Feminist Groups Press Ahead With Anti-Bush Efforts Despite Slights

[demdave]

NEW YORK (AP) - Though the major parties are vigorously wooing women's votes, this campaign season has not been easy for some leading feminist groups.
When the National Organization for Women sponsored one of the first forums for Democratic presidential candidates, only one of the top contenders showed up. In the latest blow, The New York Times - a longtime champion of women's rights - dismissed as "silly" NOW's decision to endorse the lone woman in the Democratic race.

"We have become a target," said Roselyn O'Connell, president of the National Women's Political Caucus, which joined NOW in endorsing former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun.


http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGARJAFRPKD.html

edited headline because the AP is one wordy SOB

[catzies]

1. I'm an NWPC member and I stand by our endorsing Moseley-Braun.

I'm sure I can post this in its entirety.

NWPC Response to NYT Editorial:
The National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC) has advanced political equality for women for 32 years by recruiting, training and supporting qualified pro-choice women for elective office regardless of political affiliation.

NWPC believes Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun's record and long- time
commitment to the principles of equality for all Americans make her uniquely worthy of our endorsement.

We know through research that women voters want candidates that speak
directly to their concerns. NWPC is committed to building a true political power base for women‹one that heeds women's voices.

The editors, while disparaging two veteran women's organizations and the legitimate political aspirations of women to seek the presidency, seem to believe that they are in a better position to decide which candidates are worthy of women's support. In doing so they are the ones guilty of trivializing and demeaning women voters.


Roselyn O'Connell
President, National Women's Political Caucus
[e-mail]
1634 Eye Street NW Suite 310
Washington, D. C. 20006
202-785-1100
202-785-3605 Fax

Link to the original editorial:
www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/opinion/14SUN2.html?ex=1064569500&ei=1&en=e93ce47
7679ec641

[demdave]

2. Thanks for the link to the original editorial

It definately adds to the info on the story.

[Cheswick2.0]

3. women are over half of the population but we are going to lose ground

The reason is that women have also become complacent.... Oh well

[rainydaywoman]

9. I agree,

most of the women I know are more interested in the latest fashions. They can tell you what's happening on Survivor, name all the cast, but don't know one Democrat that's running. It's just a tad disturbing!

Also, it seems they don't want to talk politics at all, cuz things may get heated. Oh My!!!

[Larkspur]

4. This NOW member strongly disagrees with NOW's endorsement

of Braun, and one of Connecticut's oldest members said that Braun's endorsement is a waste of NOW's money and energy. Dean should have gotten the endorsement. His postion on women's issues is superb and he showed up at the convention. There are times, like now, that endorsing a "woman's man" (Fredrick Douglas's term), like Howard Dean, is the wisest choice.

NOW will be getting a letter from this NOW member about my disappointment in their choice.

[demdave]

5. Sometime a cigar is just a cigar..and sometimes the best man for the job

is a man. :) I have no problem with NOW endorsing anyone they see fit. I don't agree with them in this case though. I don't think she has a chance and the money and resources would be better spent elsewhere.

[LearnedHand]

6. While I agree with you in principle, DD,

I'd be very careful about phrasing it as you did. That "best man for the job" line is pretty hot stuff.

[demdave]

7. I have never been politically correct and don't plan on starting.

People need to either lighten up or buy a sense of humor. It was a good opening for a good line. Light humor and nothing more.

[corgigrrl]

8. I already did write them

In the horror we've all been living thru, when our main objective has been and MUST be to get rid of bush, for these organizations to pull money and resources to a candidate who can't even pay her own staff is abysmal and short sighted.

I admire Carol M-B, but respectfully, based on the way her campaign is going, she did not even begin to earn this endorsement, and i've already told these orgs. they won't be getting any more membership dues from me because if this is how they are going to use it, we're not getting anywhere.

There were many candidates on this roster who are excellent on women's issues and Dean is a former Planned Parenthood board member! If they had divided loyalties, they could have simply spent that money on a campaign to register more women and to expose Bush's insiduous and under reported War on Women.

I concur with the NYT article completely and i consider myself about as rabid a lesbian feminist as you can be.

