Rich, white, probably smallish-wanger-endowed politicians are making huge strides in the field of Wildly Inappropriate Misogynistic Blatherings. But not for long...

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Rich, white, probably smallishly-endowed politicians continue to make monumental strides in the field of Wildly Inappropriate Misogynistic Blatherings.

According to Reis Thebault in the WaPO, "A South Carolina congressman kicked off an election debate Thursday with a joke -- which got a few laughs inside the room, but drew condemnation from observers across the state and country who didn't find it funny at all. 'Did y'all hear this latest late-breaking news on the Kavanaugh hearings?' Rep. Ralph Norman (R) asked the audience at a Kiwanis Club in Rock Hill, S.C., referring to the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh. 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg came out saying she was groped by Abraham Lincoln.'"

Thebault notes, "Norman's off-color attempt at humor drew swift criticism, and many felt the congressman was making light of women who come forward to talk about their experience with sexual violence."

My appropriately incensed friend and sister-author Rebecca Burcher Jones posted on her Facebook page, "I sent his 'Ralph Norman for Congress' page on FB a message via Messenger. I said, 'Only the most repulsive jerks would utter the joke you did re RGB. You are despicable.' Shortly, I received the message/reply'" below:

"My comments earlier today were meant to add a bit of levity to a very serious debate between me and my Democrat opponent and to point to the circus-like atmosphere that Washington DC has become. You really need to learn to lighten up. Clearly my opponent understood it that way since for the next hour we engaged in a substantive discussion about our many differences without mention of my comments. Once again, folks like you, Democrats and the media have taken an event that was newsworthy for so many substantive reasons and are now only adding more clowns and distractions to the current circus."

~ Ralph Norman, Republican from South Carolina.

"Lighten up," indeed.

We can deduce from his statement that Norman has a fairly capable speech writer who is getting pretty good at back pedaling, a skill that likely continues to be honed through a great deal of practice. But it didn't fix this.

Clearly Norman hasn't gotten the memo explaining that empowered women are rising up and the toxic patriarchy is going down with all its baggage. It is precisely comments like his that provide the solid rocket booster fuel for this blazing uprising. Watch for a clear confirmation of this shift in power on Nov. 6, I predict that the gender imbalance of the political spectrum will indeed, "lighten up."

Authors Website: http://www.OceanViewArts.com

Authors Bio:

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, 2013. In June, 2015, the combined views on her articles, diaries and quick link contributions topped one million. She was particularly happy that her article about Bree Newsome removing the Confederate flag was the one that put her past the million mark.

Her art in a wide variety of media can be seen on her YouTube video, "Visionary Artist Meryl Ann Butler on Creativity and Joy" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcGs2r_66QE

A NYC native, her response to 9-11 was to pen an invitation to healing through creativity, entitled, "90-Minute Quilts: 15+ Projects You Can Stitch in an Afternoon" (Krause 2006), which is a bestseller in the craft field. The sequel, MORE 90-Minute Quilts: 20+ Quick and Easy Projects With Triangles and Squares was released in April, 2011. Her popular video, How to Stitch a Quilt in 90 Minutes with Meryl Ann Butler can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShGOQaJQ8

She has been active in a number of international, arts-related projects as a citizen diplomat, and was arts advisor to Baltimore's CIUSSR (Center for Improving US-Soviet Relations), 1987-89. She made two trips to the former USSR in 1987 and 1988 to speak to artists, craftpeople and fashion designers on the topic of utilizing the arts as a tool for global wellbeing. She created the historical "First US-Soviet Children's Peace Quilt Exchange Project" in 1987-88, which was the first time a reciprocal quilt was given to the US from the former USSR.

Her artwork is in collections across the globe.

Meryl Ann is a founding member of The Labyrinth Society and has been building labyrinths since 1992. She publishes an annual article about the topic on OpEdNews on World Labyrinth Day, the first Saturday in May.

OpEdNews Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in "Beyond Surviving: How to Thrive in Challenging Times" at https://www.opednews.com/articles/Beyond-Surviving--How-to-by-Joan-Brunwasser-Anxiety_Appreciation_Coronavirus_Creativity-200318-988.html

Find out more about Meryl Ann's artistic life in "OEN Managing Ed, Meryl Ann Butler, Featured on the Other Side of the Byline" at https://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/OEN-Managing-Ed-Meryl-Ann-in-Life_Arts-Artistic_Artists_Quilt-170917-615.html

On Feb 11, 2017, Senior Editor Joan Brunwasser interviewed Meryl Ann in Pink Power: Sister March, Norfolk, VA at http://www.opednews.com/articles/Pink-Power-Sister-March--by-Joan-Brunwasser-Pussy-Hats-170212-681.html

"Creativity and Healing: The Work of Meryl Ann Butler" by Burl Hall is at
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Creativity-and-Healing--T-by-Burl-Hall-130414-18.html

Burl and Merry Hall interviewed Meryl Ann on their BlogTalk radio show, "Envision This," at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/envision-this/2013/04/11/meryl-ann-butler-art-as-a-medicine-for-the-soul

Archived articles www.opednews.com/author/author1820.html
Older archived articles, from before May 2005 are here.