The Next Generation of Democratic Women Leaders in Oregon
Paulie Brading
Emerge Oregon introduced its first class of over twenty women of all ages, ethnicity and professions Friday evening to over one hundred attendees who gathered to celebrate their selection to engage in a premier training program to prepare them for political Democratic leadership. Vino Vixens wine bar in Portland was stuffed to the rafters with Democratic women trail blazers from all over the state of Oregon. Secretary of State Kate Brown, Speaker of the House Dave Hunt, the Honorable Betty Roberts,Senate candidate Steve Novick, Meredith Wood Smith Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon, state legislators, county commissioners, school board members, political activists and Democratic fundraisers were among the other guests all gathered to meet the very first class of Emerge Oregon.
The gender gap in elected women in Oregon is obvious and has been since the days of Governor Barbara Roberts and long before. Women in politics still have to work harder to prove their viability while the Oregon legislature continues to miss the balanced perspective women bring on the implications of big decisions on Oregon citizens.
Heck, the number of American women in office is lower than less developed countries.
Emerge America has been in hatching mode for Democratic women moving into elective office for 6 years in a handful of states. Oregon is the "newest" state added to their growing list. Emerge Oregon is about about serious and intense training for Oregon's next generation of Democratic women. This first class will learn how to navigate the barriers still in place and emerge ready to pursue elective office.
Some future issues for the Emerge Board members to think about:The first class of women is Portland-centric with a couple of women from Eugene and one from Eastern Oregon mixed into the geographical over representation of Metro area classmates. The Board itself is Metro-area centric.These smart women on the Board know full well the dangers of group think or circular thinking due to the lack of a statewide perspective. As a former Portlander, Washington and Clackamas county resident now happily returned to my Southern Oregon roots I know for sure that progressive Democratic women reside throughout the state of Oregon.The Emerge Board knows that too. I have great faith in this brand new Board. One of their first challenges will be to truly represent the entire state of Oregon. I am certain they will work hard to accomplish that goal before launching the second class of Emerge Oregon.
Full disclosure: Member of the Emerge Finance Committee
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Apr 5, '09
"Emerge Oregon introduced its first class of over twenty women of all ages, ethnicity and professions Friday evening "
Where is the list?
Thanks for that last paragraph. Oregon has 36 counties, and sometimes people in the Portland area forget the rest of the state.
Apr 5, '09
There is one woman from Yamhill County, me:) We are pretty rural here and not part of the Portland Metro Area!
It was a great first weekend! I look forward to meeting many Democrats from around the state. The women I am in this first class with are truly amazing. There is no doubt in my mind that we will be forming lifetime bonds. This can only be beneficial to the state.
5:17 a.m.
Apr 6, '09
Good morning, LT. I am also a member of the first class of Emerge Oregon. I echo Kris' comments. This ia going to be an incredible experience for all of us and an opportunity to work toward the future in Oregon.
Apr 6, '09
(If you see this in bold like I do in my browser, I didn't turn it on and don't know how to stop it.)
Women in politics still have to work harder to prove their viability while the Oregon legislature continues to miss the balanced perspective women bring on the implications of big decisions on Oregon citizens.
This assertion about "balance" is one of those statements that sounds like it means so much, yet seldom is examined. In fact, de-valuing the very attempts to examine this assertion critically has been one of the main thrusts of post-modern feminist theory.
What is meant by "balance" other than numerical parity? What is the argument that simple balance in this case actually moves us in a progressive direction? Is "maternalism" any more or less positive for economic justice, civil rights, educational quality, than "paternalism"? Does the full spectrum of "maternalistic" values actually correspond to progressive values any more or less than the full spectrum of "paternalistic" values?
Emily's List has lost credibility as a result of gender politics and their support of some really regressive female candidates based on similar, unexamined, intellectually vacuous arguments about "balance".
Moreover, as Bernie Sanders pointed out on a recent Thom Hartmann show, women (including the only two NW wormen Senators) were over-represented in their proportion to the number of seats they hold in the Senate on the committee vote that approved regressive extension of the Estate Tax exemptions for the wealthy:
Baucus (M), Bayh (M), Cantwell (F), Landrieu (F), Lincoln (F), Murray (F), Nelson (M), Nelson (M), Pryor (M), Tester (M)
It's time there is far more serious discussion about what "balance" brings beyond numerical parity than the superficial arguments that we now get. The Bush Administration and Republican Party had little problem finding women who were every bit as self-serving as men to advance their regressive anti-working person agenda. For every Dan Quayle there is a Sarah Palin, and for every Jeff Merkley there is a Kay Bailey Hutchison.
For that matter, for every Bernie Sanders representing progressive positions from health care to economic justice to war, there is a Maria Cantwell right here from the NW.
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