By this time, everyone knows that the suspected blue wave has been a blue tsunami and all I can say is, THANK GOD! After a decade of losing our minds, losing our infrastructure, losing our most sacred institutions, losing our healthcare, losing our civility, losing our sense of propriety, losing our democratic process, losing many of our legal norms, losing our caring for the human race, losing our global respect and basically losing our way, we have a chance now to start rebuilding. During the first Trump administration it was all such a surprise to everyone that he actually won the election (no one was more surprised than Trump…except maybe Melania), he was woefully unprepared to govern and neither he nor his idiot henchmen could get untangled from their own underwear to get a lot done. Also, at that point the Republican toadies hadn’t yet completely realized just how much power he would eventually wield, so they were not as compliant as they eventually became. This went on right up until the pause just after January 6th, when even Republicans condemned Trump’s role in the insurrection, But once McCarthy trotted down to Mar-a-Lago and kissed the ring after trashing Trump on the floor of the House, the rest of the Republicans realized it was not yet time to turn on Trump after all.
In many ways, this all started with our losing women’s right to choose when SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The denigration of women that resulted has only taken four years to sink in. In education, women have been steadily gaining against men across America and across almost all professions and are now well ahead in being best prepared for all kinds of leadership. Among adults aged 25–34, 47% of women have a bachelor’s degree, compared with 37% of men. In 1995 both were at 25%. Women earn about 58% of all bachelor’s degrees and 62% of master’s degrees. The gap shows up in every major racial and ethnic group. It’s widest among Black Americans: 38% of women versus 26% of men. Men’s share of undergraduate enrollment has fallen to about 43%, from 58% in 1970. When asked why they didn’t get a degree, men without one were more likely to say they weren’t interested. Women were more likely to say they couldn’t afford it. Writers like Richard Reeves (Of Boys and Men) argue that boys and men are now falling behind in school, college, and work, and that this deserves policy attention. Others point to the persistent pay gap and the shortage of women at the top as evidence that women’s educational gains haven’t fully translated into economic power. Both trends are real.
In 2016 America wasn’t ready for Hillary Clinton to be President, even though she had been a strong Senator and a strong Secretary of State (Benghazi notwithstanding). In fact, I personally heard Vernon Jordan, Bill Clinton’s transition Chairman, tell a gathering of pension executives that Hillary was the political brains of the family. Then Kamala Harris, despite her experience as California AG and as Vice President was also deemed by America to be inadequate to be elected to the Presidency. But now let’s look at what’s happening tonight across the country in the Midterm elections. Here’s the updated list as of about 9:15 p.m. Pacific tonight. Keisha Lance Bottoms (D), of Georgia has become the first black woman elected governor in the U.S.. Amy Acton (D) of Ohio has become Ohio’s first woman governor. Gina Hinojosa (D), of Texas has defeated Greg Abbott. Deb Haaland (D), of New Mexico (NOT New America) is the first Native American woman elected governor. Katie Hobbs (D), of Arizona has been re-elected governor. And Amy Klobuchar (D), of Minnesota, who stepped down from the U.S. Senate, is now the governor of Minnesota. In the Senate we now have Annie Andrews (D), of South Carolina, who defeated Republican Sen. Darline Graham, flipping the seat in an upset. Harriet Hageman (R), of Wyoming won the open seat left by retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis. Peggy Flanagan (D), of Minnesota defeated Michele Tafoya. She’s the first Native American woman elected to the Senate. Juliana Stratton (D), of Illinois won. Ashley Moody (R), of Florida, held her seat over Democrat Angie Nixon, 50.9% to 48%. Shelley Moore Capito (R), of West Virginia was re-elected to the Senate. And in the U.S. House of Representatives, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D), of Washington’s 3rd District was re-elected. Kathy Castor (D), of Florida’s 14th District was re-elected. Pia Dandiya (D), of Florida’s 22nd District defeated Casey Askar. And then, Letitia James (D), was re-elected New York attorney general, Kathy Jennings (D), was re-elected Delaware attorney general, Charity Clark (D), was re-elected Vermont attorney general, and Sabina Matos (D), was re-elected Rhode Island lieutenant governor…and the night is not yet over with both Jocelyn Benson (D), of Michigan leading in the race for governor, and Mary Peltola (D), of Alaska vying for the Senate.
If we look globally, Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel were early on the political scene. The most prominent women in world politics right now include Claudia Sheinbaum, President of Mexico, Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, Droupadi Murmu, President of India, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, now in her second term, Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, and former Prime Minister of Estonia, Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, Mette Frederiksen: Prime Minister of Denmark, Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, Maia Sandu: President of Moldova, Yulia Svyrydenko: Prime Minister of Ukraine, Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of Tanzania, Keiko Fujimori, became President of Peru, and Laura Fernández, President of Costa Rica. Women are heads of state in 28 countries as of 2026 and hold about 27% of seats in national parliaments…and those numbers go up every day.
What does this all suggest to me? I have said for a long time that the world would be a better place if we could take testosterone out of the business of governmental leadership. I have believed for some time that women simply make more effective and more caring leaders who can balance the needs of the people with the realistic needs of the moment. This may be a blue wave we’ve just witnessed, but it is also a pink wave and all I can say is THANK GOD!