From “Baker’s Dozen About Obama” by Ellen Keim

Here are thirteen of my “Obamic” impressions, for what they’re worth:

First of all, I hope people can separate what they think of Obama–either his track record or the man himself–from the historical fact of his presidency.

Second, I can’t even imagine how much pressure he feels to be the best for fear that he may ruin the chances for another black candidate.

Third, I never thought he was the “Messiah” as some did, so I never expected him to be super-human. Some people are getting disenchanted because they expected perfection and instant gratification.

Fourth, I don’t think people are giving him enough credit for what he has done, either because they don’t agree with it or because it isn’t their pet project.

Fifth, he hasn’t been President for all that long. Considering the messes he inherited, we should expect fixes to take longer than a year.

Sixth, I don’t think we have seen the positive effects yet of the way he has reached out to the Muslim community around the world.

From Marcia G Yerman, “Thoughts for a New Decade: What I Wish for Women“

As we move into a new decade, I can’t help looking over my shoulder at all the things I would like to leave behind.

VIOLENCE: Number One – Violence perpetrated against the female gender. Whether it is domestic violence behind closed doors in the United States, acid being thrown in the faces of young girls in Afghanistan trying to attend school, or rampant rape as a tool of war…It must end.

DYSFUNCTIONAL HEALTH CARE: I would like to discard health care that doesn’t take into account the needs of women, and policies that don’t speak to the disparities in care for all members of the female community at the local, state, and national levels.

UNEQUAL CHANGE: I would welcome a roll back on the wage disparities between a woman’s paycheck and a man’s, taking into account a gap that is even larger for women of color. Moving forward, I would like more support for women working in the services sector, where wages are lower and benefits are commonly non-existent. More legislated awareness for the work/life balance issues that often drive women to choices based on the need for flexibility, as they seek to mesh family responsibilities with a career agenda, would be helpful.

From Margaret, “Free Speech and Corporations“:

Over the weekend, I posted a link on my Facebook page to a Keith Olbermann commentary on the SCOTUS decision that was issued on January 21, 2010. Now, I’m not a fan of Olbermann as a general rule, but I found what he had to say pretty much nailed what has me concerned about this decision. I don’t often publish anything on Facebook that is politically oriented, but I feel as if this decision has such far-reaching implications that it transcends “politics” and really has the potential to impact my daily life. In short, it scares the living crap out of me.

And from Onedia Hayes Sylvest, “Lifting the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy — Those Arguments Against Sound Familiar“:

I am a retired navy commander. I retired in 1994 just after the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy was begun. I thought it was insufficient then and I thought the reasons for taking such a half-baked (read another word there) stand was a little brass short of what it should have been. I also heard lots of reasons (and some of those are being repeated now by such people as John McCain) that sounded remarkably familiar.

When I first entered the Navy women did not have pants in their uniforms, they had to leave the service if pregnant, their husbands could not be claimed as “dependents” without proof that the navy woman provided at least 51% of his monetary support. We did not have top ranks or positions, there were no women with stars on their shoulders and we were denied access to many jobs/skill areas solely because of our gender. Women could not serve on ships or on aircraft and the primary reasons offered sounded almost identical to those I heard in 1993 and that I am hearing now.

I know that I served with gays and lesbians in the navy. Most were talented and dedicate. Some were not or even disruptive. However, neither the talent and dedication nor the poor performance and disruptive behavior were caused by their sexual preferences. The same traits and performance were equally present in both heterosexual and homosexual service people. In those days if you wanted to get someone eyeballed by the chain of command then feed the rumor of homosexuality. In my early days many people even assumed that women in the military were probably lesbians and if not they were either looking for a husband or were not of good moral character. The environment bred, I think deliberately, some level of hostility to any who did not fit the accepted image of what a sailor, CPO or officer should be. In the 70′ the primary targets were women and homosexuals.

This is just a sampling of what women are saying.

Want to read more? Why not join us and make your voice heard.

Link:  Barack Obama’s “Closing Arguments” Speech

SEE FULL VIDEO OF THIS OBAMA SPEECH HERE

We will be live blogging and hopefully getting some video interviews from the press room.

The rally doesn’t start until 6pm, but, I plan on posting some of the “behind the scenes” stuff, throughout the day.  This is the first time I am doing anything like this, so I’m not 100% sure what to expect.

Oh, and even though I’m somewhat new to the Twittering thing, I’ll be doing that too.   You can tweet me at…

http://twitter.com/catherinemorgan

Maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll get a chance to meet Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton.  Either way, it’s gonna be quite the mother/daughter adventure.  Well…That’s it for now, come back tomorrow and see how we’re making out. 

https://twitter.com/pamelalyn

I’m not a twittering pro, but I will be following Pamela tonight.

