2020 ranks with 1968 as one of the most unsettling years in American politics. The similarities between the two years are striking, but it is difficult to find shared catalysts explaining what caused them to be so filled with dysfunction. However, a common denominator might be found further back, in 1954.

On June 9, 1954, the Army-McCarthy hearings in the U.S. Senate were coming to a close. That afternoon, Senator Eugene McCarthy was belittling an innocent witness named Fred Fischer. But Joseph Welch, who was the chief counsel for the United States Army, interrupted McCarthy, saying, ” Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”

That lack of decency goes a long way in defining large segments of the body politic in1968 and 2020.

In 1968, there were two horrendous assassinations, first of Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4 and two months later of Robert F. Kennedy. These events came in the wake of the kick in the gut American sustained five year earlier when President John F. Kennedy was slain in Dallas.

Discount everything else that happened in 1968, and there was quite a bit, both good and bad, but the fact is that in less than a decade, three of the most remarkable leaders that America has ever produced were assassinated.

The assassins all opposed the progressive policies of the Kennedys and Dr. King. Liberals felt they were deserving of a form of reparations for their losses; something to try to compensate for what they had endured. But a large segment of the population did not feel that payback was in order. They were angry, and added to the misery by piling on to the mountain of discouragement progressives were experiencing. These opponents to progressives had no decency.

If you were a Republican in 1968, you might have had enough of the Democrats’ approach to Vietnam. You may have felt that Black people were showing a lack of gratitude for the passage of Civil Rights legislation. Richard Nixon’s demand for “law and order,” may have appealed to you. For those on the right who were savvy, “law and order” was a dog-whistle for racism.

What if those three assassinations had not happened? Democrats would not have been the scarred and fragmented party of Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey. Instead, America might have been celebrating renewed social and economic progress under two terms of President Kennedy, limited civil rights advancement (limited because JFK was no LBJ when it came to twisting arms on Capitol Hill), and renewed American prestige among the nations of the world. JFK would likely have found a way to extricate the United States from Vietnam because he was too smart to let a problematic war undermine his entire presidency. The Democratic nominee in 1968 might have been Bobby Kennedy, or it could have been another young, dynamic liberal.

The “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” theme appeared again with the arrival of Donald Trump. In 2016, no matter what reservations you may have had about Hillary Clinton, how could a reasonable person vote for Donald Trump, or sit out the election?

Did voters not have the decency to honor Barack Obama for all that he had done for the country? If nothing else, Obama was as decent and honorable a president as the United States has ever had. Eight years in office and not even a scintilla of scandal. Eight years in office promoting policies based on empathy and logic. Obama was certainly no LBJ when it came to cajoling members of Congress to look at the greater good rather than their parochial interests, but he was also facing a much more entrenched Republican Party. In 2016, he deserved to have his legacy honored, not tarnished.

Thirteen percent of voters who cast their ballots for Barack Obama in 2012 bizarrely flip-flopped to Trump in 2016. Combine that number with the 2012 Obama voters who sat out the 2016 election, and Trump gained the necessary margin in a sufficient number of states to win the Electoral College.

The common thread that connects 1968 and 2020 is that a near majority of the population was hardened to the belief that they do not owe any considerations to a decent person who has served them well. They know of no reason to rise above their prejudices and honor someone who appealed to their better angels. Currently, there is no better example than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who threatens to debase the name of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as he unceremoniously tries to ram through a last-minute Trump appointee. This is in total disregard of what McConnell did to President Obama’s nominee in February 2016. This act is reflective of what has made both 1968 and 2020 so dysfunctional.

1968 and 2020 are characterized by turmoil, fear, confusion, uncertainty and discord. Race is a common theme in both years. In 1968, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act. Three years earlier the Voting Rights Act had been passed and the year before that the Public Accommodations Act. After all that had been achieved, how could Blacks in 1968 be angry with the politically dominant white class?

The answer lies in the concept of rising expectations. Prior to 1964, there was pent-up demand for racial change. When change began to occur, oppressed people understandably wanted more. Half a pie was better than no pie; but they felt that they deserved full equality. This was not happening.

Similarly, in 2020, people of color are taking stock and they see that many continue to suffer unnecessarily. Add the ongoing drama of police officers cavalierly killing and injuring innocent Black people, and once again, people of color know that their status in America is far from equal to that of Whites.

