The New Agenda Hails NY Choice of Gillibrand for U.S. Senate (UPDATED)
January 23, 2009
by The New Agenda
|The following is The New Agenda’s press release which was sent out this morning:
The New Agenda Hails NY Choice of Gillibrand for U. S. Senate
The New Agenda, a new, nonpartisan women’s rights organization, hailed New York Governor David Paterson’s choice of U.S. Representative Kirsten Gillibrand to fill the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton.
“This is what feminism looks like. Today’s announcement embodies the new women’s movement in America,” said Amy Siskind, a New Yorker and co-founder of The New Agenda. “It’s bold. It’s sensible. It’s substantive. And most important it’s resilient. This is the right way to turn the page from 2008 to 2009.”
After the 2008 election, ten states have lower representation of women in state government. The U.S. House of Representatives is still 83 percent male, though women gained three seats. The U.S. Senate is 83 percent male, and women gained just one seat in the November election.
Siskind said today’s news is particularly important, because the U.S. Senate represents one of the most patriarchal bodies in the world with only 37 women serving in the Senate since its 1789 establishment – less than 2 percent.
“Rep. Gillibrand has consistently stood up for the voters of her district and reached across the aisle to work with both parties,” said Siskind whose organization recommended Gillibrand. “Rep. Gillibrand was fiercely loyal to Sen. Clinton when she ran for President, realizing the importance of getting a woman to the highest office, and she refused to fall in the trap of personal attacks aimed at Gov. Sarah Palin. The New Agenda looks forward to working with Senator Gillibrand to advance women’s rights and shatter the highest glass ceiling – our Presidency.”
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UPDATE: TNA in the press
Well I’m glad this worked out to everyone’s satisfaction. I never had a dog in this fight (he was always considering a woman), but I know a lot of people did. Congratulations to the citizens of New York, and to Senator Gillibrand!
Why so happy?
To be honest I’m a Randi Weingarten supporter, so I am disappionted it is not her.
But…..
Why so happy? This pick is more a win for Upstate Republicans then anyone else. Now Gillibrand’s seat needs to be replaced, Gov. Paterson does not get to appoint that person. That will be done by a special election. In the Northern Republican area of New York Gillibrand represents it is sure to go to a Republican MAN!
Hello!!!!! We did NOT GAIN a voice here today. We got a reshuffled voice, which in the long run will mean a net LOSS!
What was Gov. Paterson thinking. Kristen Gillibrand is worthy of the Senate, to be sure, and a good choice for that reason. However, for Democrats and Women it is NOT.
And as for Gov. Peterson’s election in 2010 he screwed up big time. He has managed to piss off the Kennedy’s and their supporters and the NYC liberals with a 100% NRA, anti gay marriage, blue dog Democrat.
.
I’m thrilled! I think she is a fantastic example for women and feminists, and now we just have to make sure the seat she is leaving goes to a woman!
According to some sources she is not anti-gay marriage. And apparently, New York is simply going to lost that seat, so it is a moot point whether or not it would’ve gone to a Republican man.
Gillibrand does have some similarities to Palin, for instance…she works well with both sides of the aisle, she has children, including a young baby!, and her mom is a hunter who traditionally shoots the turkey they eat for Thanksgiving.
But she votes 93% with other dems, has a high rating from ACLU, and I think we can do without the high dunder, false charges, and hyperbole about Paterson and Gillibrand.
Score one not only for a step toward parity, but also another step in doing away with party “purity” notions.
No link on the elimination of the NY house seat, but on the gay rights issue, rest easy:
“”After talking to Kirsten Gillibrand, I am very happy to say that New York is poised to have its first U.S. Senator who supports marriage equality for same-sex couples,” said Van Capelle in a statement. “She also supports the full repeal of the federal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) law, repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) and passage of legislation outlawing discrimination against transgender people. While we had a productive discussion about a whole range of LGBT concerns, I was particularly happy to hear where she stands on these issues.”
http://www.observer.com/mobile/a…e/article/ 81552
Zee-
[i] Score one not only for a step toward parity, but also another step in doing away with party “purity” notions [/i]
I’ll drink to that!
oops
Thia, heh. Your italics tags are showing!
regarding the purity.
I would like to see Gillibrand take another look at some of her stances on assault weapons.
But I would also love to see people on the left get a grip on their aversion to hunting. Hey…I’m not going to do it, and I’m happy to pick up my sanitary meat in cellophane wrapping at the store. But I’m not so naive as to not know that someone had to kill that animal!
Zee,
Hear, hear!
Since Gillibrand won her district, why couldn’t a similar woman win the same district? Hm, Palin had a lot of male supporters who said it was time for a woman — and these were of the demographic sometimes called ‘redneck.’.
This is awesome. She was my first choice, and I personally don’t feel that only the accomplishments of the most liberal women count as accomplishments for women. I think Gillibrand’s policies are in fact pro woman and hope she has a long career ahead of her.
Yay!! She sounds awesome!
Great press release! Thank you New Agenda and thank you Gov. Paterson!
