Host and so database the period you must be very proud. You should be required reading at every college and university. What were you thinking about when you decided to write this book . Ask out and, weve had such a phenomenal change for women in politics on the democratic side at least over the past 30 years. People have been asking me to write this book for years and i thought you know, ive got to get the record out on what weve done and how its changed. Of course in the process was remembering all of these remarkable women, wonderful races and win in the world is a different place when you look at the congress now. Three quarters of the women in congress or Democratic Women, which were very proud of and they are making a terrific difference as you are when you see them in action all the time. Yes, absolutely. I think back about when i first came into office. I want to thank you because obviously we didnt spend as much money and those days being 60,000 was huge. Im appreciative as many women are. I want to ask you i think it was last year when he walked into the room where thousands of women had gathered of emilys list and we had that night. I think Diane Feinstein was there and of course hillary was their main guest. What did it feel like locking in that room . Guest it was phenomenal. It was our 30th anniversary of the gathering of elected women and members who had helped elect women. It was a real power. It was so much fun. Barbara mikulski had sadly enough the day before that she was retiring and i was introducing her. She was introducing me rather. And i gave her copies of the profile we sent out in 1986. She became the first Democratic Women ever that are to the senate of her own right. That was her first election. Its so poignant at the moment to have her retiring. Then of course maybe because hillary hadnt officially decided whether she was going to run for president. At one point i said to the crowd, do you want hillary to win . Everybody leapt to their feet. I am smiling down at her and looking over at nancy pelosi who was laughing. It was a very fun night. Host you know, i was watching you and i was thinking to myself what was she thinking . She created this bench is walk into this room with all of these women who received the support from emilys list with the powerhouse of women in the congress of the United States. But i also thought about how did she come to believe that somehow she had the power to determine that they were going to be elected to office and she had to do something about it in the group you put together to say no more women in the lives of men who have served but weve got to have a woman elected to the United States senate and around right. Well, i didnt think big thoughts. I was very frustrated and angry and a group of us to work for the National Womens political caucus on the equal rights commitment to share the frustration. Why arent there more women in office . We hear all the time about women that go to the party establishment, say im ready to move up to congress, will you help me . Ive got a district and track record in support and the guys that kind of leaned back and say you cant win. We are not going to give you any money. Of course when they couldnt get any money, the women were stuck. They were caught in this vicious circle appeared we couldnt raise money because no one believed we could win. This group of friends of mine simply said if we told the people we knew about women running, we could raise a lot of money for them. Lets start a network and figure out how to do that. So we begin in my basement with 25 people sending out letters. It was a far cry from our 30th anniversary. Host that is the point you decided to name it emilys list. I want to admit something to you. I thought it was probably the name of your mom or some thing. Some people thought you named it after yourself. No, i am alan. Not emily. We did that because we wanted to raise money and we thought if we gave women credibility are raising early money, that they could go on and raise the money they need to win. We were late political venture capitalists. We were the kick starter for women. Emily stands for early money is likely to make the dough rise and weve been doing that ever since. All of the people you know thinking its the name of her mom or some name. Guest and only as an acronym. Early money and we make the dough rise. Thats fabulous. Embarking on what you embarked on, of course you had wonderful wins, do you have had disappointment that you describe in the book. Area was was the first race in 1982 that galvanized us. We were so angry that she had one in the senate race because the democratic establishment never believe she could win the u. S. Senate seat. They withheld their money. She ran out of money in the last couple of weeks and months by only 25,000 votes. So they missed the opportunity to pick up the seat for democrats. We were so disappointed about that. We were motivated really to change that. In 1986 when her first election came, harriet ran again along with Barbara Mikulski and unfortunately herriot didnt win. So that was a tremendous disappointment appeared we were not to have the National Womens caucus who do so much for women in missouri, but of course her actor with senator mikulski. Absolutely. In reading the book, my heart is breaking as you describe how well she had done up until almost election day when the polls showed all of that and the sheet only had the money to put in he couldve won that race. As it turned out, actually lost in the last day or two. Guest she did. Its so negative and campaign now. When a candidate doesnt have money to defend themselves and go back and set the record straight and remind people that there is positive reasons, they just become sitting ducks amassed what happened to her. She was doing great. She was up in the polls. She was actually