Of course, there are also distinct differences between 1968 and 2020. Fifty-two years ago, we were mired in an interminable war that was poorly explained and showed no prospect of either victory or extraction. In 2020, our wars are less hot, as in cyber and the machinations of modern dictators. We are also dealing with an unchecked pandemic, one that is largely the product of the mythological beliefs of our president. Deaths from the pandemic occur in less violent ways than Vietnam, but their number is far greater and equally unnecessary.

1968 was the year before the first Americans landed on the moon, and Americans held science in high esteem. There was consensus that applying the knowledge of NASA to other needs in our society was beneficial. 2020 is different, as skepticism of science has become a norm for many conservatives. It seems to be tied to the pro-life family values agenda of the right, but the connection is still difficult to fathom.

In 1963, Lyndon Johnson came into office with the best of intentions and was well-received early in his term. But Vietnam caused him to die a slow political death. By 1968, he was a beaten man.

In 2020, we have a president who is a product of his own dysfunctions and those of his loyal supporters. Had more voters honored the legacy of Barack Obama, Trump never would have won the Electoral College in 2016.

The election of Nixon in 1968 was a victory for fear and even hate over moderation. If Trump wins again in 2020, the future will be far worse than it was in 1968. Hopefully, enough Americans will have the decency to elect Joe Biden.

The post 1968 and 2020: Years of Indecency appeared first on Occasional Planet.

If I have counted correctly, at least 31 legislators in 24 states resigned in disgrace [or should have] in 2017. This development is shocking, but it is hardly new. Many state representatives and state senators were shamed into calling it quits in recent years as well. It’s just that this year, I decided to do a news-search to survey the landscape and to explore the scope of this phenomenon. What follows are the results of my non-scientific, state-by-state search.

I have included only state legislators reported to have resigned as a result of one form of misbehavior or another. I’m not including US Congressional representatives or Senators. I’m not including state legislators who quit to pursue higher office, or because of health/family issues, or to assume an appointed administrative position or take a job as a lobbyist. I’m also not listing those who simply decided not to run for office again after many years in a legislature.

The only people in this roundup are state legislators and party officials, plus one governor, who resigned from their offices or party leadership positions because of behavior deemed to be socially, morally or ethically shameful, or because of misdeeds that resulted in criminal investigations and/or charges.  In addition, there are several more who, according to public sentiment or party leadership, should resign, but haven’t done so.

Unfortunately, even with those exclusions, there are too many state legislators who fit into the ignominious category in 2017. I don’t pretend that this list is comprehensive: I probably have missed some. Still, even if it’s incomplete, it is dismayingly lengthy, so this promises to be a long post. And, sorry, but most of them happen to be Republicans. That’s how the chips fell.

Here’s what I found, listed by the type of misbehavior.

Sexual misconduct

These are some of the ickiest behaviors that turned up in my search. In calling for the resignation of a one state legislator who engaged in sexual misbehavior, one state majority leader reportedly said that this conduct “does not rise to the standards of behavior that we expect of elected officials.” But judging from how many state legislators across the country have engaged in—and gotten away with– these inappropriate acts, you have to wonder whether sexual misconduct itself is, indeed, the standard. And you have to ask yourself how much more of this is going unreported.

Examples from 2017:

In South Dakota, State representative Matthew Wollman [R] resigned in January, after admitting to having sexual relationships with interns during the past two legislative sessions.

In Louisiana, State Senator Tony Brown [D] resigned in February rather than face expulsion by the State Senate. According to the Times-Picayune, he had pleaded no contest twice in four months to misdemeanor charges related to domestic abuse—one charge lodged by his wife, and another by a woman who called herself his “side friend.”

Also in February, Tennessee House Representative Mark Lovell [R], in his first year in the house, resigned amid allegations that he had inappropriate sexual contact with a woman. He denied wrongdoing but resigned anyway. Lovell’s other job is listed as a “fair and carnival operator.”

Two Oklahoma state Senators resigned in disgrace in 2017: Oklahoma state Senator Ralph Shortey [R} resigned in March after facing felony child prostitution charges for soliciting sex from a 17-year-old boy.

Oklahoma’s Bryce Marlatt [R] resigned in September after being charged with sexual battery. He was named as a suspect in an assault on an Uber driver, in which he allegedly grabbed the driver forcefully and kissed her on the neck while she was driving.

