By Faith Chatham - Arlington, TX - Oct. 15, 2013
Wise Women Won' t Wait Any More is coming back to life. There are hopeful signs on the horizon for women in Texas and in the USA. The majority male "leadership" of the U.S. Congress and of the Texas Legislature and Texas and U.S. Senate has dominated the domestic scene. Habitually ignoring women, the failure to address the priorities of families, workers, business owners and investors, of educators, parents, neighborhoods and communities may result in serious changes in the structure of state and national legislative bodies. Strong women are emerging - claiming key places in the national dialogue and on the political scene in Texas and the United States of America. Wise Women Won't Wait Any More will be here to celebrate the journey.
Women figure prominently in 2014 campaigns.
State Senator Wendy Davis has captured the attention of the nation. Challengers usually have trouble getting press coverage but that is not a problem currently for Sen. Davis. Prior to her announcement of her candidacy for Governor, Senator Davis was the keynote speaker for the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Davis appears to many to be a true champion for positive change in Texas. On the Republican side, the strongest contender appears to be Attorney General Greg Abbott's. Abbott's strength lies in his war chest, accrued during his long tenure as Texas's Attorney General. His record in office may prove to be his strongest negative. Fighting U.S. policies on immigration reform will not strengthen his position with the fastest growing segment of Texas voters. Acting as the attorney fighting the US Government on implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Abbott stood with Gov. Rick Perry in preventing the expansion of Medicaid in Texas. Texas's refusal of Federal dollars to expand Medicaid resulting in Texan tax dollars going to pay for expansion of Medicaid service in other states while Texas residents were denied the benefit. A Dallas Morning News report says that Texas's refusal to accept Medicaid Expansion is expected to cost Texas. The Dallas Morning News reported that according to a study by nonprofit research organization Rand Corp. the failure of Texas to accept the Medicaid expansion is expected to cause private health insurance premiums to rise 9.3%.
Lt. Governor's Race: There are "rumblings" that State Senator Letissa Van De Putte may jump in that race for Lt. Governor. However, at this time, we know that there is one strong Democratic woman already running. Maria Luisa Alvarado won the contested primary for Lt. Governor in 2006 and continues her quest to serve as Lt. Governor of Texas. A grassroots populist candidate, Alvarado won a highly contested Democratic primary in 2006 for Lt. Governor by energizing enough voters in the counties she carried to defeat her opponent who carried most of the state. She continues with her quest to energize the 10 million Texans who do not vote. In the Air Force, Alvarado was frequently cited as the "first woman to" serve in various capacities. From a large family of educators and U.S. Military Veterans, Alvarado returned to civilian life in a state that excluded more citizens from the American dream. Watching the self-serving patterns of elected officials which damaged rather than enhanced quality of life for "hard-working ordinary Texas citizens", Alvarado began talking to Texans and placing herself forward as an improvement to the status quo in Texas Legislative politics. We are certain, that women members of the Texas Senate will not be marginalized by Senator leadership should either of these strong Texas women be elected as Lt. Governor of Texas.
On the Federal scene, despite her not having declared her candidacy, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is viewed by many to be the strongest Democratic contender for the Presidency in 2016. Since leaving the State Department, she has continued to travel internationally as a speaker. This past week she was awarded Great Britain's highest award for International Leadership, the Chatham House Prize.
Wise Women Won't Wait Any More
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Tarrant County Democratic Party Elects Woman of Achievement As Interim Democratic County Chair
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Deborah Whitlock Peoples, new Tarrant County
Democratic Chair with out-going County Chair, Steven
Maxwell.
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In a highly contested five candidate special election, April 20th, retired Vice-President-General Manager Dallas-Fort Worth Market AT&T, Deborah Whitlock Peoples was elected to fill the unexpired term of Steven Maxwell as County Chair of the Tarrant County Democratic Party.
Ms. Peoples, sister of Fort Worth Democratic political activist Mary Ellen Hicks and aunt of former Fort Worth City Council Member and candidate for U.S. Congressional District 33 Kathleen Hicks, has political activism in her D.N.A.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/16/4626101/tarrant-county-democrats-prepare.html
Hillary Rodham Clinton Named 2013 Chatham House Prize
Message from Her Majesty The Queen, Patron of The Royal Institute of International Affairs
'I warmly congratulate Hillary Clinton on being awarded this year’s Chatham House Prize for her accomplishments as Secretary of State, which build on a long and impressive commitment to working in the service of the public. Members of The Royal Institute of International Affairs have again chosen a worthy winner of this award.'
Winner 2013 - Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Clinton has been awarded this year’s Chatham House Prize in recognition of her significant and impressive contribution to international diplomacy as US Secretary of State and her work on behalf of gender equality and opportunities for women and girls.
During her tenure at the State Department, Hillary Clinton decisively drove a new era in US diplomatic engagement. She was instrumental in re-orientating the strategic focus of the United States towards the Asia-Pacific region. She was successful both in multilateral diplomacy − helping to develop new international frameworks, such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition – and in bilateral negotiations, brokering an agreement between Turkey and Armenia to reopen their border and negotiating a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.
Her creation and implementation of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) made a bold comment on the importance of comprehensive diplomacy and 'civilian power'. Her understanding and use of public diplomacy demonstrated that values and ideas must be promoted through two-way dialogue, especially in the age of social media.
Secretary Clinton was equally able to tackle acute challenges in international affairs and to call on the necessary skills and tools when needed. Working in partnership with key allies in both the UN and NATO to protect civilians in Libya in 2011 was a prime example.
Secretary Clinton used her personal standing and visibility as a campaigner on the global stage to support educational and economic opportunities for women and girls. She incorporated more women into peace-building initiatives at the UN, and at the State Department she created the position of ambassador-at-large for global women's issues.
She led a global campaign for efficient, modern cooking stoves, helping to reduce the 1.9 million premature deaths per year from smoke inhalation on open cooking fires, predominantly among women in developing countries. Her work to integrate women’s rights with broader development goals backed up her long-held belief that 'it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights'.
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