MOMocrats™

Political Ads on Your Terms

Blue Star Families for Obama is trying out something that I think is pretty cool.  A new site, SaysMe.tv, will allow you to air political ads in the market of your choice.  Their network doesn't cover all of the states yet, but it does cover many swing states like Ohio, Nevada, and Colorado and some unexpected OhMyGodTheyMightTurnBlue states like North Carolina.

We've uploaded our recent video featuring military wives to SaysMe.  SaysMe, in turn, gets approval from its network of cable providers.  The approval process takes some time and we're currently only approved for Las Vegas, New York, and Los Angeles.  (HINT: Choose Las Vegas!)  But once you've chosen a market, you can choose from various cable networks (Lifetime, HGTV, Food Network, CNN, MSNBC, etc....) and make an ad buy.  The minimum order is only $100.

In future national elections, I think SaysMe.tv, or at least the idea, could change the face of political television advertising. 

If you want to try it out and air our BSF4O ad, the deadline for getting this commercial on air before election day is Tuesday, October 28th.  A BSF4O member has set up a chip in page to pool smaller amounts for an ad buy, but BSF4O is not managing that.  We have to comply with federal election laws!

General Powell's Gift - by J.N.

Earlier this week, Stefania wrote about Colin Powell's mention of a photograph of a mother at the grave of her soldier son's grave during his endorsement of Obama for President.

While I was thinking about her words, a veteran sent me and other military family members something he'd written about the same topic:

In General Powell 's endorsement of Senator Obama, he mentioned Cpl. Khan, a Muslim American that was killed in Iraq. Khan was a member of my unit in Iraq. He along with 4 other members of that squad were killed when they entered a house rigged with bombs.    The blast was of such force and power that it made brittle of the armor and weapons.  It was the most horrific day for our company in Iraq, all the sadder as we only had 21 days until end of mission. So close to going home, and never getting there.

I knew Khan during our time in Iraq, and never thought him as different from us because of his faith, he was one of us, an American soldier. Some republicans and partisans are spreading evil insinuations about Muslim Americans, rather shamelessly associating them with terrorism. 

There are many Muslim-Americans that  are valiantly serving this Nation in uniform. When we returned from Iraq last year, the Khan family bravely came to our homecoming. I can't imagine their pain knowing that their son should have also been on that plane. That is the kind of decency and honor of  the Khan family, that on a day of mourning for them, they come to celebrate with us and our families.  How many of us would have such strength?

McCain Lies About His "Support" for the New GI Bill

  The DAV recently sent a number of questions to both Senators McCain and Obama regarding their plans for the Veterans Administration, privatizing the VA, the treatment and classification of patients, creating predictable VA funding, and disability compensation. You can read the full text on the DAV website.

I have to admit I haven't gotten through both candidates' answers to all of the questions yet, but one thing jumped right out at me in Senator McCain's responses.

DAV Question:

What are your plans for improving the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), veterans programs and the lives of disabled veterans, and how would you ensure that these plans remain a top priority for your Administration?

In Senator McCain's response, he includes a section on Education and states:

● Education – Until recently, we were long overdue for an increase in veterans’ education benefits. The enactment of the “GI Bill for the 21st Century,” legislation which I proudly supported in its final form, dramatically increases education benefits for a broad spectrum of veterans, including members of our National Guard and Reserves. It also addresses the top concern of career servicemembers regarding education - the freedom to transfer their benefits to a spouse or their children. This important “transferability” feature, which I fought hard to see included in the legislation, will not only reward career Servicemembers and their families for extended service, but will also help retain the highquality young leaders who are essential to our allvolunteer force.

(Emphasis added.)

I'm afraid I'm going to have to call BS, Senator McCain.

Presidential Debate: Does McCain Think Palin's Son Has Autism?

Has Senator McCain simply forgotten that Calculus Algebra Trig has Down Syndrome?  During the third debate, it certainly appeared so.  Or maybe McCain just thinks that autism and Down Syndrome are the same thing.

And again with the autism:

WTF?

Too Little Too Late: McCain Finally Does the Right Thing

You've all heard the hateful mess coming out of some of the McCain and Palin supporters lately.  Well, it looks like John McCain finally found his soul.

Watching that video, McCain looks like he's just beaten down by the hate he's hearing, by the hate his campaign has discovered.

I can't say the McCain campaign created the hate and fear, because we all know it's always been there.  But over the last few weeks, the rhetoric from the McCain and Palin camps has given these racists and fear mongers permission to give voice publicly to what they normally keep inside their twisted hearts.

Here's hoping that the election discourse will now rise a few notches out of the mud.

Hey, Cindy McCain: Military Families Think You Should Put On A Sweater!

Press Release

www.bsf4o.com

Blue Star Families Launch Video: Why We are Pro-Military, Pro-Obama

Blue Star Families for Obama launched a video today that articulates why Senator Barack Obama can count on military families for their votes on November 4th. The video features eight military spouses who share their reasons for voting for Sen. Obama over Sen. McCain.

Blue Star family members share: McCain claims to work for us. His actions don't always agree. He campaigned against the new GI Bill, Voted against troop safety equipment, against vets health care, has a 20 percent rating from the Disabled American Vets.

More Blue Star members add: Barack Obama shows he understands today's military. Obama will help reservists and military families, and he's front-lined mental health care, co-sponsored the GI Bill.

Video below the fold....

Shame on you, Cindy McCain!

