Katrina vanden Heuvel | The Nation

The Komen turnaround and the White House’s “miraculous” accommodation on contraception both had the feel of movement victories for women—proof that the Republicans’ War on Women has sparked a potent outrage with political muscle.

On the heels of the Komen win, President Obama announced that insurance companies would have to pay for contraception coverage when a religious employer objects to providing it. As Nation columnist Katha Pollitt writes, it’s as if the administration “finally noticed that women out-number bishops.”

But as my inimitable colleague Pollitt also observes, “Women’s health is never just about women’s health, the well-being of the 52 percent of the population that spends around thirty years trying not to get pregnant.”

Almost on cue, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell announced that the GOP will pursue legislation permitting any employer to deny contraception in their health insurance plans. He said, “The fact that the White House thinks this is about contraception is the whole problem. This is about freedom of religion.”

Thank goodness Mitch is there to let women know when we are mistaking religious freedom for contraception.

And so the War on Women led by Republican men continues to rage. According to the Huffington Post, Republican Senator Roy Blunt is even using a transportation bill to try to amend the Affordable Care Act so that any employer can exclude any aspect of health coverage “by claiming that it violates their religious or moral convictions.” There might be a vote as soon as tomorrow.

In response to this ratcheting up of extremist attacks, women’s health advocates and activists will rely on the same kind of vigilance and activism that countered Komen and also defeated Mississippi’s Fetal Personhood Amendment this fall.

But women need something else too if pro-choicers are to move from defensive victories to making long-term progress on women’s health: the election of more pro-choice legislators in Congress who will have their backs. According to NARAL, staunch anti-choicers outnumber pro-choicers 46-40 in the Senate, and 246-155 in the House. In many state legislatures the picture is similarly bleak.

And yet there are some positive electoral signs that Republican overreach will backfire, making the 2012 elections the kind of historic year for women that we haven’t seen since 1992—known as the Year of the Woman—when four women were elected to the Senate. In fact, EMILY’s List—dedicated to electing pro-choice Democratic women—is calling the upcoming election “W.H.Y. (Women’s Historic Year) 2012.”

In the 12 months since the Republicans took control of the House, EMILY’s List membership has grown from under 400,000 to over 1 million. In 2011—an off year in the election cycle—it added 640,000 new men and women members. (Typically, that number is around 50,000.)

“Lots of this enthusiasm has to do with fighting back against the GOP War on Women; and I think women rightly see the birth control fight as just the next front in that,” says EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock.

EMILY’s List is now supporting a record eleven Senate candidates, including six incumbents and five challengers. Each challenger—Mazie Hirono, Tammy Baldwin, Shelley Berkley, Susan Bysiewicz and Elizabeth Warren—would be the first woman to represent her state in the Senate.

In the House, where Democrats need to pickup twenty-five seats to regain a majority, EMILY’s List is supporting nineteen candidates and closely watching more than twenty other races. Eight of the endorsed candidates are facing Tea Party incumbents who took Koch Brothers cash.

Until we win comprehensive campaign finance reform—something all of these Senate candidates are on record as supporting—cash remains all too important. In the 2009–10 cycle, EMILY’s List raised more than $38.5 million. That amount is sure to be surpassed this year given the growth in membership. Schriock says the organization has “never raised as much for candidates at this point in the cycle” and is “on track to raise more money than ever before.”

It also seems that support for Democratic women candidates is attributable to more than choice and health issues. A poll conducted by EMILY’s List on January 31 shows that the issues women consider priorities are the economy, tax fairness, Social Security and Medicare.

“The Republicans’ clear focus on a right-wing social agenda just proves they’re asleep at the switch,” says Schriock. “They’re not just getting their priority issue wrong, they’ve prioritized the wrong issues altogether.”

If the same kind of grassroots energy and activism of recent weeks is sustained in the upcoming election, this indeed might prove to be a Year of the Woman. That would not only strengthen the firewall against a well-funded and relentless Republican War on Women but also serve as something to build on—helping women make real progress in our fight to control decisions about our health.

