TodaysMama

MSNBC

A fun little Mother's Day piece of press -- we got a mention in an article on MSNBC today. Check it out . . .

Conversations

We started reaching out to influential women all over the country who have been making a difference in their world and in their communities. I was surprised when Dianne Feinstein was among the first to respond. Talk about a woman with a lot of demands on her time - and she responded quickly and enthusiastically.

She was the first female mayor of San Francisco, and the first female Senator from California. Click here to read the interview --

Speaking of Politics . . .

:) Be sure to stay posted on the MamaVote - if for some wild reason you have not registered to vote yet, you can do that from our main page. Here is a quick wrap up of what's on the MamaVote right now:

Women in Office

Super Tuesday with Discussion Divas

Pop Quiz - Did you know that this week in history . . . in 1789 George Washington and John Adams are elected the first president and vice president, respectively, of the United States of America. (and lots of other handy trivia)

and more . . . Kids, Let's Talk Politics, an interview with Utah's first female Governor, and more!

Super Tuesday

Think Utah will be a predictably red state come November? Not if it's McCain as the nominee for the GOP . . .

I think this sums it up best from UtahPolicy.com:
"McCain vs. Clinton = Boring
It will be a depressing general election if it ends up being McCain vs. Clinton. Two old people (even older than me). Yesterday’s generation. Washington insiders. The ultimate establishment candidates. Will they have any fresh ideas, any ability to pull the country together and tackle real problems? I’ve heard a lot of grumbling about McCain among Utah Republicans. If the race was between McCain and Obama, Obama might do better in Utah than expected."

McCain could do something absolutely unthinkable if he is the Republican nominee (if he's up against Barack Obama), he could turn one of the reddest, most conservative states BLUE. I can't tell you how many people are a buzz with the sentiment that they would vote for Obama in a heartbeat over McCain. And it's not because Obama is more conservative - I think it is truly that people are expecting change and when it boils down to it, even if Obama is more liberal, he's certainly inspiring and has a very DIFFERENT approach to politics.

Of course, if Utah had it's way Mitt Romney would get the nomination in the first place. It's obvious that Utah was an easy win for Mitt Romney today, but I think he represents a voice and a change candidate for Utah (and Mormons) as well. And the dirtier McCain and Huckabee play, the more Utahans hate them.

Some interesting links:
Utah's Mormons Loathe Huckabee

Better duck -- If you're a Mormon

An interesting read this morning . . .

"If you denigrate a racial group, you're racist.

If you denigrate women, you're sexist.

If you denigrate Mormons, you're hip.

No one would openly suggest that you shouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton because a woman can't lead the country, especially an ornery one.

Nobody would dare say that you shouldn't vote for Barack Hussein Obama because he's black, or of Muslim descent, or because he has a name that sounds like a terrorist. One Clinton worker even apologized for alluding to Obama's use of drugs as a youth, so apparently it's wrong to disparage former drug users, too.

But nobody is shy about saying you shouldn't vote for Romney simply because he's a Mormon. It doesn't even register on the PC-O-Meter."

To read the full article (which was a good one) click here.

Oprah and Obama

TodaysMama Poll: Does Oprah's endorsement of Obama influence your vote at all?

Share your thoughts on the MamaVote forums!

The New Hampshire Debates and a New Year's Resolution

Just as our children take note of everything else we do in our lives from our actions to our language, in a very real way they take note of our political involvement.

I was raised in a family where politics were discussed and debated. I was lucky enough to be surrounded by the type of adults who also took the time to listen to my uninformed opinions, who answered my simple questions, and who argued with me just for the heck of it. In the end, it educated me in a very basic way, but most of all it taught me to care. It taught me that those around me cared enough to know a thing or two and that I too should care.

Tonight I found myself in a position to let my children know that I cared. I tuned into both the Republican and Democratic debates. I piped them through the kitchen while I cleaned and the kids colored. I put them on the radio on our way to dinner. And on our way home my 5-year-old son began the conversation “Obama! Who is Obama!?!” That led us on to answering questions regarding what a president is, who our first president was, and the fact that we live in a country that allows us the freedom to choose (and that we live in America, not Mexico as he had apparently previously thought – now I know why he points to Mexico on the globe).

While we often times think that politics is just a bunch of noise, our active involvement, interest and participation is important. I realized that this was the first step in creating an environment where my children know that I care deeply about my country and what happens to it.

Change was a constant theme throughout the debates. Many candidates raised several great points and had some great sound bites. But as mothers if we want to raise the type of children who will bring about change in the world we have to show them that we care what happens to it in the first place.

If you do anything this year, resolve to care. Resolve to be the type of woman, mother, and citizen that imparts that kind of commitment to your children.

So this year, don't just vote. Vote with passion. Vote having spent some time truly reflecting on what change you want to see in your country and most importantly in your local communities. Stay tuned to the Mama√ote Project for more good things to come in 2008.