For more information on how you can use twitter to follow tonight’s debate, check out this video.

Pamela also recommends the C-SPAN: Debate Hub for even more debate coverage, I have to agree, C-SPAN is doing a great job with their election coverage.

Also See:

Pre-Debate:  Sarah Palin

Pre-Debate:  Joe Biden

[If you would like to be a guest blogger on The Political Voices of Women, just join our community, and start posting.]

I knew something was up when I turned on my computer and saw a number of e-mails that had similar subject titles. The two standouts were, “Please Respond and Forward” and “Women Say No to Palin.”
As I opened them, each featured the same text in the body, with different introductory clauses.
“We must do something;” ”Please sign this;” “I am outraged by McCain’s choice.”
I was beginning to get the concept.

The letter began:

“Friends, compatriots, fellow-lamenters,
We are writing to you because of the fury and dread we have felt since the announcement
of Sarah Palin as the Vice-Presidential candidate for the Republican Party.”

The note raised the issues of Palin’s stated beliefs and record, and questioned her preparedness to
“become the second-most-powerful person on the planet.” It featured a sentence that clearly
articulated, “We are not against Sarah Palin as a women or a mother,” making a point to take theconversation out of the personal realm, where much of the discourse has recently been.

It went on to say:

“First and foremost, Ms. Palin does not represent us. She does not demonstrate or uphold
our interests as American women. It is presumed that the inclusion of a woman on the Republican ticket could win over women voters. We want to disagree, publicly.

Therefore, we invite you to reply here with a short, succinct message about why you, as a woman living in this country, do not support this candidate as second-in-command for our nation.”

The site, Women Against Sarah Palin, is housed at blogspot. It has a clean design and features quotes from “American feminist role models,” photos, information and activist links (including a “Register to Vote!”), in addition to the blog archive. One of the letters is from Margaret Sanger’s 30-year old great great niece.

I spoke to Quinn Latimer and Lyra Kilston, the originators of the letter. Both women hail from California, and are associate editors at Modern Painters magazine. They were taking their daily work break, with a walk around Chelsea, discussing the choice of Palin as Vice-President. Latimer came up with the idea that they “had to do something.” She clearly emphasized that they were “not in the habit of calling out women.” However, they did feel that they needed “to come out as women because she [Palin} doesn’t represent our interests.” Kilston said, “McCain is the one to blame,” and stressed that that she opposed Palin on the basis of “her lack of experience and her positions.”

Latimer and Kilston stated that they didn’t “support the media jumping on the personal aspects of her [Palin’s] story,” but noted that Palin had spent a lot of time “talking about her role as a Mom.” Latimer, who described her own mother as a working-class feminist — who as a social worker often lived “paycheck to paycheck” — had an issue with Palin’s presentation of herself as the quintessential working mom. She admitted that it had touched a nerve. “I don’t like the Republican party co-opting family values and the working-class experience,” she said.

A substantial number of women writing in discussed their lives. Many made a point of conveying that they come “from small towns like Palin,” but differentiate themselves saying, “These are not my values.”

What started with an appeal to forty people comprised of friends, family, and colleagues has now grown to 140,000 responses. When I contacted Latimer by phone on September 15, she gave me the new numbers. Due to the overwhelming amount of replies, they have yet to compile “good stats,” however she did see several narratives taking shape. In terms of age, 50% seem to be from women in their late twenties and early thirties, with the remainder being older. Latimer pointed to “a huge number of women who introduce themselves as grandmothers worried about their children and grandchildren, and their possible future in a McCain-Palin administration. Their fears don’t simply extend to women’s rights, but to Palin’s stance on environmental issues (a big issue for the older women), education, and the economy.”

The themes that prevailed were concerns about Palin’s politics, experience, qualifications, and far-right ideology. Hillary-identified supporters who were “sort of on the fence” expressed both “anger and feeling insulted.” Contributors were encouraged to include their ages and location. E-mails came from small towns as well as cities, belying the “red state feminist” v. “blue state feminist” theory that has recently be getting play.

As reactions continue to pour in, Quinn and Latimer are envisioning how the site might evolve. They agreed in tandem, “You’ve got to get beyond identity politics. We’d love to see a women in the White House representing the interests of women across the United States.” Quinn added as an afterthought, “We’re trying to get away from fundamentalism, in any guise.”

http://technorati.com/claim/82mgjkcnv8

The Political Voices of Women (main site), began as a list of 100 women political bloggers.  In less than a year, that list has grown to well over 500 (see list here).  We now have a growing community, and have recently added twelve contributing editors…

• Kay B. Day
• Sarah Granger
• Tami Winfrey Harris
• Pamela Lyn
• Patricia Murphy
• PunditMom
• SJ Reidhead
• Suzanne Reisman
• Janet Shan
• Dana Tuszke
• Tracy Viselli
• Jill Miller Zimon

In addition to our regular contributors, we also have many guest bloggers each week.  The Political Voices of Women is becoming a powerhouse of women political bloggers.

