Essential Estrogen

The opening bell has sounded and, by all accounts, 2007 will be quite a year for women in politics. Currently, 87 women serve in the U.S. Congress -- 16 in the Senate and 71 in the House. In addition, for the first time in history a woman, Nancy Pelosi, has been named Speaker of the House.

A further inspection, however, shows the glass to be more empty than full -- although it is less empty than it ever has been. Women comprise just over 16% of the U.S. Congress. If we look back through the years at the U.S. Congress, there have been a total of 11,744 people elected to office. Of that, only 223 of those elected have been women. (Iowa has never sent a woman to federal office.)

In looking at the state legislatures around the nation, women hold roughly 24% of the seats available. When looking only at women of color, females comprise roughly 5% of the available state seats.

Here in Iowa, nearly 23% of our state legislators are women. Unfortunately, that figure is rather misleading since the vast majority of women legislators serve in the Iowa House (28% - 28 out of 100 available seats). On the other side of the capital, women make up only 12% of the Iowa Senate (6 out of 50 available seats).

As the good folks over at Vote. Run. Lead. are quick to remind us, "This country has been around for 228 years, but women have only had the right to vote for 84." Yes, we've come a long way, but there's much more road for us to travel. Let's get to it.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin announced today he will be sponsoring three farm bill listening sessions on March 24 as a part of his role as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

• 9:30 a.m. - North Scott High School Cafeteria, 200 S. 1st St., Eldridge
• 12:45 p.m. - Northeast Iowa Community College, Conference Center, 10250 Sundown Rd., Peosta
• 4 p.m. - CR Prairie High School Auditorium, 401 76th Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids

"As we begin drafting the 2007 Farm Bill, it is important to hear you comments and suggestions," said Harkin. "The best ideas come from my constituents who are directly affected by farm and rural policies. I look forward to hearing from you at these upcoming meetings."

For more information or if you have special needs, call (515) 284-4574.

Yesterday, the following ended up in the email boxes of two out of the three EE women:

Dear Friend:

As we begin the 110th Congress, I am writing to ask you for your thoughts, ideas and opinions. This e-mail is being sent to women across the state of varied backgrounds and geographic locations.

As you know, I have been a long-time advocate for issues relating to the fair treatment of women in the workplace and our society. I am always looking for new and innovative ideas from those most directly involved. This is where you come in. I need your suggestions. If you would please respond to this e-mail with any suggestions you have, I would greatly appreciate it.

...

Again, I want to hear from you. Please take some time to respond to this e-mail and let me know what your priorities are.

Kudos to Sen. Harkin!

Women who were not included in the initial mailing, but would like to receive future information can contact us -- webmaster@essentialestrogen.com -- and we'll forward the subscription information to you.

A military recruiter has come under scrutiny following a heated email exchange which she initiated. According to reports, a male civilian placed his resume on Careerbuilder.com where it was noticed by Army Recruiter Marcia Ramode. Ramode sent an inquiry email to the civilian who responded that he was not interested in a position and that he was gay.

What followed was a three-day email exchange in which Ramode, using her official military account, labeled the civilian as "disgusting and immoral" and tells him to "migrate to another country." (All the while using some of the most horrible grammar I've ever seen. When I first read the emails, they were so horrible I thought it must be a joke. Sadly, it isn't.)

In one email the recruiter states (capitals and all): "YOU GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED THERE AND PRACTICE YOUR GAY MORALS OVER THERE THAT'S WHERE YOU BELONG."

More information available at The Frontlines and Pam's House Blend.

The good folks over at IowaPolitics.com (We just discovered today that EE is included in their blogwatch -- THANKS!) have the full text of Sen. Staci Appel's comments on Election Day Voter Registration.

Here's a taste:

...While access to participate in our democracy is important, it is equally critical that we maintain the integrity of every vote.

This proposed legislation is quite strict. It requires an individual to provide proof of residence with a photo id in order to register and vote on Election Day. It also requires the individual to sign a written oath testifying that they have not already voted in any other precinct.

This legislation I believe with the proper safeguards and training is an effective way to improve voter access and participation...

Marie Wilson and all the great people at The White House Project have finished up training sessions in Minnesota.

The sessions were held over a three-day period in Chaska at the Conference Center. For those interested in running for office (soon or someday) the information provided is extremely valuable. There are two more training sessions planned this spring. The next will be April 27 to 29 in Mableton, GA and the final will be May 19 and 20 in Denver, CO. Applications are being accepted for both sessions.

For those who want a sneak peek of the program, several video clips have been posted.

If you haven't already, head over to Crooks and Liars and check out the video of Ann Althouse and Jessica Valenti. Wow.

Planned Parenthood has formed a Pill Patrol and needs volunteers to sign up and check local pharmacies for emergency contraception.

You may have caught Sen. Joe Biden on Fox News Sunday today. At nearly the end of the show (which deals mostly with AG scandal and sworn testimony) Biden informs host Chris Wallace that his campaign has raised roughly $3 million in this cycle.

BIDEN: Well, I think we're going to talk about somewhere around $3 million for this quarter. I think we're on track to be able to raise what we need, which we think is $20 million to $25 million to compete.

But, Chris, if this gets down to just straight money, then there's only going to be one, maybe two candidates in the race. But I don't believe that.

