W
e are more than a
week removed from
the 2018 midterm
elections,
and
basically
everything to be said about
the electoral side of things has
been said. What was projected
to be a “blue wave” for the
Democratic
party
did
not
quite come to fruition. While
the Democrats were able to
flip enough seats to take back
the House of Representatives,
their majority is slim and,
in the process, they lost two
valuable seats in the Senate.
Despite receiving a significant
amount of criticism following
the 2016 presidential election,
the polls and prognosticators
reaffirmed their legitimacy
this time around.
Much was made of the
gains of female candidates in
the midterms as women were
declared the real winners
of the election. One notable
female victor was Michigan’s
now Governor-elect Gretchen
Whitmer.
Furthermore,
Representative-elect
Ilhan
Omar
of
Minnesota’s
5th
Congressional
district
and
Representative-elect Rashida
Tlaib
of
Michigan’s
13th
Congressional district made
history by becoming the first
two Muslim women elected to
Congress.
And while female political
empowerment is certainly a
cause for celebration, now
that we have had a week to
bask in said victories, it is
important that we turn our
attention to something a little
more unsavory. This cycle saw
an
unprecedented
amount
of money funneled into it.
According to the Center for
Responsive
Politics,
these
midterm
congressional
campaigns cost a staggering
$5.2 billion.
And while it is true that
many campaigns — such as
unsuccessful Texas Democrat
Beto O’Rourke’s campaign for
Senate — were able to raise
huge sums of money primarily
through small-scale donors
and contributions, to ignore
the influence of the oligarchy
in propping up candidates and
pushing them to the finish
line would be foolish. The
simple fact is that far too
much of this money came from
far too few people. The super
PACs that the vast majority of
Americans oppose are more
influential than ever. In the
month of October alone, the 10
highest-funded super PACs for
each of the two major political
parties raised a combined $174
million.
The
disproportionate
impact of billionaires was
also
in
full
force
during
this election cycle. While I
normally direct my criticism
towards the Republican Party,
this election cycle proved
that both major parties are
completely bought and sold.
Plutocrats drive the agenda,
and I can prove it.
One
example
of
this
occurred in Tennessee. GOP
mega-donor
Charles
Koch
poured
$5
million
of
his
own money into the coffers
of Trump-loyalist U.S. Rep.
Marsha Blackburn’s campaign
for
Senate
in
Tennessee.
Maybe he was just really
excited by her campaign. Or
maybe he wants a piece of the
corporate tax cuts and the
repeal of the estate tax for
which she has advocated for
so long.
On the Democratic side,
a
particularly
egregious
example
of
electoral
manipulation
during
this
cycle by the ultra-rich took
place in Nevada, in regards to
what was known as “Question
3.”
The
proposal
asked
voters whether or not they
would want a constitutional
amendment
requiring
lawmakers to pass measures
in an attempt to establish
a competitive, free market
for energy. Investor Warren
Buffett, one of the richest
men on Earth, shelled out
$63 million through Nevada
Energy to wage a propaganda
campaign against the passing
of the proposal. His motives
could not have been clearer.
Buffett is the owner of
Nevada Energy, which is the
current
monopoly
supplier
of electricity in the state.
A man worth a whopping
$86 billion was hellbent on
protecting his profit margins
at all costs — at the expense of
the general public. He could
not accept the prospect of
Nevadians potentially seeing
their energy costs go down, so
he put up an ungodly amount
of cash to ensure that didn’t
happen. Here’s the worst part
— he got his way.
The
disproportionate
influence
of
those
of
astronomical means on our
political system is nothing
short of a disgrace. It is
an
affront
to
democratic
ideals and the idea of “one
person, one vote.” While all
of-age citizens — who aren’t
convicted
felons
or
being
actively suppressed by racist
voter
ID
and
registration
laws — have the right to voice
their opinion at the ballot
box, we must reckon with the
fact that we are only given a
choice within the confines
of what the super-rich find
acceptable. We might play
the game, but they make the
rules.
Now that the elections are
over, it is incumbent upon
all Americans to work to
hold elected officials’ feet
to the fire. One way to do
this is to make sure they are
accountable to the people,
and not their mega-donors.
We have to bring campaign
finance
reform
to
the
forefront if we wish to salvage
democracy and respect the
popular will.
A
few
weeks
ago,
thousands of Google
employees
from
across
the
globe
staged
what the media is calling a
walkout. Employees refused
to work as they protested
the
company’s
treatment
of
sexual
assault
claims.
