Tag: Deborah Rhode

Moderated by Deborah Rhode, the event probed the success of Trump’s presidential campaign, criticisms of contemporary feminism and flaws in the #MeToo movement against sexual assault. Rhode opened the debate by asking Sullivan to expound on his views on the Donald Trump’s presidency and the United States’ current political climate. Sommers agreed that Trump has gained support among religious groups such as evangelical Christians in spite of actions that are often seem incompatible with their teachings, citing an article she read investigating evangelical leaders supporting Trump, in which a minister described Trump’s transgressions as “the way of President Trump seeking God.” According to Sullivan, Trump has tapped into legitimate concerns for many American citizens that have been dismissed in elite circles. She added that Hillary Clinton’s campaign incorrectly assumed she would automatically capture a majority of the women’s vote, and that the Democratic party may have also alienated some of their voter base by focusing on identity politics. The discussion shifted to gender issues when Rhode asked the speakers about their views on feminism and the #MeToo moment. Sullivan said that the view held by many modern day feminists that gender is a social construction has been exaggerated. “I really do think of myself as a feminist,” Sullivan said. “I believe that women and everyone will be helped by truth.” Rhode countered, saying Sommers’ claims of one-sided teaching didn’t match Rhode’s experiences with the Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies department at Stanford, where she said different points of views are explored. Rhode responded to Sommers’ view on contemporary feminism with statistics that contradicted Sommers’ claims. “For quite a while, I thought that this could bring women and men across the political spectrum together,” Sommers said.