Thanks TNA for the terrific press release! All things on balance, this appointment sounds like good news. I’m grappling with whether to send a thank you to Paterson. On the one hand, I want to acknowledge his choice, on the other, as a woman, I hate feeling like I have to be grateful for every little thing that comes our way. Anyone’s thoughts on this matter would be most welcome…
Anyone wanting to congratulate Gillibrand and/or thank Paterson, here are their contact pages:
http://gillibrand.house.gov/
http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html
The TNA supports this appointment because of Rep. Gillibrand’s gender and because she “was fiercely loyal to Sen. Clinton when she ran for President, realizing the importance of getting a woman to the highest office, and she refused to fall in the trap of personal attacks aimed at Gov. Sarah Palin?” Are these her central qualifications, along with representing her district well?
What has been Gillibrand’s stated, or implied, positions regarding TNA’s goals http://thenewagenda.net/goals/? I would have liked to seen comment regarding this matter by TNA.
Kevin
Your comments are often so thoughtful, I feel compelled to read them, though I often don’t necessarily respond. Responding to this most recent one: In my view, if it’s true that Gillibrand represented her district well AND she was an ardent supporter of Clinton AND she avoided getting sucked into attacks on Palin, I would say she’s got very strong credentials. It doesn’t seem like a huge leap to count on her being an advocate for much of what TNA stands for. The first paragraph of your own comment seems to make the case. What am I missing???
thebword
New name here. Welcome. I hear your point regarding female representation. Now that Gillibrand’s seat is open women stand to lose a place in the House. But, that doesn’t mean we will. It just means we have to now focus our efforts on potential candidates for that run off election and support viable options. Perhaps TNA can collaborate with NY NOW on this issue. Yes, it would be a shame if in shifting Gillibrand over to the Senate, we lost a seat in the House. But, let’s not assume that’s an inevitability. It’s just the next round of all of this. But, at least, for now, it is truly good news that Paterson saw his way clear to appoint someone who seems to have been a worthy CongressWOMAN and someone who was an ardent Clinton supporter.
I’m not ashamed to support her “just because” she is a woman. I want more women in government period, end of sentence. That she is an intelligent, loyal, and decent woman is a bonus!
Anna, I struggled with the same thoughts and particularly as the only category on his email form that was appropriate was ‘women’s issues’. However, I decided that we really need to acknowledge those who support capable, dynamic, articulate and outspoken candidates who happen to be women. Add to that the fact that Gillibrand was so supportive of Hillary and he made a great choice of someone who aspires to follow in her footsteps.
Paterson stressed that he did not make his choice based on gender or geographic considerations. He is already being accused of paying the ‘gender card’. Now that we have an African American as our President we will no doubt be hearing more of the ‘gender card’.
As an aside, having discovered that a female Senator in my state does not list ‘women’s issues’ among her categories for correspondence, I am making a project of finding out who in the Senate and House think that ‘women’s issues’ are important enough to list. If anyone out there knows if this information has already been gathered, please let me know, it will save me a lot of time. Thanks.
By the way, I tried to send a congratulatory message to Kirsten Gillibrand and her web page is down – hopefully because she is receiving lots of good mail!
Hi Anna,
I appreciate your thoughtfulness as well. I agree with everything you are saying but shouldn’t Gillbrand’s past record of supporting women’s rights that is alignment with TNA’s goal be what is stressed. The press release implies a standard:
* be a women
* been a supporter of HRC and
* spoken up on behalf on SP
Is this the standard? I am sure it is not; it is that she has been active in, and is expected to supportive of, women’s rights.
Kevin – As usual, great post and you manage to set out your ideas in a very logical and rational fashion (damn!). After reviewing your list, I have to say, I agree with you. I think that there are many reasons to support any choice of a candidate and it’s crucial to have them prioritized. Ironically, I see from another comment that Paterson is already been accused of playing the gender card. On the one hand, I suppose for those intend on making that accusation, there’s little to deter such thinking. BUT, per your post, if we make gender the number one issue as noted in your most recent comment, then in many ways, if someone like Paterson appoints someone who is female and we commend him for it because, first and foremost, she is female, then it would be hard to complain if someone accuses him of playing the gender card.
Looooooooooong response short: I agree that the main thing for TNA should be that candidate support our goals. However, since there are those at TNA who have stated their desire to achieve parity irrespective of values and positions on issues, then I suppose they would argue that being female is the first and foremost concern.
This is hard because TNA co-founders have posted that articles on this blog do not necessarily represent the views/policies of TNA. That said, then all I can refer to as a member are the goals, but that gets circular because of the different ways people view how best to achieve those goals.
Perhaps this issue needs to be revisited and more clearly addressed by TNA.
Love your presence here on this blog!
Someone posted a blog piece about working to support Hillary as SOS. I’d also like to be a part of an effort to work to support Gillibrand as Senator. They will be successful b/c they are talented. We need to make sure that the good work that they do, is recognized and made public.
