As Women's History Month draws to a close and women around the country recoil in horror from the full-throated attacks by the right-wing on our most basic freedoms, it is important to remind ourselves of the progress that has been made.
President Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first law signed by President Obama and a reminder that we must rededicate ourselves to accomplishing our goals via the electoral process ... by working to elect Democrats.
Remarks by President Barack Obama - January 29, 2009
... today, I sign this bill not just in [Lilly Ledbetter's] honor, but in honor of those who came before her. Women like my grandmother who worked in a bank all her life, and even after she hit that glass ceiling, kept getting up and giving her best every day, without complaint, because she wanted something better for me and my sister.
And I sign this bill for my daughters, and all those who will come after us, because I want them to grow up in a nation that values their contributions, where there are no limits to their dreams and they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers never could have imagined.
President Obama on
women's issues:
“I didn’t run for President so that the dreams of our daughters could be deferred or denied. I didn’t run for President to see inequality and injustice persist in our time. I ran for President to put the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same dreams within the reach for our daughters and our sons alike. I ran for President to put the American Dream within the reach of all of our people, no matter what their gender, or race, or faith, or station.”
-President Obama, March 8, 2010
Among the accomplishments:
- Supporting Women in the Workforce
- Expanding Women’s Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care
- Expanding Opportunities for Women-Owned Businesses
- Protecting Women From Violence
- Supporting Women in the Military and Women Veterans
- Supporting Women and Girls Worldwide
- Establishing the White House Council on women and girls
The Democratic party platform has a stated goal of
advancing progress for women:
The Democratic Party and women share common values and priorities, including supporting our families, protecting our country, and advancing the issues that matter most to women of all ages and ethnicities. President Obama and our elected Democratic leaders in Congress and across the country continue to work tirelessly to advance progress for women in every respect. That’s why women vote Democratic.
Democratic women are strong women and women whose words resonate years after they have left public life.
Patricia Schroeder was elected to Congress in 1973. This is the environment she faced:
One of only 14 women in the House of Representatives, Schroeder confronted a male-dominated institution that frowned not only on her feminist agenda but on her mere presence. She likened the atmosphere there to that of “an over-aged frat house.” One male colleague remarked, “This is about Chivas Regal, thousand-dollar bills, Lear jets and beautiful women. Why are you here?” Another asked how she could be a mother of two small children and a Member of Congress at the same time. She replied, “I have a brain and a uterus and I use both.”
Barbara Jordan was a Democratic member of the U.S. House Representatives from the state of Texas and the first African-American elected to her state’s senate. In
her own words:
Throughout our history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems and to uphold the principles of this nation, many times they have turned to political parties. They have often turned to the Democratic Party. What is it about the Democratic Party that makes it the instrument the people use when they search for ways to shape their future? Well I believe the answer to that question lies in our concept of governing. Our concept of governing is derived from our view of people. It is a concept deeply rooted in a set of beliefs firmly etched in the national conscience of all of us.
We have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of America can one day be finally closed. We believe that.
Strong women and strong Democratic women standing up for women and all people.
Focusing on women's issues has been a priority of the Obama administration and the Democratic Party: another reason that I Vote for Democrats and why you should too.
Jump on our bandwagon and follow I Vote For Democrats by clicking the orange ♥ at the top of this diary. Or better yet, write a diary about why YOU vote for Democrats and help us remind people of what is at stake.