Boehner did it! He found a woman to chair a committee!
With all the other news of the day, it falls to the bottom of the list of priorities for many of us.
But if women are ever going to make gains in politics, this should be a top priority.
After Boehner released his list of 19 committee chairMEN responsible for budget and policy- a photo collage of the committee chairs began traveling around the social media circles - shared on Facebook, tweeted on Twitter, pinned on Pininterest and for those who use the rotary phone of social media - emailed.
The photo is a perfect illustration of the growing they-just-don't-get-it sense of frustration we're all feeling.
Perhaps the Old White Guys GOP leadership got the message and insisted Boehner find a woman and appoint her to something. I have this image in my head of Boehner scrambling to find a woman to chair one of the remaining (and less important) committees or perhaps, as Rachael Maddow so brilliantly puts it:
Today, after digging through their binders full of women, Boehner & Co. apparently found one.
So we can now congratulate Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.) who will be the chair of the House Administration Committee.
This committee is not going to create or influence policy. This committee won't be formulating a budget (except for staff salaries, coffee and office supplies.)
From MSNBC:
House Speaker John Boehner issued this statement: “From ensuring the House runs efficiently and smoothly, to making Congress more open and accessible, Candice has a big job ahead as chairman of the House Administration Committee. In her new post, Candice will provide the leadership needed to keep operating costs down, save taxpayer dollars, and help lawmakers use new technology to better engage with their constituents. And her experience as Michigan secretary of state will be invaluable given the committee’s oversight of campaign finance and election laws."
*SIGH*
This is not how we will take discussions about our bodies and our healthcare out of policy and get our government to focus on the issues that really matter.
For crying out loud, the same guy who empaneled a all male committee of congressmen to listen to men testify about contraception for women, -- the guy who wouldn't allow Sandra Fluke to testify-- Rep. Darrell Issa, was appointed to chair the same committee, allowing him to go right back to peeking into our bedrooms and jumping in between women and our doctors, rather than creating policy that will mean something and actually solve problems.
*SIGH*
We still have a lot of work to do.
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