Pelosi and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) met with House freshmen two weeks ago to brief them on the new “women’s economic agenda,” which includes raising the minimum wage, guaranteeing workers the opportunity to earn paid sick leave, expanding affordable child care programs and passing the Paycheck Fairness Act.
Rather than frame these issues in the traditional terms of economic fairness, they’ll be repackaging them as a matter of gender equality and family stability. As they push specific pieces of legislation, Democrats plan to roll out an aggressive communications effort to pressure Republicans who’ve declared the workplace measures job killers.
This has been going on for a while. February of 2013:
Kirsten Gillibrand, who has carved out a role for herself as a champion of working mothers in the Senate, emailed supporters this morning to make the case for a $9 minimum wage in terms of its potential impact on women.
“We all know this increase is long overdue,” Gillibrand wrote. “But here’s something you may not know: an incredibly disproportionate number – 64% of minimum wage earners – are women.”
I think this is smart. Democrats in this county will all support a national campaign to raise the minimum wage and I myself am tired of hearing droning lectures from conservatives on the abstract social and moral value of work when all they do as a practical matter is devalue and demean the work that most people do. Not everyone is a small business owner or a CEO. If we want to go on and on about how much we value “hard work” we are going to have to pay the people that do some of it more than poverty level wages.
If this gives Democrats a chance to talk about the work that people do and what they are paid to do it more often and in a different context, I’m all for it.
Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS)
Silly, don’t you know McDonald’s just showed them how they can budget while working minimum wage?
/snark
All these are great measures, which means they will likely never get a vote in the GOP-controlled House. But wedge away, Nance Smash!
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
NANCY SMASH!
Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant)
@Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS):
And in 2014, add it to the FAILbarge that gets dropped on the NeoConfederates’ heads.
gene108
I wonder how many news outlets will run with this in some shape or form?
If it makes page A12 (I’d have said A24, but newspapers ain’t that big no more) I’d be surprised.
Nice set of ideas, but whether or not they’ll get heard is a different matter.
Though raising the minimum wage is a big winner, if they can keep sticking with it. Those measures on state ballots, to raise the minimum wage, usually pass with overwhelming majorities. Only the rabid right-wingers are against raising it.
NickT
@Ben Cisco (onboard the Defiant):
I have been thinking for a while that the GOP have been flying their freak flag increasingly openly this year – and I doubt voters will like it very much. I am starting to hope that 2014 might be the year of the kicking of the wingnut ass.
Violet
@NickT: I hope you’re right. I agree with someone in a thread below who said 2014 is the year of holding and 2016 is the year of kicking wingnut ass. It would be great to pick up some seats in 2014, but if we didn’t lose any, that would be just about as good for a midterm.
NickT
@Violet:
I would have agreed with this, but I am seeing things that suggest to me that the voters really don’t like the new deep-fried theocracy of the corrupt and ignorant, which makes me hope that the Downfall of Derp might come a little sooner than anticipated.
Kay
@gene108:
But it’s popular for a reason. It’s that people have to know you’re talking to them when you say something. No one responds to hearing about “the poor”. No one identifies as “the poor”. People know they “make minimum wage.” People know they don’t have sick leave. It reaches people directly, because it’s actually directed to them, not to opinion columnists.
MomSense
I want a campaign that says “Either pay women enough fucking money to support their families or stop being greedy and cough up some housing, food, health care and educational assistance”
Oh and did anyone see the budget help from the sociopaths who run McDonalds? http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/16/mcdonalds-employee-budgeting-website-reveals-how-it-enslaves-people/
NickT
@Kay:
I think it’s an excellent program – and I hope they make a massive effort to get the word out online and through social media. I don’t think it matters all that much whether the newspapers carry the story these days. With any luck, the usual wingnut trolls will attack it online and document their own swinish misogyny a bit more.
David in NY
@Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS): Not only won’t they get a vote, they won’t get a second look from the MSM. That is, not without a lot of organizing to give them some prominence (cf. Occupy, but with actual goals).
Also: @gene108:
James E. Powell
Who wants to see more of Senator Gillibrand on the national stage? Me! Me! Me!