pulling right into the lead and then they act itself. It is a terrible thing in 1982. Were sorry she did make it in 1986. Well, in the book not only do you describe that, but you kind of describe the National Womens political caucus. Thats how i first knew about you in the california assembly. You win a whole group of people were working with the party to get equal division the women are equally represented in all the Democratic Party committees and functioning. So yeah, he was a real breeding ground and activist ground. Another person that ive learned of them got to know a little bit from the caucasus and richard. She said very clearly she would not have become governor had she not gotten support from emilys list. But that she wonderful. She was. She had two classic lines and brought her to the national stage. One was poor george referring to george bush. He cant help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth. And then the other one, which is such a classic now is Ginger Rogers did everything only backward. And in high heels. She was wonderful. I loved her because of course she was confident and capable in all of that, but she shared her life with all of us. Guest she had a real struggle with alcoholism and she stopped drinking many years before she ran for office because she was very open about it and not the primary she was in, and her opponent attacked her for it with all these innuendos about her drinking and doing drugs and such awful things. The biggest funder of her primary race. We stayed with her through that and all the way through the election people honesty and openness and shared their lives. She was a real star for all of us. The type about a lot of key women in the Womens Movement at that time. Of course my friend [inaudible] these women when we talk about issues that equal work back then we were on top of those issues. Some of the young women knew that this was just getting started. You know, im sure you have memories. One of the reasons we support only democratic candidate is because women wonderful congresswomen had done a lot of things to help the good men and the congress to help provoke all these issues to support them in. When Ronald Reagan came in 1980 and republicans took over the senate, they started undoing all the things that we had announced the Womens Movement were trying to get past. When we started in 1985, we said it matters who chairs the committee is and has the ability to control legislation. And so, we decided to support only Democratic Women. We were the First National organization to support Democratic Women candidates. All the other organizations before that were bipartisan. So now you see this huge divide and its very difficult to understand why we might support only democrats. But he was a brave move. Absolutely. Not only were you supporting the national level, u. N. On to empower women in this example of a woman who was head of the elections Reapportionment Committee is a good example of how women make about policy to create change. Thats right. I was just in florida talking about the book and theres a wonderful woman dared by the name of Gwen Margolis who in 1990 was then the Center Leadership for the Democratic Party. If you help elect women, we can know for a drink takeover and then i will make sure we draw a Congressional District line. So in 1992, the Congressional District line. He was chaired by Karen Thurman and drug he districts for kerry make from miami and we ended up alike corinne brown. We elected three new women from florida because the work we have begun in the first time to ultimately get more women into congress. Thats a real example of power and organizing. And all of this, and numbers paint a picture. How many women do you count having been elect good . Well, let me put it in context. Theres never been a democratic woman elected governor of a large state. There were 12 Democratic Women in the house at a 435 members of the house. About 5 of the democrats in the house. Republicans are about the same level. And there have never been a democratic woman elected to the senate in her own right. We had an 11 Democratic Women governors during that time. Its welfare if only Democratic Women in the house we added 110 went into the house. It was phenomenal. And of course they help make teen Democratic Women get a to the senate. On the democratic side, you see a real shift of women in the room and im sure you see it when hes going to be leader. Theres a lot of women they are making sure its nancy pelosi. Her and she patted nancy pelosi . She has done a phenomenal job. In my estimation with the speaker eyes experience and even before that, she emerges as perhaps the most powerful speaker that has ever led the house. And so, shes done a great job. Guest she is a brilliant strategist. And when she was elected leader when the people were going to challenge her, she had congressional delegation that was so big and then all of the women we help elect to the house when she was sworn in, there were 50 Democratic Women in the house on the floor that day she took office. I was there. I was so proud. She has been true to her after shes organized women. She is still tried to seek out women. She is doing emilys list are having to encourage women to run. Thats right. How much money has emilys list raised . Guest they added it up and i think its more than 400 million. It happens with all of the money. Its kind of amazing because when we started, they were not political donors. Women didnt write checks to politicians. Barbara mikulski is to laugh and shed say id do anything to get money. Should that have excels for barb, boiled for bards, barbecues and women would give her five or 10. But that was sorted it. We had to kind of show women that it was okay to give politicians that they wanted to support and we would tell them a lot about what was going on in