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"It's time to close the door on the Clinton-Gore administration," according to a spokeswoman for the Dulles, Virginia dissident chapter of the National Organization for Women, which has endorsed Republican George W Bush for President.
The group also endorsed Republican Rick Lazio in the New York Senate race
against Hillary Clinton and Republican George Allen in the Virginia
Senate race against incumbent Democrat Charles Robb.
"As far as women are concerned, we have laws now. We have rights. But the
problem is that the Clinton-Gore administration has not enforced those
rights," Dulles NOW President Marie Josie Ragab said Friday.
"It is not possible for any Democrat-connected women's group to say that
if a Republican is elected to the White House, that is going to be a
disaster for women. Women are in a very good position as far as our
rights are concerned," Ragab said.
Ragab claimed that the Clinton-Gore administration has done nothing on
the issues of education, women's health and violence against women.
"They certainly have not enforced the laws against violence against
women. Only four percent of rapists are punished today. They have not
done the job. They have had eight years to do a good job for us and they
have not done it," Ragab said.
At NOW's national headquarters in Washington, the organization's
president, Patricia Ireland said "there is no longer a Dulles area
chapter of the National Organization for Women. By their own choice, the
former Dulles area NOW has decided not to be a part of the organization
by declining to meet the requirements of a NOW chapter."
According to Ireland, "the National Organization for Women has no part of
their (Dulles NOW's) alleged endorsements. Only the national NOW/PAC is
authorized to endorse federal candidates. At this time, NOW/PAC has not
made an endorsement in the presidential race. NOW/PAC is supporting
Hillary Rodham Clinton in the New York Senate race and Charles Robb in
the Virginia Senate race."
Ragab said her group split from the national organization in 1998
following the Monica Lewinsky scandal. "We've called for the resignation
of Mister Clinton twice. This time, we felt that this was a very
important election in the view that some very terrible things had
happened to the nation with the Clinton-Gore administration," Ragab said.
Ragab said her group's endorsements have "gotten a lot of applause from
around the country" and said she thinks Ireland should resign.
"We think that the national office is a disgrace. They are disgrace to
the spirit of the American women's movement that has been very much
admired around the world. She (Patricia Ireland) and her clique have
betrayed women. They have betrayed the organization and we call for her
resignation quite regularly," Ragab said.
According to Ragab, the national headquarters of NOW "have not stood up
for the rights of women. They have sided with a man who has been an
abuser of women. They have acted against Paula Jones and her civil
rights. They have attacked Juanita Broaddrick. They have worked against
the impeachment and we think those actions represent a betrayal of what
the organization was supposed to be."
George W. Bush is pro-life, and while Ragab says her group is pro-choice,
she adds that "we have no litmus test on abortion."
Dulles NOW has about 7,000 members. |
