It was in the neighborhood of thirty years ago and maybe a bit of a harbinger of the future. In my role as the head of a seminar center on Capitol Hill in Washington I took a group of students from the University of Denver to meet with the person who represented the district in which the school was located. You may remember Pat Schroeder, the first woman to sit on the House Armed Services Committee. If you don't remember Pat, look her up!
It was about the same time that Rep. Schroeder was considering a run for the presidency, and that was common knowledge among those who pay attention to such things. Anyway, the students, their professor, and I barely were settled into our seats in Rep. Schroeder's office when she referenced a fellow member of Congress who was recently caught having sex with an underaged girl. Amid great hilarity on her part, Rep. Schroeder said, "There's a new saying going around on the House floor: 'If they're not old enough to vote, (expletive deleted) 'em!'" Then she laughed uproariously, as we sat stunned. When we were back on the street following the rest of the conversation, which actually was pretty substantive, the group's professor said to me, "Well! That wasn't very presidential!"
Maybe not then, but now...?
There is no need to recount the boorish behavior and language of The Current Occupant. If you want that, just watch the news every evening. Every time a new low is reached I think, "Unbelievable, but it can't get any worse." Then, of course, it does.
The truly unfortunate thing is that now permission has been given, and accepted by many others, to wallow in the same mudhole. It is not only the schoolyard bully language and behavior, but also lies and the demonization of those who espouse a different point of view that detract from our well-being as a nation.
Following the "calling" by news reporters of the re-election of the person who represents my district in the U.S. House of Representatives a clip was shown of him speaking at his victory celebration. His name is Patrick McHenry, and rather than spouting some inspirational gibberish about what glory lay ahead for North Carolina, the United States, and the World, he was complaining about the "Paid Democratic left-wing activists" who opposed him and others of his ilk.
Well, I voted against him -- again -- and no one slid me any change.
Despite all of this, I actually see a glimmer of hope in what is happening in our politics these days.
Given the rhetoric of fear and spectacles such as the Kavanaugh hearings, along with the stated disapproval rating of The Current Occupant's persona and performance, I think we finally may be on the edge of the exposure of the lie of White Male Superiority.
It's a shame that it is a remarkable development that two -- just two -- Native American women were elected to Congress. Likewise, that two -- again, just two -- Muslim women were elected, as well. It has been a very long time since the first woman of any ethnicity was elected to Congress. Her name was Jeanette Rankin (look her up if you don't know about her), and she was elected twice, actually -- both elections came just in time for her to vote against the United States' entry into a world war. Upon voting "no" on entering World War II, Rep. Rankin reportedly said, "The boys are at it again!"
Not many women -- especially those not from the dominant culture -- ever were elected to national office, but the numbers are growing, and as noted above, there is the beginning of more diversity, as well. In fact, the youngest person ever elected to Congress just won in New York -- a woman.
Frankly, I don't really understand why so many White Males are scared. Office holders, of course, want to hold onto power and to the access to wealth that gives them before, during, and after their terms. But those guys are even convincing others who will never hold office (and who, if truth be told, matter very little to those seeking their votes) that they need to be scared, too. Some take this fear to the extreme and send bombs through the mail or shoot up synagogues, newsrooms or individuals identified by "leaders" as enemies.
In Georgia, the gubernatorial race is "too close to call" as this is being written, and Ms. Abrams, an African-American woman is hanging in there against a person whose campaign and actions as Georgia's Secretary of State, responsible for the fairness of elections, have not been without questionable twists and turns, with race as a factor. To me, the closeness of the Georgia governor's election is a hopeful sign that more and more people are rejecting the status quo and are feeling empowered to greater participation in our society.
The United States is made up of a diverse population that grows ever more diverse with the passage of time. The time for privilege for the few at the expense of the many is long past its expiration date. Yes, for a few days following this particular mid-term election, the word "bi-partisanship" will bounce around like a beach ball in the crowd at a sporting event. Soon enough, though, heels will be dug in, jaws will be set, and backroom strategies will be hatched. Words will become weapons again.
All of that is starting to wear thin, though, and I have to believe that some of the new faces and voices and skin-tones will begin to say, "Hold on, there! The world is bigger than you want to make it. You are not the only ones that matter. Together we can move toward something better for everyone."
But, it ain't gonna be easy. Yet.
I remember a fellow from my long-ago past named Bill Harris. He worked in the library at the seminary I attended. One day I lamented some thing or another and concluded by saying, "It's a crazy world."
With missing a beat, Bill replied, "I'm looking for a better one,"
