National NOW Times >> Spring 2009  >> Article

Elections Bring Much-Needed Change

By Melody Drnach, Action Vice President

Last election season, the NOW Political Action Committee worked tirelessly to send a women's rights supporter to the White House, and also to elect a number of NOW PAC-endorsed feminists to Congress and defeat dangerous state ballot initiatives.

Getting out the vote was key in making sure women carried the day in the movement for change. NOW PAC ran phone banks at the national office in Washington, D.C., organized phoners to make calls from home, and sent field organizers to reach out to local voters in battleground states such as Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Across the country, NOW volunteers and activists had key roles in critical campaigns.

111th Congress: Newly-Elected Feminists Hit the Ground Running

Thanks to feminist voters, a record number of women now serve in Congress: 77 members in the House (including three delegates) and 17 in the Senate.

Although women are a long way from equal representation, and not all women in Congress are supporters of women's rights and equality, every year the numbers come closer to what some political scientists identify as a tipping point, where women have large enough numbers to assert power over the legislative agenda. In both houses of Congress, women are progressing in leadership and chairing influential committees, and of course Nancy Pelosi was just re-elected Speaker of the House of Representatives by her colleagues.

These new members had little opportunity to unpack and get sworn in before they were casting votes on bills to improve the lives of women and families. Two of our newest Senators, both of whom were endorsed by NOW PAC, Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), voted with our other friends in the Senate and helped pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (61-36). The House passed the act by a vote of 247 – 171, with six of our newest NOW PAC-endorsed members signed on as co-sponsors. The Ledbetter Act was the first piece of legislation signed by President Obama.

NOW PAC also endorsed a number of feminist male candidates, several of whom are new to the Congress and will serve as reinforcements for returning members who support women's rights. We expect to make significant advances for women in this new climate.

Most of our newest members serve on multiple committees, adding their voices as Congress debates the policies, programs and budgets that will shape the lives of women and families in our country.

NOW Co-Organizes Coalition on Women's Appointments

No sooner had we finished celebrating the end of the Bush/Cheney era in Washington than we got to work promoting highly-qualified, feminist women to be nominated to President Obama's Cabinet and administration.

NOW President Kim Gandy co-organized the Coalition of Women's Appointment with Irene Natividad, head of GlobeWomen, with whom she co-chairs the effort to vet and put forth female candidates for appointment to the administration. More than twenty organizations participate in the coalition. While NOW hoped for a greater representation of women in the Cabinet, we applaud the talented women who were nominated and confirmed to lead some of the most important government agencies.

During her confirmation hearing, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "Our foreign policy must reflect our deep commitment to the cause of making human rights a reality for millions of oppressed people around the world. Of particular concern to me is the plight of women and girls, who comprise the majority of the world's unhealthy, unschooled, unfed, and unpaid. If half of the world's population remains vulnerable to economic, political, legal, and social marginalization, our hope of advancing democracy and prosperity will remain in serious jeopardy. We still have a long way to go and the United States must remain an unambiguous and unequivocal voice in support of women's rights in every country, every region, on every continent."

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis called for fairness and opportunity for all workers. Solis stressed in her confirmation hearing that "the Labor Department must assure that American workers get the pay they have earned working in safe, healthy, and fair workplaces. The Labor Department is charged with assuring compliance with dozens of employment laws. I believe these laws codify values that are fundamental to our society. A fair day's work deserves a fair day's pay. Workers should not have to sacrifice their lives or their health to keep their jobs. Workers need time and flexibility to care for their families and themselves. These are American values. They must be America's ordinary way of doing business."

The appointment of Janet Napolitano to head the Department of Homeland Security is a positive step toward solving the complex issues surrounding fair immigration reform. Secretary Napolitano brings her keen intellect and a wealth of experience to this critical leadership position.

At press time, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius had been nominated but was not yet confirmed as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. As governor, Sebelius addressed the rising cost of health care by working to ensure Kansans' access to high-quality, affordable health care. Sebelius also proposed providing health insurance to every uninsured Kansas child from birth to age five in order to give all children a healthy start on life.

Several women have been appointed to Cabinet-rank positions, including Lisa Jackson at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Christine Romer at the Council for Economic Advisors, and Susan Rice as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. NOW continues to recommend highly-qualified women to serve at the highest levels of the Obama administration.

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