We Have 60! ...And Now The Work Begins

So we have 60 in the Senate. And apparently, Landrieu and Lincoln got a little sugar to sweeten the deal. Legal bribery, some might say. Savvy negotiating, say others. My question is, if it took "a $300 million fix," according to Landrieu to get health care reform this far, what's it gonna take to get the final vote? And is it blackmail? Sure seems like it to me.

Nonetheless, we've made it this far. Keep up the heat on the ConservaDems, keep getting the word out. And if you want to call your Senators, try my new twitter pal Enigma4Ever's web site for all the numbers you'll ever need. (By the way, if you have a twitter account, let me know so I can add you to my Fave politicos list!)

Keep up the pressure, keep up the heat, as there is so much work still ahead. And if I don't see you sooner, Happy Thanksgiving. We're closer to being thankful for health care reform than ever before.

Wow! With Your Help, I Could Meet Rachel Maddow!

Hey, all my fellow Politicos! Yes, the time has come: I would like to ask for your vote! I am actively lobbying you, my friends, to help me win a spot on the Air America Cruise as a blogger (and, admittedly, as a huge Rachel fangirl)!
Would you be so kind as to vote for me here?

You may need my email address, which is: mommapolitico@gmail.com

Why vote for me, my friends? Many reasons, but here are just a few:

1. You like an underdog. You and I know that the big-name bloggers will probably win, but don'tcha love a scrappy underdog who's willing to fight hard? Vote mommapolitico!
2. You will get copies of all my pictures - right here, and just for you!
   
3. I'll ask the questions you want to hear - every chance I get, I promise to ask the burning questions you're dying to ask Rachel and the AAR gang. (Within reason, mind you. If you wouldn't ask your mom, I'm not gonna ask Rachel!)
4. I asked my kids why you should vote for me. Little Man says, "Because Mom is awesome!" and Tweenie simply states, "She really really really wants to go!" 'Nuff said.
5. You will personally know someone who has met Rachel! That's only one degree of separation! Where else ya gonna find that kind of a brush with greatness??? ;)
6. You'll be showing your support for blogmommas everywhere by sending one of our own, yours truly!
   
7. You'll be doing a public service by sending a teacher that could never afford to go on her public school salary. Doing good feels good, right?

My great friends, you have always been the secret to mommapolitico's success, and I am grateful for that. Whether you vote for me or not, thanks for humoring me by reading my bid at a chance to meet my TV idol. And if you so choose, you can copy the info below and post it to your site, tweet it, or email friends. Anything you can do to get the word out would be appreciated. You'll have my undying thanks and continued support by casting a vote for mommapolitico. And I promise to send you a postcard! :)

Copy and tweet, post and email to your heart's content, to anyone you know who'd be willing to help out. After all, you're the best endorsement I could ever have! Thanks for your help, friends!

Help @mommapolitico win an Air America Cruise @airamericamedia! Vote mommapolitico@gmail.com here: http://bit.ly/4J4d2t #aamcruise

Thanks, Kids, and as the old saying goes, "Vote early and often!" Seriously, though I know the odds aren't in my favor, I appreciate anything you can do to help - many thanks!

Welcome to Opposite Land! GOP Funds Abortion and U.S. Prez Demands Exit Strategy

Well, my fellow Politicos, there must be something wacky in the water in Washington, because the GOP has decided abortion is acceptable, and we have a new President who thinks for himself. Now, I don't know about you, but all this could take some getting used to...sure, this is a sea-change for the Republicans, but the real change comes with an intelligent President who knows how to think and reason. I knew I liked this guy - he even assigns reading to his staff - and I'd be willing to bet that they're books he's actually read himself!

Now, back to the GOP. Yes, apparently the Republicans have had this dirty little secret for awhile. Earlier this week, at the peak of the Stupak fury, comes the news that the GOP's health plan has included abortion coverage since 1991. I nearly choked on my Snapple Diet Raspberry Iced Tea. "Uh, excuse me? That can't be right. Could you please say that again?" And, being the obliging pundit that she is, Rachel Maddow repeated it for me one more time. See for yourself:

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Damn! That what I thought she said! So, let me get this straight. It's morally wrong to provide abortion funding for middle class working folks and for the lowest socioeconomic levels in our society, but for the past two decades, it has been absolutely A-O.K. for exclusive members of the GOP to have access to those services. Did the C Street guys come up with this, or what??? 'Cause I gotta say, that's some pretty flawed logic, even for Rethuglicans: "It's immoral for you people, but it's perfectly fine for us, because we're the chosen ones...you know, above the law." Ah, the ol' King David defense.

So, just to recap, the GOP has taken an axe to the plank of their party platform that states that "abortion is a fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life." All of a sudden, the rest of the world gets an insider's look at the Republican Party: it is entirely acceptable for the party elite to have free access to abortion. Don't get me wrong, I expect hypocrisy from the Party of No. Their platform has always been full of contradictions; maybe they can borrow our plank to repair their platform, since it seems to fit their philosophy better than their own does...Needless to say, once word of this hit the press, the revisionist history began: the insurance policy was immediately changed. Because, of course, that means it never existed. This is the part where, if you're a GOP insider, you put your fingers in your ears and sing loudly over the objections of the rank and file...Certainly would be interesting to see how many people availed themselves of that fully covered and legal medical procedure in the last twenty years, don'tcha think? And the hypocrisy of the Rethuglican Party continues...

