The Woman's National Democratic Club

Statements and Resolutions

STOP "STAND YOUR GROUND"

Rule of Law is an essential element of democracy. One of the main purposes of laws is to protect individual rights and to bring criminals to justice. Stand your Ground "laws" subvert the basic principles of a rule of law. A Stand Your Ground law was in effect in Florida when an unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin was shot dead by a Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman. On April 11, Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder.

Despite the fact that Zimmerman was charged, there are grave barriers to a successful prosecution, even if he is guilty, for the following reasons:

Stand Your Ground provisions require only that the individual taking action believes he is being threatened, and does not require that he first retreat. Because of the provisions of the law, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to prove that Trayvon Martin did not threaten George Zimmerman, unless there were witnesses, who have yet to be identified. The barrier is even higher if all that is required in his legitimate defense is for Zimmerman to state that he believed he was threatened.
National guidelines for Neighborhood Watch Programs prohibit the carrying of weapons. These guidelines are meaningless if a volunteer has a legal permit to carry a gun. Zimmerman had a legal permit to carry a weapon under Florida's concealed weapons law.

Florida's Stand Your Ground law is not a unique creation of state legislators but comes from templates of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). More than 23 states have legislation similar to Florida's. The true goal of ALEC's Republican billionaire backers is not their stated goal of "small" government, but rather privatized government where taxpayers feed money to the corporations benefiting from the outsourcing of government functions, including criminal justice. Corporations such as the American Bail Coalition, for example, profit from a larger prison population. The National Rifle Association (NRA) works closely with ALEC. This is not surprising given NRA interest in keeping its stream of donations strong, even when, to the objective eye, all its extreme goals have not only been achieved but dangerously exceeded.

Regardless of the outcome of this specific case, Stand Your Gun laws present an intrinsic and systematic obstacle to the fulfillment of basic rule of law principles, especially when its provisions are connected with laws allowing the carrying of concealed weapons. The Trayvon Martin case reveals the undermining of the rule of law in Florida under Stand Your Ground legislation, which therefore constitutes a threat to democracy. Homicide is no longer prosecutable in certain unacceptably defined cases. States with Stand Your Ground laws have "legally" sanctioned lawlessness.

This threat to democracy is real and must be stopped. The Woman's National Democratic Club supports a national movement to stop further adoptions of Stand Your Ground laws and their repeal where they exist.

April 13, 2012

Elect Democrats for Public Education's Sake

America's public education system dating from 1785 has contributed to our country's leading position in the world, to upward mobility, to personal fulfillment, and to the goal of having an informed electorate.

America should take great pride in this historic achievement. It is now under attack from right wing Republican groups, including the American Legislative Exchange Council, better known as ALEC. ALEC acts by drafting legislation so that states can adopt right-wing practices. ALEC promotes weakening of teachers' unions, vouchers, tax deductions for private school tuition, home schooling, increased testing and reporting —almost any action that can destabilize public school systems.

Republicans also have worked against programs such as Head Start that have proved effective in reducing the disadvantages that under served children face in succeeding in school. A good result of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was its reporting which clearly showed an income-based achievement gap. However, NCLB needs revision, so much so that the Department of Education invited application for waivers, which 26 states and the District of Columbia have requested.

When faced with problems in public school systems, especially in urban areas, Republicans tend to use these problems as reasons for privatizing; Democrats tend towards improvements. Democratic office holders are more likely than Republicans to vote to revise NCLB and to fund all types of children's programs.

Republicans in office now are cutting budgets, with negative effects on state colleges and universities, as well as on elementary and secondary schools. Republicans are working to negate our country's two-and a-half centuries of commitment to an educated populace. As Thomas Jefferson warned, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

The WNDC Position Statement on Education and Children's Issues says that the Club has a mission to "advocate for the quality public education essential to America's competitive democratic society...." We can do this by helping elect Democrats to local, state, and national offices.

March 21, 2012

Campaign 2012 - Obama's Health Care Achievements

On the second anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act (ACA) the WNDC salutes President Obama for his vision that will benefit individual Americans and our nation through its contribution to economic growth, fiscal soundness and our commitment to our neighbors and communities. This historic legislation, among other achievements, has already brought significant improvements to the lives of Americans.

Medicare recipients who fall into the "doughnut hole" now receive discounts on drugs necessary to manage their chronic medical conditions; the discounts will increase each year until there will be full coverage.
Young adults can now remain on the health plans covering their parents until age 26.
Programs have been established to provide insurance to cover people with pre-existing conditions who have been uninsured for at least 6 months.
Every individual or group insurance policy must, without cost sharing, provide preventive and screening services appropriate to age and status.
Insurance companies, subject to federally approved review, must spend at least 85% of the premium income on health services, with only 15% allowed for advertising and administrative costs.
Private insurers are prohibited from taking away coverage when people get sick and refusing to cover children with pre-existing conditions.
The ACA protects and strengthens Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which have been lifelines to millions of children and their families especially in the current recession. Insurers can no longer place lifetime caps on coverage for sick children.

Republicans remain implacably opposed to the Health Care Act. In addition to vowing its repeal, Republicans unanimously supported the Blunt Amendment that would have destroyed certain benefits of the Wellness provisions in the Act, allowing not only religious groups but any employer with moral objections to opt out of the coverage requirement in the case not only of contraception services but other health services required by the law.

Healthy Americans are needed to build America's future. In this Woman's History Month we pledge ourselves to defend the better future for ourselves and our children that the Affordable Health Care Act will ensure.

March 21, 2012

Continuing Efforts to Drive Rush Limbaugh off the Air

Rush Limbaugh, radio talk show host and powerful Republican Party leader, abused his position irretrievably with his vicious and disgusting attacks on Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke. At issue is the availability of contraception through insurance policies at institutions that may be affiliated with the Catholic Church, but serve wider publics and employ non-Catholics. Fluke had sought unsuccessfully to testify on behalf of free contraceptive availability before an all-male panel at a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing chaired by Republican Darrell Issa.

The WNDC was gratified that President John de Gioia of Georgetown, a Jesuit school, made a statement of unequivocal support for Ms. Fluke. We are appalled that the Republican Presidential Candidates, far from condemning Limbaugh's attacks, could only bring themselves to mildly question Limbaugh's "word choice." The WNDC plans to work to see that both Limbaugh and these Republican candidates are repudiated using standards America has always stood for: fairness, decency and the equal worth of the individual.

John Wilson, the author of "Most Dangerous Man in America: Rush Limbaugh's Assault on Reason," told an MSNBC audience that the reason for Mitt Romney's reactions is not just fear of Rush Limbaugh's power. "Rush Limbaugh may be more than willing to say the controversial things that Republicans are afraid to say but it appears they really agree with what Rush Limbaugh thinks."

Public figures who are elected are subject to democratic accountability such as the recall election underway for Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin. Rush Limbaugh is a major but unelected public figure. We wholeheartedly support the petitions and other pressures that could yet enforce an informal accountability on him through further withdrawal of advertisers from his program. We support the petitions that are circulating to take the Limbaugh program off the Armed Services Network. The morale of our Armed Forces is important to American security. Respect for women serving their country is an essential element of that morale. There is no place for a program that uses trashy language to degrade women especially when it is paid for by all Americans.

These methods may turn out to be inadequate in ridding the airwaves of his misogynistic hate talk, especially when we learn that the major shareholder of Clear Channel, which airs the Limbaugh show, is Bain Capital, founded by candidate Mitt Romney. Corporate power grants impunity to those who would debase our public square. However difficult the task, the WNDC supports continuing efforts to drive Rush Limbaugh off the air.

March 15, 2012

Healthcare and the Availability of Birth Control

President Obama's decision to make free contraception available through health care plans was consistent with medical best practices. An Institute of Medicine (IOM) report recommended a major expansion of reproductive services to women. The IOM also said that expanding birth control services to women will cut down on the number of abortions and make women healthier.

The decision encompassed Catholic institutions such as universities and hospitals that both served and employed non-Catholics. When Catholic bishops strongly objected, the decision was adjusted. Birth control benefits would be offered, without co-pay, but only through insurers, so that the institutions would not play a direct role supporting a benefit they oppose. We hope that this accommodation will not blur the issue, inadvertently assisting the ongoing opposition that has become highly politicized and expanded into a general attack on contraception. It is our firm conviction that this is a healthcare issue and not an issue of religious liberty.

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 was not a violation of religious liberty. No one was being urged, let alone compelled, to violate their beliefs and purchase contraceptives. On the contrary, it is the (heavily government subsidized) private sector religious institutions that seek to impose their will. The President of the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church stated that "the religious right, including the bishops, want to extend their control into public policy areas. They are not democratically elected and cannot speak even for those who are members of the Roman Catholic Church" (arcc-catholi-rights.net). Within the Church there is no agreement among the laity that an anti contraceptive stance is a doctrine that must be followed. In a national representative survey of American Catholics carried out in May 2011, only 11% of Catholics across four generations said that they looked to the bishops as the proper source of moral authority with regard to the use of contraceptives.

To say that non-Catholics should leave the issue alone is not an acceptable position. The Catholic Church cannot arrogate to itself the right to decide this issue "internally" while in the meantime urging on politicians to come down hard on the anti-contraception side. The Republican majority in the House of Representatives has taken outrageous actions. At a hearing on Religious Liberty and Birth Control, chaired by Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA), all of the witnesses on the morning panel were (anti choice) men. The two women testifying at the afternoon panel were both anti choice. Such a hearing does not reflect American public opinion on this matter. It also excludes representatives from the population affected by the issue.

