Category Archives: Being a Woman

My strong, unwavering passion for women in politics is sometimes called into question. Why are you so passionate is what is often asked. Why am I so adamant about political engagement when it comes to women? If I want women to run for office so badly, then why don’t I just run myself?

In my mind the answer is pretty clear: Because we, as women haven’t been politically engaged. Because so many of us say that we just don’t care. Because we are an apathetic bunch. This concerns me greatly as I watch two 50 year old men duke it out on national television over one of the smallest increases of the debt ceiling in history. I grow concerned when congress prepares to end federal funding for planned parenthood and in a time when men are in control of both houses of congress and the White House, I find that women are sitting back on their laurels as the cuts happen. Right now everything is on the chopping block including education funding for your children, health care for you and pre-existing condition called ‘pregnancy’. Essentially services that affect us most are the first to go and yet we don’t care. Correction; we do care but not until it’s far too late.

No party is immune from viewing women as an afterthought but since right now there’s a 2012 primary of the ages happening on the right, I figure I’ll look at them and their track record for thinking of women as blithely and blindly following along. Oh, but Heather, at least the GOP has women running for President, what does the other side have? True. But have you seen the options for women? Sarah – I gave up the other job I was elected to half way through but now I want to try out being President. Maybe. – Palin. And Michelle – Earthquakes and hurricanes are Gods way of sending a message to politicians – Bachmann. It’s like the lesser of two, possibly three, evils and neither have stood up for things like the need for women focused health care services and their views on education and most domestic policy are non-existent. To date, the only GOP contender prepared to offer any sort of jobs plan is Jon Huntsman.

It isn’t fair of me to categorically summarize all women in politics as the Palin, Bachmann lot because there are plenty of others on both sides of the aisle who are focused on issues pertaining to those of us who make up a majority of the population. That doesn’t keep looks of deep concern from creeping on my face. I question every single day how do we change this? What can we do to get the conversation started?

Quick digression to say that the reason for this post and deep sighs from me this morning was thanks to a piece by Patrick Gavin at Politico. He wrote about the number of political/2012 focused panels being proposed for the upcoming SXSW interactive festival in Austin. If you are unfamiliar with SXSW it is a festival exploring what’s up and coming in music, film and interactive media. While the number of proposals on politics in 2012 is large he makes reference to the following:

“How Social Media Imperils Political Parties,” with The New York Times’s Matt Bai and political strategists Mark McKinnon, Joe Trippi and Nathan Daschle.

“Reporters & Evangelists: Politics of Online News,” featuring Roll Call’s Shira Toeplitz.

“Poli-Sci-Fi Punditry: Nerdy Political Bloggers,” featuring Slate’s David Weigel, The Washington Monthly’s Steve Benen, The Washington Post’s Ezra Klein, the American Prospect’s Adam Serwer and the Center for American Progress’s Alyssa Rosenberg.

“Big Data: Powering the Race for the White House,” with The Winston Group’s Kristen Soltis.

“2012: Social Media’s New Role in Politics,” with The Huffington Post’s Mark Blumenthal.

“Election 2012: Campaigns, Coverage & the Internet” with Time magazine’s Michael Scherer.

The thing is that I am at least a fan or a follower of many of the proposed panelists. The one key politics and 2012 that Patrick managed to miss? The one that gets the conversation how women can involve themselves in politics and how politicians can get them on board? It’s this one:

“We are the Ones You Want: Women online and politics”

Women: 51% of the population who control 80% of the spending. We are naturally passionate and immersed in our respective communities. We rule the online world and have drawn the attention of marketers and PR companies, when it comes to politics and government there is still a tremendous lag. Those in the political arena still approach women as an afterthought and because of the disengagement, women feel ignored by politicians and develop a sense of apathy. Women and politicians are avid users of social media; this conversation will explore how both groups can engage each other over the course of the next election and beyond.Things across the country are heating up and it is important for women and politicians to engage with one another at all levels of government.

Full disclosure: The panel was submitted by me along with Joanne Bamberger and David Wescott.  But more importantly it is a conversation that I and many others are dying to have. How do we get women involved in politics? How do we get women to realize that what happens politically on the local/state/federal level does, in fact, affect them? I don’t think we’ll answer my favorite question “How do we get women to care?” but at least it’s a start and just 14 months before one of the most watched presidential elections in our history, it’s a conversation that needs to happen. Sooner rather than later.