The walkout was in direct
response to a scathing piece
published by The New York
Times which detailed Google’s
track
record
of
protecting
high-profile executives, even
after determining the sexual
harassment
claims
against
them were credible.
The piece looked closely
at Andy Rubin, the creator of
the Android mobile software.
An employee accused Rubin
of sexual misconduct after he
coerced her into performing
oral sex in a hotel room in 2013.
Google chose to investigate
and
ultimately
concluded
that her claim was credible.
Andy Rubin was subsequently
asked to leave the firm — but
not without a $90 million exit
package. The Times reported in
the same piece that Rubin was
one of three executives that
Google protected over the past
decade after they were accused
of sexual misconduct.
Employees,
disappointed
with a culture that they felt
protected
perpetrators
of
sexual
misconduct,
began
communicating with each other
to stage a protest. Walkout
organizers generated a list of
demands on how Google (which
at one point in time boasted the
motto: Don’t be evil) should not
only handle sexual misconduct,
but how it should also improve
its culture.
The demands included ending
the use of private arbitration
in sexual misconduct issues
and publicizing a transparency
report which detailed instances
of sexual harassment. Beyond
issues relating specifically to
sexual
harassment
(though
they
are
complicatedly
intertwined), the organizers
asked
for
an
employee
representative
on
Google’s
Board of Directors and a chief
diversity officer that to speak
directly to the board.
The walkout at Google is the
latest instance of the #MeToo
movement’s effect on corporate
America. Started 12 years ago
by Tarana Burke and having
gained attention nearly a year
ago with the public humiliation
of
film
producer
Harvey
Weinstein after he was accused
of rape and sexual harassment,
the
#MeToo
movement
has come a long way. Many
powerful men have been forced
out of their cushy executive-
level jobs. Just a few weeks ago,
Leslie Moonves stepped down
as CEO of CBS after accusations
of sexual harassment were
publicly disclosed.
The
#MeToo
movement
has
generated
awareness
regarding the prevalence and
severity of sexual harassment
in
organizations
spanning
all
sectors.
Organizations
have been forced to either
design or adopt mechanisms
that
minimize
the
amount
of
workplace
harassment.
Many
companies
have
set
up independent, anonymous
helplines that give employees
the
opportunity
to
report
misconduct without fear of
immediate repudiation. While
these mechanisms may prove
useful in the short term, The
Economist suggests in a piece
titled
“American
business
and
#MeToo”
that
sexual
harassment
is
“a
symptom
of bigger, subtler problems:
unequal access to power and
unaccountable cultures.”
The walkout organizers at
Google had the right idea with
their demands that extended
beyond calling for change in
how
the
company
handles
instances of sexual harassment.
Their last two demands (an
employee representative on the
board and a more influential
chief diversity officer) work
toward
transforming
the
company’s culture — ideally
making it more inclusive and
accountable.
Greater
employee
input
at the executive level would
benefit not only individuals
commonly
associated
with
the #MeToo movement, but
instead,
a
host
of
people
with other identities found
throughout
the
company’s
ranks. Gillian White writes in
The Atlantic that the #MeToo
movement has “been centered
on the experiences of white,
affluent and educated women.”
Avoiding this fault, the walkout
organizers intelligently used
the momentum generated from
the
#MeToo
backlash
over
Andy Rubin to call for greater
involvement from all employees
— regardless of not only gender
and rank, but of race, sexual
orientation and socioeconomic
class too.
While it is still uncertain
to
what
demands
Google
will
completely
concede,
the walkout should serve as
an inspiration to employees
seeking to work in safer, more
accountable and more inclusive
environments.
Employees,
when acting together, can hold
significant leverage over their
employers. Employees need to
make it known that they are
a stakeholder to be reckoned
with.
Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4A —Friday, November 16, 2018
Emma Chang
Ben Charlson
Joel Danilewitz
Samantha Goldstein
Emily Huhman
Tara Jayaram
Jeremy Kaplan
Lucas Maiman
Magdalena Mihaylova
Ellery Rosenzweig
Jason Rowland
Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Alex Satola
Ali Safawi
Ashley Zhang
Sam Weinberger
DAYTON HARE
Managing Editor
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.
ALEXA ST. JOHN
Editor in Chief
ANU ROY-CHAUDHURY AND
ASHLEY ZHANG
Editorial Page Editors
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s Editorial Board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
ELIAS KHOURY | COLUMN
Billionaires win the midterms... again
How the #MeToo movement is shaping corporate America
ERIK NESLER | COLUMN
Elias Khoury can be reached at
ekhoury@umich.edu.