A BEGINNING, NOT AN END IN MORTGAGE SETTLEMENT. Thursday’s announcement of the massive $25 billion mortgage fraud settlement comes as a piece of good news in the effort to aid struggling homeowners while holding banks accountable for their role in the economic crisis. While the full details have yet to emerge, DC reporter George Zornick offers up a preview of the good, the bad and the ugly in the settlement between federal and state officials and five major banks. The deal certainly falls short in helping borrowers cope with the costs of underwater mortgages, but as Zornick points out, the immunity to prosecution granted to banks remains narrow. More importantly, the authority granted to the new federal unit charged to investigate fraud, co-chaired by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneirderman, remains intact. As I’ve argued, Schneirderman is the right man at the right moment and is already at work issuing subpoenas. He exemplifies the commitment and willpower necessary to ensure we finally see some accountability and restitution for the havoc wrought by recklessness and greed. The biggest battles, however, have yet to be fought.

LESSONS FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD. In a long line of targeted attacks against the progressive infrastructure, right-wing zealots met their match when they pressured the Susan G. Komen foundation to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood for breast-cancer screenings. An inspiring outpouring of online and offline outrage and criticism led Komen to promptly reverse itself and send its vice president (and political opportunist), Karen Handle, packing. But her exit, as Ilyse Hogue points out this week, is largely symbolic, and reflective of “a sophisticated political operator who may have gotten exactly what she wants.”

I explained this week that there are key lessons to be drawn from the power of organized outrage. We’ve seen it on display in Ohio: popular opposition to a proposal that would gut union rights, and in Wisconsin where over a million citizens organized to recall Governor Scott Walker. In the end, these victories for workers and women are defensive ones; they don’t advance collective bargaining rights or reproductive healthcare for women and instead stymy efforts to take them away. With enough people power channeled through grassroots activism, battles over raising the minimum wage or paid sick days for working people can begin on our ground and on our terms.

HOW WISCONSIN RENEWED THE POLITICS OF PROTEST. For nearly a year, Wisconsin has been the epicenter for the battle over labor rights. From Governor Scott Walker’s vicious proposals to cut collective bargaining rights for workers, to the inspiring protests and ensuing political drama, to the historic recall efforts currently underway to remove Walker from office, The Nation’s Washington correspondent John Nichols has covered it all. A seventh-generation Wisconsinite, Nichols brought us to the front lines of the historic battle over hard-won labor rights. On Monday, February 13, join me and Nichols for a lively discussion about his new book, Uprising: How Wisconsin Renewed the Politics of Protest (Nation Books), the culmination of his tireless reporting for TheNation.com and which offers a comprehensive look at how change is sweeping the world, from Tahrir Square to Wall Street to Madison, Wisconsin. More details on the event here.

VOICES OF CONSCIENCE. Nation contributing writer Eyal Press’s forthcoming book, Beautiful Souls, takes us on a journey into the minds of nonconformists, whistle-blowers and “refuseniks,” people who do “something risky and transgressive when thrust into a morally compromising situation…[who] stop, say no, and resist.” In a powerful essay in this week’s issue, adapted from the book, “Voices of Conscience in Israel” introduces us to Avner Wishnitzer, an IDF solider who refused to serve in the occupied territories on account of the harsh treatment of Palestinians. Press weaves powerful narrative with deeply reported interviews to glimpse inside the mind of what impels people like Wishnitzer to stand up and resist. Be sure to listen to this week’s episode of Nation Conversations with Press and managing editor Roane Carey for more on Wishnitzer’s refusal to serve and what it means to ask bigger questions about ones role within the confines of Israeli democracy.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DRONES. While much of today’s national security reporting focuses on the use of unmanned drone aircraft in covert military operations, little has been written to help us understand their development and implications of use. In this week’s cover story, John Sifton, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, weaves current reporting and understanding of drone technology, with the history of their use in modern warfare and impact on our understanding of violence in war. “The unique technology,” he writes, “allows the mundane and regular violence of military force to be separated further from human emotion…” foreshadowing “the idea that brutality could become detached from humanity.” Be sure to read that here, and listen to Sifton and executive editor Betsy Reed discuss the policy implications as well as how the use of drones relates to animal behaviorist theories of aggression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

As always, thanks for reading. I’m on Twitter—@KatrinaNation. Please leave your comments below.

