I am angry.
You can include pissed off, annoyed and frustrated in that list s well.
If you are a woman who values the ability to make your own medical and reproductive decisions and to have access to safe medical and reproductive care - you should be too. If you are a man who supports women to have this ability, join in.
Last week, our lovely congress voted 251-172 for a bill that would have literally let women die on the hospital floor just because they chose to have an abortion. That’s right – we have 251 people in congress, representing us and making decisions for all of us - who think that religious and political ideology is more important than a woman’s life.
“HR 358 - Amends the new health care law so that no federal money could be applied to health insurance plans that cover elective abortions, even if the abortion coverage is paid for entirely with private funds. It also states that a federal agency can not force a health care provider that accepts Medicare or Medicaid to provide abortion services, even in cases when the mother's life is endangered.” Open Congress summary
When I watched this happened, my first inclination was to write a piece that gave the ‘what-for’ to the leadership in my party (that’s the Democratic/DFL party in case you forgot) because of those 251 – 15 of them were Democrats- here is the list:
Jason Altmire (PA), Sanford Bishop (GA), Dan Boren (OK), Jerry Costello (IL), Mark Critz (PA), Henry Cuellar (TX), Joe Donnelly (IN), Tim Holden (PA), Dan Lipinski (IL), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike McIntyre (NC), Nick Rahall (WVA), Mike Ross (AR), Collin Petersen (MN), and Heath Shuler (D-NC).
But most of you have heard this argument form me before and at the end of the day – it is all of us who call ourselves Dems/DFLer who give them this power.
We often forget that WE are the party – not the party officials, not the staff, not the consultants and not the elected officials – it’s US. It’s time we remember that and use our power to stand up for what we believe in. It is time to be heard and to be listened to.
So – how do WE be heard – what will make them listen. It’s very simple - do nothing.
Don’t give money, don’t make calls, don’t put a sign in your yard, and mostly, don’t endorse them, don’t let them say they have the OK of our party and its members to run as a Democrat or DFLer. If our party leadership isn’t going to hold them accountable – we can!
WE, as the party, have to start saying we aren’t going to give support to, make excuses for, give cover to and support candidates, elected officials and politicians that don’t support and respect women.
WE, as the party, can no longer make excuses for, give cover to and support candidates that don’t support us back.
WE, as the party, have to start saying its not ok to be an elected leader of OUR party and not uphold and defend our principles.
And, WE, as the party, have to say enough and stop supporting candidates, politicians and elected officials who put voting for re-election above doing what is right.
And don’t give me the tired old excuse of “they are just voting their district” or ‘we are the big tent party” more than half of people in any given district are women and I don’t want to be in the same tent with folks who don’t respect and support me – do you? If this were about running back the clock on any other issue of equality, would we even have to be having this conversation?
I don’t mind if you disagree with me, but I do ask that you respect me and at the end of the day, isn’t that what our party is supposed to be about? Equality and respect of all people – this includes women.
I want my party to start to stand for something. We have lots of good people who spend lots and lots of time debating and working on these principles and I, for one would like for that to start meaning something.
I think WE, as the party, need to start demanding that those who get elected waving our flag, ask for our support, receive our endorsement - adhere to those principles. Again, they don’t have to agree with them, but when they accept our endorsement, our money and our support – the very least they could do is defend our values.
And when they don’t, there is a very simple solution – stop supporting them. This doesn’t mean we kick them out, but we can certainly stop giving them our support – this means don’t endorse them and let them say that democrats/dfler’s support them, stop giving them money, stop making calls for them, don’t put their sign in your lawn – just stop – do nothing.
We at the DFL Feminist Caucus will remember this come the next election. We will stand up for equality and respect for all and we will no longer sit idly by and be quiet when elected officials, candidates and politicians who want to use the DFL/Dem banner refuse to respect and support women or anyone else. We will defend and uphold these DFL/Dem value – even if our elected officials and party leaders refuse to do so.