No woman left behind in '08

I opened up my email inbox today to find that I had a message from Bill Clinton.  A special message for me?  From BILL??  It's only Monday and this week is already shaping up to be a bang up one.

After my heart finished its pitter patter thumpity thump thump (Bill still does it for me and I have no idea why) and the blood returned to my brain I could focus my eyes on the email itself.  It was not in fact a love letter but a message about his wife Hillary and her presidential aspirations and, more to the point, tomorrow's primary in New Hampshire.  Bummer.  I had already mentally packed my suitcase.

A while ago I went to Hillary's website to leave my two cents (hence, the email from Bill on her behalf and the countless others I get asking for campaign contributions I receive every other day) on her and every other presidential candidates reluctance or downright refusal to speak with representatives from Blogher.  I told her, or the lackey who is responsible for weeding through all the crack-pot comments on her website's feedback page, that women bloggers were not only intelligent and large in number but also vocal and extremely opinionated.  I didn't come right out and say it in so many words but the gist was women bloggers could be this election's soccer mom vote if only the candidates would get their collective heads out of their arse's and take notice.

Needless to say, no one from Hillary's campaign got back to me.

I saw Elizabeth Edwards speak at the Blogher conference this past year.  As a woman who had lost her mother to cancer I was keenly aware of her own struggle with the disease and am a supporter of her choice to pull her kids from a traditional school to keep her family together as her husband John continued his campaign.  So, yes, I was already enamored with her.  But when I heard her speak I was very impressed by what she had to say.  Elizabeth Edwards is one smart cookie, but what really got my attention was that she had the guts to say she did not agree with everything her husband did.  They were a team but she was not a mindless politician's wife.  She had me at "hello", the rest sealed the deal - I was an Edwards supporter.  Well, all that and the fact that I like John Edward's politics.

I enjoyed that first foray into politicians wanting my vote and going out to get it.  It's all fine and good that Michelle Obama might be willing to be interviewed by Blogher but now I want the real deal.  I won't be happy just listening to a candidate's wife - or husband for that matter, even if it is Bill - talk about their spouse's campaign promises, I want to hear from the horse's mouth.  So why don't I feel as if any of them want to talk to me, Blogher or not?

Today I wish I lived in New Hampshire so I could hear in person the candidate's themselves speak.  I'd like the opportunity to ask a question about the rising cost of health care and child care.  I'd like to ask them what so many politicians seem to have against the American family, seeing as mother's only get 6 to 8 weeks of maternity leave and paternity leave is a joke.  I'd like to be noticed as an important vote.

Some, and from what I've seen mostly the Democrats, have mentioned education reform and talked about major health care changes but I still don't feel as if they're trying to get MY vote.  My problem with this election is not just the candidate's ignoring women bloggers as a group but, from my point of view, women as a whole.   Except to ask for campaign contributions, which I will concede to and agree that if women want their voices heard they need to give more money.  It's a sad reality but our reality nonetheless.

But I do like it more when Bill asks for it.

So what can we do in '08?  How can we get our presidential candidate of choice to listen to us?  Is it money?  Do we need to get in their faces during this primary season and make them hear us?  And if we had their attention, what would we tell them?  We want cheaper but still well-run daycares for our children?  We want health care reform and senior care to be a priority because our parents are getting older and we'll soon be responsible for their care?  Is the No Child Left Behind act a joke and education should be the priority?  What would you say if your party's candidates were sitting in front of you?  Not their spouses, the men and woman themselves.

Okay, maybe Bill could be sitting by Hillary's side during all that.  A woman can dream.

Comments

[Jeff]

Great post. You should write the "serious" stuff more often :-)

On a related side note... I just saw An Inconvenient Truth for the first time this weekend and now I'm so irritated that Gore lost to Bush in 2000 that I've been crabby ever since. What a total waste of the last 8 years. Bleh.

[mothergoosemouse]

I watched the debates on Saturday night and was disappointed by all the fluff and rhetoric. If the candidates can't even be bothered to give Charles Gibson a straight answer, what makes me think they'll be willing to give women bloggers anything more specific? Frankly, the most I'd expect would be a "there, there" and a pat on the head.

[Redneck Mommy]

I love American politics. Almost makes me want to be an American.

Almost.

I'd vote Obama. Maybe. Then again, Edwards isn't bad either.

But I'd totally let Bill cop a feel. Rawr.

[Binky]

I was going to make a comment about how I can't believe Bill actually does it for you in a pitter-patter kind of way...but then I remembered one of my most inexplicable crushes. It's Ari Fleischer. No lie. I think he is unbelievably sexy. So now I realize I really can't begrudge you your thing for Clinton.

[Patty]

Oh man, if I could get the candidates to sit down and give me an honest answer on a couple of questions, well lets just say they wouldn't like me. Teacher, and military wife, need I say more? Hum maybe this is something I should think on some more and blog about tonight.

[Pinks & Blues Girls]

I hate to say it, but when it comes down to the final two candidates (and I'm talking about in ANY election), I always feel like I'm just trying to decide between the lesser of two evils. I just don't trust 'em. None of 'em. I'm totally undecided right now. I don't feel like getting behind someone and then seeing them off the ticket in a few months, leaving me back at square one.

But I totally agree with you on all candidates missing the boat when it comes to getting women bloggers behind them. They simply don't understand the power of the Internets.

Regarding Binky's comment... Ari does it for me, too! :) Haha, I thought I was the only one!

Jane, Pinks & Blues

[Aimee Greeblemonkey]

Great post. And personally, an Edwards/Obama ticket would be my dream right now.

[Alex Elliot]

I have to say I wasn't too impressed with the debates on Saturday either. I didn't think that most of them really answered the questions. Sure they would say that they would do this or that, but they usually didn't give concrete examples of how they would do it. I must admit that I thought that Hillary's answers usually gave specific examples and I was impressed with that. I'm a democrat, but I'm still struggling with who to support. I don't think I'll ever find the perfect candidate because well people aren't perfect. However, the point of your post is an excellent one. If the politicians spent more time trying to address our concerns, I would probably be more convinced of which candidate would be the best.

[Major Bedhead]

Pssst. Bill Clinton makes my heart go pitter patter, too.

But I just don't like Hillary.

An Obama/Edwards ticket, though, that would be fantastic. I like Edwards, a lot, but my heart is with Obama.

[LawyerMama]

Well, you know I'm an Edwards girl.

I've been struggling with this same thing. Over at DC Metro Moms we were trying to figure out how to get the candidates to meet with us. We got a meeting with Elizabeth Edwards and a couple of feelers from Biden, but polite refusals from everyone else.

If you figure it out, let me know. I feel like I'm banging my head against a wall!