Week of October 25, 2005

EMILY's List's 20th anniversary: an affair to remember

Nearly 1,500 celebrants -- EMILY's List members, candidates, elected officials, founders, current and former staff, and progressive Americans who believe in our mission of electing pro-choice Democratic women -- filled the ballroom of the Washington Hilton on Monday, Oct. 17, for EMILY's List's 20th Anniversary Gala.

People of all ages participated in a jubilant celebration of 20 years of electing pro-choice Democratic women. Speeches from top women leaders -- Sen. Barbara Mikulski, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, Colorado Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (also EMILY's List's first executive director) -- were punctuated by a series of videos highlighting the work EMILY's List has done to change the face of power in America. The entire program was projected throughout the packed ballroom on four enormous screens.

EMILY's List President Ellen R. Malcolm spoke to the crowd about the work EMILY's List has done in just ten election cycles to change the political equation for women -- and how EMILY's List has the plan and the entrepreneurial spirit that will put Democrats back into power.

"We have combined the financial commitment of thousands and turned EMILY's List into the largest political action committee in the country," Malcolm said. "And our effective, committed pro-choice Democratic women candidates have won race after race, breaking through the glass ceiling and making history with every election."

At the end of the program, the curtain lifted to reveal a stage filled with dozens of the women EMILY's List has helped elect to top offices -- 61 to the U.S. House, 11 to the U.S. Senate, eight as governors, plus hundreds more at the state and local levels -- along with EMILY's List's Founding Mothers, candidates, and the outstanding executive directors who have led EMILY's List over the years.

"We are harnessing the power of women to lead our country forward," Malcolm said. "And I hope you're ready to sign up for the next 20 years."

Cheney helps fill Talent's coffers

McCaskill earns labor support

Vice President Dick Cheney made his long-awaited appearance on behalf of GOP Sen. Jim Talent at a fundraiser in St. Louis. Cheney's visit raised an estimated $450,000; most of this will end up in Talent's coffers, with the remainder to be used for other Republican Senate candidates. Talent is being challenged by one of the Democrats' top Senate recruits, state Auditor Claire McCaskill.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cheney promised the crowd that the Bush White House would "stay the course" -- apparently unwilling to acknowledge that, according to multiple public polls, a vast majority of Americans believe the nation is on the wrong track under Bush-Cheney's leadership.

The Sept. 30 FEC fundraising report shows Talent, who has more than $4 million in the bank compared to nearly $700,000 for McCaskill, also received a contribution from Halliburton, Cheney's old company, which has been the beneficiary of no-bid contracts in Iraq.

While Talent raises millions from GOP heavy hitters and special interests, McCaskill is building a powerful grassroots campaign. More than 50 Missouri labor leaders representing more than 100,000 union workers joined McCaskill in early October to announce their support for her. While official labor endorsements are still to come, this early support will help McCaskill raise money and recruit volunteers to fortify her base.

"I think our endorsement will send a signal to our members," said Bob Soutier, president of the St. Louis Labor Council. "[McCaskill] is the politician who will best represent working men and women."

Cantwell fights for energy independence

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid recently tapped Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell to lead the Democratic fight for energy independence. Cantwell will rally Democrats to mitigate the harmful effects of the recently passed Republican energy bill, which is filled with tax giveaways to big oil companies and does nothing to lessen American dependence on foreign oil.

A member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Cantwell has fought to hold Enron accountable for bilking consumers for undelivered service, hand-delivering evidence when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission failed to act against the disgraced corporate giant. She continues to pressure the Bush administration and Congress to pass legislation banning the tactics Enron used to manipulate the energy market.

Cantwell delivered the Democrats' weekly radio address Oct. 1, highlighting American overdependence on fossil fuel. She recently introduced legislation to outlaw gas price-gouging, which has put an additional burden on consumers already reeling from high gas prices.

Cantwell continues to battle GOP efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration through backdoor means like the 2006 budget resolution. "Using the budget process to give the green light to irreversible damage to this natural treasure is underhanded and irresponsible," she said.

Murphy matches Gerlach in fundraising; DeLay connections haunt vulnerable congressman

Congressional challenger Lois Murphy of Pennsylvania is inching up on her opponent, U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (Penn. 6), raising only $170 less than the incumbent in the third quarter. The country's closest congressional challenger of 2004, Murphy raised $330,236 to Gerlach's $330,406 in the three months before Sept. 30, demonstrating considerable strength going into this rematch.

But Gerlach retains a huge advantage in cash on hand, with $912,000 in the bank to Murphy's $350,000. A significant portion of Gerlach's war chest comes from ARMPAC, the political action committee of recently indicted U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay. Gerlach has refused to return the $30,000 he's gotten from ARMPAC during the last three years (or to seek a refund of the $2,000 he donated to DeLay's legal defense fund). Gerlach predicts no political fallout from associating with DeLay, telling the Houston Chronicle that most voters in his district "don't know who Tom DeLay is."

DeLay still retains considerable power on the floor of the U.S. House, helping shepherd the recent oil refinery bill to passage on a 212-210 vote. Gerlach succumbed to GOP arm-twisting on the bill, which is supposed to allay rising fuel costs exacerbated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. As the five-minute vote stretched to 45 minutes, GOP leaders -- including DeLay -- pressured Gerlach and two other reluctant Republicans to switch and vote in favor of the oil-and-gas industry boondoggle. The Philadelphia Inquirer, calling the bill "wrongheaded to its core," said in an editorial, "Gerlach compromises too easily."