Mustering the same rhetorical prowess one would expect from a second-grade schoolyard bully, leaders of the Nebraska Democratic Party raced to their social media accounts to remind voters that Governor Ricketts has no problem supporting Donald Trump despite numerous allegations of sexual assault.
Ricketts is a lame-duck governor with zero chance at higher political office (unless Fischer or Sasse retires). Even the most generous observer will acknowledge that Ricketts calling for Herbster to drop out was opportunistic.
So what was the point?
Instead of using their platform to elevate the conversation, Nebraska’s liberal leaders decided to resort to cheap shots that would fire up the base and get them those sweet, sweet dopamine-inducing likes, shares, and retweets.
We Can Do Better
Sexual assault is the most underreported crime and survivors are routinely belittled, dismissed, or dragged through the mud when they come forward.
Did liberal leaders offer more than lip service to support the women who came forward? Nope. There’s no place for nuance or positivity in tribalistic, partisan politics. It’s all about firing up the base to get those likes. In fact, scrolling through the Twitter feeds of current, former, and informal NDP party leaders I didn’t find one expression of solidarity with the survivors (maybe because they’re all conservative women 🤔).
Now I can already hear you saying, “but Josh, the NDP’s press release called Herbster’s behavior ‘reprehensible;’ that’s a pretty strong stance.” Well made up reader, I respectfully disagree. The NDP only called Herbster’s behavior reprehensible so they could lump him in with all the other Republicans and then tout their candidate for Governor. That’s not solidarity with survivors. Not by a long shot.
At least the Governor had the good sense to “encourage my fellow Nebraskans to respect, support, and stand with these survivors.” I guess the liberals were in too big of a hurry to criticize their political rivals to stop and show even a modicum of human decency. Sad.
When Liberals Let You Down, Turn to the Leftists
Yesterday could have been a unifying moment. We could have stood in solidarity with the survivors of sexual assault. We could have used the moment to raise awareness of this violation, discuss its pervasiveness in our society, and what can be done to stop it. Instead, we were reminded that liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans only care about power. It’s never about the people they purport to support in their campaigns or platforms.
It’s too late to change the cards we’ve been dealt for the 2022 elections, but elections aren’t the only tool we have to build a more fair and just society.
Change starts with ourselves. Become aware of how capitalists societies create the environment that allows powerful men, like Charles Herbster, Donald Trump, Jeffery Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and so many others to prey upon the workers who prop up their empires through their labor. Learn how to become a better ally (another thing liberals do very, very poorly). Begin talking to others about what a fair and just society looks like.
We’ve all grown up under capitalism; so envisioning something radically different will take a lot of time and deprogramming. The good news is, that we don’t have to wait for elected leaders or the political parties to start building the future we want.