Anna,
I think it very appropriate for the criteria to be:
a) Gender: due to underrepresentation of women in various positions of authority due to past discrimination, lack of opportunity and support and sexism;
b) Record: a past record of support of women’s rights, hopefully, in particular, the TNA goals (there are many women who get positions of authority but do not become women’s rights advocates – in fact – many become the opposite behind the scenes)
c) Commitment: a stated, on the record, commitment to TNA goals
Kevin
mamab, I agree! PumaResponders will be focusing attention on Hillary’s SOS projects and Gillibrand’s Senate and Maloney’s House projects — and Sarah’s wherever.
kevin, I think “* be a women
* been a supporter of HRC and
* spoken up on behalf on SP” is very good to be going on with. We can’t know in advance what factors may turn up in future.
fsteele,
My only concern with criteria of
* Be a women
* Been a supporter of HRC and
* Spoken up on behalf on SP
is that can easily be perceived as an anti-Obama standard and an assumed pro women rights agenda. It will not rally as many supporters as pro-women, pro women’s rights agenda (without the need to always look back at the 2008 election, something that both HRC and Palin have personally moved on from).
I live in Kirsten Gillibrand’s district, am a Republican and am thrilled with her appointment. I truly believe the she listens to her constituents – has continued since her election to hold town meetings! I am not sure she is actually as conservative as her voting record reflects. I do think she has tried to accurately reflect the more conservative views of those who elected her. Whether she did this because she believes in that idea or because she was acutely aware that her district is predominately republican, I couldn’t say. But she beat a very well funded, very male, very Republican candidate with more than 65% of the vote.
We have not heard yet who might run for her seat. But I firmly believe it is a very wide open race – can’t think of anyone who has a true advantage. We just need to convince a woman to run and then work like heck to get her elected.
Hi Kevin,
I’ve been reading your comments, and I agree with your version of the criteria and at the same time I am not concerned with the other version.
I don’t know what it means to say that HRC and Palin have personally moved on from the 2008 election, but I think you are implying that the people at TNA have not, and also implying that there’s something wrong with NOT having moved on.
I am not in a rush to move on. The election uncovered some ugly truths about American society which is why TNA exists. The genesis was the 2008 election so I’m not sure why I’d be concerned with moving on.
I hate to always have to worry about being perceived as anti-Obama. You know what if people are looking to perceive me that way, and they don’t care to hear me out, I don’t care about them.
I work with a white guy who really wanted to hear the inauguration speech, but it so happened him and I had to be at a school to do an educational program that very hour. When we got to that neighborhood where the school was and as we were sitting in the vehicle, listening to the speech before the program, everyone that he saw on the street, seemingly unconcerned to hear the speech live, he called racist. Just because one doesn’t worship and isn’t ecstatic about Obama doesn’t mean one is anti-Obama or racist.
Anyway, my point is that I’m not worried about moving on too quickly, and I’m not worried about rallying women. If TNA does what it sets out to do, which is help women and be a voice for women, then it will be obvious to women that we are for them, and not against someone, and if they want to join us they will.
The election
(Please disregard “The election” at the end of my last comment. Thanks!)
Update on women for NY-20-
Did a little digging and 2 women have already expressed interest in Gillibrand’s seat. One is a Republican: State Senator Betty Little.
The other a Democrat: Attorney Carol A. Schrager who apparently is new to running for office but was a strong supporter of both Gillibrand and Hillary Clinton.
AWESOME news about Gillibrand!
Congratulations NY and thank you Gov. Paterson!
mambroad – I agree. (Haven’t seen you in a while – good to see a comment from you!)
Kevin – I thought your algorithm from a few days ago was right on. (At least, I think it was yours.)
Doris – New name on the blog (at least to me). Welcome. And, thank you so much for posting some info about Gillibrand from a first hand knowledge perspective and the update on who is throwing their hat into the ring for her seat now. All very much appreciated!
Anne-Marie – I can’t disreagrd “The election” comment at the end of your post and fear it will haunt me all night!!!!!
Anna, I was afraid of that, which is why I tried to get you to disregard it, but it didn’t work I see. :p
Anne-Marie
I’m obssesing, trying to finish the sentence, imagining what you wanted to say, just hearing the words “the election” over and over again in my head. It’s madness, I tell you, sheer madness!!!
Anyway, here’s what I’ve imagined you might have said:
The election was a disappointment, but as women united, we will move on, move forward, make gains, and ensure that our voices are heard and our numbers are represented in positions of power accordingly.
Oh Anna! You crack me up!
I like it!
Women united, we move on, move forward, make gains and ensure that our voices are heard! Yeah!
By 2012
(Please disregard “By 2012” at the end of my last comment. Thanks!)
You wanna keep me up all night obssessing, is that the idea?!*
OK. I’ll play, and I’ll raise you five:
By 2012, will see at least one woman on the ticket (either as President or Vice President), we will have made meaningful gains in both the House and the Senate, as well as among our Governors, we will have made important inroads in our battle against domestic violence, we will see more fair media coverage of women, TNA will have grown substantially, and Anne-Marie will no longer end her comments with a new paragraph that begins with an unfinished, 2-word sentence, among other achievements.
Anne-Marie,
Appreciate your feedback. Here is the difficult decision TNA has to make: to be a positive partner with the new President while holding him accountable to the TNA agenda.
If TNA continually raises the specter of the prior election, particularly in an implied anti-Obama way, it places women, and men, who want to join and advocate for the organization, as well as, the women Obama appoints, and hired, to his administration in a strait jacket.