The community as a whole (America) should not facilitate a particular hierarchy in imposing its views, even on its own members, especially when those views offend the moral convictions and legal rights of large numbers of all American

February 22, 2012

WNDC STATEMENT ON KOMEN FUNDING FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD

The Woman's National Democratic Club is very pleased that the cancer charity, Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation, has decided not to implement its recent outrageous decision to withdraw support to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening. Planned Parenthood has an impressive and long history of providing services to women – one that predates Komen's. That Komen would have eliminated its funding on the basis of an investigation by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives shows a lack of understanding of the extent to which women's rights and health care are at risk by the current majority in the House. Komen later declared that its initial decision was based on other reasons, but it should be noted that it still has overlapping board membership with the anti-choice group Susan B. Anthony.

The WNDC, therefore, though relieved that Planned Parenthood's current grants from Komen will remain in force, will have to remain vigilant to see if the grants are renewed in the next cycle.

February 3, 2012

THE REALITY AND DANGER OF REPUBLICAN EXTREMISM

On January 18, The Board of Governors of the Woman's National Democratic Club approved the following statement.

THE REALITY AND DANGER OF REPUBLICAN EXTREMISM
The Woman’s National Democratic Club is shocked at the extremism of many positions voiced by the contenders for the Republican Party presidential nomination. The press and media have covered the primaries as entertainment, giving an enormous swath of air time to uncontested policy pronouncements by the Republican contenders and their supporters, unbalanced by debate and comment from Democrats. We are particularly concerned when this twisting involves positions that are indefensible in themselves but actively dangerous when combined with the commitment to take a “pledge” to implement them.

We have seen what havoc “Republican Pledging” can wreak. Republicans signing on to the Grover Norquist no-tax hike “pledge” almost brought the US government to a halt. Republicans have proved they will stick with their pledges through whatever battering of storms of fact, reality, and national interest.

It now seems that two of the three top winners in the Iowa caucus, Santorum and Paul have taken a “pledge” that, if elected, not to appoint individuals to Justice and Health and Human Services Departments unless they are “anti-abortion.”

Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen in a recent talk at the WNDC sees the “fusion of religion and politics” as a problem. Nothing could spotlight the problem of the fusion of religion and politics more than the religion-driven qualification for public service that the Paul/Santorum pledge would institute, a pledge which, if implemented, would all but certainly ban abortion in the United States.

Kenneth Starr in an op-ed in the Washington Post (8/1/11), speaking of those who oppose electing a president who is a Mormon, said that the Founding Fathers “made it absolutely clear that no religious test should ever be imposed to hold office. The Founders also made clear that religious dissenters (such as the Quakers) should not be compelled to take an oath if doing so would be a violation of conscience. Building on those twin pillars of tolerance, the Supreme Court at its finest moments has likewise vigorously defended the right of all persons to participate in the democratic process, including holding office, without the burden of religious tests or qualifications.”

If one set of religious beliefs qualifies an individual for government service and excludes others, then Americans are not “free and equal.” Wouldn’t such a pledge imply that a democratically elected government could set any standard it wishes to for government service, including denying gays security clearance or excluding Catholics or women? Republican “pledging” undercuts the whole idea of representative democracy and is a back door to authoritarianism.

January 18, 2012

WNDC CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION ON CLIMATE DISRUPTION

The Woman's National Democratic Club (WNDC) has grave concerns about the rising temperatures that are occurring throughout the planet and their consequences for the health and sustainability of all living things. We support the need for strong, preventive action now to avoid the greater economic costs, human suffering, and depletion of resources that will inevitably accompany a continued rise in global temperatures.

We take seriously the science that warns we are headed for trouble if we do not commit to immediate and stronger action. Two recent reports, one by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the other by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), detail the extent of damage we might expect if warming goes beyond the 2 degrees Celsius that climatologists see as a critical threshold. The IEA, which tracks the consequences of existing policies, states that, without change, emissions in 2020 will rise by 20 percent above today's levels to 3.5 C (6.3 F) — a very, very dangerous point to reach. The IPCC estimates that a temperature this high would trigger an increase in heat waves, a rise in sea water levels, and an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, all of which would have profound health effects and threaten the survival of many animal and plant species.

We urge the current Administration to re-consider the stand it has taken at the COP 17 (Conference of Parties) — the 2-week United Nations framing conference in Durban, South Africa, where, along with other developed nations, such as Canada, Russia, and Japan, the US spearheaded a movement to hand over immediate responsibility for reining in emissions to the developing countries and postponed to 2020 the enactment of a new global agreement on legally-binding action to limit greenhouse gases.

We support actions that take the science of global warming into account and recognize the importance of all nations' making the commitment to legally-binding measures that will avert such dangerous temperature levels. We join with the 16 environmental organizations that wrote Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decrying the huge disconnect between the science and the politics of climate change. The science clearly tells us that, to avoid passing a critical tipping point, global emissions need to peak in 2015 and start to decline after that. We must act decisively now. If we wait until 2020, we will be locking ourselves into an insecure, inefficient, high-energy system with disastrous consequences for humanity and the planet.

December 14, 2011

WNDC STATEMENT ON CONGRESSMAN BARNEY FRANK

The Woman’s National Democratic Club was honored by the presence of a great American democrat and legislator, Representative Barney Frank, who spoke to a large enthusiastic crowd November 29. Frank, formerly chair of the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee and a practicing politician for 45 years had the day before announced that he would not seek reelection in 2012.

The WNDC welcomed his unvarnished description of the state of American democracy. We are living at a time of the greatest difference between parties since the Civil War, he said. The parties are not mirror images of each other’s extremism, however. The Democrats are more balanced, believing in a system of mixed private and public contributions to the economy and in making a balanced assessment of what we need to spend on our security. The budget should be brought into balance by a combination of greater taxes on the most wealthy and a reduction of unnecessary and redundant military expenditures, and not on the back of the poor, elderly and sick.

We are in a “terrible vicious cycle” for those who believe in public endeavor, in government, he said. “The Republicans believe in NOT doing things together.” If they succeed in reducing public resources, government will not function as well for people and they will become even more anti-government, thereby compounding our problems.

Frank made a strong case for politics and politicians. You cannot have a functioning democracy without political parties. Without political parties you only have personalities. The “Occupy” movement needs to focus on working democracy; it should be organizing voter registration. Martin Luther King and Gandhi chose the non violent protest way because they couldn’t vote. Frank’s message was Vote!

Noting that he was a “left-handed, gay Jew”, Frank said that of all these demonized minority groups to which he belonged, the discrimination and demonization towards the Democratic Party was the most virulent.

We at the Woman's National Democratic Club are principled, committed members of a political party. We are disheartened to hear the news of Barney Frank’s retirement, as we believe his career as a Democratic politician embodies the skill and talent democracy gets and needs from good politicians. We are certain Barney Frank will continue to work for democracy in America and we wish him well.

Supporting the Overturn of "Citizen's United" Supreme Court Decision

The WNDC supports actions that will weaken and ideally overturn the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United that allows moneyed interests to dominate American politics. We therefore support the purpose of a group of Democratic Senators to amend the US Constitution giving Congress explicit power to regulate campaign spending. We think such an amendment would be useful to bring awareness to the need to nullify a 1976 ruling that equates money and speech, and to overturn or undo the 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case.

Senators Udall, Merkley, Schumer, Durbin, Bennett and Harkin argue - reasonably in our view - that such an amendment is necessary if Congress wants to nullify the 1976 ruling and reverse the 2010 Citizens United decision that allow corporations or unions to give unlimited funds to persuade voters in political campaigns, as long as they are not directly connected with specific campaigns.

Amending the Constitution is an enormously ambitious and quixotic path to take. However, if Americans wish to live in a country where the phrase “free and fair elections” and “representative government” mean something we may have to accept the challenge. We must, in any case, go further and join with Justice John Paul Stevens in opposing “the conceit that corporations must be treated identically to natural persons in the political sphere.”

Stevens’ dissenting opinion goes to the heart of the threat to our democracy posed by the Citizens opinion: “In the context of election to public office, the distinction between corporate and human speakers is significant. Although they make enormous contributions to our society, corporations are not actually members of it. They cannot vote or run for office. Because they may be managed and controlled by nonresidents, their interests may conflict in fundamental respects with the interests of eligible voters. The financial resources, legal structure, and instrumental orientation of corporations raise legitimate concerns about their role in the electoral process. Our lawmakers have a compelling constitutional basis, if not also a democratic duty, to take measures designed to guard against the potentially deleterious effects of corporate spending in local and national races.”

WNDC STATEMENT: ASSAULTS ON WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The Woman's National Democratic Club deplores the recent and vicious assaults on reproductive health, both through federal and state legislation. The Republicans' attacks, privacy invasion, and intimidation threaten not only the rights guaranteed under Roe v. Wade, but basic access to contraception and reproductive health care. The attacks have been unjustly aimed at Planned Parenthood.

Based upon our human and civil rights, the WNDC supports continued government funding at all levels for all family planning services, both domestic and international.

