The Political Voices of Women

While you were sleeping, DNC and RNC held discussions about primary systems.

Mention the word ‘primary’ to a Floridian and chances are a scowl will slide across his or her face because the 4th largest state in the USA lost delegates when both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee penalized states for pushing primaries ahead of dates set in the cornerstone of party rules. The National Presidential Caucus convened a roundtable discussion with party leaders in New York on June 24. Timing is critical—the RNC mandates that primary rules and dates be agreed upon at the national convention. This year the RNC’s convention will be held in September in Minneapolis. The makeup of the roundtable participants is interesting to say the least.

The DNC isn’t quite as constrained. That committee can address its rules whenever it wants to. The RNC appears to be leaning towards a format named The Ohio Plan. Predictably, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada will continue to enjoy frontrunner status. Larger states like Florida, Michigan, California and New York would be part of a second tier holding primaries in early February. But both parties need, according to the discussion, to have “congruence” in their primary rules and plans. Michael A. Mauro, Iowa Secretary of State participated in the roundtable. Here’s a not very surprising comment from him, “…I praise this bi-partisan group’s recognition of the importance of maintaining the traditional roles of both Iowa and New Hampshire as first in the nation.” Please note Florida set its primary date exactly the way those states did, by legislative procedure. A state should be able to determine and set its own date as long as the legislative process is followed. I can see each party setting target dates for states to choose from. But I do not agree with anointing 4 states permanent frontrunner status. Everybody complained about the 2008 primary season. My question is why? It worked fine—the DNC race was of course particularly exciting and the RNC race surprised the hell out of every GOP voter I talked to, in Florida anyway. The breakdown occurred when both parties confiscated delegates.

The mindset both political parties have towards this matter is reflective of the Federal government at present—controlling matters best left to the states. Whether you’re for the GOP or the DNC, your voice means just as much as a voter’s in Iowa, New Hampshire or the other lucky duckies with permanent frontrunner status. Check out your nearest presidential history record for the impact of frontrunner states on who the nominee is. Here’s an indisputable fact: when the candidates go looking for bucks, they hit Florida and other states just as enthusiastically as they do the party favorites.

For a clear look at who’s making recommendations about your political party, check out the other videos at The National Presidential Caucus. Not a single female is present from either party and there’s about as much diversity as you’ll find in a bowl of cloned goldfish. I’d suggest a letter to your political party leaders sooner rather than later.

Tags: Presidential Primary, US Politics, Political Party Rules, delegates, political conventions, National Presidential Caucus

Crossposted from What Tami Said

It happens about this time every two years. I find myself becoming less open to the ideas of the other side and less understanding of the politically disinterested. Most of the time, I understand that people are who they are and that everyone has a right to their opinion (or non-opinion), even if it differs from mine. I live right smack in the middle of a red state, so despite calling myself a progressive, day-to-day I’m more likely to interact with someone who voted for Bush than the lefty liberals I consort with online. And you know, my more conservative neighbors and friends, they are good people. I reject the demonization of people with opposing political viewpoints. Most times, I agree with Barack Obama, who said in his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention:

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes.

Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too:

We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States.

We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

We Are One People

Most times, that’s what I think, but every time an election season comes around…every time political issues begin to feel a bit more pressing…every time people start talking more openly about what they really believe…I see the divide between liberals and conservatives more clearly. And, if I am honest, I become a lot less understanding of the other side and more angry that everyone won’t just see it my way. Today, six months into an election year, I find myself more certain of the rightness of my beliefs and more bothered by the wrongness of my opponents. In a word, I am intolerant.

My political views are reflective of my values–the things I believe are moral and right. Does that then make people who don’t believe as I do immoral? Do I owe those people my tolerance? I know what I that question sounds like it came from the mouth of a rightwing talking head, but there is a liberal side to this argument. For instance, I believe it is immoral that committed gay couples are not allowed the same rights as my husband and I. I think the disparity in quality education for our nation’s children is immoral. And I think the fact that there are people in this rich country who die from lack of healthcare or inadequate health care is immoral. I have a hard time listening to the person who believes that a lesbian woman in a hospital should be denied access to her dying partner of 30 years simply because they are not legally married; or the person who thinks poor urban and rural children don’t deserve the same quality education that their counterparts in the ‘burbs get; or the person who goes on about socialism when the topic of universal healthcare comes up, but never considers the millions of people suffering without medical assistance. I believe in human equality as part of my deeply-held core beliefs. How do I tolerate a “good person” who does not share a value that I think is key to being, well, a good person?

