Posted on 11/07/2002 8:05:02 AM PST by Doctor Freeze
Statement of NOW President Kim Gandy
With Trent Lott running the Senate and George W. Bush in charge of the White House and Supreme Court, the health and welfare of America's and the world's women and families have never been in greater jeopardy.
Hammering homeland security, Saddam Hussein and the war on terrorism, the Bush-Cheney weapon of mass distraction controlled public dialogue for the last few months. Bush's "you're either with me or you're a traitor" scorched-earth campaigning helped ensure Republican control of the Senate. Centrist Democratic pols aided their opponents with their pressure to avoid social issues and pander to corporate interests.
Women are bracing for an onslaught of judges and legislation designed to undo many of our hard-won gains and we intend to fight.
Roe v. Wade hangs by a single vote. Tipping the balance of the Supreme Court with one more extremist justice would ensure the loss of abortion rights for generations. We know that the stealth legislation disguised as "fetal protection," is really an thinly-veiled effort to deprive many more women of their reproductive freedom. And the Senate is primed to confirm a bevy of right-wing judges that will make the federal bench look more conservative than a Bush family reunion.
The Bush agenda for 2003 is no secret: further decreases in women's reproductive health options, more reductions in the already-limited safety net for the poor, restrictions on civil rights and liberties, Social Security privatization, more power for HMOs and insurers and less for patients and doctors, more lifetime appointments of religious and political extremists to the federal courts, and unfettered corporate influence over regulations that might restrain their greed. Tax cuts that benefit the wealthy will become permanent and programs that help the struggling working families who are the backbone of our nation will be slashed.
With all three branches of government controlled by one party united behind a single agenda, opportunities for advances in Congress are limited. So NOW and our hundreds of thousands of advocates will organize, organize, organize cities and towns and communities across the nation. We will work to limit the Republicans' legislative gains in Congress. And we will work with grassroots coalitions to win important protections at the state level, such as the recent enactment in California of partial wage-replacement for family and medical leave and important anti-violence protections.
As the new minority party, Democrats in Congress must abandon their "me tooism" and return to their party's roots, bringing more spirit and commitment to the debate, demonstrating leadership and real boldness on core issues. They must stop listening to the counsel of those who have blunted and stifled their message. They must do no less than engage fully in the battle for our future.
Fighting for our rights will be much harder now, but we bring to it all the passion, determination and courage that these difficult times demand. This country has a deep devotion to the concept of "liberty and justice for all" and we must gather our courage and give our time and resources to that cause.
We have taken some serious body blows, but nothing will stop us from organizing and rededicating ourselves to progress. We will do whatever it takes to protect women's lives in every city, town and district with an energized, focused and expanded constituency.
This election is a clarion call to everyone who values peace and wants a just and fair society for themselves and their children—we must join together with each other and with brave allies to defend fundamental human and civil rights and to renew our dream of full equality. We have faced and beaten formidable odds before, and we will do no less now. We must mobilize and organize as if our lives and the futures of our children and families depended on it. They do. And as our numbers double, watch out George Bush—here comes trouble!
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: REBECCA FARMER, 202-628-8669 ext. 116
10, Wellstone's wife and daughter were members....
A small fraction of the numbers Concerned Women for America can claim.
Is Jesse Jackass working for them now?
Just can't stop dreamin' about Klintoon, can they?
Mobilization=fund raising!
I guess I am an extremist because I disagree with a 5-4 supreme court decision. Maybe they should take a nationwide poll to decide how this issue breaks before they start labeling people as extremists.
You are only slightly exagerrating. NOW represents a few hundred thousand "womyn" nationwide, and are lionized by the media as the definitive "pro-women" organization to go to for "comments" on "women's" issues.
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