Clear Double Standard

This morning we get news of yet another administration official with tax problems.

Nancy Killefer, appointed by the president last month to a new position to scrutinize government spending, told the administration on Monday that she intended to step down from the position at the Office of Management and Budget. An administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the announcement was not finalized, confirmed that Ms. Killefer’s withdrawal came because of questions with her taxes. (NYTimes)

The arguments will be that if we are to restore people’s confidence in government, there cannot be any question about the integrity of these appointed officials. Unless, of course you’re Tom Daschle, or Tim Geitner, or…

It’s not clear if Killefer’s issues are significant in a vacuum or whether she’s a victim of the “Rule of Three” — i.e., being lumped in with Geithner and Daschle. Then again, Killefer was involved with the IRS in a significant way, so there may be a zero tolerance on the tax front for her, specifically.  (MSNBC)

Of course, only one of the three is withdrawing.  Yesterday, administration big wigs, including President Obama and Senator Edward Kennedy, rushed to Daschle’s defense. It’s difficult not to notice that the men are surviving while the woman pays the price.

Now, with Geithner having survived what was largely a party-line confirmation vote and Daschle battling to keep his nomination alive, White House officials seemed to have decided that they could not have a third prominent official in the administration who failed to pay taxes.

Daschle admitted failing to pay $100,000 in back taxes on a free limo service provided by a Democratic donor. Geithner also paid $42,000 in back taxes and penalties.

“She has nanny tax problems that may not have been insurmountable on their own, but given the Geithner and Daschle cumulative effect, she had to withdraw” said a Senate source informed of the withdrawal. (Politico)

Nanny problems…why does that sound familiar? Oh, that’s right. Caroline Kennedy recently withdrew from consideration over a similar issue. Now, I’m not making excuses for their dishonesty. What I am doing is noticing that these indiscretions seem to have a much great impact on the women involved than they do on the men. The reaction of the public, the administration, and the press is also disproportionate.

Is it any wonder that young girls already recognize that women in politics have to work harder to gain positions of leadership?

Political strategist Donna Brazile noted the contrast between the excitement surrounding Obama’s inauguration this week and the general public attitude toward women in office, one that she said helped drive Kennedy out of the running.

“Obama inspired us to turn the page, and now women seem stuck in the table of contents,” she said.

Noting that women still make up less than 20 percent of both houses of Congress, Brazile said: “The elevator to our future growth in the Congress is still stuck in the lobby. It’s time we hurry history.”(WaPo)

 

Yay for Fair Pay!

Today President Obama signed his first piece of major legislation…

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act!

He reminds us that we’re all created equal, and each of us deserves a chance to pursue our own version of happiness.

Thank you, Mr. President. This is long overdue. And it is not lost on the world of feminism that this was the first (major) bill you have chosen to sign.

 

Obama Rollercoaster

Yesterday was so clearly a day for the history books. It was evident in all the exchanges I had with people yesterday. There was an underlying understanding that we were living through a great “where were you when…” moment.

Some of my hopefulness is dashed as I read headline after headline about yesterday’s events in which the only mention of Michelle Obama deals with her outfits. Really? As the headline over at Feministing so accurately summed up my frustration,

Historic Moment! Michelle Obama Wears a Dress

The historical significance of yesterday’s events somehow exaggerates the offensiveness of reducing this woman to her clothing. Reports could have asked her how it feels to be First Lady, what her plan is for how she will fill this role, or even what she thought of the inauguration events. Instead, we get this:

Who Made Michelle Obama’s Dresses? (ChicagoTribune)

Michelle Obama Wears it Well (BostonGlobe)

First Lady Passes Fashionista Test (ABC)

Michelle Obama Makes Important Statement with Fashion Choice (Bloomberg)

The First Lady Tells a Story with Fashion (NYTimes)

So on a day in which reporters gushed about how we can now tell our children that they can truly be anything they want to be, the message to little girls continues to be: what matters most is how you look.

 

On The Way to Fair Pay

Hooray!

Today the House passed the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Now it’s on to the Senate, where it stalled last time. They vote next week. Please urge your senators to support fair pay here!

This bill could be one of the first that President-elect Obama signs into law; an excellent first step.

 

Out of the Way of Fair Pay

MomsRising has a campaign going on in support of Fair Pay. They are gathering signatures to get the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act moving forward again.

Sign the petition here.

Also, check out new research on the pay gap between men and women. You can calculate the average pay gap (over a career) for women in your state by occupation and education.

[clearspring_widget title=”Widget” wid=”493999242a593c50″ pid=”49401b4022baf194″ width=”200″ height=”315″ domain=”widgets.clearspring.com”]

Act now!

 

Wanted: New Domestic AIDS Policy

The AIDS Epidemic: What we haven’t learned

Today is World AIDS day. With the Bush administration on its way out there is hope that we might begin to think big about preventing and even curing AIDS. Lifting the ban on embryonic stem cell research will open up some possibilities. But prevention and education remain the keys to slowing the spread of HIV. According to Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, “we can’t treat our way out of this epidemic.”

