<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"If yesterday&amp;#x27;s flag-flying, red-white-and-blue festivities have you feeling all patriotic, you may have one thing on your mind now that the fireworks are over...Election 2012, anyone? On July 1, the Obama campaign kicked off its first Women Vote 2012 Summit in Wheat Ridge, Colo. The event was headed up by senior Democratic strategist Valerie Jarrett, Obama for America National Women&amp;amp;#8217;s Vote Director Kate Chapek, and National Obama Campaign Co-Chair and outrageously stunning actress Eva Longoria (yes, awesomeness!). While Romney supporters may strongly disagree with Longoria&amp;#x27;s perspective below, the issues she is passionate about--healthcare and college costs, to name a few--are ones that cross political parties and are worthy of a little...forgive the pun...&amp;quot;Conversation.&amp;quot; In the coming weeks, we&amp;#x27;ll hear from women who support Mr. Romney&amp;#x27;s campaign as well--it wouldn&amp;#x27;t be a conversation without both sides, now would it? According to Obama for America, the summit, which will be happening in key swing states all summer, will &amp;quot;bring together senior campaign officials, community leaders and women from across the country to discuss what&amp;amp;#8217;s at stake this election year.&amp;quot; Longoria is a vocal Obama campaign supporter and a significant voice on the tour. She wanted to share with The Conversation why it was important to her to kick off things in Colorado, and why women need to get into the action in 2012 more than ever. GLAMOUR: Why is Colorado an important place for you to talk about the election? EVA LONGORIA: As a national Obama campaign co-chair, I talk to voters in many states about what&amp;amp;#8217;s at stake this election and why I support President Obama. Colorado, along with other states like Florida, Ohio, and Nevada, will be especially important in making sure President Obama is re-elected this November. So with every free moment I have, I&amp;amp;#8217;m out there discussing why this election matters so much. For all Americans--and especially for Latinos and women--President Obama&amp;amp;#8217;s plan will keep our country moving forward. GLAMOUR: What was the atmosphere at the Women&amp;#x27;s Summit like? EVA LONGORIA: Women in Colorado are fired up for President Obama and there was a lot of energy in the room. Everyone I met understood the critical importance of getting the President re-elected because they know he is a strong advocate for women and a defender of the issues that are important to us and our families. I spoke with women who recognize that President Obama has backed his words up with action. From signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to standing up for women&amp;amp;#8217;s health, he has been fighting for issues important to women and their families since day one. Thanks to the President&amp;amp;#8217;s landmark health care reform, insurance companies will no longer charge women up to 50 percent more than men for the same plan and are offering women the preventive care they need free of charge. These reforms have a major positive impact on the health and economic status of women across the country. Women&amp;amp;#8217;s lives are so busy that sometimes we need to take a moment to sit down, remember what this election is about and discuss the specific issues that affect our futures. These summits provide a wonderful opportunity to do that. GLAMOUR: Why is it important to you to be visibly involved in politics instead of just sitting back? EVA LONGORIA: There is too much at stake this election to sit on the sidelines and every vote will matter, which is what I&amp;amp;#8217;m telling people at every stop on the campaign trail. The President understands what families are going through and he is fighting for middle class families like the one I grew up in. From giving women the tools they need to receive equal pay for equal work to expanding access to affordable education to appointing two women to the Supreme Court, President Obama has protected and advanced policies that promote equal opportunity and fairness. Mitt Romney on the other hand has failed the test when it comes to issues that matter to women and their families. He wants to hand over our health care decisions--like our coverage for birth control--to our employers. He said he would &amp;amp;#8220;get rid of&amp;amp;#8221; Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides preventive care to one in five women in the U.S. and gives nearly 1.5 million pap smears and breast exams per year. We don&amp;amp;#8217;t even know where he stands on something as simple as paycheck fairness. In the face of rising college tuition, Romney tells families to &amp;amp;#8220;shop around&amp;amp;#8221; while supporting the Ryan-Republican budget that would slash Pell Grant scholarships and let the college tax credit worth up to $10,000 for families expire. It&amp;amp;#8217;s pretty shocking stuff in the year 2012. We have a very clear choice in November--between moving forward and restoring economic security for the middle class or going backward to the failed policies of the past. I think that, as American women focus in on this choice, you&amp;amp;#8217;re not going to see a lot of women just sitting back. Women understand that this election will have consequences not just for the next four years, but for generations to come. We&amp;amp;#8217;re going to go out there and advocate for ourselves and our daughters. GLAMOUR: Have you always been active in politics, or has your level of visibility as a celebrity changed your level of engagement? EVA LONGORIA: This is a question I hear often. I&amp;amp;#8217;ve always looked at my philanthropic and political involvement as part of being a citizen, not a celebrity. I cared about these issues long before I was an actress although, yes, being a celebrity provides a bigger platform to connect with people. The truth of the matter is that I am a passionate person who wants to see my community and country prosper. Anyone who cares about improving our country should be spreading the word that this election is going to have real consequences for our future. You don&amp;amp;#8217;t need to have a ton of Twitter followers to get involved. It&amp;amp;#8217;s up to each of us! GLAMOUR: What are your plans for political involvement through November? EVA LONGORIA: As a national co-chair for the Obama campaign, I&amp;amp;#8217;m going to continue advocating for women and the Latino community, traveling to key swing states, and fighting to make sure President Obama wins this November. Did you know Eva was such a strong political advocate? How do you feel about her points of view? And Romney supporters, don&amp;#x27;t worry. In the coming weeks, you&amp;#x27;ll be hearing from voices in support of his plans and policies, too! Get ready for Election 2012! *Women Aren&amp;#x27;t Running for Office As Much as Men--but These Latinas Did, and They Won (Learn From Them!) *Would You Donate to a Campaign Via Text Message? Now You Can! *Working on a Presidential Campaign: &amp;quot;It&amp;#x27;s One Giant Summer Camp Whirlwind&amp;quot; Photos: Bernard Grant"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/the-conversation/2012/07/5-qs-with-eva-longoria-at-the>