WNDC STATEMENT ON NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS

THE WOMAN'S NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB is thrilled to salute the three women who share this year's Nobel Prize, announced October 8. Tawakkul Karman, Yemeni journalist and human rights activist; Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian activist and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Johnson, President of Liberia and the first woman to be elected as President in Africa are all three unapologetic fighters for women's rights. Karman, once imprisoned by the Yemeni government, leads "Yemeni Women without Chains" and is a senior figure on the Yemeni opposition's Transitional Council. Gbowee's organizing women to, among other actions, strike against their husbands, is acknowledged as crucial in bringing an end to 13 years of civil war in Liberia. Sirleaf, known as the "Iron Lady" has worked tirelessly to rebuild a nation, deeply traumatized by war. The Nobel citation flatly says that the world cannot achieve lasting peace unless women achieve the same rights as men. This is a revolutionary idea. The denial of rights to women is not only a question of justice, important as that is, but of security for all. Without women's participation, it is harder to bring peace to a war torn nation, a region or the world. All of these brave women are, as Gbowee has been called, "she-ros".

October 18, 2011

WOMAN'S NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB STATEMENT ON "BUDGETING FOR GROWTH AND PROSPERITY"

The Center for American Progress has issued a report “Budgeting for Growth and Prosperity.” The WNDC strongly supports the Center’s findings and recommendations.

On the subject of the deficit reduction plan, the report states that a deficit plan that is too big and enacted too fast will be counterproductive – stalling growth and worsening our fiscal problems and will not meet our most important national objective of creating jobs. The report recommends returning to the Clinton era tax brackets, then simplifying the code, trimming itemized deductions, hydrocarbon and agriculture subsidies, and setting the military budget on a more realistic trajectory, as measures that will heal much of the deficit problem. The WNDC agrees with this analysis and recommendations.

The WNDC also agrees with the report’s recommendation that the US increases expenditure on education and infrastructure, as measures that will enhance economic vitality. Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg may not have needed a college education, but their enterprises need an educated workforce. Spending on infrastructure flows directly through to private hiring. At a time of great need, high unemployment and low interest rates, this would seem the ideal moment for such increased expenditure.

As the report states, Medicare should not be evaluated simply as a budget item but as a component of the overall spending challenge of health care. Any approach that relies solely on savings from Medicare and other public programs will shift costs onto individuals and families.

The WNDC endorses the budget plan for America put forward by the Center for American Progress.

July 20, 2011

STATEMENT URGING REBUKE OF REPUBLICAN ALLEN WEST (R-FLA.) FOR INSULT OF DEMOCRAT DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FLA.)

The Woman’s National Democratic Club wishes to express its revulsion at the inflammatory language House member Allen West (R-Fla.) directed at his House colleague Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). West's comments were apparently triggered by Wasserman Schultz's statements, on the House floor, opposing West’s position which would condition the raising of the debt ceiling on passage of a balanced budget amendment, noting that Allen’s position would increase Medicare costs for his Florida constituents. In an email to his constituents and to the House leadership, West called Wasserman Schultz “vile, unprofessional and despicable,” adding that “you have proven repeatedly you are not a Lady and therefore will not be afforded due respect from me.” It is West’s rhetoric that is “vile” and totally unacceptable, including the demeaning use of the word “Lady,” denying her the respect due to a colleague and a professional. The WNDC supports the group of House Democratic women who have called on the Republican leadership to rebuke Representative West.

July 20, 2011

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING STATEHOOD FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

WHEREAS:
District of Columbia residents have no vote in either the U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives; and

WHEREAS:
The District of Columbia has over 600,000 residents, more than the state of Wyoming, whose citizens have full voting rights and representation in the U.S. Congress; and

WHEREAS:
The United States is the world’s only democracy that denies the vote to residents of its federal district (Australia, Brazil and India, for example, extend full voting rights to their federal district citizens.), and by doing so violates the Copenhagen Document of June 1990 that states: The participating States declare that the will of the people, freely and fairly expressed through periodic and genuine elections, is the basis of the authority and legitimacy of all government. The participating States will accordingly respect the right of their citizens to take part in the governing of their country, either directly or through representatives freely chosen by them through fair electoral processes. The United States supported the document more than a decade ago at the Copenhagen meeting of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), but fails to abide by it; and

WHEREAS:
Law abiding people should not be taxed without representation, and District residents pay the highest Federal taxes per capita in the country; and

WHEREAS:
The District of Columbia has sent more than 192,406 men and women to fight in armed combat since World War I, and over 1,686 of these men and women died defending America and fighting for freedom and democracy on foreign soil for citizens of the world. Not one of these D.C. veterans is allowed a vote in Congress; and

WHEREAS:
In 1978, a D.C. Voting Rights constitutional amendment was approved by Congress. If approved by three quarters of the states within seven years (or in this case by 1985) the amendment would have granted D.C. residents full representation in Congress. The amendment failed when it was ratified by only 16 of the required 38 states; and

WHEREAS:
The need for statehood was recently demonstrated by former Sen. John Ensign’s (R-NV) amendment to the D.C. House Voting Rights Act of 2009, giving the District one vote in the U.S. House. The Ensign amendment compromised the District’s gun safety laws, prompting Democratic withdrawal of the bill from the House Floor, sacrificing the District’s right to vote for the principle of self determination. The amendment also denied the District of Columbia the ability to regulate most aspects of gun possession and transfers in the City. In addition, it created inconsistencies between congressional legislation and D.C. laws. In no other jurisdiction in the U.S. would citizens be subjected to such external interference in local affairs;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That the Woman’s National Democratic Club hereby joins the District’s elected leadership and most advocacy groups in support of making the District of Columbia the 51st State of New Columbia; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That the Woman’s National Democratic Club pledges to work closely with D.C. Vote, the D.C. Government, and other coalition groups to achieve three possible steps in 2011 toward the goal of statehood: (1) develop a unified message1 (2) launch hearings to address the cost of state functions2 (3) create a timetable and budget blueprint for statehood.

Adopted June 15, 2011

PRESIDENT OBAMA BRINGS TOGETHER VALUES AND INTERESTS IN NEW MIDDLE EAST POLICY

The Woman’s National Democratic Club welcomes the President Obama’s May 17 address on the Middle East, which outlines a far-reaching new strategic vision. The President has rejected the assumption that American interests and values are opposed, and that values themselves are a “secondary interest”. He puts US policy squarely behind transitions to democracy in the Middle East. US support of change and reform will be conditioned on the embrace of universal human rights which he specified, including free speech, the freedom of peaceful assembly, the freedom of religion, equality for men and women under the rule of law, and the right to choose your own leaders. Protection of minorities is essential.

The President took the correct view that support for dictators is support for an “illusion” of stability, which is not sustainable. An important element of his new vision is that we have a stake not just in the stability of nations, but in the self-determination of individuals.

The President recognizes that the US must work to counter the view in the Arab world that any US policy, including support for reform, is the pursuit of US interests at the expense of the Arab world. The absence of the rhetoric of American exceptionalism in the vision the President outlined is a counter to this suspicion. The President spoke of what we share with democratic forces in the Middle East in the struggle for individual self-determination. The scenes of upheaval in the region may be unsettling for Americans, but the forces driving them are not unfamiliar. “Our own nation was founded through a rebellion against an empire. Our people fought a painful Civil War that extended freedom and dignity to those who were enslaved. And I would not be standing here today unless past generations turned to the moral force of nonviolence as a way to perfect our union.”

President Obama acknowledged that short-term compromises will be necessary. He has, however, called on Americans to seize unique moments, such as the upheavals in the Middle East, to bend history toward freedom for all individuals. We feel confidant Americans will answer that call.

Approved May 27, 2011

Resolution Supporting Reform of the No Child Left Behind Legislation

WHEREAS: The Democratic Party has long advocated the high quality public education and the equality of opportunity that are essential to America’s democratic society; and

WHEREAS: Effective January 8, 2002, an act was signed by President George W. Bush to close the achievement gap with accountability, flexibility, and choice, so that no child is left behind, which may be cited as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; and

WHEREAS: The implementation of this act has, in many instances, resulted in reliance on standardized tests in reading and mathematics to the detriment of the wider curriculum; and

WHEREAS: President Obama in 2011 has challenged Congress to fix this legislation to include better assessment instruments used in their proper place in a curriculum that includes foreign languages, arts, music, up-to-date-technologies, and physical education; and

WHEREAS: In November 2009, the Woman’s National Democratic Club adopted a position that the No Child Left Behind legislation should be revised, maintaining its purposes of accountability and closing the achievement gaps among income levels, but with measurements other than high stakes testing; and with full funding for all mandates;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the National Federation of Democratic Women hereby supports President Obama, state and local school boards, teachers’ unions, parent organizations, and all groups working for revision of the No Child Left Behind legislation to include better assessment instruments used in their proper place in a rich curriculum in every school and full funding of all mandates;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Secretary of the National Federation of Democratic Women forward a copy of this resolution to all chartered National Federation of Democratic Clubs throughout the country.

