At the CRP convention a couple of weeks ago, I was interested to see Rudy Giuliani’s speech. Though he did not electrify the crowd the way Mitt Romney did at the last CRP convention (arguably one of the best speeches I have ever witnessed), there was something in Mayor Giuliani’s speech that will remain with me for a long time. He enumerated many reasons why we must prevail in the war on terror, most of which we hear on Fox News everyday. But he gave one reason that is often overlooked, but no less important: women’s rights. Our nation has come a long way in ensuring that women have every opportunity to reach their God-given potential as men, and we don’t want to take a single, solitary, nano step backward. Yet look at the way women and girls are treated in countries where Islamic extremists rule with a heavy hand. I can’t help but wonder how quickly the war in Iraq and Afghanistan might end if we gave superior fire power to all the women who’ve been treated worse than cattle in those countries.
So, I appreciated Giuliani’s rationale that one of the many reasons America must prevail in the war against Islamic extremists is to protect and promote women’s rights.
Yet, for all the strides we’ve made as a nation to promote women in leadership roles, in California, we are losing ground. We lost 3 female seats in the state legislature this year, and at the county supervisors level, we have gone from 83 in March 2004 to just 69 today.
Fortunately, there is an organization designed to help women successfully engage in California government. The California Elected Women’s Association (CEWAER) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing leadership and campaign trainings, networking opportunities, and policy discussion forums for women interested in or who hold elected and appointed offices. CEWAER’s mission, as women in government, is to inform and educate its constituencies as well as encourage and support women to seek public office. FR friend, Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, is on the state board, and Rachel Michelin, well-known as an outstanding, high-caliber woman to many FR readers, is the Executive Director.
I serve as the Vice President for the East Bay chapter of CEWAER, and will be one of the keynote speakers at their upcoming state convention in Anaheim. I’ll be sharing some stories and lessons-learned from my campaign for State Assembly in 2006. (Yes, before anyone says it, you CAN learn quite a lot from an unsuccessful campaign). I’ll share experiences that still make me laugh, and some that are still a bit painful even after a few months time. The objective of my speech is to encourage women to passionately and vigorously pursue their goals in government, and not be afraid of ANYTHING.not fundraising, not polls, not even losing. There is life after a political loss.and sometimes it’s even better!
Ladies (and gents, as well!), you can still sign up for the conference at www.cewaer.org . See you there!
March 1st, 2007 at 12:00 am
Interesting that you consider the loss of female office holders so important. Would you consider the defeat of Barbara Boxer or Diane Feinstein a defeat for women as well, if they were replaced by a Republican male? I would like to think putting forth great conservative candidates is more important than electing women, hispanics, asians or any other category of people.
March 1st, 2007 at 12:00 am
Good point in regards to the relation to women’s rights and the war on terror. Although I think we could use this example of women’s rights for a litany of freedoms and other strides this country has made, such as religious freedom, freedom of speech, racial tolerance and even tolerance of homosexuality. Who would have thought that leftists would weaken a war against an autocratic, misogynistic, homophobic and religious fundamentalist enemy? If any body should be so vociferously supportive of the war on terror, it should be feminists and others on the left.
March 1st, 2007 at 12:00 am
Chris!!! My awesome campaign manager! Well said, my friend!
Sean – I hear you loud and clear, and the point I’m making is simply this: yes, we should elect conservatives who will protect our liberty, but we have brilliant conservative minds and spirits that are housed in female bodies and we need to put more of them on ballots. Secretary George Schultz said it best a few months ago when he introduced Justice Sandra Day O’Connor at a Lead 21 event in San Francisco. He said, “She was not the first ‘woman’ on the Supreme Court; she was the first wife and mother on the Supreme Court.” That perspective and valuable frame of reference could be brought to public policy debates more routinely if we actively encourage and support women in our party.
I’m of the mindset that no matter good we are, we can always be better. This is a continuous improvement item, not a criticism.
March 3rd, 2007 at 12:00 am
Jill,
That’s why we need you to run again – please!!!
By the way, keep up the great work.
March 3rd, 2007 at 12:00 am
Thank you, Cathy! And right back at you, my friend!