Twitter has transformed the ways in which people communicate and interact. Politicians and public figures alike have used this social platform to vocalize their opinions and sentiments. This week on Twitter, women in politics covered everything from climate change to the Voting Rights Act and everything in between. Find out what else with this week’s edition of That’s What She Said!
We all know about the Netflix hit series “Orange Is the New Black.” But do we really know about the person who inspired it all? Piper Kerman, portrayed by Taylor Schilling in the show, spoke before Congress and called for legislators to improve conditions for female inmates in prison as she evidenced many obstacles she faced during her sentence. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin posed with Kerman after the hearing.
Thank you, @Piper for sharing your personal stories of why we need #criminaljusticereform at today’s hearing. #OITNB pic.twitter.com/FIMrwn300F
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) August 4, 2015President Barack Obama has recently unveiled his Clean Power Act in an unprecedented push to address growing environmental issues. If implemented, Obama guarantees this piece of legislation would reduce carbon emissions from power plants. Many politicians, like Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, support the Clean Power Act in an effort to subdue climate change.
Addressing #ClimateChange is imperative for our national security, our health & our economy. That's why I'm supporting the #CleanPowerPlan.
— Tammy Duckworth (@TammyforIL) August 3, 2015While the Clean Power Act has attracted many supporters (see above), there is also a number of dissenters who disagree with the legislation. Take Representative Diane Black from Tennessee for example. Congresswoman Black, who has served in the Tea Party Caucus and acted as a Romney surrogate during the 2012 election, criticizes the plan for putting working-class Americans at risk.
Pres Obama’s #CleanPowerPlan is really a political legacy plan with an $8.4B annual price tag that threatens working-class Americans most.
— Diane Black (@RepDianeBlack) August 3, 20154. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake
The 44th president turned 54 and many took to Twitter to wish him well. Mayor Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, who received negative press during the riots following Freddie Gray’s arrest and death, wished @POTUS a happy birthday with a picture of the two of them together.
Happy Birthday, @POTUS! #44Turns54 pic.twitter.com/Tn7erL9Se1
— Mayor Rawlings-Blake (@MayorSRB) August 4, 2015Kerry Washington might play a political crisis manager in a fictitious world, but the actress often weighs in on political issues that impact the real world. Following the vote in Senate that killed the Republican-sponsored initiative to defund Planned Parenthood, Washington showed her support for the non-profit organization by announcing that she joins those who #StandWithPP. Yet the fight over Planned Parenthood’s existence seems to be far from over…
#ProudFeministTweet
I stand with @PPFA in the fight against the attacks on women and our repro health freedom. #StandwithPP
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) August 3, 2015While it might seem like partisan differences are petty and ego-driven, political fights can actually have dangerous consequences. For instance, the current debate over Planned Parenthood funding has led some to foreshadow a government shutdown. But politicians, like Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, see right through the shrouds of partisanship, which she calls “ridiculous.”
This is ridiculous! Republicans are threatening another #GOPshutdown if services essential to women’s health care are not cut off.
— Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) August 4, 20157. Amy Schumer
While Amy Schumer is renowned for her comedic wit and raw storytelling, the comedian has decided to address a more serious issue. Following the fatal movie theater shooting in Louisiana where two were killed during a screening of “Trainwreck,” Amy Schumer is teaming up with relative Sen. Chuck Schumer to tackle gun control. The Schumers have introduced legislation that seeks restrictions on gun possession for people with a violent criminal history and/or past of mental illness. .@SenSchumer Thank you so much for inviting me. The Schumers are not alone in their call for comprehensive background checks for gun owners. Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty of Connecticut has been working on the Background Check Completion Act with other members of Congress that guarantees guns would not be sold by licensed dealers to customers until a full background check is complete. The legislation addresses the loophole in the system that allowed Dylann Roof to purchase a gun before the FBI had reviewed his history. Roof consequently killed nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston on June 17. Proud to cosponsor the Background Check Completion Act, a common sense fix to ensure firearms are not sold without a background check. Netflix has transformed the way we consume TV. And now, the California-based company is beginning to break other barriers. In a press release, Netflix, Inc. announced it would start offering its employees unlimited maternity and paternity leave following the first year after a child’s birth. In this unprecedented effort, politicians like Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut praise this regulation, which encompasses gender equality and improves employee benefits. Netflix is setting a new corporate standard on paid family and medical leave – – Thank you! #pfml #worklifebalance In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson compelled Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act (VRA) during the height of the Civil Rights movement. On the VRA’s 50th anniversary, President Barack Obama urged Congress to restore the historic act that eradicates racial discrimination in voting. The fate of the Voting Rights Act is still debated today and Congresswoman Judy Chu of California fully supports its revival. We have an obligation to ensure that every American citizen has the right to vote & that every vote is counted as cast. Let's #RestoreTheVRA Follow the women in politics list on Twitter. For more news on women in politics click here.
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