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.

OK Governor's Race: Somewhat Pro-Choice Askins or Symbolic Apple Pie From Fallin?

When Democratic candidate for Oklahoma governor (current Lieutenant Governor) Jari Askins won the primary to face Republican opponent (Congresswoman) Mary Fallins, I noted how unusual it was that one of the more conservative states in the union will have a woman as chief executive.

But I also noted that one major difference between the two women is that Jari Askins is tepidly pro-choice, while Mary Fallin is most decidedly not. Askins has been quoted as recognizing the necessity of abortion in cases of "rape and to save the life of the mother." But Fallin is one of Sarah Palin's "mama grizzlies," a legislator who has consistently voted to grant the "pre-born" protection under the 14th amendment (essentially, life begins at conception) and would reverse Roe v. Wade. Fallin also recently claimed that by having six kids, she has experience that better suits her for the governorship that Askins, with no partner or child, lacks...despite Fallin's failure to vote for SCHIP in January, 2008 and January 2009.

Has Meg Whitman Lost It?

Today's California Women's Conference included a 2010 election first: Governor Schwarzenegger conversing with Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown, the two people who are vying to replace him.

Matt Lauer moderated the discussion, which started out affably enough. Everyone paid tribute to their moms (this is, after all, the Women's Conference) and spouses. All the participants acknowledged the very real problems plaguing California right now: unemployment, education, Sacramento gridlock.

Whitman predictably blamed the GOP boogey-man "special interests," which is code for "unions" -- never big business. Brown talked about his days at a seminary a penchant for turning order into chaos (no, I didn't quite follow that either, but that's vintage Brown).

The bottom line is that no one really expected this session to be newsworthy. It turned out to be a delicious bit of political theater.

Apparently, Matt Lauer had other ideas. After all, the entire country knows that Whitman has spent a year - and a fortune - campaigning for this office.

The election is in one week. Lauer wondered if the candidates could be persuaded to get their campaigns and surrogates to pull all of their negative ads and spend the next six days just airing positive ones stating their qualifications and positions?

The audience exploded with applause, and if you've spent any time watching television here over the last few weeks, you'd understand why. This has been the meannest election cycle I can remember, and just when you think you've heard the nastiest ad a worse one comes along.

"Sometimes negativity is in the eye of the beholder," Brown said, almost making it a "define 'the'" moment. But then he relented. "If Meg agrees, we can talk about it."

Huge applause. Lauer looked expectedly at Whitman for a response.

"I will take down any ads that can be construed as a negative attack," she said. "But I don't think we can take down the ads that talk about where Gov. Brown is on the issues."

Um, well. Maybe that's what Brown meant about negativity being in the eye of the beholder. Because most of those issue ads distort Brown's stands and record.

Lauer persisted, to the point where the session was about to end. That's when Schwarzenegger pointed out that he and Maria Shriver were hosting this little party. "Don't schvitz about the time," he said.

But the session ended without agreement. Brown scored major points by being willing to pull the negative ads.

In conclusion, Schwarzenegger talked about despite California's problems, it is still the Golden State. Whitman concurred, saying that she moved here 30 years ago because she fell in love with California, and that we could have that state again.

Brown laughed. "That sounds like my next new ad," he said. "Meg moves to California 30 years ago. And who was Governor then?"

It would be positive.

Thank You, Anita Hill

I shushed my daughter on the drive home from school yesterday. Nina Totenberg was reporting on the weird, WTF news that Virginia Thomas was asking Anita Hill for an apology.

"Who's Anita Hill?" my daughter asked.

"Let me listen to this and I'll tell you later."

There's no reason why my 14-year-old would recognize Hill or understand why she was in the news. The world she lives in is very different from the one nearly two decades ago, when the young law professor was called to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her experience working with Clarence Thomas, who was nominated to succeed Thurgood Marshall on the Supreme Court.

Working women in 1991 lived in a world where few had heard the term "sexual harassment," and fewer companies had any kind of policy for dealing with it -- but most of us had experienced it.

If you've watched Mad Men, you know what I'm talking about. Even though the women's movement was in full swing by the time I entered the job market as a teenager (in the early 1970's), it was obvious that the men who worked in management had not yet received the memo.

Another Economic Meltdown: new 1099 rule hurts small business -- badly

The new 1099 rules are a major pain for all small businesses. I foresee major fees and rate hikes as a result. And it may be enough to put many small businesses...out of business.

