Democratic governor candidate Chris Kennedy declared Thursday that if elected he would “govern as a feminist,” as he sought to intertwine his family’s political heritage with women’s issues at a luncheon featuring his mother, Ethel Kennedy, and two of his sisters.
The fundraiser, which drew more than 350 people with ticket prices starting at $250, marked a rare trip by the 89-year-old family matriarch, human rights activist and widow of Robert F. Kennedy to the city of her birth, where she was born and raised on the South Side. […]
Speaking to the audience, Chris Kennedy accused Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner of engaging in a “war on women” largely as a result of the lengthy stalemate that kept Illinois without a budget until a tax-and-spending package was enacted over his veto.
“As governor of Illinois, I’ll govern as a feminist,” Kennedy said. “I know that when we recognize the importance of women in our lives and in our communities, when we allow them to empower themselves by removing the systemic barriers that exist, only then can we make the growth of our economy, the viability of our state and the security of our future a reality.”
* From Kennedy’s speech at the event, provided by his campaign…
Because we believe in fair compensation and a $15 an hour minimum wage in which America’s full-time [workers] don’t have to live in poverty, we must also believe in fair compensation so that women are paid equally for their work.
Because we believe that government has a role in establishing minimum coverage for all citizens across all aspects of healthcare, so too must we believe that women must be afforded sufficient time with their child after giving birth without sacrificing income.
We cannot punish women for being moms.
Because we believe there is an absolute role for the government to intervene in systemic violence, we must also believe that there is a special role for the government to intervene in domestic violence.
Because we recognize that there’s a disproportionate number of women living in poverty, we must make eliminating poverty not only part of advancing equality for women but part of the agenda for the entire country.
As governor of Illinois, I’ll govern as a feminist.
When we recognize the importance of women in our lives and in our communities, when we allow them to empower themselves by removing the systemic barriers that exist, only then can we make the the growth of our economy, the viability of our state and the security of our country a reality.
* And this is an e-mail which came over the transom…
Chris Kennedy claims he will be a “feminist” governor, but his words and actions don’t match up.
Kennedy has yet to tout any women endorsing his campaign and he has repeatedly showed up late to women’s events. During a Mom + Baby event, he showed up an hour late and was “condescending and rude” to a women’s political group. An organizer said she “didn’t think Kennedy would’ve had the same behavior with a group of men.”
Just last week, Chris disrespected a group of downstate women by showing up two hours late to their event.
But this wasn’t the first time. He’s missed many gubernatorial forums and he was the only major gubernatorial candidate to miss forums hosted by women’s groups, including the Democratic Women of South Suburbs.
It’s not just skipping forums and showing up late for women’s events though. He also hasn’t modeled his campaign as the “feminist” he claims to be. His top staffers are predominantly men, including his campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, ad maker and strategist, spokesman, deputy finance director, volunteer and outreach coordinator, and at least three consultants.
Finally, when asked about his support for a woman’s right to choose, Chris called it the “abortion thing,” saying “we have laws in our country and the laws are the laws.” He then awkwardly shifted to talking about his wife’s appointment at the OBGYN, saying “The woman never even looked at me. Never even looked at me.”
I dunno. He’s late to a lot of stuff. And the spokesperson I deal with at the Kennedy campaign is a woman.
