Women and Politics

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

President Barack Obama named Dr. Regina Benjamin as U.S. surgeon general in an announcement this morning at the White House.  WCF applauds this appointment of a woman as the voice of the American medical community.

The White House cited an upcoming major overhaul of healthcare and Dr. Benjamin’s experience working with low-income patients as two reasons for her appointment.

In 2008, Dr. Benjamin was named a MacArthur Fellow for her work with underserved indigenous populations in the Bayou.  She founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in 1990.  Dr. Benjamin rebuilt her clinic twice after it was brought down by hurricanes in 1995 and 2005.  She has treated many uninsured patients and frequently travels in Alabama and Louisiana to reach immobile patients.

If confirmed, Dr. Benjamin would be the fourth woman in U.S. history to hold that post.  Stay tuned for news updates on Women and Politics as Dr. Benjamin faces confirmation hearings!

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

On Friday, Vice President Joe Biden announced that Lynn Rosenthal has been appointed to advise the president on domestic violence.  In her newly-created position, Rosenthal will advise President Barack Obama and work with government agencies to ensure that violence against women is made a major policy priority and the perpetrators are held accountable.

Rosenthal previously served as the executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence.  She also previously worked as director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and managed a domestic violence shelter.

According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, Rosenthal has extensive experience with the issue:

Rosenthal’s expertise includes housing, state and local coordinated community response, federal policy on violence against women, and survivor-centered advocacy. She most recently served as the Executive Director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and was Executive Director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence from 2000 to 2006. She partnered with The Allstate Foundation to develop a highly successful national initiative to promote economic empowerment for survivors of violence.

Biden called the work Rosenthal will do in this new position “incredibly consequential.”  Biden said there are 48 million reported cases of violence done by an intimate partner and said that while there’s no count on how many are unreported, more women are coming out of the shadows.

Furthermore, the White House said that domestic violence would be placed higher on the policy agenda than it has been in recent years.  President Obama has assembled a team, including Rosenthal and Valerie Jarrett, which will fulfill his campaign pledge to make domestic violence a priority.

WCF applauds President Obama’s effort to include more women in his administration.  We hope that the White House will continue to make issues affecting women policy priorities.

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

The National Journal reports this week that the Obama Administration has a larger proportion of women in top positions than any of its predecessors.  Currently, President Obama’s team is 34% female, compared to 26% of President George Bush’s administration in 2001.

The new administration also brings unprecedented racial diversity to the White House.  Only nine of the 22 officials designated by Obama as having Cabinet rank are white men.

Here are a few outstanding women working in the Obama Administration:

• Melody Barnes: She serves as the President’s Domestic Policy advisor and Director of the Domestic Policy Council.  Barnes has been charged with issues relating to health care reform, civil rights and women’s health.
• Cassandra Butts:  As Deputy White House Council, Butts performs a central role in White House Legal Affairs.
• Hillary Clinton: Obama’s former challenger is currently serving as the Secretary of State, the third woman in U.S. history to hold that position.
• Lisa Jackson: As administrator of the EPA, Jackson leads a nationwide staff of just over 18,000 civil servants.  She is the first African American to hold that position.
• Katie Johnson: Just 27 years old, Johnson serves as the president’s personal secretary.  However, what Johnson lacks in age she makes up for in experience, having previously worked for Rahm Emmanuel, Hillary Clinton and Parris Glendening.
• Valerie Jarrett:  She is a Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for the Obama administration.  Jarrett was also pivotal in the Obama-Biden Transition team.
• Janet Napolitano:  The former Arizona governor serves as the third Secretary of Homeland Security.
• Susan Rice: The US representative to the United Nations was confirmed unanimously by the Senate in the first days of the Obama Administration.
• Desirée Rogers: A former Chicago business tycoon, Rogers has taken on the East Wing.
• Mona Sutphen: The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Despite the Obama Administration’s commitment to gender equality, women have still not reached parity in the White House.  At the current rate of increase, it will take almost 100 years until women reach gender parity in politics.  At WCF, we can’t wait that long.  Can you?

My heart is filled with pride today. President Obama has nominated a Latina to be the next Supreme Court Justice: Sonia Sotomayor.

When Justice David Souter announced his retirement, WCF asked our supporters to take action and urge Obama to choose a woman replacement. You raised your voices, and he listened.

President Obama’s decision to nominate Sonia Sotomayor to our highest court is an important victory for women and our country. Sotomayor will bring essential experience, perspective, and integrity to the Supreme Court.

Read WCF’s full statement on Sotomayor’s nomination on our website.

Looking at a picture of the current Court - with Ruth Bader Ginsburg serving as the only woman - it’s clear that women severely lack equality in public office. It is essential for the long-term health of our nation that women possess an equal voice in all branches of our government, and the confirmation of Sotomayor will be an important step toward this goal.

I couldn’t be happier that President Obama is taking yet another stride toward achieving gender equality in our government. Thank you for helping us make this happen - I look forward to making many future strides for women and our country together.

Since the announcement of Justice David Souter’s retirement, everyone’s been buzzing about the question of the day: will President Obama nominate a woman to the bench? And should he?

Our answer? YES! And we’re not alone. Several top women’s organizations are urging the President to add another woman to the Supreme Court. Why? Here’s just some of the reasons why the Supreme Court needs another pro-reproductive justice woman:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is lonely. She’s the only woman on the nine-person Court.

The Supreme Court currently holds four anti-choice men.

Justice Souter stood on the side of women many times. His replacement should do the same.

Women constitute over 50% of our population - and only make up 17% of Congress and hold only one Supreme Court seat.

Roe v. Wade. Reproductive justice.

Obama’s pick will serve a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court, affecting our country even beyond his presidency.

Equal representation of women in all levels and branches of our government is essential to the success and health of our nation.

WCF President/CEO, Sam Bennett, had this to say in reaction to Souter’s retirement:

“It is unacceptable that the United States currently ranks 72nd in the world for women holding elected office. America should serve as a leader in gender parity, instead of lagging behind.”

“President Obama has the chance to lead us into an era where women have equality in power and representation in the United States.”

Join us in asking President Obama to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court. The President has made strides toward gender parity in the women he’s chosen for his administration. Let’s keep the momentum going. It’s time to bring the assumption that most people in power are men to a screeching hault. The bench and our country need more women in power.