By Hunter Walker 1/04 10:53am

Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves

Diane Sawyer with the women of the U.S. Senate. (Photo: ABC/Martin Simon)

Women in the Senate Explain Why They Do it Better

Yesterday, a record 20 women were sworn in to the U.S. Senate. To mark the occasion ABC’s World News With Diane Sawyer had all of the female senators on for a group interview. One of the major topics of the discussion was the belief of many of the senators that they achieve better results than their male colleagues on a variety of issues including the budget, immigration reform and climate change. Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow got the ball rolling when she suggested women are more inclined to get results by working in a bipartisan manner.

“It was the first time in 2001 when we had enough women to actually be on every committee, to have a woman’s voice, a woman’s experience [and] a woman’s values on every committee. You fast forward to now, the new year. There will be six of us chairing committees and other women in the ranking member spot,” Ms. Stabenow said. “And I think the public understands to get things done, we’re the ones that want to work across the aisle to do that.”

Maine Senator Susan Collins took the argument a step further by saying if women were in charge of the Senate and in the White House there would be a solution to the budget debate that has gripped Washington.

“I think if we were in charge of the Senate and of the administration that we would have a budget deal by now,” Ms. Collins said.  Read More

By Hunter Walker 1/16/12 8:33am

Civil Liberties

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (Photo: Hunter Walker)

Kirsten Gillibrand Says She Shares Concerns Of NDAA Protesters

At last Friday’s ABNY breakfast, The Politicker asked Senator Kirsten Gillibrand about the protests she faced earlier this month over her support for this year’s National Defense Appropriations Act, which contained a provision that would allow the government to indefinitely detain U.S. citizens accused of terrorism. Senator Gillibrand, who voted for two amendments that would have changed the controversial provision, said the concerns of the protesters were “legitimate” and vowed to “keep fighting” for civil liberties.

“It’s a very complex bill, but the provision that people are upset about, I share their concerns,” Senator Gillibrand said.  Read More