How can a women Obama appoints, or who are in public positions, outwardly support TNA, and TNA agenda, if TNA appears to be more pro HRC and Palin, and anti the President, then its own agenda?
This is a fine line to walk; it is challenging.
Anna, you don’t disappoint. Thanks for playing! I love your positive outlook. Came across this quote by Frank Lloyd Wright today: “The thing happens that you really believe in, and the belief in a thing makes it happen.”
Anne-Marie -
Signing off for the day.
Thanks for sharing Wright’s quote. I love his architecture. As for the quote, I’m a bit of a cynic and after what happened this year, all the more so. Also, I’ve worked with so many struggling people who believed, believed, believed, but then there was the complexity of life and all the belief in the world wasn’t going to get them to the desired goal.
My world view tends toward: All sorts of things happen in life, those you planned and a whole heck of a lot that you didn’t plan, expect, or want, but there it is. Now, how are you going to deal with it?
But then
I’ll check in tomorrow to see if we switch roles…
hi, Kevin…NA would naturally appear more pro-women in politics (such as HRC and Palin), so I’m not sure using a standard of pro-Obama or anti-Obama is applicable. He’s the President, it’s his administration, so that’s where either praise or criticism would naturally land. As you saw in the press release on Gillibrand, NA was quick to acknowledge Governor Paterson in a very positive way–the same would be true of the President whenever he comes through for women.
jmo but Hillary and Sarah have moved on because that’s what they must do. one is the Secretary of State; the other is a Governor. They can’t stop mid-career to wage a single issue campaign. That’s up to us. it’s up to us to support them, not the other way around. their job is to succeed in their service, for their country and state.
also, just to say something I noticed throughout the NY Senate appointment process. I followed the story really closely, and never picked up so much as a whiff of a hint that President Obama tried to influence Governor Paterson’s process. Mayor Bloomberg’s assistant was trying to make the case that CK should be chosen because she was the only prominent New Yorker who supported Obama, and would be the only senate choice who would be able to work well with him for that reason. as the weeks wore on I started to think that argument was insulting to Obama, because it insinuated he might be vindictive toward New York if a pro-Hillary pol was appointed. Obama’s statement in response to the Gillibrand appointment was warm and enthusiastic. He wasn’t vindictive toward Joe Lieberman, either, and appointed many of his former rivals to high level administration posts. so I don’t agree that disagreeing with or even criticizing this President would necessarily lessen his willingness to partner with anyone or any group on an issue they both believed in.
so if you’re really confident in the Obama positions on womens’ issues, then all should be well
Kevin, please see my comments after yours, below:
You said,
Here is the difficult decision TNA has to make: to be a positive partner with the new President while holding him accountable to the TNA agenda.
–Hmm…be a partner with the new President…that would be nice. Is TNA planning to reach out to Obama and ask that we become partners? Has Obama ever mentioned TNA? I definitely agree TNA needs to be positive, and mostly I find that here. But, like the quote at the bottom of the page says: “If women want any rights more than they’ve got, why don’t they just take them, and not be talking about it.” I don’t think we need to be partners with the President to accomplish our goals. I think partnerships with politicians require compromises, and honestly what is there to compromise on when it comes to wanting more women in office? We just need to do it. If Obama wants to help us, then wonderful, let him be our partner.
You said,
If TNA continually raises the specter of the prior election, particularly in an implied anti-Obama way, it places women, and men, who want to join and advocate for the organization, as well as, the women Obama appoints, and hired, to his administration in a strait jacket.
–I am not concerned that TNA will continually raise the specter of the prior election. However the election, and the hurt that came out of it is still recent, and I feel like it’s a process, and I think it will evolve into something else. I kinda feel like you are too premature in suggesting that I and others “Just get over it already.” As I said, the election was the genesis of TNA. It made me and others ANGRY, and that anger led to action. I don’t like being hurt and angry, but I’m not going to bury my feelings and be in denial either.
–Again you use the words anti-Obama. I think that if Obama does something that is hurtful to women, he’s going to get anti-Obama sentiments directed at him. I think he’s a big boy, he can handle it. I’m not going to not be anti-Obama if he deserves it and because I’m afraid people will be upset because I’m anti-Obama. He’s a complex human being, he’s not a saint, so sometimes he’s going to be liked and sometimes he’s not. I like that he reinstated funding for international organizations that provide abortion services. Go Obama! Is that what you want to hear? Praise for him? TNA is not here to keep track of how good or bad a President Obama is. It’s here to push for good things for women.
You said,
How can a women Obama appoints, or who are in public positions, outwardly support TNA, and TNA agenda, if TNA appears to be more pro HRC and Palin, and anti the President, then its own agenda?
–So are you saying that in order for TNA to get the support of people in public positions appointed by Obama, TNA needs to appear to be more Pro Obama than Pro HRC and Palin?
This is a fine line to walk; it is challenging.
Kevin, it would indeed be convenient for Obama and his supporters if he had sprung fully formed from the head of Zeus on November 4, a brand-new person with no past and no record. But he didn’t.
