Strollerderby : campaign

From 52 to 48 With Love: When Families are Split Down Political Lines

JeanneSager — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:52:00 GMT

Coming from a split political family myself, some of the images captured in blogger ZeFrank's From 52 to 48 With Love project tugged at the part of me that always wishes families would just GET ALONG! I've always wondered if election season wasn't shoved up against Thanksgiving so we'd all be forced to deal with one another and make nice after a long period of sniping.

The project was devised by ZeFrank as a means for Obama supporters to reach out to McCain supporters. He called for pictures with simple messages to be e-mailed his way that could break down the barriers. "Perhaps it is naive. the differences are real, i know. but we have to repair the damage done from this election cycle somehow...," he said.

The result is in stark contrast to the back-biting and hatred of campaign season. Pictures came in from both sides, like the couple making out, one whose cheek reads "I voted red," the other whose cheek says "I voted blue." and from outside the country ("I couldn't vote but I believe in showing the love" with a Brazilian sign).

But it was the family pictures that hit me: the man holding a sign that says "I voted for Obama. My dad voted for McCain. I love my Dad. Things are really bad. We can only do this together." or the woman holding a letter (ostensibly to her husband?) "Dear 48, Please don't break up with me. I know we can make this work. I'm ready to compromise because I love you and I love us. I'm not doing this just for the kids alone. I'm doing it because I want you to be happy. Love, 52."

There are plenty more at ZeFrank's site, and he's waiting for yours. Want to make someone in your family happy? Someone one either side? Make your own - then send it to them, along with this site.

Images/Source: ZeFrank (via Urlesque)

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Balancing Work and Parenting—When You’re a Campaign Reporter

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:05:00 GMT

Anyone who has ever felt guilty about missing a child's bedtime because of work will benefit from Jodi Kantor’s reminiscences on covering the presidential campaign during the first two years of her daughter’s life.

Kantor’s honesty about her own guilt—and sometimes lack thereof—over her demanding work life offers a refreshing look at the myriad ways one can be a good mother. Kantor openly admits that, despite missing her daughter horribly, she loved campaign trips, when she could fully focus on her work—and on being an adult, doing such novel things as going for drinks with her colleagues.

Most importantly, Kantor writes, “[T]here is no maternally correct way to say this, but the things I saw on the road—Obama’s world, the Edwards family trying to hold it together, the Huckabee surge, Iowa, African American voters in South Carolina, Hillary Clinton’s last stand, Denver—were worth the hours away from my daughter.”

I would add that that time apart was probably justified for the daughter as well. Growing up with a parent who has such rich work experiences to share surely opens children up to the world in important ways. And the fact that Kantor is also a devoted, loving mother who is home most of the time can't hurt, either.

Related articles on Babble:

No Country for New Mothers: A war reporter's first post-baby trip to Iraq.

Photo: HBD Marketing

What Do You Do When Your Kid is an Extreme Partisan?

Kelly Mills — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:25:00 GMT

This has been the most emotionally charged election I can remember since, well, ever, and it makes sense that the kids would pick up on that. But Slate's Emily Bazelon asks, what do you do when your children's political allegiances are extreme? She covers a Halloween experiment in which kids chose candy from either side of a porch: The Obama side--marked with a large sign and life-size cutout--and the McCain side, with corresponding signage and cutout. The blue neighborhood kids gave Obama 78 percent of the vote.

But when offered two pieces of candy at the Obama side versus four at the McCain side, support for Obama only dropped by ten percent. The kids were pretty fixed in their political ways, even though their vote obviously didn't "count" (hmm, like the electoral college.) And Bazelon notes that her sweet kids threw around the word "traitor" to candy defectors. And, she observes, with kids who are reared on lots of lessons in tolerance, it may be that McCain is one of the few people they can clearly think of as a bad guy.

