He said...she said

Thursdays debate was one to remember. There was a nice gathering of Hillary supporters at a local wine bar. About 25 people gathered to watch the debate and it was a good one. There was amazing energy as new connections were formed and a great group networked and connected. The majority of gatherers were women and a few men. This seems to be a common theme I see in her campaign. Many of those that showed up are new to politics. I think Hillary did fantastic. She was articulate and remained calm, cool and collected. I think most of the candidates did well, but Hillary by far did the best. What I found odd was Edwards performance. I do like Edwards and I think he has great ideas and is a wonderful candidate- however, Thursday he was not his best. I would have liked a counter for how many times he said, "She said." Rather than speak his own mind he sounded like a whining brother telling on his sibling. Last week at..."she said" on her postion on immigration, "she said." The he said she said just went on and on. Edwards is a bright guy, he doesn't need to run a campaign on "she said." There needs to be more than what "she said" if you are going to lead this country, that is why what "she said" won her the debate.

It's all about me & women just like me for 2008!

That right- if you haven't already heard let me be the first to tell you. 2008 is all about the single woman! Yep, that's right we hold a lot of political clout for the upcoming election. It's about time campaigns realized single women rock! Move over soccer mom's and make room for the single women. We can sway any election if we make up our mind and vote! I always knew me and my girlfriends were powerful it's about time someone took notice and finally listened. So bring on the mailings, the phone calls and when you go door to door - do me a favor and send out the eye candy- it's payback time. Single women of the world let's flex our power and VOTE and by the way- we are swinging to the left these days!

Women are putting our money where our candidates are!

I recently traveled to DC to be part of Hillary's Women's Finance Council and attend the first ever Women's Summit. What an amazing experience. There were almost 1,000 women from 47 states. We had to turn women away because there was not room to hold everyone. Many fundraisers said you find an overflow room and hook up a satellite screen - you never turn money away. Not the Hillary campaign. This was not just about raising money - it was more than that- it was about women building a movement. If there was a group of women who were in some small dark room with a TV watching they certainly would not have had the same experience and they would have left upset not inspired. This event was an experience and we left inspired and ready for the next challenge. We are building a movement and making history all at the same time. We were also flexing our financial abilities. Business men get it. If you want to be a player in politics you must write a check. Well Hillary is doing that with women. We are writing checks because we want Hillary to be competitive with the men and we are going to dig deep to write that check.
I wrote my own check to be part of history. The goal of this event was to raise $500,000 and we raised 1.5 million- that right 1.5 million!!! What is most amazing is it was all women who raised the money. The event was the Women's summit - it was a full day chalk full of information from her campaign ad visors (many are women) to her policy advisory to her technology experts and of course Hillary herself. When she came out to great and inspire all 1,000 women- her eyes teared up. I could see this because I was fortunate enough to sit in the front row. Hillary is brilliant- just simply brilliant. She spoke for over an hour with NO notes. She went into great detail about her vision for the world and our country. She is practical and respect that about her. We learned how she makes policy and she brings together experts for discussion and then they work on solutions- it is a team collaboration which is key to turn this country around.
When Hillary was done she came down and shook hands with her supports and she took pictures with those of us who were bold enough to ask (you bet I was). My trip to DC was worth every single cent. How often do we get to be part of writing history?
Since DC was so successful we are now organizing an event in New York City. It will be December 15th. This time men are invited. I am going with a few girlfriends and we are going to make a weekend out of it. How fun to go to NYC to support Hillary and then stay the weekend with the girls. I can't wait.

Fighting in the Family?

There is much going on regarding in-fighting with the Dems in the State House. This really bothers me as someone who has worked to get more Democrats in office. The new members worked hard to get there and will need to work even harder to stay. We must look at the big picture. Look at all that the Dems in the nations capitol achieved in 100 hours- they were able to do that because they were in a leadership role, we must get there at the state capitol too! In 100 hours they passed raising the minimum wage, stem cell research, allowing Medicare to negotiate medication drug costs, college loans, and the list goes on- I know in order for the bills to become law we still need the Senate and pray the guy in the WH doesn't veto, but it is still achievement. It is my hope that the Dems in Arizona put their bitter feelings aside and work to make life better for Arizona- but I do know this can be very difficult. I received this email from the newly elected State Representative Lena Saradnik...it made me so proud as she was removed from a committee and still put her personal feelings aside and put her constituents first.