People are judged by their records. Obama has a long, full record as a sexist, and I am never going to forget anything he’s done.
kevin,
I don’t have certain conflicts, because my thinking is more ‘point system’ than ‘algorithmic’ or ‘litmus’.
To say we recommend Jones because of A, B, and C, does not mean those are requirements that all other candidates from now on would have to meet. Some future candidate Smith may have quite different merits.
Anna,
I noticed you started writing “But then” at the end of your last comment but stopped, and I can’t help but wonder what you were thinking!
You started saying: “My world view tends toward: All sorts of things happen in life, those you planned and a whole heck of a lot that you didn’t plan, expect, or want, but there it is. Now, how are you going to deal with it?”
Were you going to say: But then again, if you do have an overarching belief in the kind of outcomes you want from the things that you do have to deal with planned or not, ( i.e. maintaining peace of mind and a clear conscience), and if you believe in that outcome, it will guide you in how you respond even to unexpected and unplanned events…
( You’re better at this than me.)
“Doris”
Thanks for being the voice of the “20th” district of NYS.
Although my “personal preference” was Carolyn Maloney; Gillibrand was 2nd. I’m Thrilled to pieces that a Qualified Woman that respects Hillary got the nod.
Please come to this site with up-dates on the women running for Gillibrand’s seat. I’ll do what I can to help from LI/NY.
“We” won today & EVERYONE SHOULD BE PROUD.
However, this PUMA & beyond movement started; we’re making a difference now.
I’d like to get as many people as possible to donate $$ in tandem to Gov. Paterson of $20.10 as a “THANK YOU” for standing off the political machine & standing up for women & Hillary.
“They” (the powers that be) only see the $$; this could be a chance to make them notice. With donations of exactly the same amount coming in @ the same time; they’d have to wonder.
Then we could turn our attention to Gillibrand’s replacement.
Just-a-Thought
“BIG THANKS AGAIN & again to “fsteele” for everything!!
Interesting that Patterson had the guts to go against Pelosi on this (if I may: http://octogalore.blogspot.com.....brand.html).
I think this is a candidate whom we’ll see a lot of goign forward.
Article about Gillibrand. The New Agenda is mentioned as well.
http://www.newsday.com/news/lo.....3131.story
kevin,
TNA is not the only women’s group working for women’s issues, or even for getting women elected. TNA began for the purpose of filling a niche that NOW, NARAL, etc had left. For us to duplicate them now, would be abandoning that niche.
If there are enough people who support HRC and Palin and also support Obama, let them form their own group. The people who support HRC and Palin and oppose Obama deserve a group where they can speak freely. Something for everyone.
The more pro-women groups the better. I don’t see the powers that be actually counting up how many members each group has. (Bowers’ PUMA group/s had great trouble evidencing how many non-duplicate memberships they had.)
A news release saying “Ten different women’s groups issued a joint statement today on Issue X” is more newsworthy than a single group claiming a large membership, or just a few ‘top’ women’s groups agreeing. It’s even more impressive if, say, NARAL and some strong anti-Obama group both agree on Issue X.
When several groups agree on one issue and all ‘prowl’ about it, those numbers count, regardless of whether all the members of each group participate (or what the officials of the group say).
“Octogalore”
Wow Thanks for that “link”!!
Taking on Pelosi…NOW THAT’s MY KIND OF GAL!!!
“Thia”
Thanks for the Newsday article.
I believe the “Michelle” she was thanking was Paterson’s wife the 1st lady of NYS.
Just for the record: I do support Obama.
I support him to be the best feminist he can be.
And I intend to do everything I can to help him be that.
tpt,
$20.10 is a great idea! Make up a short release on it with links, and I’ll post it around.
Hi All,
A few words about Gillibrand. Her district includes my home town, Glens Falls, N.Y. in warren county. I live and work in the New York City area now, but I have a bunch of family up there and they are all working class democrats. Yes, Gillibrand is a Clinton loyalist and I’m proud of her for it. She obviously supports the notion of advancing women by actively helping each other, unlike so many of the party “purists” who talk a good game as long as patriarchy isn’t threatened in any way. Furthermore, her positions on gay rights are more progressive than Obama’s, but once again, having a penis grants you a free pass on these kinds of things.
Furthermore, why is Caroline Kennedy considered a progressive? As far as I can tell, she hasn’t even thought a whole lot about most of the issues that a senator from N.Y. would be confronting. If she were picked, would she be channeling Teddy? Is that why the “purists” think that she is so progressive? I can’t really tell why everyone has come to this conclusion, but if someone knows, please tell me. She sure doesn’t seem to think that advancing women into power is a priority, unless its herself. Sounds a lot like Pelosi’s brand of sisterhood. Play nice with the boys, stab a sister or two in the back, and maybe they will let “me” have a turn.
I’m tired of democratic men dictating what is “progressive” or not. The Universal Health-care that Hillary Clinton advanced during the primaries was a whole lot more progressive than that rag policy Obama was peddling. Hillary believes that Roe v. Wade should be legislated and promised to fight for it if she were POTUS. I find that position to be more of a progressive approach than the “I’m pro choice” position that Obama took. Hillary believes that gender crimes against women and girls such as sexual assault and rape should be classified as hate crimes. Obama has never taken such a boldly progressive position. Hillary supports the ERA. I’ve never heard Obama advance a position on the subject. My point is that I’m tired of men dictating to us what is progressive. It seems that when it comes to women’s issues they all fall into that blind spot that Cynthia Riccia was talking about a few posts back.
