MOMocrats™

The War on Rampant Defense Spending

President Obama has declared war on inefficient government contracts.  I know we've all heard this before.  Remember when Al Gore, the "Efficiency Czar," dumped a pile of paperwork on the White House lawn and declared that the Clinton administration would conquer government waste and inefficiency?  And who can forget George W. Bush stating that "the era of big government is over" at the beginning of his term in the White House?  We all know how that one panned out. #FAIL!

But today Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum to the heads of all executive branch agencies.  In that memorandum he ordered agencies to rein in no-bid contracts of the sort that have oozed wasted money in Iraq; cut down on outsourcing "inherently governmental activities;" and review all current government contracts for waste and, if necessary, cancel them.  Here's the good part:

I hereby direct the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in collaboration with the Secretary of Defense, the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Administrator of General Services, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and the heads of such other agencies as the Director of OMB determines to be appropriate, and with the participation of appropriate management councils and program management officials, to develop and issue by July 1, 2009, Government-wide guidance to assist agencies in reviewing, and creating processes for ongoing review of, existing contracts in order to identify contracts that are wasteful, inefficient, or not otherwise likely to meet the agency’s needs, and to formulate appropriate corrective action in a timely manner.  Such corrective action may include modifying or canceling such contracts in a manner and to the extent consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and policy.

If you made it through that, congratulations.  If the bureaucrat-ese made you zone out after the first sentence, the long and short of it is that OMB has until July 1st to come up with government-wide "guidance" to review and cancel wasteful contracts.  Now some of you may say "They have until JULY?  Is anything EVER going to change?"  But trust me, 4 1/2 months in the government is like 2 days in the corporate world.  Seriously.

Rachel Maddow's Take on Bobby Jindal's NSOTU Response

You must watch Rachel Maddow's take on Bobby Jindal's response to the Non-State of the Union speech for the Republican Party.  Immediately afterwards she was actually rendered speechless.  Then she pulled it together for this:

Can I just say, "ditto"?

Stephanie also mocks Republicans at Lawyer Mama.

Equal Pay Passed Without You, but Women Won't Forget....

Please welcome Progressive Gal, a dear friend of mine who blogs at The Liberal Life of a Navy Wife. She's been my political partner in crime since she cyber-stalked me and we met for the first time in July of 2008 and discovered we both live in the same Virginia suburb.

Although you probably wouldn't know this from reading my political posts at MOMocrats, Glenn Nye is not really my congressman.  My actual congressman, Randy Forbes, is a right wing Republican.  He was also running against a Democratic candidate in 2008 who didn't have a bat's chance in hell or two nickels to rub together.  So PG and I threw our efforts into the congressional race in the 2nd District between Thelma Drake and Glenn Nye.  Sometimes we like to pretend that we live in Nye's district but, alas, we do not.

When PG wrote our actual congressman about his vote regarding the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, he wrote back an email that pissed us both off. We had to reply, and so we wrote this response together. 

Snark by PG, wonk by me.

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With the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act by both the House and Senate, we wanted to take the time to share the rationale of one Congressman who voted against it. Congressman Randy Forbes (R-Va.) is one of the 171 Congressmen who voted against equal pay for women. Here is an excerpt from his (or apparently a less able staffer's) lackluster rationale to defend his vote against women along with our critique of his arguments. The short version is: I really care about fair pay, really I do. I just don't want to take any measures that actually ensure any regulation. You'll just clog up the court system when they need to be concentrating on other things like ensuring my rights to use taxpayers' time and money to host Congressional Prayer Caucuses. It's all about family values, dontcha know?

Here is his response:

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, by a vote of 247 - 171 without my support. This bill would allow employees to file charges of alleged employment discrimination within 180 days of the last paycheck received that is affected by alleged discrimination. By permitting such claims to be brought within 180 days - not of a discriminatory pay decision, but of a paycheck affected by that decision - the measure would effectively eliminate the statute of limitations on such cases. While this bill's stated intention was to improve pay equity, this ill-advised provision would almost certainly encourage the filing of claims that are not timely, and thus add to the already considerable burden on the courts. There is no evidence to suggest that the current statute of limitations has resulted in any demonstrable prejudice against claims by employees for pay discrimination.

Well, Congressman Forbes, let's talk about your "problems" with the bill.

A Big Pissing Match Over a Big Boat - the USS George H.W. Bush

We've heard a lot about the Bush power grab before leaving office. The administration is trying to push through as much of its agenda as it can before leaving office at noon on January 20th. They've tried interfering with women's health care decisions, eviscerating environmental regulations, raising Medicaid co-pays for poor women, and weakening FMLA.  But there are other political agendas the administration is trying to ram through that aren't getting as much publicity.   Like, actions within the military. 

