Becoming a Real MOMocrat: 2010 Election Night

My husband and I have taken our sons to vote every year since they were born.  It's important to both of us that our boys know and understand that voting isn't just a privilege, but a responsibility of citizenship.  We want them to pay attention to politics and what is happening in their country and seeing us vote was a good way to start out.

Of course, Hollis and Holden are incredibly lucky little boys. There have been no shortage of politicians in their short lives. Hollis still talks about seeing Barack Obama and the time he met Vice President Biden.  With our close proximity to DC, they've visited the White House several times and love to visit the "Capitol City," singing "I'm Just a Bill" from School House Rock all the way.  With the parents they have, it will also be difficult for them to miss the political screaming matches vigorous political disucssions that take place in our home.

But I think we took it to the next level today.

A good friend and I took our 6 year olds to a local watering hole for dinner with the intention of watching the election returns.  They very nicely turned one of the 50 or so TV's to MSNBC for us and we settled in to watch.  Unfortunately, we were getting frustrated with the lack of local coverage of Virginia's 2nd Congressional District race.  We both campaigned for Congressman Glenn Nye and I even appeared in a commercial for him.  We asked the eatery to change another tv to a local station and they said no.  "No more politics."  (Buffalo Wild Wings in Chesapeake, Virginia, I'm talking to you!)

I was pretty floored that a restaurant full of TV's would refuse to have more than one on election coverage on election night.  But maybe that explains so much of what is wrong with our country these days.  Too many people are more interested in catching the ocassional sound bites that actually delving into the issues and analysis for themselves. I guess it's OK to rant about the state of our country, but why bother actually watching to see what happens after the rants?

Anyway, we decided to head out to the Glenn Nye campaign party in Virginia Beach. We figured we were bound to hear more about the returns at HQ and we were right.

So, wearing t-shirts, sweats and jeans, we headed to the election night party with our 6 year old boys. On a school night. We got some strange looks; the "Moms" were in the house.  But the boys had a great time, we talked about the political process and how important it is to be engaged. I'd like to think they also learned a bit about how to be a gracious loser and the wonderfully civil transfer of power that we have in our country and so take for granted.

Despite the unhappy ending to the night for Glenn Nye and so many other Democratic candidates, I'm glad Hollis got to experience election night. In fact, we think we're going to make this a yearly tradition for the boys. Win or lose, sometimes the best thing you can do is stay engaged. It's my job as a mother and a MOMocrat to make sure my children understand that too.

Hollis enjoys his first election night party.

Dear GOP, I Remember. And I Vote Democratic.

I remember.

I remember every single anti-woman crack that came from your party during the debate on health care reform. I remember Republicans shouting down and talking over their female colleagues in Congress. And I remember every single NO vote for SCHIP, breast cancer prevention programs, inclusion of maternity care in health insurance reform, and how you cut funding to domestic violence shelters to balance the budget.

I remember how you said HUNGER IN CHILDREN IS A POSITIVE MOTIVATOR.

I remember every act of violent intimidation against women who dare to speak up for what they believe in to get what they need, whether it's a political protest where they get stomped or shoved, or if they're simply trying to visit Planned Parenthood for any reason. I remember how you changed your mind and kept the donation from the campaign worker who stomped the woman.

I remember every single ugly sign people in your corporate-funded subsidiary the Tea Party waved, the images and words revealing more about your misshapen souls than anything about our president or our fellow Americans.

I remember every loud silence when "moderate" Republicans were too timid to denounce the bullies in their party.

I remember when you APOLOGIZED to the British corporation that had just befouled our Gulf waters with an oil spill that is perhaps the worst ecological disaster in recent memory. I remember how you said you still believe in "Drill, baby, drill."

I remember how you were economic advisor to the presidential candidate who lost because he said, "The fundamentals of the economy are strong."

I remember how you said your housekeeper was "like family" and then the moment she became a political liability you acted as if you barely knew her and now you say that you would deport her.

I remember that you were shameless after you said and did all this.

I remember.

I remember who's been working hard to move us all forward. And I vote.

Cynematic blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.

Think It's OK to Stay Home for the Mid-Term Elections?

Think again.

H/T to Mike Kruger on Facebook.

Meet Two Democratic Women Candidates for Texas State Board of Education: Rebecca Bell-Metereau and Judy Jennings

There are ideologues front and center in the classroom where instead there should be teachers and students.

Two highly qualified women in Texas have stepped up as State Board of Eduction (SBOE) candidates so they can roll back some of the more outrageous changes to the curriculum that non-educators with a fringe agenda have imposed on Texas schoolbooks.

Judy Jennings and Rebecca Bell-Metereau both believe teachers and educational experts should determine what's taught in classroom.

