Not an Old Boys' Club

thepoliticalnotebook:

Meet the female leadership breakdown for the incoming 113th Senate, folks! (We also made gains in the House, too.)Large size graphic here.

[Via Feministing]

jillathrilla:

We’ve made some incremental progress since 1992, but to achieve gender parity in Congress and secure women’s rights more broadly, every year has to be a Year of the Woman. And not just in the campaign headlines, but on Inauguration Day. Women have to make steady gains not just at the upper echelons of government, but in the state legislatures where candidates are groomed for higher office. Looking further down the pipeline, it’s hard to see how we get to a legitimate Year of the Woman anytime soon. Nine out of every ten states has a male governor, and women’s representation in state legislatures has been stagnant since 2007, a year that Bennett calls a “veritable bloodbath.”

“This is the toughest country in the world for women to ascend through politics,” Bennett says. “We’re the world’s most powerful nation, and the stakes are high. The vitriol and the consequences are higher. The misogynistic portrayal of women in media fuels the tenor of sexism in political battles, which I would contend is higher here than in any other nation in the world.”

Someday, when we crack the parity point — 50 percent representation at all levels of government — with strong candidates who aren’t running against a surge of sexist rhetoric but on a proactive agenda, we’ll be able to accurately call it the Year of the Woman. But if we’ve made it that far, I’m pretty sure we probably won’t be using the label anymore.

Another ‘Year of the Woman’? Not So Fast by Ann Friedman for New York magazine

Wonderful, thought provoking piece.

missrep:

Shoes And Bridal Registries: Sexism In Political Coverage

POLITICO chose to devote an entire article to the color of the pumps Pelosi was wearing the day the Affordable Care Act was passed. They were pointed-toe, lavender; her “lucky” pair, according to an aide. And in an almost TMZ-like manner, the curt piece concluded with some sarcastic speculation of their label: “Pelosi has been known to wear shoes from designers like Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo, so it’s safe to say they’re not from Payless.”

Click on the photo above to check out the piece I wrote for MissRepresentation.org! Any thoughts? Leave me a comment on the post or shoot a me message here!

From Boston.com:

Here’s a lathery miniseries drama that gets off on toying with you. The setup of “Political Animals” looks a lot like it’s modeled after the life and times of Hillary Clinton. Sigourney Weaver plays Secretary of State Elaine Barrish, who ran for president but lost the nomination. Elaine is also a former first lady, whose ex-husband, former two-term president Bud Hammond (Ciaran Hinds), is a Southern good old boy with a strong liking for the ladies. Elaine and Bud get divorced, but still: It’s got to be Bill and Hill, right?

I loved the premiere of Political Animals last night, don’t get me wrong. It does a lot of things right - strong, high powered, three dimensional woman characters; a diversity of character types; political drama. And Elaine Barrish’s encouraging words for girls aspiring to the White House? The show had me hook, line and sinker and I’m coming back for more.

But I feel like Greg Berlanti took way too much from the Clinton playbook. I couldn’t help but think of this as analysis of Hillary the entire time. Even Elaine’s campaign poster is reminiscent of Hillary’s in ‘08. Of course, there are a few weeks of this miniseries ahead of us so its too early to make a judgement, but at this point, I think that the writers could have changed something to not make viewers and journalists think of our current Secretary of State. 

What did you think of Political Animals? Shoot me a comment or message! 

(Source: Boston.com)

Thoughts? 

(Source: engulfedindreams)

Photo of the Day: Hillary Rodham Clinton (from 69 Politicians as they were in high school)

(via mixtapes)

(via pennsylvania-avenue)

Photo of the Day: Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister of Denmark

Click here to watch her speech to the EU following an agreement between European heads of state for a ‘growth and jobs compact’. Denmark recently wrapped up its six month presidency over the European council. 

Click here to learn more about Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

Photo of the Day: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) 

Photo of the Day: Vintage campaign button for Geraldine Ferraro, the first ever female Vice Presidential candidate.