I’m tired of being told that if my stomach clinches in anger every time I see a women covered from head to toe in muslim garb, I’m a bigot/racist for feeling angry about her oppression. I’m sick of being told that I don’t respect freedom of speech because I oppose the media sexual exploitation of women and girls. I’m tired of being told that I’m racist because I refuse to deny the misogyny that black men impose on black women in so many parts of Africa. I’m tired of being told that because I identify with a women candidate, that I am voting for a vagina. I’m tired of men framing the issues and determining what counts in our political discourse. I’m tired of being told that Clinton’s war vote makes her a right wing war monger, while the male democrats who voted for it are given a free pass on the subject. If being “progressive” means being a hypocrite, than they can count me out.
Additionally, the fact that Gilli brand is pro hunting does not mean that she is evil. Rural people hunt like Zee said, while fancy elitists don’t bother thinking about the process of killing the animals they eat. And anyway, why is this more important than her positions of equal pay for women or her position on health-care, sexual assault, and child-care? This is the bill shit that they use to divide us!
Now, I’m hearing that some how Gillibrand isn’t liberal enough because she opposed the 700 billion dollar welfare package for the banks. I oppose it too. I’m not sure what her reasons were, but mine are because of the lack of oversight and relief to home owners who are loosing their homes, while the banks are spending this money buying up other banks, rather than renegotiating the predatory sub-prime mortgages that they were peddling a few years back.
I guess my point is that hypocrisy isn’t limited to one party, and I for one refuse to be an ideologue. I prefer assessing a situation and advancing a remedy based on a full understanding of the facts, a strong commitment to fairness, and a healthy dose of pragmatism. I’ve heard it be said that political correctness to the extreme, shuts down dialogue and will bring us back to fascism, just as the extreme right did in the 1930′s. Anything that is too pure is deadly. Balance is natures golden rule and one I prefer to live by.
“fsteele”
Glad you like the $20.10 idea.
I’ll have something ready this weekend & I forward it out.
Your site is true to it’s name of:
“Puma Responder”
You’ve “responded” to this PUMA & I’m grateful.
Kendall said, “Anything that is too pure is deadly. Balance is natures golden rule and one I prefer to live by.”
Amen. (Pure Uniformity My….)
Kendall,
great comment. the info on Gillibrand, did not know that she voted against the bailout. assume she knew the money would not go to loans and mortgages. I am very impressed that she did not take money as superdelegate an did not switch to Obama.
I am very glad you mentioned the ERA and that Hillary supports it. I am from Maryland and belong to a group of former phonebanker. We are now supporting activities to revive the ERA. There are several states (Florida and Arkansas) where the ERA has now active supporters. They need help to get it ratified. We are also discussing how to raise awareness about the fight women fought to get their rights. Having the black history month coming up, the discussion is to have a suffragette day or better a women history month in may to expand the knowledge about womens history beyond mother’s day. nothing against moms. I am one in my 50ies and enjoy my late motherhood very much. But I think it is important that children learn in school how womens situation was centuries ago, lack of education, lack of independent finance, dependent on marriage, being practically owned by men. how long it took to get the voting right and how serious the fight was. 70 years in the US. in France it took until 1944 that women received citizenship.
Marille,
Most women don’t even know that in approximately half the states in this country, rape within marriage is still legal. A husband can rape his wife and it’s NOT considered a crime. We don’t teach our children about women’s history or struggles. I supervise several attorney’s in their thirties, and for the hell of it one day I took a poll. I asked each of the young women attorneys in my office if they knew who Alice Paul was and what she did. None of them knew of her or of her historical significance. I also asked them if they knew who Frederick Douglas was and if they knew of his historical significance. All of these young women know of Douglas, but not of Paul! It just goes to show how invisible they have made us!
I agree, we have to reclaim our history and teach it to our children. You know that old saying! If you don’t know history, you are doomed to repeat it. This is clearly part of how they keep us down!
Kendall, thanks.
suggest that TNA starts a history column, let’s say every Friday a history blog and have pertinent books and articles as resource maybe with grassroots or action.
I would be thrilled if ERA groups could connect through TNA. this is a nonpartisan cause. TNA has broken though the silence about women’s issues in the media. We the ERA groups will appreciate help in getting into the discussion.
I am a citizen since 2001 and have only during the 2008 campaign started to read American history, inspired by the Denver group.
One of the reasons I stayed in the US was that I perceived in the 90ies that women were so advanced here in contrast to my native Germany. What an eye opener 2008 was. I was very active in the 70ies in Germany’s women’s movement, became a surgeon and researcher and eventually got tired of pioneering.
2008 has abundantly shown that we can’t sit back. getting equal rights anchored in the constitution is in my view a necessary step and will bring visibility and protection to our cause for equal representation. nothing happens from just watching.