It makes me just slightly uncomfortable to see children actively campaigning, if only because you know that until a certain age, the opinions they express are not likely their own. Then again, isn't it our job to pass on our values, political or otherwise? And I've seen this "death and destruction to candidate so-and-so" in my area too, from young children who just seem to want to be able to freely bash a clear villain. What about your kids? Does it bother you?

Take Your Kids To Vote...NOW!

Witch Tricks Obama Kids on Halloween

Take Your Kids To Vote . . . NOW

JeanneSager — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:53:00 GMT

I appreciated the sentiment behind GeekDad's column this weekend, urging everyone to take their kids to the polls if they're old enough. But I've got to ask, what's old enough?

My daughter was just shy of the five-month mark the first time she entered a voting booth. If I'm really pushing it, I could say it was the second time. I was nine months pregnant when I cast my ballot on the local race for board of education candidates.

Growing up, my brother and I accompanied one parent or the other, and sometimes both, to votes on the school district budget, the presidency, the town council, the library budget, you name it. If it was nearing nine o'clock when my dad finally got home from his busy job as owner of his own contracting business, he'd ask one of us to jump in the car and race over to the school to throw his two cents in on the people vying to decide the direction of the school district. If Dad was busy, Mom never bothered to call a sitter so she could go pick the next town supervisor. She took us with her.

When I wasn't able to vote in my first presidential election after turning eighteen because of a move to Virginia too close to election day, I wasn't just a little miffed. I was depressed for days. It had been so ingrained in me that this was part of my duty, part of my right, that I was ready to storm the statehouse to get the rules changed for people like me, the people without a polling place. I put that credit firmly on the shoulders of my parents, who taught me how to pull the plush curtains closed and let me help pull down each individual lever. This was my birthright. It's what I'd been doing for 18 years, only now I should have been doing it for real.

They might have been quiet about their choices, but they were never shy about their expectations. If there's a vote going on and you're eligible, you walk in, sign your name in the record book, and you walk with your head up to the voting booth.

Want your kids to do that one day? Show them how . . . now.

Image: Kids Voting USA

Babble Talk: The Babies Tell Us Who Will Be Their Next President

Want Free Ben & Jerry's? Go Vote

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Republican Candidate Uses Porn-esque Robocall

Brett Singer — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:00:00 GMT

I don't let my kids answer the phone, but a lot of people do. Now imagine if they picked it up and heard this:

"Mike Thompson's been a baaad boy ... we all said no to the bailout, but Thompson backed Bush, just like he did for the Patriot Act. Vote Yes for Zane."

Here is a link to the audio (wav file). You really have to hear it. Basically, it sounds like a low-rent phone sex operator. (Not that I know what a high-rent phone sex operator sounds like. Or any phone sex operator. I don't. Hey! Off-topic!)

The robocall ad was produced by the Zane Starkewolf campaign. Zane is a "self-described Green Republican" candidate for Congress in California and also a Chemistry graduate student. His explanation for the call is utterly bizarre:

I acknowledge that the idea behind the ad, and indeed the execution of the call, was not the safe route to take. And if my run for office was simply for personal gain, I would not have taken a risk.

What? A robocall political ad produced in the style of phone sex somehow shows that you are not running "for personal gain"? Is that because you know it won't work?

But the content and the facts within the message were there and need to be discussed. Hopefully this call opens up the forum for discussion on the issues and on the representation which is so essential to our system.

Meaning… what? That by putting on a pseudo-sexy voice we'll all get turned on to politics? Bad fake porn as a gateway drug to insightful political discourse?

This is the closest thing to an apology in his statement:

The unpaid staffer who recorded and submitted the message may have been a little overly enthusiastic in the delivery, but I believe it is good to get enthusiasm back into politics.

First of all, the woman who recorded the call sounds like she might be on drugs or mentally ill. At the very least, she's meshugeh ahf toit (click here for a translation, or go ask Madonna, she knows what it means). So "enthusiasm" isn't the word I would use. Second, "back into politics"? With weird robotic phone-sex calls? Yes, I remember when Truman did that back in 1948.

