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On the Florida challenge:
Vote on the motion to seat all Florida delegate votes: 15 opposed, 12 against. Defeated.
Vote to seat all the delegates with half a vote: 27 (appears unanimous). Passed.
On the Michigan challenge:
DNC votes to seat Michigan delegation with 1/2 vote per delegate. 19 in favor, 8 opposed.
As if flying in America hasn't become more tedious, American Airlines (AA) recently announced that they will be charging $15 for domestic coach class customers for their first checked bag. So not only will you see angrier passengers, but worse, you'll see them trying to stuff huge bags into the overhead compartments.
Oh wait, they already do that.
Unfortunately, this probably isn't the smartest move on AA's part, but it's the first in what will probably be many changes over the next few months to deal with the ever rising fuel costs in this country.
Point blank: IT'S GETTING OUT OF HAND!
Our current President is doing nothing about the gas prices. Did he think that it would actually resolve itself? That somehow, Americans would just deal with the $4/gallon prices (in most states) and basically suck it up because we have become and probably always will be a nation of drivers.
The airline industry has suffered ever since 9/11, and the issues with the FAA, along with gas prices are not helping. Unfortunately, the airlines are in a terrible situation, with the large companies like American, United, and Delta all taking losses this last quarter.
Don't think for one second that the hike in airline prices and the charges for luggage are going to the pilots and crew members. Pilot pay is at an all time low (I know, I see the paychecks), and I just discovered that pilot crew members are not eligible for the Family Medical Leave Act. So, not only are they not getting paid their worth (hello, flying people around in the SKY), they are not able to take leave (other than their earned sick time) for major illness or adoption/birth.
We can stand around and get angry at the Airlines, but better yet, why not direct our energy towards making a change. Thank you Senator Clinton for lobbying for pilot eligibility for the FMLA. Thank you to Barack Obama for promoting the use of ethanol and other alternative energy power.
Change is coming. I can feel it.
Kristen Chase is the author of Motherhood Uncensored and wife to an airline and military pilot.
She's tough. She's smart. In a world of bland political platitudes and flashy policy proposals with plenty of color and sugar, but no bite, her no-nonsense commitment to improving her rural and working-class constituents' access to better education and health care stands out with a bold, refreshing flavor.
And she's on the shortlist for consideration as our next Vice President!
Drink a toast to Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius!
THE KATHLEEN SEBELIUS
4 oz Kansas corn whiskey, on the rocks
Float a generous layer of crystal blue Curaçao liqueur on top
Take a swig every time you hear a TV pundit say a liberal can't win in a red state.
Coming soon on Jaelithe's personal blog, The State of Discontent: the recipe for Purple State Strawberry-Blueberry Cheesecake!
From the makers of Will.I.Am's "We Are the Ones" music video: "Podemos Con Obama" (We Can With Obama). You know how I like to collect these things.
Personally, I'm loving the Latino pop stars and Spanish-language ad, and adore acoustic guitar. This one has heart, much like the first one. (There was one in between that didn't have the same magic, in my humble amateur music critic opinion.)
And I give Obama props for voicing his own (I'm given to understand) Americano-laced Spanish in his political ads in Puerto Rico.
H/T to Salon's War Room.
Cynematic blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.
California knows how to party! According to an article in today's San Francisco Chronicle, Barack Obama, who lost the California primary by nine points, is "now preferred as the party nominee by a landslide 51 to 38 percent among the state's Democrats, according to a poll of 914 likely party voters taken May 16-27."
The poll also shows that women who had previously supported Clinton are favoring Obama. Women now support Obama 49-41%.
The poll also shows both Democratic candidates besting John McCain in the general election by 17 points. California + McCain=FAIL.
Keep it rockin', California. Yes we can.
We are thrilled to announce that the MOMocrats will be attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August. We just learned this afternoon that we are among 120 credentialed blogs to be invited to cover the convention.
Back in September 2007, Stefania Pomponi Butler, Beth Blecherman and I sat in a coffee shop in Palo Alto and devised a plan to launch a collaborative blog where progressive moms could come together to express their views. Since then, we've been joined by 19 other talented, passionate women who write and comment here regularly, a host of fantastic guest bloggers, dedicated readers, and a community of Democratic women and men, parents and non-parents alike.
