MOMocrats

The 2008 Farm Bill: Food & Fuel

I'm no policy analyst, but I do eat and I try to give my child as many organic foods as we can afford, starting with organic milk (at $3.19 $3.49 $3.99!! a half gallon). For a lot of moms, organic milk is the "gateway drug", so to speak, that leads to more organic food in the overall family diet.

And I try to keep up with all the movements that have made me more politically aware about food, and eating: slow food, the organic food movement, locavores/eating locally (aka the 100-mile diet). It's our family's way of trying to eat more nutritiously, support local farmers, reward the use of fertilizers and insect control by means other than dangerous pesticides, and reduce the carbon footprint (miles traveled, for one) of the way our food gets produced.

Where individual consumer habits intersect with policy is the government's USDA Farm Bill (final version of the bill posted here, a summary of commentary here).

Go Read It: Misogyny I Won't Miss

Race and gender have gotten a lot of play in this presidential contest, but in different ways.

Plenty of outlets have discussed the inappropriateness of taking race into consideration when choosing our next president, as well as how the candidates are covered by the media.  Many haven't quite had the same qualms about playing the gender card.

In today's Washington Post, Marie Cocco in her article Misogyny I Won't Miss, gives a round-up of the more blatant examples of gender bias in the press, some that she feels even border on outright hatred. of women. 

The worst example of all?  Surprisingly, it's not the Hillary nutcracker.

Cocco feels the worst of all has been the virtual silence of the DNC and the Democratic leadership to the running anti-woman commentary against Hillary Clinton.  Next time guys, step up and speak out against all forms of bias, OK?

Thanks, Marie.

Does It Matter to You How West Virginia Votes?

It's another Primary Day in America!

Come on, you know you're excited to see what happens in West Virginia!

OK, so even with the all-day coverage, there probably aren't many people who are all that interested.  There's some serious election fatigue going on.

But I'm wondering today, what does it say if Hillary Clinton wins the West Virginia Democratic primary by the huge landslide that the pundits are predicting?

Whether we like it or not, I think that's a question that needs answering.

Many are eager to believe that we're a country not divided -- that there are more things that join us than separate us.  But a major landslide for Hillary Clinton in the state where my grandfather was born would say to me we have a much longer way to go before we're ready to join hands and sing in a spirit of harmony and peace.

Everyone got a good laugh out of SNL's Clinton parody about her supporters being racists.  And I have no doubt there's going to be a lot of insinuation about that for West Virginia voters.

But how about if we back up and think about why certain pockets of the nation are overwhelmingly for Clinton and others have been landslides for Obama.  Leave aside the easy, gut reaction that Clinton supporters are racists and Obama fans are enlightened progressives.  If we continue on that road, John McCain will surely be the next POTUS.

Real understanding and analysis shouldn't be that hard to find.  I know that doesn't make for good comedy or quick soundbites, but it sure as hell would create a stronger Democratic party.

So tonight, I'd love to hear Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer come up with some real political analysis. 

Come on guys -- it's not rocket science.  Surely you can find someone to talk about the real underlying currents of this election season.  Race and gender are the easy issues to talk about.  Dig a little deeper -- what you find could be pretty interesting.

The White House Project's Marie Wilson on Clinton Remaining in the Race

The White House Project is a nonpartisan organization that "aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors, up to the U.S. presidency. By filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women, we make American institutions, businesses and government truly representative." I've been a supporter of their mission for several years now, and I'm impressed by how they have grown and the work they do.

Their blog, "Change Everything", includes their thoughts and activities, and this week's post by their founder, Marie Wilson, cuts to the heart of the issue on why Hillary Clinton is still in the race. "An Army of Women" explains (paraphrasing Eric Boehlart of Media Matters) that "numerous [recent] precendents exist for nominees to continue to duke it out until party conventions: Reagan and Ford; Kennedy and Carter; Hart and Mondale." Wilson writes of cultural fears of "feminist fury."

If Obama Jumps the Gun, Does He Really Think That Will Play Well With Hillary Supporters?