Erik Nesler can be reached at
egnesler@umich.edu.
“T
o
demand
that
people
take
personal
responsibility
for
their
behavior
is
extremely
difficult.
It
doesn’t
come
naturally to any of us. Perhaps
the case for it can best be
made by using other words
to
describe
the
assuming
of
personal
responsibility.
Those words are ‘growing
up.’” This quote from Dennis
Prager
captures
a
major
societal problem today. People
today, from young adults to
politicians, too often make
excuses for their negative
behavior instead of owning up
and trying to improve the way
they act.
Taking
responsibility
for
our actions was hammered
into many of us by our parents
and teachers when we were
children. We learned to do our
chores and homework, and
that we are accountable for our
behavior. My parents told me
that my grades in school would
reflect the amount of work I
put in. They did not consider
that my teacher was bad, or
that I’d be distracted by my
friends, or that maybe I just
didn’t like the subject or school
in general. Those were not and
are not adequate excuses. The
lesson that your life is in your
own hands is something lost by
many today.
The
conduct
of
many
politicians today has, at times,
sunk far below civility. Even
some of the more reserved,
professional
representatives
have had moments of weakness.
During the 2016 presidential
primary
race,
Sen.
Marco
Rubio, R-Fla., responded poorly
to outside stimuli but proved
to be a perfect example of
assuming sole responsibility
for his conduct. Rubio, in
response to Trump’s continued
and relentless barbs and jokes
about
the
competition
for
the
Republican
nomination
for the presidency, began to
make the same type of jokes
about Trump. He joked about
Trump’s constant tweeting, his
spelling mistakes and even his
apparently small hands. Much
of Rubio’s campaign, for a few
weeks, became centered on
“out-Trumping” Trump, during
debates, speeches and rallies.
What is unique about this
situation is that Rubio felt
remorse,
acknowledged
his
poor conduct and apologized
to Trump for his jokes and
comments. Rubio said, “I don’t
want to be that. If that’s what
it takes to become president of
the United States, then I don’t
want to be president.” It is
refreshing to see a politician
realize
their
misconduct
instead of sweeping it under the
rug or blaming someone else,
like Rubio easily could have
done here instead of accepting
and apologizing for it. It shows
true class from a man who
understands
what
personal
responsibility is. Instead of
dwelling on politicians and
their misdeeds, we should first
look upon ourselves and fix
our own character. Once we
have done that, then we will
be able to hold elected officials
accountable.
Take this lesson and apply
it to your own life: the way
you act, your work ethic, the
way you treat people. Those
things
are
all
completely,
unquestionably in your control.
Don’t blame societal pressures,
peer pressure, racism, sexism,
tiredness,
poverty,
a
busy
schedule or anything else for
disappointments or failures in
your life. While these things
can certainly, and often do,
affect people in a myriad of
serious ways, they do not
determine anything on their
own. The number one factor
in every event in your life is
you. Accept that and embrace
it. It does yourself no favors
to
attribute
the
ability
to
determine the outcome of your
life to any outside influence.
Treat your life as if it is just
that — yours. If you can do this,
then you will be motivated to
make the most of life’s many
opportunities.
I understand that people
don’t like to be told to “grow
up” or to “take responsibility.”
It sounds authoritative and, in
a way, scary. I think, however,
that it is an empowering idea
that
especially
applies
to
many of us as aspiring young
adults.
Blaming
supposed
insurmountable
barriers
for
our own lack of success may
make us feel better about
failure, but it does us no favors.
In high school, I saw plenty
of
the
blame
game.
The
“non-stop grind” of student-
athletes being blamed for poor
grades.
“Crappy”
teachers
who apparently didn’t teach
the
material,
even
though
plenty of kids in class got As.
Friends pressuring friends into
making inadvisable decisions.
Personal
responsibility
and
accountability
is
something
I was raised to believe and
that I believe in fervently. For
that reason, when I graduated
from high school and we were
asked to pick a “senior quote”
to accompany our picture in
the yearbook, I chose one that
embodied that belief. Former
President Ronald Reagan said,
“We must reject the idea that
every time a law’s broken,
society is guilty rather than the
lawbreaker. It is time to restore
the American precept that each
individual is accountable for
his actions.”
DAVID HAYSE | COLUMN
Growing up
David Hayse can be reached at
dhayse@umich.edu.
We might play
the game but they
make the rules
Employees need
to make it known
that they are a
stakeholder to be
reckoned with
EMILY CONSIDINE | CONTACT EMILY AT EMCONSID@UMICH.EDU