He then uses the phrase that is the number one justification for dummies who think they're smart – "Let’s think outside the box." Well, I guess you've done that. Maybe this idea should have stayed IN the box. A locked box. With no key.

I can't stand these robocalls and I think they should be outlawed. Not just the really wacko ones like this, but all of them. We used to belong to a temple that used them to notify people of events. They're irritating and pointless. It's as if someone said, "How can we make telemarketing even MORE annoying?"

One more thing. Not to be an old fart before my time (when is that time, anyway?) but remember the phrase from the 60's about not trusting anyone over 30? When it comes to government, how about we don't trust anyone UNDER 30? Zane is 27. This is definitely an idea that only a tremendously immature dope could come up with.

Source: Wired

N-Word Flies at Palin Rally

Babble Podcast for October 27th, 2008

Parents Upset About McCain's Robocalls

Babble Talk: The Candidates Health Plans

Which Candidate Has The Best Name?

They say: no one with a uterus should vote for McCain

They say: McCain not thrilled with Palin and she wants to run in 2012

Best political shirt ever - Everyone Poops

Want Free Ben & Jerry's? Go Vote

JeanneSager — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:27:00 GMT

If the future of our country, state of our economy, healthcare situation . . . aren't good enough reasons to vote on Nov. 4, I've got one that's (almost) as good. Ben & Jerry's is handing out a free scoop of ice cream to everyone who votes.

What's the catch?

There is none. But it does have its benefits (that stretch beyond your belly). Want to show your kids that voting is worth it? You can talk to them all you want about poverty, war, campaign finance reform. But show them there's free ice cream in it for them? Dude, I'm so totally there. Maybe it's a cheap shot, but, hey, if it works. . .

They don't even care if you care who you vote for; as long as you do it. So when you're done picking the next president, get yourself (and the kids) over to a Ben & Jerry's scoop shop with your "I voted" sticker or a snapshot of yourself in front of the ballot box. The promotion runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., so even late voters can get creamed.

Just save me some Phish Food.

Image: JunkFoodBlog

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Just in Time for Halloween: How to Make Your Own Slime!

Obama's Grandmother May Not See Election Day

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:03:00 GMT

In an interview that aired on Good Morning America this morning, Barack Obama told ABC that he’s had to accept that his grandmother may not make it to Election Day. He has suspended his campaign due to her illness, and is currently in Honolulu at her bedside.

85-year-old Madelyn Dunham helped raise Obama, and was a powerhouse in her own right. Obama was grateful for the chance to sit down and talk with Dunham, who is still alert. He was unable to have a last talk with his mother before she died of ovarian cancer at the age of 53, and he didn’t want to repeat that mistake.

Obama said his grandmother has received flowers, phone calls, and emails from strangers all over the country. "And so maybe she is getting a sense of long-deserved recognition towards the end of her life," he said.

Photo: USA Today

Do Sarah Palin and Family Listen to the Ramones?

SunnyChanel — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:18:00 GMT

Are the Palins Ramones fans? Do they spend their time on the campaign trail singing such punk anthems as "Beat on the Brat", "I Want to Be Sedated" and "Teenage Lobotomy"? Oh, a gal can dream, but I have my doubts that the Ramone’s lyrical flavor would be something palatable to this conservative clan. Why would I even relate the Palin’s to the Ramones? Because of the two charges to the baby boutique Pacifier in Minneapolis that were part of the RNC funded shopping spree. One of the purchases was reportably (via Jezebel) for a “Ramones t-shirt and striped hoodie and some pants, for a two-year-old”. But before you start to refer to them as Sarah, Trig and Piper Ramone, the shirt was bought in size two. Either they got it for baby Trig to grow into or the Republicans’ personal shopper did a little game of “one for them, one for me”.