Lena is amazing!
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Lena¹s Legislative Lines
January 12, 2007

This is my first report to you as your State Representative. I plan to
report to you regularly on the activities in the State Legislature

First Week
Monday¹s swearing in was the highlight of the week. Our daughter, Tracy,
flew in from Cambridge, MA. She and Stephen sat behind me as I took the oath
of office administered by Justice Sandra Day O¹Connor. Cheryl Cage, my
campaign manager sat in the Gallery. Several supporters and friends were
watching in the hearing rooms. It was a very emotional moment for all of us.

The House Freshmen Class
We have a wonderful group of newly elected Democrats and (we think) some
forward thinking Republicans in the 48th Arizona Legislative Session. My
first impression is that the energy and commitment they project epitomize
our collective ideal of elected representatives. Together, we are building
strong bonds to craft quality legislation to benefit all Arizonians.

Committees
My first committee hearings were all very interesting; at no time was I
bored. Many fascinating topics were discussed and valuable information was
presented. Needless to say, we have many challenges ahead of us. I will keep
you posted on how you can help.

At the beginning of the week, I was on the following committees:

Education
Government
Public Institutions and Retirement

During Thursday¹s floor session, the Speaker announced that I was off
Education and on Healthcare. Other members of our Freshmen Class were
affected as well.
No worries. One of my core beliefs is ³to bloom where one is planted² and I
plan to blossom profusely as a member of the Health Committee.

My Bills
It was not my intention to come out of the gate with a fist full of bills to
introduce. I am taking my time to learn where to put my energies first.
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Lena may be a Freshman but I think we can all learn something from her!

Democratic State Party Convention

This is what was reported from the convention
Chair: David Waid won by 86%
1st Vice Chair: Donna Branch Gilby (Emerge Arizona Graduate 2006)won by 62%
Vice Chair Women: Louis Pfau, Jo Kelleher, Sharon Covey
Vice Chair Men: Randy Camacho, Tony Gonzales, Jeff Latas
Secretary: Judy Kennedy
Treasurer: Rick McGuire
Affirmative Action Chair: Michael Williams

Senator Hillary Clinton is in!

It just seemed appropriate to start a blog on Women Leaders on the day that Hillary tosses her hat in the ring! I am in no way endorsing Hillary; this is not the intention of this blog. I do want to start thinking how many times the discussion will be her gender rather than ideas. I strongly believe that 2007 & 2008 will be years where there will be many firsts for women in politics. It started on January 4th with the one and only SPEAKER PELOSI was elected to the post. Now we have a very impressive woman - Hillary Rodham Clinton running to be President of the United States! I have had the fortune of meeting Senator Clinton several times and she is smart, talented, smart and strategic, she is very calculating and the Republicans biggest mistake will be underestimating her- she is smart! I think it is important that although this is historic she is not the first woman to run nor will she be the last! This is the email that I received from Emily's List today...

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I am one of the millions of women who have waited all their lives to see the first woman sworn in as president of the United States — and now we have our best opportunity to see that dream fulfilled.
On the national stage and in the neighborhoods of New York, Sen. Hillary Clinton has repeatedly put her expertise and power behind solutions that make the lives of the American people safer and more prosperous. No one is more qualified to bring to the White House the kind of principled and effective leadership our nation so desperately needs.

