Strollerderby

You have got to be kidding.  I'm off to dig around the Internets.  Palin is the anti-NOW.  Unless I'm totally clueless about the purpose of NOW.  good god.

What has she done for women?  McCain has opposed legislation for equal pay for women.  She made women in her town pay for rape kits.  She alleges she punished Walt Monegan for seeking funds to start a program that combats violent crimes against women.  I needn't mention the whole right to choose issue...

www.huffingtonpost.com/.../obama-hatred-on-display-a_n_132572.html

She also is trying to incite racial violence at her latest rally.  See for yourself.  It is like a KKK meeting in the 30's.  

If NOW is endorsing Palin then I question their leadership and will not give them another penny.   Palin is an embarrassment in this Presidential race---I need someone with more substance and educational background, not a hockey mom.   When did the VP position become a beauty contest!   Pandering to the female vote is insulting.

I just looked at the NOW website and this was their first article:

NOW PAC Endorses Obama-Biden

NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy stated, "Women of all ages, races and ethnicities are coming together in support of Sen. Obama and his pledge to fulfill this country's promise of equal opportunity for our daughters as well as all our sons."

Repugnican nonsense trying to foment Fear/Uncertainty/Doubt. NOW has unequivocally endorsed Obama/Biden and been clear that Palin is not a women's "advocate."

This was the Los Angeles CHAPTER president, speaking in a PERSONAL capacity.

blogs.abcnews.com/.../la-now-prez-on.html

How can any woman think that a single organization represents all of her interests?  Are we children?  Do we really need an organization to speak on our behalf and then subscribe to whatever belief that organization promotes? Give me a break.  I'll never understand why so many women buy into the idea that women's rights hinge solely on the issue of abortion. Can someone provide any solid information about Palin wanting to completely outlaw abortion?  The last I read, she said that she believes it should be a states' rights issue.  McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden are both flawed tickets, but if you think that Obama is the less of the two evils, you seriously need to examine your frame of reference for world politics and history. Oh, and yeah, lets compare Palin to a KKK clan leader . . . like that's not fear mongering?  I think so many so-called feminists feel threatened by her because, whether or not you agree with her political views, she is a truly independent, tough, non-liberal who doesn't play the victim.  She doesn't need an organization to speak for her.  She doesn't need your approval to stand by her convictions.

Perhaps Mandell endorsed McCain/Palin because she isn't a single issue voter and cares about more than just the abortion issue? I'm a mother now, and I care about many issues-- taxes, terrorism, education, health care, social security, etc. And reasonable people (including feminists) can disagree about which candidate is better on these issues.

Actually, Emily, I saw Palin on tv saying that even a 15 year old raped by her own father should not have an abortion. Yes, she would like to leave it to each state. I guess any underaged rape and incest victims should have the good sense to live in a state where it's not illegal, right?

Manjari:  You have a good point-but the purpose of my response was to portray Palin's response accurately.  She didn't say that she would outlaw abortion. Palin said that it's a personal issue for her and she hasn't pushed to change the law in her own state.  I respect her honesty-which is more than we can say for her opponents (re: Biden's flip flop on gay marriage in the VP debate). I'm pro-choice but I definitely think that we need to push for more education about the heavy emotional cost of abortion on women.  I think a lot of "feminists" take the issue lightly and ignore the psychological impact it has on women. It's a very serious, complicated issue and I think Palin understands the severity of such a decision.    

Ginsburg, Breyer, and Stevens are the only current justices who are adamantly pro-choice. If the Court wanted to outlaw abortion-why hasn't it happened already?  The court has worked on case-by-case issues to provide certain restrictions dealing with late-term abortions, protest laws, familial notification, etc.  I agree with every decision the Supreme Court has made in the past ten years. I would rather elect a President who values life over someone who voted down the BAIP Act three times and said that he wouldn't want his daughters to be "punished with a baby".

Actually they endorsed Obama-Biden...

National Organization for Women PAC Endorses Obama-Biden

STATEMENT OF KIM GANDY

Chair, National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC)

September 16, 2008

It is with great enthusiasm that I announce today, on behalf of the nation's oldest and largest women's rights organization, that the National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) proudly endorses Sen. Barack Obama for President of the United States.

It is no coincidence that I am joined in this announcement by so many allied organizations that collectively represent a broad and diverse cross-section of U.S. women. From teachers to social workers, from business owners to college students, women in this country are lining up behind the candidate who is out there every day standing up -- clearly and consistently -- for women. Women of all ages, races and ethnicities are coming together in support of Sen. Obama and his pledge to fulfill this country's promise of equal opportunity for our daughters as well as all our sons.

Although it is very unusual for us to endorse in a presidential election, this is an unprecedented candidate and an unprecedented time for our country. The NOW PAC reviewed Sen. Obama's record and public statements on issues that disproportionately affect the women of this nation, and I spoke with him at length about his commitment to women's equality. For example:

On pay equity. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation to end wage discrimination against women.

On reproductive rights. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, to strengthen access to contraception and reproductive health care, and prevent unwanted pregnancies. He strongly supports Roe v. Wade and will oppose any efforts to overturn it.

