Justice for All?

Leadership means having a clear vision for the future. It means making tough calls in difficult times in order to advance the agenda you were hired/elected to move forward. In the case of the U.S. Congress that means advancing the agenda of "we the people", not "we the establishment." The outcome of the Alabama election has made two things readily apparent to me:  1) The American people are finally starting to awaken to the behind-the-scenes power-wielding machinations employed by the elites on the left, in the Democratic Party, and they are tired of being played, tired of being used --witness the Roy Moore's comeback, losing by a mere 0.7% (the last count I saw, with over 91% of precincts reporting);  and 2) The leadership of the Republican Party --chiefly Mitch McConnell--have failed their party, their candidate in the critical Alabama Senate race, and failed their Commander in Chief, by throwing their candidate immediately under the bus at the first hint of trouble, in the absence of any due process, for an allegation of misconduct not only suspiciously timed but dating back well over thirty years.

I have to say, given the outcome of this crucial Senate race, coupled with Senator McConnell's poor legislative track record to date, that the time has come for the Majority Leader to resign from his duties so that he may be replaced with a more effective leader capable of advancing the President's agenda.  Perhaps the upside of this election outcome is two-fold.  First off, Roy Moore wasn't forced to withdraw from the campaign in the face unproven allegations, which he adamantly denied.  His supporters rallied in the absence of solid and timely evidence, and in the end the easily-spooked Republican Party came back around to support Moore's election bid.  So in the end, the nation dodged a bullet by not setting the dangerous precedent for future political elections that well-timed moral hit-jobs involving allegations of sexual misconduct can force targeted politicians out of key races after being tried solely in the court of public opinion. Then secondly, another upside is the fact this election only serves to fill the remainder of the former Senator's (Jeff Sessions) term, that remaining term being only two years of a standard six year term --Sessions having already served four of the six years in a given term.  So in two years, the Alabama Senate seat will be up for election once again.  All of the above being said, #1) above gives me enormous hope for both political parties moving forward.  The ability to think critically, logically towards the discernment of truth is crucial to the survival of our representative democracy.  In the absence of this independent reasoning and thought on the part of the electorate an elite 'ruling' power structure settles itself into place, being near impossible to remove once it is established, and this elite power structure is not focused on the needs of "we the people"; it is focused on selling influence and maintaining power in order to advance an elitist agenda.  Sadly, today in Washington D.C. there are elites participating in a well-established power structure on both sides of the political aisle.  Perhaps this is why we need to begin a discussion about the benefits of term-limits where seats in the U.S. Congress are concerned?

On a different note, I also think that the time has now come for we, as a nation, to begin having the discussion that would allow us to prioritize claims of sexual misconduct and the appropriate repercussions thereof, for not all offenses are created equal.  Not all offenses should result in the immediate destruction of a man or woman's entire career in the absence of any due process.  Don't get me wrong, I think the #MeToo movement is truly empowering.  It has allowed .. is allowing women and men to step out of their silence and suffering in order for their voices to be heard.  This movement has begun a long overdue conversation in our nation, a conversation with the potential to move us further toward a truly egalitarian society, which is rather remarkable in and of itself. That being said, we really need to get a handle the ramifications of sexual misconduct allegations in the absence of  any prioritization.  Prioritization of sexual misconduct allegations --even though there will likely be many grey areas-- would allow us to begin building the frame-work for prosecution in order to ensure justice for all.  For in the absence of prioritization, the positive progress this #MeToo conversation has made thus far can just as quickly run right off the rails, with countless opportunities for abuse in the face of false or unproven allegations.  Having this important conversation will also allow us to put past allegations (e.g., Senator Ted Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, Senator Tod Akin) --and the response of individuals from each political party-- into perspective when discussing current allegations (e.g., Judge Roy Moore, Senator Al Franken,  Senator Trent Franks and Representative John Conyers).  It may also help to shed some light on the motivations behind a radical change in behavior where some groups are concerned (i.e., rank-and-file Democrats). "Hypocrisy is the homage vice plays to virtue"?

12/14/2017  I heard that Roy Moore has requested a recount of the election results, as allowed by Alabama State Constitution for closely contested races.