How Sweet It Is
November 9, 2017
A year ago, I woke up to the dumbfounding results of the 2016 election unable to stop crying. Many of us were eager to have the first woman president in 2016 leading the way on progressive policy changes based on our shared values of justice and equality. Instead we are facing a president who demonstrates his misogyny, racism, and xenophobia daily. He is a man who seems to relish rolling back women’s rights ranging from birth control to equal pay while promoting other hateful, unjust policies that hurt all of us. Yesterday, it was such a relief that my tears in reaction to the election were of joy, hope and optimism. Part of the reason that the victories of November 7th are so sweet is that they show that the majority of voters are ready to get back to making progress for justice and equality. In particular, the opportunity for progress on women’s economic equality in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City and Washington State is worthy of celebration.
Governor-Elect Ralph Northam and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Justin Fairfax (D-VA), Governor-Elect Phil Murphy and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Sheila Oliver (D-NJ), and Mayor Bill DeBlasio (not to mention Public Advocate Tish James and State Comptroller Scott Stringer) (D-NY) all ran on agendas that would move women’s economic security forward to meet the needs of the current moment. The victories of these leaders reflect the fact that voters are ready for our laws to change to catch up to our realities. We’re daily forced to make hard decisions — sacrifice family for work, or work for family. But these leaders stood up to say that providing quality care for a loved one — be they a newborn child, a sick toddler or an aging parent — shouldn’t break the bank. They ran on the idea that everyone should be able to care for themselves and their families without risking their jobs. And that women and men should receive equal pay regardless of race or gender.
Governor-Elect Northam’s campaign website asserts that “what’s good for women in our commonwealth is good for our entire commonwealth” and he commits to fighting for greater equal pay through more transparency in salary information and recognizes that women are disproportionately impacted by the minimum wage and pledges to work toward an increase. He also highlights the need to “expand early education and make childcare more affordable.” In addition, Lt. Governor-Elect Fairfax ran an ad leading with his role of Dad as primary to everything he does in his work. With these leaders and a divided legislature that may turn blue, Virginia has a chance to make progress for a working families agenda.
Governor-Elect Murphy also centers a women’s economic agenda in his broad economic agenda for the middle class. His agenda includes raising the minimum wage, guaranteeing the right to earned sick leave, ensuring equal pay for equal work, expanding public PreK and paid family leave, and addressing the out of reach costs of child care. Additionally, Lt. Governor-Elect Sheila Oliver is a long-time leader on equal pay, minimum wage, and related issues, and with an even bluer legislature than before New Jersey is poised to be a leader for women’s economic security. In particular, Governor Christie vetoed equal pay and paid family leave expansion bills that could quickly come back up and succeed with the new leadership.
Mayor DeBlasio — the only one of the three running for re-election — ran directly on his record on having expanded paid sick days, extended paid family and medical leave and a minimum wage increase to city workers, promoted equal pay by making it harder for past discrimination to continue, enacting fair work week legislation and making universal preK a reality for New York City residents. On the day before his re-election, Mayor DeBlasio signed a bill to guarantee that people no longer have to choose between their paycheck and their safety by extending paid leave to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and trafficking survivors to address their health and safety needs. Re-elected with 66 percent of the vote, voters made a choice for more of this type of progress on gender justice.
Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Washington State Democrats introduced historic paid family and medical leave legislation this summer that passed with bi-partisan support. Just think what progressives can accomplish on behalf of working families now that they control the Governorship and the Legislature. Victories there on Tuesday, completed what some are calling the “wall of blue,” which is actually a wall we can use! It’s not a coincidence that each of those states — Washington, Oregon and California — are leaders when it comes to the economic security issues that most impact families.
These issues were not the hottest issues on the campaign trail — health care, jobs, gun reform, affordable housing and a backlash against Trump were certainly hotter.
But the reality is that most of us are not single issue voters. We refuse to have a policy debate in a vacuum that ignores the very real fears of millions of families in America. So while we celebrate these victories, we’ll also be marching and protesting and raising our voices to make sure that health care is a right, not a privilege; to make sure our economy works for all of us, not just the wealthiest and to ensure that resistance is more than just a hashtag, but a movement for progressive policy reform across the country. The presence of a strong women’s economic agenda in all of these winning campaigns is a reminder that voters are ready for forward motion on all of these interconnected issues. Candidates seeking election or re-election in 2018 and beyond would do well to keep this lesson in mind.