I believe as long as Iraq and foreign policy and these big issues are in play, that my having enough money to compete in Iowa will allow me to win the nomination.

I don't think it's going to be won by money.

Biden makes the best point for Iowa and New Hampshire remaining first in the nation as well as them holding their contests at least one full month ahead of any others: even those without money can play here. Wallace, of course, doesn't get it.

WALLACE: But, Senator, I mean, let's be realistic here. The estimates are that when the numbers do come out the next few days, that Senator Clinton may raise north of $25 million, maybe even north of $30 million. Obama north of $20 million.

Can you really honestly -- I mean, you're a realistic man. Can you compete at $3 million?

I think someone should have told Wallace that it is difficult to step on Biden's toes. After all, he's been around the block a few times and knows how to make a point.

BIDEN: ... I read Broder's article (note: subscription required) today, you probably saw it, saying that 90-plus percent of the punditry talk about the status of affairs for presidential campaigns at this stage is worthless.

This is worthless. If people think we're going to pick a nominee based on how much money they have rather than based on their ideas, I think they vastly underestimate the Democratic electorate in these primaries.

From there Wallace moved on and allowed Sen. Mitch McConnell to answer an ad by Americans United for Change without having an opposing viewpoint available.

Iowa's veteran U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley may think the GOP Presidential field is wide open, but, when it comes to the left side of the aisle, his money's on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In Grassley's opinion, it is no great surprise that Clinton recently won the high-profile endorsements of former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and former vice presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro...

"She doesn't need a big boost," he says. "She's the frontrunner; she's going to continue to be the frontrunner. She's going to get the nomination, and so one of the smartest political moves that a political leader of Iowa could do is to back her."

When asked by a reporter whether he was confident Clinton would win the nomination, the Iowa Republican responded, "How are you going to stop her?"

Grassley said he expects to endorse a GOP candidate this fall, but we're just tickled pink he'd choose to endorse Clinton now. (He does so while noting how even pro-choice Giuliani would be better to social conservatives than Hillary.)

One can always count on the American Family News Network for all the latest hard-hitting news on the Presidential hopefuls... or at least a good laugh along the way.

Crazy busy today, but wanted to pass along this press release from Sen. Tom Harkin that landed in my inbox. Happy hump day, everyone!

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today introduced the Fair Pay Act of 2007 to address the wage gap for jobs of equal value among men and women. This legislation would address the historic pattern of undervaluing and underpaying so-called “women’s” jobs. For example, social workers (a female-dominated field) are paid less than probation officers (a male-dominated field) even though both jobs require similar levels of skill, effort, and responsibility. The Fair Pay Act says that where working conditions are similar, wages should also be similar.

“In nearly 10 million American households, the mother is the only breadwinner. These families struggle to pay the rent or make mortgage payments, buy the groceries, cover the medical bills and save for a child’s education,” Harkin said. “We simply must do something about the longtime pattern of wage discrimination. We can start closing the pay gap right now by simply paying women fairly.”

More than 40 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women’s wages still lag behind their male counterparts’ wages – women make only 77 cents for every dollar that a man makes. The average woman loses an estimated $700,000 over her lifetime due to unequal pay practices. The average African-American woman earns 67 cents for every dollar that a white male earns and Latino women receive only 56 cents per dollar earned by white men.

On April 24th this year, U.S. women will finally reach the earnings mark that their male counterparts achieved by December 31st of last year. The Fair Pay Act of 2007 would:

• Amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to prohibit discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, race or national origin.
• Require employers to provide equal pay for jobs that are comparable in skill, effort, responsibility and working conditions.
• Apply to each company individually and prohibit companies from reducing other employees’ wages to achieve pay equity.
• Require public disclosure of employer job categories and their pay scales, without requiring specific information on individual employees.
• Allow payment of different wages under a seniority system, merit system, or system that measures earnings by quantity or quality of production.
• Allow employees who allege discrimination in wage-setting based on sex, race or national origin to either file a complaint with the EEOC or go to court.

Right now, women who suspect pay discrimination must file a lawsuit and go into a drawn out legal discovery process to find out whether they make less than the man beside them. With pay statistics readily available, this expensive process could be avoided. The number of lawsuits would surely go down if employees could see up front that they were being treated fairly.

Harkin also co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act which would take critical steps to empower women to negotiate for equal pay, create strong incentives for employers to obey current laws, and strengthen federal outreach and enforcement efforts.

The following Senators co-sponsored the Fair Pay Act of 2007: Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), John Kerry (D-MA) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

While I'm not always a fan of Sen. Tom Harkin's job performance in the Beltway, I do believe in giving credit where credit is due. Below I'm providing the full text of Harkin's opening statement during a hearing on domestic violence in the workplace.

I’d like to start by thanking our subcommittee Chair, Senator Patty Murray (D- WA), for her strong leadership on this issue. Unfortunately, I believe that as schools have been forced to take serious action to crack down on school shootings, workplaces now must acknowledge that domestic violence is not confined to the home. Just this year, such atrocities have occurred all over the nation, from Chairman Murray’s home state just this month, to Detroit, Philadelphia, and Salt Lake City. We need to put an immediate stop to this epidemic.