In Nevada,  State Senator Mark Menendo {D], accused of sexual harassment in May, stepped down as chairman of Nevada’s Senate Committee on Transportation.

In October, Ohio State Senator Cliff Hite [R] resigned, citing “failing health” and “a mistaken judgment.” He admitted to “inappropriate conversations with a state employee, sometimes “asking her for hugs.” The female state employee said she rejected Hite’s advances more than a dozen times over two months, according to a state document. [In response, Ohio’s Senate president announced implementation of sexual harassment training.]

In the subcategory of “probably should have resigned, but didn’t” we have:

Iowa State Senator Bill Dix, the GOP majority leader, who settled a sexual harassment case lodged by a former GOP caucus staff member to the tune of $1.75 million in July, and California State Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra [D], about whom it was revealed in November that, eight years ago, when he was a top legislative aide, he was disciplined after being accused of groping another staffer.

In Kentucky, a quartet: Speaker of the House Jeff Hoover [R], resigned as speaker in November—but did not give up his elected seat—after admitting to secretly settling a sexual harassment claim, to which three other state legislators are also signatories: State Rep. Brian Linder [R], Michael Meredith [R] and Jim DeCesare [R].  Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin has called for the resignation of any elected official who settles a sexual harassment claim.

And in Minnesota, State Senator Dan Schoen [D], has been accused of sexual harassment by several women, who describe behavior by Schoen that ranges from persistent and unwanted invitations to meet to physically grabbing a woman from behind. One woman, who asked to not be identified, said he sent her a photo of male genitalia via Snapchat. Schoen denies engaging in any inappropriate behavior.

Inappropriate and offensive statements

In Nebraska, State Senator Bill Kintner [R}—who had previously been fined for having cybersex using a state computer—resigned in January after re-tweeting a message that implied that participants in the post-Inaugural Women’s March were “too unattractive to be victims of sexual assault.”  Kintner did not apologize for his comments.

In New Hampshire, State Representative Robert Fisher [R], resigned in May, saying it was “out of concern for the safety of himself, his girlfriend and his family.” The issue was his creation of an incendiary forum on Reddit, known as The Red Pill, in which rape was described as “not an absolute bad.” His comments on women included these words: “I don’t hate women. I just understand what use they are to me…stimulating conversation is not one of them.”  Fisher faced no sanctions, according to a New Hampshire legislative committee, because his online behavior took place before he was elected in 2016.

In Rhode Island, Joseph De Lorenzo—not an elected official, but 2^nd vice president of the Democratic State Committee—quit the party, under pressure, after making dismissive comments about a Democratic state representative’s sexual harassment claims against a fellow—unnamed—lawmaker. Similarly, in New Mexico, a county Republican Party chairman was forced to resign in August, after posting social media comments about “violent, leftist protesters.

As for others who said offensive things and did not lose their jobs, we have:

Virgil Peck [R], a state representative from Kansas, who, in March, publicly stated,” Looks like to me, if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works, maybe we have found a (solution) to our illegal immigration problem,”, according to The Wichita Eagle.

In Missouri, State Representative Warren Love [R], stated on his Facebook page that, “people who vandalized a Confederate monument should be found and hung from a tall tree with a long rope.”

Elsewhere in Missouri, State Senator Maria Chapelle-Nadal [D], in a Facebook comment, suggested that Donald Trump be assassinated.

Campaign finance violations/malfeasance in office

In January, State Representative Micha Neal [R] of Arkansas resigned after pleading guilty in a scheme in which he took $38,000 in kickbacks from $600,000 in state grants to two nonprofit entities in Northwest Arkansas. Another Arkansas State Representative—Jake Files [R]—has been under investigation for wire fraud and pocketing $25,000 in taxpayer General Improvement Funds. To date, Files has not resigned.

Alabama Governor Robert Bentley [R] resigned from office in April, after it was determined that he failed to file a major campaign contribution report, knowingly converted campaign contributions to personal use, and—by the way—covered up his extra-marital relationship with an aide.

Also in April, Oklahoma State Representative Kyle Loveless [R] resigned when it was announced that he was under criminal investigation for embezzling campaign donations.

State Senator Andre Cushing [R] of Maine resigned as assistant majority leader in October, after he was fined $9,000 for violating the state’s campaign finance laws.

In Arizona, State Representative Jesus Rubalcava [D] resigned in July after a random audit from the Citizens Clean Elections Commission found problems with his accounting. A follow-up audit identified $9,200 in expenditures that could not clearly be determined to be related to his campaign.

