I had the good fortune to be in the presence of my US Senator last night. Granted, access costs, I did pay for the privilege, but it was a merely $25. It was an outreach fundraising effort to an enthusiastic crowd of (mostly) young New York Democrats. It appeared to be quite successful and for me, it was well worth the price. This grassroots fundraiser was Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's nascent re-election campaign and was held in Manhattan's Upper East Side, at a party club space known as Branch.
This was my first time seeing my new Senator, up close and in person. I was just a mere 15 feet from where the candidate stood, in a small space with maybe 200 folks in attendance.
What struck me first upon seeing this woman, was the same thing that often times strikes us when we encounter the famous in real life: "Wow, this woman is tiny!" LOL, and she is a petite little firecracker, whose small frame stands in stark contrast to her formidable presence in a room.
After warm, glowing introductory remarks from New York State Assemblymen Daniel O' Donnelland Jonathan Bing, and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Gillibrand took to the stage. Right off the bat, she gave the crowd a "Top Five" list of great things we'll see from the new health care reform bill. It was enthusiastically received and I trust will be repeated.
Many kossacks from Gillibrand's home district have assured us, she is a strong campaigner. I always suspected as much was true, having been impressed by her speeches on the Senate floor, media appearances and her writings. Now, having seen the real deal, I believe.
She knew her crowd, and worked the room very well. It was not specifically LGBT fundraiser, and as such, I was struck by how much time she did devote to her work on repealing the military's "Don't ask, don't tell," policy and other LGBT concerns. I've worried publicly that the Senate repeal Bill, S. 3065, The Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2010, has officially just 25 sponsors. This is-- for the record--35 short of filibuster, and 25 short of a simple majority (presuming Biden breaks a tie our way). Notably missing from the sponsor list are a number of key Democratic Senate Armed Services Committee members,which is a bad sign for the bill's purported inclusion in the next Military Spending Budget.
But Gillibrand explained, upon arrival in the Senate a year ago, she explored the idea of a moratorium on expulsions, and found more than 50 votes, although short of the filibuster threshold. The game plan has changed a bit, but I felt reassured that my Senator still had those names on speed-dial and was not going to be shy about pressing them. There's been a worrisome lack of public leadership on the strategy toward full repeal. But I breathed a small sigh of relief, feeling she's truly and passionately making this issue a priority for her.
She said this was a civil rights battle of our generation, and I was actually surprised to hear her allude to moving on to the "Civil Rights Act," a little noticed plan to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Few LGBT activists discuss this strategy much, if at all. I don't believe I can ever recall a politician of the stature of US Senator being that far ahead of the grassroots conversation.
After her remarks, Gillibrand took a good handful of unscreened questions from the crowd. I think what most impressed me about her was, like her predecessor, Hillary Clinton, she is clearly a policy wonk at heart. In response to the crowds' spontaneous questions, Gillibrand could cite the articles and paragraph numbers that referenced the questioner's concerns on particular bills. And though I confess, there were moments my eyes may have glazed over with minutia, I do truly appreciate and marvel at the demonstration of it.
I am on same the page with Bill Maher. I do not want to send a soccer mom (or a NASCAR dad) to shake things up in DC. I want to send people who are very clearly smarter than me. I consider the ability to talk over my head a plus. I want to send people who will relish the opportunity to read and understand the bills that land on their desks. I felt Gillibrand was truly one of those rare, good eggs.
She moved deftly from DADT, to our military entanglements in the mideast, to financial reform, to strategies for economic recovery, to her under-reported and under-appreciated work on food safety and nutrition.I appreciated too, she didn't presume Manhattanites were disinterested, and even touched on her work in Senate Agricultural Committee, where she holds a seat. This is clearly a boon to New York, as even we city-dwellers understand agriculture is a big part of our state economy. And she demonstrated great skill at transitioning from simple, accessible language that is plain, entertaining and engaging to the policy specifics.
And she listened. She empathized with the anxiety in the room over the economy, the endless wars, what the new health care bill means to women's reproductive choices. On the latter, she spoke of her behind the scenes efforts to neutralize Sen. Hyde roll back the Stupak language by banding together with five other Senators and play hardball for the progressive coalition. They told bill negotiators, they could appease Hyde, abortion foes but kiss another half-dozen votes goodbye if the legislation encroached on women's reproductive freedom.
She used the word "bizarre" repeatedly to describe the mechanism for separating abortion services, but assured the crowd she was comfortable we had not moved backwards on a woman's right to choose. But, that said, she also made a promise to keep a close eye on how it played out in the real world, and if indeed, it was a step backward, a fix would be forthcoming. This bill is just a start, was her message.
I will grant, I may be touched with a bit of hero worship, a trait I rarely give in to.
But, my experience here at Kos has taught me to be grateful for the good, as much a I face palm the bad. I am grateful to be a New Yorker. More often than not, the politicians that come from our state make me a proud American and proud of our system. Our reps, Chuck Schumer, Anthony Weiner, Jerry Nadler, stand as examples of some of the best in DC, and now, I'm very comfortable Kirsten Gillibrand belongs in such company.
Not flawless saviors, but good, solid Democrats that stand up for the party values. I ♥ NY!
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand's home page is here. Donates may be made here, campaign volunteer opportunities here. And of course, there are ActBlue pages, WGLB@DailyKos is here.
More pictures from the event here. Courtesy of Talkaboutequality.org