Let me explain.

I'm a small business owner. A little over five years ago I made it official: I filed articles of incorporation, did due diligence on my business name, invested money in legal and business advisors, got my EIN, opened a business account and got business credit cards.

I've been careful to use my business cards for all business expenses. I mark all receipts, attach to expense reports, include in my business accounting software, file under Reimbursed or Not Reimbursed (because it matters for taxes), and so forth.

I've managed to make it and be profitable despite a tanked economy. I know that my success helps in rebuilding our economy.

But now, I'm deeply concerned that my success is at major risk.

New 1099 rules may put me out of business.

And it's not just my problem, it's yours, too -- it's the problem of every single independent contractor, consultant, small business owner, blogger (yes BLOGGERS)...anyone who does any business and receives money, which includes goods, for services.

Reuters' Lauren Young and Amy Feldman explain:

The new rules on 1099 forms, which were attached to the health care bill and are set to go into effect in 2012, call for all businesses, no matter how small, to file 1099 forms for goods as well as for services. That sounds like a technicality, but it’s got small business up in arms.

Here’s why it matters, and what you need to know.

What exactly is the rule, anyway?

The new rule requires all business to file 1099 forms for goods as well as services, if those goods cost over $600 annually (the current threshold). It also gets rid of the distinction between corporations, which previously did not need to receive 1099s, and unincorporated entities, which did. The rule is slated to go into effect in 2012.

So...WTF? How did this happen?

Dear President Obama: Rebuild Our Economy With Corporations That Put America First; Or, I'm Not Buying What Karl Rove is Selling

When corporate heads meet with GOP operatives, Glenn Beck, and executive directors of right-wing foundations to plan a coordinated response to the 2010 elections, it's evident that business in America is attempting a hostile takeover of not only politics, but democracy. It's now abundantly clear that corporations have an ideological slant, and those favoring the right have an almost treasonous, definitely unpatriotic, affection for profit. The GOP has always been party above country, profits before people, and the sooner Americans wake up to that fact, the better off we'll be.

Recent revelations about the US Chamber of Commerce's acceptance of donations from countries like India, Dubai, Kingdom of Bahrain, the UK, Singapore, Switzerland, Australia and others show the money trail leading from overseas to the U.S. Chamber's general fund, and from there, to payments for ads that advance the cause of GOP candidates. What Karl Rove, Glenn Beck, Tom Donohue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are selling: American jobs lost to offshoring. The greatest concentration of financial wealth in a tiny percentage of Americans' hands since the last time we had a Great Depression.

I'm not buying. If Karl Rove and his American Crossroads stealth-on-behalf-of-wealth PAC were a corporation, I'd boycott him. That's partly what I'm trying to do with my vote this November.

Foreign donations to sway American elections are illegal, and the Federal Election Commission has the jurisdiction to penalize groups that violate the law. I wish they'd do something about it now, while it can have an effect.

10-22-10, UPDATED TO ADD: From the NYT, plenty of U.S.-based companies donate to dismantle government regulations they don't like. This NYT investigative report says 45 of the most rapacious American corporations account for most of the Chambers' lobbying.

Clearly, what's at stake for corporations overseas is a piece of the American manufacturing pie that has been steadily offshored since the 1980s. Foreign nationals benefit when U.S. corporations move their operations to subcontractors in other countries, and those nations and corporations are willing to buy and pay for GOP candidates who will make policy that is good for business. Their business. Not the business of America and Americans.

If we're to have an economic recovery, I urge President Obama to highlight those corporations that put America first. I have 6 suggestions to this end:

MOMocrats Get the (Skinny) Scoop on Women & Politics

Recently, the MOMocrats partnered with personal polling site The Skinny Scoop to develop an on-line poll to find out how politics and political discussions impact women's lives.  We posted a ten-question non-partisan "Quiz" to find out: (1) What issues are important in how we will be voiting in the 2010 midterm elections; (2) How involved women are in politics, from voting to following the news; (3) How politics affects their personal relationships with partners and friends; and (4) Whether gender plays a role in how we vote. 

 Not surprisingly, the economy tops the list of issues that women are most concerned about this election cycle. At least one of the commenters felt that only being able to choose one topic was difficult, since some of the topics are inter-related and important to everyone.

