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Come Together or Sisterhood Split

Jill

Two interesting articles on feminists in the election, both of which are about a week old (sorry, I’ve been a little out of it for the past few days): The Sisterhood Split by Feministing‘s Jessica Valenti, and Come Together? Yes We Can by Courtney E. Martin and Deborah Siegel.

On first glance, they seem to be opposite messages, but I think reading them together offers a good view as to how feminists should be approaching the election — with the understanding that the Republicans are the real bad guys and beating them is important, without obscuring the inter-feminist debates and conversations that keep us all in check and make the movement better.

6 thoughts on Come Together or Sisterhood Split

  1. but I think reading them together offers a good view as to how feminists should be approaching the election — with the understanding that the Republicans are the real bad guys

    so the most powerful political machine in America runs one of the most racist and xenophobic campaigns in modern history, and you’re urging unity? don’t build your breath for black Americans to heed your call.

    i suggest you unify around obama. he’s the only true anti-war candidate and he’s more or less won it fair and square already. only Clinton’s sense of entitlement and hope that insiders will deliver the nom to her keeps this thing alive. Hillary can’t win unless obama’s the vp. blacks will stay home and the republican base will be energized to finally defeat the Clinton’s.

  2. Maybe this is nit-picky, but I can’t believe the word “co-ed” is still in use. Other than that, I really liked that the second article pointed out that when men disagree, it’s a conversation or a debate, but when women disagree, it’s a catfight.

  3. Maybe this is nit-picky, but I can’t believe the word “co-ed” is still in use.

    Oh I’m pretty sure they were using it sarcastically, to describe the insulting stereotype of female Obama voters.

  4. Speaking of sisterhood the California Nurses Association has betrayed all women! Nurses in Ohio had our chance to get our union and meet the men who run our hospitals as equals and they ruined it all. Here’s the letter going around about it:

    March 12, 2008

    Dear Rose Ann DeMoro,

    It’s hard for us to imagine how someone who calls herself a labor leader could purposely do what you have done to us and our families. You don’t know any of us. You have never been to our homes or met our children. You have never visited us on our shifts, or walked in our shoes. You don’t know a thing a bout the struggle that brought us to the verge of our dream to have a union. And yet without talking to a single one of us you send your bullying staff to come in and spread terrible lies for no other reason than to destroy what we worked so hard to build.

    For three years we have worked with SEIU members, leaders and staff to form our union. We sent letters to hospital officials and mobilized community support for fair organizing rules. SEIU has supported and encouraged us through some very hard times, and helped us stand up for ourselves. We are caregivers—registered nurses and respiratory therapists, dietary and housekeeping staff, lab techs and other employees. SEIU helped us understand how we could do more by speaking with one voice and standing together for our families and our patients. SEIU respected our intelligence and our ability to make our own decisions.

    You say you stand for democracy. But then you come in with a goal of destroying our campaign without ever asking us what we think about SEIU and our agreement for fair election ground rules—ground rules we now understand you have made use of many times in California.

    You say you stand for justice. But then you deny us our opportunity for a fair vote free of misleading propaganda and scare tactics.

    Our efforts to unite for better jobs and health care were not a secret. At any time during those three years you could have come and presented your union, compared yourself to SEIU, and asked us to make a choice. But you didn’t. So it is obvious to us that your sole intention was to destroy what we have built. What kind of organization sets out to destroy the efforts of the very people you claim to stand for, and then tries to pretend it’s a moral cause?

    Here in Ohio, union organizers and representatives don’t behave the way yours do. They show respect for hard-working people. We have read all the words about how you try to justify this, but when compared to the needs of our families and the needs of our patients, they show a complete disregard for basic fairness and decency. You have brought harm to thousands of workers and families in Ohio, and you should be ashamed of what you have done.

    Signed,

    Linda Kirby, RN
    Mercy Anderson
    Anderson Township, OH

    Sue Koch
    ER Tech
    Mercy Western Hills
    Cincinnati, OH

    Barbara Matlie, RN
    Mercy Western Hills
    Cincinnati, OH

    Michaela Silver, RCP
    Springfield Regional Medical Center
    Springfield, OH

    Diana Stamler, RN
    Mercy Fairfield
    Fairfield, OH

    Sally Baker, RN
    Springfield Regional Medical Center
    Springfield, OH

    Mary Ann Wolf,
    Lead Cook
    Mercy Anderson
    Anderson Township, OH

    Peggy Vaughn, RN
    Mercy Western Hills
    Cincinnati, OH

    Sue Allen, RN
    Springfield Regional Medical Center
    Springfield, OH

    Lorie Compton, RCP
    Mercy Memorial Hospital
    Urbana, OH

    Colleen Gresham, RN
    Mercy Mt. Airy
    Cincinnati, OH

    Betty White, MLT
    Mercy Fairfield
    Fairfield, OH

    Susan Home, RN
    Mercy Mt. Airy
    Cincinnati, OH

    Alecia Davis, RN
    Springfield Regional Medical Center
    Springfield, OH

    Marianne Heider, RN
    Mercy Western Hills
    Cincinnati, OH

  5. i just the other night read an article in “the sun” magazine by courtney martin. can i just say how impressed i am by this young woman?

    so with it, so inspiring. i want to read her book now.

  6. As a RN affected by the back-door deal negotiated by Andy Stern and his male dominated union, SEIU, I take offense at the letter attacking the California Nurses Association.

    Rose Ann DeMoro and that organization have taken on the patriarchy that runs the healthcare industry and most sell-out unions including SEIU.

    I did not appreciate finding out that my employer was initiating an election that would have corraled us into SEIU, without the opportunity to choose different representation if we preferred.

    Democracy is supposedly something we here in America value. And if anyone is going to represent me as a RN, I want it to be an organization of nurses that will fight for our ability to fight for our patients. Remember that in California, it was CNA that fought for and won the nation’s only nurse to patient ratios. Then, when another male symbol of patriarchy (Arnold Schwarzenegger) tried to overturn the ratios in league with the hospital industry, it was Ms. DeMoro and CNA that again fought the fight.

    Where was Andy Stern (and SEIU)? Oh yeah, he was on the front cover of a Human Resources magazine and meeting with the CEO of Wal-Mart.

    Good grief…talk about a sell-out!!!

    Let us RNs have our choice!!!

    Shannon

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