While the media focused their attention on other speakers, there was one person who really set the convention hall in Charlotte last night. And unlike the blustery politicians who blithely crapped on President Obama's record in Tampa last week, she actually knows all too well the value of something President Obama signed into law at the very start of his term.
Lilly Ledbetter reminded the crowd of both her personal struggle and the continuing struggle of working women in America. While there's been plenty of progress in working towards workplace equality, there's still more work to do. Yet when the Paycheck Fairness Act came up for a vote, Republicans shot it down... And yes, Nevada's own Dean Heller proudly (??!!) joined in the effort to kill the Paycheck Fairness Act. Apparently for him and his G-O-TEA colleagues, equal pay for equal work and economic security for America's working women are just another "job killing regulation" (never mind the data proving otherwise).
Earlier last night, several Democratic Congresswomen addressed the convention. They also know the President's record very well. And they know all too well what the G-O-TEA extremists in Congress have done to not just undermine President Obama politically, but truly wage war on women.
Mitt Romney has certainly been going out of his way to fully endorse the G-O-TEA War on Women. So of course, Dean Heller and Joe Heck joined with Romney's running mate Paul Ryan to fight the religious right's battles to take away women's rights... Even to the point of trying to redefine rape! And then to top it all off, Joe Heck has fought alongside his House G-O-TEA comrades in fighting the bipartisan (!!!) Violence Against Women Act. I'm still wondering when helping rape victims and domestic violence victims became so "controversial".
Last night, NARAL's Nancy Keenan also spoke at the Democratic Convention. She made it clear that this election will be a very important choice for women to decide.
And this will indeed be a critical choice here in Nevada. Dean Heller and Joe Heck just keep going put of their way to join with Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the most radical elements of the G-O-TEA in waging war against the concept of equality for women. Even when it seems like "the issue is dying down", some teabagger always seems to find a way to bring it back to the forefront. Funny enough, Romney, Heller, and Heck always try to dismiss their own party's "women problem" as just "partisan Democrat attacks". Yet if that's the case, why are they always backing up their party when it rehashes these battles in Congress and in their own party's platform? They still don't realize they can't have it both ways.
And they still don't get what women want. Sure, women care about a whole host of issues, issues like health care, education, and economic justice. And guess what? Their party doesn't make sense on those issues, either! If these Republicans had engaged in sensible dialogue to reach common sense solutions to encourage economic recovery and a sound future for America's middle class, we wouldn't even be having this discussion now. But because Republicans allowed their party to be taken over by "tea party" extremists, then followed the "tea party" lead on obstructing economic recovery efforts while pushing "TEH CUL'CHUR WARZZZ!!!" instead, they must now face the wrath of the women they've been threatening and bullying with their forced ultrasounds, attempts to redefine rape, attempts to defund women's health care, and all around continued assaults on women's rights. So when Mitt Romney and his Nevada Republican BFFs whine again about complaints from "the women", remember that they only have themselves to blame for agreeing to wage war on women.
Lilly Ledbetter reminded the crowd of both her personal struggle and the continuing struggle of working women in America. While there's been plenty of progress in working towards workplace equality, there's still more work to do. Yet when the Paycheck Fairness Act came up for a vote, Republicans shot it down... And yes, Nevada's own Dean Heller proudly (??!!) joined in the effort to kill the Paycheck Fairness Act. Apparently for him and his G-O-TEA colleagues, equal pay for equal work and economic security for America's working women are just another "job killing regulation" (never mind the data proving otherwise).
Earlier last night, several Democratic Congresswomen addressed the convention. They also know the President's record very well. And they know all too well what the G-O-TEA extremists in Congress have done to not just undermine President Obama politically, but truly wage war on women.
Mitt Romney has certainly been going out of his way to fully endorse the G-O-TEA War on Women. So of course, Dean Heller and Joe Heck joined with Romney's running mate Paul Ryan to fight the religious right's battles to take away women's rights... Even to the point of trying to redefine rape! And then to top it all off, Joe Heck has fought alongside his House G-O-TEA comrades in fighting the bipartisan (!!!) Violence Against Women Act. I'm still wondering when helping rape victims and domestic violence victims became so "controversial".
Last night, NARAL's Nancy Keenan also spoke at the Democratic Convention. She made it clear that this election will be a very important choice for women to decide.
And this will indeed be a critical choice here in Nevada. Dean Heller and Joe Heck just keep going put of their way to join with Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the most radical elements of the G-O-TEA in waging war against the concept of equality for women. Even when it seems like "the issue is dying down", some teabagger always seems to find a way to bring it back to the forefront. Funny enough, Romney, Heller, and Heck always try to dismiss their own party's "women problem" as just "partisan Democrat attacks". Yet if that's the case, why are they always backing up their party when it rehashes these battles in Congress and in their own party's platform? They still don't realize they can't have it both ways.
And they still don't get what women want. Sure, women care about a whole host of issues, issues like health care, education, and economic justice. And guess what? Their party doesn't make sense on those issues, either! If these Republicans had engaged in sensible dialogue to reach common sense solutions to encourage economic recovery and a sound future for America's middle class, we wouldn't even be having this discussion now. But because Republicans allowed their party to be taken over by "tea party" extremists, then followed the "tea party" lead on obstructing economic recovery efforts while pushing "TEH CUL'CHUR WARZZZ!!!" instead, they must now face the wrath of the women they've been threatening and bullying with their forced ultrasounds, attempts to redefine rape, attempts to defund women's health care, and all around continued assaults on women's rights. So when Mitt Romney and his Nevada Republican BFFs whine again about complaints from "the women", remember that they only have themselves to blame for agreeing to wage war on women.
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