I have been unable to get my head around the endless series of attacks on women, women's rights, reproductive rights, choice, and now the rights of working families. I daydream about the blogs I would write if I chose not to sleep, but I am too busy to effectively process the depth and breadth of the attacks we are seeing across the states. Each day we hear a new story, a new headline and a new outrage.
Many leading women in office and many of our sister organizations have written to share the latest news on these attacks and some have been able to impact the proposed policies before they are final. I don't feel the need to restate what has already been said, but would join the chorus to ask why redefining rape, limiting choice or targeting abortion service providers are being discussed ahead of job growth, economic development and protecting our most vulnerable citizens who may need services provided by the government.
The level of protesting and organizing in Wisconsin gives me hope that Americans will realize that some of our most basic needs are provided by government and you want our workers there when you need them - to teach your kids, renew your license or process your unemployment claim. In uncertain times, they bridge the gap, in times of crisis, they provide a net, and in the good times, they leverage state resources to reinvest in your community. Emerge is standing arm in arm with our labor partners to help fight the assault on working families. We stand with Wisconsin in solidarity.
These recent assaults on our freedoms and on sensibility reaffirms that I am in the right place at the right time. The answer to the question "how do we change policy to reflect what we want and need in the world" is to change who is determining policy and making the laws. Training, running and electing Democratic women will give us different outcomes. The time is now. Emerge America is part of the solution. Women are harder to recruit to run for office, but if we can identify, encourage and train them to successfully run and win, we have done our part to expand the pool of qualified candidates.
The news of the day is a call to action - to fight the attacks on women's right, worker's rights and human rights. Everyone needs to do their part to ensure the outcome is a future America that we want to see. "We are the change we wish to see in the world."
Take action now - make an impact. We need everyone' voice to be heard right now.