Resolution Submitted by the WNDC to the National Federation of Democratic Women, Adopted at the NFDW Annual Convention, May 21, 2011

Resolution Supporting Action to Address the Devastating Situation for Widows Around the World

WHEREAS: Organizations globally, including the Woman�s National Democratic Club, are expressing horror at the devastating circumstances afflicting at least 245 million widows around the world, circumstances also devastating for their children; and

WHEREAS: Of the 245 million widows number, more than 115 million of them are living in devastating poverty along with their more than 500 million children. The numbers are increasing every day, due to armed conflicts, AIDS, natural and manmade disasters, loss of livelihoods, etc.; and

WHEREAS: Further, in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab region, a widow is doubly victimized as a woman and as a widow; and

WHEREAS: Lack of inheritance rights means no assets or home, no job, no pension; outside movements are restricted, clothes mark her as a widow, she is isolated, vulnerable to rape, sexual exploitation, HIV/AIDS, and shunned by society; and

WHEREAS: A widow can become chattel to her husband�s brothers after the husband�s death and sometimes stoned to death as a witch for that death; and

WHEREAS: Children also become affected, sharing the poverty, so they cannot attend school. Daughters go begging or sold into prostitution, so the circle of poverty becomes unbroken; and

WHEREAS: The international community is stunned and horrified by these egregious abuses of widowed women and recognizes there is a serious need for policy focus on creating an enabling environment for widows and their families;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the National Federation of Democratic Women hereby supports the recommendations of a coalition of advocacy groups for women, which include urging the adoption of a UN Resolution on Widowhood. The Resolution should call on the UN and the international community to �mainstream widowhood issues� into UN action to achieve Millennium Development Goals, the Beijing Platform for Action and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000); and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the proposed resolution urge the creation of a UN special Representative on Widowhood and a fund to assist widows� organizations to mobilize, urge member states to collect data on widows, and that CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) consider monitoring the status of widows at the state level; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Secretary of the National Federation of Democratic Women forward a copy of this resolution to all chartered National Federation of Democratic Clubs throughout the country.

Resolution submitted by the WNDC to the National Federation of Democratic Women, Adopted at the NFDW Annual Convention, May 21, 2011

Resolution Supporting Action to Address Gun Control

WHEREAS: The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced H.R. 591, the Gun Show Loop Hole Closing Act of 2011; and the U.S. Senate has introduced a companion bill, S. 35; and

WHEREAS: The U.S. House of Representatives has introduced H.R. 308, the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act; and the Senate has introduced a companion bill, S. 32; and

WHEREAS: Convicted felons and other dangerous people should not be allowed to buy guns at gun shows without a Brady criminal background check. In most states convicted felons, domestic violence abusers, and those who are dangerously mentally ill can walk into any gun show and buy weapons from unlicensed sellers. Nor should individuals be allowed to purchase large capacity magazines that allow the killing of numbers of people almost instantaneously; and

WHEREAS: The NFDW also supports bringing attention to the public health aspect of gun control, both the benefits to public health of reducing gun violence and the costs of the deaths due to gun violence. Every year 30,000 deaths are attributed to gun violence, including 18,000 suicides. Another 100,000 Americans are injured by guns. This is a financial cost to all Americans who must pay for the resulting health care expenses, as well as the enormous cost of our prison system; and

WHEREAS: It is a national tragedy to lose so many young people to this health scourge, especially so if deaths are attributed, as they very often are, to the presence of guns in the home, facilitating both homicide and suicide. As recent studies show, the American homicide rate is double any other advanced industrial country rates.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the National Federation of Democratic Women hereby supports the passage of the Gun Show Loop Hole Closing Act of 2011 (H.R. 591 and S. 35), as well as passage of the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act (H.R. 308 and S. 32), banning large capacity magazines; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Secretary of the National Federation of Democratic Women forward a copy of this resolution to all chartered National Federation of Democratic Clubs throughout the country.

Resolution submitted by the WNDC to the National Federation of Democratic Women, Adopted at the NFDW Annual Convention, May 21, 2011

Resolution Supporting Action to Reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): One of Many Essential Steps Needed to Promote a Cleaner, Healthier Environment in the United States

WHEREAS: The National Federation of Democratic Women (NFDW) supports the growing global consensus that a healthy environment and protection of the earth’s precious natural resources are essential to the security and the well being of future generations; and

WHEREAS: The NFDW recognizes that the health of all Americans, and particularly of women and children, who are likely to be more susceptible to harm from toxic substances, depends on maintaining an environment free of toxic materials; and

WHEREAS: Today there are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market, which have never been fully assessed for toxic impacts on human health and the environment; and

WHEREAS: The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which was passed in 1976 and is the USA’s main law aimed at regulating chemicals used in everyday products, is flawed and urgently needs to be reformed; and

WHEREAS: Instead of requiring chemical manufacturers to demonstrate that their products are safe before they go into use, the law says the government has to prove actual harm in order to control or replace a dangerous chemical; and

WHEREAS: The chemical industry now acknowledges the need for federal reform of chemical policy to restore public confidence in the safety of their products and to create a more predictable business environment;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the National Federation of Democratic Women hereby supports the recommendations of The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Coalition that is calling for an overhaul of TSCA based on the law’s inability to protect the health of the American people from exposure to harmful chemicals; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the NFDW urge the Obama Administration to make updating the TSCA a priority and to publicize its new principles for reform of the 35-year old act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the NFDW supports the new 112 Congress’ early commitment to safer chemical policy reform and Senator Frank Lautenberg’s pledge to bring the Safe Chemicals Act legislation (S. 847) to a vote in the summer of 2011.

Resolution submitted by the WNDC to the National Federation of Democratic Women, Adopted at the NFDW Annual Convention, May 21, 2011

Resolution Urging Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

WHEREAS: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), is a landmark international agreement that affirms principles of fundamental human rights and equality for women around the world – addressing violence against women, the right to vote, sex trafficking, and access to education, among other issues; and

WHEREAS: Despite its adoption by 186 countries, 7 countries have not yet done so: Iran, Nauru, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, and Tonga, and The United States (despite having been signed by President Carter in 1980); and

WHEREAS: In November of 2010 the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law, conducted a hearing -- the first such hearing since 2002. In order for the treaty to move to the Senate Floor for a vote, a vote must first be held in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and

WHEREAS: We know that CEDAW has improved the quality of life for women in other countries, whether it be significant increases in literacy rates after improving access to education or incorporating Treaty provisions into constitutions and domestic legal codes; and

WHEREAS: It is disgraceful and long overdue that the United States has not yet ratified this United Nations Treaty, which happens to reflect our philosophy above that of the many countries who have signed on; and

WHEREAS: Ratifying CEDAW will be beneficial to the United States in many ways, but most importantly, it will make our country a more effective leader in helping women around the world regarding their health, education, employment, maternal and child mortality, female genital mutilation and poverty;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the National Federation of Democratic Women believes that women’s rights are human rights and hereby urges Senate approval of this important treaty during this 112th Congress; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Secretary of the National Federation of Democratic Women forward a copy of this resolution to all chartered National Federation of Democratic Clubs throughout the country.

Resolution submitted by the WNDC to the National Federation of Democratic Women, Adopted at the NFDW Annual Convention, May 21, 2011

WNDC Commends the President and the Navy Seal Team

May 13th, 2011

The WNDC issues its strong commendation to President Obama and to the Navy SEAL team that carried out the successful operation against Osama bin Laden, a man who had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. President Obama said in his remarks to the troops at Fort Campbell, Kentucky: "We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day." The President deserves the highest commendation for his remarkable judgment in the difficult calculation of risk and reward and for his selfless courage in acting on that judgment. The world has indeed become safer.

WNDC STATEMENT ON THE REPUBLICAN BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

The Woman’s National Democratic Club expresses shock over comments made by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in an April 5 speech to the American Enterprise Institute when he told his audience of two dangers that would “weaken our national identity” and “curtail free enterprise.” As economic decline continues, the “number of makers diminishes and the number of takers grows.” The other danger he cites is “gradual moral-political decline as dependency and passivity weakens the nation’s character”.

Creating a class of people that is arbitrarily defined as less worthy is a dangerous challenge to the American ideal. As long as they are defunding education for the poor; Pell grants for good students who can’t afford to go to college; or Head Start, a program with a proven track record; Republicans are directly attacking the American ideal by working to reduce or eliminate equality of opportunity.

Americans believe in building a better life as individuals and through our communities, including our elected governments. Mr. Ryan apparently doesn’t understand our democratic institutions when he talks of power being given to non-elected bureaucrats and stripped from individuals and their elected representatives (i.e., Ryan). As we understand it, it is the job of elected representatives at all levels of government to legislate and oversee the operations of the “bureaucrats” to administer their laws. Maybe Cong. Ryan isn’t doing his job in making the American ideal work.

More fundamentally, the preamble of the Constitution calls upon the government to “provide for the common defense, and to promote the general welfare.” That is a mandate of the Constitution. The Constitution does not say that the government should promote the welfare of the rich and super rich. Cong. Ryan and his Republican followers are violating a fundamental principle of the Constitution. It is our task to uphold the Constitution against this onslaught from Mr. Ryan and his co-conspirators.

We at the WNDC find Mr. Ryan’s comments morally unacceptable. He calls his budget proposal “The Path to Prosperity.” In fact, it is a “path to poverty” for far too many Americans and is in direct violation of our Constitutional mandate to promote the general welfare.

Approved April 14, 2011

APRIL 5 BREAKING NEWS

The Woman's National Democratic Club enthusiastically applauds President Obama's choice of Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz to lead the DNC upon Tim Kaine's announcement to run for the U.S. Senate seat in Virginia. WNDC pledges to support and work with Cong. Wasserman Schultz and to help elect Tim Kaine as the next U.S. Senator from Virginia!