THE GOP’S NEW SOUTHERN STRATEGY. In this week’s cover story, contributing writer Ari Berman reports how Republicans in virtually every state in the South, including critical swing states like North Carolina, are using the redistricting process to dilute the Democratic party vote. Hoping to build on their gains in 2010, Republicans are using their control of the process in at least twenty states to pack minority voters into districts represented by black Democrats, while diluting the minority vote in swing districts held by white Democrats. As Berman explains, not only does this weaken the Democratic party’s ability to compete in the upcoming November elections, it threatens to undo an integration process in a region with a long and troubled history of racial segregation. Our slideshow this week looks at the familiar faces behind the GOP’s new Southern strategy.

THE ASSAULT ON LABOR IN ARIZONA. At the urging of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Arizona Republicans led by Governor Jan Brewer are racing to implement a series of anti-labor initiatives designed to cripple Arizona’s unions, reports Washington correspondent John Nichols. Brewer, who outlined her anti-union plan at a meeting of the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in December, announced this week her intent to go above and beyond Walker’s assault on Wisconsin’s public workers. Legislation introduced by her Republican allies in the state Senate—striking for its resemblance to ALEC’s model legislation as revealed by The Nation/Center for Media and Democracy last summer, would effectively end collective bargaining rights for public workers, including public safety unions, end automatic payroll deductions for union dues, and ban compensation of public employees for union work. Nichols joined MSNBC’s The Ed Show Thursday night for the latest on this story.

HOW NEWT CRIPPLED CONGRESS. Emerging bruised and battered from this week’s GOP primary in Florida, Gingrich continues to tout his Reagan “conservatism” and long legacy of leadership in Congress. But as ThinkProgress.org’s Alex Seitz-Wald reports, Gingrich’s “legacy” is far from laudable. “It was Gingrich who made winning, rather than good governance, the chief currency of success,” writes Seitz-Wald. His tenure as Speaker of the House in the 90s was characterized by obstructionist brinksmanship, toxic divisiveness and excessive partisanship. “How Newt Gingrich Crippled Congress” is a must read, and available here.

HOW NEBRASKANS DEFEATED THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE. YES! magazine’s Madeline Ostrander offers up an originally reported look at how an unlikely grassroots coalition of farmers and ranchers in Nebraska banned together to oppose the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, and in turn helped catalyze a national campaign that led to the Obama administration’s rejection of the plan. In this week’s episode of Nation Conversations, web editor Emily Douglas spoke with Ostrander about whether the success in Nebraska could translate into a model for use at the national level. Listen to that here.

El País’S JOURNEY TO THE MAINSTREAM. How did a newspaper that once represented a progressive alternative to the status quo ultimately come to be identified with the state? That’s the key question explored in Jonathan Blitzer’s essay, “The Future Is Not What It Used to Be,” in Books & Arts this week. A powerful work of narrative journalism, Blitzer traces the evolution of the Spanish daily over four decades: from a “vanguard force” to a mouthpiece for the state, and how the emergence of the newspaper Público came to fill the void left behind by El País. In this video by web producer Francis Reynolds, Blitzer explains how El País’s evolution leaves lingering questions about how both papers will deal with Spain’s ongoing social and political upheaval.

ACT NOW: CHALLENGING ARIZONA’S BAN ON ETHNIC STUDIES. My colleague Peter Rothberg details how you can join the movement to challenge Arizona state Attorney General Tom Horne’s ruling to ban Mexican American Studies from classrooms across the state. Be sure to read that here and find out how to make your voice heard.

As always, thanks for reading. I’m on Twitter—@KatrinaNation. Please leave your comments below.

