REPUBLICANS FOR CHOICE PAC

Press Release
For Immediate Release
For further information Contact: Ann Stone or Ben Wallner (703) 960-9882

March 12, 2003

CAN HE FILL MORELLA'S SHOES??

Republicans For Choice PAC Issues A Challenge to Chris Van Hollen

Washington, DC - Today, Republicans For Choice, PAC delivered a large pair of "High Heels" (size 11) to the office of Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD-08). Along with the shoes, they included a memo with the following admonition: "

Your election cost us a legislator, Connie Morella, who was not just a leader on women's issues, but THE leader in the House. The shoes we have enclosed are but a small symbol of the huge shoes you have to fill in replacing the leadership role that Connie Morella has played for women over the past sixteen years."

"We challenge you to fill these shoes, high heels and all. And as the old saying goes…'Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.' So we think you should put on these shoes and learn to dance backwards as Ginger did, as a symbolic gesture to show us you understand the breadth and scope of the incredible work Connie has done on behalf of women for just under two decades. We feel standing, and/or dancing, in her shoes can only begin to give you an idea of how remarkable she truly is."

"We will be watching to see what kind of role you play as you try to fill the great void that your election has caused on women's issues in this Congress."

Ann Stone, National Chairman of Republicans For Choice PAC (RFC), said, "The idea for this came during one of the many tributes given in honor of Connie this year. Women's groups of all sizes and sides have come together over the past few months to honor her and mourn their loss with her defeat. I got up to give remarks at one of those tributes and the image of Chris Van Hollen in high heels popped into my head…and then I realized he had no idea the kind of shoes he was going to have to fill…so we decided to show him…literally!"

"We were also quite angry that Van Hollen, we felt, got elected under false pretenses," said Ben Wallner of RFC. "He and his campaign were telling the voters in Maryland's 8th district that his election would turn the House back to the Democrats. There is no way that he didn't know, months in advance, that was not the case. That is why we now feel so strongly that he needs work even harder to fill her shoes."

"Why should he listen to a Republican group?" added Stone, "If Chris Van Hollen had heard what we have from women all over the country and women's groups from both political parties…he would know that what we say is true. Most say the only real dark spot for them last November was the loss of their champion, Connie Morella…and they really wonder if he is up to the job to replace their loss…they are still hurting."

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Republicans For Choice PAC is a national organization of Republican Party legislators, activists and voters with over 125,000 members. Its goals are to mobilize pro-choice Republicans, remove the current anti-choice plank from the national platform and support Republican pro-choice candidates. RFC PAC is not affiliated with Planned Parenthood.