MARCH 21, 2011: PUBLIC POLICY LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA WEIGHING IN ON NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND LEGISLATION.

Dear President Obama:

The Woman's National Democratic Club thanks you for challenging Congress to fix the No Child Left Behind legislation. We join you in supporting NCLB's purposes of accountability and closing the achievement gaps among income levels and in wanting a new, flexible, and fully-funded system that truly helps schools serving children from low-income families.

We join you in advocating better assessment instruments, which should take their proper place in a curriculum that includes foreign languages, arts, music, and up-to-date technologies. We join you in supporting efforts to recruit, support, and retain good teachers in all schools.

We applaud your leadership in this vital area.

Most sincerely,

Shelly Livingston Vice President for Public Policy

Barbara Stout
Chairperson, Education and Children's Issues Task Force

WNDC RESOLUTION MARCH 18, 2011:

TO EXTEND OUR CONDOLENCES TO THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT AND THE JAPANESE PEOPLE AND PLEDGE TO WORK FOR CHANGE SO THAT A TRAGEDY LIKE THIS WILL NEVER AGAIN OCCUR

The Woman's National Democratic Club sends its heart-felt condolences to the Japanese nation and the Japanese people as they suffer the assault on their wellbeing from three unprecedented sources: a huge earthquake, a powerful tsunami, and extensive damage to their nuclear power plants. We understand the enormous challenge this presents to your nation and pledge to support the international efforts to assist your recovery. Our sympathy in particular goes to women and children, who may be especially vulnerable to the long-term health consequences of nuclear radiation.

We believe that the crisis which Japan is now enduring is not confined to the Japanese nation. It affects us all as members of an increasingly interconnected global community. It is part of the worldwide challenge to develop safe, sustainable energy to meet the needs of people in countries throughout the world. The WNDC therefore pledges to support efforts to learn from this Japanese tragedy and to do as much as possible to avoid another such catastrophe.

WNDC STATEMENT SUPPORTING ACTION TO ADDRESS THE DEVASTATING SITUATION FOR WIDOWS AROUND THE WORLD

MARCH 18, 2011

The Woman’s National Democratic Club expresses its horror at the devastating circumstances afflicting at least 245 million widows around the world, circumstances also devastating for their children.

The WNDC supports the recommendations of a coalition of advocacy groups for women, which include urging the adoption of a UN Resolution on Widowhood. The Resolution calls on the UN and international community to “mainstream widowhood issues” into UN action to achieve Millennium Development Goals, the Beijing Platform for Action and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000). UNSC Res. 1325 calls on Member States to “ensure increased representation of women at all decision-making levels in national, regional and international institutions and mechanisms for the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict.”

Other recommendations in the proposed Resolution urge the creation of a UN Special Representative on Widowhood and a fund to assist widows’ organizations to mobilize. Further, member states should ask these organizations to collect data on the economic status of widows; and, as well, CEDAW should monitor the social and economic status of widows for each member country.

(Background notes: On March 7th, Margaret Owen, Founder and Director of Widows for Peace through Democracy, spoke to WNDC Members and guests. Her message was poignant: Never in history has the world witnessed such an influx of widows and “wives of the missing.” Widowhood is the main cause of poverty, and the numbers are increasing every day, due to armed conflicts, AIDS, natural and manmade disasters, loss of livelihoods, etc. In South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab region, a widow is doubly victimized as a woman and as a widow. Lack of inheritance rights means no assets or home. Then there are no jobs, no pension, and outside movements are restricted. Clothes mark her as a widow, and she is isolated, vulnerable to rape, sexual exploitation, HIV/AIDS, and shunned by society. Ms. Owen told the group that these widows can become chattel to the deceased husband’s brothers and sometimes stoned to death as witches for the deaths of their husbands. Children also are affected, sharing in the poverty, so they can’t go to school. Daughters can go begging or sold into prostitution. Thus the circle of poverty never ends. Margaret’s appearance at the WNDC coincided with meetings in New York City to urge adoption of a UN resolution to address the horrors of widowhood during the 54th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, headed by former Chilean President Bachelet. WNDC stands behind her efforts.)

Statement adopted March 16, 2011

WNDC STATEMENT ON THE HORRIFIC EVENTS IN TUCSON, ARIZONA

January 10, 2011
WNDC STATEMENT ON THE HORRIFIC EVENTS IN TUCSON, ARIZONA
To all WNDC members:
Members of the Woman’s National Democratic Club are outraged and heartbroken over Saturday’s horrific events in Arizona. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords remained unconscious and in critical condition today from an assassin’s semi-automatic gun rampage, which claimed the lives of six other innocent people and injured many more. The victims were attending one of her many “Congress on the Corner” constituent events.

The WNDC PAC endorsed and supported Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2006, the first year she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. We pray for her in these critical hours and hope for her speedy recovery and return to the House of Representatives, where her leadership is needed on so many fronts.

Details are still emerging; however, this much seems clear: it is time for meaningful dialogue over sensible gun laws to end violence which over and over continues to claim innocent lives and ravage communities. In addition, the political vitriol must cease. This is the moment for our two polarized parties to come together on a sustained basis. We owe nothing less to Gabe Zimmerman, the devoted staff aide to Rep. Giffords, who was engaged to be married; or U.S. District Judge John Roll, who recently worked with Rep. Giffords on court issues and was loved and admired across party lines; or to retired construction worker Dorwin Stoddard, who tried to shield his wife during the shooting rampage; or retired citizens Dorothy Morris and Phyllis Scheck, details of whose lives are not known at this time.

How will we honor the legacy of 9-year old little Christina Greene, who was recently elected to the student council and attended the event so she could learn more about government because she aspired to help her country in the future. She was born on September 11, 2001 – bookmarked by tragedy at the hands of both foreign and domestic terrorists. Today we at WNDC mourn and pray. Tomorrow we vow to act to ensure that speech to incite violence and lax gun laws do not claim any more innocent lives.

STATEMENT ON U.S. RATIFICATION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW) AT A HEARING OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE LAW, COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY, UNITED STATES SENATE

NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Attend the hearing at 2:00 p.m. in Room 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building or click here to
watch the webcast live.

The Woman’s National Democratic Club strongly supports CEDAW and urges its immediate ratification by the United States.

The Woman’s National Democratic Club (WNDC) was founded in 1922, two years after the 19th amendment was added to the Constitution and was the first meeting place for democratic women in Washington, D.C. WNDC has a long history of supporting the “Treaty for the Rights of Women” (officially the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) since its inception in the United Nations in 1979 and signing by President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Despite is adoption by 186 countries, 7 countries have not yet done so: the United States, Iran, Nauru, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, and Tonga.

It is disgraceful and long overdue that the United States has not yet passed this United Nations Treaty, which happens to reflect our philosophy above that of the many countries who have signed on. When President Obama created the White House Council on Women and Girls, he emphasized how important it is for us “to ensure that our daughters and granddaughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements – and that they have opportunities their mothers and grandmothers and great grandmothers never dreamed of.”

Now is the time for the United States to redouble its efforts by supporting mothers and grandchildren all over the world. We know that CEDAW has improved the quality of life for women in other countries. For example, Australia, Brazil, Morocco, South Africa and Uganda have incorporated provisions in the CEDAW treaty into their constitutions and domestic legal codes. Additionally, Egypt, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Pakistan have all seen significant increases in literacy rates after improving access to education for girls and women.

Ratifying CEDAW will be beneficial to the United States in many ways, but most importantly, it will make our country a more effective leader in helping women around the world regarding their health, education, employment, maternal and child mortality, female genital mutilation and poverty.

Women’s rights are human rights. We at the Woman’s National Democratic Club implore the Senate to stand unequivocally with women of the world by approving CEDAW this session. It is the right thing to do and the right time to do it.

WNDC STATEMENT ON GUN CONTROL
October 20, 2010

The Woman’s National Democratic Club supports the passage of HR 2324, the Gun Show Loop Hole Closing Act of 2009, which will require background checks of customers at gun shows. Convicted felons and other dangerous people should not be allowed to buy guns at gun shows without a Brady criminal background check. In most states convicted felons, domestic violence abusers, and those who are dangerously mentally ill can walk into any gun show and buy weapons from unlicensed sellers.

The WNDC also supports bringing attention to the public health aspect of gun control, both the benefits to public health of reducing gun violence and the costs of the deaths due to gun violence. Every year 30,000 deaths are attributed to gun violence, including 18,000 suicides. Another 100,000 Americans are injured by guns. This is a financial cost to all Americans who must pay for the resulting health care expenses, as well as the enormous cost of our prison system. It is a national tragedy to lose so many young people to this health scourge, especially so if deaths are attributed, as they very often are, to the presence of guns in the home, facilitating both homicide and suicide. As recent studies show, the American homicide rate is double any other advanced industrial country rate.

It is way past time to take the minimum step of passing the Gun Show Loop Hole Bill.

WNDC STATEMENT ON NOVEMBER 7 ELECTIONS IN BURMA

The military junta in Burma (Myanmar) has scheduled November 7 elections for a Parliament where 25% of the seats are reserved for the military, and under an election law that effectively ensures that the National League for Democracy (NLD) will not be able to participate. The NLD, led by Nobel Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, won the only free and fair election in Burma’s history in 1990.

