By Colleen O’Connor
Donald Trump may have spent most of his life chasing and allegedly sometimes even threatening women.
This week, the once fictional “Females Furies” have all escaped the pages of the 1970s DC comics and become serious and possibly even fatal threats to his administration.
The midterm elections have already been dominated by, for and about women. All reflected in record numbers female candidates, the #MeToo movement’s success, plus the record turnout predictions among suburban white women—and women of color—that have already swelled the anti-Trump tides in the recent primaries, and now dominate the latest polls.
Women disapprove of Trump’s performance in office by as much as 65 percent versus 32 percent. Trump has a serious woman problem.
Now here comes Hurricane Florence — an “atmospheric brick wall.” This is not the wall the President wanted to build, but a wall nonetheless. And one that threatens Trump with a repeat of a “Katrina” or “Maria” moment—should more of his administration’s incompetence be on display.
Currently, the Carolina coasts face mandatory evacuation orders as Florence hurls at their shores with category 4 winds. Her predicted stall over land promises massive amounts of rain and life-threatening floods. Hence, states of emergency have been declared before, during, and after her approach.
Even more bad news for Trump and his administration is aptly named Stormy Daniels.
What began as a clumsy attempt to silence “that woman” from disclosing a sexual dalliance with Trump with some “hush money” and a non-disclosure agreement has instead evolved into the mega-theme unraveling this Presidency. It reeks of corruption, deceit and incompetence.
The Stormy story has also brought to light the common, but under-reported habit of wealthy men using magic disappearing LLCs to hide the transfer of funds from one anonymous source to another and, in Trump’s case, exposed the use of the tabloid National Enquirer to “catch and kill” unflattering news about him.
The original lawsuit, brought by Trump’s attorney, Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to facilitating the Stormy Daniels NDA and payments, is back in the news.
Trying to escape the consequences of their own malice, both Cohen and Trump just asked the court to allow them to drop the cases—saying they no longer want to proceed against Stormy.
They have waved the white flag and surrendered. But, Stormy and her attorney won’t accept the terms. The fight continues.
Then along comes Time magazine with Nancy Pelosi gracing the cover. Pelosi—the GOP’s ultimate hate object—also refuses to yield.
Attempts to oust her as the Minority Leader, challenge her inside her own caucus, and portray her as “out of touch” and “toxic” have all failed.
And, even those Democratic nominees running in tight congressional races who contend that they won’t vote for Pelosi as the next speaker should the Democrats take the House, get a shrug and a one-liner from the woman who has raised over half a billion dollars for the Democrats. “Just win, baby,” says Pelosi.
In fact, it is she, not Trump who is now “winning bigly.”
As Time magazine acknowledges, “Pelosi is one of the most consequential political figures of her generation. It was her creativity, stamina and willpower that drove the defining Democratic accomplishments of the past decade, from universal access to health coverage to saving the U.S. economy from collapse, from reforming Wall Street to allowing gay people to serve openly in the military.
“It’s not a stretch to say Pelosi is one of very few legislators in Washington who actually know what they’re doing,” the magazine concludes.
And Pelosi, like Florence and Stormy is not going away.
As she told Time, “As long as Trump is here, I’m here.”
Colleen O’Connor is a native San Diegan and a retired college professor.
This article is reprinted from The Times of San Diego which, along with The Moderate Voice, is a member of the San Diego Online News Association.