Democratic Candidate for Governor of Oklahoma, Jari Askins, Wins Primary to Face a Sarah Palin-Backed GOP Candidate

By SEAN MURPHY (AP) – 6 hours ago

via www.google.com

Oklahoma now has two women vying to fill the seat of governor of the state.

After a come-from-behind victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, current Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins wins to face an anti-choice Sarah Palin-backed GOP candidate, Congresswoman Mary Fallins.

While not full-throatedly pro-choice, Lt. Governor Askins supports women's access to abortions in "hard cases," a more moderate position than avowedly anti-choice Fallin. Oklahoma is among the most anti-choice states in the country, the legislature having earlier this year voted in a "compulsory ultrasound" law for women seeking abortions and approved public posting of information on women who receive abortions. Askins' message of gender equality through pay equity resonated with women voters, so it'll be interesting to see how Fallin responds on that issue.

Askins also benefited from last-minute support from a popular football coach who had also campaigned for sitting Governor Brad Henry previously. She's demonstrated a bipartisan approach so far, emphasizing bread and butter issues like jobs and education.

It's important to note that for all of Palin's vaunted popularity among hard-right Tea Party Republicans, endorsement from the former half-term governor can just as likely be the kiss of electoral death as a boost.

Why? The quitter from Wasilla consistently turns off most moderates and an overwhelming percentage of liberals. One blogger notes that her 29% favorability rating makes her about as popular as George W Bush was--quite a feat when she hasn't yet had an opportunity to launch two costly and unsuccessful wars or tank the economy. That makes it hard for her strident persona to translate into electoral success--she's a hothouse orchid who blooms best in the overheated swamps of Faux News and the fact-free right-wingosphere. We'll see if Oklahoma's moderates outnumber its hard-right ideologues, and if Askins can get Democrats and independents out to vote.

Cynematic blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.

Run, Mama, Run*: Candidate for Congress Judy Chu Answers More Questions, Part 2

 (Intro to the series here. Part 1, here.)

Less than two weeks to vote for a congressional representative for CA CD-32! It's anticipated to be a low voter-turnout election, so it's vitally important for all registered voters to get out to the polls on May 19, 2009, for the special election.

(Hilda Solis and Judy Chu both wearing lucky red for Chinese New Year.)

Here's the promised Q&A between MOMocrats' Cynematic and Dr. Chu. It delves a little deeper into Dr. Chu's background, her first entry into politics, and concrete plans for representing her district and serving Americans in Congress. (*I should note that "Run, Mama, Run" is a MOMocrats series that features progressive pro-choice women of note as they compete for local, state, and federal offices. We use 'mama' in the literal sense--many of the women we feature are mothers of either very young or grown children--and in the more colloquial, friendly and intimate sense--of acknowledging metaphorical kinship with women in a greater struggle for justice that benefits all. In each case, we leave it to the candidate to reveal and discuss the particulars of her family life as she wishes.)

Touching Tributes

Go read "The Great Obama" over at Nouvelle Blogger, for a guest post by someone who knew Obama at Harvard Law 20 years ago.

on the lighter side

Four more days. Change is coming.

And Now, For Something Completely Non-Partisan

With five days to go, the push is on to Get Out the Vote - as urged in this video by Steven Spielberg and an all-star cast:

Naturally, we here at MOMocrats would be happiest if the majority of those hitting the polls are Democrats. But the important thing is that everyone who is eligible exercises his or her constitutional right and civic duty. Wouldn't it be nice if this election was decided by a majority of citizens - instead of just the majority of the small percentage that usually turns out?

Please... just do it.

McCain Oopsapalooza Tour 13: Obama Train Leaving the Station Edition

Scarlet B Replaced By Scarlet L, Doesn't Reflect Well

John McCain's campaign representative in Pennsylvania, communications director Peter Feldman, overtly race-baited late Thursday when he pushed a false and incendiary hoax about a McCain volunteer supposedly being victimized by an Obama supporter. Instead, nothing of the kind happened. The mentally unstable woman in question claimed she was beaten and had a backwards "B" carved onto her face, most likely by herself or an accomplice. No Obama supporter was ever involved.

The McCain spokesperson's claims -- which came in the midst of extraordinary and heated conversations late yesterday between the McCain campaign, local TV stations, and the Obama camp, as the early version of the story rocketed around the political world -- is significant because it reveals a McCain official pushing a version of the story that was far more explosive than the available or confirmed facts permitted at the time.

Like much of the worst of the McCain-Palin campaign, the wounds were self-inflicted. The campaign's attempt to capitalize on the woman's plight was a disgraceful attempt to make a mentally unstable person a martyr for the campaign--yet blame always landed elsewhere.  Definitely some pants on fire here.

OOOPS.

H/T to Debbie for the TPM story.