MOMocrats™

Interview with Representative Allyson Schwartz

At BlogHer '08, both the McCain and Obama campaigns sent top-level surrogates to speak with BlogHer attendees on behalf of the presidential candidates. Pennsylvania Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, for the Obama campaign, and RNC Director of Online Communications Director Liz Mair, for the McCain campaign, spoke to women bloggers about health care, the economy, and national security in a special session where both campaign representatives took questions from the audience.

After returning home from BlogHer, Congresswoman Schwartz gave me a call to chat about women bloggers, women in politics, her role in this year's historic presidential campaign, and two issues that are very important to her, both as a lawmaker and as a mother: health care, and education.

Hillary Clinton Fundraiser in Los Altos Hills, California

My husband, 8 year-old son and I went to a fundraiser on Thursday night for Hillary Clinton.  It was billed as a "unity event" where Obama and Clinton Silicon Valley supporters got together to help pay Clinton's debt, munch appetizers and red, white & blue Hillary cookies, and hear Senator Clinton speak about party unity.  It was co-hosted by two of Silicon Valley's powerhouse fundraisers, who combined their considerable donor lists to get people out to help Hillary (and the party) pay off some of her $20 million campaign debt.

My husband and I supported Edwards and Obama in the primary.  Our son, however, is a die-hard Hillary fan.  When we got the invitation, we asked him if he wanted to have the chance to meet Hillary, and he said, "Yes!"  I asked what he would say to her if he got to meet her, and he said, "I want to tell her she did a good job in the election."

I thought that would be something she might like to hear, coming from a little boy.  During the primary season, he pointedly told me, pointing out his placemat with all the President's portraits on it, "I want Hillary to win because, do you see any girls here?  NO. It's a girl's turn."

When Does Political Satire Cross the Line??

We can make fun of whether Cindy McCain is a trophy wife, John McCain's age, Hillary's pantsuits, Bill's love of women, George's mental prowess and big ears and Al Gore's stiffness.  Everyone seems to laugh at those jokes, no problem.

But apparently we can't make fun of those who think Obama is a Muslim and or who believe that a fist bump is a terrorist greeting.

The uproar over this New Yorker cover entitled The Politics of Fear has been deafening. Should we laugh because the cover suggests that it's just silly to think of the Obamas as political and religious extremists?  Or should we be offended that a major magazine would depict them like this, even in jest? 

Clearly, no one was suggesting that the Obamas are what is shown in the cartoon, and the point was to poke fun at those who still harbor concerns about their backgrounds as Americans.

It's certainly OK for any person to say this was not funny to them.  I admit -- it was not the New Yorker's best cover ever.  But is our collective sense of humor so small that we can't handle this?

Good Faith, and the Good People of America

We Democrats have been through some wrenching and terrible times in the past few elections. Mention 2000 and Al Gore, 2004 and Kerry, or 2006's supposed Democratic majority in the House, and you'll be opening some wounds that haven't quite healed.

I remember vituperative, bile-filled articles like this, which talked about how those of us in the Blue Urban Archipelago wanted those in rural Red America to maybe take a flying leap. Or worse.

Hard words, and hard feelings. I remember thinking how deeply I hated anyone who voted for Bush in 2000 or 2004, summed up by this London newspaper headline: How Can 59,054,087 People Be So Dumb? Those were hardly constructive feelings, and indeed things got worse.

I bring these up not to inflame past divides, but to underscore what a disastrously and bitterly separated country we were, until recently.

What Else is There to Say About Unity?

Unity.

It's a town AND it's a concept!

Finally, after months (or what seems like decades) of jousting and debating, arguing and countering, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama today became, according to one commentator, America's new First Couple in the town-let of Unity, New Hampshire.

As I write this, I'm trying to decide exactly what to say.  There really wasn't any news made, except that it was the first public appearance of Obama and Clinton together since she stepped out of the race.  Other than that, it really doesn't fall into the "breaking news" category, no matter what the cable networks call it.

Clinton commented on the fact that we need to create an "unstoppable force for change."  Obama agreed with one supporter who shouted out, "Hillary rocks!"  And Obama commented on how, for every presidential race in the future, our daughters will know there is no barrier that can stop them from doing "anything boys can do, but better .... and in heels."

Unity Now?