Virginia has more military installations than I can possibly list in this post.  There are more than 850,000 veterans living in Virginia, as well as around a million military family members.  The Hampton Roads area of Virginia, where I live, is home to the country's largest concentration of military personnel, military families, and retired military in the United States.  Hampton Roads is home to the world's largest Naval base, the Navy's master jet base, and is headquarters for the Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic.

What does all that mean?  It means we had, until recently, 6 aircraft carrier groups stationed here.  That dropped down to 5 in 2008, when the USS George Washington was sent to Japan.  However, we're about to add a new carrier, the USS George H.W. Bush, the last Nimitz Class Carrier to be built.  Each aircraft carrier stationed here is thought to bring more than 650 million dollars and 11,000 jobs into the local economy each year.

So what's the problem?  Well, it seems that "the military" has decided that it would be nice to move the USS Bush down to Jacksonville, Florida.  They have a couple of rationales.  The first is that it is a mistake to base all of the East Coast's aircraft carriers in one place, in the event that another "Pearl Harbor" were to occur.  On our East Coast.  Without us noticing.  Again.  Uh huh.  The second is that a natural disaster like a hurricane could wipe out the fleet.

There are a few problems with this logic. 

The True Holiday Spirit

On NPR's annual Tinsel Tales today, I heard a Modern Day Mary & Joseph by Scott Simon.  It was clever and heartwarming, of course, but it struck a deeper chord with me when I heard Simon's version of how "Joseph" comes to understand what this little baby, "Jesus," means:

"I think I finally understand," he said.  "Why we're here.  Why we've been given the gift of this child. 

"It doesn't matter who the father is, does it?  Every child born cries for our love and deserves our care. Every child who's hungry in Sudan or Louisiana or Indonesia.  Every little girl who's abandoned by the roadside in China. Every little boy in Uganda who's dragged into somebody's army while he's still not as tall as the gun they put in his arms. Every teenager who never seems to take off their ear buds.  Every little boy and girl anywhere who's threatened by a bomb, an epidemic, a bullet or a storm.  I must love them as a father loves his child."

Mary and Joseph sat with their arms around each other and around their baby boy. [...]  The star that had found them seemed to stay above them for a moment.  While their child breathed softly and safely and peacefully in their arms, looking out at a world that seemed suddenly new.

For me, this says it all.  I am not a religious person and I don't believe in God.  But what Joseph describes in the story is how many mothers and fathers begin to view the world after having a child.  It is a humbling reminder that our children aren't just ours.  They belong to the world.  They belong to all of us.  Whatever our differences, political and idealogical, each of us should do our part to ensure that all children everywhere are warm and safe and peaceful.

Happy Holidays.

Listen to Modern Day Mary and Joseph on NPR.

Cross posted on Lawyer Mama.

Glenn Nye, the Newbie with a Great Agenda

Now that the election season madness and celebration has tapered off, I want to talk about something that made me just as happy as getting Barack Obama into office: getting Glenn Nye elected to Congress.

I'm so excited about Glenn becoming Congressman-elect Glenn Nye, that I try to work it into conversation as often as possible and make other people say it.  Even my long-suffering Republican husband:

T: "Hey, your guy is in the paper again..."
Me: "You mean Congressman-elect Nye?"
T: "Um, yeah. Can you pass me the Sports?"
Me: "Only if you say Congressman-elect Nye."
T: "You're kidding right?"
Me: "Nope. Spill."
T: "Congressman- mumble, mumble, mumble..."
Me: "Say it properly or I'll teach the kids to call him Daddy."
T: "You wouldn't."
Me: "You know I would. Congressman-elect. Say it!"
T: "Congressman-elect Glenn Nye. OK? Happy now?"

Anyway, since my dry cleaner, the kids' sitter, and the checkout guy at the grocery store are all sick of hearing about Congressman-elect Glenn Nye, it's time for me to harass the lovely MOMocrats readers.

I've written about Glenn here many times in the past.  Since I met him this Summer, I've been trying to put my finger on what it is that is so appealing about him as a political candidate.  Perhaps his age, 34, has something to do with it.  I mean, he's one of "us."  He's of my generation, with a common history and cultural past.  He's very intelligent, which is like crack to an overeducated policy wonk like myself.  Glenn is also charming, well spoken, and pretty darn cute.  I don't think all of that entirely explains why I was willing to get involved in a campaign, his campaign, when I've never done so before.

Guest Post: Reflections on the Election from "The Liberal Life of a Navy Wife"

Please welcome MOMocrats Guest Contributor (aka Honorary MOMocrat) Vivian Greentree. 

Vivian is a writer, Navy veteran, Navy wife, and Director of Leadership for Blue Star Families for Obama.  She blogs at The Liberal Life of a Navy Wife and is currently working on her PhD in public administration and raising two small children while her husband is deployed.  (Does anyone else feel like a total slacker too, or is it just me?)

Vivian's essay also appeared in Military Spouse magazine on November 5, 2008, as part of a point/counter-point piece with conservative military spouse, Sarah Smiley.

