Lisa Witter

Fenton Communications

Lisa Witter is chief operating officer of Fenton Communication, the largest public interest communications firm in the country. She heads the firm's practice in women's issues and global affairs for clients including Women for Women International, Global Fund for Women, The White House Project, the Women's Funding Network, the Harvard School of Public Health, MoveOn.org, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Maathai, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David and Lucille Packard Foundation, the American Medical Association, and the American Lung Association. She is a co-founder of the award-winning SheSource.org, an online brain trust of women experts to help close the gender gap among commentators in the news media. She is political and social commentator, published writer, blogger, and a frequent public speaker on the political, non-profit and philanthropic circuits. In 2004 she was a contestant on the Showtime reality show, "American Candidate." She was honored as an outstanding activist and expert on women's issues by Oxygen.com for her work on a national campaign against privatizating Social Security during the 2000 presidential election. She was also named a 'Rising Star' in 1997 by Washington State Democrats and co-founded the Institute for a Democratic Future and EMERGE: Women Leaders for a Democratic Future. She is on the board of directors for Climate Counts, the national advisory board for MomsRising.org and the communications advisory council for Women for Women International. She lives in New York City with her husband and eight-month-old son.

 

She is co-author of the upcoming book: The She Spot: Why Women are the Market for Changing the World and How to Reach Them (Berrett-Koehler, June 2008).

The Latino Gap?

Lisa Witter

In California, where she received 52% of the popular vote, Senator Hillary Clinton won big not only with women but also with the state's Latino voters.

E-C-O-N-O-M-Y Spells Relief

Lisa Witter

I don’t know about you but I’m relieved to be watching election results where the top issues aren’t abortion, gay rights and gun control. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a strong supporter of all of them. But it’s a relief to not hear these as talking points tonight.

I have no illusions that as we head into the general election that this might change. Immigration, many would argue, is the new “What’s the Matter with Kansas” issue and much of the debate is as hateful as any issue can be.
Tonight the voters are most interested in the war in Iraq and the economy. There’s a real advantage to having the economy as the top issue to voters of both parties.

You can’t talk about the economy without talking about inequalities. You can’t talk about how to get out of a recession with talking about fair tax policy.

You can’t talk about putting America on stronger economic footing without talking about improving our schools, making health care higher quality and more affordable.

You can’t talk about strengthening the economy without supporting working families with paid family leave, providing quality child care and having safe neighborhoods for our kids to come home to.

While a slumping economy is very bad in short-term for America, in the long tern perhaps is the only thing that can help get us back on course. The next President has a great duty to lead us. And let’s hope that we can keep the discussion on issues that bring us together and not wedge us a part.

Now wouldn’t that be a relief.