US enters new phase as women change the face of Congress

I've been waiting and seething for 2 years for this day and I can't get enough of the history being made.

US enters new phase as women change the face of Congress

Record 102 women were sworn into the House as balance of power shifts in Washington, and Nancy Pelosi makes history as speaker again


Among the historic class of new congresspeople who took the oath of office in the US House of Representatives on Thursday are the first Native American women, the first Muslim women, the first black women elected from Massachusetts and Connecticut, the first Hispanic women elected from Texas, and the youngest woman to be elected to Congress.

There is a former NFL linebacker, a doctor and a climate scientist. There are a number of former members of the military and intelligence services, many of them women. There are seasoned veterans of past presidential administrations and a handful of political neophytes who never held office before running for Congress in 2018.

A record 102 women were sworn into the House on Thursday, 35 of whom were elected for the first time in November in a historic wave of success for female candidates.

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/03/us-enters-new-phase-as-women-change-the-face-of-congress

Rashida Tlaib's thobe and Ilhan Omar's hijab are making congressional history

Rashida Tlaib’s thobe and Ilhan Omar’s hijab are making congressional history


Thursday is a historic day for the federal government: As Democrats take over the House of Representatives amid a shutdown with no end in sight, the first two Native American women and the first two Muslim women will be sworn into a Congress with more women overall serving than ever before.

To mark the occasion, some first-term Congress members are standing out in more ways than one: During the swearing-in ceremony, instead of the typical congressional suit in a muted tone, Rashida Tlaib will wear a traditional Palestinian thobe. It’s a long tunic, often made of cotton and decorated with heavy embroidery, and worn for various occasions all over the Middle East. Tlaib’s is a deep burgundy with red embroidery.

Tlaib is the first Palestinian American woman to be elected to Congress, representing Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, which includes parts of Detroit and its surrounding suburbs. She’s a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, and she’s championed progressive policies like a $15 minimum wage, debt-free college, and Medicare-for-all, as well as the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the impeachment of President Trump.

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Meanwhile, Deb Haaland of New Mexico, one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, wore a traditional Pueblo dress and turquoise jewelry to the swearing-in ceremony. On Thursday morning, she tweeted, “New Mexicans are in the house, the US House that is.”

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The first-term female Congress members elected in November’s midterms have single-handedly helped create a more diverse Congress — and they’ve done so while wearing their identity proudly rather than assimilate to the old-fashioned uniform of dark suits for the House and Senate.

Their platforms and policies are more important in the grand scheme of things than what they wear, of course. But the embrace of their heritage and identity is already changing the rules in Congress. Ilhan Omar, who is one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress (Tlaib is the other), will be the first person to wear a hijab in Congress. Though she’s worn a hijab throughout her campaign, hats and head coverings have been banned in the House since 1837, a rule Omar pushed to change even before she was sworn in. The 181-year-old rule will be overturned as of January 3, formally allowing religious garments like hijabs and yarmulkes, as well as head coverings for illness and hair loss.

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https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/1/3/18166768/rashida-tlaib-ilhan-omar-congress-thobe-hijab

Who's Doing Good New Laws? Is It Dems? Is It DEMS? Yes It IS!

[ The new House and Speaker are icing on a very nice cake, as described so well at (slightly weird) Wonkette: ]

Who's Doing Good New Laws? Is It Dems? Is It DEMS? Yes It IS!


Slinky By Erin Perry Creative Commons 2.0


As ever, the new year brings with it a bunch of new laws going into effect and new people in office, so let's take a moment to pet and love some nifty new developments in the states. Maybe not all the states (Bad Georgia! Bad!) but there's some Good Laws and Good Government out there. Here, have a Snausage and celebrate!

California: That Doggie (And Kitty, And Bunny) In The Window Has To Come From A Shelter, Hooray!

[ ... see the link for more ]

Wisconsin: Dem Governor-Elect Won't SIT For Republican Power Grab

[ ... see the link for more ]

Treats EVERYWHERE!

There's also a nice grab bag of improved laws going into effect around the country. Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska will be expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act after voters passed initiatives -- they were all sick of their legislatures' foot-dragging. The new benefits won't all go into effect right away, but holy crap, we had to find an excuse to mention the one progressive thing in Idaho for AGES.

California, Illinois, and Oregon have new restrictions on guns that go into effect this week.

[ ... ]

The minimum wage is being raised in a whole bunch of places, including New York, California, and 20 others, hooray! A whole bunch of cities are also raising their minimum wage, too -- in all, the National Employment Law Project estimates about 17 million workers will see increases in the minimum wage this year.

And then there are all the states whose legislatures have taken action to reflect the #MeToo movement:

[ ... ]

https://www.wonkette.com/whos-doing-good-new-laws-is-it-dems-is-it-dems-yes-it-is

MJ: Bask in These Joyous Photos From the Historic Day.

Medicaid Expansion -- Having health care helps prevent homelessness

Medicaid expansion continues to reap social benefits: Having health care helps prevent homelessness

Joan McCarter


The decision by United States Chief Justice John Roberts to split the Affordable Care Act baby in 2012, upholding the constitutionality of the law as a whole but letting the states decide if they would implement the Medicaid expansion part of it, has been horrible for the people in those deeply Republican states that refused to take the expansion. The only upside is that it provides a pretty much unprecedented opportunity for social scientists to determine precisely what benefits affordable health care brings to society.

It created a basic lab. Neighboring states with matching demographic profiles could be compared side by side: those that expanded Medicaid compared to what would be sort of a control group, those that didn't. One of the findings so far is that expanding Medicaid increases voter participation. People are more invested in their government and society when they both see the benefits of it in their lives and have more time and energy and health to devote to it. A new study, reflecting the kind of stability that access to affordable health care gives people, shows that it is preventing homelessness.

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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/1/1818300/-Medicaid-expansion-continues-to-reap-social-benefits-Having-health-care-helps-prevent-homelessness