Based on a simple count, it's easy to see that women face special challenges in the political arena. Currently, less than 18% of those who serve in the General Assembly are women, but last night, that ratio improved at bit. Two women, both newcomers to state politics, won their races and will have the opportunity to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives. Congratulations to both Robin Shipp and Margaret Kaiser! Both will be great additions to the General Assembly.
We need more highly qualified Democratic women in the Georgia Assembly. Women do not have access to the proverbial "Good 'Ol Boy" network that helps men get elected. In recent years, groups like WIN List and EMILY's List have formed and are creating powerful scaffolding for women who attempt to the long climb to elected office. While, training, money and technical assistance are critical elements of these programs, what really makes the difference is less tangible. Having someone a phone call or e-mail away who has political expertise but no financial interest in the campaign and whose only goal is helping a candidate get elected is a valuable asset these groups routinely provide. Being able to ask someone who has consulted on hundreds of campaigns about the details of a media buy is valuable. Having someone to call who knows who's who in a particular community can help candidates avoid lots of problems. That's the kind of help these groups can provide and more. If you would like to see more great, qualified Democratic women elected, check out WIN List and EMILY's List!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Helping Women Win
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
4 comments:
What about pro-life female Democrats?
There are groups who focus on female candidates without regard for their position on that issue, and without regard for their party affiliation. In Macon, WPO (Women's Political Organization) is one such group and, of course, there's The White House Project.
I seldom agree with a candidate's position on every issue, and like most other people weigh the positives and negatives and try to make a decision about which "package" I like best. But to be direct, choice is an important issue for me, and I have cast few votes for candidates self-identified as anti-choice. But I am far from a single issue voter.
"Pro-lifers" are not interested in everybody's life--just that of fetuses. Unfortunately, this is a less than perfect world which presents less than perfect situations which in turn demand less than perfect solutions. Killing people in war is one of those less than perfect solutions. Capital punishment (if you favor it) is one of those less than perfect solutions. Having your breast cut off because it is cancerous is a less than perfect solution. Abortion is also a less than perfect solution. We'd all like to be able to find really nice solutions to really bad problems. It is naive to think so.
Example: If my schizophrenic daughter got pregnant she would have to come off clozaril, which keeps her from hallicinating and hearing voices. She would go into withdrawal, probably have convulsions as a result and maybe even a heart attack. She would have to go through 9 months of psychotic horror without her meds. She would not understand what was going on. She would suffer terribly. If she did get pregnant the baby would likely be fathered by another mental patient and something would be wrong with it. Anyone who would object to her having an abortion in such a case might also want to volunteer to pay for her nine months of hospitalization OR perhaps even take her into their home and care for her while she was in medication withdrawal. They just don't understand how bad a pregnancy can be for some women...or the resultant babies who might be the products of those pregnancies. Fortunately, my daughter will not ever get pregnant because she has had a tubal ligation. And some religionists would even object to that! Cruel, I say, when their point of view does not include the life of the mother.
Post a Comment