31 officials out of elected office, with hopes of ousting their primary target all along: Donald Trump.
What can we do to fight back? Heading into November, conservative women should speak up louder than ever before, with messages like these:
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- We believe rape and sexual assault are serious crimes. They are trivialized by lumping them together with awkward propositions or boorish comments.
- We welcome accountability that comes with the privilege of adulthood, and we don’t expect to be believed or garner votes simply because we are women.
- We support due process in every case and on its own merits.
- We love strong men!
We are women and we aren’t victims. Hear us roar!
Karen Kataline is an author and commentator, Columbia University-trained social worker, and frequent guest host on AM talk radio. She is the producer and host of Spouting Off, a live internet call-in talk show, heard Tuesdays at 4 P.M. E.T. at www.KarenKataline.com.
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