Statement of NOW/PAC Chair Terry O’Neill
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–May 3, 2012
With the radical right waging a war on women in Congress and statehouses across the nation, it is more important than ever that we elect feminist candidates to office this November. We need candidates like Elizabeth Warren — who the National Organization for Women Political Action Committee has proudly endorsed — to shut down this offensive and get the United States moving in a positive direction.
Warren’s opponent, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), is working straight from the right-wing playbook, using diversionary tactics and personal attacks against his challenger. In an effort to move the public conversation away from the issues, the Brown campaign seems willing to grasp at even the slightest of straws.
A closer look at Brown’s voting record reveals why distraction is a key part of his strategy. Brown was a cosponsor of the anti-birth control Blunt amendment, which would have allowed employers to refuse to cover contraception and any other health care item or service they object to. In addition, Brown wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act, even though his own family has taken advantage of one of the major reforms enacted under the law. He supports the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-marriages. As a friend of big business, Brown has sided with Wall Street and the wealthy while voting to block the American Jobs Act and against extending federal unemployment benefits to those who’ve lost their jobs.
Warren, on the other hand, is a champion of the people. She conceived of and pushed for the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency dedicated to ensuring that consumers get the information they need to make sound financial decisions for themselves and their families. Warren is a strong supporter of feminist issues, including reproductive justice, women’s economic security, constitutional equality and equal marriage rights.
Elizabeth Warren is an ally of women’s rights supporters and, unlike her opponent, will be a leader in enacting policies that benefit everyone in the 99 percent. NOW/PAC calls on voters to reject attempts by Warren’s opponent and the media to conduct a tabloid election devoid of substance. Too much is riding on this election to ignore the issues that matter most to women and their families.
Source: now.org