Wednesday, September 21, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
NOW speaks out about 1988 campaign
By Barbara Joseph Kansan staff writer
Representatives of the National Organization for Women are in agreement on college, city, state and national levels — the presidential candidates are not adequately represented by women, or any issues, for that matter.
And they are still angry about insinuations that Republican vice-presidential candidate Dan Quayle women voters with his good looks.
"American politics are not based on issues; they're based on media character portrayal," said Pam Huffman. "It's the role of NOW and Women for Educating KU." To win, you don't mention species. You look good and keep out of trouble.
Sarla said she felt patronized by Republican candidate Vice-President Bush's choice of Quelle, who was a woman whose women because of his good looks.
"It it was extraordinarily condescending," she said. "It said that a woman's grim speaks louder than her mind."
NOW describes the following as key women's issues: affordable and more readily available childcare; job security and adequate pay for parents who take to take time off for care of children or spouses; equal pay for comparable jobs; the right to have an abortion; the minimum wage and the state's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
At the Lawrence level, NOW president Peggy Billings, who is also secretary for the educational psychology and research department,
said she was pleased that both candidates had addressed family medical leave and daycare, but thought they ignored the tremendous changes taking place in women's lifestyles in the last 20 years.
"Somewhere near 50 percent of women with children under the age of four work outside the home, and there is no support system," she said.
Billings said, however, that she was glad to see women speaking from the platform at both national conventions. And she was encouraged by the secretary of state, Elizabeth Dole for Republican vice-president.
"It's a long ways from being equal, but it's a change in the right direction," she said.
On the issue of Quayle, she said she was insulted by the idea that he would appeal to women because of his looks.
"Women do not vote for candidates on the basis of their looks any more than men do," she said.
For Jean Resenthal, KU teaching assistant at the Applied English Center and NOW's assistant state coordinator, the presidential campaign has only paid lip service to women's issues.
"There was a rash of both candidates center and centers," she said. "Now they have been on for several weeks. Most of the talk is on military and pledge of allegiance."
Rosenthal said the local races were boring and did not address many women's issues.
Rosenthal said she thought all the flap over Bush's choice of Quyle angered women.
Headquarters remaining neutral KU president wants group to endorse presidential candidate
By Barbara Joseph Kansan staff writer
The president of the KU chapter of the National Organization for Women would like the national headquarters to endorse a presidential candidate.
But NOW's headquarters has enforced only one presidential candidate in its 22-year history — Democrat Walter Mondale in 1984 and it is uncertain whether it will endorse a candidate.
"I don't understand why NOW doesn't understand why Pern Warda, president of the RU chapter, has Democratic party has been supportive of women's issues. Now we can't do anything in that."
nam sandy, national secretary and treasurer, political action committee in Washington D.C., has debated over whether the organization should endorse a candidate, an action it can do only with the approval of the organization.
"The debate in 184 (over whether to endorse Mondale) is similar to the one now."
Gandy said. "Should NOW endorse a candidate at any level, or should it remain an independent outside force pushing the candidate up in the polls?" and her pams? A lot of people thought they wouldn't have endorsed Mondale. The debate will continue even if we do endorse a candidate
Gandy said she didn't believe the lack of an endorsement had hindered the local chapters.
"Even if NOW's political action committee did endere a presidential candidate, all the chapters could say is that it had done so," she said. "If it wouldn't change anything for the
Gandhi explained that because NOW was a non-profit organization, Federal Elections Commission regulations restricted endorsements of all candidates to NOW's political action committees. However, only national committees can endorse federal candidates.
She said local political action committees were limited to encouraging members to participate.
campaign news in their newsletters. Howe-ve-
nes the can endorse candidates in state and
regional races.
Skarda said the KU chapter's agenda for this semester was to raise students' confidence.
"We may not do anything for the presidential election, but we are helping draft legislation on domestic violence and initiating a task force for women's shelters." Skarda said.
She said KU's 14 members would probab- participate individually in the activities of the KU Democrats and the Kansas Young Democra-
NOW members from the Kansas chapter seem to be taking the same approach. They are supporting candidates of their choice on an individual basis, not in the name of NOW.
Jean Rosenthal, KU teaching assistant at the Applied English Center and NOW's assistant state coordinator, said she was contributing money, going door-to-door and stuffing envelopes. She is encouraging other members to do the same.
"It angered me," she said. "Don't we have any brains?"
At the NOW national level, Kim Gandy, national secretary and treasurer of the political activist group Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis was making a mistake by not addressing women's issues in the gender budget home issues.
The gender gap is the term politi-
cients use to describe the differences between the way men and women vote. A recent New York Times-CBS poll showed Republican candidate Vice President Bush held a seat he lead among women over Dakikas.
"Gev.狄克斯 ignores the gender gap at his own peril," she said. "He talks to fall about his good efforts on women's issues."
Gandy said she thought Bush had been very consciously talking about women's issues since the Republican campaign was unconvinced about his sincerity.
"His history is poor on women's rights, and there's no reason to believe he will change." she said when the counselors issued issues, and as a result the gender gap
has started to close."
Gandy said she was "quite gleeful" when Bush picked Quayle as his running mate.
"Most women are offended by the idea that they would vote for him because he was good-looking," she said. "It said to women how Bush feels about girls, that all he thinks they care about is looks, not issues."
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