This week, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) cruised to victory in his primary for state attorney general, just days after allegations surfaced that Ellison abused his ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan. Monahan’s son claimed on Facebook that Ellison sent threatening texts to his mom and that he’d seen a video of Ellison dragging Monahan off a bed. Monahan then backed up her son’s statements. Ellison denied all the charges.
Ellison’s victory is puzzling in the era of #BelieveAllWomen; apparently that hashtag only applies under certain circumstances. When the #MeToo movement first broke onto the scene, a serious question emerged: Had the dawn of a new era begun? Were we watching a massive shift in thinking with regard to the treatment of women? Or would everything go back to normal?
It’s important in this context to remember why the Harvey Weinstein story gained steam: the election of Donald Trump. The #MeToo movement was based, at least in part, on anger that Trump, with his braggadocious past regarding mistreatment of women, had been elevated to the presidency; now there would be a reckoning for men who acted badly. And for a short period of time, the #MeToo movement applied across the board: Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) lost his seat; major studio heads stepped down; comedians watched their careers spontaneously combust.
But now, the tide seems to have receded.