On Inauguration Weekend, an estimated 3.2 million people in hundreds of cities across the country took to the streets to protest the incoming president. More than 400,000 people marched in Washington, D.C., similar numbers turned out in New York and Los Angeles, and even in Houston, Phoenix, New Orleans, Santa Fe, and Reno, marchers numbered in the tens of thousands. It was, as organizers promised it would be, the most massive coordinated demonstration an incoming president has ever faced. But its real power will be measured not in crowd size but in the lasting impact it has on the political process. And one of the clearest results of the march — and of the election as a whole — is the wave of political participation among women at local, state, and national levels that’s emerging in its wake.
The day after Women’s Marches swept the country, 500 women gathered in an auditorium in Washington, D.C.’s Grand Hyatt Hotel. Each one had registered to complete EMILY’s List’s candidate training program, which would better equip them to run for public office. According to EMILY’s List, a week before the training was scheduled to take place it had already sold out, and 500 more women were on the waiting list. EMILY’s List president Stephanie Schriock said the organization holds these types of trainings often, but the “incredible energy” around this one is unique. “We spend a lot of time recruiting,” she said. “[Now] we’re seeing women calling us.”
Like-minded organizations have reported similar spikes in interest. VoteRunLead reported that in the past two months, more than 2,300 women have signed up to take its online course, and the organization’s January 7 seminar registered 1,200 women in less than 48 hours. Since Election Day, EMILY’s List has had more than 4,000 people reach out to say they’re interested in running — 1,660 since Inauguration Day. And according to a She Should Run spokesperson, in a normal month the organization sees “at best, and with significant effort, anywhere between a few dozen to a few hundred women” sign up. But in the three months since the election, co-founder and CEO Erin Loos Cutraro said 8,100 women have indicated their interest in running for office by registering for She Should Run’s online incubator program, which teaches them how. What’s more, Cutraro said things show no sign of slowing. “We had a staff meeting, and we were going over numbers,” Cutraro said. “Our community manager said, ‘But hold on — we got 100 more last night.’”
I recently mentioned Elizabeth Warren as being our most likely candidate in 2020 and received quite a bit of blowback.
However if that wasn't from misogynist assholes terrified of a strong woman leading this country, and actually from progressives who simply don't see it, I would suggest to them that the face of the Democratic party moving forward is decidedly female, and that there is more than a fifty fifty chance that we are going to nominate a woman.
Sure it MIGHT not be Warren, but it then it will likely be someone like Kirsten Gillibrand, Claire McCaskill, or Kamala Harris.
Bottom line is that the women are taking over, and as a privileged white man I am totally cool with that.
I hope the same thing is happening within minority populations. I wonder if we don't hear about it because it's not reported, or it's not happening. The former, unfortunately, makes more sense to me, although I don't know. Seems to me people from minority populations would be as motivated, or more, as women.
ReplyDelete"Sure it MIGHT not be Warren, but it then it will likely be someone like Kirsten Gillibrand, Claire McCaskill, or Kamala Harris."
ReplyDeleteyou might want to look up Kamala Harris' photo, 5:08.
"Sure it MIGHT not be Warren, but it then it will likely be someone like Kirsten Gillibrand, Claire McCaskill, or Kamala Harris."
ReplyDeleteDon't think I'd appreciate McCaskill. She wasn't holding her own in Missery and would have lost if Aikin hadn't decided to eat his own foot for dinner in public. Representing Missery has caused McCaskill to be best at weaseling and vacillating to get re-elected.
McCaskill is NOT who we need: Since being elected to the Senate, McCaskill has consistently been named by the National Journal in its ideological rankings as one of the ten most moderate Senators.[25] In 2011, she was ranked exactly 50th on its scale of most-liberal to most-conservative.[26] The Washington Post reported in 2012 that she was the second-most-likely Democratic Senator to vote against her party.[25]
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of New York Magazine, Andrew Sullivan has penned a piece well worth the read. Sorry that I do not have the link; posting from my phone.
ReplyDeleteWarren will be 71 in 2020. Plenty of people claimed Clinton at 68 was too old (many of them were Warren supporters).
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Warren has staked out economics and consumer protection as her area of interest and focus. She has no experience in or apparent interest in foreign affairs.
She was adamant that she had no interest in running for president, and she is doing great work in the Senate.
People who allegedly support her disrespected her constantly by blowing off and disregarding her clear and unvarying statements that she absolutely wouldn't run for president.
I hope we are not treated to a repeat of this disrespectful attitude towards her.
If she expresses in interest in running this time around, I will evaluate her along with anyone else who is interested. In the general election, I will vote for whoever is the Democratic candidate.
Don't underestimate people wanting men as public officials. Take off rose colored glasses or US will be in same boat. I would like to vote a woman but I would rather put my vote behind in the end opposing gop. It could be the same old story middles lose election for normal right minded leaders.
ReplyDelete@6:53: Who has suggested that we eliminate men as public officials, or candidates. If 90% of a group is men, and people get excited because a lot more poeple that aren't men are thinking of joining that group, how does that dismiss men? Particularly when it's only running in primiary at the moment. No one is taking way the right to vote for a man.
DeleteWe have a lot of catching up to do. But we can do it, I know we can, I know we can.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alternet.org/environment/swedish-government-belittles-trump-all-woman-photo
I'd love to see Sherrod Brown run with a woman (depending on qualifications it could be P or VP) but I don't know who that should be quite yet. I love Warren but she doesn't want to be president and I agree that it's disrespectful to assign that to her when she clearly isn't interested in that job. I've got my eyes open because we certainly need experienced, qualified candidates (as we had last time, btw!) and while I don't agree they are "too old" I believe many voters would think so and it could lead to another disastrous election.