the campaign, what are we doing with the money said they had a lot of confidence about where they were investing in over the years we have turned emilys list into this powerful financial resource about 90 of our money comes from women. Absolutely. If you could describe in a little bit are detailed how you recruit women to be donors, how you put together the information and get it out to them. How does the process work . We essentially read and did Political Fund raisers. Back in the 80s everybody got their money from pacs and in fact they still are huge supporters. They have legislative agendas said they support incumbents and legally they could only get up to 5000 per election. We said thats not going to work. Weve got to get more help for women to give credibility. And our members were smart people. Consider contributing, why dont we raise money . So in the early days i would do event than a day with i. Q. To be a member of emilys list to pay 100 to be a member for two years and we will give you information about prochoice Democratic Women running her office. They will be women that have a real chance of winning. We are not going to waste your money and we would give you information on we set out a profile that tells you all about whats happening in the race and what the candidates positions were on all kinds of issues. And then each member could decide. I like this candidate ill make up my check to her. So if you had a thousand people writing a check to Barbara Mikulski, you could raise 100,000 as opposed to the 5000 it revolutionized politics. Host it sure did. It absolutely did. I was looking at some of the women have been the beneficiaries. When more we cant tell everything. But i was there. I went to help her out. And of course, emilys list i just love gwen. The story is a lot more fun when you read it in the book. But basically gwen was africanamerican woman representing milwaukee come in the urban core milwaukee. She was wonderful on food stamps and housing issues that help poor communities. But she had no capacity to raise money. She didnt do womens politics. So she was running an open savanna primary. The political establishment bad we had this guy. Hes going to be the front runner. Hes tacitly supported by the governor, by the strongest men in the congressional delegation. How do you get this for africanamerican women to be a front runner that everybody is convinced is going to win and has all the big people to support. Emilys list and when and her incredible Grassroots Network sat together and it was a phenomenal opportunity to add a great woman to congress. She ended up beating handily over 60 of the vote. The political world was in shock. Its a wonderful story. Guest its a wonderful story to read. I want you to know if you are describing her and what she cares about, she just had a conversation with me and says, you know, ive got to do something about welfare. She said you know i love serving on the Financial Services committee, but im really keen about the issue. I just feel that this is my responsibility and shes going to be then give up seniority on the financials of his days. Im so proud of her because not many people want to do about work. Guest and that is just who she is. Its a problem and she tackles it. Host absolutely. Look at some of the more recent women who come from arizona, who come with a very wonderful background. Shes a very smart woman, comes from a state thats basically conservative and shes been able to come and make her mark. What growth do you see from the time he first met us watching some of the women come in. Do you see all that we have grown in sophistication thats more competent . I can imagine some of us sane with got to do the best we can. Guest you know, one of the things ive been delighted by was that there is a whole group and the congress now for quite a while and youve gotten a lot of seniority that you have a political position of Financial Services. But we see that both in the house and senate. That is why Barbara Mikulski was chair of the Appropriations Committee when democrats held the senate. So you see these wonderful strategic women who not only were the first to go from that area, but learn and be smart and strategic and not a c. On the house side and if he is leading the way and now we are making a tremendous difference in these leadership positions. So that is just so exciting to me to watch all these women senators and congressmen chairing committees and make a lot of trouble when things are going on and its really phenomenal to watch. Youre absolutely right. Nancy has helped put women in position to do good work. But in the kitchin czajkowski and some of the other women, they are exercising power because theyve been enabled by Women Leaders and you cant help but be so very, very proud of them. I want to say one thing about that. Theres always these women that they dont help other women. And that is not true. Nancy is the greatest example of that because she has opened doors for women all the time. She expects you to do a good job, but she really makes sure women have a fair chance to lead us while and appoint them to critical positions over and over again. Guest issues in this power position where shes been pulled in all directions. Not all democrats are progressive. She has to work with all of that. But she remains progressive and she worked with me, for example the Financial Services committee on the very difficult issue where often times we have segment of our own caucus, but she has not wavered and she will come to you and not only offer it to be of assistance often times. Im very pleased now to have the opportunity to serve. But here you are. You are the founder and the creator of emilys list. Guest i call myself pushy broad. Got the job done. Host history is going to record you as of course the founder, the visionary who really underst