On violence against women. Sen. Obama supports the continued reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act -- of which Sen. Joe Biden is the chief sponsor -- as well as the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act, which is legislation to provide legal, medical and financial support to victims of domestic violence.

On the Supreme Court. Sen. Obama opposed the nominations of George Bush's extreme right-wing nominees to the Supreme Court, who have consistently ruled against women's rights,

For more than a decade, Barack Obama has said "yes" to women's rights, while John McCain has consistently said "no" - NO to pay equity, NO to contraceptive access and reproductive rights, NO to appointing Supreme Court judges who will uphold women's rights and civil rights, NO to funding shelters and other anti-violence programs, and NO to supporting working moms and dads with policies that support work/life balance.

NOW supported Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primary, and now we join with her in saying "NO" -- No Way, No How, No McCain! And we proudly stand arm-in-arm with her in putting our hopes and our dreams, our hard work and our hard-earned money, behind the next President of the United States -- Barack Obama, and his running mate, longtime friend and ally of women, Sen. Joe Biden.

For more information, visit the NOW PAC Obama website.

###

For Immediate Release

Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906

Actually they endorsed Obama-Biden...

National Organization for Women PAC Endorses Obama-Biden

STATEMENT OF KIM GANDY

Chair, National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC)

September 16, 2008

It is with great enthusiasm that I announce today, on behalf of the nation's oldest and largest women's rights organization, that the National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) proudly endorses Sen. Barack Obama for President of the United States.

It is no coincidence that I am joined in this announcement by so many allied organizations that collectively represent a broad and diverse cross-section of U.S. women. From teachers to social workers, from business owners to college students, women in this country are lining up behind the candidate who is out there every day standing up -- clearly and consistently -- for women. Women of all ages, races and ethnicities are coming together in support of Sen. Obama and his pledge to fulfill this country's promise of equal opportunity for our daughters as well as all our sons.

Although it is very unusual for us to endorse in a presidential election, this is an unprecedented candidate and an unprecedented time for our country. The NOW PAC reviewed Sen. Obama's record and public statements on issues that disproportionately affect the women of this nation, and I spoke with him at length about his commitment to women's equality. For example:

On pay equity. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act, legislation to end wage discrimination against women.

On reproductive rights. Sen. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act, to strengthen access to contraception and reproductive health care, and prevent unwanted pregnancies. He strongly supports Roe v. Wade and will oppose any efforts to overturn it.

On violence against women. Sen. Obama supports the continued reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act -- of which Sen. Joe Biden is the chief sponsor -- as well as the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act, which is legislation to provide legal, medical and financial support to victims of domestic violence.

On the Supreme Court. Sen. Obama opposed the nominations of George Bush's extreme right-wing nominees to the Supreme Court, who have consistently ruled against women's rights,

For more than a decade, Barack Obama has said "yes" to women's rights, while John McCain has consistently said "no" - NO to pay equity, NO to contraceptive access and reproductive rights, NO to appointing Supreme Court judges who will uphold women's rights and civil rights, NO to funding shelters and other anti-violence programs, and NO to supporting working moms and dads with policies that support work/life balance.

NOW supported Sen. Hillary Clinton in the primary, and now we join with her in saying "NO" -- No Way, No How, No McCain! And we proudly stand arm-in-arm with her in putting our hopes and our dreams, our hard work and our hard-earned money, behind the next President of the United States -- Barack Obama, and his running mate, longtime friend and ally of women, Sen. Joe Biden.

For more information, visit the NOW PAC Obama website.

###

For Immediate Release

Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906

I don't get it. If there is a "heavy emotional toll" on women who have abortions, why are you pro-choice? That's like me saying, "Well I'm pro-choice about rape, but we need to warn people of the heavy emotional toll".

Palin doesn't see why an innocent party (a baby) should suffer because of what his or her parent did. If your father had raped your mother, would you think you should have been aborted? We need to punish the guilty, not the innocent.

Putting aside the pro-choice issue for the moment, Sarah Palin is just not qualified to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, especially since she's seconding a 72-year-old candidate whose health has been broken by imprisonment and torture and has fought off two bouts of melanoma. She's been governor for less than two years, and before that, mayor of a town smaller than the population of a major university. As an Asian-American woman, I find Palin completely alien to my idea of a role model for women. She wasn't such a dedicated student (6 colleges in 4 years, was it?) and has not demonstrated any intellectual curiosity about or empathy for people beyond Alaska. What does she know of Asians, or African-Americans or Latinos? I am a liberal who very much believes in live and let live, but even I can't help but judge her family values. As a national figure, she is a role model, and I don't think that getting knocked up and THEN getting married is a good model for our young women, which is what Palin did and now what her daughter is doing.

Part of the 'emotional toll' involved with abortion is the judgment our overly-evangelical, hyper-conservative society casts on people who have them. Sure, the back alley, coat-hanger days might be over, but this country and the conservatives that run it still do not make having an abortion as convenient, accessible, afforable, and compassionate toward the woman as it needs to be.