#MeToo movement ensnares Judge Roy Moore in Alabama (and other men behaving badly)

In the month since The New Yorker and The New York Times published allegations of serial sexual predatory behavior by producer Harvey Weinstein — some 100 women have now accused him of misconduct ranging from harassment to rape — people who said they had been sexually victimized have felt emboldened to voice allegations against men who had been seen as untouchable. Hollywood wracked by chaos in aftermath of sex scandals.

Actress Alyssa Milano used her Twitter account to encourage women who’d been sexually harassed or assaulted to tweet the hashtag #MeToo. This has now become a movement. The Movement of #MeToo:

The power of #MeToo, though, is that it takes something that women had long kept quiet about and transforms it into a movement. Unlike many kinds of social-media activism, it isn’t a call to action or the beginning of a campaign, culminating in a series of protests and speeches and events. It’s simply an attempt to get people to understand the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault in society. To get women, and men, to raise their hands.

California Rep. Jackie Speier has brought the #MeToo movement to Congress. #MeTooCongress campaign shines a light on sexual harassment on Capitol HillWomen of Congress share #MeToo stories.

State Rep. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, R-Scottsdale, has brought the #MeToo movement to the Arizona Legislature. At least five women have now publicly accused Rep. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, of making sexually charged comments, touching them inappropriately or making unwanted sexual advances. Several women accuse Arizona state Rep. Don Shooter of sexual harassment.

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Envision Tucson Sustainable Festival on Nov. 12

“Our Vision for the Festival Envision Tucson Sustainable Festival provides a popular annual event that brings together key individuals, organizations, and companies in our community who are working to help us not just envision but also create a resilient future for Tucson and Southern Arizona. Building Resilience, Creating Community The motto of the Festival expresses … Read more

A path to winning back the House, and maybe the Senate

Democrats need to win 24 congressional seats in 2018 to take back the House. Despite extreme GOP gerrymandering of congressional districts in many states (the U.S. Supreme Court may have something to say about this next year), there are a number of opportunities that make this math possible.

There are 23 congressional districts represented by Republicans won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, and the demographic makeup of these districts are important after Tuesday’s off-year election results. As Daily Kos Elections analyzed earlier this year, These 23 Republicans hold congressional districts that voted for Hillary Clinton:

Daily Kos Elections recently completed calculating the 2016 presidential election results by congressional district. With ticket-splitting rates at historic lows, and presidential results highly correlated with congressional results, these numbers serve as a strong predictor of future House election outcomes. Consequently, as Democrats look to gain the 24 seats necessary to obtain a House majority, the 23 Republican-held congressional districts that voted for Hillary Clinton are a logical place to start.

2016_House_Split-Ticket_Districts_-_Clinton-Republicans_Chart

[M]ost of these districts are located in upscale suburbs, particularly in Sun Belt states like California and Texas. Several of these seats have substantial Latino populations, while most also have many highly educated white voters who long leaned Republican before they revolted against Donald Trump. White voters have strongly polarized by education level in recent elections, with those holding a college degree increasingly voting Democratic at much higher rates than those who lack a four-year degree. If that trend persists, Trump could remain very unpopular in these suburban districts, giving Democrats an opening downballot.

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