Daily Archives: January 8, 2008

Closing the gender gap in SC politics

Posted on by

A press conference was held yesterday at the State House in Columbia to announce the formation of the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics, which aims to identify, recruit and support female candidates for political office in South Carolina.

The Palmetto State ranks 50th in the percentage of women office holders, with only nine percent serving in the State House, Senate or statewide office. Only two women serve in the State Senate.

The Institute will hold its first day-long workshop on Feb. 8. Keynote speaker will be Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, whose impressive political career demonstrates the impact women in power can have on health care, education and other issues critical to women and families.

The Institute proposes to change the gender imbalance in South Carolina politics by:

* Identifying women already elected or appointed to local government councils, committees, and task forces, and women members of PTOs and other leadership organizations;

* Recruiting women from private sector professions such as law, real estate, and education who have potential for serving as public officials;

* Building a grassroots network of these politically-viable women, including conferences, a web site, issue resources, and training in advocacy, fund-raising and campaigning skills; and

* Researching, district by district, demographic, attitudinal, partisan and other political factors that affect election outcomes.

For details, call 803-206-0901 or e-mail wil@campaignsystems.com.

Read more in today’s The State.

Is incrementalism the way to universal health care?

Posted on by

by Mark Dunlea
CommonDreams

Governor Spitzer and state lawmakers seek an evidence-based plan that will bring comprehensive health care to all of the people of New York State, a result that almost everyone would like to see.

Unfortunately, the Spitzer administration, along with many health care reformers, continually assert, without providing any evidence, that the best way to universal health care is a series of incremental steps that build upon existing programs to bring targeted populations of the uninsured into the “health care” system.

Incrementalists argue that the public opinion polls showing overwhelming public support – not just for a comprehensive government universal health care financing system but also for radical reform – are misleading. They contend that if one digs deeper, one finds that those with health insurance (“those who actually vote”) would rather keep the shrinking (and often already inadequate) coverage they have than see the entire system changed. They murmur that it is not “politically feasible” for our leaders to stand up to the power of the private health insurance industry and big pharma. They redefine the public’s desire for choice in doctors to hospitals to instead be choice among which insurance company to contract with. They confuse access to comprehensive health care with expanding health insurance.

Continue reading →