More than 2.5 million women are victims of violence each year, and nearly one in every three women experience at least one physical assault by a partner during adulthood. It is not unreasonable to ask for a little compassion and understanding for victims of domestic violence from their employers. If not for altruistic reasons, then at least out of concern for their ability to be productive employees and to protect their fellow workers. Many of the health costs associated with domestic violence are chronic health problems.

It is true that domestic violence costs employers. Victims of domestic violence are distracted at work and have to miss more days due to injury or fatigue. That’s why we need to provide services and counseling to prevent this from happening, and to serve those who are affected.

But employers can no longer keep their heads in the sand when it comes to workplace violence. If they want to have a high-functioning, safe, productive workplace, they are going to start facing the reality of domestic violence without blaming the victims. Giving women the time they need to take care of themselves up from will dramatically improve their health in the long run, saving the company time and money as well.

That is why I will be cosponsoring Senator Murray’s Survivors’ Empowerment and Economic Security Act. It is well past time for employers to do their part to prevent the next Virginia Tech-level tragedy. Senator Murray’s bill is simple and straight forward. It merely gives women the right to take 30 days away from work to take care of themselves and their children if they find themselves in an abusive situation in their homes. It also says that employers and insurance companies cannot continue to take the blame for the violent, or potentially violent actions of others.

It is past time that we work to prevent violence in the workplace. Congress must act to enact Senator Murray’s legislation as soon as possible.

The legislation introduced by Sen. Murray is entitled "The Survivors' Empowerment and Economic Security Act (S.1136). The text of the proposed bill has not yet been received by the Government Printing Office (GPO) and, therefore, is not yet available on Thomas.

According to a press release on Murray's site the legislation

• Allows victims to take time off from work without penalty in order to make court appearances, seek legal assistance, and get help with safety planning
• Allows victims in every state access to unemployment benefits if they are fired or forced to leave their job because of abuse
• Prohibits discrimination in employment and insurance based on domestic or sexual violence, to ensure that victims are never punished for their abusers' crimes
• Strengthens the Family Violence Option in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), in order to protect some of the most economically vulnerable victims

Today, April 24, is the day women symbolically have to work through to make the same amount men made by Dec 31 of last year.

This afternoon Sen. Tom Harkin attended an Equal Pay Day Rally sponsored by Women Work! the National Network for Women's Employment. Their members include individual supporters of economic equality for women, organizations that assist women to enter, re-enter and advance in the workforce, and state networks that advocate for women's economic self-sufficiency.

His remarks:

It’s great to be here, this afternoon. It’s great to be with fed up, fired up, charged up Americans who have come here with a simple demand: justice and fair pay for working women. So tell me: This is the 21st century, for heaven’s sake. Is it time for women to get equal pay with men? Say yes!

We are demanding equal rights for women in other countries. Is it time for us to practice what we preach, and to demand equal rights for women here in the United States?! We have been patient for too long. It’s time to be impatient. It’s time to stomp and shout. It’s time to demand that Congress act, now.

My friends, discrimination takes many forms. Sometimes discrimination is brazen and in-your-face, like with Jim Crow and apartheid. And sometimes discrimination is silent and insidious – and accepted by people who ought to know better.

That is why I have reintroduced the Fair Pay Act in the 110th Congress. My bill requires each individual employer to provide equal pay for jobs that are comparable in skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions. Today, millions of female-dominated jobs – social workers, teachers, child-care workers, nurses, and so many more – are equivalent to male-dominate jobs. But they pay dramatically less.

We had a hearing on this issue two weeks ago in my committee. One of the witnesses, Dr. Philip Cohen of the University of North Carolina, compared nurses’ aides, who are overwhelmingly women, and truck drivers, who are overwhelmingly men. In both groups, the average age is 43. Both require “medium” amounts of strength. Nurses’ aides, on average have more education and training. But nurses’ aides make less than 60 percent of what truck drivers make.

The Census Bureau has compiled data on hundreds of job categories – hundreds! But it found only five job categories where women typically earn as much as men. My friends, the time for excuses has passed. We’ve all heard the excuses, haven’t we? Some of them are pretty creative. One woman reports that older male executives at her company say that women shouldn’t be paid as much as men because they have the option of marrying rich!

Oh, sure, and women also have the option of winning the lottery. Meanwhile, back in the real world . . . for tens of millions of hard-working women across the United States . . . how about simple fairness and justice?! How about, at long last, paying women the same as men?! How about passing the Fair Pay Act and Paycheck Fairness Act?!

So thank you, you my friends! Thank you for your impatience. Thank you for speaking up so powerfully. And thank you for supporting our fight to pass legislation in this Congress!

In addition, Harkin will be joining with Senators Kennedy and Clinton to send a letter to the GAO today concerning the Administration’s enforcement of current law. The point of this letter is to both point out administration shortcomings and show the need for new laws.

The letter reads:

April 24, 2007

The Honorable David Walker, Comptroller General
U.S. Government Accountability Office
441 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20548

Dear Mr. Walker:

In the four decades since passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the pay gap between men and women has narrowed considerably for numerous reasons, including the law itself, various judicial precedents such as Shultz v. Wheaton Glass and Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, and an evolving consciousness that women make valuable contributions to the workplace. But despite the progress that has been made, women are still making only 77% of the salaries enjoyed by their male counterparts; women of color fare far worse. There is still a great deal to be done.

