February 2006
Setting the course for change in 2006
Right is Wrong
"He was dividing God's land, and I would say, ‘Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course' ... God says, ‘This land belongs to me, and you'd better leave it alone.'" -- Pat Robertson on Ariel Sharon's stroke (CNN.com, 1/6/06)
"I'm here, I'm going to stay and get ANWR, there's no question about that. It's going to happen." -- Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), after being outmaneuvered by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Anchorage Daily News, 1/10/06)
"We run a much bigger risk in these kind of scandals than do the Democrats, whose base is, frankly, much more tolerant of corruption." -- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Your World with Neil Cavuto, Fox News, 1/4/06)
"Have you noticed that many news organizations, in honor of former ABC News anchorman Peter Jennings, have embarked on a quit smoking campaign? So why don't our media launch a campaign advising people to quit engaging in the dangerous and addictive homosexual lifestyle?" -- Cliff Kincaid, editor of Accuracy in Media (aim.org, 12/14/05)
"The evolutionists worship atheism. ... these fanatics [evolutionary scientists], I mean, it is a religion, it is a cult. It is cultish religion... ." -- Pat Robertson (The 700 Club, 12/15/05)
"The Pentagon and our guys over there have got every right to have good news put into the media and get to the people of Iraq, even if it's got to be planted or bought." -- Pat Buchanan (Hardball with Chris Matthews, MSNBC, 12/1/05)
"None of your civil liberties matter much after you're dead." -- Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) on the Patriot Act (The Hill, 12/20/05)
"The Democrats' assault on Bush: is that bad for America and the markets?" -- Steve Doocy, host, Fox & Friends (Fox News, 11/18/05)
Opportunities for early victory
As the 2006 election year officially begins, EMILY's List and pro-choice Democratic women are uniquely poised to lead a wave of change in Washington.
"I think this country is on a political tipping point," says Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY's List. "Voters have been besieged with stories of Republican ineptitude and scandal. Congressional ethics are in tatters, with as many as 20 GOP congressmen caught up in a web of corruption. Dissent is viewed as unpatriotic, and civil liberties are treated as expendable inconveniences. The GOP agenda on public safety, health care, education, and the environment is a failure. Fiscal discipline and budget fairness have gone out the window. Voters are unhappy, and they know this is a Republican mess. They're ready for new leadership.
This is a political environment bursting with opportunity," Malcolm continues, "for Democrats, yes, but particularly for women candidates. Women are seen as agents of change -- and I certainly believe America is ready for a change. As long as we can turn out our voters, I think we'll see big gains in 2006."
Early signs of promise
Democratic recruiting efforts have yielded an extraordinarily talented, well-equipped group of candidates for 2006, with EMILY's List candidates at the forefront. In fact, political analyst Stuart Rothenberg names pro-choice Democratic women -- Lois Murphy of Pennsylvania, Patricia Madrid of New Mexico, and Diane Farrell of Connecticut -- among the top Democratic House challengers for 2006. In Missouri, state Auditor Claire McCaskill's decision to challenge vulnerable GOP Sen. Jim Talent is a major recruiting coup. In Minnesota, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar is leading the field for an open seat that must stay in Democratic hands.
"Our recruiting success was an early sign that change is in the air," Malcolm says. "Not only do we have incredibly qualified candidates, we are looking at a record number of realistic opportunities to elect them. Our women are precisely the kind of candidates Democrats need to be competitive in 2006."
According to Martha McKenna, EMILY's List's director of campaign services, EMILY's List is working with twice as many viable pro-choice Democratic women candidates today as at this same point in the 2004 election cycle.
"At the close of 2005, the candidates we are tracking had raised three times more money than women had in 2003," says McKenna. "And they have four times as much cash on hand."
Also boding well for 2006: downballot victories among pro-choice Democratic women supported by EMILY's List's Political Opportunity Program (POP) in 2005 "off-year" elections.
