Today the Senate will make history, swearing
in a record-breaking 20 female senators -- four Republicans and 16
Democrats -- in office.
As the 113th Congress is sworn in today on Capitol Hill, ABC "World
News" anchor Diane Sawyer has an exclusive joint interview with the
historic class of female senators.
Diane Sawyer's complete interview will air on "World News" and "Nightline" tonight.
"I can't tell you the joy that I feel in my heart to look at these 20 gifted and talented
women
from two different parties, different zip codes to fill this room,"
Sen. Barbara Mikulksi, D-Md., said while surrounded by the group of
women senators. "In all of American history only 16 women had served.
Now there are 20 of us."
Senator-elect Deb Fischer, R-Neb., today becomes the first women to be elected as a senator in Nebraska.
"It was an historic election," Fischer said, "But what was really fun
about it were the number of mothers and fathers who brought their
daughters up to me during the campaign and said, "Can we get a picture?
Can we get a picture?' Because people realize it and -- things do
change, things do change."
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The women senators all agree that women will be getting things done
in this new Congress, a sign of optimism felt for the new Congress,
after the bruising battles of the 112th Congress.
"We're in force and we're in leadership positions, but it's not just
the position that we hold. I can tell you this is a can-do crowd,"
Mikulski said of both Democrats and Republican senators in the room. "We
are today ready to be a force in American politics."
And while the number of women in the Senate today makes history, many
of the women agreed that they want to keep fighting to boost those
numbers.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said that women are still "underrepresented" in the Senate.
"I think that until we get to 50, we still have to fight because it's
still a problem," Boxer said. "I think this class as you look around,
Republicans and Democrats. ... I think that because of this new class
and the caliber of the people coming and the quality of the people
coming, I think that hopefully in my lifetime -- and I really do hope
and
pray this is the case -- we will see 50 percent. "
No Sorority Here, Even With the Will to Work Together
The cooperation does not make them a "sorority," Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, D-Calif., says. There are real differences in ideology and
personality and they don't want their gender to define them as
senators.
But the women also admit that they believe having more women in the
room would help in fierce negotiations, compromise and legislating on
Capitol Hill, traits they say do not come as naturally to their male
colleagues in the Senate. That sentiment enjoys bipartisan support among
the women of the Senate.
"What I find is with all due deference to our male colleagues, that
women's styles tend to be more collaborative," Sen. Susan Collins,
R-Maine, said.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., said by nature women are "less
confrontational." Sen-elect Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, says that women are
"problem solvers."
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., says that women have a camaraderie which
helps in relationships that are key to negotiations on Capitol Hill,
something she says comes natural to women more than men.
"I think there's just a lot of collaboration between the women
senators and... advice and really standing up for each other that you
don't always see with the men," she said.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/meet-class-senate-swears-historic-20-female-senators/story?id=18113363#.UOYJBXd52Sq