As you pointed out in an October, 2003 report, even when accounting for all of the other variables that are often used to justify the pay gap, such as time out of the workforce to care for children or part-time work, women still earn significantly less than men. That report concluded that 20% of the wage gap could not be explained by factors other than discrimination. In addition, the impact of these wage disparities is compounded over time, since women receive significantly less than men in pension income.

We would like to take a closer look at pay disparity issues and, in particular, at the roles that the federal government has played and can play to remedy the wage gap. While many in Congress recognize that true equity will demand equalizing the wages paid in traditionally male-dominated and traditionally female-dominated jobs that require similar qualifications, it is critical that the laws already on the books be fully and proactively enforced to remedy the wage gaps that persist for men and women performing the same jobs.

To that end, it would be helpful to Congress to have a better understanding of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) and the Department of Labor’s enforcement of current anti-discrimination law with regard to gender-based differentials in pay. We would also appreciate a review, similar to the one you recently conducted into pay discrepancies at the Department of Energy, of compensation patterns of at other federal agencies.

It would be helpful if the GAO review could include the following:

• Enforcement activities by the EEOC and the DOL with regard to cases of potential wage discrimination: We would like to learn more about the number of complaints the EEOC and DOL receive, the time it takes to process them, and the action taken to resolve such complaints. We are also interested in compliance reviews initiated by the DOL and commissioner’s charges filed by the EEOC to investigate pay disparities. What proactive enforcement steps have been recently initiated by these agencies?
• Outreach and technical assistance activities by the EEOC and the DOL: In 2000, the previous administration established the Equal Pay Matters Initiative to fund coordination and outreach efforts at DOL and EEOC. The Administration eliminated this program in 2002. Since then, what kinds of efforts have been put forth toward this effort?
• Treatment of the Equal Opportunity Survey: In 2000, DOL adopted a regulation to require the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) to distribute an Equal Opportunity Survey to all Federal contractors to obtain compliance data divided by gender on employment and compensation practices. The regulation specified that the data should be used, in part, to inform OFCCP’s selection of contractors for compliance reviews. In the 6 years since the regulation’s adoption, OFCCP has only distributed the survey one time and to a small percentage of contractors. In addition, the collected data was not analyzed nor was it used for compliance reviews, as required by the regulations of 2000. This survey has now been eliminated. It would be helpful for the GAO to examine the data that was collected to determine if any discrimination occurred.
• Federal pay disparities: Recently, the GAO found pay disparities between women and men of two to four percent at several Department of Energy laboratories. In addition, the GAO examined employee complaints and discovered a pattern of complaints about under-representation of women and minorities in higher level positions. It would be helpful for the GAO to perform similar reviews at other federal agencies.
• Disparities between job categories: It is often reported that employers who understand they are not allowed to discriminate within the same job category will still discriminate between job categories within their firms. If it is possible, it would be helpful to obtain better data from some large employers about how job categories that are highly correlated to specific genders compare to one another in-house.

Sincerely,
/s/ Tom Harkin, United States Senator
/s/ Edward M. Kennedy, United States Senator
/s/ Hillary Rodham Clinton, United States Senator

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden is proud of the fact that he hasn't changed much since 1994.

"If I could wave a magic wand," he told the standing room only crowd in Cedar Rapids Sunday night, "the one thing in world politics I would do would be the empowerment of women."

Biden was responding to an audience member who questioned what could be done about the declining status of women in Iraq.

"I don't want to empower women because they are sweet and nice," he added. "It needs to be done because that's 51 percent of the world's population and because it would better us all."

Although the primary topic for Sunday's stump speech was the Iraq War, the U.S. Senator and author of the 1994 Violence Against Women Act often answers audience questions or follows a train of thought which leads him to discuss women and/or women's issues. On his campaign site he states that writing the VAWA was the most proud moment of his entire career. The legislation helped set up shelters and a national hotline where women who are abused can get help. In addition, the courts were empowered to protect women being stalked.

Following his public remarks, Biden spoke privately about the recent Supreme Court ruling. Pointing to his opposition of Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John G. Roberts (not to mention Robert Bork), he said, "As president I would be prepared to nominate individuals who would respect a woman's right to privacy."

Biden, during his speech, said the one thing that needs to happen in the coming months was the "pricking of the consciousness of the nation."

He walked into the audience and placed a coffee cup in the middle of a round table. "That's what we have to do," he explained. "A leader has to be able to listen to all of these people at this table, each of them with their own opinions and find that one common thread they all agree on."

He pointed to the coffee cup and added, "Once you have the thing they can agree upon, you start building around that to bring them together."

He agreed to expand on this thinking as well after the event.

"We need to stop saying 'red' and 'blue' and thinking in those terms," he said. "We also need to stop buying into the false divisions which have been put out there. We have to reach out to one another and work together."

It's difficult to know the exact number of personal contacts that translate into vested interest and, eventually, into caucus goers. At least one Presidential campaign, however, is betting more is always better.

Presidential hopeful and U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd will address a group at Drake University in Des Moines tomorrow on ending the War in Iraq. Throughout the state, however, individuals at satellite stations will use technology to interact with him in real time.

