I'm not taking "no" for an answer this time.

		Jeanne K.C. Clark has been an activist for women's rights for more than 35 years. She has served as a political and media strategist to candidates and issue campaigns on local, state and federal levels (JeanneKCC@aol.com). She lives in Shadyside.

For years, I've worked for Democratic candidates, pouring time, energy and money into the mostly male candidacies anointed by the party leaders. Although I've spent most of my life fighting for women's rights -- and indeed, putting my very life on the line, managing and protecting abortion clinics and their patients from violent attacks by anti-abortion terrorists -- I nearly always supported Democratic candidates even if they didn't support my right to life. After all, the party itself was a strong defender of abortion rights, so the right choice was nearly always to vote Democratic.

Though there were good pro-choice women candidates, whenever they threw their bonnets in the ring in Pennsylvania, the party fathers rarely supported them. It "wasn't their turn," or they "weren't ready." Sometimes the lack of support was enough to kill their chances. Sometimes the party fathers scrambled to find a "good man" to keep the woman from winning. Sometimes, the woman was muscled out of the race, with her money drying up and whispered promises of better support next time.

But one candidate that I and other Democratic women always supported was Barbara Hafer: public health nurse, first and only female Allegheny County Commissioner, Pennsylvania Auditor General, Pennsylvania treasurer, renowned for her courage in speaking truth to power, implacable foe of discrimination of all kinds and constant supporter of women's rights, both as a Republican and Democrat. A woman who is an outstanding public servant and has achieved much, all without the benefit of a famous father.

When she returned to the Democratic Party, I was sure the party leaders would support her wholeheartedly. Her endorsement of Gov. Ed Rendell and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, her support for Democratic candidates statewide and her ability to gain support for Democrats from pro-choice Republican women should have made the party fathers not only grateful, but eager to support her.

How wrong I was.

The latest maneuver by Gov. Rendell, presumably on behalf of Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Chuck Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, DNC Chair Howard Dean, Pennsylvania's labor bosses, consultants James Carville, Tony Podesta and Paul Begala and the rest of the boys -- to muscle Barbara Hafer out of the U.S. Senate race against Rick Santorum and to anoint young Bob Casey as the Democratic nominee -- is the final straw.

It is monumentally stupid, sexist and malicious, and it won't work, unless the plan is to re-elect Santorum. Consider:

Casey can't beat Santorum any more than Ron Klink did the last time. Already, Santorum is converting his image to kindler, gentler, more Democratic-ish, as he does every six years. Now he's championing a minimum wage increase, and although his version serves more to keep working women poor than to help, it is perfect for political ads. Yet Democrats counter with a Santorum-lite candidate. Voters simply won't vote out an incumbent if they see no real difference in the challenger.

It will alienate the funding base of the Democratic Party -- in fact, it already has. Even prior to Rendell's move, high donors warned the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to forget raising money from them if they drove pro-choice Senatorial candidates out in favor of anti-choice ones. For a campaign that will cost the challenger at least $20 million, losing the funding of women and progressives nationally is a fatal blow. Just ask Ron Klink.

It has infuriated the Democratic base, including women and minorities, the most loyal of Democratic voters; the lesbian/gay/bi-sexual/transgender communities, who pour money, time and energy into campaigns; and the new base -- young and activist voters who joined the party through MoveOn, Democracy for America, True Majority and a host of other groups. These activists aren't likely to go the extra lengths required to unseat the incumbent with a nominee out of touch with their values. In fact, Casey cannot win a hotly contested primary. Rendell proved it when he steamrolled over Casey to be the party's nominee for governor, despite Casey's state party endorsement and money and workers from nearly every state labor organization.

It has estranged the only true swing voters -- the "Rendellicans," moderate Republican women and men in Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties. These voters turn out enthusiastically for pro-choice candidates, even temporarily registering as Democrats in primaries, as they did in Rendell's primary against the same Bob Casey Jr.

It cements Pennsylvania's place as one of the worst places for women. Pennsylvania ranks 47th in the nation for women in elected office, sharing space with progressive beacons like Mississippi. There are no women in the state House Democratic leadership. Everywhere you look, the picture is overwhelmingly male, thanks in great extent to Democratic leadership.

So this time, I'm just saying "no" myself to Gov. Rendell and his buddies. No more money to the party. No more speeches. No assistance of any kind. This time, together with women and men from Pennsylvania and beyond, I intend to stop the Democratic Party's unbelievable stupidity by taking the decision out of the boys' hands.

National women's rights leaders are notifying their members about Rendell's betrayal of women and urging them to protest directly and financially. The boycott of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has started among some of the party's largest donors. Statewide lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender leaders are organizing for an open primary. There are rumbles of mutiny within the state committee. And folks are even talking about challenging Rendell himself in his re-election campaign.

I'm doing all that, and one more thing: I'm starting a campaign to draft Barbara Hafer (www.runbarbararun.com.)

Just as I would rescue a woman who was forced to make promises by her batterer, I am working to rescue Barbara Hafer from our bullying governor. Because I'm sick and tired of women candidates being treated as the battered wives of the Democratic Party.

Women have given the party our money, our time and our votes -- and we absolutely refuse to have them repay us with Bob Casey and his likely vote to approve Antonin Scalia as Supreme Court chief justice. An 11-year old rape victim, whether in Somalia or Springdale, doesn't care if it was a Republican or Democrat who voted to force her to have her rapist's baby, and neither do I.