The National Organization for Women’s Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) announced their endorsement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) for US president yesterday. At a gathering at the historic home of suffragist Alice Paul and the National Women’s Party, NOW PAC Chair Kim Gandy launched their campaign to Make History With Hillary, emphasizing the need for a leader that will “restore faith in our government, repair its credibility at home and abroad, and end the destructive policies that have eroded our civil liberties and increased injustice and inequality in our society’ Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is just such a leader.”
Gandy spoke of the significance of women’s leadership and the great strides women have made recently — noting Harvard University’s first woman president and the election of the first Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). “Firsts are important,” said Gandy, “because they open doors for those who follow — but our real goal is to have every first followed by seconds and thirds and fourths, until having women in leadership is so common that it isn’t even remarkable any longer.”
Sen. Clinton then addressed the audience, opening with a reminder that even her own mother was born before women had the right to vote. She called for universal healthcare, pay equity, and a swift end to the war in Iraq. Following her speech, when asked if she considered herself to be a feminist, Sen. Clinton responded, “If you look in the dictionary, the word feminist means someone who believes in equal rights for women in society, in the economy, the political process — generally believes in the equality of women. And I certainly believe in the equality of women.”
