Why are so many women now speaking out about the sexual abuses
they’ve experienced for years? Is there anything unique about the time we’re
now living through that has encouraged them to end their silence?
I
can’t help think their decisions are part of something that’s happening
throughout much of American society right now – a backlash against what has
been the growing domination of America by powerful and wealthy men (and a few
women) who came to believe they can do whatever they want to do, to whomever they
choose.
“When
you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ‘em by the pussy,”
said Donald Trump in the infamous 2005 Access Hollywood tape.
Sexual
assault is one obvious assertion of dominance. Other forms include economic
bullying and the stoking of bigotry to gain political power.
Trump
epitomizes it all.
As a businessman he stiffed contractors, used bankruptcy to
avoid paying creditors, and wielded lawsuits to threaten critics.
As a politician he gained traction by alleging Obama was born in
Africa, Mexicans are rapists and murders, and Muslims must be kept out of
America.
But the days of Trump and the bullying he represents are numbered. Soon after the 2016 election, hundreds of thousands of women marched against Trump, and the Resistance was born.
On
November 7, Virginia Republican candidate Ed Gillespie’s hate-filled
Trump-style campaign for governor of Virginia collapsed in a nearly nine-point
defeat to Ralph Northam.
Democrats swept statewide elections in Virginia, won the New
Jersey governor’s race, and achieved other victories across the nation.
One
of the consequences of Trump’s presidency has been a sharp increase in the
number of female candidates and winners.
More than 20,000 women have declared themselves candidates for
public office so far, according to Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily’s
List – an unprecedented number.
This
should be the Democrat’s hour, especially if they stand up against the bullies
of America and stand for the millions who have been humiliated, intimidated,
disenfranchised, and disempowered.
Democrats
will need to gain 24 seats to take control of the House in 2018. It will be
difficult, given the amount of gerrymandering and other forms of voter
suppression imposed by Republican legislatures.
Nevertheless,
last month Cook Political Report shifted 12 House districts in favor of
Democrats, a year ahead of the 2018 midterms.
A poll released at the beginning of November showed Democrats
with an 11-point lead over Republicans on a generic House ballot.
The Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 51 percent of
registered voters said they would vote for the Democrat in their district,
while 40 percent said they would vote for the Republican.
The
revolt against Trump is a backlash against bullying in all its forms. Powerful
and wealthy men who have felt free to impose their will on others, regardless
of the pain they cause, may be in for a rude awakening.
ROBERT B. REICH is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at
the University of California at Berkeley and Senior Fellow at the Blum Center
for Developing Economies. He served as Secretary of Labor in the Clinton
administration, for which Time Magazine named him one of the ten most effective
cabinet secretaries of the twentieth century. He has written fourteen books, including
the best sellers "Aftershock", "The Work of Nations," and "Beyond
Outrage," and, his most recent, "Saving Capitalism." He is also
a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, chairman of Common Cause,
a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and co-creator of the
award-winning documentary, INEQUALITY FOR ALL.