November 07, 2018

History made by women and minorities in U.S. midterms

located:	USA
editor:	Yair Oded

In the wake of a turbulent midterm race, victories and defeats were registered on both sides of the aisle, with Republicans expanding their control of the Senate and Democrats winning a majority in the House of Representatives (after an eight-year period in the minority).

As the election results indicate, division is still rampant in America. Yet, yesterday’s ballots also exhibit a societal awakening among young voters, women, ethnic minorities and residents of suburban and urban communities, who took to the polls to channel their opposition to the president’s xenophobic rhetoric and erosion of democratic principles, as well as to express their demand to increase social services (with healthcare as a primarily focus).

Although the blue wave yearned for by Democrats did not quite live up to expectations (their new majority in the house is not overwhelming and incumbent Democrats lost critical Senate seats to Republicans in four states, as well as several gubernatorial races), their control of the House gives them power on several important fronts. Firstly, a Democratic House may be able to block legislation promoted by the administration and prevent it from reaching the Senate floor for approval. They may also choose to advance legislation in areas such as healthcare (reducing the cost of prescription drugs) and campaign and ethics laws (including the outlawing of gerrymandering of congressional districts), which they had set as top priorities. It remains to be seen, however, just how much initiative the Democratic majority will exhibit in promoting new legislation. Many predict that such proactive action is less likely to emanate from the major-donor backed establishment Democrats (such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi), but rather from newly elected progressive candidates who are eager to deliver on promises made to their constituents.

Another major asset now in the hands of Democrats is the ability to initiate investigations into the allegations of misconduct and corruption by the president and his administration members. They may also guarantee the safety of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his probe into the collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 elections. House Speaker Pelosi clarified, however, that she will not advance impeachment proceedings against the president before reviewing the Mueller report and his recommendations. In this case, too, many worry that Pelosi’s loyalty to major donors and her interest in maintaining the status quo will prevent her from taking strong action against the president should his ties to Russia become evident. The president, on his part, has already pledged to retaliate should Democrats initiate an investigation into his relationship with Moscow or pressure him to release his tax returns.

Yesterday’s most remarkable outcome, however, was the history made by women and minorities. Rashida Talib in Michigan and Ilhan Omar in Minnesota will become the first Muslim women in Congress history. Deb Haaland in New Mexico will become the first Native American women in Congress. Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts and Jahana Hayes in Connecticut will be the first black female congress members in their states. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York will become the youngest woman elected to Congress. Sylvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar will become the first Latinx women in Congress in Texas and the citizens of Colorado elected the first openly gay governor in U.S. history, Jared Polis.

The road to social justice and ethical governing is still long. The president and his allies’ divisive, racist and violent rhetoric still dominate the ranks of the Republican party and with the Senate still under their control, the latter may approve any executive or judicial nomination of the president, as well as torpedo progressive legislation advanced by Congress.

That being said, yesterday’s results serve as a source of validation to the scores of passionate, socially-conscious activists and candidates who renounced corporate money and embarked on grass-roots, small dollar donation campaigns, energised solely by the desire to bring about positive change. Those are the people who managed to excite their constituents and encourage them to cast their votes. It is important then that the Democratic establishment embrace them and their agendas with open arms, seeing as they constitute the nation’s highest hope against tyranny.