"What we are doing tomorrow is special, but that doesn't mean it will be unique," said Matthew Browner-Hamlin, recently hired as the campaign's official blogger and key member of the online communications staff. "We plan on putting together this type of interactive event as often as possible as the campaign moves forward."

The campaign has set up five community satellite locations. Conference calls will connect participants located in Sioux City, Charles City, Decatur and Burlington with the Drake event. Participants in Iowa City will be connected via a live internet feed. The internet connection, made possible through the beta Internet application UStream, has roughly a one second delay.

"It is such an unfiltered way of allowing a candidate to communicate with - not just at - potential voters and caucus goers," said Browner-Hamlin.

With so many eyes and ears directed toward a single event and the potential of instant digital recording, there is little doubt of the possible risk involved and, historically speaking, that's a change for candidates in Iowa. The Hawkeye state has been the place politicians have come to shake hands, meet people in small groups and "test run" policy positions and even a few jokes.

"This really isn't about Iowa," said Browner-Hamlin when asked about the historical shift. "This is about the campaign having an open door policy and a true belief that the more people who have an opportunity to meet our candidate and hear our candidate, the more people will want to see and hear more from our candidate. This is Sen. Chris Dodd putting himself out there for public inspection."

State Director Marc Beltrame agrees.

"Chris Dodd's campaign is about bringing people together to get this country back on the right track," Beltrame said in a phone interview Thursday evening. "Just like the family kitchen table, the internet has become a place where folks can come together to share their concerns and ideas."

The event begins at noon. For those who cannot make it to either Drake or to one of the satellite stations, the live stream will be broadcast here as well (although there will be no opportunity for our viewers to interact with the Senator).

Republican entrepreneur Steve Rathje has been busy gathering female supporters since early March when he announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Tom Harkin.

Bonnie Hall, member of the State Central Committee, has agreed to support the contender, who will likely face opposition in a Republican primary. Her support joins that of State Co-Chair Leon Mosley and fellow SCC members Karl Gilbertson, Dan Nicholson, John Ortega, Loras Schulte and Larry Smith.

Kathy Pearson, president of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women, was also announced as having endorsed Rathje and joined the campaign.

Finally, the campaign announced an endorsement from Iowa state Rep. Carmine Boal. Male legislative supporters are Sen. Mark Zieman, Sen. James Seymour, Sen. Dave Mulder, Sen. David Hartsuch, Rep. Rich Anderson, Rep. Steve Lukan, Rep. Clel Baudler and Rep. Dan Rasmussen.

According to a press release from the campaign yesterday, there are "several other Republican women statewide who openly support Rathje's candidacy." Inquiries as to the names of the other women have, thus far, gone without response.

Don't have a ticket for the big Democratic dinner in Cedar Rapids tonight? No problem.

C-SPAN coverage of the Iowa Democratic Party's Hall of Fame dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. (Iowa time). The first speaker out of the gate is our own U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.

Others expected to provide remarks are Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards and Bill Richardson.

The event is being held at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons in downtown.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (from Connecticut) have agreed to participate in a presidential debate conducted in Spanish.

The debate is scheduled for Sept. 9 at the University of Miami and will be hosted by Univision Communications, Inc., the nation's largest Spanish-language broadcaster. The network's programming is available in most Iowa markets via cable and satellite television.

Univision press statements indicate this is the first presidential debate conducted in Spanish. Simultaneous translation, however, would be provided to candidates and viewers.

News of the debate comes just weeks after Univision's highly successful citizenship drive was scheduled to move from a pilot program in Los Angeles to a national campaign. During the program in Los Angeles, citizenship applications jumped 123 percent compared with the same period in the previous year. Meanwhile, applications increased 59 percent in areas not targeted by the campaign. A large surge in the Hispanic voting bloc could sway not only the 2008 elections but also the upcoming presidential preference primaries and caucuses. Consider that these new citizens often favor Democratic candidates by a 2-to-1 margin, and that President George W. Bush claimed narrow victories in heavily Latino states in 2004.

In 2003, the U.S. Census reported the Hispanic population had become the largest minority in the nation, and it projected Latinos will make up 25 percent of the U.S. population by 2050.

As Alexander Bolton aptly points out, this places many of the hopefuls -- especially the 'front-runners' -- in a bind. Candidates fluent in Spanish would speak directly to the audience in that language. Non-speakers would have their responses translated. Further, the debate is being hosted live in Florida, a key primary state in 2008, where Hispanics or Latinos make up nearly 20 percent of the population.

In contrast, the U.S. Census estimates there are roughly 120,000 individuals in Iowa who are of Hispanic or Latino origin. This constitutes nearly 4 percent of the state's population. That figure, however, is expected to nearly triple by 2030. The Pew Hispanic Center reported in October 2006 that only one-third of Iowa's existing Hispanic population were at least age 18 and a U.S. citizen eligible to vote.

Richardson, who is fluent in Spanish, is the nation's only Hispanic governor. He was born in California, but spent his early childhood in Mexico City.

Dodd, although not Hispanic, is also fluent in Spanish. While serving in the Peace Corps, he lived in the Dominican Republic.

The company has invited Republican presidential candidates to a debate — also in Spanish — on Sept. 16. There is no word yet on which candidates, if any, will appear.

It might seem disingenuous to say a 63-year-old politician has come of age, but that's exactly what Sen. Chris Dodd appears to have done.

On Monday night, while addressing roughly 40 members of the Linn Phoenix Club in the home of Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran, Dodd, who has been lacking spark on the campaign trail, found his box of matches. His display of humor and forcefulness of character seemed to catch many off-guard.

"Any jackass can kick down a barn door," Dodd said while discussing needed reforms in America, prompting eyebrows to dart up across the room. "It takes an architect to build the barn. And we've had too many jackasses in this country."

While Dodd covered many issues including Iraq, education, immigration, the environment, medicare/medicaid, and problems facing minority-run business during the stop, he was able to intertwine them around a central theme of putting America first.

"Look," he said during a more quiet moment, "I'm 63. I'm not going to be doing this twice. I don't have the luxury of being anything but bold and direct. More importantly, I think that's what this nation needs and deserves."

Dodd outlined his history of public service which began in 1966 when he joined the U.S. Peace Corps and moved to the Dominican Republic for two years. While there he built a school and a maternity clinic, became fluent in Spanish and "saw what the world could achieve when America leads." When he returned home, Dodd enlisted in the Army National Guard and later served in the U.S. Army Reserves.

"I went because a President stood up and asked me to serve," he said.

Dodd said he was "shocked" when, following Sept. 11, Pres. George W. Bush was asked what Americans could do for their nation.

"Do you remember what he said?" asked Dodd. "He said 'Go shopping.' That's almost a Doonesbury cartoon."

Dodd says he believes "every single American should be serving our nation in one way or another."

"I believe the issue of national service is as important to you as it is to me," he said. "Can we find ways ourselves to make a difference? It doesn't need to be take a tsunami or Katrina for us to act. Every day there are people who need our help."

In addition to national service, Dodd indicated a need for bipartisanship in government.

"I've just told you all of the things I think should happen in health care," he said. "If I were king, that's exactly how I would do it. The reality is that no one political party is going to write the health care plan."

Pointing to his recent cross of the aisle to work with Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens on a new paid family leave bill, Dodd said, "We have to be able to bring people together in order to get the job done. No one wants to wait another four or eight years for something to be accomplished. These are things we need now."

Dodd plans to return to Eastern Iowa on Independence Day weekend. Staff confided that the senator plans to attend the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival the night of the 4th, but the remainder of his schedule is being finalized.

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq will launch its "Iraq Summer" tonight in Des Moines under the guidance of Director Sue Dinsdale. Iowa native Dinsdale understands it's an important step for the organization, but for her it's one more stop on a long journey.

"When you have a child in the military you expect them to be gone during family celebrations, birthdays and Christmas," Dinsdale said when asked about her son's two tours in Iraq. "I come from a military family, but it still killed us when he was there. It's such a reckless and senseless war."

Jesse Dinsdale, who received his separation papers from the military this past February, joined the Army National Guard while he was still in high school.

"This is what he wanted to do and we talked to him about it, but didn't consider it a bad thing," she said. "Because of his age, we had to sign papers to allow him to enlist."

Jesse completed basic training between his junior and senior years of high school. Once his time in the National Guard was complete, he switched to regular Army duty and served in Kosovo before being deployed to Kuwait in early 2003.

"I still remember the night we invaded Iraq," she said. "We were watching television because we just felt something was going to be happening soon. There was some Bob Barker special on and when it ended I felt relieved like maybe nothing was going to happen. I went upstairs and had the television on up there when programming was broken into with a special report."

Dinsdale says she picked up the phone and called her son who was stationed along the Iraq-Kuwait border. He and the soldiers with him had no idea the invasion had started.

From the beginning, she says, she didn't think this conflict was one our nation should be pursuing.

"At that time, I didn't really speak out against the war," she confided. "I was more concerned about him being deployed there, getting myself through the next day and keeping our family stable."

Once her son had completed his second tour of duty and was closing in on his last days in the military, she found her voice.

"I was watching television and saw a breaking report about Ana Nicole Smith's death," she said. "That was right before the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and it really set me off. I looked at all of what was going on in Iraq and was very upset a celebrity's death was breaking news."

Active in the Story County peace community, Dinsdale helped plan their recent large peace rally and served as one of the speakers. She met Iowa Citizen Action Network Program Director Phillip Cryan and he asked her to speak at U.S. Rep. Tom Latham's office. From there she was contacted by AAEI organizers and eventually invited to sit down with U.S. Sen. Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to offer her first-hand perspective.

While she's still shocked that she sat down with "two of the most powerful people in our nation," Dinsdale says another meeting is keeping her focused.

"I came home this past Thursday and there was a vehicle I didn't recognize in the driveway," she said. "I came in and Jesse introduced me to a soldier he had served with while in Iraq. That soldier came over and hugged me and thanked me for all I was doing. There are some people who believe that when we hold vigils and peace rallies here that we are demoralizing our troops there. I asked this soldier about that and was told the soldiers over there talk and ask each other if the people back home really care about them and wonder why we aren't working to bring them home."