In November, POP helped 20 pro-choice Democratic women candidates win big in seven states, including five states that Bush carried in 2004. December brought three more victories: two in run-off elections in Bush's home state of Texas and one in Minnesota. Tarryl Clark's victory in a district that Republicans held for more than a decade gives encouragement to all Democrats running statewide in Minnesota this year, including Klobuchar. Jane Bogetto won a Missouri state House seat that hadn't elected a Democrat in 58 years, a victory that sends a positive signal to Missouri Democratic statewide candidates, including McCaskill.
"There couldn't be a better harbinger of victory in 2006 than year-end victories in 2005," says Malcolm. "These POP wins, combined with big Democratic wins in the New Jersey and Virginia governors' races, generate tremendous momentum heading into the 2006 midterm elections, when Democrats have an opportunity to shift the balance of power in our country."
Early opportunities to build momentum
Democrats' first chance for congressional victory comes in California's 50th district, where Francine Busby is the leading Democrat to replace former GOP Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who resigned in November after pleading guilty to fraud, bribery, and tax evasion. An elected trustee of the Cardiff School Board, Busby challenged Cunningham in 2004, holding the 15-year incumbent to under 60 percent of the vote while being outspent nearly five to one. She had already decided on a rematch when news of Cunningham's crimes became public.
After Cunningham resigned, a crowd of eager Republicans quickly stepped in to seek this GOP-leaning seat -- including former GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray, who was elected to Congress in the 1994 GOP sweep but lost his seat to Susan Davis, an EMILY's List candidate, in 2000.
A special election to replace Cunningham will take place on April 11. All candidates will be featured on one ballot; if no one reaches 50 percent, the top vote-getters from each party will advance to a June 6 runoff.
"A strong showing in this special election would deal a serious blow to the GOP," says Malcolm. "It's a tough seat for Democrats, but Francine Busby is an experienced candidate running at a time when voters are eager for new leadership."
A young leader in Ohio
An open Democratic seat in Ohio represents a great opportunity to add a woman of tremendous talent to Congress. Former state Rep. Betty Sutton, an attorney who represents labor unions, is among the Democrats hoping to replace longtime Rep. Sherrod Brown (D), who is running for the U.S. Senate.
Ohio, too, has had its share of GOP scandals lately. The Republican governor allegedly handed over state funds to a crony who invests in rare coins; millions are unaccounted for and the scandal has mushroomed well beyond its original scope, creating another electorate eager for change.
Republicans will probably make a play for this House seat, but the May 2 Democratic primary is Sutton's biggest challenge. She is likely to face two formidable primary opponents, including a former congressman and an ethically challenged heiress willing to spend millions on her campaign.
The daughter of a library clerk and a boilermaker, Sutton brings her own assets to this race. Before serving four terms in the Ohio House (the maximum under term limits), she was elected to the Barberton City Council and appointed to the Summit County Council. She has strong ties to key Democratic constituencies and a strong base in the district's largest population center.
"Betty Sutton has already forged a remarkable career in public service," says Malcolm. "She's the kind of skilled legislator Democrats need in Congress."
EMILY's List is providing a range of services to help Busby and Sutton mount winning campaigns, including ongoing strategic advice from our experienced political staff. By October 1, 2005, Busby (whose staff includes an alumna of EMILY's List's Campaign Corps training program) had already raised more money than she did for her entire 2004 campaign.
An integrated strategy for change
Every EMILY's List program -- POP, training, candidate services, WOMEN VOTE!, and Campaign Corps -- is part of a finely tuned machine operating at full throttle to ensure victory for women and Democrats in 2006.
Since 2006 is a nonpresidential election, voter turnout will drop. One of our main challenges is countering the GOP turnout machine with a powerful WOMEN VOTE! project in states where women and Democrats must win.
"We know from our Women's Monitor survey that one-third of the women who voted for Bush in 2004 have moved away from the GOP," says Karen M. White, EMILY's List's national political director. "Women are on the fence. Our job is to figure out how to push them into our backyard."
