MAUREEN DOWD: Beware the furies, President Trump
Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019 -- After many false springs and discouraging backlashes, we are finally experiencing a revolutionary assertion of women's power that is transforming Congress. "Kill Bill"-style, the fiery Democratic women keep coming, driven by vengeance against the wicked man in the White House with the history of hurting women and swearing false oaths. Swooping toward 2020, the moment of truth for Donald Trump that is also aptly the centennial of women's suffrage.
Posted — UpdatedAfter I’d been writing a column for a few years, a male boss gave me a T-shirt depicting the Furies swooping.
He didn’t mean it as a compliment.
The three sisters, the “infernal goddesses” of ancient mythology born from the blood shed by Uranus when he was castrated by his son, were known for relentlessly hounding men. But the Furies took vengeance on wicked men who hurt women and swore false oaths.
So I took it as a compliment.
The capital has suddenly been infused with the spirit of the Furies. After many false springs and discouraging backlashes, we are finally experiencing a revolutionary assertion of women’s power that is transforming Congress.
“Kill Bill"-style, the fiery Democratic women keep coming, driven by vengeance against the wicked man in the White House with the history of hurting women and swearing false oaths.
Swooping toward 2020, the moment of truth for Donald Trump that is also aptly the centennial of women’s suffrage, the women are gathering force at a giddy speed.
This was not a good week to be a dude in politics.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her girl squad — fellow freshmen lawmakers Katie Hill of California, Lauren Underwood of Illinois and Jahana Hayes of Connecticut — tracked Mitch McConnell to petition him to have a vote to reopen the government. The Senate majority leader has been trying to lay doggo as Trump thrashes after pulling the rug out from under him.
AOC picked it up, tweeting another verse: “Now don’t go wasting our precious time/If they get their act together we could be just fine.”
As Kirsten Gillibrand, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris dominated 2020 talk, Beto O’Rourke tried to get out of his “funk” and reclaim his mojo as the Democrats’ main crush.
With her taunt that the president could make his State of the Union address in his own office, Pelosi continued the strategy of denying the attention addict attention. With his cancellation of her trip to Afghanistan, Trump simply underscored that Pelosi has been to our war zones many times while Trump has only been to Iraq once after being shamed into it.
Asked if Trump was retaliating after her threat to cancel the State of the Union, Pelosi offered the perfect sly riposte: “I don’t think the president would be that petty, do you?”
Trump had no clue about how much harder his life would be with divided government. But his greatest shock will be that his election woke up the wrath of the Furies, who are unceasing until they get their man.
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