Will this be the GOP ticket in 2012?

rabble.ca has published my piece about the Obama phenomenon. Here are the first few paragraphs.

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Who will write the United States’ next great poem?

>by Bernadette L. Wagner
October 24, 2008

I watched a couple of YouTube videos the other night. One featured angry Palin supporters on their way into a Palin rally. The other was an interview with McCarthyesque Michelle Bachmann, a Republican senator calling for “liberals” to be investigated for anti-Americanism. Ugly. I quickly clicked on to a photo of the 100,000 supporters at an Obama rally in Missouri.

And then I cried. The juxtaposition was too much.

Some say Obama’s followers are cult-like, cheerleaders for a good sales pitch. I don’t think so. One hundred thousand people do not show up to a political rally for a sales pitch or cheerleading duty. Obama touches something deeper within than any salesperson could ever hope to reach. He reflects to the American people a sense of their own power and they respond with a willingness to write a new narrative, a new poem, for their country.

In declaring his support for Obama, Republican Colin Powell called him “transformative.” Obama is definitely transforming the face of American politics, the poem for which much of America has dug deeply into its psyche to uncover. Sadly, Hillary Clinton would not have accomplished this. Misogyny lies still deeper within.

Racism is bubbling up, however. Many fear for Obama’s life. Will there be a fair election in the U.S.?

Read the full piece.

Thanks to skdadl (who blogs @ pogge.ca & posts at BreadnRoses.ca) for the idea!

The GOP Ticket

It’s weird.  Harper doesn’t make these kinds of boo-boos. He makes strategic mistakes but he is not the kind of guy who gets the dates of elections wrong by four months, especially when he’s reading right off the hard copy.  So I figure that either he’s drunk in that clip or this is a dog whistle.

The date, February 14th rung a bell for me, not because of Valentine’s day, but  because February 14, 2008 saw Canada very quietly sign a Bilateral Civil Assistance Plan with the USA.

The plan recognizes the role of each nation’s lead federal agency for emergency preparedness, which in the US is the Department of Homeland Security and in Canada is Public Safety Canada. The plan facilitates the military-to-military support of civil authorities once government authorities have agreed on an appropriate response.

In other words, Dubya can call Steve or Steve can call Dubya and ask for military help.  Really, it’s that easy!  Harper need only give the word and the USA’s Northern Command is here, on Canadian soil, ready, willing and able.  And they’re all raring to go, having just ended a joint conference with Canadian Forces personnel at CFB Halifax where they shared loads of good stuff!

One conference briefing concerned the Civil Assistance Plan, the bilateral Canada-United States plan that facilitates military-to-military cooperation in support of a civil emergency in either country, once agreement for assistance is reached between the two governments. The CAP was signed in February 2008 and, in early September 2008, Canada sent several aircraft to assist with the response to Hurricane Gustav.

“It was the first time we had done this with the CAP,” Christensen said, “and it was important for our senior non-commissioned officer leadership and the Americans to understand what the CAP is all about.”

Of course, we peons don’t get the details.  We’re talking top security stuff, the kind that will take care of terrorism and all those things that our Strong LeaderTM will handle on our behalf.

“[I]n a time of global economic instability,” Harper said with a smirk as he carried on after giving the incorrect E-Day date in his speech.  Yep.  It’s economic instability for the rich right now, that’s for sure.  Destitution and despair for others.  Some have called this economic terrorism.  Others say it’s economic warfare.

But hey, we’ve got PM Steve.  And I think that this Thanksgiving we must be ever so grateful that our Steve the Sweater Guy has taken care of every little thing!

And, y’know, maybe we should each email him and suggest he lay off the booze.  I mean, rilly!  What if there’s a crisis?

Oh! Wait a hold it! I just figured it all out.  PM Steve is just trying to demonstrate that he is not heartless!

Silly me.