EMILY's List will conduct focus groups among critical groups of women voters in Missouri, Michigan, and Minnesota -- states that are key for Democrats, particularly EMILY's List candidates. The focus groups will deepen our understanding of women voters' concerns and what they are looking for in their leaders.
"We need to answer two big questions," says White. "How have Republicans disappointed them, and what can we do to win their support? Then we can develop messages that will convince them to vote Democratic in November."
Malcolm believes EMILY's List WOMEN VOTE!® will play a critical role in deciding who votes in 2006.
"Women voters are the key to victory for McCaskill, Klobuchar, Stabenow, and Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, as well as House candidates, POP candidates, and Democrats up and down the ticket," she says. " And WOMEN VOTE! is also critical to electing Democratic men. If we turn out enough women voters in the Philadelphia suburbs to help elect Lois Murphy and re-elect Rep. Allyson Schwartz, we can create a tide that will sweep rightwing firebrand Rick Santorum right out of the Senate."
Malcolm emphasizes the importance of women as candidates, donors, and voters to Democratic victory. "EMILY's List is executing a very deliberate, comprehensive strategy to take back power for Democrats," she says. "Everything we do in 2006 will help us win in November and build toward even bigger victories in the 2008 presidential election."
What's Cooking?
Political news from Washington and around the country
Who's the fairest in Minnesota? ... according to a poll by Minnesota's St. Cloud State University, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar has the highest favorability rating statewide ... U.S. Senate candidate Klobuchar polls just ahead of First Lady Laura Bush ... President George W. Bush comes in dead last ... second to last is Rep. Mark Kennedy, Klobuchar's likely GOP opponent ... Kennedy is Bush's million dollar baby ... at least, that's what Bush raised for the ambitious congressman at a December fundraiser.
You can't run a real campaign with pretend money ... but don't tell that to Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Penn.) ... Gerlach overstated his 2005 fundraising by $2.2 million, reporting $3.3 million raised to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) ... his campaign blamed the 200 percent mistake on "computer and clerical error" ... that's some computer ... Gerlach's challenger, attorney Lois Murphy (D) filed an FEC complaint against Gerlach ... but that's not her only complaint ... she also wants to know why he voted for an energy bill that gives tax breaks to energy corporations at the expense of consumers and the environment ... why he voted to open ANWR for oil exploration after saying he wouldn't ... and why he won't give back the $30,000 he got from former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's PAC ... for starters.
Former Baltimore news anchorman Andy Barth has entered the crowded field for Maryland's third congressional district ... covering the district as a reporter for 35 years qualifies him, he says ... EMILY's List is backing state Senate veteran Paula Hollinger ... a former nurse, Hollinger is a national leader on health care ... she sponsored a successful bill requiring Wal-Mart to pay more toward employee health care and is fighting for state funds for embryonic stem cell research ... and she led the fight to provide health care for all Marylanders without insurance ... now, that's covering the district!
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) recently stared down 36-year Senate veteran Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) over his last-ditch effort to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil exploration ... Stevens attached an ANWR amendment to a mustpass defense spending bill which, thanks largely to Cantwell, failed ... Stevens was bitter in defeat ... he told the Anchorage Daily News that he had "written off" Senate colleagues he once considered "friends" ... "I'm not traveling with them anymore, and I'm not going to play tennis or swim or do various things with them," Stevens said ... with that, the Senate's most senior Republican picked up his toys and went home.
