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By Nora Niedzielski-Eichner • 13 years ago

Very scary politics in New York

What does a Confederate flag* being flown by supporters of Lee Zeldin** at their small counter-protest to a Women for Brian Foley rally yesterday mean for New York’s women?  Virulent and publicly condoned racism, of course, as demonstrated by the “Honk to Support Arizona” sign.

What you may be less familiar with is the link between this call for secession and attempts to deny a woman’s right to choose.  Anti-choice extremists have been attempting to introduce resolutions or laws at the state level that claim that the state, under the 10th Amendment, does not have to abide by certain federal laws, including Roe v. Wade.

Is this what we want for New York?  Get out and volunteer for a candidate who supports your values, and get out and vote!

* This flag is not the more familiar Confederate battle flag, but the South Carolina Secession (or Sovereignty) flag, which was flown in South Carolina shortly after it seceded from the United States in 1860.  Besides raising further questions aboutJim DeMint’s fundraising for Zeldin, it demonstrates just how fringe many of Zeldin (and Paladino’s) supporters are, as there is apparently some sort of small group down in South Carolina that is using this flag when they advocate for the state seceding again.

** Not to mention the obscene gesture visible in the next photo.

Crossposted at 16% and Rising.
By Nora Niedzielski-Eichner • 13 years ago

3 Incumbents Who Voted Against Women – Let’s Vote Them Out

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we run,walk, and rally to alert people to the importance of early detection.  Let’s also work for the election of legislators who share our commitment to women’s health.  Nothing matters more to the early detection of breast and cervical cancer than being able to afford to get screened—so let’s vote for candidates like Susan Savage, Tony Avella, and Kathleen Joy who will stand up for women, not for corporate profits.

In 2002, the New York State Senate voted on the Women’s Health and Wellness Act.  This Act required all health insurance companies to cover basic preventative medicine for women, including mammographies, screenings for cervical cancer, screenings for osteoporosis, and ...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we run,walk, and rally to alert people to the importance of early detection.  Let’s also work for the election of legislators who share our commitment to women’s ...
By Nora Niedzielski-Eichner • 13 years ago

New York’s Year of the Democratic Women

There has been a lot of talk this year about 2010 as a “Year of the Republican Woman,” about “mama grizzlies,” and about the Democratic Party needing a “Palin of our own.” Rebecca Traister, author of an acclaimed new book on the Clinton campaign, has just issued a plea that the Democrats “remember the ladies.”  While she may be right at the national level, let’s talk about what’s happening differently here in New York this year.

After 44 years of a Republican majority, the State Senate flipped to Democratic control in 2008.  In the two years that Democrats have led the Senate, almost 50 ...

There has been a lot of talk this year about 2010 as a “Year of the Republican Woman,” about “mama grizzlies,” and about the Democratic Party needing ...
By Nora Niedzielski-Eichner • 13 years ago

Women Candidates Call on Opponents to Disavow Paladino

Women candidates for the New York State Senate like Didi Barrett, Joanne Yepsen, Robin Wilt, and Jennifer Maertz, have been calling on their Republican opponents to disavow the Republican candidate for governor.

Why?  Well, besides the racist, sexist and pornographic emails that he made a habit of sending around before he decided to run for office, Carl Paladino is a terrifying extremist when it comes to women’s health.  He believes abortion should be illegal—even in cases of rape and incest.  He wants to defund reproductive health clinics, which provide hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers with basic preventative care every year, simply because ...

Women candidates for the New York State Senate like Didi Barrett, Joanne Yepsen, Robin Wilt, and Jennifer Maertz, have been calling on their Republican opponents to disavow the Republican ...
By Nora Niedzielski-Eichner • 13 years ago

16% and Rising to Raise Up New York

Crossposted at 16% and Rising

Women currently make up only 16% of the New York State Senate—that’s only 10 out of 62.  The only states with legislatures more heavily dominated by men? Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.*

This year, that could all change. 12 of the Democrats challenging Republicans for their State Senate seats are women.  In fact, over half of this year’s Democratic candidates running for State Senate are women.  That’s the most female candidates we’ve had in a single election, and they represent a tremendous opportunity to remake the New York State Senate.

If they all won, they would join our 10 sitting female Senators (8 Democratic and 2 Republican) to make the State Senate ...

Crossposted at 16% and Rising

Women currently make up only 16% of the New York State Senate—that’s only 10 out of 62.  The only states with legislatures more heavily dominated by men? Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, ...