Speaking in Pennsylvania today, Cindy McCain made a statement that made my head explode.  She said:

I’m proud of my sons, but let me tell you, the day that Senator Obama decided to cast a vote to not fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body, let me tell you. I would suggest that Senator Obama change shoes with me for just one day, and see what it means, and see what it means to have a loved one serving in the armed forces, and more importantly, serving in harms way. 

I suggest [Obama] take a day and go watch our fine young men and women deploy, get on those buses and leave with a smile and a charge.

Are you sure you want to go there, Cindy?

The vote you were talking about has been well publicized.  Senator Obama voted against a bill that contained no time line for leaving Iraq and gave a blank war check to the current administration.  Cindy, you know damn well what that vote meant.  What's even more outrageous is that your own husband voted against a troop funding bill as well!

That's right, Cindy.  Your husband voted against a bill that contained a time line for withdrawal from Iraq.  Senator McCain said he couldn't support the time line, so he voted against the troop funding bill.  To take a line from Senator Biden, let me repeat that:

Senator McCain voted against funding our troops.

Politics, Racism, and "That One"

During the Democratic National Convention, I was amazed at the diversity I saw.  People of all colors, cultures and religions came together for one purpose.  The hope of making our country better, of making a difference in the world.  I flew home on a haze of hope and comfort that we were headed in the right direction. 

Oh, how I wish I could get that feeling back.

During last night's debate, McCain, jabbed his finger across his chest and referred to Senator Barack Obama as "that one." 

My immediate reaction was to think "How disrespectful!"  I assumed John McCain was attempting to dehumanize the more human candidate by referring to him as a nameless "it."  My mind didn't jump to race until I was driving home from my debate watch party.

Race is a touchy subject for me.  I'm about as white as a white girl can get.  (I don't think I get any ethnic points for having a nice tan.)  I'm from the south, Louisiana originally, where my family has lived for several hundred years.  We all know the baggage that accompanies that heritage. 

Now I live in Southeastern Virginia, about 30 miles north of the North Carolina border.  I like to pretend that race is no longer an issue here.  That no one would dream of calling Barack Obama that hateful N word that I refuse to type, or call him "boy", or one of "those people", or "that one".... But while my surrounding neighborhood is pretty brown, a nice mixture of black and white, I can still drive down certain streets and see a Confederate flag flying in one yard while black children play in the yard next door.

Still, I often say and think that people who spew and display hate are an aberration soon to die out.  And then I hear about an incident like one that happened recently in Buchanan County in Virginia.  Apparently the treasurer of the Buchanan County Republican party, Bobby May, who is also a local newspaper columnist, thought that joking about Obama raising taxes to pay for drugs for his inner city voting base and putting Oprah and Ludacris on our currency would be funny.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Appears with Glenn Nye

Yesterday I attended a lunch fund raiser for Glenn Nye, with keynote speaker Congressman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.  Do I need to wax on about Glenn Nye some more?  Or do you all know that I've pretty much made it my goal to do anything I can to help him unseat Thelma Drake in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District?  Got it?  OK.

This was, however, the first time I've seen the Florida Congresswoman in person. I've idolized her from afar up until now.  Hell, she's a mother of 9 year old twins and a 5 year old and still manages to make politics look easy.  How does she do that?

When Glenn Nye introduced Wasserman-Schultz, he talked about how much he identifies with her.  Like Glenn, the congresswoman got involved in politics at a young age.  She was 26 when elected to the house in Florida and 34 when elected to the Florida Senate.  She was 38 when elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she serves on both the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees.

Debbie (Can I call you, Debbie, congresswoman?) also chairs the Red to Blue program, which targets Republican seats throughout the country where the DNC believes they can win.  Surprise, surprise!  They're going after Drake's seat this year and giving Glenn support along the way.

I look at her and I wonder what I've been doing with my life!  I think Glenn said it best when he said, "I want to be Debbie Wasserman-Schultz!"  I swear he didn't say it in a kooky, gender-bending way, but in a very endearing, "I'm not afraid to hero worship a woman" kind of way.  Just one more reason to adore Glenn Nye - he said exactly what I was thinking.

Nye then read us an email he'd received from a voter. The voter shared the story of how she had fought to regain good credit after a divorce and, while raising two children, bought her first house.  Then, as interest rates began to rise and it started to cost her $900 to fill her oil heating tank, she lost her home.  After Congress acted to relieve home owners from some of the interest rate mortgage burdens, she wrote to Congresswoman Drake to ask what Congress planned to do to help those who had already lost their homes.

The Veep Debate Through the Eyes of Lawyer Mama

Some fabulous MOMocrat, cough*Glennia*cough, had the fabulous idea to host MOMocrats debate watch parties all over the country for the vice presidential debate between Joe "El Dog" Biden and Sara "Pitbull" Palin.  She brilliantly coined a catchy title: "Read My Lipstick: I'm Voting for Obama/Biden" and we were set.

I decided that we needed to have a Read My Lipstick watch party here in Hampton Roads and enlisted the help of my fellow Blue Star Family for Obama members, Vivian and Casey, to co-host.  In a few days, we had a location (see picture), a press release, local politicians, banners, signs, stickers, and lots of interest.

Because BSF4O has recently begun live blogging the debates, we decided we had to make that happen despite being in a bar with no wifi.  An anonymous donor came to our rescue with a wonderful little wireless router outfitted with a broadband card.  Between that, our 80 foot extension cord, my squid, and 4 laptops, we looked like we were ready to host Cheney's next "undisclosed" command and control center.

Setting up before the watch party.