Gwen Moore of the People, For the People

Of late, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI) has taken a lot of heat.  She’s been called vocal, among other things, for standing up for women’s health, the welfare of poor children in this country and the hardworking union workers of Wisconsin.
 
Moore, is the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s 4th congressional district.  Elected in 2005, Moore is only the second woman to be elected to Congress from Wisconsin, and the first African-American.  Prior to defeating Republican attorney Gerald Boyle by earning nearly 70% of the vote to claim her current seat in Congress, Moore spent time in the Wisconsin Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate, where she was the first African-American to be elected to the upper chamber of the Wisconsin legislature.
 
Moore’s history making accomplishments are certainly laudable, particularly considering her background.  As one of nine children, and a one-time recipient of welfare, Moore went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in political science from Marquette University, despite being a single mom.
Moore recently drew from these experiences when, during a February 18 speech from the House floor, she delivered a deeply personal oration about her experiences as an eighteen-year-old single mother and the benefits of organizations like Planned Parenthood, and their ability to help women choose the right time to start, and adequately provide for, a family.
 
In a follow up interview during a rally supporting continued funding of Planned Parenthood, Moore spoke about the detrimental impact of the Pence Bill, and foretold the damage it causes by taking away low-cost healthcare options for women who otherwise would have nowhere to turn.
 
Moore went on to speak about the Republican ‘So Be It’ attitude permeating Congress as members of the GOP engage in willy-nilly cuts of social programs without so much as a glance back at the Americans who hurt because of their careless actions.
 
It’s against that same ‘could care less’ attitude that inspired Moore to stand in the bitter cold outside the Wisconsin State Capital with union workers to protest attempts by newly elected Gov. Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Legislature to pass an extreme budget.  If passed by the Senate, the budget would hurt unions and restrict their bargaining power in dealing with corporations.  Of the budget and its suspected behind the scenes corporate architects, Moore stated,
The [Koch brothers] are the poster children of the effort by multinational corporate America to try to redefine the rights and values of American citizens.
 
This was not the first time Moore took a stand with the unions.  During the 2010 campaign season, Moore joined union members at a labor walk in Milwaukee to thank volunteers for their hard work during the election.  She went door to door to talk with union members in support of Wisconsin State’s AFL-CIO endorsed candidates.  She made an impassioned plea that voters send Democrats back to set policies that will continue to protect the people, not hurt them.
This is not a time to backslide. Now is the time to bristle up and to harden up, now is the time to preserve gains made so that we can move forward with our agenda.