January 18, 2017
(WOMENSENEWS)–With the election of Donald Trump to the presidency and his conservative agenda, the American women’s rights movement is organizing for battle. The Trump campaign for president had no platform reflecting women’s issues, a major omission for activists long advocating for a feminist agenda. Many of Trump’s most visible supporters were anti-choice and opposed to funding Planned Parenthood. Others articulated right wing ideology that included repealing the Affordable Health Care Act, rounding up immigrants to […]
December 24, 2016
Dear Ben, Cole, Avi and Levi, It was eight years ago that we first volunteered for Hillary Clinton’s campaign for President. Like many we longed to see a woman become president, but we supported her for one essential reason- we believed in her ability to govern. On Nov. 8th, our dream collapsed. Despite the fact that Hillary won the popular national vote, she lost the necessary 270 votes in the electoral college. Many like ourselves, […]
November 16, 2016
Nancy Cohen, historian and author, published Breakthrough, the Making of America’s First Woman President this year in advance of the election and appears this week at the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee to talk about the results. Her writings on women and American politics have appeared in mainstream publications like the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, and the New Republic. Having taught at Occidental College, Cal State Long Beach, and UCLA, she sits on the […]
July 29, 2016
(WOMENSENEWS)—Hillary Clinton made history this week at the Democratic National Convention by becoming the first woman to receive the nomination for president of the U.S. by a major political party. Thousands of Democratic delegates, including me, rose to the occasion during the historic moment in Philadelphia to give her a standing ovation. I first volunteered for Clinton eight years ago, convinced then that she was the most qualified candidate to become the U.S. president. This […]
July 21, 2016
I ran to be a district delegate for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic presidential convention, which starts next week. The election was done by caucus on May 1, a process where registered members of political parties voted for candidates by selecting delegates to represent them at the convention. In California, 317 district-level delegates and 30 alternates were elected in 53 Congressional districts. For most of the electorate, the process is a confusing one. No formal […]
June 14, 2016
I have worked in politics most of my adult life, in various capacities. I have walked districts and knocked on doors; raised funds for candidates; dialed for issues and candidates and volunteered for organizations like Planned Parenthood. I have created political action committees to support women candidates and feminist issues; and I have run for office and won. Most of those efforts were played out in primary or general elections. When the email came to […]
September 24, 2015
The jousting has only just begun among the 15 Republican presidential candidates about emails, Benghazi, abortion, immigration reform, and the Democrats’ leading candidate, Hillary Clinton. The former senator and First Lady declared her candidacy on April 12 and has since raised more than $60 million. Although she has Democrat opponents, Hillary leads the field in fundraising and organizing field operations. I have been a supporter of Hillary Clinton from the beginning of her first run for […]
April 18, 2014
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (WOMENSENEWS)–On the sidelines of all the primary campaigns going on right now we also have a less-visible but important nationwide effort focused on gender equality in political office. It is aimed at women who have not considered running for political office as well as those who have been thinking about it and need encouragement to declare. Recruitment is the key to achieving this goal. “If women run, women win,” says Debbie Walsh, […]