What an election! As my kids would say, "Wowie, wow, wow!" Talk about
grassroots involvement making a difference! And, can you say MomPower?!
A mother of five is now the first woman Speaker of the House.
But it's not over. It's only just beginning really. It's time to catch
the wave of change to build a truly family-friendly America. And, it's
the perfect time to start tackling issues that have been shelved for
decades. With your help, MomsRising.org is going to make the most of it!
QUOTES FROM LEADERS ACROSS THE NATION: We asked leaders from
more than 50 (and growing) national MomsRising.org aligned organizations
to share their post election analysis with us, and here's what they have
to say:
"Now that the election is over, I think it is important that the
politicians on both sides of the aisle once again focus on the issues
that are important to America's working families--education, an educated
and thriving workforce, and securing economic stability for the future."
-- Donna Klein, President and CEO of Corporate Voices for Working
Families
"Tuesday's election results--six states raising minimum wage, San
Francisco passing paid sick days, a vote for change across the nation -
show that voters want to see a political agenda that supports working
families and expect elected officials to take action."
-- Linda Meric, Director, 9to5, National Association of Working Women
"The election results signal a chance for change. Around the country,
ballot initiatives show that voters want fundamental change in the
quality of jobs in America. An increase in the minimum wage was won in
every state where it was on the ballot--states as diverse as Arizona,
Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and Ohio. In San Francisco, city
residents resoundingly approved a sick days law that ensures that
workers won't lose wages or their jobs because of the flu. This local
and state action paves the way for Congressional action. It's a changed
Congress. Now it's up to the new Congress to make some changes. The
quality of jobs all across America matter and this Congress can take
steps to make them better."
-- Jodie Levin-Epstein, Center for Law and Social Policy
"Nancy Pelosi who will be the new speaker of the House has said, 'Maybe
it takes a woman to clean house.' We are hopeful that the new Democratic
leadership in Congress will mean that issues important to women and
families like paid leave will be a priority in the next Congressional
session. The victory of all ballot initiatives in the states raising the
minimum wage is a clear message that our representatives need to pay
attention to the needs of working families."
-- Sherry Leiwant, A Better Balance: The Work & Family Legal Center
"The people have spoken: In every state where a minimum wage ballot was
introduced, an increase passed; funding for early childhood education
and childcare assistance also passed in a number of states, and South
Dakota's referendum to uphold a far-reaching ban on abortion was
rejected. Since the majority of all minimum wage earners are women and
women-headed households trying to help their families thrive, we know
last night was historic. There is still much work ahead on issues of
importance to working families, but last night showed us all that where
there is a will, there is a way. Stay involved, talk to your neighbors
and visit us at: www.ms.foundation.org"
-- The Ms. Foundation
"Clearly a living family wage is enthusiastically supported by most
Americans. All 6 Minimum Wage ballot initiatives passed by average of 31
points. This is an issue moms get because we earn less and produce more
than others in society! This is also an election about a seismic shift
in the American values debate. Our national leaders are morally off
track. Government corruption, greed, the War in Iraq, increasing poverty
have caused faith communities to reconsider their choices and mobilize
in new ways. Some helpful statistics:
- Catholic Shift - 16 point gain for Democrats nationally since 2004.
- Evangelical Shift - 18 point gain for Democrats nationally since
2004.
- 10-point Democrats gain among weekly churchgoers up to near parity
D46/R53."
-- Rev. Jennifer Butler, Executive Director, Faith in Public Life
"Finally, we see a rejection of 'my way or the highway' politics! Now is
the time for the nation to come together around working family issues."
-- Robert Drago, Co-Chair, Take Care Net Steering Committee,
www.takecarenet.org
"The election results provide a wonderful opportunity to discuss new
ideas for fixing our troubled health care system with a new Congress.
We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration on fresh
approaches to addressing escalating costs, decreasing coverage and poor
quality of care."
-- Catherine Fitzpatrick, National Coalition on Health Care
"This year has witnessed a renewed commitment to progressive ideals and
a deepening frustration with the misguided leadership of Washington,
D.C. The electorate has voted for a change in direction across the
country. These changes will immediately mean higher minimum wages, more
renewable energy, and more responsive government. And the state
legislators who will be seated this January reflect the majority's will
for more progressive governance. The challenge now is to govern
effectively: to promote new innovative strategies to protect the
environment while creating good-paying jobs, to make the 21st century
economy still provide ample time for family time, to extend health
coverage to all Americans, and to further clean up our elections and our
government."
-- Joel Barkin, Progressive States Network
"Yesterday, in every corner of the country, Americans voted for change.
We are energized by major victories on key initiatives and have renewed
optimism for the future of women and families in our country. These
victories include the passage of a paid sick days measure in San
Francisco; minimum wage increases in Arizona, Colorado, Missouri,
Montana, Nevada and Ohio; and an initiative to protect critical stem
cell research in Missouri. Still, the night was not without
disappointments, and we regret that voters in Michigan decided to
prohibit affirmative action. But it's clear that the climate at the
federal level and in many states will now be more favorable for issues
that are important to women and families ― and we will make the most of
every opportunity to make our nation more fair, more family-friendly,
and more just."
-- Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families
"When Katrina hit, for mothers especially, a big curtain was pulled
back, and they woke up to a government that had its back to families.
