[WaPo] Women’s groups target sexism in campaigns
The list includes the radio talk show host who called a female senator a “prostitute” for cutting a deal to benefit her state, the male challenger who referred to his female rival “attractive” and “probably a good mother,” and the TV host who noted that the candidate’s wife looked like an angry woman.
Those comments and others have been collected by a group of advocates for women running for office who are monitoring what they consider a “highly toxic” media environment that makes it difficult for female candidates.
You can read the rest of this article by Krissah Thompson at The Washington Post.
Read moreVirginia’s Gender Gap Larger than National Gap
New report shows the higher the income, the wider the gap
RICHMOND, VA – Women in Virginia earn an average of just 81 cents for every dollar men earn, and this difference is larger than in most other states, according to a new report by The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. In addition, the new report shows the gap widens at higher wage and education levels.
Read the rest of this article on The Commonwealth Institute’s website.
Read more[WaPo] Virginia Politics Blog – McAuliffe lends the Farm Team a hand raising money
Terry McAuliffe, former Democratic National Committee chairman, is hosting a fundraiser for the Farm Team, a group created to help women seek public office, as he looks to stay active in state politics in Virginia in advance of the 2013 elections.
McAuliffe and his wife, Dorothy, will host a Sept. 26 reception for the Farm Team — one of the main fundraisers for the group this year — at their McLean home. His wife has been involved with the organization before, but it’s McAuliffe’s first time hosting an event.
McAuliffe’s spokesman Levar Stoney said his boss heard about the event and wanted to help. See the invite.
The Women of Courage and Truth reception will feature the unveiling of a portrait of 16-year-old Barbara Johns, who was at the forefront of the movement to end school segregation in the 1950s.
McAuliffe, who lost his party’s nomination for governor last year, is widely expected to make another run for governor in 2013.
As we told you last week, Sen. Don McEachin is also considering running for governor. Others who are interested or being recruited: House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong, U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, Sen. Chap Petersen of Fairfax County and former Del. Shannon Valentine, who lost her Lynchburg-area seat in November
The original article by Anita Kumar appeared in the September 1, 2010, edition of the Washington Post Virginia Politics Blog.
Read moreWomen of Courage and Truth Reception
Benefiting the Farm Team
Featuring portrait unveiling of Barbara Johns by “Americans who Tell the Truth” artist Robert Shetterly http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/
A true woman of courage and truth, as 16 year old student Barbara Johns led her classmates at Moton High School in Prince Edward County, Virginia, to protest segregation in Virginia’s schools. Her action led to a lawsuit that was eventually incorporated with three other cases into Brown vs Board of Education decision before the Supreme Court of the United States.
Sunday, September 26, 2010 – 2-4 P.M. 2:00 PM – Sponsors Reception 2:30 PM – General Reception
At the home of Terry and Dorothy McAuliffe 7527 Old Dominion Dr McLean, VA 22102
Event Co-Chairs: The Honorable Viola Baskerville and The Honorable Shannon Valentine
Sponsorship Levels
- $5,000 – 4 tickets to the Sponsors Reception and 4 tickets to the General Reception, recognition in the program and print of Barbara Johns portrait signed by the artist
- $2,500 – 2 tickets to the Sponsors Reception and 4 tickets to the General Reception, recognition in the program and print of Barbara Johns portrait
- $1,000 – 2 tickets to the Sponsors Reception and 2 tickets to the General Reception, recognition in the program and print of Barbara Johns portrait
- $250 – 2 tickets to General reception
- $100 – 1 ticket to General Reception
For more information, contact Leigh Anne Weinstein at farmteam.va@gmail.com or 804-350-4972.
Visit http://www.actblue.com/page/womenofcourageandtruth to reserve your space today.
Read moreKrystal Ball- Hateful Politics
When I started running for Congress more than a year ago many of you warned me: “Krystal, politics is a dirty business. The other side will do or say anything to stay in power. There’s no lie too hateful for them.” I believed you, but it wasn’t going to stop me from running. Now my opponent in the 1st District of Virginia, career politician and Republican incumbent Rob Wittman, faces the embarrassing prospect of losing his grip on power after 20 years in politics. So, just the way it’s written in their Karl Rove playbook, they have started the smearing, insults, rumors and lies, because they are scared. They can see that when voters hear our message, we win.
Rob Wittman and his attack dogs, through his campaign manager, through his friends at the local Republican party, through the operatives that they pay and the blogs that they link to and support, have decided to resort to every Karl Rove-style attack they know. Here’s a sample of the names that Wittman and his attack dogs have called me: “airhead”, “loon”, “union toady”, “clueless”, “cute”, “dumb”, “a 28 year old mom who has never held a job”, and accused me of being a Wall Street criminal.
They have listed the names of the Indian American friends and family we have as supporters and insinuated that they are terrorists. Our supporters tell us that Wittman and the Republicans have even conducted their own Rove-style “Push Poll” about me in the district. You know how these work, you call people in the district, it seems like a regular poll, and then you ask, “Suppose I were to tell you…” And then you insert a lie. The Wittman campaign has called people in our district, my neighbors and fellow voters, and after asking a series of questions, they ask if the following statement would cause concern: “Krystal Ball has a strange infatuation with gays and lesbians. It makes one wonder exactly what is in her past.”
This shouldn’t surprise us. These are the same people who brought us Willie Horton, the Swift Boat attacks, the same people who morphed triple amputee Vietnam veteran Max Cleland into Osama Bin Laden, the same people who circulated a rumor that John McCain’s adopted Bangladeshi daughter was an African-American “love child” in South Carolina. They’ll call you a communist, a terrorist, a crook, anything they can to deceive voters. All of these attacks were exposed for the lies that they were, but not until after the election when the damage had been done.
Well, let me tell you something, these tactics don’t scare me and I am not backing down. And I don’t have to do it alone, because I know that you aren’t going to stand for it either.
I know you have my back and you know I’ll never stop fighting for you.
Warmly,
Krystal
Read moreClick on the link below to attend the Women of Courage and Truth Reception
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