Week of June 2, 2005
Republicans in Washington state continue legal assault on Gregoire
Washington state GOPers are promoting a dubious strategy in their lawsuit to oust Christine Gregoire from the governor's seat. Gregoire defeated Republican Dino Rossi in November after two recounts, one machine and one hand. To convince Judge John Bridges to call another election, they are asking him to use their scheme to disqualify votes based on statistically calculated "proportional deduction," and consequently discount many cast for Gregoire, who won the hand recount by 129 votes. The trial marks the next step of Rossi's increasingly desperate attempts to use the courts to win an election he officially lost five months ago.
Part of the Republican strategy is to force Washington Democrats to spend millions defending themselves in court -- more than $3 million so far, and counting -- to bankrupt the state party before the 2006 election. Additionally, a new gubernatorial election would cost Washington taxpayers millions.
Since taking office, Gregoire has governed with certainty and confidence, accomplishing many of her legislative priorities. These include passage of her billion-dollar fund for biomedical research, and signing into law a host of environmental bills designed to raise car emissions standards and improve and develop renewable energy sources.
Meanwhile Rossi makes no bones of his ambitions to foil Gregoire's plans for the state (his quixotic office staff still answers the phone, "Rossi for governor"). Last Monday, the unrelenting Rossi recently told The New York Times, "I'm going to be governor sooner or later. I'm working on sooner."
Senate confirms Stabenow's transportation bill amendment
A transportation bill that Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) helped shape received overwhelming bipartisan support last Tuesday in the Senate. A leading advocate for the bill's passage, Stabenow bucked the Bush administration budget proposal, co-authoring an amendment to add an additional $11 billion to the House version of the bill. The bill provides $295 billion in highway and transport funding, with Michigan slated to receive $5.66 billion over the next five years.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that the additional funds for Michigan could translate into 54,000 well-paying jobs each year, and generate billions in economic development for the state. The additional funds will also help improve road conditions, which are a factor in one-third of traffic deaths each year.
Despite the fact that the bill passed 89-11, Bush has brandished threats to flex his veto power, which would result in the first veto of his administration. The bill would then return to the Senate, where there would most likely be enough votes to override his veto.
California's Solis pushes pesticide ban through House
Rep. Hilda L. Solis (D-Calif.) scored a victory May 19 when the House approved on a voice vote an amendment she introduced to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from accepting, conducting, or relying on studies that knowingly expose human beings to pesticides.
An unlikely alliance of environmental activists and religious groups backed Solis's measure, brought together by mutual concerns over the impact and ethics of human testing.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out morally this is not the right thing to do," Solis said.
California Sen. Barbara Boxer drew attention to the problem of human testing last month when she threatened a hold on President Bush's nominee to head the EPA, Stephen L. Johnson, to try to force the EPA to cancel clearly unethical testing. Boxer revealed one EPA-sponsored study that paid poor, predominantly African American families in Florida $970 over two years to measure the effects of regular exposure to pesticides on infants.
President Bill Clinton had banned the use of human testing, but Bush reversed Clinton's ban with a controversial proposal introduced earlier this year. Bush's proposal gave the EPA the power to consider and accept human-tested studies from the pesticide industry and other outside sources on a case-by-case basis.
Solis noted on the House floor that the EPA's lax attitude about human testing has allowed the pesticides industry to incease the number of human testing studies, many of which Solis says are statistically invalid.
EMILY's List announces the Campaign Corps Class of 2005
EMILY's List rigorous training program for recent college graduates, Campaign Corps, has finalized its selections for the Class of 2005. The 42 young women and men were selected from a pool of nearly 400 qualified applicants.
EMILY's List will bring these 26 women and 16 men to Washington, D.C., at the end of July for a week-long campaign school. During this intensive week of training, the country's leading Democratic operatives will explain the basics of political campaigning -- voter targeting, field organizing, fundraising, and press strategy -- while students participate in a simulated week-long campaign. After training, Campaign Corps graduates will be sent to work on campaigns of progressive, pro-choice candidates. Many will work on the 2005 elections in New Jersey and Virginia, while others will be placed for three months on campaigns to be decided in November 2006.
The Class of 2005 was recruited from colleges all over the country -- including many historically black colleges in the southern U.S., as well as schools in California, Kansas, Minnesota, and Arizona. Campaign Corps will pick up the tab for all travel expenses, and each participant will receive a stipend and housing while on the campaign.
NYC POP training generates media coverage, praise
Thirty-five women packed a Manhattan hotel in New York City May 18 and 19 for EMILY's List's 12th Political Opportunity Program (POP) training of the year. POP staff recruited an ethnically and racially diverse group of pro-choice Democratic women interested in running for state legislative, constitutional and important local offices.
NY1, New York City's 24-hour news station, sent a camera to the event and spotlighted POP Eastern Regional Director Kate Coyne-McCoy, a one-time congressional candidate and an inspirational and motivational trainer.
Participant Rebecca Ryan told NY1, "There aren't many places you can go. Educational programs, or even training programs that teach you the skills you need to get started." Ancris Muñoz said, "If you want to make that difference, you want to make that investment in time and that's what I'm hoping to do and hoping to get from here."
Since 2001, EMILY's List's POP program has identified, mobilized, and trained the next generation of women leaders.
Bush FDA appointee steps down after wife alleges sexual assault
After a report in The Nation that Dr. W. David Hager repeatedly sexually abused his wife during the last seven years of their 32-year marriage, Hager announced he will not seek reappointment to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) advisory panel on reproductive drugs. Hager, who had an influential hand in blocking the FDA approval of emergency contraception ("Plan B") for over-the-counter (OTC) distribution, will instead step down after his second term expires June 30.
Hager's decision to leave his post comes on the heels of a letter sent by Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) and Patty Murray (Wash.) to the secretary of Health and Human Services urging an investigation into Hager's role in preventing OTC approval of Plan B. The senators pointed out that although the committee of expert scientists voted 23-4 to approve OTC access, a "minority report" memo written by Hager effectively stalled FDA's approval. This was the second time in 50 years that FDA rejected an advisory panel recommendation.
Hager has always received strong backing from right-wing evangelical groups, including Focus on the Family and Concerned Women for America. Hager has written about Christ's ability to heal women's illnesses and reportedly refused to prescribe contraception to unmarried women. According to The Nation, last fall Hager bragged about his role in blocking Plan B at a sermon at Asbury College in Wilmore, Ky. "After two days of hearings, the committees voted to approve this over-the-counter sale by 23 to 4," Hager said. "I was asked to write a minority opinion that was sent to the commissioner of the FDA.... Now, the opinion I wrote was not from an evangelical Christian perspective.... But I argued it from a scientific perspective, and God took that information, and He used it through this minority report to influence the decision."