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Presidential Platform of an Eight-Year-Old
2008-02-19 13:42:00
1. End the war.2. Money for poor people.3. Medicine for sick children.4. Homes for all children without parents.5. Love for everyone, even the rich people.AHHhhh. PunditMom's political indoctrination work here is done.Barack? Hillary? John? Can you commit to this platform?
More About: Presidential , Platform , Year

Sippy Cups and Burgers
2008-02-18 15:08:00
We moms do our best to keep our families safe. But in light of recent safety news, I think we're going to go find Saddam Hussein's worm hole and take up residence there.Not that I have to worry about toxic chemicals leaching out of sippy cups anymore. PunditGirl is way past that stage.When she was a toddler, I thought I was being a conscientious mom by providing her with chlorinated water, sugar-free fruit juices and organic, low-fat milk. But apparently, there's a good chance all those drinks were contaminated with toxic chemicals that have been linked to diabetes, breast cancer, and a whole host of other diseases I really can't think about right now.At least the food we're eating isn't contaminated, right?Unless I'm getting the ground beef directly from my dad's farm, it looks like burgers are off the menu here at Chez PunditMom-- almost 150 million pounds of beef have been recalled today because of possible contamination. I might feel like we had dodged a bullet, exc...
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Do My Parents Deserve Health Care?
2008-02-17 20:07:00
It's pretty easy to think of the health care situation in this country in the abstract.For those of us who have the opportunity to blog (and read blogs), as well as the finances to have a computer and, probably, high-speed Internet connections to assist us, health care isn't a worry. Maybe our health insurance policies aren't perfect -- ours certainly isn't -- but we have it and can see the doctor or go to the hospital, if necessary, without worrying whether we'll go bankrupt or have to come up with other solutions to pay those bills.I am thankful everyday that my health insurance will cover my annual mammogram, Pap test and flu shots, just to name a few minor things. Millions don't have access to these "luxuries."I have to assume that people who oppose the notion of universal health care think that those who are without it, or who might lose it, aren't the responsible kind. Or they've made the decision that they'd rather spend their money on other things.Just not the p...
More About: Health , Health Care , Care , Parents

The Tooth Fairy Cometh!
2008-02-17 17:50:00
(With a peek at our kitchen renovation in the background!)
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Speaking of Women Voters ...
2008-02-15 21:45:00
Here are a few voices, including my own, from my recent workshop at the Women 's Media Center.I am so lucky to be able to learn from these other amazing women!
More About: Voters , Speaking

How Many Ways Are There to Look at Women Voters?
2008-02-15 14:13:00
In last week's New York Times Magazine article 16 Ways of Looking at a Female Voter, controversial author Linda Hirshman pointed to many studies and analyses that supposedly support the premise that, even though there have been many attempts to rally and organize women as a voting bloc, there has been little success.Why? According to Hirshman and those she interviewed, women focus mainly on issues that impact the household, but pay little attention to political campaigns or world events.Women , she has long contended, just aren't as political as men.I know so many women who are politically informed and active, it's just hard for me to believe that the studies cited in the article are conclusive. I know they support Hirshman's less formal survey that she wrote about for the Washington Post, in which she suggested that Washington, D.C.-area women don't care about politics and rely on their husbands to tell them what's worth knowing in the news.Others wonder about that idea, as w...
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Why We Should Have Universal Health Care
2008-02-14 21:11:00
I can't say it any better than today's guest post by Kyla at MOMocrats.After reading this, how can one not be grateful if they've got decent health insurance and want everyone, especially children, to have it, as well.
More About: Health , Health Care , Care , Universal

Would Michelle Obama Really Vote for John McCain?!
2008-02-14 16:30:00
Michelle Obama might not vote for Hillary Clinton if Clinton is the Democratic presidential nominee.“I’d have to think about that,” Mrs. Obama said on “Good Morning America” on ABC. “I’d have to think about — policies, her approach, her tone.”That's the quote that appears in today's front page New York Times profile of Michelle Obama .My reaction was, quite simply, WTF!?!?Would the wife of the man who is running on the platform of change really cast her ballot of John McCain? Mike Huckabee? The GOP policies, approach and tone are preferable to her over those of her fellow Democrat?We all know she wouldn't vote for a Republican. When pressed on that comment, Mrs. Obama later acknowledged that "as a good Democrat, she would need to support Mrs. Clinton if she were the nominee."Again, I ask, WTF?!?!There is one thing Democrats should be in total and unequivocal agreement on this campaign season -- any Democrat in the White House is better than another four years ...
More About: Vote , Michelle

