Tommy Christopher over at the Political Machine reports that New Agenda founding member Caren Turner met with the Obama camp yesterday and received a "warm" reception. Christopher is not exactly PUMA friendly and promotes the misguided view that PUMA is pro McCain, but the blogger interviewed Turner and so, it's a pretty interesting report:
The group had already received overtures from the McCain campaign, but founding member Caren Turner told me that she met with a senior official in the Obama campaign yesterday, with very encouraging results.
"I met with a very high ranking person in the Obama campaign (and presented) a list of asks.
How will your administration deal with the fact that only 17% of the US Congress is made up of women, will you come up with a corrective plan, and what will it be?
Under Federal law, 5% of small business federal contracts should go to woman-owned businesses, but we barely get 3.4%, and we own 30% of the small businesses. What will you do to correct that?
Professor Nancy Hopkins did a study that showed that since the Iraq War started, more women have died at the hands of domestic violence (about 6,400) than soldiers have died in Iraq (4142). What will your administration do to remedy this national disaster?
How will your administration correct the rampant sexism on the airwaves, and society at large?
She also says she would like to see these questions in the Presidential debates.
Issues pertaining to the lives of women addressed in the Presidential debates? Excuse me, but is that legal? If that actually happens in my lifetime, I expect to fall down in a dead faint. Even in the Democratic Convention, the nominee can't be bothered about the women. If women's rights are discussed at all, it's because the nominee sends his wife out to placate the little women. That's exactly what John Kerry did. I'm expecting the same slap in the face from Barack and Michelle. But I digress.
Here Caren Turner discusses The New Agenda's stance on Roe. I've included the blogger's before and after comments:
I also asked if McCain's pro-life comments at the Saddleback Forum gave the group any pause, considering his prior assurances that there would be no litmus test. She echoed the other founders' confidence that the Democrats in the judiciary committee would stop any extreme appointments.
"We're not just a bunch of walking ovaries. Once we get more women into office, many of the traditional issues that we've talked about will fall into line."
"We're not dealing with Roe v Wade, pro-choice, pro-life or anything like that, this is more about power and money. This is not about ovaries... This is focused on the power and the money. Period."
While I might not agree 100% with this group's methods, or even their exact priorities, the idea that women's issues can be the subject of a bidding war between two parties, rather than the taken-for-granted province of one, is an intriguing one. My bet is on blue. [via]
Read the whole thing . .
New Feminist Agenda: It's No Longer Just About Hillary
New Agenda Male Privilege Patriarchy Hillary Clinton Feminist Politics Gender Democratic Party Misogyny PUMA News Roe