I am also of the belief that our country is in trouble. It is suffering from an incurious, ill informed, history-challenged, disengaged electorate and a broken Fourth Estate. For the past four years, while our rights have been frittered away by a corrupt White House, while corporate fat cats lined their pockets and the middle class grew ever more fragile, and while thousands died in an unjust war, U.S. citizenry were on 24-hour Britney Spears vagina watch–more concerned with blonde bombshells in peril than democracy in peril. I am certain we will be undone by our disinterest in things that matter. So, when I hear that voters still believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim or that Iraq had something to do with September 11, when I hear someone boasting about not not following politics, watching the news or reading books, I get angry and judgmental and frustrated.

Am I justified in feeling the way I do? Maybe. But deep down I know that intolerance doesn’t help anything, even when it is based on the “right” things. If the United States government under an Obama presidency can sit down and talk to “enemies” (which I fully support), surely I can find common ground with a Hannity-spouting neighbor driving a flag-festooned SUV. There is no progress without communication. And rigid belief in one’s own rightness and the reduction of all opponents to charicatures are certainly grave character flaws in their own right.

Voltaire said “What is tolerance? — it is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly — that is the first law of nature.”

So, I guard against my intolerance. I try to pardon other people’s follies and hope thay will pardon mine. My head says that this is the right thing to do. My heart, though, sometimes my radical heart wonders if seeing everyone’s beliefs as having equal merit is perilous and detrimental to necessary change. After all, tolerance of Southern racists kept the U.S. government from protecting the rights of black Americans. Tolerance for rigid and sexist gender rules denied women the right to vote until 1920.

But I wonder, where should tolerance end and intolerance begin?

Let me know what you think. Will Hillary Supporters vote for Barack Obama?

Also See:

Why Would Clinton Supporters Vote For John McCain?

Clinton and Obama Talk…Will There Be A Dream Ticket? — by Catherine Morgan (read full post at The Care2 Election Blog)

Should Barack Obama choose Hillary Clinton to be his running mate? I asked this question at The Care2 Election Blog, you can see comments here and here. What do you think? This will be the topic of today’s political blog roundup.

It seems to me that a “dream ticket” is the only way to bring the party together. I also think, if Obama doesn’t choose Hillary as his VP, there is a very good chance McCain could win in November. And McCain (if he’s smart) could end up choosing a woman as his running mate. If he does that, many women would see it as an historic opportunity for them to vote for the first woman VP.

That’s what I think. Here is what other bloggers are saying…

From Faye Anderson at Anderson@Large…

Hillary Clinton gave a defiant non-concession speech, but the final curtain reportedly will fall on the Clinton-Obama drama on Saturday. Barack Obama isn’€™t waiting for the lights to come up. He has named Caroline Kennedy, former deputy attorney general Eric Holder and Jim Johnson to lead the search for a running mate.

But Clinton backers are saying: We got your veep and she’s “€œabsolutely ready.”€ The campaign to put Clinton on the ticket is being led by Lanny Davis, who has posted an online petition.

BlogHer contributing editor, Erin Kotecki Vest (also at Queen of Spain), would like to have been a fly on the wall.

There is news tonight Senators Clinton and Obama sat down and had a chat in Washington D.C.

I have burning questions, and I realize not all of them are about policy or substance.

But…
Was there a hug when they entered the room?
Handshake?
I’m guessing no fist-pound.

Was it cold and formal?
Was small talk exchanged? I’m envisioning something like:

“So, how’s the weather here in DC?”
“Oh, did you see those storms we had?”
“Boy, I sure am tired from all that campaigning.”
“Tell me about it, I haven’t slept in weeks.”