In South Carolina, State Representative Jim Merrill [R] resigned in August. A grand jury indicted him in December 2016 on two counts of misconduct in office and 28 counts of ethics violations. He is accused of illegally profiting from his position. Merrill is one of three legislators suspended by a state probe into statehouse corruption.

In Maryland, State Delegate Michael L. Vaughn [D] resigned in January, just minutes before the 2017 session convened. He was not charged with a crime, but is rumored to have been a possible informant in a case involving bribery of two former state lawmakers and two county liquor board officials.

State Representative Brandon Hixon [R], of Idaho, resigned in October, when it was revealed that he was involved in an active criminal investigation that had begun two weeks previously. No charges were filed at the time of his resignation, and no details were available.

And in Michigan, State Representative Brian Banks [R] resigned in February, as he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of filing false financial statements. He faced four criminal charges, for falsifying documents to obtain a $3,000 loan from a credit union. He also faked employment records in 2016, stating that he worked at a company where he had never been employed.

And the year is not over.

The post 31 State lawmakers who resigned in shame in 2017 [or should have] appeared first on Occasional Planet.

I’m way past the age when worrying about menstruation is a big part of life. But I’ll never be too old to be outraged by the way men have—for millennia—cursed, shunned, denigrated and mocked women regarding the female, monthly reproductive cycle. So, while Donald Trump’s attack on Megyn Kelly is despicable, it’s not that unexpected or uncommon.

And, though I have aged out of the tampon era, I still vividly recall the anxiety that my period sparked every month: Did I have a tampon in my purse, just in case? Would I have an unusually heavy flow that might leak out and stain my clothes? At the time, I didn’t understand that those fears were part of the societal shame attached to menstruation. But they were.

Years after I reached puberty and was already fully immersed in my monthly, shame-tinged routine, I learned about the Orthodox Jewish practice of “family purity,” which dictated that a married Orthodox couple could not have sexual relations during the woman’s menstrual period. Among religious Jews, that dictum was taken as a matter of course, and because it was so far removed from my way of life, I didn’t think much about its implications. Even later, I learned about the many other religions and societies that had similar practices—all of which characterized women, because they bled monthly, as “unclean.”

I heard the “riding the rag” jokes. I joined in with the other girls who used code terms, like “the curse,” and “my little red friend” rather than call menstruation by its real name. I worried, like others back in the day when we wore “sanitary belts” and pads, that someone might notice the extra bulge created by a Kotex pad and figure out my embarrassing personal secret—that I was having my period.

It was only in the consciousness-raising 1970s that it began to dawn on me that it was absurd to allow myself to feel embarrassed by the natural rhythm of my reproductive cycle. And since then, my outrage has only grown.

Today, I can’t help but wonder how so-called “pro-life” Republicans can claim to value the lives of fetuses, while mocking the reproductive cycle itself. How can you be “pro-life” but anti-uterus and vagina?

So, I take great pleasure when I read that, in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s disgusting remarks, women have been live-tweeting their periods to him using the hashtag #periodsarenotaninsult.

@realDonaldTrump — on the third day of my period AND still a functioning member of society! Who knew?!”

@realDonaldTrump Just finished menstruating. I still don’t like you. Guess it had nothing to do w/ my period,”

@realDonaldTrump I’m getting my period this week. I’ll make sure to keep you updated,

@realDonaldTrump Its called a vagina and you came out of one, thanks to her period! #periodsarenotaninsult oops!

And I find it very heartening to read that, as a protest against period shaming, Kiran Gandhi ran the London marathon without a tampon, allowing herself to finish the race with menstrual blood staining her running pants.

It’s also encouraging to see that Rupi Kaur managed to shame Instagram for deleting her photo depicting a situation that many women experience during their menstrual cycles—blood-stained pants. She reposted it on Facebook, and it went viral. I applaud Kaur’s effort to take these images, which she says, “are natural to women, but taboo to society, and make them normal again.”

Several teenaged girls I know have recently begun their periods. I wish that they could celebrate their entrance into womanhood—as girls in some societies do, with “moon ceremonies.” But I know that, instead, they are already feeling the embarrassment that our society still attaches to this critical—if, admittedly, inconvenient—aspect of being a woman. I can only hope that, during their reproductive years, American society will grow up a bit, too, and let women be women without shame.

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