At the core of sexual harassment and misconduct is an unchecked power dynamic permitting the abuse. No surprise, then, that our unaccountable Congress is rife with it.
What to do?
Our sicko congressmen must immediately stop using taxpayer funds to provide “hush” money to keep their victims from telling their stories, as I argued at Townhall yesterday.
Mandatory anti-sexual harassment training for all congressional employees? Normal folks don’t need special training to avoid acting in despicable ways, and as far as protecting employees goes, such training seems to serve perpetrators more than victims.
One thing Congress won’t do in response? Slap term limits on themselves.
But term limits, in this as in other forms of corruption, would be very beneficial.
First, they would mercifully limit the duration of any abuser’s reign. There is indeed some value here.
But requiring rotation in office creates another critically helpful impact. The expectation that a creep congressman will continue to wield power plays a major role not only in the calculations of that abuser, but also sometimes in the calculus of the victim … especially regarding the fear of coming forward.
And a limited time in power also has its affect on the thought processes of those around the congressmen, people who might be more likely to do the right thing in reporting misbehavior if they didn’t view their own advancement as so closely tied to the advancement of the member of Congress for whom they work.
But remember, Congress won’t impose term limits on themselves. That’s our job.
Paul Jacob
This article first appeared in Common Sense.