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Crossposted at rabble.ca/election

A version of the following article appeared in the June 5 editions of the prairie dog (in Regina) and Planet S (in Saskatoon).

Hillary Hate-On

U.S. media’s treatment of Clinton shows the political gender gap is going strong
Think it’s any different in Canada? Nuh-uh!

by Bernadette Wagner

In January, MSNBC commentator Chris Matthews succinctly dismissed Hillary Clinton’s talent, skill, political acumen and U.S. Senate experience as factors for her frontrunner status in the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination race.

Matthews said, “The reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around.”

It’s typical, really, of how women are treated by the media and others when they enter political life. In the United States, the Women’s Media Center (WMC) joined together with prominent U.S. feminists and feminist organizations to extract an apology from Matthews.

Then, on May 23, the WMC released a video of news clips called “Sexism Sells — But We’re Not Buying It”, featuring five minutes of sexist commentary by various male and female newscasters and commentators in the U.S. The clip is viewable online at womensmediacenter.com, and it provides examples of how commenting on a woman’s appearance — her dress, her cosmetics, her cleavage — is apparently newsworthy, somehow related to her ability to perform as a politician.

If Hillary Clinton has conceded to Barack Obama by the time you read this — and there’s a possibility she will have if it didn’t go well for her in South Dakota and Montana on Tuesday, June 3 — you have to wonder just how much a factor systemic sexism was in her defeat.

Think it’s any different in Canada? Nuh-uh! Just ask Sheila Copps, Belinda Stronach, Amber Jones or Deb Higgins.

When Sheila Copps was a member of the federal Liberal Party’s “Rat Pack” in the House of Commons, she was particularly good at getting under the skin of the Conservative members of Mulroney’s government. At one point, John Crosbie, a cabinet minister, told her to “quieten down, baby.” Admittedly, that was 20-some years ago, but still, that attitude reigns supreme.

During the 2006 election campaign Belinda Stronach, a Liberal MP who entered the political sphere when she ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party, commented in a CTV web story that, “Sometimes it can be a little bit frustrating when you’re trying to get a message out and people are focusing on your personal life or the shoes you’re wearing.” Certainly, the media made much of her personal relationships with Peter McKay and Tie Domi (neither of which compromised national security, as far as I know). Even as recently as last fall a CTV story reported on Stronach’s split with Domi and included a description of her attire at a charity gala.

Amber Jones is the new leader of the Green Party in Saskatchewan. She is also a new mother. After she breastfed her child and passed the baby to her partner (likely for a diaper change), the child was returned to her arms. She was attacked by the producer of a radio show for not only breastfeeding her baby but also exploiting the youngster as a “political prop” because this was a media event.
Apparently in Saskatchewan, demonstrating the reality of your life as a breastfeeding mother involved in politics is a no-no.

And let’s not forget Saskatchewan Party MLA Mike Chisholm’s insult of NDP MLA Deb Higgins. Higgins, lauded by many as a hard-working and intelligent woman and as a former Minister of Labour, rankled Chisholm’s feathers with her questions and comments during the discussions of Bills 5 and 6. He responded by calling her a “dumb bitch”.

Coming on the heels of Premier Wall’s apology to the people of Saskatchewan for his role in the sexist, racist and homophobic 1991 videotape found by the NDP and released to the public, the premier had no choice but to “accept” Chisholm’s resignation as Legislative Secretary. Nice start but he should have tossed Chisholm from caucus.

Equal Voice Canada is an organization working to promote women’s involvement in politics. Their website cites several international sources which add credence to their demand for more women to be involved in political decision-making.
Like the UNICEF report which says that legislatures with a higher participation of women produce better policies to fight child poverty.
And the World Bank report that says legislatures with higher involvement of women are “more productive.” That report concludes “women are effective in promoting honest government and national parliaments with the largest numbers of women have the lowest levels of corruption.”

