MOMocrats

Where's the Beef, Sweetie?

I went to school at the University of Michigan, a stone's throw from Detroit. My husband's family is from the Detroit area where the economy is really hurting. Many auto workers want to support a Democrat, but most people I know in that area are Republicans because that's who's been listening to them - or at least who comes across as such. Barack Obama had a real chance to throw some policy "beef" into the discussion when he toured auto plants, but he failed to address the issue, trying to put off those who asked.

To make matters worse, he called a reporter "sweetie," a novice move that could make him look not only condescending, but sexist. If he did that to me, I might consider a write-in vote in November, something I do not take lightly. This had better be the last time he makes a mistake like that. Take a look:

BREAKING NEWS: Edwards endorses Obama

John Edwards—the reason MOMocrats was started back in September of last year—will endorse Barack Obama tonight.

Read it here.

Open Letter to Senator Clinton: Feminism is Not Academic

Clinton Campaign Conference Call, May 7, 2008

3:12, Geoff Garin, chief strategist for the Clinton campaign, discusses gains and losses of white voters and subcategories within that
31:39, Susan Milligan of the Boston Globe, on Clinton's prospects among key segments of the voting population who are not Appalachian whites (i.e., coastal whites and non-whites, New South inhabitants, midwestern whites and nonwhites, voters between 18-35, etc)

Dear Senator Clinton,
Last night as you gave your victory speech in Indiana, I think you finally realized what many have known and felt for a long time. Your campaign is over.

I'm hoping you have the courage to drop out now, quickly, graciously, and magnanimously. And throw all your formidable energy and tenacity into backing Senator Obama, our Democratic Party nominee.

George McGovern Calls on Hillary Clinton to Get Out of Race

MSNBC just aired a telephone interview with former Senator and former Presidential candidate George McGovern in which he announced that he believes Hillary Clinton should step down from the presidential race.

McGovern endorsed Hillary back in November, saying, "I think that if we can elect her president, she'll be a greater president even than her brilliant husband."

McGovern isn't a superdelegate, but has been a long-time supporter of both Clintons.

Tim Russert calls it "We know who the Democratic nominee is going to be."

With 92% of precints reporting, MSNBC is talking like it's over for Hillary Clinton. She has canceled her morning show—and all public—appearances tomorrow.

What does this bode for the future of Hillary Clinton's campaign? We'll soon find out.

—Stefania/CityMama

Clinton/Obama Female Superdelegate Count, Prior to IN & NC

Just for kicks, I wanted to see what the breakdown was for women superdelegates who have committed to a candidate. You don't often see this figure pulled out from all the other data groupings.

Indiana Voters, Don't Forget Your Photo ID -- If You Have One

(Photo from Mother Jones Magazine).

If Indiana voters show up today at the polls without a photo ID, will they be turned away?

Thanks to the Supreme Court, the answer to that question is almost certainly, yes.

With an anticipated record turn-out looming and possibly thousands of new registered voters heading out to vote in the state that calls itself the Crossroads of America, the swell of interest in this election may well be tamped down, thanks to our friends -- wait for it, wait for it -- the GOP.

While there has never been a documented case of election fraud in Indiana where an unregistered voter has tried to pass himself off as a registered voter, Indiana passed the most restrictive voter identification law in the country in 2005. 

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld that law, claiming that while it might be burdensome for a variety of groups to obtain valid photo ID, the state still had a legitimate interest in protecting the integrity of the election process.

What does that mean in English?

Reverend Wright Ate My Homework

I'm one of those Asian American Amish people who doesn't have cable tv. I mean, I know what a tv is, and own one. Sometimes I even turn it on, because the dvd player is connected to it. (Ti-Vo? What's that?)

But somehow a papyrus scroll landed on my porch with the news that a controversial former pastor of Senator Obama's hometown church in Chicago had some, well, controversial things to say before he went on his book tour. Which Obama quickly and decisively disowned--those were and are not his beliefs.

Last time I checked, Obama was running for president, and he pretty much categorically rejected Wright's comments and said his former pastor has no connection to Obama's campaign.

Go Read It: Clinton and McCain's Gas Tax "Vacation"

Not sure what to think about the summer vacation from the 18.4 cent federal excise tax on gasoline proposed by both Senator McCain and Senator Clinton? (It's a bandwagon you won't find Senator Obama riding.)

Economist Thomas Friedman weighs in. The title of his op-ed piece? "Dumb As We Wanna Be." A notable quote: "This is not an energy policy. This is money laundering..."

I get the strange sensation he doesn't like the idea, what about you?

ETA: It was hard to find any other economist or policy maker who thought the gas tax holiday was a good idea either, as Huffington Post's Sam Stein discovered.

Cynematic has used her preschool son's scooter as a mode of transportation around her neighborhood. You know, you stand on it and kick with the other foot?

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

The Curse of Punxsutawney Phil--And How to Lift It

So, here we are, a little more than one week after Pennsylvania's primary, and it's death by groundhog. You know, Punxsutawney Phil? He tells us how long the winter will be with a quick look around every February. Only, in this scenario, the Democratic Primary groundhog let us know that the primary that was "supposed" to be over by Super Tuesday, and got extended for six weeks, will be going on for another six, long, agonizing weeks...til June.

I'm not sure what's changed in this particular Democratic primary (other than the ADHD of media focus). In fact, I feel we're trapped in an endless karmic loop, much like Bill Murray's character in the charming romantic comedy movie Groundhog Day--where he's doomed to repeat his flawed life until he evolves into a better human--except our presidential primary version lacks the charm, heartwarming romance, or comedy of the movie.

The result of the Pennsylvania primary has been to breathe just enough life into Clinton's campaign without really giving her, or Obama for that matter, the knockout results that would be definitive for either candidate. And somehow we've all ended up with Clinton's bad karma, since it's her spin cycle (literally and figuratively) we're stuck in: her win has been spun as a game-changer. Has it really changed Obama's total delegate lead though?