If anyone is interested in the event Ms. Collins mentions in which a senator was beaten on the senate floor, I recommend The Caning of Charles Sumner by Williamjames Hull Hoffer. https://www.amazon.com/Caning-Charles-Sumner-Idealism-Origins/dp/0801894...
1
When you have a Congress who is made up of predominantly middle-aged white men, the expectations of them being in touch with the everyday lives of most Americans seems tenuous at best. Everyday we see reminders about how non-progressive our country has become, full of outmoded ideas, the highly suspicious and conspiracy theorists, science deniers, and true believers in fabricated journalism. Out-of-touch, out-of-step, we also remain stuck in preconceived notions of gender roles. Is it any wonder, then of the shocked reaction to discovering that the ace Southwest Airlines pilot who brought flight 1380 to a safe landing was a former Navy pilot AND a woman? Now a senator, and war hero to boot, is bringing an infant into the Senate floor--wonders never cease! Small steps will not a nation make, but it sure does help.
45
I have once in my life spoken with Christie Hefner, doyenne of the Playboy empire: I was a staffer for the excellent, the late, John Brademas (D. Indiana) who regularly introduced his Comprehensive Child Care legislation. Think of it as "what Canadians would do."
She phoned in to support it. Um, this would be 1969 or '70. A few years too early.
For the United States at least.
4
I have once in my life spoken with Christie Hefner, doyenne of the Playboy empire: I was a staffer for the excellent, the late, John Brademas (D. Indiana) who regularly introduced his Comprehensive Child Care legislation.
Think of it as "what Canadians would do."
She phoned in to support it. Um, this would be 1969 or '70. A few years too early.
For the United States at least.
5
We should show a bit of sympathy for Senator McConnell's post-traumatic stress disorder from having to acknowledge a natural human condition.
23
Duckworth for President! (Either one!) :)
12
The sound of a crying baby sure beats the sound of stridently whining adults.
34
Just wait until she (or someone else) tries to breastfeed in the Senate chambers.
6
Tammy Duckworth for President!
10
"Still, Klobuchar said, there were reservations. Some of their colleagues muttered that if you gave new mothers an inch, the next thing you knew, they’d be nursing on the Senate floor."
Yeah, so?
It once being okay for Senators to go all buffo in the Senate swimming pool, I can't see what the kerfuffle is here?
Oh, now I get it - one involves men and the other involves women! That's why!
I just can't wait until we show this stupid old white men's club the door.
30
I briefly met Sen. Duckworth back when she worked for the VA, and came to visit a program in LA for combat veterans, where I was working. Before she arrived, there were a few mild jokes about the lady chopper pilot; after she left, there was kind of an awed silence for a little while. Everybody who lived at our program was working on their own stuff, getting better at their own pace, but after they saw and heard her speak, it was a lot to think about.
Looks like she is still having that effect on people!
44
My only objection to Senator Duckworth taking Maile to the Senate floor is the dangers inherent in exposing her to the toxic atmosphere. Maybe she needs to have an infant hazmat suit before being exposed to Republican Senators.
53
I love it. A majority group of mostly old, mostly white, mostly alpha men, many of whom seem most comfortable yelling at kids to get off their lawn are suddenly faced with the unsettling prospect of infants inside their private clubhouse. No doubt vapours ensued.
36
I wonder whether the junior Senator from Texas privately threatened to filibuster this change in the Chamber's rules. After all, he most likely wants to maintain his celebrated status as the chief Senate Whiner.
22
It certainly is understandable why GOP senators would not want babies on the senate floor.
These antediluvian Republican politicians--(falsely) advertising themselves as the family values party-- know they couldn't take the stares of innocent babies looking up at them in wonder and puzzlement, as they pass yet another draconian budget cut and slash government programs that benefit children, mothers, and born babies. Republicans only like fetuses, and they certainly don't like other people's children.
"Out of sight, out of mind"--and these days Republican politicians are outa sight with their stupidity and cruelty, and outa their bloody minds!
Don't vote for these Republican politicians until they come to their senses. Could be a long wait, unless we get rid of Citizens United, stop special interests and big donors from buying their politicians, and move to the public financing of elections.
While we are at it, let's get rid of the Electoral College and institute fair federal procedures for determining voting districts across this country—amongst other things. The babies would like this, I think.
22
Thank you, Ms. Collins, for highlighting all the ways Tammy Duckworth is an exceptional hero. The contrast between her record and that of Trump's nominee to be head of NASA reminds us the Senate's role in "advise and consent" is to be more than a rubber stamp for the current president, especially one like Trump with a history of poorly vetting nominees.
All US voters should be proud there are people like Sen.Duckworth willing to sacrifice and serve their country unlike the many currently in power serving only themselves and their Republican party.
31
The greatest news is that Senator Ducworth by bringing her baby in the Senate elevated the intellectual calibre of the Senate by 1000%. In her first day in the Senate, baby Ducworth told no lies, told no stupidities, did not vote for a new unqualified director of NASA. In other words the presence of baby Ducworth was a big win, win not only for women, but also for the American people.
30
Gail, there's already a lot of teething toddlers on the floor of the Senate and many have needed a diaper change for a long, long time.
While I welcome Sen Duckworth and her offspring and feel they should be welcomed everywhere including during feeding times but I'd like more adults in govt too. We need to take away their candy (change our campaign laws) and make them go back to school to learn civics before allowing them to legislate anything.
But that brat in the White House needs a time out. A very long time out.
28
I love Gail and agree with everything she writes. I do wish she wouldn't use the trendy semi-literate expression "woke," though. It's somewhat jarring, but not very effective. "Awake" means the same thing, and is better English
10
Typically, the only time Members of Congress remember children exist, is when they suddenly announce they are quitting to spend more time with them.
37
That there was any contention at all involved with this decision illustrates just how archaic and dysfunctional the Senate has become.
21
Earlier this week, I watched a reporter ripping on a male Senator about it taking until 2018 for female Senators to be allowed to bring their babies into the Senate. He was apologetic but was never allowed to get a word in edgewise. Finally, she fired the last insult at him and cut off the feed. Had I been him, I would have asked, "What is the percentage of pay a woman receives in America vs that of a man for the same work?" Her answer would have been in the 70% range. Then I would have said, "What do you think the percentage of pay a female Senator receives in America is vs that of a male Senator?" Then I would have cut off the feed.
Regarding bringing kids into our Congress, I think it is an extreme form of child abuse to expose them to the high level of incompetence there. Furthermore, I was amazed they were actually able to pass a rule to let Senator Duckworth bring her newborn into the Senate.
1
It amazing that the GOP, the Party of Christian Family Values, would be against this but then I remembered that for the Evangelicals in the GOP, Christianity is only about judging others not showing any compassion.
22
This column puts me in mind of Michelle Goldberg's column about Hillary Clinton's complaint that "they" wouldn't let her win the election. No, "she" didn't allow Hillary to win her own election.
To me, Tammy Duckworth is the anti-Hillary: bright, plain spoken, generous and down-to-earth. Ms Duckworth might be a powerful vote-getter in a presidential race.
I doubt, however, that the monarchical Democratic Party of geriatric entitlement would ever allow such a middle-aged upstart to gain a foothold in its senior leadership. all seats there are reserved for the over-70 crowd. I hope I am wrong about this.
Failing to do so pretty much assures that the Party will continue to lose the younger demographic while failing to win the older. We are in the midst of living with the consequences of such political mismanagement.
4
Absolute proof that the BEST multitasker is a MOM. The Best Trailblazer is a MOM. The BEST President WILL be a MOM.
Any questions ???
23
What We the People need now is a vote to get the dinosaurs out of the Senate; I mean the old men like McConnell and Grassly and another 45 or so republicans who are keeping the Nation in the Stone Age.
Congrats to Senator Duckworth. I know it's none of my business; but having a baby at 50?
Blessings and Love
8
Why is a 50 year-old woman, with the demanding job of US senator, having a baby in the first place? If I was one of her constituents I wouldn’t be thrilled.
2
I am one of her constituents, and I am thrilled. Seems to me she's more than proven she's up to the task.
30
Well, she's an obviously an appealing symbol, to many people. Whether she can be an effective Senator remains to be seen.
Given their opposition to abortion you would think that Republicans would be falling over themselves to have a baby visit the Senate. But it seems babies are not human beings who even deserve the right to be heard.
15
Only one way to get what you're asking for Gale: Everyone needs to go out and VOTE! (Of course, you better hope that it's the 55% of us who want these progressive things that do the voting, and it's not the 30% who wish it was still 1856.)
8
The decrepit old men objecting to mothers bringing their children onto the floor of the Senate should read the handwriting on the walls and retire from the Senate before their constituents wisely force them into retirement.
10
I suppose it's too much to hope for that the presence of a baby on the Senate floor might actually move some members to consider a little more carefully how the actions they're taking will affect all the children of our country. But would that it might be so!
18
It’s actually a big deal for the current congressional majority to do something nice however small it is. I’m surprised Mitch or a Paul didn’t torpedo it. Senator Duckworth is a true hero!
14
Well, I guess children in congress are okay, Gail, but we need to work on allowing congress to be fully armed on the floor. True, given the cane-whipping incident you mentioned, carrying iron could lead to some destructive behavior. This could get to be a little dangerous when the kids get a hold of those locked and loaded guns.
Now, about day care. I assume that Republican members of congress would need a Scott Pruitt or Ben Carson-style day care, replete with custom oak furniture and extensive security details, along with teaching staff.
There was a woman who would breast feed in her office in my group that performed work for our grand government. No one, save one man, had an issue with it. The one who had the issue became the brunt of some humor. It's fine.
But we'll roll out the sitcoms with a child running around congress. It could be interesting. In one episode the kid (a cute and cuddly Shirley Temple type) could coyly encourage Republicans to do the right thing, where they finally relinquishes their obsequious relationship to Trump and lead an impeachment hearing. There is joyous panic on the floor, a la "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington".
And then there's the baby that Trump holds during his visit to congress during a State of the Union address, when the baby pees on him. This opens up a lot of possibility. I'm thinking that we could get it to run for about a season before the real impeachment happens.
9
I admire Tammy Duckworth and have supported her since she entered politics. I am so happy that she has had a child.
As a person who became a parent latter in life and now in my late 60s have two daughters who are in their early 20s, I sincerely wish her the strength and patience and support from her friends and family to keep her sanity when she is 72. There are times when the nearly 50 year age difference is difficult to transcend. For example, they have no idea what it means to use a manual or an electric typewriter - or to need change to use pay phone - or use the card catalogue at the library.
9
I have a political take on applying the title of the opinion piece "Caution, Babies Voting" to a different issue. There has been a great deal of media coverage for another cohort of "Babies" that is strongly protesting concerns about gun violence. Members of Congress should think carefully about their positions on this issue for upcoming and future election cycles, as these "Babies" will soon be able to express their views at the polls.
12
Could not help but compare Senator Duckworth with Tammie Jo Shults. Both exemplary role models for young women in this country. Both nevertheless persisted to gain their rightful place at the table to serve our country with honor and dignity in roles which in the past had been reserved for men.
I cannot imagine the courage it took for Senator Duckworth to not let herself be defined by her disability. Nor did her disability stop her from embracing motherhood at 50 no less. She is an amazing resilient woman with more courage in her little finger than Trump possesses in his whole body from his orange hair to the tips of his toenails.
Tammie Jo Shults exhibited "grace under pressure", in the face of extreme danger when the plane she was flying had an engine explode. She showed without a doubt that women pilots perform their jobs under the worst of conditions calmly, and with the same professionalism as their male counterparts.
Both Senator Duckworth and Ms. Shults have my admiration. They are women of courage and determination who have fought to not let traditional roles dictate their career choices.
I am glad Senators Duckworth and Klobuchar were successful in changing the rules which will now allow Senators with young infants to bring them on the floor of the Senate in order for the Senator to cast a vote. It is progress. Now they need to work on making the cloakroom wheelchair accessible.
28
Did anyone actually see Mitch McConnell reading the resolution that would allow babies into the chamber? He did so reluctantly, with jaw clenched, viscerally monotonous tone, and with all the pleasure of having to chew broken glass. He probably prefers that women all get back in the kitchen where they belong, and just shut up. Kentucky, get rid of this poor excuse of a man.
51
That's Turtlehead's normal, everyday demeanor.
13
If they let Ted Cruz on the Senate floor, it's only fair that babies go too.
40
Since when do mothers have rights?
4
"The Senate is now ready to let babies on the floor for a few minutes..."
Come, come, come Gail. Babies take charge of the Senate, crawling, crying and soiling their diapers on the Senate floor, every time the Republican Party is the majority.
Republican babies pridefully promenade, projectile puke, petulantly prattle; they will never be woke. Climate change denial, hatred of education, attacks on healthcare, attacks on Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Food Stamps, Planned Parenthood, science, facts, truth, honor, reality. Sighing peacefully only when in the loving arms of the wealthy.
To cap it all off Republicans have lately been nursing at Trump's breast. The Baby Party now gropes as well as growls and gripes.
Best to get them off the Senate floor in November. Then start the cleanup...the floor has a noticeable odor.
26
“the next thing you knew, they’d be nursing on the Senate floor.” Haven’t republicans in the House and Senate been nursing corporations and nurturing them along to be productive campaign contributors since the Supreme Court decision on corporate personhood?
#MoveToAmend
21
“There were also complaints about the possibility of debate being drowned out by crying babies.”
Translation, Mitch McConnell didn’t want any competition when he throws one of his temper tantrums on the Senate floor.
Kudos to Senators Duckworth and Amy Klobuchar for prevailing over ridiculous objections. Exactly what is wrong with breastfeeding on the Senate floor? It’s the best way to nourish a newborn when the mother is able to do so. Just more archaic rules and regs meant to keep “the little woman” in her place.
Won’t it be great to see baby Maile Pearl return one day to cast her own vote as Majority Leader of the Senate?!
17
I am glad we have a real baby for once instead of the Republicans doing their best to act like them.
19
Go, Tammy!
And ya just gotta love Amy Klobuchar!!! : )
20
...and SHE PERSISTED!
32
Maile Pearl for speaker! Dems win in November and replace one babyface with another, more honest one.
7
In many of the comment threads people (mostly men) would say "leave the baby in the Senate daycare"......????? What daycare? They just got a ladies room a few years back I think.
22
Nothing would be more pleasant than to hear a wailing child drown out Mitch McConnell’s drone while I sat in the gallery!
31
I certainly hope every Republican Senator supported this. They are always bragging that they are the pro life party. If you believe that there is never a valid reason for an abortion, and that insurance companies don’t have to cover contraception, shouldn’t you be first in line to support every new mother? Shouldn’t you be bending over backward to be sure new mothers have comfortable, suitable places to breastfeed? Shouldn’t you be sure that every baby has the same fine health care that you have? Shouldn’t you make sure that affordable, high standard child care is available for all? Come on Republicans, put your money where your mouth is. Let’s see some real pro-life action.
231
This legislation, welcome as it is, simply underlines the fact that childcare is still a woman’s issue. Were not any senators once young fathers, and if they were, did they never have to care for their babies? Understandably newborns are attached to their mothers, but clearly, all those male senators never had to choose between a career and fulfilling parental obligations. I’m left wondering where Kristin Gillibrand’s husband was, when the toddlers were running around in Harry Reid’s office?
12
Oh, I see the problem: a 12-week maternity leave (pay optional). Maternity leave in Europe varies by country from 10 to 58 weeks, mostly or fully paid. Plus paternity leave....
In most countries, employees are just like people.
21
There is much to admire about Sen. Duckworth, but bringing her newborn baby to work is not one to admire. This is a publicity stunt, although a well-done publicity stunt.
First, the ability to bring a baby or child to work is a thing of privilege. How many parents - men or women - can bring a baby/child to work? Not a checkout clerk at a big box store or grocery store. Not an employee at a fast food store. Not an employee at a manufacturing plant. Not nurses and paramedics, not police officers and firemen.
This is not a newly-formed opinion for me. I've said for a couple of decades that the Take Your Daughter (or Son) To Work Day is both ill-advised and elitist. Take your daughter to work on your fire truck? In your ambulance? In a restaurant kitchen? Hello - safety issues? Can the surgeon take her daughter to work in the OR? The nurse take her daughter to work in the ER? The hospital at all? (Disclosure: I'm a nurse and can tell you flat out there is no way a baby/child/teen can accompany his/her mother/father to work.)
I admire Sen. Duckworth for her service to her country.......but not for taking her baby to work.
8
The senate is rife with privileges, mostly to benefit its male members. Like Maile Pearl, this is a small concession.
10
While I'm all for the change in the rules, I do question the wisdom of bringing a 10-day old newborn into a huge public space. We are not attuned to infants in general, and this is quite a vivid demonstration of that. Of course her baby slept - her nervous system probably shut her down from the excessive sensory input.
3
10-day old infants can't focus more than a few inches from their eyes. It's entirely normal for an infant so young to spend their day either sleeping or eating.
11
Considering how little actual work is accomplished by both the House and Senate these days, there must be a space in the Capitol that could be transformed into an onsite child-care facility similar to those provided by 17 Fortune 500 corporations, including Boeing, Home Depot, and Goldman Sachs.
13
In another article on this subject this week it was reported that Senator Orrin Hatch, 84, asked, “But what if there are 10 babies on the floor of the Senate?”according to The Associated Press. Replied Senator Klobuchar: “That would be wonderful and a delight.”
Yes, it is delightful to imagine how many young women Senators there would be to have 10 babies on the Senate floor. The direction of legislation would truly change!
40
" ...maybe they can tell her it was all about animal rights or better schools" - two issues that even school children know urgently need to be addressed, but Congress never does.
12
Just a "baby step" toward helping American children!
Next, let's trash our uncoordinated, inaccessible, bureaucratic, inefficient federal/state child-assistance programs in favor of a monthly child assistance payment to the mother or custodian of every child in America.
Next, let's create thousands of affordable, local, high-quality day care nurseries for pre-school children.
And, let's institute before-class, after-class, and evening programs for the care, social and physical development, and wholesome entertainment of the students of every school in America.
Finally, let's take the ultimate moral step of encouraging and assisting American girls and women to avoid unwanted pregnancies and the bearing of unwanted children.
15
good change but cloakroom isn't Ada accessible?
3
The Senators who might be worried about a baby disrupting the decorum of the Senate should be more concerned with the baby in the White House disrupting much, much more than decorum.
23
The good news is the Senate can come together in a speedy bipartisan manner and pass long-overdue legislation/rule-changes.
The bad news is they can do so only when it involves a trivial matter that has no effect whatsoever on the average American’s daily life.
8
Nearly 27 years ago as a new mother when I lived in Dublin, Ireland I went to see trailblazer feminist Germaine Greer speak. There was a huge university lecture theatre packed full with the spillover having to move to a second lecture theatre with her lecture being transmitted via speakers over the PA system.
Suddenly an infant started crying in the middle of her talk...organizers moved to request the mother leave when Greer spoke up and said something to the effect of, and I paraphrase the essence of her words, ‘let her and the baby stay because after all the presence of children is ubiquitous in women’s and we are used to working with crying children around us all the time, why should it be different in a university lecture hall and to refuse women with small newborns who are nursing is the antithesis to feminism and the reality of women’s lives and working towards a more women inclusive and center society.’ I was very impressed with what she said. And many years later when I was supervising some working college students I made a point of letting one young women with a newborn bring her baby and nurse her at the departmental desk regardless of the caddy gossip and objections of other female students. Kudos to Duckworth and those amazing early feminist thinkers like Greer who shaped my world view.
53
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Germaine_Greer
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germaine_Greer
6
It appears that Senator Tammy Duckworth never received Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's February 2017 memo to 'sit down and shut up' that he issued to silence Senator Warren.
This was a regrettable, inadvertent Grand Old Patriarch oversight, and I can promise the entire American Neanderthal community that Senator Duckworth will be silenced in the near future in the rich tradition of white male misogyny and 'free-dumb'.
This type of female liberation is a threat to our completely corrupt values and the tyranny of the rabid right-wing American minority.
101
I am happy for her and her baby, and the powerful message of his picture: That a 50 year old woman who has lost both her legs can be a new mom and be a senator. May be she will be the first woman president of the USA
32
It's not just the infant who is sleeping in the Senate. The entire Senate is somnambulist. The baby needs changing and so does the Senate.
43
Senator Duckworth - biracial Army lieutenant-colonel chopper pilot; continued her military service after sustaining extreme, life-altering injuries; elected to the House of Representatives; elected to the Senate; new mom at 50; smart, compassionate and gracious. She's Wonder Woman. So so so proud to have her as my Senator!
63
Nobody puts Baby in a cloakroom. Way to go, Tammy and Amy!
34
Oh for goodness sakes! she is a working mother. why would the Senate and house not get behind this? people bring their dogs to work. this is america, folks. we need support in the office and corporate America as well as the government must get behind us. babies grow up to vote!
20
Who brings their dogs to work?
The police officer? the paramedic? the worker on the manufacturing shop floor? the ER/ICU/surgical or medical or cardiac floor nurse? the restaurant cook? The railroad engineer? Nope -they and millions of other American workers can't bring their dogs (or cats or pet pigs) to work.
The only people who can bring their dogs to work are people who either A) own the business or B) don't have much real work to do.
1
Congratulations to Senator Duckworth. A new baby is always good news.
16
This was long overdue. The next item on the agenda is for women to have equal representation in Congress. The Senate currently has only 22 women, so we still have a long way to go.
18
Personally I'm looking forward to kids voting in the near future. Generation Z is rising now and already entering college. They are strongly anti-Trump and anti-Republican. They support diversity and rights and equality and the environment as well as healthcare. They are marching and protesting for gun safety laws, sadly knowing the terrible toll of school shootings.
I trust the kids far more than Fox seniors, and it is their future being thrown away now including in the massive tax cuts for the rich with its $1.8 trillion addition to the deficit, the terrible environmental policies, potential wars, and the NRA's toxic purchase of politicians.
Go, kids! It's your party, and you can cry in the Senate if you want to.
34
I think that the babies currently in the Senate - especially Orin Hatch - the oldest(?) - are afraid of being upstaged by a real baby.
21
Ageism, Marc? Say it ain't so........
2
I left my well paid corporate job in the 90s to be able to raise my kids. My job demanded that I be available whenever an executive finally got around to wanting - or more likely, being forced - to discuss finances. Usually that meant that the 3:00 meeting started after six. How do you pick up your kids from daycare?
For many families today, it takes two workers to earn what one would have earned in the 60s and 70s - to keep the family afloat. With that as reality, we are pretty backward in creating opportunities for women to both earn enough to raise the family and be the primary source of care.
Kudos to Tammy Duckworth for helping make obvious what is obvious. If anal-cranial inversion were an actual medical diagnosis, Congress would be at epidemic levels.
And thanks, Senator Duckworth, for giving us a news story of a women who gained prominence for something other than suing the current President so that she could make a bundle selling a tell-all story that would be the equivalent of a gory traffic accident - we'd try hard to avoid but would still be forced to look.
23
It's nice--even refreshing--to focus on real babies for a change instead of the adult impersonators in Congress and The White House. Congratulations to Sen. Duckworth for humanizing the Senate--if only for a fleeting moment.
19
So glad that the Senate is being dragged into this century. Now we need a rule so they can stop wearing Togas and start acting like governing adults.I think it is called the midterms
19
I think it is a good idea when the leaders have to deal with what everybody else has to deal with. I hope to see the senators have to stand in a grocery line and fill their own gas tank.
10
'Gillibrand decided the safest place to leave her toddlers “was in [Majority Leader] Harry Reid’s reception area.”'
Right--none of the guns whose enthusiasts Gillibrand panders to are allowed in the Capitol, and her children were also protected from the second-hand smoke, information about which she became rich trying to save Big Tobacco from sharing. I wish we all had places like for our kids.
2
Lately Congress is one of the largest daycare facilities in the country. What’s another baby added to the mix?
23
Tammy Duckworth for President.
Wouldn't that be refreshing.
17
Senator Tammy Duckworth taking her 10 day old daughter to the Senate floor is a great story in a week, or year, of terrible stories from Washington.
And to think of the horrible attacks Republicans made against her, given all the sacrifices she has made on behalf our nation!
We need more people like her in Washington!
22
Good for Senator Duckworth!
Considering the fetid atmosphere generated by the Republican congress people, I hope Maile survives.
16
Refusing to talk ( think Merrill Garland). Refusing to let others talk ( think Elizabeth Warren). If most of them weren’t old enough to be my parents ( or grandparents), I’d say the Senate was already full of adolescents, led by one singularly uncommunicative gang leader.
20
Crying babies and Senate debates? Is there a difference?
13
If they do decide that nursing in the Senate is just fine, they must also take care to rule that Donald Trump not be allowed access to the floor while the breast is bared.
15
New moms are safe from his groping. Ask Melania.
11
I can't imagine being shot down in Iraq, losing both of my legs, then running campaigns and getting elected to the House and then the Senate, and then giving birth at the age of 50! Tammy Duckworth has more courage and resilience than this entire Republican Party combined.
She should be allowed to do whatever she needs to do with her baby on the job, including nursing/using a breast pump, whatever works for her, when she needs to do it, including in the Senate chamber.
These GOP men don't want to have to see such things in their privileged club. It is too real and visceral, a reminder of the cycle of life in the human experience. They are too busy destroying lives by rescinding health care, gutting public education, stripping benefits like Social Security and Medicare for people who worked their lives to get them, dismantling the social safety net for the poor and the rest of us, destroying the environment to the detriment of our children, even infecting NASA with their ignorance and partisan cynicism.
They don't want the burden of regularly seeing new life in their inner sanctum, where they get their greedy and reprehensible dirty work done. So what is a courageous woman to do in these circumstances?
She shoves it back in their faces. And she never gives up. But Tammy Duckworth already knows about that, more than they could ever understand.
337
I thought you weren't supposed to take babies out in public for about 6 weeks. There's a risk of illness to the newborn infant's underdeveloped immune system. Tammy Duckworth can do whatever she wants. I find the decision risky though. Doesn't dad get paternity leave? How about just a vacation day? Leave the kid at home with him.
I especially appreciate the clause directing legislators not to use staff as baby sitters. If you know any politicians, you know they will definitely use staff as baby sitters unless they are legally prohibited. "You want an internship? I have position for you."
We can applaud this moment in women's history but the entire episode seems a bit strange.
2
There's no reason to keep babies at home for six weeks. Just reasonable precaution not to hand to the person sneezing. In any case, unless you kept everyone home, germs would travel in on the parents and other kids. And your idea of the dad taking a vacation day doesn't work as they often don't know a vote being called till last minute. Coming up with reasons to make it hard for working parents takes more time than just adjusting an unneeded rule.
12
You are mistaken. Babies should not, of course, be handed around to multiple people, or sit in movie theaters for 2 hours, but any risk to a baby in being briefly in a room, held close by mom, is miniscule. Women sometimes suffer from isolation in the belief they can't leave the house with the baby. They can get out. Moms can walk in malls, grocery shop, see friends if they have they have the energy. I dont know where the idea came from that they can't. Common sense goes a long way.
17
Six weeks? What world do you live in?
9
Sure, its a great idea to have all workplaces filled with babies, just to make sure we are not inconveniencing any parents. Parents need to find a way to have their children taken care of, or don't have them or don't work. The workplace is for adults. Will businesses be required to make it safe for babies, now that you are requiring their presence at work.? Lower noise levels, turn off the lights at nap time?
1
Tammy Duckworth is to be congratulated for so many reasons - an American and woman to be proud of! As for the duration of leave in advanced countries, New Zealand whose Prime Minister is pregnant provides an excellent example. As of July, their paid leave expands to 22 weeks from 18 weeks, with a generous pre-birth leave as well. Add in a minimum wage of $17.00/hour and practically free high quality health care, and you have a country with a large middle class that isn’t stressed to the max like ours.
27
While it's great that Rep. Duckworth can bring her baby to work with her, it would be helpful to other mothers if she recognized the disparity between the maternity leave she gets and the reality for most other mothers, and worked to make sure all new mothers could take time with their new babies. Also, while federal workers like Duckworth do get 12 weeks leave, only 6 weeks are paid leave. That makes it difficult, if not impossible, for many workers to take the additional 6 weeks. Not many families can survive 6 weeks without pay. It's disheartening to see elected officials enjoying benefits that their constituents can only wish for.
13
Duckworth was not going to let any man, archaic rule or physical recovery stand in her way. She was going to do her part to protect NASA from the ill-chosen candidate that unfortunately is now head of the organization.
Not all good causes win, however. Her valiant effort was one shy of success. Let's hope her example, though, leads the rest of the country to do whatever is required to ensure that future nominees and present office holders, who are equally unqualified, are voted down.
26
Kudos to Tammy Duckworth as she continues her heroism in ever new dimensions! Meanwhile, please elaborate on "12 weeks maternity leave". My son and daughter-in-law are expecting twins in a few weeks and are each getting one week paid family leave per child. (And so fortunate they are to even have that!) So we expect working mothers to recover from a pregnancy and childbirth in a week (or two if it's twins). For shame, America! We can do better. Will we?
36
Any employee who,qualifies by length of service (12 mos?) and size of employer (I believe 50 employees) qualifies for up to 12 wks family leave. However, it does not have to be paid. That's the rub
6
High time feminism focuses on the most important societal issue of children. All hail Senator Duckworth! When I found myself 8 months pregnant and abandoned by my (lawyer) husband in 1969, after my baby was born I had no one to help me (my parents dead) with childcare, and I was in grad school at UNC. I well remember carrying my new baby with me as i entered the library to research an assignment, and was told by a "guard" no babies were allowed. I said, "My child's father can come in here whenever he wants, because he abandoned our child, but I, the mother, am prevented from study here. Do I have to file a lawsuit?" The guard agreed to hold my baby while I went into the "stacks." Equal opportunity must mean mothers are welcome everywhere.
84
I add to my post that my own experience seeking an education as a mother of a young child caused me, after earning a PhD and serving as a college prof, to allow students in my university classes to bring their children to class if no child care available, rather than missing class. This worked very well, as I had a way of accommodating these children which did not interfere with our class work. "No parent left behind," was my motto.
46
Well done, Dr Russell. Going through hard times does tend to make people more empathetic. I don't (can't!) sneer at people buying groceries with food stamps because I did the same in the mid 80s. (And I've paid far more back in taxes than I received in food stamps after my financial situation improved--now it's my turn.) And could you imagine someone who grew up receiving Social Security benefits wanting to gut the whole system?
Oh. Wait a minute. Not everybody learns from hard times.
6
I am so sorry this happened to you, and can feel your (just) fury even after several decades.
I'm impressed, though, that the guard displayed enough humanity to hold your infant while you went into the stacks. Sometimes it's the little things... we have to change the system, but in the meantime, behaving like human beings (regardless of the "rules") is a good first step!
15
On May 22, 1856, Preston Brooks of South Carolina did not beat Charles Sumner of Massachusetts to death with his cane. He was "brutally beaten," as his intimate friend, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, noted in his journal the day after. Sumner lost consciousness. But your point is essentially true: the problem we have in 2018 with crying babies on Capitol Hill has mainly -- though not exclusively -- to do with the adult male version.
25
Sumner took 3 yrs to recover. Brooks attacked Sumner because Sumner was an abolitionist, Brooks fiercely proslavery - and Sumner had verbally castigated South Carolina and a distant a relative of Brooks. Those who might have intervened were held off by another Southerner with a gun. A precursor of the 'gathering storm' of the Civil War.
A still resonant piece of Brooks' background included being expelled from college for threatening policeman with a gun. His near fatal assault on Sumner resulted in his being fined.
Plus ca change.
14
12 week maternity leave? I sure hope that could become a standard for the nation. It would at least be a start. Some EU nations have 6 month to a year maternity leave with pay of at least a percentage of regular earnings.
52
When I had my first child in 1983, I had 12 weeks of paid maternity leave. Had I worked for a bank or the government, I would have had 6 months. In 2016 my grandson was born, my daughter in law had a full year of paid maternity leave. My son had 5 weeks, also paid. It was wonderful to see how relaxed they were, my grandson is such a happy baby who transitioned beautifully to daycare. I feel for the women in your country.
20
Some EU nations include paternity leave also.
8
It is helpful, don't you think, that Senators will now be exposed to a tiny infant in their midst? They might even find out that it takes a lot of time and effort, and money, to raise a child in this greatest of all nations. And Senator Duckworth's baby ought to remind her colleagues that mothers -- not Senators -- are the the essential, irreplaceable individuals in society.
But of course, these thoughts will simply fly over the heads of most of the members of the "world's most deliberative body." The majority of Senators are too busy fashioning a world in which today's newborns will confront a range of existential issues, such as climate change or the lack of adequate education or health care, that will bedevil their lives. That's okay, though, because the Senate Republicans' wealthy benefactors are being taken care of from birth to death, while the rest of us struggle and multi-task just to manage stayin' alive, staying' alive.
49
Can it come as a surprise that the Senate as a whole is insensitive to family issues when nearly half (as in 49) of them are 65 and older? To them, issues surrounding work/life balance and tight household budgets is so far in their distant past that their life experience bears no similarity to what most Americans experience today. The world moved on leaving the Senate with no frame of reference for understanding the issues their constituents deal with on a day to day basis.
Maybe we need a reverse version of the Beloit College Freshman Mindset List to give us all a frame of reference for how our elderly Senators and Representatives experienced childhood, young adulthood, parenthood and career.
6
"Greatest of all nations," eh? By what measure? Life expectancy? Infant mortality rates? Cancer survival rates? Literacy? Poverty rates? Income inequality? Incarceration rates? Income inequality? Math and science proficiency in our schools?
8
I was being sarcastic.
"Still, Klobuchar said, there were reservations. Some of their colleagues muttered that if you gave new mothers an inch, the next thing you knew, they’d be nursing on the Senate floor."
God forbid, right? I thought most of these stuffy senators were all high and mighty about pregnancy and childbirth--they spend enough of their time trying to make the process of producing offspring more difficult.
It's a sign of the times that this "barrier" was broken down, and unless the stakes were as high in the age of Trump, maybe it wouldn't have happened.
Let's just say that in our times, the Americans who still can't vote--the babies, many of the kids from Parkland, the earnest middle school kids doing Earth Day projects in states that still allow such things--are probably the only adults in the room.
Or Senate Chamber.
211
"they spend enough of their time trying to make the process of producing offspring more difficult"
Not exactly, if you define process more narrowly. Producing itself is what they want; it's the prenatal care, child care, feeding, diapering, educating, and all that other stuff they're trying to make more difficult.
43
Considering how little time senators spend on the Senate floor (which is why they have to keep running back for quorum calls only to disappear again once they've claimed to be thered), considering that nursing would be about the most innocent thing a senator might engage in these days, why in the world would they be against this natural God-given procedure that women and babies engage in. Mind you, I am not saying breast-feeding on the Senate floor should be mandatory, no more than it is mandatory anywhere else in the country, but what in heaven's name are they afraid of?
131
Babies are rarely as quiet and unobtrusive as when they are nursing. What's wrong with having mothers nursing on the Senate floor?
22
A heartwarming advance.
Thank you Senator Duckworth for holding your ground. Your child will have a better world.
49
It's refreshing to hear that not all politicians forget that they have children until they're either hit with child support payments or startled by strange teenagers asking to borrow their car keys.
And speaking of politicians, we need more Tammy Duckworths. What a spectacular human being.
414
Curse you, Gail Collins. I fell for it. I followed the link to that nosferatu with a penchant for drag, Rudy Giuliani, being groped at a perfume counter by the Assaulter-in-Chief. And the weekend had been off to such a good start.
43
I fell for it also and clicked on the link, and now I'm wondering how long it will take for the nausea to go away.
5
Just kidding, but wouldn't bringing a newborn into the chamber of the contemporary United States Senate be a form of child abuse?
Just sayin', but I wouldn't let my child into the same space as Mitch McConnell. Lord knows what personality disorder s/he would pick up, disabling him/her for lifetime of social isolation.
59
yet McConnell was one of the ones who didn;t throw a hissy fit: maybe there's hope.
4
Here’s to pilots named Tammy — grit, flexibility, standards, and values.
87
Not only is she a war hero, she had a baby at the age of 50. That in itself makes her a hero in my book. Even if men could have babies, they probably wouldn't be brave enough to have one at fifty.
I've always liked Tammy because she stands up to Trump and doesn't let him bully her. That's another reason she's a hero.
Congrats on the baby and the change in rules, Tammy. And Amy Klobuchar is my pick for first female president.
373
Sorry, but a fifty year old woman should not be having a baby. It's not all about you; it's about the child who will not have a mother for much of her life.
4
Today, a 50-year-old, even one like Duckworth with substantial physical challenges, is likely to live another 30 or more years. Plenty of time to launch a child. She's certainly likely to have as much time as a 50-year-old father will.
loosing a mother when you are 30 or 40 while sad is not most of your life. My mother is still alive at 89 and driving ( maybe not the best thing ) and is going no where fast. Children keep you young. And we should not put our values on others. Isn’t that our national problem right now.
Now, if we could go a bit further, to New Zealand, we would find the unmarried 38 year old Prime Minister taking maternity leave.
36
This is ridiculous. The Senator couldn’t get someone to care for her baby while she voted. I say choose your battles and in this political climate, with the most odious people in power, this isn’t one of them.
5
Some votes are at 3AM. And since when are Senate staffers babysitters?
6
To Kim Murphy: When the senate decides to take votes at 3 a.m.
Let’s face it. Tammy Duckworth’s baby probably has more emotional stability than the president.
So stop complaining, you nay sayers!
36
Make Way For Duckworths
59
All those in favor say, "Awwwwwww."
37
I haven't been this pleased since the newly elected House speaker Nancy Pelosi brought her grandchildren to the Chamber.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR200701...
23
So, the hidebound Senate knuckles under to reality as opposed to mindless adherence to tradition. Too bad it can't pull off the same feat when the lives and livelihoods of voters are on the agenda.
Talk about a baby taking candy from old blowhards. And her mom stands taller than other member of the upper chamber, while seated in her wheelchair.
52
Top of your game, Gail.
23
I am usually more than happy to let Gail Collins have the last word. Not this time, as it was the fatuous and ungrammatical "woke". Can we please stop using this ludicrous expression? What is wrong with "awake" or "alert"?
7
Because "woke" is a political term of expression meaning that one has a perceived awareness of issues concerning social justice. It is derived from the African American vernacular English expression, "stay woke." The Black Lives Matter movement brought it back.
13
It’s a slippery slope, I tell you! Soon, women will be breastfeeding their babies right at their desks, as if that’s what breasts are really for!
50
Thank you, Ms. Collins, for this lovely column and it's almost subliminal wistfulness. The story put me in mind of Don McClean's 'Wonderful Baby':
Wonderful baby livin' on love
The sandman says maybe he'll take you above,
Up where the girls fly on ribbons and bows,
Where babies float by just
Counting their toes.
Wonderful baby nothin' but new
The world has gone crazy, I'm glad I'm not you.
Yes, well, anyway, that a baby will crack the insularity of that chamber of blowhards delights me.
Then I thought, naw, not Don, more like John Prine's, "The whole world smelled like poop. Baby poop. The worst kind..."
The truly signal moment won't be the after-all-endearing moment of breastfeeding, but the changing of an especially aromatic diaper. There's a mirror for the alternate reality set.
It may help them remember that their own does, indeed, stink.
12
What a marvelous photograph! Senator Duckworth is such an inspiration, she disproves every misogynistic, racist, abilist trope and does it with intelligence grace and joy.
A decorated war hero, a senator, a mother--and apparently a damn good one! A female, asian-american, double-amputee--she defies every stereotype. And, as a woman over 60, I realized my own ageist preconceptions when I was startled that a 50 year old could have a baby.
Senator Duckworth--you are an inspiration to us all!
55
Now the senate can get back to serious stuff, like sanctions, which usually end up targeting babies pretty well.
21
"the next thing you knew, they’d be nursing on the Senate floor"
Can we please outlaw the slippery slope argument from now on? (I guess it's hard to make it illegal, but at least it should be legal to punch someone who uses it) "If we let gays marriage, pretty soon people will be marrying horses" "If we make abortion legal, pretty soon people will be killing babies"
Slippery slope is a logical fallacy. Let's treat it as such. It could always be used as an argument against ANY rule to either allow or disallow anything.
"If we allow Americans to own a gun, pretty soon they'll want to own an atomic bomb!"
14
If we outlaw 'slippery slope' arguments, then pretty soon we'd have to outlaw 'ad hominem' type arguments ... and then what would we have left?
9
I'm not getting your point. If a mother wants her under one year old baby with her on the senate floor or anywhere it is probably so the breast is readily available for use. What's wrong with that?
3
The discussions around this, and the concerns voiced, openly or not, have been so illuminating, and not in a good way. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the so-called "world's greatest deliberative body", the US Senate, which is so skewed toward rich, older, white men has made so much ado about nothing. How discouraging that they had to be reassured about things that even the stuffiest white-shoe law firms and banks "bravely" tackled 20+ years ago. No wonder we can't make any progress as a society.
And so many online comments (I know, I know) showed deep ignorance, including the ones castigating Senator Duckworth for using a wheelchair, in a total lack of awareness of her war record and injuries. I read comments that assumed she was using a wheelchair solely by reason of having given birth a week earlier. Seriously, people. Your misogyny is showing. Again.
Cheers to Senator Duckworth and her daughter! May they thrive, with or without the US Senate's permission.
37
Sometimes, the level of misogyny that creeps out is a complete shock. And then you have those who complain that pointing this out is using "identity politics."
frankly when even one idiot in our Senate ( not usually as bad as the House) has the nerve to suggest that Sen Duckworth and her infant should be hidden in the cloakroom - and he doesn't even know it isn't ADA compliant -- perhaps it's time for Congress to shut down for a day for a little diversity training.
13
Here Houses of Parliament have a crèche. I take it that is going too far for your houses?
21
Depends, the american meaning is a barn or stable. It could be confusing.
What parent would leave a ten-day-old baby in a nursery?
2
I can't be the only one who saw the "Babies Voting" headline and the picture of Duckworth and thought I was about to read a witty excoriation of Mitch McConnell or Ted Cruz or the rest of the GOP's exponents of government-as-temper-tantrum.
164
I'm stealing "government-as-temper-tantrum".
10
Any sleeping infants on the floor of the Senate will have plenty of company from the sleeping senators.
31
535 infants would be an improvement over the current Congress.
45
Good article once again Gail.
But the photo of the Senator as Mother carrying her Daughter into the Senate chamber speaks louder than words.
Thank you.
198
You'd think the Senators would insist on Mother and baby's presence at all times, to take the attention off their political and personal cowardice.
13
I am Baby, hear me Roar. Congratulations, Senator.
13
Actually they have allowed babies on the Senate floor for quite a while. Most of them have gray hair and prescriptions for viagra.
52
This story really is as touching as it is revealing about the stodgy old Senate's ways. Feels like this will breathe some real life into the place, despite the cold, clammy fear of some senators about the possibility of actual breastfeeding on the Senate floor. I think it is great.
12
Why should a Senate, comprised largely of multi-millionaires, led by a man who has cashed in Bigly during his years of “service,” made up of men who routinely trot out their wives and families as campaign props, not be obtuse to the plight of working mothers?
23
Only limited to infants under the age of 1? I guess they wanted to avoid excluding a healthy percentage of the membership by raising it to say ... 3.
8
That age limit worries me. How about the mother who wants to nurse her 1.2-year-old? Or how about the baby who isn't carrying his proof of age? Or the little girl whose hour of birth falls in the middle of her meal? Or how about twins -- are the months combined?
What nimcompoop is responsible for this ukase?
3
I made the mistake of linking to that Trump/Giuliani affair. After all, how bad could it be? Never again.
9
New life! Just what the Senate needs.
10
Look closely at that photo. She can do anything, and do it well.
Madam President ? In my dreams.
23
I'de like to correct the Congressional Record.
Donald Trump was the first baby to be allowed access to the floor.
112
"When she’s 10 and gets to see pictures of her public debut, maybe they can tell her it was all about animal rights or better schools."
We can rewrite history for this whole administration when she grows up, if we #VOTE like our lives depend on it - because they do.
19
In Australia women not only can bring their babies into parliament but breast or bottle feed them there. Leader of the House Christopher Pyne told press the rule would ensure that “No member, male or female, will ever be prevented from participating fully in the operation of the Parliament by reason of having the care of a baby."
56
A new mother nursing her baby is real life. The image of our octogenarian baby senators feeding at the breast of mamas Koch and Mercer, now THAT's offensive.
13
In addition to settling sexual harassment complaints with public cash, it's important to note that Members of Congress have had a free daycare center located on Capitol Hill for decades paid for also with public cash.
7
Doesn't it say it all that there needed to be a rule change like this. We need more and more women in government at the federal and state level. Men cannot be trusted with important decisions about health care, the economy, foreign policy, gun control, and the environment. So glad to see record numbers of women running. Cheers for Ruth's list in FL for supporting many women in this cycle!
27
That photo is so wonderful and poignant it just about makes me cry. It speaks of Tammy Duckworth's extraordinary sacrifice to her country, her extraordinary resilience, and, with her baby, our hope for the future.
57
I suppose I could endure this Congress without Gail Collins. I'm so glad I don't have to.
52
I feel exactly the same.
11
Well... Accommodating parents with babies in the Senate is certainly a move in the right direction, and might serve as a visual reminder of the needs of working parents everywhere... or not. Somehow, the idea of the hearts of our most conservative members melting at the sight or sound of a wee one is kind of hard to imagine.
Sweet photo of the little one snuggled in her amazing mother's arms, though.
25
Gail, you may have just given us the one-thousandth reason to send the present GOP leadership packing...at least to the minority desks if not to emptying the trash at their own homes. And it is yet another worthwhile cause for us to vote our little hearts out this November: That is universal Early Childhood Education and after-school programs.
For the most part and out of necessity, both couples and single-parents have to work full time jobs. That is a reality of life. Yet, many do so with guilt. Just think how not only children would gain but also society in general if we could provide that extra quality and loving care for our most precious of possessions..our kids.
Now, getting back to Baby Maile Pearl...I read that she has her own little "blazer" to go with her ducky onesies. You know, given the current - umm, shall we say - lack of anything remotely productive coming from this present Congress, it may be that Tammy's infant daughter is more capable of refocusing on the needs of every day Americans than this group above. And as an extra bonus, she is a heck of a lot cuter than Ted or Mitch. Btw, Congratulations, Senator Duckworth. And health and happiness to your new daughter, you, and your family.
32
Call me a sentimental sap (if you wish), but I was utterly thrilled to see Sen. Duckworth taking her baby onto the floor of the Senate. There is something about that which just seemed so right, a vivid acknowledgement that parenting counts as one of our greatest responsibilities, mom or dad, and a recognition that there are a lot more important things than approving Trump's unqualified nominees for high positions. Okay, who cares about Trump? It all about the baby. Hooray.
Senators are otherwise treated as so very important with every breath they that their egos can float away into outer space. Everything on the Hill revolves around and stops for them. They have private elevators, private dinning rooms, the elevators have paid operators who hold them up when a senator wanders in their direction, the staff not only does their bidding, but often has to put up with gruff, abusive bosses. If they haven't experienced it previously, all of them need to have a newborn throw up on their fine suits just to keep them in the real world.
28
Well, they probably have taxpayer-funded dry cleaning, too.
5
"The Senate......... may even manage to end the practice of settling members’ sexual harassment suits with public cash."
This was the most shocking of all the shocking things that have emerged over the last months. How on earth did this happen ? Which financial officers signed off on this ? Even a taxi ride or a meal requires a receipt for a company expenses reimbursement.
36
But not expensive dining room sets, secure phone booths, etc.
8
"No politician wants to go on record as being anti-baby."
Well, at least not per se. However, Republicans in Congress have gone on the record as being anti-guaranteed affordable health insurance for kids and adults alike; as caring more about the NRA's bottom line than about the elementary school children mowed down by a madman; as eager to tear parents from their little ones in order to look tough on immigration; and of gladly trashing our one planet which will ultimately be bequeathed to today's babies.
Photo ops kissing babies hardly conceals the GOP's true colors.
40
"...House member who nearly beat a senator to death with his cane "
To be more precise the senator, the great anti-slavery orator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, was beaten nearly to death, not nearly beaten to death, which is a different thing. The violence was a foreshadowing of the Civil War.
I think of him every time I drive through the Summer Tunnel connecting Boston to Logan Airport.
15
Think of it! In the year 2100 Maile Pearl will be eighty two and living in a Trump free world thanks to her amazing senator of a mother and brave women like her everywhere who refused in 2018 to ever again take 'no' for an answer.
19
"Someday, maybe we'll be able to say that the infants are sleeping but the place is totally woke." The baby is adorable, looks way more alert for her days.
Any newborn, not only a senatorial baby gives the rest of us the feeling we have a future.
The Duckworth kid inherited her part of the national debt and owes starting out, $49,979.00
17
Congratulations to Senator Duckworth and her family! It's so heartwarming to see how thrilled you are with Miss Maile Pearl!
I, too, look forward to the day when the "place is totally woke."
16
“ There wasn’t any real controversy. No politician wants to go on record as being anti-baby.”
Really? I’d say that Republicans working to destroy Planned Parenthood or laboring to take away affordable healthcare from millions of American fathers, mothers women, children, and yes, infants, is about as anti-baby as you can get.
115
I’m sure the number of Depends wearers will continue to outnumber the wearers of Pampers well into the future...it is the Senate, after all!
36
I will not be baited into telling jokes like: We have an infant in the White House, so why can't we have one in the senate? Enfant Terribles, don't count!
IMHO, this might be just the thing we need. Some thing to remind our voluminous, baseball playing campaign money spendthrifts that there is a reason for their elected office to exist other than their pleasure.
Actions have consequences! They might finally learn this lesson!
13
"...the place is totally woke", we can only hope.
15
Dunno. I just have the feeling that, downstream from our primitive society, exposing an infant to the ugly vibes of this place will be regarded with the same freight that we very recently attached to public smoking, toxics powdering from the ceiling paint, and high decibel noise. I understand that even tiny infants absorb language long before they develop use of it. Certainly emotional tone can be imprinted. Abuse?
5
"There were also complaints about the possibility of debate being drowned out by crying babies."
Some of those debates are conducted by crying babies. They won't be able to tell the difference.
46
Gail Collins took us on a long journey today to set up a final punch line of a hip meme pun.
That being said, the Duckworth-Klobuchar conspiracy demonstrates what two dedicated women of the Democrat persuasion can accomplish quickly to reform the crusty United States Senate.
Why not take things to the next level? Pass a rule that any senator who wishes to do so may work from home and appear on the floor or at committee hearings via the internet.
There would be safeguards like GPS tracking to prevent anyone from trying to pass off a villa on the French Riviera as “home.” C-Span would do random, remote panning of the camera to catch any lobbyist whispering sweet nothings into a senator’s ear. Open robes would be discouraged.
Working from home would make accomplishment of domestic family duties much easier.
The really big advantage to the nation would be that U.S. Senators could no longer pretend that they have real jobs.
8
Amid all the lies swirling around the last two and a half years, Gail Collins, with each column she has written provides a simple truth, namely, one's sense of humor is the best medicine for anyone trying to stave off from joining the "loony farm" pervading our country relating to our politics in governing.
17
Here we are 2018 debating issues that should be taken for granted---at least they are everywhere but in our nation's capital. I find it ironic that the President can indulge in all kinds of questionable sexual behavior, and yet, when normal family relations are discussed our legislative branch must adjoin to Camp David to figure out what in the real world would be a common sense/normal response.
76
We lose talented individuals back to Europe because they come here and realize just how difficult we make it for parents in this country. Day care is expensive and there have been some pretty horrifying stories of abuse and neglect that have taken place. The days when mom stayed home with the kids while the dad brings home the bacon are gone for good. Unfortunately we haven't taken the steps to address this new reality and Congress seems to be stuck in a leave it to beaver mentality.
Can you imagine how our kids would benefit from quality daycare that got them ready for school. After school programs would keep them safe and continue their education. These are things that upper middle class kids benefit from already. Don't we owe all kids a level playing field.
I'm grateful to senator duckworth for pushing for this. I love that she continues to use her personal experiences to bring awareness to issues that we should care about but haven't necessarily given a lot of thought too.
170
@ Ami Portland - Just curious, do you actually know one or two people "who went back to Europe because..."?
You do not have to answer. I close with an irony. The Finnish born author of "The Nordic Theory of Everything", Anu Partanen, moved to the USA I think after marrying an American, and as far as I know she is still there. In "Nordic" she has chapters each dealing with something I sooner or later write about here in comment land, showing why things are done better here. My subject today over at the Editorial on infant/maternal mortality discrepancies is on the apparent truth that there are no such sharp discrepancies in Sweden, a country with a large population of Horn of Africa mothers who are quite productive - the 1st I met years ago now has 8 kids, the older 3 or 4 of whom are all working as nurses at various levels.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
8
I understand that Republicans voted in support of changing the rules that involve bringing infants to the Senate floor in exchange for Democratic support for allowing fetuses to vote for Supreme Court justices.
108
Hurray! This is a great thing.
I agree this legislation "makes life easier" for new parents, but recalling those new parent days, I'd prefer to say the legislation "makes life bearable."
45
Thank you, Senator Tammy Duckworth, for trying to stop another Oklahoma science denier from trashing America.
Oklahoma, which has graced us with Senator Jim 'Manmade Global Warming Is A Hoax' Inhofe, Environmental Pollution Agency Director Scott Pruitt and the state record for fracking wastewater earthquakes, now blesses us with climate change skeptic Jim Bridenstine.
Bridenstine, who has no scientific or administration qualifications, will now lead NASA, which has a largely scientific staff of 17,000 and a budget of nearly $19 billion.
In 2013 on the House floor, Bridenstine incorrectly stated global temperatures had stopped “rising ten years ago” and added “global temperature changes, when they exist, correlate with sun output and ocean cycles”.
That same year, Bridenstine introduced legislation which would significantly alter NASA’s mission by stripping out all Earth science related work from Congress’ declared policy for NASA, leading to the Union of Concerned Scientists to argue that “anyone who does not support Earth science research at NASA should not be confirmed as Administrator.”
Bridenstine also is unethical and amoral, a prerequisite for any Trump Swamp Dweller appointee.
Bridenstine led a small Oklahoma non-profit, the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, to hefty financial losses and some of the losses involved the use of the non-profit’s cash to benefit a struggling company (the Rocket Racing League) that Bridenstine co-owned.
"Only the best swamp dwellers."
725
People in Kansas make fun of Oklahoma. Now, just really think about THAT. Seriously.
78
That's only because they have a state that is actually worse than theirs' is.
Let's pretend that people had no preconceived gender notions. One spouse has to be gone from home for about 90 minutes to cast an important vote in the US Senate. The other spouse is in the military and can easily get 90 minutes off considering the circumstances. Which spouse should take the baby for those 90 minutes?
7
Believe it or not, military members can't "easily" get 90 minutes off during a duty day, regardless of the circumstances (I say that as a retired military officer). Admittedly, military members won't get their pay docked if they're away from the job, but that doesn't equate to taking time off whenever you feel like it.
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The baby was only 10 days old on the day of the vote. She should not be separated from her mother at all at that age.
After this vote, I hope Senator Duckworth can return to her maternity leave, which is not just some luxury, but really necessary for both mother (who needs to physically recuperate) and infant. At 10 days, it's much to early for nannies and babysitters.
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And the baby? What is it supposed to do if, during that 90 minutes, she wants a snack? And the only breast available is on the "gender" that's not equipped to provide one?
Pretend?
5
This whole story has annoyed me from the very beginning, i.e. yesterday. After reading this exemplary essay, I realize why I'm annoyed. This should not even be a story. Not in this day and age. I'm annoyed that this is news.
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yes, but it is good new, as we have far too little of that, enjoy!
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I'm disappointed that, in the 21st century, this is something we're still having to talk about.
27
Any rule that forbids a baby to accompany its mother anywhere, is absurd and should be challenged immediately through direct confrontation. Who do these old farts think they are? Women should not be having to beg for “rule changes” that serve only to punish women for being women.
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Three cheers for Senator Duckworth! She's brought attention to the exhausting pulls of working and handling child care, brings a spotlight to veterans, and is a shining example of an accomplished, good and decent human being. Wish there were more of her ilk...
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I saw something about a complaint or two about this, of course it was from the Republican side of the floor.
Maybe they are worried the babies might be better judges of the public need than they are. As we have seen, it is difficult to tell the difference between several GOP senators and a three year old. There is one difference however, babies smile when they are happy, GOP senators only smile when they have made some law that hurts Liberals.
Of course babies are Liberals, they have not been untrained yet. They think everyone likes them, it is pretty hard to be mean to a baby, especially if the public is watching you. However if you are an evangelical, you believe babies are born with sin, and it seems that today, they believe the way to exorcise that is to make them conservatives.
As we listen to the senate it seems as if many of them are babies themselves, some of them still drink from bottles, others play with someone else's mother or two.
They whine a lot too just like a baby that has its pacifier taken away, so we can see there is not much difference between some senators, and eight day old babies.
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What’s not yet well-known is that in honor of Harry Reid’s retirement, Congress activated the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository in Nevada despite Harry’s virulent opposition to it, and dedicated it forevermore to his memory. The current Congress looks forward to making this public to Nevadans, so they can properly thank Harry personally for it. ALL senators should avoid Harry’s reception area, not just Kirsten Gillibrand, as he would occasionally come in glowing, and not from one of his entertaining anti-GOP speeches.
The current congressional majority might well be open to early childhood education programs if available discretionary spending didn’t shrink dramatically every year as the cost of entitlements and other social safety net programs swallow up the federal budget – states are going bankrupt, as well, as THEIR budgets are increasingly eaten up by Medicaid. But, hey, Sen. Duckworth, let’s pile it ALL on. Implications? Hell, we don’t need no stinkin’ IMPLICATIONS!
But, then, as with the vote on Bridenstein, Democrats have discovered that they can’t kill ANYTHING without Republican help. But, thankfully, there’s no ObamaCare expansion in the offing – if there were, the way Dems suffered back in 2010, 2012 and 2014, it might spell their end.
Babies in the well of the Senate won’t hurt anyone, and everyone should express gratitude to Sen. Duckworth for her sacrifice while in Iraq, even if her service in the Senate hasn’t been to the liking of ALL of us.
7
And how much have corporate welfare and bailouts and huge tax reductions for the rich cost all of us?
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felixfelix:
Such a response, and from Spokane, no less. I'm disappointed.
Answer: It's not your money -- you just think it is.
2
Richard: Why complain about Sen. Duckworth's service in the Senate? Weren't you of the opinion that Democrats have become completely useless within the federal government these days? Considering the long string of accomplishments we've been seeing from "unfrozen" Republican control of our three branches of government during these past 15 months your point was well taken. BTW: Which government entitlements and/or programs that you benefit from are you willing to see reduced? SSA? Medicare?
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One small step for the Senate - one giant leap for humanity. It's a sad commentary on the average maturity level in the Senate that this was even an issue.
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"The baby-vote rule is a welcome sign that members of the House and Senate are becoming more aware of how difficult it is for working couples to balance jobs and child care."
So senators aren't paid enough to afford a Nanny?
22
Sure these Congress people have plenty for a nanny. The real point is that almost none of their constituents do and can expect no help for child care or paid parental leave to have a baby.
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Not in D.C., childcare would eat salary, and as votes come up with unpredictable timing is would not be feasible to hires 2 12h nannies.
33
A Right-wing dominated Congress is never going to extend child care benefits to ordinary people.
15
Hate to be cynical, but this relaxation of Senate rules was an opportunity for the Senators to look good without using up politcal capital from their base. On the Republican side, they are not in the least interested in improving things for women - or, indeed, for anyone - in the workplace.
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@manuroc: Think of it this way: putting Republicans in a position where they have to vote to help career women goes against everything they believe in. They hate it. So it's fun.
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May this measure for Senators precipitate workplace progress for parents of infants nationwide. If lawmakers can perform an essential function while also parenting, so can other workers.
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