We all have our beef with Barbie ... promoting unhealthy body image ... damaging young girls' self-esteem ... dumping that nice Ken ... but this is a new one ... Concerned Women for America (CWA) has accused Mattel of "transsexual influences" ... a poll on Mattel's website asks respondents to choose their gender, with three drop-down options: "I am a girl," "I am a boy," and "I don't know" ... what a firestorm that last one touched off! ... Bob Knight, director of CWA's Culture and Family Institute, launched an immediate investigation into the matter ... Barbie is "really steering girls away from the idea of womanhood as, predominantly, in terms of Christians, serving the Lord, getting married, having kids, building a home," Knight says ... sure ... we've had Disco Barbie and Wedding Day Barbie ... now we have Anti-Christian Transgender Activist Barbie!
A star is born ... attorney Nikki Tinker kicked off her congressional campaign for Tennessee's open ninth district with an allstar cast, including pop singer Justin Timberlake and actor Morgan Freeman ... both are Memphis natives ... Tinker is running to replace Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., who is running for the U.S. Senate ... she'll face a crowded field for the safely Democratic seat, but Tinker knows how to win ... she managed Ford's last campaign.
Every public poll gauging the mood of the Missouri electorate confirms what EMILY's List has known all along ... that state Auditor Claire McCaskill is one of the strongest Senate challengers in the nation ... according to Rasmussen Reports' January poll, McCaskill leads Republican Sen. Jim Talent 46 to 43 percent ... such low numbers do not bode well for the incumbent ... with GOP VIP after GOP VIP raising money to protect the endangered Talent, McCaskill must work hard to compete ... but she's making the dough rise, with nearly $1.5 million raised in the first four months of her campaign.
Shout-outs for two remarkable women ... the January issue of Latino Leaders magazine names New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid as one of "101 Top Movers and Shakers" ... Madrid is trying to unseat GOP Rep. Heather Wilson ... and Women's Enews named EMILY's List President Ellen R. Malcolm one of "21 leaders for the 21st Century" ... those years of making the dough rise for pro-choice Democratic women have really made a difference.
Women offer change in 2006
An editorial by Ellen R. Malcolm
EMILY's List's political programs are fully engaged. For over a year, our campaign services team has been studying the map, identifying promising opportunities, and hopping on planes to convince women to run. Our training teams have been producing challenging seminars for POP candidates, for campaign staff, and for candidates. Our Campaign Corps team has been storming college campuses looking for ambitious, smart young people to train and place on progressive campaigns. We're putting together WOMEN VOTE! strategies to mobilize voters. We're partnering with progressive allies to develop new ways to work together in the coming non-presidential election.
In other words, we never stopped fighting after November 2004, and all our hard work is starting to pay off. We never let our temporary discouragement after the 2004 election overcome our steadfast belief that we can make a difference.
And now we are operating in a very different political climate. The environment is excellent for electing a record number of women in 2006. Republicans are making mistake after mistake and voters are pulling away fast. Terri Schiavo, the Katrina debacle, Iraq, rising gas prices, out-ofcontrol deficit spending, corruption, and abuse of power are creating a tremendous movement for change. Voters disapprove of GOP leaders, GOP policies, and GOP priorities. The 2006 election will be about changing the direction -- and the leadership -- of the country.
When voters look for change they especially value women candidates. They don't see women as part of the old boys' network that's gotten us into this mess. Women candidates stand in sharp contrast to partisan Republicans who abuse power. Women candidates understand voters' lives, share their priorities, and want to protect their families. And the notion that Roe v. Wade could be overturned brings the issue of choice to the fore in voters' minds, increasing its saliency and mobilizing mainstream Americans, the majority of whom want to protect reproductive freedom.
Women are showing there are better ways to lead than stirring up partisan rancor and promoting ideological policies. It didn't surprise me that when TIME chose the top five governors in the country, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Janet Napolitano of Arizona were on the list. They have both worked effectively with GOP-controlled legislatures, dealing with severe budget shortfalls while protecting programs that support women and children. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has done a fantastic job holding Democrats together to fight back against Republicans, handing them embarrassing legislative defeats.
In 1992, voters wanted change -- and it turned into the Year of the Woman. I believe that kind of momentum exists today. But we must all come together to harness our strength and elect even more women to positions of power in our government. It's time to take back our country!