Our community members can contribute posts to our blog, and often these posts are used as guest posts on the primary site.  Here are some of our most active community members…

• Penny Ronning – The NonSilent Majority
• Deb Della Piana – Turn Left Hypocrisy.com
• Emily D – Political Artwork
• Marcia G. Yerman – The Huffington Post
• Anita S. Lane -Unconventional Politics
• Card-carrying Buddhist – No Blood For Hubris
• Just Wondering – Vim and Vinegar
• Nancy Hill – Build Peace
• Carol Gee – South by Southwest
• Zaftig Redhead -The Zaftig Redhead
• Doris Anne Bearlieu – Life’s Ultimate Test
• Emily Kronenberger -  New Wave Grrrl

Members can comment on posts, start and participate in forum discussions, promote their personal blogs, upload videos and images, make new friends, and more.  Our main site is open to both men and women, but our community is strictly women…I think the all women aspect of our community promotes “real” and “honest” discussion, without the need for visoral and personal attacks.  Even though we often disagree within the community, we also want to promote a safe place for these disagreements, so respectful disagreement is what you will find here.

If you are a woman who blogs (or would like to blog) about politics, I hope you will consider joining our community.

This is the thing…Blogging about politics is very stressful.   And, we all know what stress can do to our health.

Do you blog about politics?  Is politics making you stressed?  Is your blood pressure running a bit high?  Are you getting more headaches than usual?  Are you losing sleep because you’re blogging to all hours of the night?  Does the release of poll numbers give you heart palpitations?  Do you ever get the urge to lock yourself in a dark room and not come out until after the election?  If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you may be suffering from Political Blogger Stress Syndrome (or PBSS).

There is no medicine or treatment for PBSS [Although, give the pharmaceutical companies some time, I'm sure they will come up with something...expensive], and many sufferers don’t even realize they have it.  So.  What can we do to combat the symptoms of PBSS?

I think the only hope for sufferers of this insidious condition, is a good survival guide.  Trouble is, I looked, and there doesn’t seem to be one of those.

Bummer.

Now what are we going to do?

If there is any chance of surviving this political season, and combatting the symptoms of PBSS, we need a survival guide, and we need one NOW.  That’s why I need your help…Together, we can write our own Political Blogger Survival Guide.  What do you think?  Can you help?  How about, I get us started?

Here we go…

1.  I’ve already talked about how the movie “Mamma Mia” can help reduce stress.   For maximum effectiveness, go to the new sing-a-long version.

2.  Watch something other than the 24 hour news stations for at least an hour or so each day.   I know a lot of people that love Project Runway.  And, how can you not love Dancing with the Stars?

3.  Tear yourself away from your computer, and go for a drive.  Pop your favorite CD in, and start singing at the top of your lungs.

4.  Turn the t.v. off and have some quite time.  Maybe try yoga.

5.  Take some time to read a book.  Recently, I had an opportunity to participate in a conference call, with the author of Enlightenment for Idiots.  If I can practice what I preach long enough, I would love to read this book.

6.   Get enough sleep.  I am the perfect example of how not to get enough sleep.  It’s after 3am, and I am still up writing this post, with CNN on.  So, for optimal stress relief, get enough sleep…Do as I say, not as I do.

7.  When possible…Go to the beach, close your eyes, and listen to the waves hit the shore for a few minutes.

8.  My mom said, walking in the rain helped her?

OK.  That’s eight.  And eight is clearly not enough for a survival guide.  So, I really need your help here.

Seriously, I need this survival guide more than anyone else.  Let’s put it this way…I should be the poster child for PBSS (I’ve got it bad).

I know you really want to help, and here is how you can.  Let me know in comments, any suggestions you have for reducing stress, and combating the effects of PBSS.  Maybe, if all goes well, I’ll make it to November without needing to be fitted for a straight-jacket.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
at Catherine-Morgan.com, The Political Voices of Women, Care2 Election

how much truth can we handle?

i used to rail against people who were happily in denial. you know the folks who are still rah, rah for america and who believe that we are a democracy spreading democracy around the world. i am beginning to think i should let them be. the truth seekers have lost. most folks believe that this upcoming ‘election’ in america will be about change. i don’t believe it will be. everything i thought i knew about america; everything i learned in my history and social studies classes- was lies. lies and propaganda. i thought i was beyond caring about that these days but apparently, i am not.  — read full post at life’s journey