Wearing Your Politics on Your Sleeve
2008-02-13 20:26:00
Or, perhaps more appropriately, your chest!It's no secret that I tend wear my Democratic politics on my sleeve. But with emotions running high for both the Dems and the GOP in this year's political campaign, it's not difficult to find those hawking election memorabilia both for and against all the candidates.But how to choose something that will best represent our feelings and still be relevant after the election? You know how hard it is to get those bumper stickers off the car!One of my personal favorites is the Hillary Clinton ice scraper. While practical for those of us who don't live in the South, whoever came up with this idea just was NOT thinking about how many zingers the GOP and the late night comedians could come up with -- icy, slippery, frigid -- you get my drift.On the fence or unhappy with the choices? You haven't been left out -- a special McCain/Clinton cheek-to-cheek bumper stick is made for you, and could have political or comic life left in it after the ...
More About: Politics , Sleeve

How About Dinner First?
2008-02-12 16:37:00
Pundit Mom, my fellow MOMocrat, is off cavorting in the sun and she asked me to house sit for a day.Of course, I'm the last in a line of house sitters, so I have to check under the beds for empty beer cans, take out the trash, and make sure no one drank the last of the milk in the fridge. But don't worry, Pundit Mom will be back shortly. In the meantime, please enjoy the musings of Lawyer Mama. (I promise I don't usually refer to myself in the third person.)In Virginia and Maryland, today is election day. We head off to the polls to vote in the presidential primary and obediently paste on our little "I Voted" stickers. But man, it feels like I've been on some wort of whirlwind romance.Up until last Wednesday, the day after Super Tuesday, our little section of the Mid-Atlantic was pretty much ignored. I'm used to being ignored during Presidential elections. During my voting years, I've lived in Nebraska and Virginia. Nebraska isn't exactly high on the electoral vote count and...
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I Finally Know Who I'm Voting For
2008-02-12 05:07:00
OK, I know I'm not supposed to be posting anything until after tomorrow (because of all my wonderful guest posters!), but with my ballot getting cast in the "Potomac Primary," I wanted to share this before the Mid-Atlantic hoopla is over.With John Edwards' departure from the presidential race, I have struggled over the decision about which Democrat to vote for in my state's primary.But I've decided -- and I'm voting for Hillary.I know I have a lot of friends, colleagues and blogosphere compatriots who will disagree with my decision, but ultimately my choice came down to this -- given how precarious the world is today, I want the next president to be ready to lead and govern on Day One -- January 20, 2009. I don't think that person is Barack Obama.Obama's message is uplifting and hopeful. And, yes, he does have plans for things that are similar to Hillary Clinton's -- but she does have a lot more experience dealing with our bureaucracy, navigating Capitol Hill and has wha...
More About: Voting , Finally

My big issue
2008-02-11 20:17:00
First off, let me thank PunditMom for graciously letting me visit and share my voice on her site. And what an exciting time to drop in: the day before the big primaries in Virginia and Maryland. Although I was quite disappointed that my favorite candidate dropped out of the race a couple of weeks ago, I remain enthusiastic about the changes to come with the November election.Most voters have at least one big issue that's a major area of focus when considering the Presidential candidates. I have lots of areas of interest -- I'm scrutinizing the platforms for candidates' views on the environment, poverty, and working families, for example -- but my biggest concern is health care.It's personal. I have a chronic medical condition that requires me to receive frequent treatments of an extremely expensive manufactured drug. Since my diagnosis in 1999, I've become aware of many facets of health care and insurance that I never would have thought about before (orphan drug status? l...
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My Dilemma
2008-02-11 08:31:00
I'd like to thank Joanne for giving me this opportunity. There is something that has really been bugging me. I don't like to get to political on my personal blog, but this is the perfect platform for me to get this off of my chest.I'm feeling so guilty. The woman part of me really wants to support Hillary Clinton, but I just... I just can't. I want to vote for a woman. I would love to see a female in the White House. I think this country needs women in some of the highest positions in our government.I just don't like her. She comes off as an opportunist. I still don't understand exactly why she was even allowed to run for Senate in New York. Can I just move to Texas or Alaska and run for the House of Representatives in two years? I mean, I know that people do that, but I don't like it. It has also always seemed to me that the only reason she put up with her husband cheating on her in such a public forum was so that she could use her "Clintoness" for her own upward mobility.Ma...
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Birth of a Liberal
2008-02-09 07:28:00
Hi. I'm Glennia from The Silent I and MOMocrats. I have to admit, I am a little nervous about posting here at the famous PunditMom blog. I mean, any blog with more than ten actual readers per day is a whole 'nother league from what I'm used to. I've been fretting all week about what to write, something that would be worthy of the honor bestowed on my being by the lovely and talented PunditMom, the honor of being asked to blog-sit for her today.I started thinking about how this election and how invested and involved I am in it, probably more so than any election since my first time as a voter. Jen's wonderful post reminded me of how it all started for me. That was way back in 1980, when I was a sophomore at Barnard College in New York. Since it was my first time, I looked at the candidates carefully. I didn't consider myself a Democrat or a Republican. I was the product of a mixed marriage (dad's a Republican, mom's a Democrat). I liked Jimmy Carter as a person, bu...
More About: Liberal , Birth