"We don’t believe those elections can be free or fair, and we continue to urge the Burmese authorities to begin a genuine political dialogue with the democratic opposition," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said during a press briefing Sept. 24. Burma’s Foreign Minister Nyan Win, by contrast, insisted the elections would be “inclusive” and free and fair. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell has professed “disappointment” that the Administration’s last September diplomatic overtures to the Burmese government have not produced results.

The Burmese regime should not be allowed to use this election to legitimize itself in the international community. Such an outcome will not represent progress in dealing with a dangerous and oppressive government. We support the U.S. position that elections in Burma will not be credible. Diplomatic engagement with Burma can work only if the international community continues to point to the regime’s failures.

WNDC STATEMENT ON RATIFICATION OF THE NEW START TREATY

The Woman’s National Democratic Club urges the ratification of the New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) when the Senate reconvenes in November after the midterm elections. The WNDC is deeply concerned that a failure to ratify the treaty would jeopardize many elements of our national security, including the improvement in U.S./Russian relations.

Ratification should not be a partisan issue. Three previous arms control agreements were negotiated by Republican presidents, two of them ratified in the Senate with Republican support. These treaties cut down deployed nuclear weapons by 80 percent. The New START treaty makes only a modest reduction to 1,550 deployed weapons from the 1,700 to 2,200 of the 2002 Moscow Treaty. This treaty breaks no new ground but rather travels on a path laid down by Republican presidents. Moreover, the treaty has the support of three distinguished former U.S. cabinet members, and one distinguished Democratic Senator: Henry Kissinger, George Schultz, William Perry, and Sam Nunn. The U.S. military also overwhelmingly endorses ratification.

The WNDC held a forum on nuclear and nonproliferation issues on July 27. Three leading experts from the Carnegie Endowment, the New American Foundation and the State Department agreed that failure of the Senate to ratify would be a disaster for our national security interests. We support their conclusion and urge ratification of the New START treaty.

A CALL TO MOBILZE WOMEN BEHIND
THE RATIFICATION OF THE NEW START TREATY

August 2, 2010

The Woman’s National Democratic Club is deeply concerned at the possibility that the US Senate will not ratify the New START treaty between Russia and the United States. Such a failure would jeopardize many elements of our national security, including the improvement in US/Russian relations. In an important element of this improvement, Russia has joined with the US in sanctioning Iran, canceling the sale of the S-300 air defense system to Iran. Ratification would significantly change the international situation in favor of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. Also significantly, without ratification of the new START treaty there will be no possibility of negotiating a further treaty with the Russians to reduce tactical nuclear weapons, a reduction clearly in our national interest.

President Obama’s Republican opponents have accused the President of naïveté in believing that eliminating nuclear weapons by itself would make the world a safer place. This is not the President’s position. On the contrary, the President believes that the world must first be made safer through constructing bulwarks against states that violate international laws and norms. Without the ratification of the New START treaty, the chances of creating those bulwarks that will control nuclear proliferation will sharply diminish. The world will be less safe from the unimaginable catastrophe of the use of nuclear weapons.

Women have the strongest possible interest in making a more secure world a reality. In a more secure world, resources can be directed at urgent needs for a well-educated healthy population that is productively employed in creating a better life for all Americans. This world will be put in jeopardy by a failure of the Senate to ratify the New Start treaty.

On the Anniversary of Iran's June 12 2009 Elections:
The Right to Vote is a Human Right

June 11, 2010

As Iran approaches the first anniversary of the "Green Revolution" contesting the disastrous June 12, 2009 elections, it is worth remembering that preceding these elections the Iranian system had democratic elements. During the run up to the elections, Prime Minister Ahmadinejad even had a western style televised debate with his chief opponent, Mir Hossein Moussavi. That was then. Iran is now a military/clerical dictatorship that relies on force to suppress its people.

The Obama Administration has demonstrated a preference for staying out of a country's internal affairs, at least when it concerns elections. Following last year's elections President Obama called on Iran to "choose the path of international norms and principles". Obama was talking about "norms and principles" concerning the violent suppression of peaceful protest, and said nothing about the issue of the fraudulence of the elections themselves. However, the Iranian elections, and the continuing, if brutally suppressed, opposition, have brought to the surface the understanding that people want their vote - honestly counted. Elections are a part of the universal striving for the dignity Obama talks about.

The Administration is well positioned to take global leadership on an effective human rights and democracy policy. The President is its greatest asset, a leader who has riveted the world with his eloquence on the shared values of the global community. With a declared multilateralist approach to international problems, his Administration also has already taken steps to embed its programs and policies in structures of international cooperation.

The Woman's National Democratic Club firmly believes that the right to vote is a human right. Asserting that right supports an effective foreign policy.

WOMAN�S NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB SUPPORTS NOMINATION OF SOLICITOR GENERAL ELENA KAGAN TO THE SUPREME COURT

May 13, 2010

The Woman�s National Democratic Club warmly welcomes President Obama�s nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court of the United States and supports her rapid Senate confirmation. We believe that with her demonstrated intellectual achievements and record of consensus building, she will serve on this country�s highest court with distinction.

Elena Kagan�s empathy, pragmatism, and passion for justice will serve as an effective counter to rigid and often radical ideological voices that have too often prevailed in the current Supreme Court. As with the confirmation of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the WNDC believes that our national institutions function best when their leadership reflects the rich diversity of our country. It is of the highest importance that justices bring to bear in their judgments their unique perspectives on the life experiences of the individuals who are affected by their decisions. We are confident that Elena Kagan will use her proven qualities of intellect and character to strengthen our democratic society.

Solicitor General Kagan was the first female Dean of Harvard Law School, the first female Solicitor General of the United States, and should be the third female member of the current Supreme Court. Our recent Eleanor Award recipient Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg predicted in her own nomination hearings in 1993 that she would eventually be one of three or more women on the high court bench. The WNDC intends to ensure that prediction becomes a reality, as it works to persuade the U.S. Senate to move swiftly to confirm Elena Kagan as the next Supreme Court Justice.

WOMAN�S NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CLUB HAILS PASSAGE OF
HEALTH CARE REFORM LEGISLATION

March 24, 2010

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, her leadership team and 219 members of the House have demonstrated that Democrats understand politics as the art of the possible when people of strongly held divergent views can find compromise for the common good. They have achieved this in the face of unprecedented misrepresentation of the facts and innuendo directed against the President and Democratic members of the House and Senate.

The Woman�s National Democratic Club (WNDC) salutes those who have labored over the complexities inevitable in attempting to restructure the unwieldy structure of public and private entities that represent a significant portion of the American economy. We offer our congratulations to not only the Members of the House and Senate, but also to the Committee Chairs and professional staff who have grappled effectively with the conflicting and often perverse incentives that influence health care financing and delivery.

President Obama�s signature on this landmark legislation is a big step toward improving access and quality of care to millions of Americans across the economic and age spectrum. It is essential that we all exercise patience as the various changes are phased in over the coming months and years. It is equally essential that the Administration continue to press for more clinically appropriate and cost-effective care. The Woman�s National Democratic Club welcomes the opportunity to play a continued role in this process.

Letter to Senator Schumer, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration,
on the Filibuster

Sent by the Public Policy Committee

February 18, 2010

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Chairman
Committee on Rules and Administration
United States Senate
Room 305 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Chairman Schumer:

We are writing to express our profound concern that the misuse of Senate Rule XXII for political reasons has reached a critical stage. It is crippling debate and paralyzing the Senate

Like others, we feel this procedural rule is not only being misused to obstruct legislation, but it is increasingly being employed to place a hold on any nomination, further hampering the Majority�s ability to govern. We saw the latter most recently last week when a hold was placed on a nomination to the National Labor Relations Board. A supermajority was needed to continue discussion of that nomination, which failed. Even more egregiously, a lone Senator was able to place a hold on 70 nominations in exchange for parochial demands, which meant 70 vital government positions could not move forward unless Senate democrats secured a 60-member cloture vote to break it, or until the Senator lifted the hold. As Senator Harkin stated recently, �Elections should have consequences. Yet the Senate�s current rules allow for a minority of one to make elections meaningless.�

What we have at present is a system of �ghost� filibusters and debates, which has debased our democracy. The routine use of the supermajority now happens at least 100 times a term, clearly in violation of the intent of the Constitution, which requires the use of supermajorities only in a few special cases, such as ratifying treaties, impeachment, expulsion of members, constitutional amendments and overriding Presidential treaties. When a 60-vote supermajority is allowed to cut off debate on any issue, its continuous abuse is crippling our day-to-day operations and could seriously impede any response in potential crisis situations. The fact that this rule is now being used to decide whether to enact a law and to exact obstruction to another party in power is intolerable and unconscionable.

We would call on you to consider emergency measures, such as a repeal of Rule XXII, a lowering of the threshold of Rule XXII, or an opinion from the Senate Chair that the Rule is deemed to be unconstitutional. In addition, there must be other avenues Senate and House Parliamentarians could travel to avoid further legislative roadblocks by the Minority. Otherwise, it will yet again be up to us, the voters, to challenge vigorously candidates in the 2010 elections to reject this perversion of American democracy.