Candidate Spotlight
After eight years as the state's top prosecutor, New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid is challenging GOP Rep. Heather Wilson in one of the marquee House races of 2006. The first woman attorney general of New Mexico and the first Hispanic woman attorney general in the country, Madrid became a lawyer and entered public service "because this is the most effective way to get the power to do what you think needs to be done." She recently spoke with EMILY's List about her career and this congressional race.
When did you first run for office and why?
It was 1978. I was a trial lawyer and saw that there were no women judges in New Mexico. That didn't seem fair to me, so I decided to run. To be a judge in New Mexico, you have to be at least 30 and have been a lawyer for five years. I met the bare minimum. I was so young that I had to put grey in my hair! I took on a very powerful incumbent, who didn't even bother to campaign against me. I had wonderful women running my campaign. From day one, I got tremendous media attention for being so young and being a woman and defeating an incumbent.
Why are you running for federal office?
Every day when I get up and read the paper, I am more and more appalled at the direction our country is heading. We are in an ill-conceived and ill-considered and ill-executed war without an exit plan. Congress passed a complicated and convoluted prescription drug plan that serves the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, not our seniors. Energy corporations want to drill for oil in our most pristine areas. My opponent is not representing the interests of the people in my congressional district and state.
What is your biggest challenge in this campaign?
Defeating an incumbent is the biggest challenge in politics. I view myself and other challengers as very special warriors. I was drafted because I bring a lot to this race -- over 90 percent name recognition, a solid record of achievement, and the trust of voters. Nevertheless, I bear the burden of proof and must make the argument of why she should be replaced. I think I can meet that burden.
Heather Wilson calls herself a moderate Republican. How do you respond when people ask why you're running against her?
Of 231 Republicans in Congress, she was fourth in terms of money received from Tom DeLay. You don't get to be in that fold if you are a moderate. Her voting record -- on human rights, civil rights, choice, privacy, defense, tax cuts for the rich -- does not reflect moderation. She can point to a few isolated votes in which she says she's taken on Republicans, but when it really counts she sticks with her leadership. They give her a pass on some votes because they know she's in a tough race -- but she's voted over 90 percent with the Bush- Cheney-DeLay agenda. Wouldn't it be better to have someone you can rely on all the time?
How has the Bush agenda affected New Mexicans?
We are a rural state. A huge percentage of our citizens live below the federal poverty line. They rely on the social safety net. The programs that help them have been cut to support tax cuts for the wealthy.
We have so many young men and women who join the military reserves to get an education and a job -- and we are sending them into this war. I was at a ceremony on Christmas Day to honor the 20 men and women from New Mexico who have died. We need an exit strategy -- we need to leave Iraq by the end of 2006, if not sooner.
I am New Mexico's main consumer advocate as attorney general. But every time we pass legislation to protect consumers, Congress passes pre-emptive legislation to protect the special interests. My opponent voted for bankruptcy reform legislation that favored credit card companies over working people. Something like half of those who go bankrupt do so because of medical bills -- and we have laws that protect the credit card companies? That's unconscionable.
What does being pro-choice mean to you?
This is one of the issues that spurred me to be at the table when decisions are made. As a judge, I tried many cases of child abuse. I know what happens to unwanted children in our society. Access to family planning gives women the freedom to get an education and have a career. It's an issue of privacy. No one is FOR abortion. We are all for avoiding it -- so preventative measures have to be available to women. We should all agree on that.
Who inspires you? Why?
On a historical level, Golda Meir -- a woman who not only became prime minister of Israel but had to create the country first.
On the personal level, my parents. My mother taught me the value of hard work. She raised seven children and we didn't have many conveniences -- I grew up hanging diapers on a line, hundreds of them! My father, who was Native American, was very well-read. We grew up talking about civil rights and the Trail of Tears and how to get to a place where you can stand up for people without power.