WAR ON WOMEN IN MASSACHUSETTS' SIXTH DISTRCT

Marisa DeFranco Calls Out The DCCC

The Democratic Party holds itself out as the champion of women, but in a blatantly sexist move, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee commissioned a poll in our race and omitted Marisa's name from the poll. Yes, the party that has howled about the "War on Women" left Marisa out of the poll even though she is the only candidate to date who has qualified for the ballot in the 6th District of Massachusetts. Keeping a candidate out of a poll effectively mutes her voice and keeps voters in the dark as to their choices in a race. Where is John Tierney on this?

If the Republican party did something so disrespectful to a woman candidate and her supporters who have been working their hearts out, we would be hearing about the "War on Women" in every media outlet across the land. But the DCCC runs a poll with only the two men in the race and disregards the woman effectively writing her out of the picture and no one in the establishment blinks an eye. Why is John Tierney standing by, allowing a woman to be discriminated against?

This sexist double standard is unacceptable. Who needs Mitt Romney's etch-a-sketch when the Democratic machine can just as easily write a woman off with an eraser? If only 18% of Congress is women, and there is only 1 Democratic woman governor in the whole country, whose fault is that?  Why doesn't the Democratic party run more women? And when they do run, why don't they include them in their poll and demand of themselves the equality for women that they do of the Republicans.  Where is John Tierney on this? Standing by and doing nothing while a woman is slapped down is just as bad as bad as doing the slapping yourself.

Marisa said: "Our campaign is not asking for special treatment, only equal access. We need to show the Democratic Party machine, the DCCC and everyone else that they cannot ignore, dismiss and erase out of the picture women who dare to challenge the status quo."

DeFranco, an immigration attorney for the past 17 years, was named Top Woman of Law by the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and received national recognition by being awarded the National Legal Aid and Defender Association's Beacon of Justice Award for her pro bono service. She has been a leader in the National Organization for Women, serving as the Vice President of Legislative Policy for Massachusetts NOW. She also served on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. Marisa has shown time and time again that she is a strong spokesperson and advocate for equal pay for women, for ending violence against women, for civil rights and disability rights.

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