rocking the vote, retro edition
2008-02-08 01:43:00
Written by JenGetting to hang out in Pundit Mom's crib in her absence was too good to pass up. I've poked through all her drawers, leafed through all her pro-democracy pamphlets, and burned my bra in her BBQ. I even took a nap in her bed, and now that I'm rested my thoughts turned to the only possible direction: How did we get here? Or better said, how did I get here?The first election I was able to vote in was Clinton/Gore their first time around and I have to say I was hooked from the beginning. Growing up under the childhood inspirations of the Reagan/Bush regime, I had little interest or excitement over the political process. None of those cats spoke my language, none of them made me care.But then in walked Bill. I still remember the first time I heard him speak. He was talking of change and doing the right thing. Equality and lifting people up. It was a foreign tongue and I fell in love. I became an avid Clinton supporter that year and got involved in many different ways to ...
More About: Retro , Vote , Edition

So Now I'm Aiding the Terrorists
2008-02-07 23:58:00
As a first time contributor to Pundit Mom, I would like to thank Joanne for asking me over. But more importantly, I want to plant a big wet one on Mitt Romney for having the courtesy to "suspend" his race on the very day I'm scheduled to sit in for Pundit Mom. I actually might enjoy it (I know he would--don't let him tell you otherwise) if I weren't so darned concerned about messing up that hair. And folks had issues with Edwards' hair??There was never the slightest chance I was going to vote for Romney, so when I first heard the news of his suspended race I chuckled to myself and thought "another one bites the dust--sucks to lose $20 mill."And then I read the quotes from his speech at CPAC today.[If I continue I will] "forestall the launch of a national campaign and be making it easier for Senator Clinton or Obama to win.""In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror. This is not an easy decision. I hate to lose."Seriously?!!...
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A Chance to Make a Difference
2008-02-06 20:10:00
Another thing that is weighing on my mind as I try to come to grips with the decision I will make before Potomac Tuesday (although my new favorite station on XM Radio, POTUS 'o8, is calling it Pundit Tuesday -- thanks guys!) is that for once in a very long time, my primary vote in a presidential campaign will have an impact.Living in the "Potomac" region, our primaries have been late enough in the election cycle that the Democratic nominee was a foregone conclusion by the time I stepped in the voting booth. Of course, I still voted, but the outcome was usually a fait accompli.Now that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are pretty much tied (though some are calling the night for Obama), the campaigns are wanting to get to know us Mid-Atlantic voters a little better. Hmmmm -- where were you guys a couple of months ago when we wanted to talk??They were apparently thinking this, when they should have been thinking this.I'll admit it. If any candidate is interested in talking to vo...
More About: Chance , Make , Difference

Damn the Voters!
2008-02-06 15:21:00
I was hoping that I'd get a little help with the Super Tuesday outcome in arriving at a final decision about who is going to get my vote in the Democratic primary I vote in next week.I'm not the only MOMocrat who's having a teensy problem trying to let go of my support for former candidate John Edwards and deciding whether Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama will get my vote.I didn't expect last night to be a blow-out, but I was keeping my fingers crossed that there would be a sign, an inkling of which of the two Dem candidates were pulling ahead to give a little push to the ambivalence I feel now -- at this point, my decision is going to be based more on electability than position papers.Not a good thing to hear from PunditMom, I know, but there you have it -- the pragmatist in me winning over the optimistic idealogue.But this morning there is no hint of which way this will break in the end. Nothing unpredictable happened with the Democrats and here I am left to make up my own min...
More About: Voters , Damn

