Reversal of Fortunes

Disturbingly sexist image of powerful Nancy Pelosi.

Politico has some indepth analysis of the future of many powerful democratic women in Congress. The key descriptive phrase is “wipe out’. In a year of Mama Grizzly transcendence on the Republic side of the aisle, this election may silence the voices and votes of the Democratic women elected during the so-called “year of the woman”. That would be 1992. If you need a refresher, that’s the year that sexual harassment in the work place and treatment of women by senate committees introduced us to Anita Hill. Many Democratic women candidates benefited from frustrated women who saw the sexist games senators played. We were determined to bring down the ultimate old boys club. Nearly two decades later, the trend of more women’s voices within the beltway appears to be at an end. Senators Barbara Boxer and Patty Murray, beneficiaries of the woman power in the 199os are engaged in the fight of their political careers. America’s first madam speaker is likely to lose her gavel. Marin Cogan believes that as many as a quarter of the 56 Democratic women in the House are vulnerable.

Even with the rise of Republican women candidates, the change sweeping the nation is likely to sweep women out of national office. Not only that, many of these women have achieved seniority and are poised to sit as chairs of powerful committees. This is where the real insider deals occur. Why are the winds of change impacting these woman? Are Democratic women no longer viewed as change agents and assigned ‘outsider’ status? Why are we losing ground?

Well, my first thought is that Pelosi’s powerful ultimate insider status and her ability to work the system is actually creating some

Right wing obsession with the concept of Botox Barbie

blowback. Is part of this reversal of fortune due to sexism or just the general feeling of rage at the political machine of which Pelosi is CEO and skilled worker? Pelosi’s face on beltway machinations–something she at which she excels–is both a blessing and a curse. It demonstrates that women can wield power effectively. It also demonstrates that women on the inside can become part of the problem as well as some of the solution.

Pelosi has had an enormous impact not only on policy — muscling through landmark legislation like health care reform and a massive economic stimulus — but also on the culture of Capitol Hill and the framing of legislative debates.

“After passing this bill, being a woman will no longer be a pre-existing condition,” Pelosi declared on the House floor the night health care reform passed — repeating a mantra that would guide her throughout the health care debate.

Under her tenure, women have held key leadership positions — including New York Rep. Louise Slaughter as chairwoman of the House Rules Committee, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro as co-chairwoman of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney as chairwoman of the Joint Economic Committee. New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez became chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee.

Pelosi also recruited Democratic women on the campaign trail, creating a girls’ club to counteract the old boys’ network that’s long dominated congressional politics.

“I think the record speaks for itself,” said California Rep. Jackie Speier, who was elected in 2008 and serves on the House Financial Services Committee, ticking off the number of women in leadership roles. “She has really placed women in positions of leadership.”

Power comes with benefits and scrutiny in this country. That’s a good thing. But I still feel that some of these women have been held up to a different mirror than their old boy counterparts. Were their expectations of kinder, gentler, ladylike politicians or is it strictly disappointment that none of these liberal feminists have stood up enough to the old boys club they were elected to change? Boxer’s facing a tough Republican woman so her race might be viewed more through a sex neutral lens. However, both women are subject to sexist treatment. Some times the characterization is too close to the ‘cat fight’ meme. Can we say the same about “mom in tennis shoes Senator Patty Murray” who is facing perpetual Republican candidate Dino Rossi? What about relatively new Colorado congresswoman Betsy Markey?

Still, Markey hasn’t exactly played it safe. She’s voted for or supports much of the Democratic agenda, including climate-change response, the stimulus bill and even the pro-union Employee Free Choice Act. She did, however, vote against health care reform, the second half of the bank bailout, the 2010 Democratic budget and permission to transfer Guantánamo prisoners to the U.S.

In many respects, Markey, 54, is a symbol of the new Colorado, made up of transplants from the coasts. Her father was a staunchly pro-union construction worker in New Jersey, where Markey grew up the sixth of seven in a large Irish Catholic family. She worked at the State Department after going to graduate school for cybersecurity and then built on that experience in the private sector, launching along with her husband an information-technology business called Syscom. Beckoned by the tech industry’s prairie corridor, the couple moved to Fort Collins, where Markey eventually founded the Northern Colorado Democratic Business Coalition and worked for former Democratic Senator (and now Interior Secretary) Ken Salazar.

What if these women are replaced with anti choice/anti GLBT rights Republicans? While many of their Republican challengers are coming in on the typical small government, low tax agenda, they also have had to pass the usual grass roots litmus tests. I’ve met Republican after Republican office holder that really doesn’t care about the abortion agenda but has been pushed into it by the aggressive activists who have no other issue. What if we lose elected women who have been voices for women’s rights? On the other hand, how quickly did these women cave to the ridiculous requests of Stupak and Ben Nelson during the Health Care Reform act? Didn’t they actively choose to win one for Obama and potential sold birth control access to just get the deal done? What happened to the outsider status and pro-woman agenda then?

That’s my biggest problem with Pelosi. She is a master of congressional rule and representative wrangling but she has also lost sight that a win and numbers aren’t the only goals of legislation. Many of these women have sadly become what they were supposed to come in to change.

How will these endangered Democratic women survive November? Should we support them just to hold our numbers together or hold them to a high standard? How much do we lose if they lose? Are we still looking for a critical mass of women in elected office or has that goal post changed?