HUFFPO: Save Us Martha!
January 8, 2010
by Amy Siskind
|The following op-ed is featured at The Huffington Post.
In recent days, women’s advocates have been strikingly hushed. It seems that women’s health is under assault and there’s not a damn thing we can do about it. Even feminist leader Ellen Malcolm resigned from the organization she founded in seeming disgust as her candidates acquiesced. All this has left me to ponder: who will be our modern day Eleanor Roosevelt?
Could it be Martha Coakley? Coakley has an impeccable list of accomplishments, to accompany her character and courage. And in a strange twist of political fate, might Coakley need to be Women’s One in order to salvage her political career?
As we enter 2010, the only political certainty is uncertainty. Last month, when Coakley won the Democratic primary in Massachusetts’ special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s open senate seat, conventional wisdom was that she was a shoe in to be senator. Yet, as the January 19 election approaches, USA Today reports that Republicans are looking for an upset. Why? A “no” vote for health care reform from this Massachusetts’ senate seat would take away Reid’s magic 60.
As we know, unlikely bedfellows are uniting in opposition to Obama’s health care reform. Independent bloggers who oppose health care reform see MA Republican candidate Scott Brown as their best hope to shoot it down. Former Hillary Clinton supporters who were pro-Coakley last month, now are signing up to phone bank for Republican Scott Brown here and here in an effort to defeat health care. Even a lifelong women’s advocate informed me this week that she was backing Brown to shoot down Stupak/Nelson. Strange days indeed.
Which is why Martha Coakley should seize on this moment. Coakley should change her position and run against health care reform. In doing so, not only will she cement a win in Massachusetts, but also establish herself as a modern day Eleanor Roosevelt at a time when women are desperate for leadership.
Without an Eleanor, women’s health is in danger. Threats to our health are quickly becoming a reality. Mammogram coverage for women in their 40s has already been chipped away. This week, a group of nine Republican Congresswomen sent an Open Letter to President Obama which states:
In California, the eligibility age for state-subsidized breast cancer screening has been raised from 40 to 50 by the state government, which will also temporarily stop enrollment in the breast cancer screening program.
For thousands of struggling women in California, the task force recommendations have quickly metastasized from a suggestion to an edict.
That’s just the start. Pap smears (cervical cancer) guidelines are also under review. And if health care reform passes, the Democrats will deliver us the biggest setback to Roe v. Wade since it became the law of the land.
So here’s a plea Martha: Lead us. And if you do, we will have your back!
We know you have the character. You stood by Hillary Clinton when she tried to make history. While Kennedy, Kerry and Patrick backed the “agent of change”, you stood by the voters of Massachusetts until the bitter end.
We know you have the courage. You’ve been fighting for women and children throughout your career. You’ve had to make tough choices that have defined you and led you to this moment.
We know you have the credentials. An impeccable resume of schooling, public life and volunteer work.
And now, save yourself and save the women of this country. As Eleanor would say: As for accomplishments, I just did what I had to do as things came along.
This is a great piece Amy!
It is so hard to watch this unfold. I want the Martha that we saw before the Primary. I want the Martha that stood up to the Stupaks and drove the conversation before the special primary election in Mass. Where did she go? IF MASSACHUSETTS WANTED SOMEONE WHO WAS A SELL-OUT AND CONTROLLED BY PELOSI OR REID THEY WOULD HAVE VOTED FOR CAPUANO. MARTHA ARE YOU LISTENING?
Please rethink your position on this behind closed doors/bribe/sell-out bill. Saying you would vote for something completely dysfunctional, that was contrived based on bribes, and goes against your core values regarding access to abortion just to say you support healthcare reform is ridiculous.
Who is that woman wearing Martha’s suits and how can we get the old Martha back?
This has been a real heartbreaker for me, and I actually get to vote. I was ecstatic about Martha’s candidacy, and I now I’m just voting “for the woman”. Did somebody threatened her dog or something? Why did she change her mind?
Health insurance reform has nothing to do with covering more Americans. The insurance companies are running the show and are writing healthcare legislation the same way the bankers wrote banking regulations. And we saw how well that worked; we are still recovering from that debacle. The insurance companies have spent over $300 million to grease the wheels and in advertising. What the insurance companies want is a captive audience that will pay the higher premiums that women currently pay, but provide us all with the same level of care that men get (because they refuse to go to the doctor). Sorry guys, it’s true.
