Absolute Power?
Blue in a Red State
The saying goes “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The more power one has, the more corrupt one becomes. How do we handle the corruption of people we believed to be good people?
In Oklahoma, a state representative from Tulsa has been accused and has admitted to using AI to create a gif of himself and a woman kissing. The woman is unnamed. The state representative is John Waldron, a Democrat. He “unintentionally” sent a copy of the gif to the woman in the photo. He said he didn’t mean to send it to her, that he was under stress, and that there were deeper political factors.
In California, Eric Swalwell, a Democrat congressman running for governor, is accused of sexually assaulting a former staffer. The assault took place in New York City in 2024. According to newspaper reports, the former staffer was intoxicated and that Swalwell took advantage of her. Three other women have accused the congressman of sexual assault.
Considered the front-runner for governor, Representative Swalwell has lost endorsements. New York has filed criminal charges. Swalwell denies the accusations and has apologized to his wife for putting her through this.
I know John Waldron. We met in 2016 when we were both running for state offices. Waldron was a high school history teacher and adjunct professor at Tulsa Community College. We were often at the same fund raisers. He was well liked by his students and by faculty. In 2018 he ran for state representative and won.
I was confused by the accusation and his response. While I hadn’t seen or talked with Waldron since 2018, I found myself wanting to not believe he could do something like this. But, then the accusations against Swalwell appeared.
Both men have power - political and personal. The woman, who Waldron created a gif of, came to Waldron for advice on running for public office. The accuser of Swalwell was, at the time, on his staff. Both have been asked to drop out of the races.
We live in a time where there is no solid ground to stand. The president of the United States is notorious for his sexual attacks on women. No one has done anything to stop him. He says it’s fake news and his followers believe him. Morals and ethics in public office appear to be fraying.
Both Waldron and Swalwell have used the same phrases used by Trump and others accused of sexual assault. It’s political. It’s fake. The opposition wants to destroy my credibility. Those phrases ring hollow.
Rape was considered to be the woman’s fault. Her clothing was too revealing or she had a history of prostitution (true or not it was still said in court). Then we began to see sexual assault as power over another person. President Bill Clinton used his sexual and political power on Monica Lewinsky. Then the “Me Too” movement appeared. The casting couches of movie and television moguls, where careers were made or destroyed, came to light in court case after court case. We were told to listen to the women and to believe them. And we did.
Do I think Waldron and Swalwell used their power against women? I do.
Do I want them to admit what they did? I do.
Do I think all men with power are sexualized predators? I don’t.
As we wait for more details and more fallout, questions will continue.