I'm not going to dispute the fact that things are not looking good for Hillary Clinton, but until someone bows out or someone has the requisite number of delegates, there's no Democratic nominee.

Apparently Barack Obama doesn't care. 

A variety of stories are reporting that regardless of where things stand on May 20, Obama is planning on proclaiming that he is the Democratic nominee.

At that point, after the Oregon primary, most anticipate that Obama will have won the majority of PLEDGED delegates.  But he will NOT have won the majority of ALL delegates -- odds are many super-delegates will still be uncommitted plus the Democratic National Committee doesn't meet until May 31 to start trying to unravel the mess that is Florida and Michigan.

Uh, dude, there's still a process in this country.  Even if something looks or smells inevitable, you still have to wait until the everyone gets to vote and the process is finished, unless you can convince Hillary to drop out.  And you'd have to be a tad delusional to think that's going to happen any time soon.

You can't be the winner just because you say so.  That's why we have the process in the first place. John Adams and his pals fought a revolution so that no one could "proclaim" to be entitled to any office or political position.

As a country, we don't like people who just take things.  You have to stand in line and wait your turn here in America.  And do you really think that all the Hillary Clinton supporters you're going to need in the fall are really going to appreciate you just announcing that you've won, when the game ain't over?

We know from the media reports that you're not really a patient guy and that you're getting bored with the process.

In Ten Suggestions for Barack Obama, Point number 10 is, "Win This Thing.  Just Win It.  I Don't Care How."  I am totally on board with that at this point.  As a friend said the other day, I'd rather see a rock in the White House before I would vote for John McCain.  But please don't piss off us Hillary supporters by planning your own coronation before the process is finished.

That's just bad form.

After Joanne is done thinking about how the Democrats can just come together and beat John McCain, you can find her ruminating on the political world at PunditMom.

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.

How to Explain the Presidential Choice to an Eight-Year-Old

Following Mr. PunditMom's explanation of what a "delegate" is to our eight-year-old, this conversation ensued:

PunditGirl: Daddy, when is there going to be a winner?  Why are people having a hard time choosing [between Clinton & Obama]?"

Mr. PunditMom: Well, sweetie, sometimes it's hard to make choices between two things you like -- like trying to choose between ice cream and cookies."

PunditGirl:  "What about John McCain?"

Mr. PunditMom:  "McCain is peas."

When Joanne is done thinking about what other yucky vegetables John McCain is like, you can find her over at PunditMom.

Guest Post from Sarah Gilbert: Why Hillary Supporters are Keeping it a Secret

I am delighted that Sarah Gilbert (my friend, former boss, and someone I miss seeing regularly since I don't live in Portland anymore) has agree to guest post on MOMocrats. Imagine this post is written in tiny font or perhaps wispy font or that she's just sidled up to you at a coffee shop and is saying these words quietly into your ear. —Stefania/CityMama

Cue the whisper.

I am voting for Hillary Clinton.

I'm pretty excited about it, actually. I live in Oregon, and grew up here; though most of my adult life I lived in other states, I always was excited to see the primary results from Oregon. Nobody else was. Who cared? By the time we got to Oregon, it was over, the Presidential primary balloting but a fun way to exercise our fingers.

I'm old enough to remember, though, when Geraldine Ferraro was a vice presidential candidate. I was thrilled with the possibility. A woman VP! One step away! By 1996, I'd given up hope. We'd never see a woman president. Our country was just too sexist.

I was working in investment banking at the time; there was one woman managing director on my floor, and the powers that be decided to have me work for her. Because I was a woman too! Surely we'd get along, right?

It's Not All Bad News This Morning for Hillary Clinton Fans

So maybe the fat lady isn't singing quite yet, but I know she's warming up in the wings somewhere after last night's squeaker in Indiana.

But for those of you looking for the silver lining to this cloud that hangs over Hillary Clinton's campaign, long-time women's activist Gloria Feldt, who blogs at HeartFeldt Politics, has a few words at Mothers of Intention that might make you feel a little better.

For political women, the fight doesn't end here -- it's just the beginning.

You can find Joanne crunching the superdelegate numbers over at her place, PunditMom.