ReplyDeleteJillyG
Two things:
ReplyDelete1. Liberals, progressives, and Democrats must become informed/educated, and then must educate fellow citizens, especially ignorant, misguided, and recalcitrant whites, of both genders, about our government and how it best serves our people. These people who daily watch Fox News and regularly listen to Rush Limbaugh must be presented with FACTS!
We can't allow people to say that both parties are the same, that Hillary is as bad as Dolt45, or that 45 is doing the same as President Obama. Those are lies and can be easily refuted, but to do so, we have to know the truth for ourselves first!
Now, I am well aware that polls as well as personal anecdotes show that debate does little to change their well-made-up minds; nevertheless, we must persist. If Stockholm Syndrome is real, then we must apply those tactics. We must be that deluge of water wearing down rock. Not yelling, not arguing, not threatening, but as Rev. Dr. William Barber says, we must show the moral superiority of our position along with our shared hopes and aspirations. Letters to the editor, community meetings, and something as simple as a T-shirt work; they really work!
I was greatly uplifted by the genuine horror many expressed at the prospect of Betsey DeVos heading the Department of Education. Even here in RedLandia, not one person openly supported her nomination. In a mere three weeks, those who were berating me because I said Dolt45 was not & never would be my president have gone amazingly quiet. One even went so far as to delete his account!
2. We must stop looking for PERFECT candidates and PERFECT the work of electing those people who best represent our views and our voice. It is shameful the way so many swallowed hook, Lin, and sinker the dreadful lies the RWNJs spread about Hillary Clinton! Shameful! The secret misogyny that causes us to more easily believe something negative about a woman is closely aligned to the hidden racism that makes us more readily accept negative stereotypes about POC! We must root those misconceptions out, despite how we find excuses for them.
When Republicans start telling lies about our candidates, and they will, we must be armed with the truth and be ready to fight back! We must stand up in stalwart support of our candidates regardless of the lies our foes tell!
We are on the road to taking our country back, making it a better place for all, not just the top 1% (who are truly at the bottom, morally and spiritually). The onus is on us, we the people!
"She wants to provide contraceptive options to 120 million women around the globe by 2020."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.allure.com/story/melinda-gates-birth-control-pledge
Some women cannot handle the side effects of birth control pills. And the IUD's are dangerous due to complications such as toxic shock from the product. Many of the alt methods are faulty too. Women have few safe ways of preventing pregnancy without completely refrain from sex. And then the can you rape your wife debate comes up.
ReplyDelete"However if that wasn't from misogynist assholes terrified of a strong woman leading this country, and actually from progressives who simply don't see it"
ReplyDeleteAnd that is you problem right there in a nutshell... anyone who doesn't think like you, or can see clearly the reality of your faulty vision, obviously must be a "misogynist asshole" and must be labelled as such in your at times little childish and divisive mind.
They already are. In Stonecrest, Georgia there are women running for every city council seat except post 1 and Mayor.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cbs46.com/story/34479338/metro-atlanta-teenager-approved-to-run-for-political-office
"She said one of her opponents challenged her eligibility because of her age, but she was approved to run because of the city charter’s lack of an age requirement.
“Just because I’m a young person does not mean that I lack the experience or the common sense to make common sense laws or pass common sense legislation, or do things that would impact my community in a positive light,” Hector said.
Hector is now preparing for her first debate and is the youngest woman to ever have been eligible to run for office in the state. She hopes to be an inspiration to others.
“Young people are starting to really understand and see that they can truly be a part of the political system and they can truly run for office,” Hector said.
If she manages to win the election, CBS46 asked Hector how she plans to juggle her studies at Spelman with being a politician. She said it's no different than going to school and working a couple of jobs, which many people do."
The city charter only stipulates "voting age". That may have been 21 at one time but it's 18 now so she is qualified.
I suspect her male opponent, George Turner, is scared shitless and was hoping to eliminate her this way. Now he's going to have to debate her and work to get elected.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/12/politics/mary-pat-hector-georgia/
"A 19-year-old Georgia woman has fought her way onto the ballot, and, if elected, could become one of the youngest elected officials in the United States.
Mary-Pat Hector, a sophomore at Atlanta's Spelman College, is seeking a city council seat in the newly incorporated city of Stonecrest, a suburb east of Atlanta that is home to about 50,000 residents.
Another candidate in the race challenged her eligibility to run, arguing that she should be barred due to a state law requiring that all elected officials be at least 21 years of age. But Hector, who serves as national youth director for the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, protested, arguing that if she is old enough to vote she should be old enough to hold political office.
The DeKalb County Board of Registrations and Elections on Thursday ruled that Hector can run because the city's charter held no such age restriction. That ruling apparently makes her the youngest woman to run for elected office in Georgia."
You can donate to her campaign here:
http://www.marypathector.com/about-me
This is how we have to do it. One seat at a time from the ground up. You start with school board or city council, then state legislature, then Congress. Eventually we will have a woman in the White House.
The more women we can put in public office, the better it will be for this country.
Look around for the Sarah Palins that need to be got out of office.
DeleteYesterday I was reading some stats about the women's march that show it was the biggest protest ever in the history of the country.
ReplyDeleteha! Wait until Trump's evil doings start to bite the idiots that voted for him.
There will be a Scientists's March on April 23, Earth Day.
DeleteLet's make it even bigger.
May each march be bigger than the one before, with more and more sister marches taking place in more and more cities simultaneously.
We need Trump to see the defiance is growing, not receding.