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Apr

30

Digby addreses WVWV situation

Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Campaigning, Civil Rights, Elections, Politics, Voting, Women | Comments Off

Please read what Digby wrote here at Hullabaloo.

What she said.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:18 pm April 30th, 2008 in Announcements, Blogging, Campaigning, Civil Rights, Elections, Politics, Voting, Women | Comments Off 

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Apr

30

I’m not extraordinary like Liz Phair at all

Filed Under Politics | 4 Comments

Anyone remember some of my posts from the first months of this blog? Well, if you didn’t like them then, you won’t like this one now.

Today has been an absolutely extraordinary day. And I mean just that – extra. ordinary.

Now, maybe that word has a bad rap – maybe it’s supposed to be beyond ordinary in the sense that you can’t get any more mundane. Because it’s ordinary to the max.

But that would not describe today at all.

Today was…what was today?

Today was a day that’s ending with me drinking a glass of wine – actually, almost but not quite a second, which I almost never do. But I’m cheating – I didn’t really fill either glass that full. But, for the record, I filled it twice (it’s a cab of some kind – leftover Kosher I think – Jeff Hess, you did not drink enough!).

The day started out fine – typical. Kids up and out, taking the OAT (blech) and I left the house at 8am to meet with the woman who was my mentor during the leadership institute I was in, that ended two years ago. It was great to sit with her and we gobbled up the time and could have gone on for much longer. I’m very lucky to have her in my life.

Then I went to the bookstore and bought Cliff Schecter’s book, The REAL McCain which I’ll be reviewing and doing an interview with Cliff for publication on The Moderate Voice, BlogHer and links from here to those. I participated in the conference call he had with another author of a McCain book, Paul Waldman, on Monday evening – or was it Tuesday? I can’t remember anymore.

While there, an uber-mother from my school district tracked me down and got me to commit to volunteering for something while I was waiting to have some presents wrapped for the children of a certain blogger who recently had a new baby. But we won’t say anything more about that, now will we?

I eventually left the store, went home, folded laundry, emptied the dishwasher, packed up a defective wireless keyboard of my son’s and sat down to work on a fellowship application when the phone rang – one of my kids was in the nurse’s office and could I come to retrieve? Lucky for me, my SO was already at the school participating with one of our other children in a class activity and was able to retrieve said sick child.

When said sick child returned home, we ate lunch together and chatted. It actually was very sweet and enjoyable. Sick child went to bed to nap and I went back to my computer.

It was some time after that – while I was then working on a super-secret activity – that I received a couple of emails that made everything about the day become like riding in the back seat of a bus without Dramamine. Sick to my stomach.

But kids were coming home, dinner had to be made, the fellowship application hadn’t been worked on and I have a column due tomorrow. And did I mention an elementary school spring concert to go to?

And the sick child of course.

Sigh. Sip from glass.

Yup – it’s been an extra.ordinary day today. And I really hope tomorrow isn’t a repeat.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:03 pm April 30th, 2008 in Politics | 4 Comments 

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Apr

30

[update] State Rep. Josh Mandel (R-17, Lyndhurst) returned today

Filed Under Campaigning, Elections, Government, Military, Politics, Republicans, Statehouse | 3 Comments

Listen here for more.

From the Plain Dealer.

Update: From WKYC (which says he’s 30 but the PD said 29)

District 17 state Rep. Josh Mandel arrived home from his second tour of duty in Iraq about 2 p.m. Wednesday.

His arrival was totally unlike the “family-friends-media” hoopla that took place at Cleveland Hopkins International airport when he returned from his first tour in 2004.

This time, he was greeted only by his fiancee, Ilana Shafran, of University Heights, and no, their first words were not about their upcoming Aug. 28 wedding.

I agree 100% with Mandel’s kudos to his office aides, Michael Lord in particular who has been very on top of the couple of issues I’ve been following (I still owe him a return call from before my herniated disc).

Mazel tov on the safe return and the nuptuals.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:01 pm April 30th, 2008 in Campaigning, Elections, Government, Military, Politics, Republicans, Statehouse | 3 Comments 

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Apr

30

Anger, pleading for Dann to stop the madness

Filed Under Blogging, Civil Rights, Democrats, Gender, Government, Law, Ohio, Politics, Scandal, Women | 4 Comments

Modern Esquire is losing his patience, though not fast enough for me. From this Buckeye State Blog post:

WHAT IS THIS OFFICE DOING TO CHANGE THE CULTURE THERE TO A MORE PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH DANN’S SCHEDULER DOESN’T FEEL COMFORTABLE SAYING “F.U.” TO HER BOSS AND HARD DRINKING AND PARTYING IS STANDARD OFFICE CONVERSATION AND AFTER HOURS ACTIVITIES?!?

All uppercase lettering and bold was in the original.

I want to go further and hear from Ohio Democratic Party Chairman, Chris Redfern, but so far – silence. Lest anyone forget, two years ago, when I wrote about how the ODP wasn’t accommodating Eric Fingerhut’s religious observance customs, Redfern called me to ask why I didn’t call him before blogging.

Well – not only hasn’t he called first or called back this time, he hasn’t written either.

How about something from the ODP’s Women’s Outreach effort (listed here under Constituency Issues) ? That would be a start.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:20 pm April 30th, 2008 in Blogging, Civil Rights, Democrats, Gender, Government, Law, Ohio, Politics, Scandal, Women | 4 Comments 

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Apr

30

[updatex4] Women’s Voices Women Vote controversy

Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Ohio, Politics, Voting, Women | 3 Comments

Not long ago, I emailed people and posted entries on this blog about a campaign that the Women’s Voices Women Vote organization conducted. Myself and nine other political bloggers who are women were told that they were the top ten most nominated female bloggers and eventually, Digby was announced to be the Favorite Female Blogger.

The other eight were:

Layla Anwar

Helen Boyd (update x2: she weighs in here – I agree with her conclusion)

Emptywheel

Taylor Marsh

Melissa McEwan

Jill Stanek

Jessica Valenti

Lynda Waddington

At least a few of these women are actually famous and/or notorious for their blogging, depending on how you look at it. In particular, Digby, Jessica Valenti, Melissa McEwan, Taylor Marsh and Jill Stanek are in fact well-known throughout the blogosphere.

Dave Harding of Progress Ohio, who very generously promoted the WVWV favorite female blogger effort, forwarded to me early this afternoon some incredibly disturbing information about seemingly inappropriate and perhaps illegal activities that WVWV is alleged to have pursued in relation to voter registration.

I’ve written the group and requested more information which I will be happy to share, though I don’t expect it to differ from anything that’s out already.

Here is what I know – and it’s all that Dave sent me.

An entry from Facing South on the allegations

An entry on TPMMuckraker describing the allegations

An apology from WVWV

I apologize and am sorry for any way in which my involvement with the favorite blogger effort broadened the group’s ability to engage in what are now serious allegations related to voter registration – whether due to human error or purposeful deception.

Update: Meta-collection (most recent added to the top): Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:34 pm April 30th, 2008 in Announcements, Blogging, Campaigning, Elections, Media, Ohio, Politics, Voting, Women | 3 Comments 

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Apr

30

Carnival of Ohio Politics #115 now posted

Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Comments Off

Ben Keeler of the Keeler Political Report edited the Carnival of Ohio Politics #115 and you can read the offerings here.

Thanks again to everyone who contributed.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:49 pm April 30th, 2008 in Announcements, Blogging, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Comments Off 

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