Blogging Super Tuesday -- What's Up With Kansas?
2008-02-06 04:21:00
To say that I'm shocked at the projected outcome of the Democratic primary in Kansas is an understatement.I lived in Kansas for a good while -- working in broadcasting for several years and then three years of law school (Rock Chalk, Jayhawk!).I covered politics there as a reporter, as well, so I feel like I have a little expertise in that arena, even though it's been a little while since I was there.But I was shocked at tonight's projection that Barack Obama will seriously trounce Hillary Clinton in Kansas. Clinton carrying Oklahoma -- no surprise to me. But I can't believe that Governor Kathleen Seblelius' endorsement of Obama a few days ago after the State of the Union address was something that swayed that many voters. They ran out of ballots in Prairie Village, a pretty good-sized Kansas suburb of Kansas City, Missouri!Kansans are pretty darn independent and don't like to be told what to do or who to vote for.I've E-mailed a few friends who live there to get their thou...
More About: Blogging , Super , Tuesday , Super Tuesday

Blogging Super Tuesday -- Huckabee "Hearts" West Virginia
2008-02-05 20:58:00
I didn't see this one coming -- a big win already declared for Mike Huckabee in the West Virginia caucuses.A result like this says one thing -- Americans are desperate for a change -- ANY change.Some voters want a more progressive administration, and others, like the West Virginia Republicans, want something even more conservative than the Bushes. How will that craving for something new effect the Democrats? Some say that's bound to help Barack Obama. He's got that certain je ne sais qua that Bill Clinton did -- that something that makes them both uber-magnetic in a crowd.I do know this -- my grandaddy was born in West Virginia, but he was a Democrat through and through.If Huckabee even starts to get close, he's going to start spinning in his grave!
More About: Blogging , Super

Blogging Super Tuesday -- California -- On Your Mark ...
2008-02-05 16:05:00
... Get set.GO!Polls are now open if California . Hold on to your hats.It's going to be a bumpy ride!
More About: Blogging , Super , Mark , Tuesday

Blogging Super Tuesday
2008-02-05 15:29:00
Well, it's HE-re!The day many have looked forward to and others have dreaded -- Super Tuesday ! Almost half of our states are going to be voting today and it looks like the outcome is going to be significantly different that what some had expected a few months ago.The GOP was not counting on John McCain's own "surge." And I think it's safe to say that the DNC wasn't expecting that its contest would still be up in the air after today.For all politics, all the time, MSNBC is the place to be. It's no secret that I have a serious crush on MSNBC -- during the day, they focus on political coverage, plus every night I get to watch my TV boyfriend Keith Olbermann! (It's OK, Mr. PunditMom knows).While 24/7 coverage of Super Tuesday may be a bit too much for you, it is a convenient place to tune in for some quality political analysis in addition to the info on turnout.And I'll be popping in here every now and then throughout the day -- just 'cause it seems like the thing to do!
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Kos and I Agree on One Thing ...
2008-02-04 19:25:00
... the people on our dream presidential ticket.Kos says Obama/Edwards, but I say (and have said before) Edwards/Obama.Elizabeth Edwards and Michelle Obama, that is!
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Super Tuesday Not So Super for the Working Poor
2008-02-04 13:47:00
I don't live in a Super Tuesday state, so I'm getting a bit of a pass on making my electoral decision. I get to put it off for another week.I was really hoping that John Edwards would hang in there long enough for me to cast my ballot for him, even though things weren't looking good for his campaign for a while. Turns out I'm not the only one who feels that way.Edwards had a vision of America that was consistent with my own -- that we are a country divided, particularly in terms of the haves and have-nots, and that isn't OK for many of us, especially if you grew up poor and now have a little something in the bank account.While Oprah may proclaim at Barack Obama rallies that our nation has arrived in terms of gender and race because we have a woman and an African-American on the ballot as true contenders for the White House, we clearly are still traveling on the poverty issue.As Barbara Ehrenreich of Nickel and Dimed fame pointed out in her Washington Post opinion column entit...
More About: Poor , Working , Super Tuesday