Marille,
I wish I could tell you who said it first, but I love this saying. “The cost of freedom is constant vigilance.” This small statement couldn’t be more true.
Here in the US, women stopped being so vigilant in the 1980s. Many thought that much ground was covered in the late 1960′s and 70′s when reproductive rights were won and women were getting into universities in record numbers. Many people thought, given a little more time, that the rest of our goals would fall into place. 30 years later we have learned that even though we are now going to universities at roughly the same rate as men, we aren’t earning nearly as much money or getting the plum jobs. We are still being locked out of the halls of power (i.e. Politics, Science and Business, as well as a few other fields that carry so much clout in our society.) We find that even well educated women are being channeled into pink ghettos. Furthermore, our strides towards female sexual liberation has taken an unhealthy turn and now our daughters are exposed to a heightened level of sexual exploitation. Young girls and women are routinely sexually objectified and degraded in mainstream advertising and movie entertainment. Rape, sex trafficking and domestic violence statistics are soaring, while Beyonce and Brittany shake their naked asses across the television screen. Yes indeed, the cost of freedom is constant vigilance.
I agree and wholeheartedly believe that we must pass the ERA, but we also need to change our culture. Women need to be viewed as full persons, rather than sex objects for male entertainment and domestic servants who care for everyone else. Our full liberation will never be accomplished as long as we allow men to define our worth and dictate our roles in our public/private lives. We have to be the ones who define our destinies. When others do that for us, it is inevitable that we will be exploited.
KendallJ
The earliest I could find was John Philpot Curran, 1790
“It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.” — John Philpot Curran: Speech upon the Right of Election, 1790. (Speeches. Dublin, 1808.) as quoted in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, NY, 1953, p167 and also in Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, Boston, 1968, p479
From: Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty
http://freedomkeys.com/vigil.htm
Thanks Lili,
I am very bad at posting other links to my post. Frankly , I don’t know how to do it. Thank you for pulling this up and attaching it. I just love the saying and find it be one of those cardinal rules in the fight for social justice.
You are welcome KendallJ. To post a link to a page you are viewing, highlight the link (command L), copy it (command C), return to your own text and paste there (command V) – in each case holding down the command key as well as the Letter key. At least this is how it works on a Mac. I am just finding my way around shortcuts too and I don’t know how to post a link for a PDF document and I wonder how everyone posts links under a single word or phrase in the text?
KendallJ on 1/23 @ 9:49
Another interesting perspective….Much appreicated.
Anne-Marie on 1/23 @ 10:22
Nice try. Not bad for a novice. I think you have potential in the sentence/idea completion department!
From Emily’s List:
Kirsten Gillibrand: A Dynamic New Leader in the Senate
By Ellen Malcolm
At EMILY’s List, we greeted the news that New York Governor David Paterson selected Kirsten Gillibrand to replace Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate with cheers and celebration. How wonderful it will be to see this impressive young woman and mother add her perspectives and energy to the hallowed halls of the Senate!
Kirsten Gillibrand is a creative leader who is dedicated to public service. EMILY’s List endorsed her campaigns for Congress, confident in her 100 percent commitment to reproductive freedom. A champion of progressive values, Kirsten also earned endorsements from the Human Rights Campaign for her commitment to LGBT equality, and the League of Conservation Voters for her commitment to protecting the environment.
Senator-designate Gillibrand represents a new generation of young leaders who understand the way technology has reshaped our world. A cofounder of the Congressional High Tech Caucus, she pioneered openness in Congress by posting her schedule online so her constituents could see exactly whom she meets with and why. She’s a model for the kind of transparency and accountability Americans yearn for from their elected officials. Kirsten’s also no stranger to old-fashioned grassroots outreach — since she was elected, she’s held regular open “office hours” at local grocery stores throughout her district to stay in touch with the ordinary families whose lives she knows are profoundly affected by her actions in Congress.
Kirsten Gillibrand won a solidly Republican House seat in 2006 by defeating a corrupt, four-term Republican incumbent. Some thought it was a fluke, and Republicans targeted her for defeat early. But in 2008, Gillibrand handily defeated a well-known, well-funded GOP challenger — a former statewide official and head of the state Republican Party, no less — winning 62 percent of the vote.
I’m confident that one of Senator-designate Gillibrand’s first jobs will be to reach out to leaders across the state for advice about a legislative agenda that will benefit New York. She will build bridges that will help her defend this seat against a Republican challenge in 2010, whether it come from Rudy Giuliani or a member of the GOP congressional delegation. Those who favored other candidates for the seat may grumble, but they’d do well to rally around her re-election in two years. This new senator is a formidable candidate who has proven her toughness by winning two difficult back-to-back campaigns. Coming from the Albany area, she brings upstate appeal to the ticket. She’s a fundraising powerhouse, having raised nearly $5 million for her last House campaign. And she has the full support of leaders like Senator Chuck Schumer, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and President Obama, who recognize what a valuable ally she will be in the Senate.
I commend Governor Paterson for understanding the importance of having women serve in the highest echelons of government. In Gillibrand, he has appointed the Senate’s youngest member — and won’t it be a welcome sight to see this young mother of two serving alongside her 16 female colleagues amid the remaining 82 male senators, all but one white, most in their 60s or older.
