I am completely flumoxed that the Congress’ longest-sitting woman is only 4’11” tall! I’ve watched her on C-SPAN – more than once…more like 50 times. And I never realized. She is a dynamo and just way too big of a presence to fit into that little height.
But Mikulski fears no one. Actually she says that if you want a fight over what she cares about, she’s more than happy to roll up her sleeves and get dirty.
She is my kind of woman. Sen. Mikulski is a trailblazer, a passionate advocate for women, and a hell-raiser.
This senator has accomplished more than six other people during her stay in Washington, D.C. And I would like to list everything she has won on our behalf, but my fingers might get tired and fall off…seriously.
1. No Women In Pants? No Way!
When Mikulski arrived in the Senate, it was an all boys club. And when those boys saw the “girls” coming, they made up a rule that the women had to wear skirts ? and hose!?No pants. We’re talking 1993 here!!
So Senator Mikulski?and my own Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (D-Kan.) showed up all decked out in pantsuits. The senator from Maryland’s attitude said: So what are you gonna do about it? I love it!
Sure pants are comfortable. But more was at stake. Mikulski came to the table as an equal player.
She started out as a social worker with a master’s degree, then became a community organizer. But it didn’t take long for her to realize the real action was in politics. So what does Mikulski do? She just signed up Singer Carly Simon and feminist Gloria Steinem to help raise campaign funds. Amazing!
2. Dean Of The Women
Being the longest-serving woman in Congress -? winning the House (1976) and becoming the first Democrat woman in the Senate (1986) is notable on its own. But I notice they call her?Dean of the Women. She mentors women – both Democrats and Republicans, then builds all-women coalitions,
“The women of the Senate are like the U.S. Olympic team: we come in different sizes, but we sure are united in our determination to do the best for our country!”
“Each one of us can make a difference. Together we make change.”
3. Working Women
Her?Polish can-do spirit and determination explains much of her attitude. But I think there is far more at work. She has a system for collecting power, honing it to a fine point, and moving forward with it. Take equal pay for instance,
“We, the women of the Senate, with President Obama by our side, will keep fighting – our shoulders square, our lipstick on – because you deserve equal pay for your hard work.”
Mikulski sponsored the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. But her work went further,??
?Women leading means that Congress is working to create jobs, make quality child care more affordable and strengthen the middle class because we understand that America grows the economy and opportunity from the middle out, not the top down.?
4. Women’s Health
As an ever-present leader on women’s health, Mikulski discovered that?clinical trials and medical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) didn’t even include women! All the studies up to that point were based upon men. And as we know, women are different,
?(I) wrote the law requiring federal standards for mammograms and fought for uninsured women to get screenings and treatment for breast and cervical cancer.?
?A pregnant woman facing the most dire circumstances must be able to count on her doctor to do what is medically necessary to protect her from serious physical harm.?
5. Quality Education For All
Mikulski is for all of us having a quality education. In order to promote that, she has taken on doubling the Pell grants and making tuition a tax credit,
?College is part of the American dream. It shouldn’t be part of a financial nightmare for families.?
6. Saving Social Security
Mikulski’s stance on supporting our?seniors?brings tears to my eyes,
?Our seniors’ retirement should never rely on the bull of political promises or the bear of the market.?
??Women would be disproportionately affected by the privatization of social security. It is one of the most important safety nets for American women in old age, or in times of disability, to insure financial income for their families.?
7. Against The Obamacare Repeal
And I love that the senator is working on increasing?Alzheimer’s and uterine fibroid research. This fighting woman has a lot to say about Congress trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare).
“If you want to repeal that, then bring it on, we’re ready to fight. We want to fight for that annual health care checkup that will involve mammograms, pap testing, pelvic exams. We want to be able to do that screening for that dreaded ‘C’ word around colon cancer. If a doctor suspects domestic violence, we can screen and counsel. We want women to be able to have access, to be able to know early on what are those illnesses that they are facing.”
8. Protecting Our Civil Protectors
I so appreciate Mikulski’s?commitment to all of those who protect us, including getting vets full veteran health care and benefits.
“(And) I’m so proud of Maryland’s firefighters, risking their lives to protect others, but we need to protect our protectors with the best equipment training and resources.”
And those are just eight important accomplishment, eight reasons that earn my respect and admiration.?Guess how she plans to spend the rest of her time in the Senate?
??Do I spend my time raising money, or do I spend my time raising hell?”
I think we all know the answer to that.
Below is a video of Mikulski in action on funding a clean Homeland Security bill:
