Senator Lincoln, as I mentioned in my previous post, kept the Senate in suspense by holding out her vote on the health care bill until about 2:30 pm yesterday and becoming vote #60–the last vote needed to bring the bill to the floor for debate. Lincoln has been watched closely by both parties throughout the entire healtcare debate, and the scrutiny will likely not stop soon. She has kept her composure well, despite facing an election in 2010 and strong attempts at coercion by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate and in her home state.

Senator Lincoln has pledged she will continue to ignore partisan politics, to oppose a “government-administered health care plan,” and to act in the best interest of her constituents in Arkansas.

Senator Landrieu made national news early this afternoon when she reluctantly voted to open debate on the health care bill now in the Senate. Landrieu was one of the last two Democrats to vote affirmatively to bring the bill to the floor (the last being Senator Lincoln) but was hardly one of few to be uncertain about the bill, which passed with a 60-39 vote–definitely along party lines. Senator Landrieu is already working with two other Democratic senators to devise a public insurance plan with “broad appeal,” showing she is a take-charge woman. She is not afraid to stand up against even her own party, as she is known to be one of the more conservative Democratic Senators.

Senator Landrieu became the youngest woman ever elected to the Louisiana state legislature in 1979 and in 1996 became the first woman from Louisiana to be elected to a full term in the Senate.

After Joe Biden was chosen to run for Vice President with Obama, Senator Landrieu rose to the position of Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. The non-partisan Web site Congress.org believes Landrieu to be the tenth most effective legislator in the Senate (top 20%!).

Obviously Landrieu is take-charge enough to ensure that, when she holds a press conference in the rain, everyone’s umbrella matches her suit.

Although Representative DeLauro hasn’t been the most prevelant politician in national news recently, on October 30 (yes, it’s been awhile) I was able to attend a conference in Washington, D.C. at which she was one of the keynote speakers–the “Building the New Economy” conference. Unfortunately, I only got to hear DeLauro speak in a short press conference, as House leaders introduced their healthcare reform bill that afternoon (how rude!), but she was great before she had to leave.

While at the conference, DeLauro emphasized the importance of constructing a long-term strategy to foster job growth. She explained how a national reliance on short-term fixes contributed to the current economic crisis and how continued outsourcing of jobs, technology, and (increasingly) r & d could prevent the economy from stabilizing. DeLauro is currently the sponsor of the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act, a bill which has been introduced and referred to committee and aims to facilitate efficient investments, finance infrastructure projects, and create jobs.

DeLauro is currently serving her tenth term in Congress, as the second highest ranking Democratic woman in the House. She has served as the Executive Director of EMILY’S list–a national organization dedicated to increasing the number of women elected in office, established “Rosa’s Readers”–a program to increase reading outside the classroom, and beaten ovarian cancer.

Since being elected to Congress in 1990, DeLauro has contributed more than $475,000 to the Ted DeLauro Scholarship–founded by DeLauro in memory of her dad.

Hmmm…now if only DeLauro were more clear in her party affiliation…

Happy 62nd Birthday (yesterday) to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton! She doesn’t have a lot of time for any crazy celebration… Yesterday, Clinton delivered the State Department’s annual report on international religious freedom (didn’t know that existed?) and tomorrow, she will be in Pakistan–for the first time since becoming Secretary–to speak with President Asif Ali Zadari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, the Foreign Minister, and the Army chief about conditions attached to $2.3 billion of US aid to Pakistan, efforts to combat the Taliban, and regional security. Really, her schedule is waaay too full to crunch into this one post. Whatever your political opinions, it’s hard to deny that Secretary Clinton is  one of the strongest female figures in the public sector and public eye today.

A throw-back to her pre-First Lady, pre-Senator, pre-presidential candidate, pre-Secretary (but not pre-Bill) days.

Clinton was the first ever student commencement speaker at Wellesley College in 1969 and has been listed among the top 100 most influential lawyers in America twice (since graduating from Yale Law School).

First elected as a U.S. Senator from New York in 2000, she won more primaries and delegates than any female presidential candidate in American history in the 2008 race. She is currently the first First Lady ever to serve in a President’s cabinet.

Senator Boxer, of California, introduced the long-awaited climate change bill in the Senate on Wednesday with her colleague, Senator John Kerry. The House passed a version of the bill back in June, but the Senate’s draft entails more rigorous greenhouse gas emission reductions–a 20% decrease from 2005 levels by the year 2020. I actually just made 28398734 pitch calls about this legislation at work the day it was introduced….funny! but not too relevant to this site. Anyway, climate change legislation is obviously a hot issue and one whose effects reach far beyond our own borders, so it’s exciting to have Senator Boxer  working as one of the main players.

Barbara Boxer has been a U.S. Senator since 1993 (after acting as a Representative for 10 years), and in the 2004 election received the most votes for any U.S Senator in Americn History. She is current chairman(woman) of the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works.

Tell it like it is, Senator. Tell it like it is.

Senator Lincoln has captured a lot of headlines recently for her difficult-to-decipher stances on health care. Today, she finally ended up being one of five Democrats to vote against adding a public option to a comprehensive health care reform bill. Blanche’s quest to keep her Senate seat may be a tough one, as Arkansas is tending toward more Republican representation (John McCain, anyone?). However, she did just rise to become Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. Congrats!

In 1998, Lincoln became the youngest woman to ever be elected to Senate–she was 38 and had already served two terms as a Representative.

She looks like a pretty good listener, too!

Senator Snowe’s name has been in the news a lot this past week or so for her position on health care. She is one of three Republicans in the Senate Finance Committee’s “Gang of Six” working on health care reform. Although she has been mostly opposed to a public option, saying a bill including the option will never pass the Senate, Snowe is one of the more receptive Republicans and is working in a bipartisan manner to get a bill passed. She has even proposed a public plan as a “safety net” should other options fail to provide affordable health care to all Americans. It’s exciting to have a woman working so hard on an issue that will effect the entire nation in such a huge way.

Snowe is the first Republican woman to have a permanent seat on the Senate Finance Committee, and only the third woman ever.

Plus, she’s got one mean strut and a lovely smile!

Sonia Sotomayor has been the “it” girl of the justice world recently. Obama nominated her to be appointed a Justice of the US Supreme Court in May of this year, and she was confirmed by a 68 to 31 vote in early August. Sotomayor grew up in the Bronx, was raised by her mom, graduated from Yale Law School, taught as a law professor, and has proposed, in her first week as a Supreme Court Justice,  reconsidering the ruling that gives corporations the same rights as living humans. She is a strong, impressive woman.

Sotomayor is the first Hispanic to be on the Supreme Court, and only the third woman ever.

 It never hurts the self-esteem to have the President and Vice President giving you that much attention. And I don’t know, Biden, that looks like a lot of attention…!

Plus, she can dance! No stuffy old Justice here!