The words of Alexander Hamilton are worth repeating: In Federalist Paper No. 75 he dismissed requiring a supermajority rule for a quorum, saying that such a rule would have the effect of subjecting �the sense of the majority to that of the minority.� He added that �the history of every political establishment in which this principle has prevailed is a history of impotence, perplexity and disorder.�

The Public Policy Committee of the Woman�s National Democratic Club urges immediate action that would correct this disorder. Please think in terms of the country�s general interests and because something is the right thing to do. We are determined to see a Congress that works for the long-term national interests and where a clear will of the majority is allowed to be heard in Congress. We implore you to act quickly and resolutely. The abuse of the filibuster plays into the hands of those who would like to see us flounder and fail as a nation. We have the opportunity now to ensure that does not happen.

Sincerely,

Shelly S. Livingston, Chair
Public Policy Committee
Woman�s National Democratic Club

Elizabeth Spiro Clark, Chair
Task Force on Human Rights and
International Organizations
Woman�s National Democratic Club

WNDC STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT RULING:
CITIZENS UNITED V. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION
January 22, 2010

Today, the Roberts' Supreme Court again demonstrated its activism and disregard for precedent and judicial restraint by voting 5 to 4 to strike down restrictions on corporations to spend unlimited amounts of dollars in support of, or opposition to, political candidates. Using the pretense of free speech, the radical right majority voted its political interests and supported multinational corporations and other conglomerates over the American people. In ruling for the powerful entities, whose use of corporate dollars has the capacity to trump the honest, hard-working candidates who seek office in order to uphold the constitutional rights of all Americans, the Supreme Court has dealt democracy a serious blow. By removing restrictions on election spending by corporations, the ruling promises to change the way campaigns are run. We live in a political culture where a large number of individual voters do not participate in the political process because they feel their voices get drowned out by large corporate interests. This decision is likely to further reinforce voter apathy. The impact on major national issues under debate today cannot be ignored either. The healthcare and climate change debates just got murkier.

The Woman�s National Democratic Club deeply regrets this decision. This is a decided victory for Wall Street and large corporate interests. It is a defeat for a fundamental tenet of democracy we hold so dearly.

WNDC STATEMENT CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
November 18, 2009

The Woman�s National Democratic Club is deeply concerned about climate change and its detrimental effects upon human health and the condition of the planet. We believe that the consequences of the global climate disruption forecast by scientists will significantly affect the well-being of Americans and people around the world � now and for generations to come.

In this connection, while recognizing that compromise will be necessary to achieve international consensus at the UN Conference in Copenhagen, the WNDC firmly recommends a strong science-based international climate treaty and congressional legislation that incorporates the following basic principles:

First, that priority consideration be accorded those technologies that can be most effective in reducing emissions in a way that is both non-polluting and ultimately sustainable. A 2009 Stanford University study* that ranked energy systems with regard to their impacts on global warming, pollution, water supply, land use, wildlife and other such concerns, found that the best options, by far, were wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and hydroelectric power � all of which are driven by renewable resources -- wind, water, or sunlight. The least effective, along with oil and natural gas, were nuclear power, coal with carbon capture, and ethanol.

Second, that strategies for curbing climate change should also maintain certain minimal standards and safeguards � assuring all nations that financial assistance will focus upon those energy-related technologies that would have the greatest impact on reducing global warming pollution, be the most cost-effective, and create the most �green� jobs. We believe that achieving these goals would best be implemented by including the following safeguards in climate change legislation: (a) subjecting loans to review in an appropriations process; (b) restricting the amount of financial support that can go to any one technology; and (c) applying a metric for global warming pollution capable of both measuring the effectiveness of any given technology and verifying claims about the extent of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions actually achieved.

Finally, we strongly recommend the adoption of the REDD concept � Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation � a new market mechanism that provides residents of tropical forest properties more income from standing forests than from their removal.

As President Obama and his team of scientific experts develop and negotiate a comprehensive policy to present at the UN Conference, we urge that they keep in mind the very basic and overriding principle that investing in renewable energy, conservation efforts and energy efficiency are the most direct and manageable ways to protect our scarce environmental resources and at the same time ensure the health of our fellow inhabitants all over the world.

We implore our President to be firm, resolute and passionate in his efforts to remind the U.S Congress and the rest of the world that time is running out.

*Mark Z. Jacobson and Mark A. Delucchi, �A Path to Sustainable Energy By 2030,� Scientific American (November 2009) pp. 58-65.

For questions on the Statement please contact Alice T. Day, PhD (Chair, WNDC Public Policy Task Force on the & Energy) at-lhday@verizon.net

Statement on UN Security Council Resolution 1888
"Women, Peace and Security"

The Woman's National Democratic Club wishes to congratulate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for bringing before the UN Security Council a resolution mandating steps the UN must take to combat the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Resolution 1888 was passed by the Security Council on September 30, 2009. Among its provisions, the resolution calls for the appointment of a UN Special Representative to lead, coordinate, and advocate efforts to end conflict-related sexual violence against women and children, the selection of a team of experts to advise governments, the appointment of women's protection advisors in peacekeeping operations in countries where appropriate, and calls for the Secretary General to submit annual reports on the implementation of this and earlier resolutions.

In her remarks the Secretary said "The dehumanizing nature of sexual violence doesn't just harm a single individual or a single family or even a single village or a single group. It shreds the fabric that weaves us together as human beings�.our failure as an international body to respond concretely to this global problem erodes our collective effectiveness. So we must act now to end this crisis not only to protect vulnerable people and promote human security, but to uphold the legitimacy of this body."

The Woman's National Democratic Club wholeheartedly believes that such acts of violence constitute one of the most serious forms of human rights violations, and interventions to stop this barbarism must be immediate.

For questions on the Statement please contact Betsy Spiro Clark, Chair, WNDC Public Policy Task Force on Human Rights and International Organizations epsclark@rcn.com, 202 537-1279

Climate Change Letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President:

The Woman�s National Democratic Club (WNDC) applauds your vigorous efforts to get Congress and the American people behind legislation to move the nation from an economy based on fossil fuels toward one built on renewable energy sources. While we regard as quite modest the initial targets set by the House to reduce emissions of heat-trapping gases, we recognize that it is a first step -- and a hard fought one at that. We look to you, now, to build on these early targets to fashion a more robust program encompassing a wide variety of tough changes, including, as well as renewable energy, creative new approaches to conservation and rigorous energy efficiency, and yes, even as you yourself have suggested, tougher efficiency standards for light bulbs.

Read Full Letter

WNDC Supports the Nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor

�The Woman's National Democratic Club is proud to support the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of the United States. Our support is based, above all, on her superb qualifications, most notably the fact that she has more experience on the federal bench than any Supreme Court nominee in at least 100 years. In addition, the WNDC believes that our national institutions function best when leadership reflects the rich diversity of our country. Sotomayor's background and unique experiences will be of great and special value to her and to her colleagues on the Court. The WNDC hopes and expects that the Senate will move swiftly to confirm Judge Sotomayor.�

WNDC Statement on DC Voting Rights

The Woman�s National Democratic Club supports voting rights for the more than 600,000 residents of the District of Columbia. We endorse passage of the DC Voting Rights Act of 2009 and reject all attempts to use the bill as a vehicle for moving any other legislation that infringes on the enfranchisement of residents of the District of Columbia.

Action For Nuclear Non-Proliferation A Top Priority

In �2008 and Beyond: A WNDC Platform for the Democratic Party� the WNDC supports the adoption and implementation of the bipartisan plan for the elimination of nuclear weapons endorsed by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Senator Sam Nunn, former Defense Secretary William Perry and former Secretary of State George Shultz.

At a major conference on January 8 marking the transition to the Obama Administration Perry stated that �the world is in a race between cooperation and catastrophe� if steps are not taken to stop nuclear non-proliferation.

We are strongly supportive of the statements of Secretary of State Clinton in her written confirmation hearing testimony outlining the steps the Obama Administration will take that are in line with the Kissinger/Perry/Schultz/Nunn plan. The Obama Administration wants to end Cold War practice of keeping missiles on hair trigger alert, in a mutual manner with Russia and replace and strengthen the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty of 1991 including negotiating with Russia deep and verifiable reductions in US and Russian arsenals, with full funding for the International Monitoring System. The US will seek to double the budget of the International Atomic Energy Agency over the next four years and will contribute to a nuclear fuel bank so that nations will not need to have their own reprocessing facilities. Clinton stated the Obama Administration is committed to Senate approval of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

One of the most important actions that incoming President Obama can take is to use his �bully pulpit� to alert the US and international publics to the real and present danger of nuclear proliferation.

WNDC Statement on The President's FY 2009 Budget: Stop The Cuts In Programs For Women And Chiildren, Low Income Families

This week (March 3-7) the House and Senate budget committees will complete and submit for debate by the full House and Senate their drafts of the Budget Resolution. The resolutions set totals by expenditure categories for the FY 2009 budget.

Vital services to women and children are in serious jeopardy with the recommendations in the President's FY 2009 budget to cut $120 million from the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and to cut funding by over $50 million for the Family Violence Prevention Service (FVPS). Today, hundreds of thousands are served each year, yet insufficient resources prevent other thousands of women from getting the help they need to overcome violence and abuse.

Among other cuts, President Bush's proposed budget would eliminate grants that provide social services to protect children from abuse and neglect and hearing screenings for newborns. The President's budget would reduce funding for mental health and substance abuse programs for children and their parents, and food, housing, job training, energy assistance and related programs for low-income families.

The Woman's National Democratic Club strongly urges the Congress to reject any attempt to cut funding for the critical services to women and children provided in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and to restore the full proposed budget for the Family Violence Prevention Service (FVPS) as well as other needed health and social services programs.

