Evelyn Murphy says of yesterday’s Globe headline calling Coakley cautious,

This is outrageous, and it is wrong.  

At the campaign’s fundraiser last night, the former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor (and first female to hold state-wide elective office) spoke about the importance of language in a campaign. 

When you run for the top offices, whether it’s Governor or US Senator, things change… The language becomes more important. And here’s what happens…

The language of what a US senator needs to be — politically strong and tough – is male. It’s about who has the loudest voice, who has the biggest shape, who is the most aggressive. It’s all those things. And that’s the way it has been defined over and over again, because [having men in high office] is all this state knows, so that’s what political strength and toughness is [defined to be]. But that’s not what it necessarily is.

Murphy stressed that Coakley is plenty strong and tough in the ways that don’t necessarily fit a masculine stereotype, but are the ways that matter.

…This is a very strong political woman…. Last week, Martha Coakley stood up and said, on principle, ‘I’m not going to compromise women’s health and reproductive rights for a health care bill’ …She had the guts and the courage to stand up and say, ‘This is my principle.’…and that is a great statement of strength. 

… And then she not only said ‘here’s my principle,’ but she stood by it. And when she stood by it, her opponent — the one that immediately came after her [for her stance] – had a flip flop… Political strength and courage is not just about stating [your principles], but it’s about standing by your principles.

And then, you’ve got to act on [your principles]. And she’s shown us how to do that when she filed… the lawsuit against DOMA. You can’t [find] action… with more strength, courage, and toughness, than filing that lawsuit…

Murphy said that it’s important for voters to understand “the spectrum” of how humans exhibit strength.

She’s got a different way of doing [things] — not as loud as a man, but in her own style, with her own sense of presence, and willfulness, and strength and force, she will establish that her strength is as good as anybody in this race.

Proud Coakley supporter Rep. Niki Tsongas is around the one minute mark:

Cross-posted with permission.

by Kathy Groob, Publisher ElectWomen Magazine

A Boston Herald pop culture reporter called Massachusetts attorney general and candidate for the United States Senate a “mean girl” and an “ice queen”. Lauren Beckham Falcone took Martha Coakley to task for dodging a reporter’s question about her campaign finance report.

Martha Coakley is a candidate in the special election for the late Senator Edward Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts.

Falcone describes the exchange between Coakley and the reporter as follows:

Reporter Chabot: “Can you explain why, as a Senate candidate, you’re not speaking to your campaign finance records?”

Mean Martha: “No, thank you.”

Chabot: “Why can’t you explain that?”

Mean Martha: “I’m not going to talk to you about it. Anybody else have any questions? Thanks.”

For whatever reason Martha Coakley declined to take questions about the particular campaign finance report is unknown. What is known is that gender-based slurs were used to describe an elected official who is running for one of the highest positions in the country.

Women have fought hard for equity in the political system and stereotypical gender slurs only hurt the cause. Would a male candidate who refused to answer one question be referred to as a boy and called on carpet about his position?

Female candidates walk a fine line between being tough and strong to being thought of as a “bitch”. Lauren Falcone displayed tremendous media bias against Martha Coakley by calling her a mean girl and comparing her actions to a high school girl. Her actions discourage other women from running for fear of negative treatment by the media.

Martha Coakley is a serious contender who deserves respect and dignified treatment in the media.

To read the editorial by Lauren Falcone, click here: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view/20091016ice_queen_martha_coakley_sending_wrong_message/srvc=home&position=also

For more information or to contribute to Martha Coakley, visit: http://www.marthacoakley.com/

This hurts the single mother with no healthcare who needs her viewpoints represented in healthcare debates. This hurts the female office worker who hears men in the next cubicle laughing about the headline and wonders how she can possibly ask to be paid as much as her male colleagues in such an environment. This hurts the female engineer who wonders how she can ask her co-workers to tone down the sexual innuendo of office conversations and the unwelcome comments about her figure without being labeled an “ice queen.” This hurts the idealistic teen girl who is inspired to study government and to someday run for office, but doesn’t know whether our society really accepts powerful women.

 There is absolutely nothing wrong with a public official declining to take a question. After all, President Obama has declined to engage with an entire cable TV network. But there is indeed something wrong with vindictively using a women’s vulnerability as a female in order to silence representation of the voices of other women whose struggles she represents.