Nine and Counting
The Women of the Senate
Written with Catherine Whitney


(Click for Amazon book review)

BOOK REVIEW by OnTheIssues.org:

This book is about every female Senator -- very few historical instances; nine when this book was written in 2000; and four additional Senators in the 2000 election, making the title of the Afterword, "And Then There Were Thirteen."

This book is all positive -- nothing negative about any of 'em. This theme of positiveness seems to be based on one female Senator who, after being asked by the President to campaign against another female Senate colleague from the opposing party, pledged that she would never do so again (Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) against Sen. Olympia Snowe (R), page 197). In other words, the commonality of their gender supersedes their partisan differences. All nine women Senators agreed with that pledge.

Female senators are still in the vast minority of the Senate -- 87% male even after there were thirteen in 2000, and still 83% male as of this writing in 2012. Normally, we don't like all-positive books because they deny the opponents' perspectives. But it's justifiable in this case because women have a long way to go to achieve equality in one of the most important measures of equality there is -- participation in federal government power. When a woman is elected President, that level of participation will begin to get even -- and the prospects for the first woman President most likely will come from the list of women in this book.

-- Jesse Gordon, OnTheIssues editor-in-chief, July 2012

OnTheIssues.org excerpts:  (click on issues for details)

Corporations     Susan Collins: 1999: Ended practice of deceptive sweepstakes mailings.

Education     Patty Murray: Strong public education at core of every other issue.     Patty Murray: $1.2B to hire 29,000 new elementary school teachers.

Environment     Maria Cantwell: One Washington Tour: don't pit rural families against urban.     Dianne Feinstein: Preserve ancient redwood forest, even when in private hands.

Families & Children     Barbara Mikulski: Co-sponsored Homemaker IRA as bipartisan bill.     Dianne Feinstein: Convention speech: Prioritize on family safety.     Kay Bailey Hutchison: Proposed Homemaker IRA; male senators don't think of that.     Mary Landrieu: 1998: "Mothers Make Good Senators Too".     Olympia Snowe: Barred husbands from canceling wives' pensions.

Government Reform     Kay Bailey Hutchison: 1993: indicted for political misuse of treasurer's office.     Susan Collins: Reform campaign finance (after fighting massive warchests).     Susan Collins: Repeal backroom politics $50B giveaway to tobacco companies.

Gun Control     Dianne Feinstein: Children kill children with guns, 13 times every day.     Dianne Feinstein: Melted down her pistol into a cross and gave it to Pope.

Health Care     Debbie Stabenow: Busload of seniors to Canada to buy Rx drugs at half price.     Debbie Stabenow: Pledged to lower prescription drug prices for seniors.     Olympia Snowe: Championed affordable prescription drug coverage.     Dianne Feinstein: 1981: opened first AIDS wards to treat "gay cancer".

Homeland Security     Barbara Boxer: Military procurement reform based on $7,600 coffeepots.

Jobs     Susan Collins: Chairs Senate investigations on consumer protection.

Principles & Values     Barbara Mikulski: 3 C's for Senators: Colleagues; Committees; & Constituents.     Barbara Mikulski: Pledges not to campaign against GOP women Senate candidates.     Jean Carnahan: First woman to serve in the Senate from Missouri.     Kay Bailey Hutchison: Top vote--getter (4 million) in Texas state history.     Barbara Mikulski: BAM's principles: Listen to people; no Washington-speak.     Dianne Feinstein: 1978: Became mayor when predecessor was assassinated.     Hillary Clinton: Held both titles, First Lady and Senator, for 3-week overlap.     Patty Murray: Remember that the people we serve go to Denny's.     Susan Collins: 1994: Ran for governor (won primary) as first elected office.

Tax Reform     Hillary Clinton: Social issues matter; wrong time for tax cuts.     Barbara Mikulski: Change tax code to count women's work at home equally.     Kay Bailey Hutchison: Change tax code to count women's work at home equally.

Technology     Barbara Mikulski: Space Hope: digital empowerment for NASA workforce.     Maria Cantwell: 1992: Helped defeat "Clipper Chip": privacy over police.

War & Peace     Kay Bailey Hutchison: No missions which are not necessary for US security.

Welfare & Poverty     Barbara Mikulski: Help middle class stay there; help others get there.     Debbie Stabenow: Church has a key role in social responsibility.

Click for quotations from other sources by: Barbara Boxer Barbara Mikulski Debbie Stabenow Dianne Feinstein Hillary Clinton Jean Carnahan Kay Bailey Hutchison Maria Cantwell Mary Landrieu Olympia Snowe Patty Murray Susan Collins