2026 Democrats Abroad Annual General Meeting
by Sally Desipio, GWC Chair
Please don’t start my clock until I can acknowledge my fellow caucus leaders - the work the caucuses do are SO important to our larger mission of GOTV and provide an important on ramp to people who are feeling disaffected by the Dem Party and even DA. I’d like to see us supporting them more moving forward. Also, thanks to the organizers for a terrific AGM.
I’m Sally and taking my time as Chair of the GWC to talk about women…because Something deeply alarming is happening in our country that we’re not talking about loudly enough.
As you know, Project 2025 is being enacted with frightening speed. What isn't highlighted enough is that at its core, it’s an assault on women. They recently published another doc with the creepy title Saving America by saving the family - arguing that feminism and women choosing to live child-free, marriage-free lives are the source of our long national decline — even calling it a national security threat.
Women are on the frontlines of every single policy decision being made. Not just so-called women's issues like a nationwide abortion ban. Every cut, every executive order makes sense once you understand that. They are not cutting food banks because they are fiscally responsible. They are cutting the programs that give women options — because the point is to make dependence the only path.
And They’ve built a parallel propaganda machine. Trad wife culture and “lifestyle” influencers on every platform. Dr. Oz saying we are “underbabied,” And now Moms.gov — launched on Mother's Day — directing women away from Planned Parenthood toward faith-based crisis pregnancy centers. No mention of abortion and contraception. But it does make room to suggest that working outside the home might be bad for your reproductive health.
And the party’s response? Nothing. Meanwhile fundraising is down and Dems are arguing about messaging and an autopsy. While they dismantle decades of progress - much of which disproportionately impacts women.
The patriarchy they so desperately want to bolster was not just about keeping women down and pregnant. It built our entire world. Where have those systems have taken us? A healthcare system that profits from sickness. An economy that rewards extraction over care. A political culture built on dominance and fear. A planet being cooked because profit matters more than people. A global rapey culture. Even our history centers men over everyone else - especially white ones.
Maybe it’s time to try something different. Maybe it’s time to lead with a Culture of Care and feminist politics of solidarity not personality; reject individual heroism for collective work and accountability.
That is not identity politics. And it’s not just about women. It’s time we really dismantle the patriarchy. This isn’t a slogan, it’s a tactic, a strategy, and a story to tell.
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