Because of the budget crisis in California, many programs that serve as a safety net have gone by the wayside. We need to convert our outrage to something that can be quantified—stop making contributions to either major political party.
The San Jose Mercury News ran an article about the mammaography issue and I believe it was worded to say that that mammagraphies and breast cancer treatment cost $5.8 billion a year. (As if insurance companies should only make profit, never incure expenses, and certainly our premiums do not cover any of the costs.) And of that amount, I believe $3 billion was for mammographies.
The nonsense about these changes bringing us in line with the rest of the world is just that, nonsense. In the UK, where breast cancer is not as prevalent as in the US, your chances of dying of the diease is 88% higher than it is here.
I think we need to beat them over their heads with numbers. What it comes down to is that the powers that be do not believe that the lives of women are worth the price of a medical test.
I would say it’s smart for Martha to listen to you. After all, now Nancy is signaling supporting the Obama Senate bill after Obama told her to stop opposing it, that it is the bill he wants. You know, to highly tax 50-75 k middle class citizens, that P O S!!!
anyhow, she also is not helping herself that she’s playing the arrogant game of “I don’t have to debate, I have the voters”, refusing to debate the opponent. This always gives fuel to the otherside. People will ask, why is she afraid? It may have worked for Barry “I know nothing” Obama, but not because it was a good move, it was because he was, after all, going to be the first black president. And as we see, that IS what it was all about.
Martha! You listening?
WOW!!! Now we have to vote republican to save any functional meaning of Roe v. Wade!! These thugs from Chicago are ruining the democratic party!!! I felt it a couple of years ago during the democratic primaries, but now it is as obvious as ever. They are NOT the party of the people. They have morphed into this monster. I guess that this is were the old adage comes from that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.
WOW!! Martha listen up, don’t destroy women’s rights with the Obama people! You will lose your strongest supporters this way and your poll numbers will continue to drop right into pretty boy’s hands!!!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by RightKlik, the new agenda. the new agenda said: New blog post: HUFFPO: Save Us Martha! http://thenewagenda.net/2010/0.....us-martha/ [...]
I am very disappointed in this. I really had my hopes up that Martha would stand up for women but she now says she will support Pelosi and Reid and ram this health care disaster down our throats.
I am so upset about this entire bill that I hope no Democrats get reelected. I have decided that only Hillary will get my vote and be a Democrat. I hope the Democrats are listening. I am Mad as hell and I ain’t gonna take it anymore
there is a poll at US NEWS. who made the best arguments on the healthcare bill at the senate vote Reid versus McConnell. the current poll result is 30 to 70 respectively. that speaks to your argument.
still cant believe that independents/PUMAs would vote and phonebank for the pretty Tennessy guy. If I were in MA my interest in finally having a female senator would easily override the disgust with this health care bill.
Frankly I can’t wait to see what “feminists” in the Democrat party do about women’s health care getting the shaft in Obama Care. It will be fascinating. Women are the only group who are told they must keep quiet about their health care needs in order not to ruin everything and “feminists” seem to be buying the line. Personally I prefer the Republican plan. Give me the money, I will take care of my own needs and please do not put me in a group with old men with prostate problems and non stop Viagra needs or young men with their injury tempting risk taking behavior. This “reform” is so going to suck for me and my daughters.
Leave your Response Want an avatar? Get a gravatar!
Community Room
February 6, 2012 at 4:25 pm
January 30, 2012 at 2:36 pm
January 26, 2012 at 4:38 pm
January 23, 2012 at 1:04 pm
January 15, 2012 at 11:37 am
January 9, 2012 at 6:36 pm
January 7, 2012 at 10:10 pm
January 5, 2012 at 9:31 am
BUILD your NETWORK
Our Network of College Women
Protecting our Teenage Girls
We’re in the Media »
Click to see our latest stories in the media
More Stories »Recent Comments
The Latest from our Blog
Archives
Pioneer Mentors
Blogroll
Find us Online
Subscribe Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS)
The New Agenda is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls by bringing about systemic change in the media, at the workplace, at school and at home. More...