 Somewhat more surprising was the fact that 36% of women get their political news/info from social media sites, rather than traditional media outlets.  Candidates should probably be paying more attention to their Twitter and Facebook accounts than they probably are.  Of course, the best source for news online are the MOMocrats blog, Facebook, and Twitter, but I'm a little biased on that front.

Women who answered the quiz were an amazingly active group, with 65% stating that they had volunteered for a political candidate or party.  We hope that activism spills out into the upcoming mid-term elections.

On the gender factor in deciding who to vote for, 50% of those polled say that, all things being equal, a political candidate being a woman is a positive.  A little less than half thought it was a "neutral" factor, and none thought it was a negative factor.  On the topic of gender, 63% of women who answered think a woman will be President of the US by 2020.  I'm still waiting to see who that woman will be.  Currently, Australia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Croatia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, India, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Switzerland,  and Trinidad & Tobago all have women presidents or prime ministers.  Sixty-nine women world-wide have led their countries, whereas according to 50-50 by 2020, in the US, only  31 women have ever served as governor of 23 states.  If you ask me, we may have come a long way, baby, but we've got a long way to go to get to parity in government.

What do you think about these topics?  The Quiz is still open, so please go and register your opinions on these topics and more at Skinny Scoop.

~When not answering polls, MOMocrat Glennia can be found blogging at her family travel blog, The Silent I.

Elton Gallegly (CA-24) supports students! The ones he likes, anyway.

If one wish were granted to me in this midterm election, it would be that Elton Gallegly be retired permanently to his little Simi Valley oasis with the high gates he built at campaign donors' expense to keep the riff-raff out. This is no secret to anyone who knows me -- I loathe Republicans who claim to represent my interests but won't take the time to hear what they are. I really loathe Republicans who represent big, wide, diverse districts with lots of working-class, taxpaying people in them but pander only to military, elderly and wealthy constituents. I loathe Republicans who reward special donors with million-dollar-plus earmarks. Gallegly does all of these.

But really, what I found in his campaign disclosures last night sent me into orbit. It seems that Gallegly's campaign made some donations to local schools in the area. Wasn't that nice? Only, the schools who received donations are in the more affluent areas of the district. Okay, let me say it straight. The schools who received donations are the ones with student populations which are mainly white. They also happen to be in the more affluent areas. 

It's one thing to ignore a constituent and repeatedly duck her questions about things you'd rather not answer, like why he thinks it would be perfectly fine for my son to be denied access to health insurance because of a pre-existing condition. It's entirely another to pull out the checkbook and write checks to school booster programs selectively, which is exactly what the man did, out of campaign funds. 

Here's a map of our district:

It's a big district. Lots of cities in that district. Other than the coastal strip, which is Lois Capps' district, Gallegly represents this whole thing. Take note of the various city names on that map. Ours isn't even on it, but we're included, as I'll explain in a minute. Here is a record of donations made during the third quarter from the Elton Gallegly campaign to some, but not all, local high school athletic booster clubs:

• Camarillo High: $300
• Newbury Park High School: $500
• Thousand Oaks High School: $300
• Moorpark High School: $300
• Oaks Christian High School: $600

As the parent of a high school junior, I can't tell you how angry this makes me. My daughter attends a high school in the general vicinity of El Rio on that map. She could go to Camarillo High but she loves her school. It's part of the same district, but the demographics are very different. Her school is quite diverse, with the majority of students coming from Hispanic backgrounds. We live in an agricultural area and the school is smack-dab in the middle of it, so those kids might be working in adjacent fields before and after school while still making good grades and managing to be good citizens. (Yes, that's right. The vast majority are citizens.)

Go Read It, Downward Dogs: Sympathy for the Wretched Politician

Dear Teahadists,

Yes, we are laughing AT you. We tried laughing WITH you, but you are sour and humorless.

Let it never be said I have no Sympathy for the Wretched Politician, however:

Don't forget to take a moment, before it's too late, to celebrate the charming lunacy of Christine O'Donnell, anti-masturbation goofnickel and all-around Tea Party hood ornament, before she slides back into total irrelevance. Do you feel empathy for poor Christine? She is trailing by double digits in the polls. She is scrambling for footing up a mountain of dumb.

This is especially apt, given the Three-Ringed Circus of Flail that was Delaware Republican senatorial candidate Christine O'Donnell's showing (video) at the debate this evening with the Democratic candidate, Chris Coons.

As always, breathe.

Namaste,

Cynematic

P i l l o w b o o k

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

Think again.

H/T to Mike Kruger on Facebook.