Christine Jennings, U.S. congressional candidate from Florida and a dynamic, WomenCount supported candidate, was profiled in a detailed interview today by Julie Pippert of the MOMocrats. Topics include community service, the economy, green jobs, the environment, the space program, healthcare and education. Read More...

And it's over. After the rushing and packing and coordinating and blogging in the hours leading up to the convention, and then the buses and taxis and planes and cars to get back home, it's hard to believe it's over. What an amazing experience, and what a perfect time and place for launching WomenCount.

A quick recap:

• We hosted an immensely successful event featuring Senator Hillary Clinton, hours before she took the stage to give her electrifying speech to the Convention. (See a video here. )
  
  
• We met an incredible group of bloggers working on and writing about issues that are important to women.
  
  
• We asked a range of women and men why women count in this election season, and posted their responses to our new YouTube channel. (Watch them here —including new ones with Ashley Judd and Jamie Foxx!)
  
  
• We responded to the distorted coverage of our issues in the mainstream press, and said our own piece.
  
  
• We moderated a panel on cracks to the glass ceiling and what's next for women in politics. (Watch a clip here. )
  
  
• And, most important of all, we met hundreds of women and men who are tired with politics as we know them—tired of the sexism in media, tired of the transactional nature of politics, tired of being consigned to a "women's ghetto"—and ready to work with WomenCount for a change.

 

All in all, a huge success, and an auspicious beginning for WomenCount. If you couldn't be in Denver this past week, we hope our coverage gave you a sense of the energy, the excitement, and the momentum that we saw for change, and for WomenCount.

Now, we need to unpack our bags, do some laundry, and get ready for the Republican National Convention next week. What will McCain's choice of a female VP candidate mean? How will it change the election for women this Fall? How will Republicans look to woo women in November? All that and more to come next week.

On Thursday, WomenCount held our final event at the Democratic National Convention on the Digg stage in the Big Tent. Featuring Erin Kotecki Vest, Political Director of BlogHer, Marie Wilson, Executive Director of the White House Project, Sarah Granger, WomenCount's official blogger, and Lisa Witter, President of Fenton Communications, we discussed the effect of Hillary Clinton's run for President, issues facing women this election year, and ways to get women more involved in politics. An excerpt from our conversation is below. 

Lisa Witter and Marie Wilson discuss women, power, anger, and politics:

Erin Kotecki Vest of BlogHer and Lisa Witter of Fenton Communications discuss what Barack Obama should do to women the women's vote:

Video of the entire event will soon be posted on the Big Tent's YouTube channel. We'll keep you posted!

I knew it was a good sign when we checked into Room 527 at the hotel after arriving in Denver Monday afternoon. After all, one of our primary goals this week was the official launch of WomenCount,.org, the non-profit 527 arm of our organization that has now joined the PAC we opened back in May. The whole team made the trip: me (executive director), Rosemary Camposano (communications director), and Jehmu Greene (political director).

On Tuesday, our outdoor lunch event exceeded all of my wildest expectations - the weather cooperated, turnout was huge, our new “swag” was a big hit, and most importantly, I feel like everyone's starting to “get it” when it comes to what we're all about. Perhaps we're doing a better job describing it - we've had a month now to rehearse - but the fact is we're hearing overwhelmingly positive feedback and enormous enthusiasm for what we're trying to do. The nut of it is this - we're creating a movement, driven by technology, that can be galvanized to give women of all generations and all backgrounds a voice in the political process.

After talking to supporters at our event, as well as reporters and old friends I've been running into around Denver, I am more convinced than ever about the need for WomenCount.org. Here's the thing - there's nothing out there like it, and women want it. An online movement, that is. Everyone nods and says the same thing: “It's about time.”

We really strike a chord when we talk about the lessons of the Democratic primary, especially the Obama campaign's online grassroots success, as well as models such as MoveOn. This line really works: "Grassroots organizing has a new look. The women's movement needs one too."

You know who really gets it? Hillary. We had a chance to chat with her briefly just before she went on stage at our party on Tuesday. She made it clear how important a role she believes the Internet will play in the future of politics and talked about the need for a “national network of activism.” Working on it.

We did it!   The DNC has just released an official draft of the National Platform, and for the first time in history there is language that addresses gender bias in our culture.

WomenCount staked out a specific goal – to “stop the silence” about sexism in the media and throughout our society. Indeed, it is not enough simply to identify examples of gender bias; the Democratic Party needs to create a system of accountability. The Platform draft does this and concludes the language with, “Responsibility lies with us all.” We’ll take it.

“It was only two weeks ago that WomenCount launched our campaign to “Stop the Silence!” on sexism,”, said Stacy Mason, Executive Director of WomenCount.org, “ In that short time our grassroots efforts reached party leaders, the media, and voters around the country. “

Armed with talking points, documented examples of sexist treatment on the campaign trail, and unwavering determination, hundreds of members of WomenCount attended “listening meetings” around the country to make our point. Then we took our cause directly to the Platform drafting committee. And it worked.

“Winning language in the Platform draft is a huge accomplishment – it is still only a first step,” commented Jehmu Greene, Political Director of WomenCount.org. “There are hurdles ahead. Now, the full Platform Committee must approve the language this weekend in Pittsburgh, and then it will be subject to ratification in Denver at the convention. We will not rest until the official Platform is printed.”