At the 18th Annual National Issues Conference, today's leaders joined President Obama and OFA Campaign Manager, Jim Messina, urging voters to educate themselves about issues impacting women in the 2012 election: The Economy, Equal Pay, Healthcare Reform.

1. April 27-28, 2012 Washington, DC
Today’s women leaders joined President Obama and OFA Campaign
Manager, Jim Messina, urging voters to educate themselves
about issues impacting women in the 2012 election:
The Economy Equal Pay Healthcare

2. Jim Messina, 2012 OFA Campaign Manager:
“Talking about the economy in this election is important!
We have turned a corner, but there is more work to be done.
You are our ambassadors – our job is to get President Obama re-elected!”

3. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm:
“When the auto industry was melting down,
Mitt Romney wanted to let Detroit go bankrupt.
President Obama took bold and decisive action to save the auto industry.”

4. Equal Pay Activist, Lilly Ledbetter
Referring to the 2009 Equal Pay Act that he signed shortly after taking office, President
Obama commended Lilly Ledbetter for her courageous fight for equal pay, saying:
“As long as I'm President, we're going to keep moving forward. You can count on that.
You don't have to take my word for it, you've got my signature on it.”

5. The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius:
“Lack of pay equity adds up to $450,000 in the work life of a woman.
We are paid 77 cents on the dollar, yet we pay 100% of our healthcare costs.”
The Equal Pay Act strengthens our right to demand fair pay.

6. Irene Natividad, President of the Global Summit of Women
Women are the majority of small business owners, generating $1.3 Trillion
annually and hiring 8 million employees. We make the majority of household
financial decisions, but we only earn 77 cents on the dollar.
Thank you, President Obama, for signing the Equal Pay Act.

7. DNC Chair, Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz:
Breast Cancer Survivor
Without healthcare reform, insurance companies can deny coverage
for cancer and pregnancy as pre-existing conditions.
“Pick one woman that you’re working for in this election.
When you get tired, think of her and keep working!”

8. Nancy Keenan, President NARAL Pro-Choice America:
“Employers shouldn’t be able to deny women coverage at their discretion.
Be brave – talk to someone in your life about why you’re voting.”

9. Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Action Fund President
President Obama stands behind Planned Parenthood: “When they say we should
get rid of planned parenthood, they’re not just talking about restricting a woman's
ability to make her own healthcare decisions. They’re talking about denying the
preventive care, like cancer screenings, that millions of women rely on.”

10. President Barack Obama:
“Women across America aren't closing their eyes and as long as I'm President,
I won't either. The days of male politicians controlling the
healthcare decisions of our wives and our mothers
and our daughters and our sisters needs to come to an end.”

11. Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski
Referring to women’s issues at stake in the 2012 election:
“Women of America, suit up! Square your shoulders!
Put your lipstick on! The fight has begun!”

12. Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to 2008 Campaign:
“We will win if people know what the President has accomplished.
We need you to spread that message.”

13. Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, 2012 Deputy Campaign Manager:
Let voters know about President Obama’s Truth Team, a trio of websites
aimed at providing factual information about his record in office:
Keeping GOP Honest Attack Watch Keeping His Word

14. OFA National Women Vote Director, Kate Chapek
Over 1,300 house parties were hosted in March for the 2012 launch of Women
For Obama. Host your own house party and help women understand how they
are benefitting from healthcare reform. And wear your WFO merchandise -
It helps start conversations: www.barackobama.com/store

15. President Barack Obama:
“Equality and opportunity don’t come without a fight.
Sometimes you’ve got to fight to keep what you’ve got.
If you're willing to work at least as hard in this election
as you did in the last one, I promise you we'll finish what we started in 2008.”

16. Join Our Group!
 Facebook: Chapel Hill Women For Obama 2012
 Twitter: @womenforobama and @chapelhillwfo
hashtag: #ncwomen2012
 Web: www.women.barackobama.com
 Email: ChapelHillWFO@gmail.com
Don’t live in Chapel Hill/Orange County, NC?
Send us an e-mail and we’ll find a WFO group in your area!