We never knew what would come of this, but we dreamed that we would be in a position to witness history in the making. This convention, whatever the outcome, will be historic. We are proud to be a part of it, and will share our adventure with you every step of the way.
After 85 years, Bear Stearns, once admired as a bold upstart with a reputation for savvy risk management, will no longer exist. Yesterday, shareholders of Bear Stearns approved the sale of Bear Stearns to J.P. Morgan for $10 a share.
Funny that the disappearance of a bank, which had a market capitalization of over $20 billion just over a year ago, is barely making a peep in the news today. I guess that the Fed has done its job - market meltdown averted, bankers kept from throwing themselves out of their high-rise windows, capitalism SAVED!
Continue reading "Goodbye Bear Stearns, We Hardly Knew Ya" »
As a military wife and voting citizen, this election has my interest piqued. I've been fortunate to have my husband, a former active duty Air Force pilot now National Guardsman stateside. But many spouses, too many spouses, in fact, are not as fortunate.
This war is taking its toll in more than just thousands of soldiers being lost in combat. As if that weren't enough, when troops are deployed for 12 to 15 months at a time, many of them doing two to three long tours of duty, everyone suffers. An astonishingly high 115 troops committed suicide in 2007, most of them overseas in Iraq. Who knows how many countless families have suffered -- divorce? infidelity? depression? The toll of war isn't just a dead body count.
A neighbor recently sent an inflammatory email out to our group email listing expressing his disappointment that the neighborhood was decidedly lacking in flags this past Memorial Day. His meaningful sentiment was lost in his judgmental attitude. Truthfully, flying a flag is almost the bare minimum that the public can do to show their support. Sure, it's great to see a big magnetic yellow ribbon on the passing minivan, or a flag flying outside a house, but let's be honest. If you really want to do something about this war, GET THE HECK OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND VOTE.
Don't allow Veterans to go any longer without health care. Send your support to the exciting UDM School of Law Veterans Clinic that provides pro bono services to veterans seeking the federal benefits they are entitled to.
Find a military spouse in need and offer to watch her kids, or do her laundry, or give her a couple hours of free time.
Consider donating to the numerous charities that offer support to the troops and their families through care packages, letters, and cards. There are children that have not seen one or both of their parents for OVER A YEAR.
And let's make our voices heard. Our men and women need to come home.
Kristen writes about military life, motherhood, and everything in between at her blog Motherhood Uncensored.
Senator Obama was in Colorado the other day, getting all wonky with a group of teachers, students, and public education professionals.
For more than 20 minutes, the Illinois Democrat laced the language of uplift and challenge with the acronyms of education and reform: GEAR UP and TRIO, a proposed Service Scholarship program to replace retiring teachers, a Teacher Residency Program to recruit them at mid-career from other professions, and the Career Ladder Initiative to reward teachers who mentor others.
If you'd like to review the text of his prepared remarks, you can find them here.
When I first heard Kansas had a Democratic woman governor, I thought someone was playing a joke on me. "In Kansas? No way!" I said. Having spent the first 18 years of my life in Kansas, growing up in a red state with parents active in the Republican party (my dad was an assistant Attorney General in the 60's), I had heard stories about women in the state legislature who didn't believe women should still vote, I left for college right before evolution was outlawed, and when I first had the chance to vote, my choices were Bob Dole or Bob Dole. How times have changed...
Now, Kathleen Sebelius, a woman, a Democrat, a MOM, is the Governor of Kansas. What's the Matter with Kansas? you ask? It has an interesting history that I don't proclaim to understand, but in its roots were Populism and a long standing small government, pro-farmer mantra. But over recent years, since the 80's, the legislature and state leadership was taken over gradually by more right wing individuals. Thomas Frank's book explains it much better than I ever could, but it's an interesting phenomenon. As a result of this swing to the right, many moderate Republicans were forced to decide between voting for Republicans far to the right or for Democrats. Enter Kathleen Sebelius.
Continue reading "Kathleen Sebelius: Taking the Next Step" »
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