As a working mom, I’ve always been a big fan of “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day,” and I couldn’t wait to meet everyone’s families at the DNC headquarters this year! I have twins, Rebecca and Jake, who are about to head into high school and my baby girl, Shelby, is nine years old. With them in mind, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and advocating for policies that will help provide families the opportunity to succeed both at work and at home. This is personal for me.
In November, women overwhelmingly supported President Obama—and that’s because we knew as women that President Barack Obama has and always will fight for us. This is why on National Equal Pay Day, alongside President Obama, we must rededicate ourselves to the fight for equality and understand that our work is far from finished. Because these issues are not just women’s issues; they are issues for all of our families.
Yesterday President Obama and Defense Secretary Panetta made history when they announced that at long last, more military positions, including ground combat units, will be opened to women. This is a major recognition, not only of all the women who are currently serving overseas, but of all the women who have ever worn our country's uniform. For me, that's personal.
Today, every American can be proud that our military will grow even stronger with our mothers, wives, sisters and daughters playing a greater role in protecting this country we love.
– President Barack Obama
''I'm a single mom. I'm a disabled single mom. I look at my son every day, and I want him to have all the opportunities that my parents were able to give to me. I know that this president is the one who works for me, who fights for me.''
"I'm a single mom. I'm a disabled single mom. I look at my son every day, and I want him to have all the opportunities that my parents were able to give to me. I know that this president is the one who works for me, who fights for me. And that's what we need—someone who's going to remember that we're not all even upper-middle class. So many of us are down in the trenches, trying hard every day. That's how he grew up. That's how this president grew up. He understands what it's like for me, what it's like for my son.
"My son wants to go to Stanford. How am I going to send my son to Stanford if things go back to what they were? We have to keep moving forward, for the sake of our kids, for the sake of us, for all of us who are lower class. We're not low-class people, we're just financially strapped. He understands that's worth fighting for, and that's what he does. So that's what we do: We stand up with him and for him and fight every day."