It is with tremendous excitement and pride that EMILY’s List endorses Sen. Hillary Clinton for president.
As Sen. Clinton begins her historic journey, EMILY’s List will be with her every step of the way — raising early money from our grassroots donor network of tens of thousands of EMILY’s List members, using our vast political resources to help her build a strong national campaign, and mobilizing millions of women voters through our groundbreaking WOMEN VOTE! program to support her and every Democrat on the ticket in 2008.
Time after time, EMILY’s List has taken on difficult challenges and helped pro-choice Democratic women break through barriers in politics. EMILY’s List is where history is made.
We’ve been clearing the path for the first woman president since our founding in 1985, when we helped Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) become the first Democratic woman elected to the Senate in her own right. Since then, EMILY’s List has helped elect 12 more Democratic women to the Senate.
In 1988, when EMILY’s List began supporting congressional candidates, there were only 12 Democratic women in the House. Now Nancy Pelosi is the first woman Speaker in U.S. history — a feat made possible, in part, because of the support she has among the 50 Democratic women who serve in the House today.
We’ve helped elect hundreds of women to state and local office, including eight governors — putting women in executive leadership positions where none had served before.
And we are prepared to make history again by helping elect Hillary Clinton as the first woman president of the United States!Please join EMILY's List in making history!
Warmest regards,
Ellen R. MalcolmPresident

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Now that was the quickest endorsement I have seen! This is a great day for women in politics!

Arizona Women Celebrate Speaker Pelosi!

January 4, 2007

Women Leaders Celebrate Speaker Pelosi Shattering the “Marble Ceiling” and Making History Being the First Woman Elected to Lead the U.S. House of Representatives and to be Speaker of the House

(Phoenix, AZ) –Emerge Arizona and Arizona List are celebrating the historic event of the swearing in of the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi becomes the 52nd Speaker of the house – a position that is second in line for the Presidency. Gabrielle Giffords is also being sworn into office today making her the third woman Arizona has sent to Congress; Governor Napolitano is being inaugurated as well – she received more votes in November than any other governor in Arizona ever.

In addition, an unprecedented number of women Democrats are poised to take office on Monday. Many are graduates of Arizona Emerge, an organization dedicated to training Democratic women to run for office; and many were endorsed candidates of Arizona List, a political committee modeled on EMILY’s List that works to elect pro-choice women Democrats to state and local office in Arizona.

Rebekah Friend, Emerge Arizona Co-Chair and the first woman President and Executive Director of the Arizona AFL-CIO stated, “Emerge Arizona is celebrating more than just Speaker Pelosi, we are also celebrating the re-election of Governor Janet Napolitano, Congresswoman elect Gabrielle Giffords. In Arizona we have added 6 Democratic women to the state legislature, in both the house and the Senate and several of our Alumni have been elected to key positions in the Arizona Democratic Party, is has been a historic year for women at the Nations Capitol in addition to State Capitol. When women are elected, we all win!”

Pamela Sutherland, Executive Director of Arizona List stated, “2006 was a banner year for everyone in Arizona. Not only was our fantastic Governor reelected, but we have a number of pro-choice women Democrats coming to Phoenix to help bring a more balanced perspective to Arizona governance. Arizona has risen again to the top in terms of women in government, which helps all of the state. Fourteen of our fifteen endorsed candidates won in their general election races, including Amanda Aguirre and Lynne Pancrazi in Yuma, Lena Saradnik in Tucson, and Jackie Thrasher in Glendale!”

“The Emerge program is having its intended impact: our graduates are running smart campaigns, using their Emerge networks and winning their races. For more women to shatter the marble ceiling, we must continue our work to recruit and train and inspire women who are the next generation of talent,” stated Dana Kennedy, Executive Director of Emerge Arizona.

