A New Wave

1920-2008: Women's Rights Then and Now

Imagine the thrill and the deep sense of satisfaction among women on August 26, 1920 when Congress ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the legal right to vote and thus extending voting rights guaranteed to all "men" in the 15th Amendment.

By way of perspective, my maternal grandmother was 15 years old; my paternal grandmother was 30 years old; and my mother was 1-year old. My maternal grandmother, no doubt, danced in the streets or something equally exhilarating, since she was a feminist in every way that counted. She was my introduction to feminism and created a powerful image for me of what was possible: an independent woman who did what made her happy rather than what made her husband happy; a woman who frequently spoke truth to power, in spite of her 5-foot, 4-inch frame, and for whom nothing seemed impossible.

 

 

The non-vetting of Hillary Clinton

I'll have more to say about Obama's VP pick in my blog after I have a chance to review some of the voluminous information on Sen. Biden. 

For now I want to tease out the vetting of VP contenders from the actual discussion about the VP pick. 

Setting aside the harsh feelings and attitudes expressed about Hillary Clinton during the primaries, I think it was a mistake for Obama not to have vetted her for VP, which we are now learning he didn't do.

Hillary Clinton's Principled Position On FISA

I won't rehash what has already been written about the Senate vote on FISA. Detailed analysis, roll-call votes and what the new bill does and doesn't do are available here, here, here and here. Glenn Greenwald, as usual, has the most in-depth and insightful review and analysis.

Progressives are hurt and angry that Obama caved on FISA. At the same time, they seem surprised that Hillary Clinton didn't. I'm not. Her position on FISA has been crystal clear from the beginning and she has never wavered.

Happy 4th of July! - Part II

I received an e-letter from Jay Inslee yesterday regarding his position on FISA. Rep. Inslee represents Washington's First Congressional District and is thus my representative. He is also a terrific representative and legislator.

I am especially proud of the fact that he voted no on the 2008 FISA Amendments. Here is his brief statement from CR:

Equal Pay Should Actually Mean Something

On April 28 the U.S. Senate failed to pass a significant piece of legislation: H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007. 

This bill was a remedy to the 2007 Supreme Court decision that ruled against Lilly Ledbetter in her pay discrimination lawsuit against Goodyear Tire & Rubber The bill would have "reset the clock" for filing pay discrimination lawsuits with each and every discriminatory wage practice by employers (issuing a paycheck for example). SCOTUS ruled that workers who face wage discrimination have only 180 days to legally challenge the initial discrimination. 

Both Democratic senators and presidential candidates (Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton) voted in favor of the bill. John McCain, the Republican, missed the vote.

Typical, right?

I thought so but then I found this interesting tidbit:

Hillary Clinton: Our New Populist-Feminist Heroine

Blogs and news sites are buzzing about John Heilemann's excellent profile of Hillary Clinton in this week's issue of New York Magazine.

Above all, Heilemann's article is real journalism and not the slash-and-burn, take-down, smackdown variety of "news" practiced by Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, FOX, and so many others.

Democratic Party Kumbaya, Anybody? Hello! Hello!

Not everybody in the Democratic Party is ready to make nice and unify.

Take some of Hillary Clinton's top fundraisers, who held a meeting on Thursday with Obama Campaign manager, David Plouffe. The sit-down was cordial; lots of questions were asked and answered; several fundraisers volunteered to host parties and other events for Obama and the Democratic Party. But not all:

Misogyny And Anger

I got into a discussion the other night with a poster at Salon.com, after reading Joan Walsh's excellent article on Hillary Clinton's "concession" speech.

There are several articulate women at Salon who are more than a little ticked at the way Clinton was treated during the primary season. Several more women who regularly post letters/comments at Salon have written that they refuse to fall in line and support Barack Obama for POTUS, for which many men are giving them great grief.

Playing Catch Up

First, let's backtrack.

Here's Hillary's speech from yesterday - in full. It gets better each time I watch it. It doesn't make the pain any less, but it makes me feel proud, knowing that I support(ed) this dynamite woman. I think she has herself a movement...whether she wants one or not! She's heads and shoulders above those who vilified and demonized her without mercy. And each of us who support her can and should stand tall and stand WITH her now. Any chance we have for progress will be lost if John McCain is elected as POTUS. No matter how you feel right now (and believe me, I'm smarting at the moment, too), those of us who believe in what Hillary Clinton stands for do not honor her or these ideals by voting for John McCain.

Here are excerpts from the speech. And here is her speech in its entirety:

[SNIP]

Hillary Endorses Obama

Hillary speaks at National Building Museum in D.C.

"To all those who voted for me, my commitment to you is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me. You have humbled me with your commitment... Eighteen million of you from all walks of life -- women, and men, young and old, Latino and Asian, African-American and Caucasian, rich and poor, middle class, gay and straight ... you have stood with me..."

"...I am a woman, and like millions of women, I know there are still barriers and biases out there, often unconscious, and I want to build an America that respects every one of us," she said. "We must make sure that women and men alike understand the struggles of their grandmothers and mothers."

She also thanked "all those women in their 80s and their 90s born before women could vote who cast their votes [this year]"

"This has been a tough fight, but the Democratic Party is a family..."

"We all want a health care program that is universal, high quality and affordable... no exceptions and no excuses."

"We all want deep and meaningful equality; from ending discrimination, to promoting  unionization, to providng help for the most important job there is - caring for our families...lead by the power of our values..."

"Imagine how far we could have come, how much we could have achieved if we had just had a Democrat in the White House."

"I will continue to stand strong with you ... the dreams we share are worth fighting for," she added.

"...the journey ahead will not be easy, we will be told that it's too hard, that we're not up to the task...it has been the American way to reject "can't do" claims. It is this belief, this optimism that Sen. Obama and I share...so today I am standing with Sen. Obama to say 'Yes we can.'"

"This is now our time..."

Her web site reflects the shift in her endorsement: