New York Times Picks Up Our Theme

The New York Times is reporting on what we have been saying:  women are a force for collaboration and cooperation in Congress.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) and four of her female colleagues—Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), and Patty Murray (D-WA)—are leading a bipartisan effort to end the government shutdown. As the Times puts it:

“In a Senate still dominated by men, women on both sides of the partisan divide proved to be the driving forces that shaped a negotiated settlement. The three Republican women put aside threats from the right to advance the interests of their shutdown-weary states and asserted their own political independence.”

Following the 2012 election, women reached new heights in the US Senate. With just 20 women in the chamber, they’re already breaking down partisan barriers.

“Together, the five senators starkly showed off the increasing power of women — even those who are not on the relevant committees — as their numbers grow in the upper chamber. Of the 13 senators on a bipartisan committee who worked on the deal framework, about half were women, even though women make up only 20 percent of the Senate. Senator John McCain of Arizona joked at several points in their meetings, ‘The women are taking over.’”

This is just one example of women working together to move the country forward. Electing more women is the key to breaking partisan gridlock. As Sen. Collins puts it, “Although we span the ideological spectrum, we are used to working together in a collaborative way.”

Read the full story here: Senate Women Lead in Effort to Find Accord.

Additional coverage from Parity co-founder, Marie Wilson, in the Huffington Post: Leadership From the Foot of the Table.