I have no doubt when details are released we will get the standard pr push of “In a productive and friendly sit-down, the two Senators were eager to map out the unification of the Democratic party and to continue their hard work for the American people…” or some such BS.

You have to admit, you want to know just how ‘friendly’ it may or may not have gone.

PunditMom has a post at BlogHer asking the same question, Will She or Won’t She?…

The pundits cannot help themselves. We’ve heard every theory from pundits galore during the course of the campaign. And since the sun came up this morning, cable networks and pundits (myself included!) have been parsing every word, every sign, every move of the candidates and their surrogates about what will happen tonight. Can you say “feeding frenzy?”

(see comments at BlogHer)

READ FULL POST AT THE CARE2 ELECTION BLOG

Also See:

Hillary Will Support Obama’s Nomination: In her own words – and yours.

Can The Healing of The Democratic Party Begin Now?

I would like to welcome Celtic Diva to The Political Voices of Women Community, and thank her for contributing this excellent guest post.

(If you would like to be a guest blogger on this site, please join our community)

This year, the Democratic National Committee decided to do something new for the National Convention. They decided to create a “State Blogger Pool” by credentialing one blog to sit with each state delegation on the Convention floor.

Several weeks ago, my blog “Celtic Diva’s Blue Oasis” was honored to be chosen as Alaska’s blog in Denver this August.

While all of us who were chosen were euphoric and dealing with the new-found attention, there was trouble brewing among some of the blogs who were not selected. Some of them were blogs who felt they better fit the criteria as a “state blog” and felt that their past criticism of their state or local Democratic Party effected the outcome. (Several had verifiable proof.)

However, there was another accusation that was much more controversial and mostly ignored in the blogosphere…until the mainstream media got the story. Several “blogs-of-color” claimed that all of the blogs in the State Blogger Pool were “white-male blogs“…suggesting that the DNC designed that on purpose. Two of the black bloggers claimed that since the State Blogs had special floor access the DNC did not want “black people on the floor.”

I was one of the state bloggers and not male so I took exception. The discussion became a back-and-forth with one of the black bloggers where I questioned how it was possible to know the ethnicity and gender and of all state bloggers due to “Internet anonymity.” I also commented that there were still a number of blogs to be selected in the General Blogger Pool. It was pointed out to me that the General Pool didn’t have the same floor access that the State Bloggers did. I commented that the blogs raising the issue were also mostly nationally focused. I explained that when I saw state focus was part of the criteria, it motivated me to change my focus more to state issues. I claimed that’s what was needed if they wanted to fit the state blogger criteria. The blogger interpreted that to mean I was saying that blacks were “lazy” and accused me of being racist.

I believe this debate is indicative of many discussions on race. It was interesting how many people were watching our conversation but no one else from the white community was jumping in, unless they were doing their own story on it. I participated in a less emotional discussion on another blog and it was very hard to get people to talk. Folks were also afraid of being labeled as a “racist.”

However, if we don’t take that risk there is no dialogue. Honest discussion means that we will slip-up or be misunderstood. We have to keep our cool and force ourselves to see the issue behind the other person’s view even if we are offended by how they make that argument. All participants in a debate on race have to resist the temptation to blame and work together towards true long-term solutions in order to succeed.

Everyone has a part here: The Democratic National Committee needs to more thoroughly think through a solution to inadequate participation by “bloggers of color.” The blogosphere needs to more actively work towards integration and help and encourage minority bloggers. Lawmakers need to aggressively push for greater access to the Internet regardless of economic status. I believe that correcting those areas is the only way to ensure the same thing does not happen at the next Democratic National Convention.

The issue struck home with me when I looked around at my esteemed fellow-bloggers at the Alaska Democratic Convention. While we saw much diversity among the delegates, we bloggers were three white men and a white woman.

I want to be part of the solution and I want to find more writers-of-color to be contributors to “Blue Oasis,”especially Alaska Native writers. Alaska’s diversity needs to be better represented in the blogosphere.