Champion for working mothers? Gee, what a novel idea for somebody somewhere in the Democratic Party to express. Not like Democrats need their votes or anything. But I’m probably wrong, as usual. Democratic congressional leaders should continue to concentrate on deficit reduction, entitlement reform, and whatever else the Beltway tells them is important.
Davis X. Machina
@NickT: It all comes down to the politics equivalent of F=MA, where M is the number of voters and A is their commitment and enthusiasm.
Small numbers of enraged voters who turn out and vote roll larger numbers of detached or apathetic voters who don’t all the time….
Kay
@James E. Powell:
Pelosi is also pretty good at sticking to practical measures in her policy promotion. I figured she’d be rolling out a list :)
Amir Khalid
@Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS):
Per Forbes, Mickey D’s proposed budget assumes that the worker has another job at minimum wage; doesn’t eat; doesn’t need their home heated in winter; can find health insurance for US$20 a month; and has no children in school.
NickT
@Davis X. Machina:
I think this campaign is a pretty good approach though. These are all very sensible, obvious proposals that would clearly benefit women – and it’s a scandal that they should be denied them by the party of ignorant, angry, obstructionist white men. There’s a lot to be said for forcing the GOP and its fellow-travelers out into the open on these issues.
Southern Beale
On a related note, only two Republicans attended Wednesday’s hearing on the Voting Rights Act, and both left early.
So I guess they really don’t give a shit about appealing to minority voters. I mean, I know the GOP doesn’t give a shit about voting rights, but the optics on this is just really, really bad.
Old Dan and Little Ann
I am proud to have Kirsten Gillibrand as one of my Senators. She is a keeper.
gene108
@Kay:
Despite the increased income inequality in America, there are still a helluva lot of folks, who have shlepped burgers, ice cream or whatever at minimum wage as teenagers.
They understand what their paychecks were, when they were 17 years old and sort of grok living on those wages as an adult ain’t easy.
@David in NY:
What’s strange is Obama mentioned raising the minimum wage as part of his State of the Union address this year, so it should be on the radar as part of the political agenda for the coming year or two.
**********************************
The minimum wage is an issue that really shows how out of whack our representative Democracy (i.e. Republic for right-wing semantic scolds), because it’s an issue with overwhelming support among the electorate but rarely gets mentioned as an issue. In theory if something is very popular with your constituents, shouldn’t you be rushing over your fellow legislators to put it into law and out do each other on who can make the awesomest minimum wage increase evah?
I mean these guys do trip over each other, when it comes to showmanship patriotism like reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or flag pins and stuff like that.
muddy
@NickT: @NickT: They are certainly keeping people interested. Not enough popcorn in the world. I’ve also heard a bunch of Republicans all suddenly talking about term limits, this is probably the kind of thing behind Liz Cheney’s bizarre move.
These libertarian guys were ranting to me the other day (in person) about “power mad Harry Reid” (wtf?). Also the president should be strung up in front of the White House. I said That’s really offensive, so he says he’s not racist, because he wants to string up Harry Reid as well. ?!? I said Funny how no one ever said “string up” in regards to the prez until there was a black one. But that’s not racist! I said it was disgusting and treasonous regardless of race, I said violent overthrow of the government was not what America was supposed to be about. Call yourself patriots?
I was so appalled to find that people I thought ordinary, if misguided, would say things like this as though it were perfectly acceptable. I don’t recall anyone wanting to execute Dick Cheney even. Prosecute fine, hope he dies from his heart, okay – but not extra-judicial killing. I was gobsmacked, and really pretty disturbed.
Usually we agree to disagree on politics and I guess this shit just hadn’t come out. This time I was told that I started it, because I told an anecdote about punking a telemarketer who called on behalf of (I presume) Sarah Palin. So, playing with a telemarketer who wakes me from a sweet nap even though I am on the Do Not Call list = murder the president and other government officials.