The Saturday before Election Day I went to hear Caroline Kennedy speak on behalf of Sen. Obama.  As she stood there -- with the weight of her family’s legacy of public service filling the room, appealing to us all to serve our nation in some way -- I clutched the book I was holding a little tighter.  I had intended to bring my copy of her book, Profiles in Courage for Our Time, but I couldn’t find it as I ran out the door.  Instead, I brought another favorite, A Patriot’s Handbook, on the off chance I could get close enough to ask her to sign it. 

My desire to bring Profiles in Courage for Our Time stems from my working in Georgia Governor Roy Barnes’ office the year he introduced a new Georgia flag – one that reduced the Confederate “stars and bars” and incorporated other historical Georgia emblems into our state pennant.  I was actually on the floor when he read the speech imploring passage of the bill. -- it was my first week on the job.  Barnes’ heroic and progressive move, as well as his other efforts to move Georgia forward by putting history behind us, is what is largely considered to have cost him his bid for re-election.  Barnes, however, will ultimately be judged to be on the right side of history, as evidenced by his Profile in Courage award.  I wanted her signature on his page of the book.

A MOMocrats WTF? The End of the 50 State Strategy?

Coming down after the high of election day and E-day +1, we've learned that Howard Dean's 50 state strategy largely responsible for the Democrats' success across the country, may be ending.

I've received confirmation from our Hampton Roads organizer that they're being laid off as of the end of the month.  The scuttlebutt among Virginia bloggers is that the program was only funded through November.

This seems extremely shortsighted to me.  Why lose all those contacts and all that knowledge?  Our local organizer, Susan Mariner, was one of the most useful assets the DNC had in this state. A veteran of statewide campaigns and the head of the GOTV program for part of Southeastern Virginia, she got things done and she knows everyone.

Here in Virginia, the networks built by the Obama campaign and the 50 state strategy can still be put to good use.  Virginia has statewide elections on odd years.  So we have a governor's race and statewide house and senate races in 2009 that are crucial to the future of the Virginia Democratic Party.  These are the elected officials that will largely control redistricting after the 2010 census.  We need Democrats in those key positions.

If anyone hears rumors about what the heck is going on, we'd love to hear from you.  For now, this seems like a giant WTF?

Update: Kristin from Poligots has a great post up about Obama's new Chief of Staff, Rahn Emanuel, a vocal opponent to Dean's 50 state strategy, which may shed some light on things....

Ask the MOMocrats: How to Talk to My Republican Mom?

We love to get email from our readers.  Seriously.  Well, except for those stalkery ones calling us names that we get from frustrated Republicans.  Those are just sad.  But we love to hear from readers with constructive thoughts about our posts.  Sometimes we even get questions.  So we're now starting a new segment called "Ask the MOMocrats."  From politics to advice, you ask us, we'll answer.  Just keep it clean, dear readers.

Dear Momocrats,

I love and respect my mother dearly, but it makes me sad that she has not joined the rest of the world in celebrating a truly historic time. I was so proud to vote for Obama this year, I was grinning from ear to ear at the polling place. My Mom has been a democrat most of her life, but something about getting a little older and living in Tennessee for the past 8 years has turned her into one of the scary "forward sending" conservatives.  She is the only one in our family who did not vote for Obama.  I try keep things non-confrontational because I get really flustered and forget my facts when someone confronts me, so I just don't respond to her emails.  I can't keep quiet any longer, however, with thanksgiving right around the corner hosted by my very religious and conservative grandmother.

What can I say to her that could possibly change her mind but still keep the peace?  There are only so many times you can change the topic of conversation to the weather!  I have attached her latest email as an example of what I am up against.  I would be much appreciative of any ideas you might have.

Thanks in advance,

Daughtercrat

A Letter to My Sons: Why I'm Voting for Barack Obama

I got the idea for this post from the beautiful and wise City Mama.  "Thanks, my dear.  If your daughters grow up to be half the woman you are they will be lucky indeed. - LM."

Dear Hollis & Holden,

Tomorrow is November 4, 2008.  That date doesn't mean much to you now, but I'm hoping that someday it will.  You'll learn the date that the United States elected the John F. Kennedy of my generation.

It's hard for me to explain to you both, at 3 and 4, just what this election means to me.  All you know right now is that Mommy hasn't been home a lot and you wish I could put you to bed more often.

You see, once upon a time I was young and idealistic.  I wanted to help people and change the world.  But then I discovered that putting yourself out there can hurt, really hurt, when you fail.  I became an arm chair activist, donating money instead of my time, and talking and writing about social justice instead of taking action.

Then I had the two of you.

You see, voting isn't just about me and who I'll get to rant about for the next four years.  Now, my vote is about your future.  I want the world you live in to be free from racism and hate.  I want our country and our leaders to take the issue of poverty seriously and to listen to the people they govern.

Read more....