[catzies]

11. Welcome to DU, corgigrrl! Are you a member of NOW and NWPC?

If you are then you might have seen NWPC Pres. Roselyn O'Connell's press release announcing the endorsement. If you haven't here it is:
********************************************************************
STATEMENT OF ROSELYN O'CONNELL, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL WOMEN'S POLITICAL CAUCUS, ON THE ENDORSEMENT OF CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN FOR PRESIDENT

Washington, DC - On August 17, 2003, the National Women's Political Caucus, for the first time in its 32-year history, endorsed a presidential candidate, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun. NWPC is very proud of Carol Moseley Braun's candidacy and campaign, and our decision to endorse her.

We believe Carol Moseley Braun through her experience as a state representative, Assistant U.S. Attorney, County Executive, U.S. Senator, and Ambassador is uniquely qualified to lead our nation by virtue of experience, work ethic and commitment to the principles of equality for all Americans.

Ambassador Braun's positions on the issues important to the National Women's Political Caucus are not only identical to NWPC's, but also Braun has a solid legislative record of fighting for the issues important to us. Including pay equity, reproductive choice, and access to childcare and elder care among many others. She has walked the walk as well as talked the talk.

Moreover, Carol Moseley Braun cared enough about NWPC's support to make her case directly to our convention delegates and Executive Board.

The mission of the National Women's Political Caucus is to win political equity for women at every level of government. We have worked for more than three decades to achieve that goal, and we look forward to President Carol Moseley Braun taking the "Men Only" sign off the doors to the White House.

We believe that only a non-traditional candidate like Carol Moseley Braun can cut through the voter apathy and disconnect which has plagued recent elections. We know through our own research and experience that women voters more than any other voting group want candidates that speak directly to their experiences and concerns. We believe that Carol Moseley Braun fills that need across ethnic, economic, generational, and geographic lines.

We believe that her issues agenda is relevant to the young mother struggling to support a family on a minimum wage job, the college educated professional who has hit the glass ceiling, and to older women who find themselves displaced from both the workforce and from their homes.

Women voters want common sense answers. They are concerned about security and terrorism, and they want to feel safe in their own homes. They want to feel secure about sending their children to a public neighborhood school, they want to feel safe at work, and most importantly they want to feel that law enforcement cares about and will be effective at protecting them from domestic violence and sexual assault.

They need to know social security will be there for them when they retire, women rely much more heavily on social security than men. Carol Moseley Braun will not only give common sense answers to those problems in office, she will craft common sense solutions for them.

Both NWPC and NOW are grassroots organizations. Our strength comes from our members and local and state organizations. We, together, have the capacity to turn out thousands of volunteers for Carol Moseley Braun, who in turn can engage and persuade hundreds of thousands of voters. Women constitute the majority of registered voters in this nation, and we believe women voters of both parties can be energized and motivated to support Carol Moseley Braun for President.

[catzies]

10. That's okay, and I respect your choice and your decision.

Dean may be the party's eventual nominee. In keeping with my sentiments of "ABB," I will fully support Dean as my party's nominee if/when it happens.

NWPC endorses women candidates ONLY and not since Shirley Chisolm in the early 70s have we had a women Presidential candidate to endorse. For that, I am thrilled with NWPC's endorsement.

NOW supports male candidates and that's fine. NWPC doesn't, and it's part of our grassroots mandate. Men have enough organizations behind them.

[pennylane100]

12. My letter to NOW regarding their endorsement of Moseley Braun

Your decision to endorse Moseley Braun has left me speechless.

While I believe that she is a very capable politician, there is not a chance in a million that she will place higher than number seven out of the top ten candidates. The real damage of your endorsement is, however, to your credibility.This useless gesture is as bad as Ralph Nader's ego trip in the last election that gave us George Bush for the next four years.

If you do not understand that four more years of George Bush will put women back in the dark ages, you should shut up shop and go home. There may be one or two of the democratic contenders that can beat Bush and it is the responsibility of all of us to find the strongest one and get behind him.
We all know that Carol Moseley Braun is not that person.

Shame on you, you have betrayed the women of America for a few fleeting headlines and sadly those headlines made you look really silly.

[bread_and_roses]

13. This feminist and political activist

believes that one of the functions of primary endorsements is to put the organization's agenda on the table. Endorsements remind politicans of the power of an organizations issues and members. This was, in my opinion, a right and proper endorsement. And I am a Kucinich supporter. A primary endorsement is NOT a vote for Bush. Any women mobilized by this endorsement are not going to turn around and vote for Bush. They will be pressuring the eventual candidate to stand firm on women's issues (which, I believe, are in the end all of our issues).