And even though major progress has been made in the last couple of decades, rates of infection continue to rise. For every person receiving treatment today, three new people get themselves infected.

On GRITtv journalist and author Linda Villarosa, activist and editor of POZ magazine Laura Whitehorn, Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, Senior Consultant for the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and Rep. Barbara Lee discuss recent breakthroughs in AIDS treatment and how national healthcare policy and education can influence prevention strategies.

How would single payer healthcare change the way those with chronic illnesses, including AIDS, are treated? Protesters at the America’s Health Insurance Plan’s (AHIP) convention in San Francisco say a lot would change. To learn more visit guaranteedhealthcare.org.

 

Where Are the Female Ah-Nolds?

Marie Cocco (Alternet) argues that unlike California’s governator, women “will never burst into high political office without a lick of experience.” She also notes that experienced women don’t do much better.

The glass ceiling remains firmly in place — not cracked, as Hillary Clinton insisted as she tried to claim rhetorical victory after her defeat in the Democratic nominating contest. It wasn’t even scratched with the candidacy of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential nominee — unless you consider becoming an object of national ridicule to be a symbol of advancement. As divergent as these two women are ideologically and temperamentally, as different as are their resumes, they both banged their heads — hard — against the ceiling. Both were bruised. So was the goal of advancing women in political leadership.

Continue reading here.

Women make up seventeen percent of our Congress. 17. That’s not even halfway to half way.

Marie Cocco concludes:

Yet American women are a majority of the population and a majority of the electorate. They earn more than half the bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a level of educational achievement far exceeding that of women in developing countries. There must be some reason we don’t do any better than women in impoverished, rural regions of the world where cultural norms oppress women.

Maybe it is because our culture isn’t so different after all.

 

The GOP’s Short-Lived Interest in Feminism

They were only concerned with feminism while it had a pretty face that they thought would help them win the election. Not surprisingly, conservatives have instantly forgotten their cries of sexism (wolf) and taken to bashing Palin and blaming her for their loss.

Every time you hear these Monday morning quarterback criticisms of Sarah Palin coming from the right, interpret them as outright blows to John McCain’s judgment. She did everything they asked her to, read the speeches they wrote for her, while they used her to rally the base and supposedly appeal to women. It didn’t work, so they’ve decided it’s her fault. It’s always easy to blame the woman.

McCain will go back to being the “old” McCain and people will forgive him for this disgusting campaign. He will scrape what little is left of his dignity out of the gutter and go about his job. Meanwhile, the right will attempt to dismantle Palin’s career and make her a laughingstock.

Sure, she’s not very bright. You chose her! She knows nothing about geography? You wanted her to be next in line for the Presidency? Notice the criticism of her is heavily focused on the shopping and “diva”-ness, rather than on the lack of substance that was missing all along.

Let’s stop gobbling up these juicy pieces of gossip about how stupid she is, unless we’re willing to recognize exactly what these details say about John McCain and the entire Republican party. Instead, let’s get back to work because we obviously have a long way to go.

Shakesville has good posts on this topic here and here.

Some good news for women coming out of this election from EMILY’s List.

UPDATE: Campbell Brown agrees, “You picked her.”

 

Maddow Slams Anti-Obama Ad

 

Palin Doesn’t Know If Abortion Clinic Bombers Terrorists

Perhaps she was following McCain’s lead.

On multiple occasions throughout his career, McCain sought to limit the government’s ability to punish violent anti-choice fanatics by:

– Voting against making anti-choice violence a federal crime. As the Jed Report notes, McCain voted in 1993 and 1994 against making “bombings, arson and blockades at abortion clinics, and shootings and threats of violence against doctors and nurses who perform abortions” federal crimes.

– Opposing Colorado’s “Bubble Law.” McCain said he opposed Colorado’s “Bubble Law,” which prohibited abortion protesters from getting within 8 feet of women entering clinics [Denver Post, 2/27/00]. The law was later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

– Voting to allow those fined for violence at clinics to avoid penalties by declaring bankruptcy. NARAL Pro-Chioce America notes that McCain “voted to allow perpetrators of violence or harassment at reproductive-health clinics to avoid paying the fines assessed against them for their illegal acts by declaring bankruptcy.”   (ThinkProgress)

I am apalled by McCain and Palin’s ignorance. They have run a disgusting campaign that condones and encourages hateful speech, and now hateful action. Many people have died due to abortion clinic violence and these acts should be recognized and prosecuted for what they are, acts of terrorism. Palin said it herself in this clip, “harming innocent Americans…would be unacceptable.” Yet her unwillingness to call this violence what it is makes me question whether she believes the rule of law should protect all people equally, even those of us who disagree with her extreme anti-choice ideology.