WNDC Statement on Dr. George R. Tiller

On June 3, the WNDC Executive Committee approved the following statement on Dr. George R. Tiller.

The Woman�s National Democratic Club offers its condolences to the family, friends and patients of Dr. George R. Tiller, murdered at his church in Wichita last week.

The WNDC is committed to policies that protect women�s health including a woman�s right to choose. We therefore support the protection of health care providers who ensure access to these critical services. We will continue to look for ways to support and influence public policy consistent with this commitment.

WNDC Resolution On Israeli Settlements On The West Bank: Looking Beyond The Immediate War Situation

President Obama has stated that he will make Israeli-Palestinian conflict an immediate foreign policy priority. The WNDC strongly supports this pledge. Whatever the outcomes in Gaza following separate Israeli and Hamas truces, it is not clear that a peace settlement will be among them. The Israeli government, Hamas and the PA government of Mahmoud Abbas could merely regroup for the next round of violence. The strong engagement of the US can fundamentally change this dynamic. We are strongly encouraged that President Obama�s first calls to foreign leaders were to Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Abbas, Jordanian King Abdullah and Egyptian President Mubarak.

Regardless of whether the US lays out a comprehensive settlement or conflict management requirements, certain immediate actions from the Israeli government will be essential for generating political will from all parties behind a comprehensive settlement. These actions are separate from the terms and conditions � and new political landscape - that will emerge from an end to the war in Gaza.

Secretary of State designate Hillary Clinton said at her confirmation hearing January 13 that beyond the challenge of a durable ceasefire was the task of rebuilding a sense of cooperation and the capacity of the Palestinian Authority, which is in opposition to Hamas.

If that goal is to remain realistic, the Israeli government must freeze settler expansion and sharply increase the dismantling of the roadblocks that restrict West Bank and Jerusalem Palestinians. Settler expansion, roadblocks and settler-only roads undercut Israel�s negotiating partner, Mahmoud Abbas, and present a convincing argument to Palestinians � and outsiders - that Israel will not implement the two-state solution both sides profess to support as the shape of a final settlement.

For these reasons, President Obama should make these steps by Israel a top goal in his policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

WNDC Public Policy Position on Voting Rights for Residents of the District of Columbia

WNDC supports voting rights based on the following:

Residents of Washington, DC, pay taxes, serve our country in time of war, vote in presidential elections and are subject to federal laws. Yet, since 1800, they have been denied local autonomy and representation in their federal government. The District of Columbia entered the 21st Century with less voting status than it had in 1799.

The Constitution was written and ratified before the District of Columbia was founded and neither provides for nor denies District residents voting rights in Congress.

Congress gives itself the power to review and approve every line of the District budget and freely and frequently restricts how locally raised revenues are spent. Such federal interference in local affairs would be unthinkable in any other U. S. jurisdiction.

The DC Voting Rights Bill has passed the U. S. House of Representatives. Senate bill S-1257, now in committee, is a bipartisan effort to add two delegates to the House, one District of Columbia (D) voting delegate and one additional Utah (R) delegate. Hawaii and Alaska were admitted to the union on a similar basis.

There is greater bipartisan support for District voting rights than ever before: Republicans need to counter global criticism that the U. S. does not practice democracy at home, and the DC voting rights bill presents them with an opportunity to demonstrate independence from purely partisan politics.

Washington, DC, is the world�s only capital city in a democracy where residents of a federal district do not have full representation in the federal government.

WNDC Public Policy Position on Immigration Reform

WNDC supports comprehensive immigration reform containing the following elements:

An increase in the U.S. minimum wage and enforcement for all workers.
A guest worker program that protects both American and immigrant workers.
Enforcement of laws against employers using undocumented immigrants.
Conditioned paths to legal residence (green cards) and citizenship for unauthorized immigrants.
Increased security on U.S. borders, including improved interception and punishment of persons engaged in illegal transportation of immigrants into the United States.

This statement has been passed unanimously by the Public Policy Committee. The WNDC Public Policy Committee includes task force and special project chairs. The mandate o the PPC is to study and discuss timely national and international issues and develop and advocate public policy positions on these issues.

RELIGION AND POLITICS: THE ROMNEY MESSAGE

-- Betsy Spiro Clark, Chair, Public Policy Committee

Mitt Romney is doing well enough in the Republican primary season to make him a plausible eventual Republican presidential nominee. It is important therefore for Democrats pay attention now to the pernicious ideas that permeate the "Faith in America" speech Romney delivered December 6 at the George Bush Presidential Library, and to challenge them. The speech opened a door on a religious ideology that arguably unites a large swath of Republican leadership, including President Bush. With some decoding, the ideology explains why its true believers see government as their enemy. In this ideological universe wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on a misbegotten war is a good thing, not just because it promises "victory" in Iraq, but because it denies the "other enemy", our own government, hundreds of millions of dollars for health care, disaster relief, infrastructure maintenance and education.

"Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom. Freedom opens the windows of the soul so that man can discover his most profound beliefs and commune with God. Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone." This was Romney's central theme, using "freedom requires religion" to play off the threat of secularism to Americans. "Freedom requires religion" means absolute opposition to the "religion" of secularism. Romney says, in so many words, that all faiths are ok; the only thing that is unacceptable is no faith.

Perhaps more interesting as an ideological marker is the second clause "religion requires freedom" - and its link to the dogma of small government. In Romney's view government must be smaller (except in defense), but religion bigger. This, he says, is because despite differences in theology between churches "we share a common creed of moral convictions." "We acknowledge the Creator," including, as Romney enumerates, "with religious displays in public places." "I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from the 'the God who gave us liberty.'"

Romney's "common creed of moral convictions" does not cover what Democrats generally mean when they use the word "moral" to describe public policy or action. Romney is far from saying ? what Democrats timidly do ? that, for example, extending health care coverage to more children under the SCHIP program is a moral imperative, understood as an action that reflects our common morality.

Why should nativity scenes blossom on courthouse courtyards ("religious displays on public spaces") but government health insurance programs shrink? An explanation is available, without decoding, on the web site of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty ( www.Acton.org). The Acton Institute's leader, the Rev Robert Siroco, who writes extensively in sectarian and mainstream publications, praised President Bush's SCHIP veto ("How the Faithful can oppose children's health plan expansion in good conscience", Detroit Times, 10/16). Sirocco's latest commentary is on the "Faith in America" speech. Siroco agrees with Romney that " religion and morality are core convictions in American society". But he thinks Romney is wrong to say that, as president, church authorities would not exert influence on his decisions. On the contrary, Siroco wants political leaders to bow to church authority. "Without the ability to manage our lives morally, the state steps into the vacuum, both in response to public demand and to serve the state's own interests in expanding power." For Siroco the exercise of religious authority is historically, and continues to be, a bulwark against the secular state. To the extent that leaders brush off their religious institutions, they will "tend to become obsequious toward the state."

According to Siroco, "state programs" like SCHIP undermine the creation of a "flourishing and free economy, which is the essential condition for universal coverage." The real solution to the lack of universal healthcare coverage is "eliminating taxes." Until resulting prosperity brings about universal coverage there are private efforts that can address health problems, i.e. charity. Another contributor on the Acton Institute website had this to say about charity: "The charity worker of a century ago did not press for government programs but instead showed poor people how to move up while resisting enslavement to governmental masters." Government stands in the way of the perfect liberty that is the condition for the individual to choose virtue. The "small government" position is not a pragmatic choice but is presented as a moral choice. Decisions on social welfare issues are private matters between the individual and God. In the private sphere the individual is to be free to take personal responsibility for becoming rich and famous, or a good churchgoer or mentor, or failing to become these things. Bush implements this idea by working to fence off social programs from government. Right wing ideology has consistently seen government as immoral because it is secular. Moral issues belong in the private sphere ? helping poor children, education in parochial schools, helping through faith-based initiatives. Government can help if it is seen as analogous to charity.

It is long past time to say the idea that secular government is antipathetical to moral value is itself morally corrosive. Take this example: A very wealthy woman lives in the very wealthy community of, say, Aspen. She is wealthy enough to employ a cook. There is no low cost housing in Aspen, so her cook must commute many miles from her home and children. There is no public transportation available. This woman likes to think of herself as a moral and compassionate person. She pays her cook top salary and is actually unhappy at her cook's situation, but will not support public investment in good public transportation and low cost housing.

Dick Cheney once said environmental action was a question of "personal virtue". However, just as with global warming, this woman's personal virtue cannot solve the problem. No matter how wealthy, she cannot finance a low cost housing project or public transportation system. Those solutions must come through government. Her participation is not with her wallet but through the ballot and the decisions her representatives make that will improve her cook's life. Self-interest and free market "solutions" will yield just that: self-interest, and the constriction of her moral capacity for empathy. If we want to act on our moral values on large social issues, shutting off government means shutting off our (collective) power to act morally. Individuals develop their moral natures in many spheres of action, among them working together through government for the betterment of our common life.

The important equation to remember is that the small (non military) government doctrine means a shrinking not just of the public space but also of the moral space inside the individual. Democrats must confront directly, on moral grounds the extremism of the religious ideology that is the faith of a Mitt Romney or a George Bush. If they do not, they may find they win an election for "change" without being able to implement change. The Democratic Party is for expanding individual and collective moral capacities; Republican religious ideologues, wittingly or not, work to constrain them.