The Rewrite Is In-Process But the Script Belongs To Us
Amazing how fast the Republican’s soft whisperings of empathy for Dr. Ford has turned. We’ve gone from: yes, we believe Dr. Fprd was assaulted to the whole thing was a terrible hoax (Trump just this morning). Or Susan Collins having voted for Kavanaugh’s confirmation now saying she believes Dr. Ford but surely the woman is mistaken about Bart O’ and how the whole event has a silver lining—women will more likely report sexual assaults.
Really, Senator Collins?
After driving a shiv into the back of American woman, you have the gall to talk silver linings. Here’s a silver lining just for you: your skinny ass will be defeated in 2020. Enjoy!
I know, Senator, you feel the money raising and the outrage is a form of domestic terrorism and blackmail. But here’s the point:
It isn’t.
Rather, it’s Democracy in action, something you and your Republican colleagues have decided is troublesome, quaint, soon to be replaced by a model more manageable where the Minority rules the Majority. Or as Colin Powell said Sunday morning: where the We the People is short-circuited, replaced by Me the President.
That being said, it’s unfair to attack Collins alone because the entire Republican Senate voted the same way, excoriating Democratic pushback as unseemly. According to the GOP’s edit, we acted like savages, uncivilized, blind and deaf to the rules of decorum and civility. Oh, the irony! Let us not forget Judge Kavanaugh’s obfuscations, his slip and slide answers to reasonable questions or the pitching of snarky answers back to Judiciary Committee members. To underscore the attitude, McConnell sent out a tweet congratulating the women protesting Kav’s confirmation, thereby winning it for the GOP. He referred to those protesting women as:
Clowns.
I’ve mentioned Medusa several times in the last few days. Typically people think of Medusa as a monstrous deity whose only service was to turn good men into stone. Until Perseus arrived, the man who cut off Medusa’s head with the help of Athena and a shiny shield.
But did you know that Medusa, one of the only mortal Gorgons of Greek myth, was once a beautiful maiden? She was raped by Poseidon within Athena’s temple and Athena, so outraged by the desecration, cursed the young Medusa for her crime.
Her crime. Because some things never change and annoying victims must be punished.
The Medusa myth is, however, multidimensional in nature. Throughout centuries, Medusa has been pointed to whenever the patriarchy is threatened, used to undermine women who seek power. It’s no coincidence that Hillary Clinton, Theresa May, Angela Merkel have been depicted as 'monsters' during political battles because Medusa is regarded as the original . . .
Nasty Woman (see Elizabeth Johnston’s comments in the Atlantic).
But over those same centuries, Medusa has been regarded as a protector, a redeemer, the last of the Earth Goddesses who were so reviled by patriarchal societies, a threat to law and order. Of the masculine kind.
Despite all howls from the Right-Wing, the upcoming election on November 6th favors the Democrats, particularly in the House. With less than a month to go, we have the opportunity to sweep Republicans from the House, State legislatures and Governor’s mansions, as well as more local, down-home races. If the Senate comes along for the ride, all well and good. In addition, we have a historic number of women running this cycle.
And we have Medusa’s story echoing over millennia, a story, a script that belongs to us, not to the pretenders or imposters or Perseus wanna-be’s.
We are the women with snakes in our hair. We are coming in droves, along with the men who love and respect us.
Watch for it. Mark it down. On November 6th, our opponents and accusers, their high-fives, their smirks will turn to stone.
And I for one will revel in it!
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/10/8/1802715/-The-silver-lining-of-Collins-Kavanaugh-vote-Her-moderate-mask-is-off
https://www.newsweek.com/colin-powell-donald-trump-america-we-people-madeleine-albright-constitution-1157119
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/11/the-original-nasty-woman-of-classical-myth/506591/
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/women-dominated-2018-primary-season-here-are-numbers-n909571