Equal Voice says Canada is falling behind on women’s representation in government. Where once we placed much higher, now we are 48^th in the world. The number of women elected to our federal Parliament has hovered around 20 per cent for more than a decade now.

Is it any wonder?

Why would a woman want to run for election if she has to fund her campaign from wages that are 30 per cent less than her male counterpart’s? When she must endure harassment from within the party and the members opposite, as well as from the media if she’s elected?

It’s an uphill battle all the way, especially to the post of the most powerful person in the world.

Just ask Hillary Clinton.

feedback@prairiedogmag.com

I met Mitch and April at the University of Regina in the late 80s.  In 1993, they launched The Prairie Dog, a worker’s co-operative which publishes Regina’s alternative news and entertainment magazine.  In 2002, they moved to Saskatoon to start a sister paper, Planet S.  They’re now back in Regina.  April continues her great work with worker co-ops and co-operative development.  I’ve heard bits about her involvement in Regina’s north-central community, but haven’t spoken with her directly.  Mitch completed his PhD while in Saskatoon and is currently the Head of the U of R’s Journalism School.

Why does the regina mom tell you all this?

Well, it’s because she has an article upcoming in the next issue, available Thursday, May 22.  Here’s your sneak peek:

Ken Epp’s Phony Act

Tory member’s legislation is a sneaky attack on reproductive rights

by Bernadette Wagner

Not surprisingly, Ken Epp’s introduction of the Unborn Victims of Crime Act met opposition from pro-choice groups like the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC) when it was introduced last fall.

That opposition has continued as the bill slimed its malevolent way through second reading and into committee this past March.

“The intent of this law is to give rights to fetuses so that abortion can be re-criminalized,” said Joyce Arthur, ARCC’s coordinator.

Epp claims the bill provides protection for pregnant women by allowing for two sets of charges to be laid should a pregnant woman be assaulted. While this may sound good, it isn’t. For starters, it attempts to separate a woman’s body from the fetus she carries — hardly a practical notion.

It’s useless in any case — even if two charges could be laid, incarceration time would remain the same. In Canada, sentences are served concurrently.

Many were shocked to see the Conservative MP from Edmonton-Strathcona’s private members bill pass second reading March 5. A Conservative-Liberal anti-choice vote was enough to edge it through the House and on to the Justice Committee for review.

Conservative shenanigans have stalled the Justice Committee from conducting any business so the NDP who, except for one MP, opposed C-484 along with the Bloc, now propose

We already know that Premier Wall and his SaskParty government do not have the best interests of women in mind. In not creating gender balance on the board of Enterprise Saskatchewan and in refusing to name a Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, he has made it clear that the status of women is not a priority for his government. And that’s sad, because women continue to be paid unfairly in this province. Despite working equally alongside men, women still earn about 70 cents for each dollar a man earns. But, new research shows that if women are in a unionized job, they will earn about 90 cents on the dollar earned by men.

So, what is the SaskParty going to do about that? Well, with the introduction of Bills 5 and 6, women will see no improvements in the pay gap. The legislation, which has been called anti-union and anti-worker can also be called anti-woman; it will negatively impact women in their workplaces.

Bill 5, the so-called Essential Services legislation, will fundamentally change collective bargaining for public sector workers. It is within the public sector that women have been able to secure unionized jobs, jobs which pay women decent wages, and provide for benefits and pensions. With a union, a woman can contemplate supporting a family.

Bill 6 makes union organizing extremely difficult. In industries where low-wage jobs are often filled by women and workers of colour such as in the retail and service sectors, more unionized jobs are needed in order to address the pay gap. We already know that employers aren’t going to voluntarily raise women’s wages; women have been waiting for that for decades to no avail.

But through their unions, women have been able to secure decent — if not yet fair wages for the work they do. It will be a good day for women when employers recognize the value of women in their workplace and actually pay up!

So, today I’m attending the May Day Rally on the steps of the legislature at noon. I’ll be there to remind the government and the opposition that women are people, too!

See you there!