Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Emerge
Emerge is what really started this whole foray into politics for me. Well, foray makes it sound a little temporary, but I don't think I can ever get out now. Anyway most of you that know me know about Emerge, but please indulge this explanation for those readers that are not familiar.
Emerge is a political training program for Democratic women who want to run for office. It began in the Bay Area in California in 2003, was successfully replicated in Arizona in 2004, and is now Emerge America, with affiliates in 7 states.
Why Democrats? Well, duh. If we want more women in office, we want the RIGHT ones.
Why women? I believe that we will never reach our full potential as a nation until women participate equally at all levels of government. The barriers for women running for office are much greater than for men. Emerge is about the new girls' network, helping women to overcome those barriers and have the confidence they need to take that leap and run.
I was a part of the inaugural class of Emerge Arizona in 2004.
There are several Emerge women that are here as delegates, so Emerge America hosted a lunch today. It was a nice little break in all of the convention activities and a chance to connect with some awesome women from around the country who are doing amazing things.
Emerge is a political training program for Democratic women who want to run for office. It began in the Bay Area in California in 2003, was successfully replicated in Arizona in 2004, and is now Emerge America, with affiliates in 7 states.
Why Democrats? Well, duh. If we want more women in office, we want the RIGHT ones.
Why women? I believe that we will never reach our full potential as a nation until women participate equally at all levels of government. The barriers for women running for office are much greater than for men. Emerge is about the new girls' network, helping women to overcome those barriers and have the confidence they need to take that leap and run.
I was a part of the inaugural class of Emerge Arizona in 2004.
There are several Emerge women that are here as delegates, so Emerge America hosted a lunch today. It was a nice little break in all of the convention activities and a chance to connect with some awesome women from around the country who are doing amazing things.
Women's Caucus
Tuesday I attended the Women's Caucus. I missed a lot of it because I'm still trying to navigate. Donna Brazile, mentioned earlier, spoke. Donna is a superdelegate who commentates for CNN and kept quiet about who she was supporting for President. I didn't hear her, but Dana told me she spoke about signing the petition to make sure that Hillary Clinton's name is placed into nomination. She said (paraphrasing because I wasn't there, and remember I don't do quotes so well anyway) she did it for Shirley Chisolm, she did it for Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (who was a Clinton supporter), and she did it for the unity of the party.
I think there are a lot of Obama supporters who just don't get how allowing a floor vote for Clinton will help with party unity, but as a Clinton delegate, it makes perfect sense. A lot of people just need to be able to vote for the person they were elected to vote for, and not feel like they are being silenced. I hope that makes sense. It is not whining, it is not about catharsis, or whatever else the pundits are saying.
I think there are a lot of Obama supporters who just don't get how allowing a floor vote for Clinton will help with party unity, but as a Clinton delegate, it makes perfect sense. A lot of people just need to be able to vote for the person they were elected to vote for, and not feel like they are being silenced. I hope that makes sense. It is not whining, it is not about catharsis, or whatever else the pundits are saying.
Women's Equality Day
Yesterday (even though as I'm posting this, it is the end of a very long Tuesday, it is technically Wednedsay) was the 88th anniversay of women being granted the right to vote. If you are reading this and for some strange reason, you are not registered to vote GO DO IT NOW!!!!!! If you are registered to vote, but for some strange reason just don't, I would suggest watching Iron Jawed Angels to perhaps motivate you to do so. This is one of my favorite movies ever. Yes, it makes me cry. And for God's sake PLEASE vote for Barack Obama on November 4th, whether you've always had the right to vote, or just gained it 88 years ago.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Revisiting Yesterday
There are just a couple of things from the events yesterday that I forgot to mention.
Another featured speaker at the Unconventional Women event was Congresswoman Hilda Solis from California. I specifically wanted to mention her because of her work on the issue of violence against women and helping to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in 2005. My work is about domestic violence, and VAWA has helped us to make huge strides in the services that are available for all those who experience violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Domestic violence, especially among the immigrant community, is something that is a big issue in Solis' district, and I appreciate her committment to it.
And Donna Brazile spoke, who is just Donna Brazile - she is amazing. She is speaking at a lot of stuff this week. BTW, it's a good thing I'm not a professional reporter because I am terrible about getting quotes right. So, she said some really cool stuff, but that was about 36 hours ago and I've heard a lot more stuff since then.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was also a big highlight of the speakers at the convention yesterday. They played clips of when she was elected as Speaker in 2006 and had her grandchildren all around her. I cannot see that moment and not totally tear up (why yes, I do cry at everything).
Something else that I thought was a cool feature was that among all of the politicians who spoke, they scattered regular people who were just there to tell their stories against the backdrop American Voices: American Values.
Another featured speaker at the Unconventional Women event was Congresswoman Hilda Solis from California. I specifically wanted to mention her because of her work on the issue of violence against women and helping to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in 2005. My work is about domestic violence, and VAWA has helped us to make huge strides in the services that are available for all those who experience violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Domestic violence, especially among the immigrant community, is something that is a big issue in Solis' district, and I appreciate her committment to it.
And Donna Brazile spoke, who is just Donna Brazile - she is amazing. She is speaking at a lot of stuff this week. BTW, it's a good thing I'm not a professional reporter because I am terrible about getting quotes right. So, she said some really cool stuff, but that was about 36 hours ago and I've heard a lot more stuff since then.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was also a big highlight of the speakers at the convention yesterday. They played clips of when she was elected as Speaker in 2006 and had her grandchildren all around her. I cannot see that moment and not totally tear up (why yes, I do cry at everything).
Something else that I thought was a cool feature was that among all of the politicians who spoke, they scattered regular people who were just there to tell their stories against the backdrop American Voices: American Values.
Apologies to the Denver City Planners
I discovered today that the trek between the Convention Center and Pepsi Center really is walkable. My problem yesterday is that I was not in control of a map or the info about where we were going. So, bonus, today I walked a lot down the 16th St. Mall and got lots more photos of fun political chum and other random stuff for you to enjoy. Bet you can't wait for me to post it.
Besides being pretty pedestrian friendly, Denver is very green.
Besides being pretty pedestrian friendly, Denver is very green.
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