Emerge Arizona is a political leadership training program for Democratic women in Arizona. The Emerge mission is to identify, educate and inspire Democratic women who want to pursue elective office at the local and state level in Arizona. Emerge makes a long-term investment in these future leaders by honing their political skills; expanding their knowledge of local issues; and connecting them with mentors. Emerge was started in San Francisco, CA by a small committed group of women who were concerned how term limits showed a decline in women running for office and wanted to reverse this trend. This same group of women had the forward sight to launch Emerge America, a national organization based in San Francisco that identifies and develops community-based affiliate programs designed to recruit, educate and inspire talented and diverse Democratic women who want to pursue elective office at the local, state and national levels. Speaker Pelosi serves on the Advisory Board. She knows the importance of mentoring other women because she was mentored by Sala Burton for her first Congressional election. She has served as a major financial contributor to Emerge, donating $10,000 from her PAC to the organization. Emerge Advisory Board members also include Senator Barbara Boxer, Governor Janet Napolitano, Ann Lewis, Susie Tompkins Buell and Naomi Wolff. Major financial supporters include Senator Hillary Clinton, Susie Tompkins Buell and Barbara Lee.
Arizona List is a political committee founded in 2004, and dedicated to electing pro-choice women Democrats to state and local office in Arizona. Since then, Arizona List has grown to over 1200 members statewide making it the largest Democratic organization in Arizona outside of the Democratic Party. This year, Arizona List-endorsed candidates won in overwhelming numbers: 14 of their 15 endorsed candidates won their general election races. Representative-elect Lena Saradnik was elected to the Arizona House from predominately Republican District 26 on Tucson's northwest side, and is glowing in her compliments of Arizona List.

Amazing Women!

Rebekah Friend Appointed Executive Director of the Arizona AFL-CIO
Another Woman to Make History in the Labor Movement!

(Phoenix, AZ) Today the Executive Board of the Arizona AFL-CIO announced that its president, Rebekah Friend is the new Arizona AFL-CIO executive director to manage the organizations’ day-to-day operations.
Michael McGrath recently stepped down as executive director, but will remain the organization’s secretary-treasurer. McGrath stated, “It’s been an amazing experience to run the day-to-day operations of the Arizona AFL-CIO; and in the past five years, we have made significant strides to bring together Arizona’s union movement to make a difference for Arizona’s Working Families. The work is not finished and I remain committed to the organization to ensure that working families’ issues are at the forefront of our elected officials. Although I am stepping down from the daily operations, I will continue to be involved. Rebekah and I have worked side-by-side for the past five years and she is ready and well prepared for this challenge.
Friend stated, “I am thrilled to take on this challenge. I have worked closely with Michael for the past five years and it will be difficult to fill his shoes, but we will continue to work closely through this transition.”
Michael E. McGrath was elected secretary-treasurer of the Arizona AFL-CIO in 2002, and was re-elected to a second term in June 2003. In 2003 with Friend at his side, McGrath re-energized the Arizona labor movement by leading efforts to install a new governing structure called the “New Alliance,” which has increased affiliation participation in Arizona AFL-CIO programs. Under his leadership, Arizona union members created the successful and unprecedented Labor 2002, 2003 and 2004, 2005 and 2006 programs, which increased union voter registration by over 10 percent and elected labor-friendly candidates including Governor Janet Napolitano, Congressman Raul Grijalva, Harry Mitchell and Gabrielle Giffords, Attorney General Terry Goddard and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon — just to name a few.
At a time when women are making history at the nation’s Capitol as well as at the Arizona legislature, Friend is following with being the first female executive director of the Arizona AFL-CIO. Friend will be one of the only female executive directors to head a state AFL-CIO in the country. Friend was the first female-elected president of the Arizona chapter of the national AFL-CIO representing 13 million people and 64 unions. A member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for over 25 years, she understands the importance of creating equal opportunities for all working individuals.
Friend successful chaired the Minimum Wage Coalition which brought Prop 202 to the ballot and raised the minimum wage to $6.75 with a cost of living adjustment every year. She also developed legislation to improve unemployment insurance and workers' compensation for union members. In 2002 before the issue was so divisive, Friend coordinated the Immigrant Worker Freedom Ride to raise awareness for immigrant workers' rights. Friend was instrumental in lobbying legislators to implement a state-wide Cesar Chavez Day to recognize Arizona 's immigrant farm workers.
Friend served as the first president of the Coalition for Labor Union Women in Maricopa County, lobbying state legislators on pay equity bills affecting female workers. In 2002, Friend was presented a lifetime achievement award by the Arizona Democratic Party by being inducted into the “Hall of Fame.”
Rebekah is the Co-Chair and a founder of Emerge Arizona, a comprehensive training program which recruits, trains and inspires women to run for office. In 2004, Rebekah was awarded the YWCA's Woman of the Year the highest award for a Civic Leader.

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