The AAEI is a non-partisan national campaign currently focused on the upcoming national debates on troop escalation -- a project dubbed "Iraq Summer." Iowa partners include ICAN, Iowans for Sensible Priorities and AFSCME.

"The organization nationally has targeted over 40 members of Congress in about 15 states," she said. "We want to let those legislators know the American people are watching them and will know if they vote with Pres. [George W.] Bush against the will of the people."

Roughly 100 organizers have been hired and sent to hot spots throughout the U.S. In Iowa, there are five organizers on the ground with U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Tom Latham in their sights.

The state launch takes place tonight, June 30, at Old Fire Station No. 4 in Des Moines. They event will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will coincide with a birthday party for the facility. The group hopes this will be the start of a very hot summer for Grassley and Latham.

"When September comes -- the time when Congress is expected to decided whether or not Pres. Bush's escalation strategy has worked, and vote to change course -- Sen. Grassley and Rep. Latham will have little doubt about how Iowans view their continued votes to authorize the president's endless war," Dinsdale concluded.

In an email to supporters, Sen. Tom Harkin announced his wife Ruth plans to formally endorse Democratic candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton.

In the email, Harkin explains that he and Ruth are no strangers to passionate political involvement and that his wife did not take this decision lightly.

"Ruth took many things into account before deciding on this endorsement," Harkin wrote. "When Ruth was elected to the position of Story County Attorney in 1972, she was honored to be the first woman to hold the position of county attorney in our state's history -- and one of the first female county-wide prosecutors in the country. It was an exciting and challenging time for her, but it taught her that groundbreaking accomplishments just don't happen. They are not just made -- they happen over time and with hard work, determination and focus."

Ruth Harkin served as county attorney in Story County until 1979. She was the county's lead criminal prosecutor and also served as its corporate attorney. The Harkins have raised two daughters, Amy and Jenny. As an infant, Army often shared Ruth's office at the Story County Court House.

Ruth left the Story County post to serve as deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. In 1993, Pres. Bill Clinton chose her to be president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, an agency that encourages mutually beneficial American private investment in developing countries and newly emerging free markets.

Harkin added his wife, as a public office holder, feels a responsibility for "opening doors and paving a new way" for other women seeking leadership roles. He closes the letter by stating his personal resolve not to endorse any candidate.

"I have worked closely with many of them, and I am extremely proud of each of them for their commitment to public service," he wrote. "I remain focused on my own re-election campaign in 2008 and look forward to working with a Democrat in the White House."

With this endorsement, Ruth Harkin joins several other prominent Iowa women who are active in the Clinton campaign. State Central Committee member Bonnie Eggers, Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran, former First Lady Christie Vilsack, former University of Iowa Democrats President Megan Heneke, Des Moines activist and philanthropist Susan Knapp, Iowa Rep. Mary Mascher, former candidate for lieutenant governor Dr. Andrea McGuire, former Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson and former Iowa Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Bonnie Campbell have all publicly announced their support of Clinton.

At 5 p.m. today members of MoveOn along with Iraq Summer volunteers will hold a "counter-filibuster" in front of the Federal Building, 210 Walnut St. in Des Moines. The event is planned to take place as Sen. Chuck Grassley joins a Republican "filibuster" to block a vote on ending the Iraq war.

The groups will call on him to end his participation in the filibuster, which is blocking the United States Senate from passing a timetable for the safe and secure exit of troops from Iraq.

Event organizers plan to read a letter from an active-duty soldier serving in Iraq that calls on Congress to bring the troops home soon.

"We're gathering to ask Senator Grassley to stop playing political games and vote to bring our troops home safely, securely and soon," said Charles Carnes, a Des Moines MoveOn volunteer.

At the event Iowans will also unveil Grassley's report card on Iraq. Since the start of 2003, he has supported Pres. George W. Bush's Iraq policy. According to event organizers, now more than 70 percent of the American public is calling for the withdrawal of nearly all troops from Iraq by April.

A majority of senators are on the record in support of legislation that would require Pres. Bush to begin brining the troops home within the next 120 days and complete the task by April 2008. They will not be able to vote on such a measure if Grassley and others continue to block progress. Senate rules require 60 out of 100 votes in the Senate to end debate and bring a bill to a vote.

The pending Senate bill is an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill offered by Democratic Senators Carl Levin of Michigan and chair of the Armed Services Committee and Jack Reed of Rhode Island and a former U.S. Army Ranger. It is co-sponsored by three Republican Senators -- Olympia Snowe of Maine, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska and Gordon Smith of Oregon.

Vigils and counter-filibusters are also planned in front of the U.S. Capitol Building and at in-state offices of most of the senators who plan to filibuster.

U.S. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, joined a bipartisan group of senators today that is introducing legislation to reverse a controversial U.S. Supreme Court ruling that narrowed employee rights to sue over employment discrimination.

The Fair Pay Restoration Act addresses the Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. that Lilly M. Ledbetter, a supervisor at a Goodyear Tire plant, could not sue for pay discrimination because she did not file her claim within 180 days of her pay being set.

"The Supreme Court’s recent ruling in the Ledbetter case ignored the realities of the workplace and placed illogical restrictions on women’s ability to fight for the pay they deserve," Harkin said in a prepared statement. "This legislation will ensure that the Supreme Court’s mistake does not hinder women from fighting for fair compensation. Given the fact that women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes, it is imperative that women have the right to challenge their employers for fair pay.”