Tomorrow, all political eyes will be on Unity, New Hampshire for the Unite for Change speech that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are going to deliver.

I understand the campaign's desire to have a little symbolism, but for me this is a tad over the too-obvious line.  But I digress.

Many are wondering whether a little speech will help persuade Hillary Clinton's die-hard fans to join with Barack Obama to sing together in a spirit of harmony and peace for the good of the party in November? 

Some looking in from the outside have reason to doubt that will happen.  And there is evidence to suggest that, with groups posting information about organized protests before the event, the atmosphere in Unity may not be as welcoming and warm, shall we say 'uniting,' as the Obama people would like.

More Campaign Finance News: Obama Now Courting Big Money Donors

NPR reported this morning that after their joint "unity" campaign stop tomorrow, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will hold a private meeting with Clinton's top fundraisers for a twofold purpose: (1) to help HRC settle her $10 million campaign debt to vendors and (2) to see what they can do to help the Obama campaign.

This comes just one week after announcing that "the public financing of Presidential elections as it exits today is broken," and urging his supporters to "declare our independence from a broken system, and run the type of campaign that reflects the grassroots values that have already changed our politics and brought us this far."

So why is he now courting Clinton's big money donors?

Is Healing the Democratic Party Possible? One Citizen Journalist's View

In the weeks that have passed since Hillary Clinton suspended her presidential campaign, the Democratic line has been all about unity.  Clearly, the Barack Obama campaign needs to bring Senator's Clinton's supporters back into the fold.  I think that rumors of mass numbers of Clinton supporters who will now support McCain rather than Obama are, frankly, bullshit created by the McCain campaign.

However, the Democrats need all the support they can get during this race.  Frankly, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are nearly indistinguishable in their platforms and either of them would be a substantial improvement over the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Neither the Obama nor the Clinton campaign has been blameless in this primary created division, so why not let bygones be bygones and work on what's important: putting a Democrat in the White House.  It really shouldn't be a problem.

Or so I thought until yesterday.

During Virginia's convention yesterday, I roamed the coliseum corridors between sessions, checking out the vendors with t-shirts and buttons, and stopping to talk to people who looked interesting.  (Incidentally, my favorite was a toss up between two t-shirts.  One said "Vote Republican: Eat tainted meat, breathe poison air, drink nasty water, help only yourself."  The other read, "Democratic Women are the Life of the Party!")

I happened to see a knot of 10 or so women about my age who were obvious Hillary Clinton supporters.  They all had Hillary campaign materials sticking out of their bags and in their arms.  I walked up to introduce myself and said, "I've found some of the Hillary supporters!"  Their apparent ring leader said, "Yeah, we don't talk to the press," looking pointedly at my press badge.  Floored, I explained that I was a blogger for a DEMOCRATIC blog made up of both Clinton and Obama supporters.

Lovin' Hillary Again

(as always, an email from my friend, Tamala)

Put your big girl panties on.

Is that sexist? I hope not. It’s my admonition to myself to grow up and get over it.

I watched Hillary with tearful eyes [Saturday] as she finally let go of her bid for the White House, at least this time around. I hung on every word like she was about to reveal the location of buried treasure – somewhere in my own back yard. What a change.

For five months I have been so mad at Hillary that I had vowed that I would never, ever vote for her even if she were running for president of my HOA – never. You see, I’m black. No need to rehash all the reasons why some black people have been mad at Hillary but in a nutshell it boils down to her seeming willingness to throw us under the bus for political gain. And this is after we were indefatigable in hers and Bill’s defense in the 90s. In fact, I was like my East Texas grandmother who has a framed picture of JFK in her house (right next to Jesus). I’ve got the Pottery Barn version of that homage in my on home in the way of candids of Bill and Hill on the 2004 campaign trail in Albuquerque, sitting on my living room book shelf among other family pictures.

But today, I looked at Hillary and saw her with old eyes, before white-voter-gate, before the MLK comment, before South Carolina, before the ‘fairytale’, before ‘kid’, before Geraldine Ferarro and certainly before that fool Bob Johnson. For the record Mr. Johnson, misogyny and racism begin at home. Thanks for the endless late-night loop via BET of this turd in the punchbowl.

Relive the Democratic Primaries -- in Eight Minutes!

Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and watch this video from Slate to warm up for the MOMocrats podcast this afternoon!

Good times, good times.  ;)