The other story that got my head spinning, but in an entirely different direction, was the news that the U.S. now has a President that is demanding, not asking, demanding an exit strategy from a war in which we are deeply embroiled. Whoa. Now there's a serious policy change from the past eight years! We now have a President that, a) believes in thinking and analyzing a situation before taking action, b) actually has the intelligence to decide if a policy recommendation is reasonable and our best option, and c) has the cojones to veto what his advisers bring forward and to send them back to the drawing board to brainstorm a workable solution. Here is a President that has the good sense to look at history and see what we've learned. Once upon a time we had a land war in Asia, and it didn't go well. (Insert your favorite The Princess Bride line here...) The fact that President Obama is using the lessons of Vietnam as part of the decision-making process is a refreshing look into the practices of this administration. Wow - talk about a paradigm shift! This might take a little getting used to - but in a good way!

What was really amazing to me about both of these stories is that the mainstream American media acted as if these stories did not exist, as if they weren't on the radar. It took The Telegraph in the UK to pick up this story and get it to the AP, where it was hardly looked at by major news sources. And with the GOP story, The Boston Globe and The Rachel Maddow Show were the closest thing to mainstream media to pick up the story. (So much for liberal media bias!) I'd ask why this is the case, but I've beaten that dead horse with a stick more times than I can count here, and I won't bore you with it again. But nonetheless, it does remain a burning question.

So, a boisterous "Shame on you!" to the Grand Obstructionist Party for their ongoing hypocrisy...Lordy, they never disappoint, do they? And a grand "Huzzah!" for our thinking man's President! Now, that's a change long overdue and one I can completely support! Happy weekend, my fellow Politicos - looking forward to your comments!

Victory Is Bittersweet: How Stupak & The GOP Attempt toTurn Dems Into Circular Firing Squad

When I was about 21, I went to a Pro-Choice rally in Westwood with some friends. I don't remember how many thousands of people were there; I do remember that it was, and still is, the largest assembled group of which I have ever been a part - people as far as the eye could see. I was there with friends; women I've been friends with my entire life, both gay and straight men I've known for just as many years, and we were struck by how we were surrounded by families with young children. Here were women and men, moms and dads, fighting for their own and their daughters' future right to choose. That's when I realized that "Pro-Child, Pro-Family, Pro-Choice" was more than just a bumper sticker. It was a statement of belief. My belief.

We live in a time in which Roe v. Wade has been chipped away bit by bit. Through the assassination of abortion providers, through the constant harassment of clinic workers, through the pharmacist "conscience rule" and every other small measure that makes it almost impossible for a woman to choose when to exercise her reproductive freedom, what is still a legal medical procedure is being made more and more unavailable for women - especially poor women.

And now, at a time when we, as Democrats, and as women, should be rejoicing that we are a step closer to healthcare for all Americans, we are instead poised on the edge of what could possibly be the biggest battle of our lifetime in regard to choice. At a time when there could be help for the poor and for those with preexisting conditions, the GOP has managed to upstage the victory with a polarizing issue through Stupak-Pitts . The Republican Party has taken time out from purging itself of the non-believers in order to try to get the Democrats to turn their fire on each other. Yes, the experts at the circular firing squad are now attempting to make us turn our guns on each other. As if the Blue Dogs weren't enough.

As usual, Rachel Maddow sums it up well:

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I asked Jen, as she and I watched the vote on CSPAN and tweeted each other (yes, we were both at our respective homes watching CSPAN, on a Saturday night, and having a wonky fine time tweeting about it, by God!), why this happened. Why do we Dems bargain away with ourselves when we truly have no reason to do so? Have we become a party so inclusive, with such a large tent, that there can be no consensus on issues that should be the bread and butter, the platform planks of our party? Jen agreed that we might have done just that.

The Capps Amendment (Go, Lois! Local girl makes good!) actually kept the status quo: no Federal funding for abortions. Yet this amendment wasn't divisive enough for the Blue Dogs and their GOP partners, so along comes Stupak to save the day. The Honorable Representative from Colorado, Diana Degette, hero of the day, in only one hour before the bill had passed, collected 41 signatures to object to the amendment. Men in the House today tried, in true teabagger, "You lie!" fashion, to out-shout the comments of the women of the House in voicing their objections to this unacceptable amendment. Is this what it has come to? Has our Congress now become so misogynistic that women are simply there as tokens, to be seen and not heard? This is the glory that is the present-day GOP. Purge the non-believers and put the women in their place, and let's make sure they know that we don't trust them with their own bodies while we're at it and that women and, according to Dick Armey, don't deserve health insurance anyway. Wow. Wouldn't Lincoln be proud?

