Just in from The White House Project (a quick read for you, while I finish the complaint and related materials concerning Governor Blagojevich,
who just got out on bond.)
What Year Of The Woman?
Have
you heard the rumor that 2008 is being referred to as the newest "year
of the woman?" We don't know about you, but we take issue with this
distinction. As White House Project President and Founder Marie Wilson
writes in her latest blog,
"Frankly, when I hear the current exclamations over women's electoral
gains in 2008, I am shocked at the apparently low expectations for
where women should be politically."While we were proud of the gains made by our Vote, Run, Lead
alumnae on Election Day, in this so-called "Year of the Woman, v. 2.0,"
only four seats were netted by women in Congress--three in the House
and four in the Senate. Unless a woman is appointed to fill Senator
Clinton's seat, we will backslide to the same 16% of women-held Senate
seats that we started with before the election. At the moment, we've
got a mere 8 women serving as governors across this country--likely to
become 9 when Lt. Gov. Diane Denish replaces Governor Bill Richardson
as he moves to Commerce, but still well below equal representation. At this rate, we won't see parity between women and men in Congress until 2063.
There
are a number of innovations that could move our democracy to a place of
true representation--and some of them begin with you. Here's how you
can make a tangible difference in the life our nation:
1. Think of a woman who would make a great addition to the city council, school board, or state legislature.
2. Pick up the phone, dial her number, and encourage her to run for office.
3. Send her a personal e-card inviting her to run.
4. Support The White House Project as we equip women with the tools they need to run for office and win.
2008 is the year of the woman-hater.
Posted by: AM | December 10, 2008 at 01:58 PM