Midterm Results a Call for Feminist Organizing

by Alex DiBranco · 2010-11-03 16:56:00 UTC
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National Organization for Women (NOW) President Terry O'Neill has a message for anyone disappointed by yesterday's election: "Don't Compromise, Organize!"

Sure, we couldn't even get health reform to go the way we wanted with a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate, giving the unfortunate growth of anti-choice politicians who call themselves Democrats. But NOW promises to "fight harder and motivate our grassroots" — that means you, by the way. You are the grassroots. You are the ones who have to demand woman-friendly policies from Congress, since we all know they won't just hand them over of their own accord.

Plus, the election wasn't all bad. Yeah, head-stomper friend Rand Paul, who opposes abortion even when a woman's life is in danger, won the Kentucky Senate race despite the rampant misogyny of his campaign. And Pennsylvania went with Republican Pat Toomey, who thinks we should lock up abortion providers, over Joe Sestak, who realized the importance of affordable health care when his four-year-old daughter contracted brain cancer (the now-eight-year-old is adorable in his concession speech). But Sharron "Incest Victims Should Make Lemons Out of Lemonade" Angle, my biggest nightmare, lost soundly to Sen. Harry Reid in Nevada, and hard-core anti-choicer Christine O'Donnell's campaign bit the dust big time.

Meanwhile, long-time defender of women's rights Barbara Boxer (D-C.A.) held onto her seat, despite attempts to bash her for insisting on being called "Senator," her title, rather than ma'am. And I was happy to discover I wouldn't have to move out of New York, because sexist, anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-poor people Republican Carl Paladino lost the race for governor to pro-choice Democrat Andrew Cuomo.

So don't give up. Don't despair. And don't compromise. It's time to organize. The Tea Party doesn't have a monopoly on powerful grassroots movements.

Photo credit: luckywhitegirl

Alex DiBranco is a Change.org Editor who has worked for the Nation, Political Research Associates, and the Center for American Progress. She is now based in New York City.
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