Yes, equally offensive, I can see that. Both sides do it, etc. Driving home I opened all the windows instead of using the a/c even though it was super hot, because I felt like I needed an airing out after that.
muddy
double post
Kay
@Southern Beale:
See, I’m surprised by that, because Eric Cantor said voting was a “sacred obligation”
I think he said it as a turn out measure for Republicans. Now God demands that they vote.
JPL
@muddy: Next time use my line, Well, that’s mighty christian of you.
Yatsuno
@Southern Beale:
Let them hang themselves with their own rope. They think because the MSM isn’t looking that it won’t affect them. But the Hispanic and AA media are watching very closely. I can see major voting drives coming out of this.
muddy
@JPL: These guys pretend to be atheists. While upholding all the craycray from the christianists as solid societal necessities. Not about religion!
The cognitive dissonance on every single subject is just stunning at that place.
NickT
@muddy:
I have wondered whether the GOP think they aren’t going to get another set of majorities at state level like this, so they are rushing to do as much harm as possible, while preparing to obstruct and fight tooth and nail to stop Democrats from cleaning up their mess, once they lose their corruptly-won power.
gene108
@JPL:
Yeah, the Bible has stuff (so I’m told) about helping the poor and all that, but Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe because it helped rulers win wars.
The Roman Emperor Constantine wasn’t the only leader, who converted to Christianity because he saw a cross in the sky, or painted one on his shield, etc.
I think this method of conversion has led to a militaristic bent in the Christian mindset despite what is actually written in the Bible.
piratedan
@gene108: promoting it here is part of the solution, sharing it to facebook can’t hurt the cause. It’s as Sen Warren said, if you don’t play or get in the game, you damn sure can’t win it.
Sibling Nonspecific Firearm of Random Adjective Followed by a Noun That Describes a Mental State (fka AWS)
@gene108:
This assumes that the electorate is the constituency of the elected. Here and now, it’s not. K Street, ALEC, SuperPACs and the MIC are their constituency.
Marmot
Right on, Kay
It really is about time. Dems are traditionally so awful at communication strategy, I’m afraid to get my hopes up.
Chris
@gene108:
It does. They get around it by saying “ohhh, but the Bible wants you to help the poor because you WANT to help the poor, not because the GOVERNMENT took your money and helped the poor. It has to be VOLUNTARY or it’s not worth anything…”
Funny enough, they don’t seem to think that applies when we ask the same thing about abortion or gay marriage.
muddy
@NickT: I’m sure that’s it. I actually gave these guys enough intellectual credit, thinking that thinking Sarah Palin is an idiot despite being RepublicanLibertarians. They thought she would be successful at her Senate bid. “A lot of people like her, you know!” “She can win, and that’s what counts!” I said wouldn’t you like a person who can actually do the job and be good at it for the sake of the country? Well, no, they want her because she will win. Doesn’t matter what she does after that, you just have to get over that line. I said the Senate should not be like a reality show.They went on to say that of course you should need 60 votes for a majority to pass bills, because Constitution! What idiots. And were clearly expecting that I should feel bullied by the group and cave. lol
Several times during this I attempted to use my laptop to look the lies up, but the modem wouldn’t come up. This ass said it was because I had a mac (like libs always do, hur hur). He always gloats that people can’t use a smartphone at his house because it’s rural, and has bitched previously how I just want to research all the time and not take anyone’s word for anything. Funny how my computer works everywhere else, and worked at their place all the other times previous. So convenient. So childish! Big man.
Li
@muddy: Call the Secret Service on their ass, and see how funny they find that.
Emma
@Amir Khalid: Jesus. When even Forbes is up your grille about how stupid your numbers are…
Ruckus
@NickT:
the new deep-fried theocracy of the corrupt and ignorant
Don’t know how brilliant this is but it is very descriptive. Do you mind if I steal it?
NickT
@Ruckus:
You could even have it as a gift with my blessing. But if stealing it makes your day more exciting, who am I to complain?
James E. Powell
@Kay:
Oh believe me, I love, L-U-V, Nancy Pelosi. But so often she is so alone. Which allows the corporate press/media to accept and reinforce the Republicans’ characterization of her as the Wicked Witch of San Francisco Values.
Brantl
I would love the book.