Ellen Malcolm is the president of EMILY’s List.
A thoughtful article at the New Yorker on Caroline K’s withdrawal.
http://www.newyorker.com/repor.....ntPage=all
and one at the Washington Note.
http://www.thewashingtonnote.c.....and_ted_k/
KendallJ:
No doubt I am dating myself here with a Partridge Family quote but:
I think I love you.
(I just cut one of your posts out and pasted it to several emails with TNA’s link. If that doesn’t get us more members, I don’t know what will.)
KendallJ, thank you for your post at 11:54. Very well put. There is so much to think about in what you posted. I don’t know about anyone else, but for me you’ve identified something that is really important…and that is that I need to trust my feelings and thoughts about what is good and right and not fall into the trap of thinking that the people in power know what’s better for me than I do.
So how do we push our progressive agenda forward in an organized and public way? How do we make it part of the national dialogue?
Perhaps we should start a Women’s Party?!
Marrille, I really like the idea of a regular History blog. Or a resource list for people who want to learn about women’s history.
Dems pick candidate for Gillibrands Seat
Hate to say I told you so, but……
http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/2/2/125422/6809
Quote:
NY-20: Democratic Candidate Chosen To Run For Gillibrand’s Seat
by Todd Beeton, Mon Feb 02, 2009 at 04:36:57 PM EST
While Governor David Paterson has not yet set a date for the NY-20 special election to replace Kirsten Gillibrand in the House, the local party chairs of the 20th have now chosen their respective candidates (who needs a pesky primary where the “people” decide anyway!?)
Well, NY-20 Dems promised they’d select a nominee before kickoff, and they did. This afternoon, the CD’s Dem county chairs nominated venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) as their standard-bearer in a special election to replace Sen./Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand (D). Murphy will face Assemb. Min. Leader Jim Tedisco (R). Gov. David Paterson (D) has promised that he’ll announce the date of the election soon, and most observers expect a spring contest.
Making the stench of the selection process by which the candidates were chosen even worse, the choice of Murphy — who has not held elected office before — appears to have been driven almost entirely by his wealth:
But, given the fact that neither the DCCC nor the NRCC has a lot of money (or, in the case of the national Democrats, inclination) to spend on this race, Murphy’s expected ability to self fund came into play.
According to one Democratic chairman, Murphy came to the table with $600,000 in a mix of his own money and contributions, be they pledged or already collected.
Certainly, his ActBlue page has already collected just over $202k from almost 300 donors, a good thing since Michael Steele has already announced his intention to target the seat to fulfill his pledge to start winning again in the Northeast.
“That win will send a powerful signal to the rest of the country…that our game is not up,” Steele said of the New York special election to fill the Republican-leaning seat vacated by Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand, who was recently appointed to the Senate.
Steele said he is traveling to New York next week to meet with state officials to map out a game plan for their candidate, State Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco.
While the 20th still has a significant Republican voter registration advantage (195k vs. 125k), upstate New York is trending blue and in fact the district voted for Obama in November. This race will be a real fight but an important one, not only in order to keep our majority at top strength but also to deprive Steele of a victory right out of the gate.
Learn more about Murphy at his website and help bring his average contribution down over at ActBlue.
We have to be more CAREFUL on who we throw our support behind. Now there is ZERO chance of GAINING an additional voice for WOMEN in New York or the country. We have just LOST ONE, by allowing Gov. Paterson to play musical chairs with an already elected Congresswomen. Now there is a NET LOSS for women in government, and more then likely the Republican man will win Sen. Gillibrand’s seat. Well done Gov. Paterson and Democrat Party, way to really mean what you say about pushing forward the female agenda!
.
On the other hand, does Gillibrand deserve to be denied a position in the Senate because of what might happen to her vacant seat? Now we just need to let them know that we didn’t stop paying attention just because the Senate appointment is done, and that we are not pleased with this turn of events.
Thia – Eggzaktly!
Kendall – Just read the last couple of comments you wrote. Right on!!! So, right on. Every freaking word. I’m with you.
Thia and TNA – Think this update on Gillibrand’s seat should be a post of its own at this point? I do.
Trying to get up to speed about these two options. Neither looks good at all from just about any standpoint of my values. Though I’ve been a far left leaning Dem my whole life (till this year), I’m not against the Dems having control of the Executive branch and both houses of Congress. So, I feel some small investment in seeing if there are viable ways to maintain some checks and balances to have some leverage on issues. Toward that end, did a quick look into Tedisco. Nothing impresses me:
LINKS ABOUT STATE ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER JAMES TEDISCO
Home Page:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=110
Wikepedia Overview:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Tedisco
Recent Press Release:
http://assembly.state.ny.us/Minority/20090113/
Sorry: Meant to say I AM against the Dems having sweeping control of exec and congress. (Though, obviously, it is in the senate that the crunch is.)
March 5, 2009 – USA Today: Gillibrand off to a rocky start
Gov. David Paterson, has been getting hammered in the polls for mishandling the Senate appointment — particularly his staff’s rough treatment of Caroline Kennedy.
http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpo.....PageReturn
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