BREAKING: Barack Obama Becomes The First African American Presidential Nominee.

Barack Obama wins the historic Democratic nomination, and becomes the first African-American Presidential Nominee. I will follow-up later tonight and tomorrow with video clips of speeches by Obama, Clinton, and McCain. Until then, our discussion on Healing The Democratic Party is open, and I would love to hear your comments on how you think that can be done. Would Hillary as Obama’s running mate help the healing process? Here is what has been released by The Associated Press…

Barack Obama clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, becoming the first black candidate to lead a major party into a campaign for the White House.

Vanquished rival Hillary Rodham Clinton swiftly signaled an interest in joining the ticket as his running mate.

Obama arranged a victory celebration in St. Paul, Minn., at the site of this summer’s Republican National Convention _ an in-your-face gesture to Sen. John McCain, who will be his opponent in the race to become the nation’s 44th president.

The 46-year-old Obama outlasted Clinton in a historic campaign that sparked record turnouts in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial and gender divisions within the party.

In a campaign of surprises, Clinton’s comments about joining the ticket rated high.

According to one participant in an afternoon conference call among Clinton and members of the New York congressional delegation, Rep. Nydia Velazquez said she believed the best way for Obama to win over Hispanics and members of other key voting blocs would be to take the former first lady as his running mate.

“I am open to it,” Clinton replied, if it would help the party’s prospects in November, said the participant, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the call was a private matter.

read full article here

Also See:

Will She or Won’t She? Not Even The Pundits Know For Sure

Can the healing of the Democratic party begin now? Tomorrow will be the end of a very long primary season, and time for Clinton and Obama to come together. I guess the real question will be…Can the supporters come together? Is unity of the Democratic Party possible? What do you think?

Obama Promises To Work With Clinton In November…

Barack Obama said Monday he and rival Hillary Rodham Clinton will be “working together in November” despite fears by some that the Democratic Party will be divided after the long and bitter primary campaign.On the eve of the final two primaries, Obama told a rally and town hall-style meeting in this Detroit suburb that he understands there have been “some worries about whether the Democratic Party will be divided when it’s all over.”

From The Huffington Post…

Hillary Clinton has summoned top donors and backers to attend her New York speech tomorrow night in an unusual move that is being widely interpreted to mean she plans to suspend her campaign and endorse Barack Obama - if not that night, within a day or two.

Obama and Clinton spoke Sunday night and agreed that their staffs should begin negotiations over post-primary activities, according to reliable sources. In addition to seeking Obama’s help in raising money to pay off some $20 million-plus in debts, Clinton is known to want Obama to assist black officials who endorsed her and who are now taking constituent heat, including, in some cases, primary challenges from pro-Obama politicians.

“This has never happened before,” one donor said, referring to the personalized request by email to attend the event in New York Tuesday night.

Obama is expected to claim enough delegates to put him over the top that night at a separate event in St. Paul.

In an afternoon conference call today with about two dozen top fundraisers, Clinton strategist Harold Ickes spoke in very conciliatory terms about Obama, in contrast to his tougher rhetoric in public and on television, according to sources. He told the participants that Clinton wants to “significantly” help Obama, but he did not go so far as saying that she will announce withdrawal — that is the prerogative of the candidate.

From Tales from the Trail…

Speaking to reporters outside a Rite-Aid distribution center in Waterford, Michigan, the Illinois senator gave more details about a conversation he had with Clinton when he called her on Sunday to congratulate her on her win in Puerto Rico.

“There aren’t many people who understand exactly how hard she’s been working. I’m one of them,” Obama said of their hard-fought race.

“I told her that once the dust has settled, I was looking forward to meeting with her at a time and place of her choosing,” he said.

Obama, who hopes he will rack up enough delegates this week to clinch the Democratic nomination, has been making a point of publicly praising the New York senator. His hope is to ease divisions that have opened up in the party during the months of campaigning.

Some Democrats worry the rift among Democratic voters may put the party at a disadvantage in the November election against Republican Sen. John McCain.

What do you think? Will the healing begin? Can the Democratic Party unite?