Don't Worry. PunditMom Isn't Changing
2008-02-04 00:46:00
As some of you may have noticed, things on the right sidebar here would suggest that PunditMom is expanding to include other political moms.Well, yes and no.The PunditMom family is making its way to warmer climes later this week for a few days, and I've invited a few bloggy friends to weigh in on their political views while I'm away -- I figured since things are still going to be up in the air after Super Tuesday, I didn't want to leave a political motherhood vacuum while I was gone!But, the thing with Blogger is that if you invite someone to blog at your place, it TOTALLY messes up your bio page!For the time being, I want to thank these lovely political ladies for keeping the conversation going here while I'm eating chilled lobster salad and trying to avoid the inevitable sunburn!And hopefully, I can make things right with the Blogger template when I get back. But I'm here through Super Tuesday -- I couldn't miss that, now, could I?Photo by PunditMom, Jamaica, 2/2007
More About: Changing , Worry

John Edwards' Supporters Under the Radar?
2007-11-07 04:38:00
I don't want this to sound all 'ladies of leisure who lunch,' but I attended a semi-regular neighborhood coffee get-together the other week with a variety of mothers who are: (1) stay-at-home moms; (2) work-from-home moms; and (3) flex-time moms.Lawyers, architects, environmental activists, and teachers who have plenty of opinions on just about every topic under the sun.Including politics.Even though we try to limit ourselves to an hour for these gatherings, the topic did get around to what some of us perceive as the Hillary juggernaut.Two of the women were talking with me about their concerns about whether Hillary Clinton, ultimately, can be elected, but seemed a tad sheepish in saying that. Then that led to wondering about Barack Obama's viability.At that point, I mentioned I was supporting John Edwards .These women, whose faces were a bit tense before as they seemed to be walking on eggshells, fearful of being critical of the candidacy of the first viable woman presidential c...
More About: Radar , Supporters

The Story of My Life
2007-11-06 20:11:00
Apparently this memoir thing is easier than I thought. You can see I dodged a bullet on my size, too!
More About: Life , Story , My Life , The Story

Is Everyone Playing Fair?
2007-11-05 16:08:00
For a second-grader, PunditGirl is pretty tuned in to when others are getting picked on unfairly.I guess that's the upside to all the time spent on the playground at school "dealing" with the boys. As you might guess, PunditGirl can hold her own with those seven-year-old alpha males!So I wasn't surprised when she caught me listening to a re-cap of the recent Democratic debates and wondered why the "boys" were being so hard on Hillary.The question of whether the Democratic guys were too tough on Hillary at the debate last week in Philadelphia is still getting a lot of media attention, which sort of surprises me. She is the purported front-runner, after all. Isn't it S.O.P. for those who want to take over the lead to play a little hardball?In the New York Times this week, a front page article quotes former Democratic vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro as saying that the "attacks" on Hillary at the debate were sexist.Ferraro contends that if the other candidates had ...
More About: Fair

Rising to the Occasion
2007-11-04 19:12:00
The Democratic candidates were all pretty animated last week, especially with talk about Iraq and Iran.The candidates were all much less scripted in their responses -- I'm not sure if that was because of the format or because something has happened to shift the dynamic of how they're going to interact with each other now that the primaries start just days into the New Year. During the debates in Philadelphia John Edwards was really "on," especially when it came to the question of the negative impact that lobbyists for certain industries have had on the country's inability to adopt universal health care and better environmental protection.But he had one amazing moment and question that we should all be ready to ask ourselves:"Are you willing to look your children in the eye ...and say, 'I'm going to turn this mess over to you?' "And, if not, what are we prepared to do to change the country that our children will inherit from us?For me, deciding which candidate to support at thi...

Who and When?
2007-11-03 20:33:00
Confused about yesterday's photo?I thought it was a scary Halloween photograph because it's a pic of my me and my sister in those pretty attractive costumes. My grandmother took it and it came back to me recently when her photos were divided up among the grandkids after she passed away this year.So here's what I was thinking -- the first person who can correctly identify which one of the girls in the photo is a little PunditMom (no, Mom -- you can't enter!) AND correctly guess the year of the photo, will win a lovely collection of books I've reviewed over at PunditMom Reviews, including Kids Are Americans, Too and Nina Garcia's Little Black Book of Style, as well as a couple others publishers decided I should read!So start guessing -- I can't wait to hear what you think! But please be gentle.