So where do we go from here? The Dems in the Senate must now find a way past this behemoth of a mess, partly created by our own inability to twist arms and get the party in line (which, by the way, is why the Rethuglicans always get back into power). What path do we take to get through the Senate, Lieberman aside (don't get me started, people...), to make health care a reality for so many who so desperately need it and to bring costs down for the rest of us? If we could have a unified party, whether by consensus or LBJ arm-twisting, we might actually get something done and stay in the majority in 2010 and accomplish great things for the American people.

What do you think, Politicos? What are the odds of getting a cogent, useful bill to pass the Senate and become law? Will Roe v. Wade survive, or will we be forced to give up the reproductive rights of women to get health care? How can we get around these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and if you were a Senator, whose ass would you kick first to do so? Keep the faith and tell me what you think - put your two cents in the debate, my friends. God knows our answers are every bit as good as those of the House and Senate right now...maybe even better!

Election Day! Yes! Or, Why I Geek Out Over Seemingly Insignificant Elections

Okay, I admit it. I can't wait for tomorrow. I know it's not a national election. I know it's not even a midterm. I can't help it - I lovelovelove Election Day!

What's better than walking to the polling place on a crisp, fall evening with your kids in tow, signing your name, and voting for the candidate of your choice? What's better than declaring your party affiliation proudly, receiving that Democratic ballot, and letting Tweenie and Little Man punch the ballot? What's better than getting the great little sticker that proudly states, in patriotic red, white and blue, "I have voted - have you?" And what's better than talking to your Little Politicos on the walk home about why you voted for Measure A, or why it's important to make sure Dems get elected to the City Council and the School Board? You know, most other countries make Election Day a national holiday, and some actually fine those who are eligible to vote and don't exercise that right. I don't think the right is taken as much for granted in other places as it is here, but I am hopeful that the surge of new voters we welcomed to the polls last November will feel the responsibility to act locally as well as globally. I hope for a better turnout than these poor state and local elections usually get, as they affect our lives tremendously.

I mean, think about it...what's more American than casting your vote for the offices that most directly affect your life, your family's lives? They say that running for national office, you don't have to know about the micro, just the macro, whereas at the local level, you really need to know your stuff. You have to know why saving Two Trees is important, you need to know how people feel about the natural gas plant being built off our coast, and how we can keep Wal-Mart from going megastore on our town's sorry little economy. You need to know budgets well enough to be able to explain to me how to actually get my folks street paved when it hasn't happened since I was in high school. Ya gotta know your stuff. There's no smoke and mirrors here. You have to actually campaign: shaking hands, kissing babies and canvassing door-to-door. People need to know you and trust you. You really do have to know your community and its constituents. It's a tough gig, with small budgets and few advisers - not like the national scene. And the best part? Any one of us can do it. You can run for office. That's the beauty of our democracy.

So, I will do my best to get home in time to pick up the kids, vote, then watch the returns on MSNBC, the station that I love because they seem almost as excited about it all as I am! I'll work with the Little Politicos on homework while I point out what the local measures are doing so far, and why the New York race, on the other side of the continent, is so significant. The Hubby will bring home pizza and maybe we'll stay up a little past bedtime (Momma will, anyhow, while The Hubby downloads songs and the kids rest their sweet little heads) and I'll see what happens in Washington and Maine with the gay marriage initiatives, and whether the local library will get the necessary funding to remain open. And when I finally get to bed myself, I will be grateful to live in a country that prides itself on every citizen having a voice, whether they choose to exercise that right or not. I'll revel in the fact that we are a self-governing people, from the local Dogcatcher to The Office of The President of The United States. And I will sleep well knowing that, once again, a peaceful transfer of power, albeit on some of the tiniest levels of government, has once again transpired.

No matter what time you vote, or what your party affiliation, or your choice for school board, don't forget to get out there and make your voice heard. Call a friend to remind them it's time to vote, and offer a ride to the polls to the elderly folks across the street. Wear your civic duty with the pride that comes with knowing that once again, We The People will decide the course of action for our cities, counties and states. Oh, and don't forget your sticker. You earned it - wear it with pride. Happy Election Day, my fellow Politicos!

Hell, No! Joe Must Go! More Importantly, My Kids'll Be Soooo Cute On Halloween!

I hate to say she told us so, but...well, I'll let Rachel Maddow tell you herself:

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If Joe won't go along with his caucus, then he needs no chairmanship, and let the chips fall where they may! Two cloture votes, and we can let him stay...for now!

On another note, I will have the cutest little penguin and the prettiest bumblebee on the block come Halloween night! I was relieved that Tweenie's costume is much more modest than it appeared in the catalog - no tank top necessary underneath (that was our deal!), and am just delighted that my Little Man still likes the idea of funny, cute animal costumes instead of creepy stuff. I know, I know, it's probably the last year I'll get that gift, but I am completely and utterly smitten by the innocence my little penguin still shows and the literal jumping for joy that her bumblebee costume brings.

Gotta go - time for the annual watching of "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"! Enjoy your Halloween, be safe, and share your costumes here, fellow Politicos! I can't wait to hear what fun your 31st will bring!