NWPC: Proud Endorsement of Braun

[gottaB]

For Immediate Release:
August 26, 2003

Statement of Roselyn O'Connell, President, National Women's Political Caucus, on the Endorsement of Carol Moseley Braun for President.

Washington, DC - On August 17, 2003, the National Women's Political Caucus, for the first time in it's 32-year history, endorsed a presidential candidate, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun. NWPC is very proud of Carol Moseley Braun's candidacy and campaign, and our decision to endorse her.

We believe Carol Moseley Braun through her experience as a state representative, Assistant U.S. Attorney, County Executive, U.S. Senator, and Ambassador is uniquely qualified to lead our nation by virtue of experience, work ethic and commitment to the principles of equality for all Americans.

Ambassador Braun's positions on the issues important to the National Women's Political Caucus are not only identical to NWPC's, but also Braun has a solid legislative record of fighting for the issues important to us. Including pay equity, reproductive choice, and access to childcare and elder care among many others. She has walked the walk as well as talked the talk.

Moreover, Carol Moseley Braun cared enough about NWPC's support to make her case directly to our convention delegates and Executive Board.

The mission of the National Women's Political Caucus is to win political equity for women at every level of government. We have worked for more than three decades to achieve that goal, and we look forward to President Carol Moseley Braun taking the "Men Only" sign off the doors to the White House.

We believe that only a non-traditional candidate like Carol Moseley Braun can cut through the voter apathy and disconnect which has plagued recent elections. We know through our own research and experience that women voters more than any other voting group want candidates that speak directly to their experiences and concerns. We believe that Carol Moseley Braun fills that need across ethnic, economic, generational, and geographic lines.

We believe that her issues agenda is relevant to the young mother struggling to support a family on a minimum wage job, the college educated professional who has hit the glass ceiling, and to older women who find themselves displaced from both the workforce and from their homes.

Women voters want common sense answers. They are concerned about security and terrorism, and they want to feel safe in their own homes. They want to feel secure about sending their children to a public neighborhood school, they want to feel safe at work, and most importantly they want to feel that law enforcement cares about and will be effective at protecting them from domestic violence and sexual assault.

They need to know social security will be there for them when they retire, women rely much more heavily on social security than men. Carol Moseley Braun will not only give common sense answers to those problems in office, she will craft common sense solutions for them.

Both NWPC and NOW are grassroots organizations. Our strength comes from our members and local and state organizations. We, together, have the capacity to turn out thousands of volunteers for Carol Moseley Braun, who in turn can engage and persuade hundreds of thousands of voters. Women constitute the majority of registered voters in this nation, and we believe women voters of both parties can be energized and motivated to support Carol Moseley Braun for President.

The National Women's Political Caucus is a multicultural, intergenerational and multi-issue grassroots organization dedicated to increasing women's participation in the political process and creating a true women's political power base to achieve equality for all women. NWPC recruits, trains and supports pro-choice women candidates for elected and appointed offices at all levels of government regardless of party affiliation.

[Larkspur]

1. This is one NOW member who won't turn out for Braun

I like her but there are times when feminists have to look at the world asis and realize that our dream of a female president is not quite ready yet.

The United States and the world will be facing within the next few years a series of crisies that we have not seen since Harry Truman was POTUS, and the only candidate who has shown me that he has similar skills, courage, and logic that Truman had, is Howard Dean.

[TheDonkey]

4. You do remember when Dean was polling low?

...and people claimed we weren't ready for a northern governor of a tiny state who likes gays to win this election?

Now he's an early frontrunner because people had faith in him and his campaign grew.

That is why these women groups are supporting Braun. They are voting for who they believe them, and seeing you as a Dean supporter I'd think you'd get that.

Maybe we should just all vote for Liberman instead, because he does poll the highest and has the "best" chances. :rolleyes:

[Larkspur]

5. Dean proved his worth during his campaign

and his success is based upon his merits as a politician and campaigner, a prude risk taker, and innovative thinking.

Braun has yet to prove to me that she has those capabilities.

[CMT]

2. she does have broad experience

in some ways she is one of the most qualified people running for president this year--this is why I do not discount her.

[Le Taz Hot]

3. This would follow with the NWPC's purpose . . .

which is to "identify, train, endorse, finanically support and actively campaign for women who run for public office at the Local, State and Federal level." Though the NWPC is supposedly non-partisian, the only other qualifications for endorsement is that the candidate must be pro-choice. As an aside, probably 80% of the NWPC's membership is Democrat.

[catzies]

6. Slight correction to your statement from an NWPC member

NWPC is not non-partisan; rather we are multi-partisan. You are correct in that our memebership is probably 80% Democratic because we only endorse pro-choice candidates, but there are pro-choice Repubs as well.

We feel it is important to cross traditional political boundaries to form a broader coalition in pursuit of our bottom-line issues, one of which is getting more women elected at all levels.

Half the population deserves half the representation and our goal is 50/50 by 2020.

[Le Taz Hot]

7. Thanks for the correction

I often inadvertently interchange the two terms even though I understand the difference. The NWCP has been courting me for a few months now but I've gotten so involved with the CA recall, the Dean campaign and some other local activities (Central Committee, State Delegate, etc.) I haven't joined them as I feel like I've taken on too much already. Perhaps after the elections (recall, primaries, general).

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

8. Good for Carol!

I think she adds a wonderful dynamic to the presidential race, and hope she can gain some momentum.