The deep suffering put into focus that this administration and the
powers that be on the state and federal level were ignoring mothers,
children and families. In this election, mothers turned out to hand
people like Rick Santorum and George Allen pink slips and to send George
Bush a clear and strong message: mothers want change and they aren't
going to be ignored anymore."
-- Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann, founding mothers, theMotherHood.net
"More than a victory in this one election--as important as this is--this
may be an opening for change. The right wing view of the world that has
had increasing power for nearly 25 years--of less or no government/only
markets, values meaning everyone is in their "place", and an
international policy dominated by pre-emptive war--is fracturing. There
is an opening for a new alternative if we find the way to provide a new
vision, tell a new story, and organize people for that new future.
Thanks for all you are doing!"
-- Heather Booth
"Congratulations go to Young Workers United in San Francisco who did
incredible organizing to win Paid Sick Days for workers in that city. It
won by a landslide and makes San Francisco the first place anywhere in
the country to mandate that employers provide paid sick days for workers
for their own illness or to care for a family member. For more info, go
to paidsickdayssf.org"
-- Netsy Firestein, Labor Project for Working Families
"ACORN members in fours states--Missouri, Arizona, Colorado, and
Ohio--celebrated the overwhelming success of ballot initiative campaigns
to raise the minimum wage. They also applauded the successful efforts of
other coalitions which passed wage increases in Nevada and Montana.
'Around the country, people came out to vote and did what politicians
have failed to do-raised the minimum wage. Huge majorities around the
country agree raising wages is the right thing to do because hard work
deserves fair pay,' said Mary Keith Ohio ACORN's state board chair. 'The
new U.S. Congress needs to put a higher minimum wage and the needs of
working families on the top of its agenda.'"
-- Steven Kest, ACORN
"America resoundingly called for a new direction Tuesday, and young
people were no exception. According to the Center for Information &
Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, young voters turned out in
record numbers this year--24% of voters aged 18-29 made it to the polls,
up from only 20% in 2002. Early signs show that their voice will be
taken seriously in this new Congress. From student loans, to clean
energy, to a better deal for working families, politicians are taking
notice of issues young people care about. For this progressive
generation, that's a welcome change."
-- Andrew Cox, The Roosevelt Institution
"We hope that both parties will find ways to end the dominance of
marketplace values in our family lives. Re-empowering the Federal Trade
Commission to regulate advertising and marketing to children would be an
excellent start."
-- Enola G. Aird, The Motherhood Project
"Many candidates, such as John Yarmuth in Kentucky, achieved victory by
making a single-payer system of national health insurance a pillar of
their campaign. The US National Health Insurance Act (HR 676) now has 78
co-sponsors - more than any other health reform legislation. Activists
should contact their representatives to encourage them to sponsor HR
676, and visit www.pnhp.org for more information."
-- Nicholas Skala, Physicians for a National Health Program
"The election results are good news for anyone who cares about the
future of the media. Champions of "Net Neutrality" -- the law that
ensures an open, accessible Internet -- on both sides of the aisle did
well, and their ranks will grow in the new Congress. The major
telecommunications bill pending in the Senate is a massive giveaway to
the phone and cable companies, and should be blocked during the lame
duck Congress. It's time to start over from scratch in 2007, and begin
having a genuine public debate about what the future of the media and
the Internet should look like. The new leadership in Congress should
stand up for the public interest and put forth a bold agenda to bring
more local, diverse voices, robust public broadcasting, and universal,
affordable broadband to all Americans."
-- Josh Silver, Free Press
"In Washington state, the defeat of the proposed repeal of the estate
tax and the defeat of the developers' privilege initiative show that the
voters are embracing the greater good, and looking out for each other,
rather than endorsing individual greed. People don't like the idea that
you're only looking out for yourself. That is, to me, the statement
that's been made - across the country, not just in our state. This is a
good, strong, and moral signal for our democracy."
-- John R. Burbank, Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI)
"In Illinois we re-elected a governor who has been a champion on issues
like making health care and universal pre-school available to all
children and raising the minimum wage. Clearly, there's more work to be
done to help ease the time and economic pressures today's parents face.
But, thanks to Governor Blagojevich, we're paving the way for Illinois
to be among the family-friendliest states in the nation!"
-- Rhonda Present, ParentsWork
"I'm optimistic--giddy even--but I think we need to remember that
support for working families wasn't on the map for this election, and it
won't be on the map for the next election unless we continue to make a
fuss. But at least there are a few more people in Congress now (quite a
few, I hope!) who know we're all in this together, and really understand
what's at stake if we continue to ignore the basic needs of America's
workers and families."
-- Judith Stadtman Tucker, Editor, the Mothers Movement Online
"The election was a vote for sanity in the priorities of our nation and
our communities. We've voted for problem-solving, and against
ideologically driven campaigns meant to label some people as "bad" and
others as righteous. As parents know, no person in the world starts out
"bad." People act out when they are hurting from needs that haven't been
met. We now have the opportunity to reverse policy decisions based on
greed and ideology, to leave the casting of dispersions behind, and to
work together to mitigate the pain and injustice we must address, here
and abroad."
-- Patty Wipfler, Hand in Hand Parenting
Best - Kristin, Joan, Mary, Ashley, Donna, Katie, Leslie, Emily, Cooper,
Catherine, and the MomsRising Team