We are not an ‘angry mob;’ we’re a force to be reckoned with in midterms

So now we’re the “angry mob.”

Oh, we’re angry, all right. Our anger boiled over with the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape. It turned into shock and disbelief the day after the presidential election in November 2016. By January 2017, we had transformed it into steely determination and we were marching together in Washington, D.C.

During the Kavanaugh hearings, for some of us, it turned into despair.

But not for others. Others continued to show up in the hallways of the Senate building or in front of the elevator doors, demanding that their voices be heard. The exceptional few — the extraordinary — turned up the heat on their campaigns for local, state, or federal offices, first-time politicians who had had enough and had already committed to make things better for the citizens they hope to represent.

Mitch McConnell, John Kelly, Donald Trump — they may think they can shut down the voices of determined, persistent women. But they cannot.

That was clear at the Amy McGrath rally in Owingsville on Friday. Women, and men, of all ages and all backgrounds gathered — peacefully, politely, cheerfully, hopefully — to encourage the one among us who had the courage to take on the established politicians and begin to right what has turned oh so wrong.

Meanwhile, at Trump’s nearly daily election rallies, the crowd continues to roar “Lock her up!” The “her” is now in question. Hillary Clinton is no longer running for office. Sen. Diane Feinstein evidently committed the unpardonable error of trying to protect the confidentiality of a woman who did not want her sexual assault allegations made public. Many in his crowd fear that all women have now joined together to form a cabal committed to falsely accusing men of improper, sometimes criminal, behavior. It’s all a “hoax,” you know.

So when Trump’s crowd now chants, “Lock her up,” it appears to apply to any woman who dares speak against the policies of our president. Any woman who dares raise her voice in protest. Any woman who steps out of the place that they expect her to stay in.

Well, I have news for them. All of that changed a long time ago. In 2020, women will celebrate 100 years of having the right to vote in this country. Our voice is equal to any man’s at the ballot box. Our ancestors fought hard for that right. We do not take it for granted. We turn out for elections we care about.

So, yes, I’m angry. But in our society, as a woman, I’m not permitted to display that anger. In back-to-back testimonies before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month, the woman maintained her composure. She attested to her commitment to “collegial” relations with all parties present. She was the one who smiled and demurred as she tried desperately to answer all questions honestly, despite the emotional trauma she had endured for decades. She remained calm. And credible.

Her tormenter, however, raged on. He refused to answer simple, direct questions. He interrogated the Democratic members of the committee. He made outrageous excuses for the outrageous entries in his high school yearbook. He was petulant and irascible. He was not credible.

And here’s what we learned: Lying wins. Bullying wins. Unseemly ranting and emotional outbursts win. Rude interruptions and confrontations win. Dissembling is de rigueur. Crude language is acceptable.

Trump has successfully recreated this nation in his own image.

But we have not given up. This “mob” of angry women does not like what we see. We do not like what this country has become. We are tired of being ignored and dismissed. We are fighting back.

By the way, I have a message for Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley: Women like hard work. Watch out.

On Nov. 6, we will find our voices.

This story was originally published October 18, 2018 at 6:34 PM.