THE GOP PRIMARY SIDESHOW. The spectacular twists and turns of the 2012 GOP primary race have thus far made for great entertainment. But in all the antics lie serious implications for the direction and future of our country. As I explained in the Washington Post this week, whether it’s Romney’s “vulture capitalism” or Newt Gingrich’s dog-whistle racism, the Republican platform personifies the corruptions and failed policies that brought us to where we are. On ABC’s This Week, I explained how the schizophrenic GOP primary results are reflective of old patterns that have re-emerged as both Romney and Gingrich threaten to take the country into a poisonous abyss of old grievances at a time when we desperately need new solutions. On NPR’s On Point, I told host Tom Ashbrook we have a rare opportunity to discuss two dramatically different visions for the future of the country, channeling the momentum of the movement that began in Wisconsin, occupied Wall Street and spread across the country.

On the eve of the Florida primary, this week’s episode of Nation Conversations with contributing writer Ben Adler looks at the diverse Florida electorate—cultural conservatives in the north, Latinos in the south, and retirees from across the country. Adler explains the state’s wealthier conservatives may lean more toward Romney, while less wealthy conservatives may be drawn to Gingrich’s culture-wars rhetoric. Listen to that here.

And stay tuned for continued campaign coverage from The Nation’s 2012 team of writers and reporters. DC correspondent John Nichols (@NicholsUprising), contributing writer Ben Adler (@badler), DC reporter George Zornick (@gzornick), contributing writer Ari Berman (@AriBerman), correspondent Ari Melber (@AriMelber), veteran national affairs correspondent William Greider, and contributing editor Robert Dreyfuss.

ABRAMOFF ON LOBBYING AND NEWT GINGRICH. Former Republican lobbyist and convicted felon Jack Abramoff stopped by The Nation’s offices this week to offer some insights into the pervasive grip of money and influence in Washington. He knows well of what he speaks. As a self-proclaimed “killer lobbyist,” Abramoff made a lot of powerful friends during his days peddling influence in DC—from Ralph Reed to Grover Norquist. He witnessed firsthand the dubious lines of what was and wasn’t legal. Having served over three years in federal prison, Abramoff admittedly had a lot of time to think. He offered some bold ideas for reform, including ending Washington’s revolving door by revising the definition of “lobbyist” and banning them from political contributions. In another installment of Nation Conversations, Abramoff argues that reforming the lobbying world will certainly be difficult, but it will also be essential because the system he exploited for so long is not “a system that, whether one’s on the right or the left, one can look at and say, ‘This is good for the country.’ ” He also shares his intimate knowledge of Newt Gingrich, a “lobbyist,” plain and simple, and offers examples of Gingrich’s very unique style of legislating. Be sure to read contributing writer Ben Adler’s account of that discussion, here.

AFTER CITIZENS UNITED. Abramoff’s visit couldn’t have come at a better time—on the heels of the second-anniversary of the Supreme Court’s disasterous decision in Citizens United, at a time when Washington remains saturated in corporate money and influence, and a 2012 primary campaign awash with Super PACs. In our recent issue, DC correspondent John Nichols and Robert McChesney examine the rise of this toxic offspring born of the Citizens United decision and the avalanche of scorched-earth negative campaign ads that now dominate our political campaigns. As our lead editorial in that issue explains, a court case in Montana sets up the first direct challenge to Citizens United; the time is ripe for a constitutional amendment to stem the flood of corporate money that’s poisoning our democracy. In this video, I share ways you can help take back government so it remains one of the people, by the people and for the people.

THIS WEEK IN POVERTY. Each week, Nation contributor Greg Kaufmann offers key statistics that are too often ignored; provides updates on legislative efforts at the national, state, and local levels; reports on the battles activists are fighting in their communities; summarizes cutting-edge ideas, studies and proposals offered by anti-poverty experts and organizations; finds opportunities for action, highlights programs that are working, busts myths and much more. This week, Kaufmann looks ahead to Florida’s GOP primary and offers up a compelling look at what’s happening on the ground: from troubling poverty statistics to a new “wage theft” ordinance that is gaining momentum in the state, as well ways grassroots efforts to protect Florida’s beleaguered farmworkers. Be sure to read that here.

As always, thanks for reading. I’m on Twitter—@KatrinaNation. Please leave your comments below.