Via Jezebel and the Huffington Post

RNC Mailer Could Give Your Kids Nightmares

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 23:00:00 GMT

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. The RNC has mailed a flyer to homes in Virginia and Missouri that unabashedly aims to link Barack Obama with terrorism in the minds of voters. On the front is the word “TERRORISTS” above a picture of a plane about to crash into a room filled with people (imagine your kids finding that horrifying image in the mailbox). Inside is a photo of an angry-looking Obama and the words, “NOT WHO YOU THINK HE IS.”

The small print of the flyer at least mentions a statement that Obama actually made—if you’ve turned on the TV at all in the past few weeks, you probably know which one: when he said that he would be willing to sit down and talk with hostile foreign leaders.

Funny that Reagan, whom McCain loves to call a “hero,” aggressively pursued talks with governments hostile to the United States, including the Kremlin and the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Not to mention that agreeing to sit down and talk with world leaders is hardly agreeing to sit down and talk with terrorists like Osama bin Laden, whom Obama has repeatedly vowed to hunt down.

There is so much that is dishonest, despicable, and desperate about this mailer that I could go on and on. But the point is that, after eight years of fear mongering and divisiveness, the American people have had enough of hate-based politics.

Barry Goldwater’s granddaughter, one of numerous high-profile Republicans voting for Obama, put it best herself: "The Republican brand has been tarnished in a shameless effort to gain votes and appeal to the lowest emotion, fear....The McCain/Palin plan is to appear diverse and inclusive, using women and minorities to push an agenda that makes us all financially vulnerable, fearful, and less safe."

Piper Palin Carries a Louis Vuitton Bag - Is it Hers? Does it Matter?

SunnyChanel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:25:00 GMT

On the heels of the revelation that the Republican National Committee footed the bill for a $150,000 high-end shopping spree for the Sarah Palin clan comes the blogosphere posting, like at Deceiver.com, of this photo of Palin’s 7-year-old daughter walkin’ around sporting a $790 Louis Vuitton Monogran Canvas Montrogueil PM bag. The question is, is it her bag? Her moms? A random staffer using Piper as their own personal Sherpa? Or maybe it’s a fake? But having such a high profile display of counterfeit contraband would be an even bigger no-no than spending that much on a kid’s bag (one blog is saying the bag is indeed a fake).

But perhaps Piper is just part of the conspicuous consumption LV loving kid trend. Last week I posted a piece on one of the chicks from The Real Housewives of Atlanta and the mom who bought her 11-year-old not one but two LV bags for her birthday. Everyone is entitled to spoil their children if that’s what they’d like to do. But when it comes to politics and trying to prove to the nation that you are just like the small town folks i.e “real Americans” of Joe Six Packs and Hockey Moms ilk, it would be a better message to just carry a stylish tote from Target.

What do you think? Is it her bag? Is it a fake? And does it matter?

Dudes for Palin: Vote for the Hot Chick!

Hannah Tennant-Moore — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:30:00 GMT

It may not surprise you to learn that, according to the New York Times, “dudes” constitute Sarah Palin’s most vocal supporters. But it may disturb you to learn what these men have to say about her.

Although Palin was ostensibly chosen for her anticipated appeal to women, the former beauty contestant has (gasp!) won over far more men than women, with her initial approval ratings at 44 percent among men and 36 percent among women. (Those numbers have since dropped considerably, down to 31 percent among men.)

Even as many conservatives fault Palin for being, to put it nicely, not “serious” enough, Joe Sixpacks can’t get enough of her. One of Palin's female supporters acknowledged that Palin rallies are about “70-30, maybe 65-35, men to women.” Among the shout-outs that Palin routinely receives at her rallies are cries of, “You tell ‘em babe!” and “You rock me out, Sarah!” Some men sport “Proud to vote for a hot chick” buttons, while others carry “Dudes for Palin” signs.

Palin apparently loves the testosterone-charged rock concert atmosphere of her rallies. After entering a rally to the heading-banging tunes of AC/DC, she told the crowd, “That was kinda cool.” She has also introduced her husband as “Alaska’s First Dude.”

