The National Organization of Women (NOW) Endorses Obama
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Kim Gandy, chair of the political action committee for the national Organization of Women (NOW) reports that the organization has endorsed the Obama/Biden ticket because of their support of civil justice issues affecting women. She said that “Although it is very unusual for us to endorse in a presidential election, this is an unprecedented candidate and an unprecedented time for our country. The NOW PAC reviewed Sen. Obama’s record and public statements on issues that disproportionately affect the women of this nation, and I spoke with him at length about his commitment to women’s equality.” Specifically NOW cites stances that Obama has taken that benefit women.
On pay equity Sen. Obama has co-sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter fair pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act. This legislation works towards ending wage discrimination against women. Women who were discriminated against in their paychecks were forced to sue within 180 days of the first discriminatory check or be forever barred from bringing a valid claim. This is a common trap that is used to make laws meaningless because few can act fast enough to implement the law.
And John McCain and his running mate Palin oppose the efforts of Lilly Ledbetter to stop pay discrimination against women. He supports a Republican filibuster of the bills that Obama and Biden support. For more on that issue there is a great interview with Lilly Ledbetter herself on Jezebel.
Obama also opposed the nominations of George Bush’s three ultra right wing justices to the Supreme Court. These justices had consistent histories of voting against the individual rights of women. The Bush appointees have slammed the courtroom shut to many valid claims for justice and this disproportionately affects women.
Daniel Webster once said that “justice is the most important thing to man on earth”. As powerful interests attempt to take away from people the greatest source of justice in the world, the citizen jury and the courtrooms in the United States, Obama and Biden have a record of standing up for the common man against these titans of industry and government corruption. Interested in women’s rights and civil justice issues in this presidential campaign? See more at the NOW Obama website: http://www.nowpacs.org/2008/obama/