People for the American Way has launched a petition and web video (shown below) featuring Ledbetter to support the Fair Paid Restoration Act and companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

“Congress has a rare opportunity to correct a terrible decision by the Supreme Court,” said Ralph G. Neas, president of People For the American Way. “The Roberts Court made it more difficult for Americans to recover wages unfairly denied them and much easier for employers to engage in pay discrimination with impunity. Congress must act now to undo the Court’s unjust assault on the individual rights of American workers and the laws passed by Congress to protect them.”

The bill clarifies the Civil Rights Act’s statute requiring cases be filed within 180 days “after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred.” Specifically, the bill classifies each paycheck in which an employee is unfairly paid as a new act of discrimination. Therefore, employees would have 180 days after their last paycheck in which to sue for fair compensation. Given the secrecy of pay scales in the workplace, this clarification is considered crucial in ensuring employees’ right to petition for fair compensation does not expire before they have the opportunity to discover they are being discriminated against.

Other co-sponsors are Democratic Sens. Joe Biden of Delaware, Barbara Boxer of California, Hillary Clinton of New York, Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Diane Feinstein of California, John Kerry of Massachusetts, Patrick Leahy of Delaware, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Patty Murray of Washington, Barack Obama of Illinois, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. Republican senators Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania are additional co-sponsors of the legislation. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is also a co-sponsor.

A longtime champion of fair pay for women, Harkin also recently introduced the Fair Pay Act. This legislation would address the historic pattern of undervaluing and underpaying so-called “women’s” jobs. The bill requires the disclosure of pay scales and rates for all job categories at a company, without identifying the individual employee. This would make it easier for a woman to learn of pay discrimination closer to the date she begins working for an organization, enhancing her ability to advocate for better pay.

John Miller is reporting for the Associated Press that IDAHO (not Iowa) Republican (not Democratic) Sen. Larry Craig is reconsidering his decision to resign from his post on Sept. 30.

A spokesperson for the senator is citing legal reasons for the change of heart.

On Aug. 27 Roll Call reported that Craig had been arrested for lewd conduct in a men's bathroom at a Minnesota airport on June 11, and that he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct on Aug. 8. As a result of the controversy surrounding his arrest and guilty plea, Craig announced his resignation from the Senate at a news conference three days ago on Sept. 1.

In other more important news, Mattel has issued its third toy recall.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Mattel announced the new recall just minutes ago. The recall includes roughly 700,000 Chinese-made toys that have excessive amounts of lead paint. Most are Barbie accessory toys that were manufactured between Sept. 30, 2006 and Aug. 20, 2007. It also includes 8,900 different toys from the Fisher-Price brand that were sold worldwide during July and August.

Lead can cause brain damage when ingested by young children.

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, announced today that he would not be seeking a third term in the United States Senate and, further, that he will not seek any office in 2008. His announcement was made to the Omaha Press Club this morning.

Hagel was first elected in 1996 and was subsequently reelected in 2002. Prior to that he served as a successful organizer for the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan. Following Reagan's inauguration, Hagel was named deputy administrator of the Veterans Administration. His career ended there following comments by then director Robert Nimmo that funding cuts should be done because veterans were "greedy" and that Agent Orange was akin to "teenage acne."

Between the VA and the Senate, Hagel co-founded Vanguard Cellular, a mobile phone manufacturer that, in turn, ensured the financial success of him and his family. He moved from Virginia back to his home state of Nebraska in 1992 to become president of the McCarthy Group, an investment banking firm. In addition, he served as chief executive officer of American Information Systems, Inc., a voting machine manufacturer that later changed its name to Election Systems & Software. ES&S machines are currently used by many Iowa county auditors.

Over the past two years, Hagel has become a thorn in many Republican sides. He has publicly acknowledged his support of an immediate troop withdrawal and supported legislation proposed by the Democrats to require such a withdrawal within 120 days. On the issue of immigration, Hagel supports a "pathway to citizenship" as well as a "guest worker program" for undocumented workers. Earlier this year, he worked with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, to support the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007, a piece of legislation the Republicans in Congress strongly opposed.

When Hagel was first elected to the Senate in 1996, he indicated that he would retire in 2008. His morning remarks to the press club are re-printed below:

“I will not seek a third term in the United States Senate, nor do I intend to be a candidate for any office in 2008. It has been my greatest honor and privilege to serve my country and represent my fellow Nebraskans in the U.S. Senate. My family and I will be forever grateful for this opportunity and the trust placed in me by the people of Nebraska. It has enriched all of us.

"I have always tried to live up to the promise I made to the people of Nebraska the day I announced my intention to seek this Senate seat. On March 30, 1995 I said, “I intend to be a Senator all Nebraskans can be proud of.” I hope I’ve done that, and made some contributions to our state and country along the way. History will sort that out.

"I am proud of my Senate record and deeply grateful to all those who helped get me there and keep me there, and those who have worked so hard for the people of Nebraska—my staff. I would like to particularly thank Mike McCarthy, Ken Stinson and Lou Ann Linehan. I owe a great deal to these three individuals.

"I would have been unable to do my jo