At least one Palin supporter interviewed by the Times admitted that he came to a Palin rally “just to look at her.” He wisely chose to remain anonymous. Let’s hope he realizes that, just as it’s embarrassing to admit to supporting a political candidate simply because of her appearance, actually voting an inexperienced, scandal-plagued woman into the White House simply because she’s “beautiful” at a time in which our country is engaged in two wars, is widely hated throughout the world, and is in the early stages of widespread economic collapse, would be an unforgivably inane decision.

Dudes, if you want to stare at hot chicks, watch Desperate Housewives.

Photo: New York Times

Best political shirt ever - Everyone Poops

Brett Singer — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:15:00 GMT

Birds do it
Bees do it
Even people in the news do it
Everybody (everyone)
Poops
Republicans and Democrats
All of them are full of crap
Everybody (everyone)
Poops

I don't know what song that is, but this t-shirt inspired me to sing. Kind of sums up politics in general. Very non-partisan as well.

The Everyone Poops shirts are available in all sizes, including onesies, which I'm sure will be the big thing on the playground. No matter who wins in November.

Image/source: Threadless.com

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Baby Exploitation and Election 2008

Madeline Holler — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 21:28:00 GMT

It's parenting that borders on questionable. It's the kind of thing you do with your kid where you're just asking for trouble. It's shallow, it's risky, it's exploitation of your own flesh and blood. And I love it!

A freelance writer and filmmaker from New Hampshire took his itty-bitty daughter all around the Granite State during the heyday of primary election campaigning. He had one goal in mind: getting baby Dahlia photographed with each of the presidential candidates (except Mike Gravel, who he says freaks him out. Understood.)

The result is a fantastic slideshow, which, just between us parents, is rather telling about those presidential hopefuls whose arms he managed to drop his (sometimes wet) daughter into. Without even passing around the Purell! (In October, November and December? Is he insane?!)

Oh, plus a bonus pic of Dahlia with Chuck Norris, who looks very at ease with the little gal. I'll never watch "Walker, Texas Ranger" with enthusiasm again. (Wait, I have never seen the show.)

Political Nanny gives a full analysis, examining the various baby holding techniques, "Black Power" kidwear and a curious leg-gripping trend among the menfolk.

Photo: Slate.com

Kids Shuffle Down the Campaign Trail

Madeline Holler — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:34:00 GMT

Besides a young Chelsea Clinton and Jimmy Carter's little girl Amy, the children of the presidents in my lifetime have been teens or much much older. So it's fun watching this year's campaign, as Political Nanny, as a voter, and especially now as a mother. I know how challenging it can be to take kids to the store -- what new version of hell must it be to drag them all over Iowa and beyond? Yet this election is just littered with little bitty kids! Miss Emma-Claire Edwards and Malia Obama, Hayden Thompson and Mitt Romney's son's son.

Sure, everyone's putting on a good face. And mercifully, reporters haven't run any footage of total meltdowns on the trail (politicians' kids melt down too, right?). It's all happiness and precocious repartee, sledding, eating, pressing the flesh.

So what do you think of this, taking young kids out of school to help daddy stump? Cruel? Selfish? Or opportunity of a lifetime for a two-year-old? What do you think it's like? Do they feel the losses? Stay up for returns? Watch their fathers crumble into a heap on a hotel bed and think people are being mean to him and making him lose? I imagine, from the child's perspective, it's a lot of sweaty adults with bad breath asking you the same questions at every stop.

However, I'm inclined to say that no matter how boring it must get for them, it's got to be better than not seeing mommy or daddy for days and weeks on end. I'm sure the quality face time is also lacking, but who am I to judge? I wave away my kids just to write emails.

In any case, time to say bye-bye to all your new friends in Iowa, young Dodd girls, because that state's history and Daddy's moving on.

Wimpy Obesity Campaign, But the Whole Idea Is Junk, Really

Kelly Mills — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:36:00 GMT

There's a story on how critics say the U.S. government's public health campaign on obesity is too tame to do any good. The campaign, called "Small Steps," advocates healthier snacks and using the stairs, but some health groups say the ads won't effect meaningful change because they aren't hard-hitting enough. Interestingly, in the middle of the article on MSNBC was a Hoodia weightloss spot showing an obese woman rapidly shrinking. Ha! But here's my favorite part:

Young viewers pay more attention to ads that evoke feelings of personal loss, sadness, anger, disgust or fear, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kids also tend to remember such ads longer.

That drama is lacking in the obesity spots — for example, none have offered a surgeon's view of fat, or dramatized a death from Type 2 diabetes, or shown a person complaining about how a fat neighbor's medical bills are costing taxpayers.

Oh yeah, I'm sure the kids would be just scared healthy by a spot on wasted taxpayer money. But really, is that the route to go? Second-hand money wasting? Look, one part of the problem is addressed at the end of the article: there's a serious reluctance to criticize the junk food industry in these ads. Imagine if the anti-smoking campaigns just told people to smoke less and breathe more clean air.

And here's the other reason I doubt any massive obesity awareness campaign is gonna have the desired effect. The prescription is different than in something like smoking. With smoking, the public health world took on the cigarette companies, were very unambiguous about the effects of smoking, and showed people how second-hand smoke could be harmful as well. But obesity? First of all, people do have to eat, so there's no abstinence solution, and second, there's already a stigma around obesity, so I doubt it has to be made unglamorous (as in the case of smoking.) And third, I don't think we have ever given people very clear guidelines about what and how to eat or how much to exercise or what kind to do and so on. Really. Forty bajillion articles on diet and exercise and I think people are still just lost at sea.

Micheal Pollan's NY Times article on food confusion remains one of the best things I've seen on the subject. Until we can give folks crystal-clear direction, I doubt we'll see much change.

Strollerderby : campaign

From 52 to 48 With Love: When Families are Split Down Political Lines

Balancing Work and Parenting—When You’re a Campaign Reporter

What Do You Do When Your Kid is an Extreme Partisan?

Take Your Kids To Vote . . . NOW

Republican Candidate Uses Porn-esque Robocall

Jon Stewart says: Ted Stevens is a Cheap Date

N-Word Flies at Palin Rally

Babble Podcast for October 27th, 2008

Parents Upset About McCain's Robocalls

Babble Talk: The Candidates Health Plans

Which Candidate Has The Best Name?

They say: no one with a uterus should vote for McCain

They say: McCain not thrilled with Palin and she wants to run in 2012

Best political shirt ever - Everyone Poops

Want Free Ben & Jerry's? Go Vote

Family Keeps Dead Mother in the Freezer For More Than a Year

What's Worse, Getting Fat or Getting Pregnant?

They Say: Parents Don't Know Kids are Too Fat or Too Thin

Obama's Grandmother May Not See Election Day

Do Sarah Palin and Family Listen to the Ramones?

RNC Mailer Could Give Your Kids Nightmares

Piper Palin Carries a Louis Vuitton Bag - Is it Hers? Does it Matter?

Palin's Kids Traveling on the State's Dime, She's Trying to Claim "State Business"

$150,000 Spent on Sarah Palin's Clothing

Dudes for Palin: Vote for the Hot Chick!

Best political shirt ever - Everyone Poops

11 names for private boy parts

Bill Murray asks about the Cubs

Unusual toddler gifts

Mom blackmails daughters ex with nude photos

The Singer Family says these people can't call themselves Singers anymore

Obama not sure how long he's been married

Giant Palin Poster

Sarah Silverman says: make granny vote for Obama

Dad buys beer for his toddlers

Baby Exploitation and Election 2008

Kids Shuffle Down the Campaign Trail

Wimpy Obesity Campaign, But the Whole Idea Is Junk, Really