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Jul
30
I cross-posted a link to and intro of Barack Obama’s Blueprint for working women and families at The Moderate Voice, where I’m a co-contributor, although lately, I haven’t posted nearly as much as I’d like to.
The post has received a great deal of feedback there (unlike at WLST) and I’d like to feature just one of the 40-plus (many very lengthy and deeply analytical) comments which is written by another co-contributor whom I deeply respect:
As a woman, as a working woman, as a mother who raised children alone, as a person who went without health insurance for years, as a woman who made it through any number of monstrous obstacles, I definitely wish for more balance and fairness.
But, my effort has to be on helping people to become better educated, more SKILLED, helping women to NOT have babies so young, to make better choices early on… to point to women seriously training for high paying jobs rather than try to strangle an employer into paying them more for jobs, many of which can be outsourced at HALF the salary to people who live in other parts of the world where cost of living is less than half what it is here. Helping women to move upward to be thoughtful before the fact, those I can put my energy behind.
But to glue the same old set of fantasies all over the gateposts when someone is running for election, I just shake my head
There already are huge amounts of money, federal, state and foreign spent on cancer research and r and d seeking cures, as there are huge amounts of money given for delving the mysteries of other diseases.
Forgive me if I am overly-realistic, but frankly, there are billions of dollars wasted in every program the Feds support, daily. Daily. No one watches moneyy versus result and decides which programs are effective and which are not.
If I were President, I’d start there. Several weeks ago I went to the Feds website to read the National Budget. You would not believe how unreadable it is. Nothing is laid out clearly. Your own tax returns are logical compared to the messy and illogical way the US budget is laid out.
Aspirations are a beautiful thing. But reality? Especially when, thank goodness, we don’t have a unitary presidency, often necessitates different results and consequences.
Please add to the discussion there if you have thoughts on the blueprint, which you can read here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:44 am July 30th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Michelle Obama, Politics, Social Issues, WH2008, Women
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18 Responses to “Analysis, input on Obama’s Blueprint for working women & families”
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i’d like to post a lot more often myself. and the answer is —- yes….
I think the comment you quoted is accurate in that it pegs the blueprint as a collection of aspirations. I agree. While I personally think they are lovely aspirations, I’d like to see a detailed budget showing how these changes can be made. I’m a visual learner; I need to SEE it to understand.
I do respect the blueprint for addressing the area of women’s leave, childcare, and an enhanced FMLA; however, I’d like to see more in this area and less perhaps in the cancer research. But baby steps, perhaps, are necessary. I don’t know…
I haven’t had time to explore other comments in depth, but my initial reaction – even staunch Obama supporter that I am – was “and…”. More details, please.
miss lara, with all due respect you’re asking for big trouble with electing obama as president of the united states. i’m forty six, been involved in politics on behalf of candidates in both political parties, and i’m telling you that this guy is a fraud and a phony. i know you don’t want to believe it, but the evidence doesn’t lie. utopianism will disappoint you greatly. reality keeps you steadily on course.
Mr. Joe, with all due respect, a McCain reality is not one in which I ever want to reside, nor is it one that will keep our country on course. I will respectfully disagree with you on Obama, and I will even go so far as to make the statement that I believe the greatest threat facing our country right now is another 4 years of a Republican administration. My stance on this is unwavering. Jill asked for comments on the blueprint, and I gave them.
someone whose views are unwavering even in the face of evidence that contradicts their original impression is stubborn and not worth engaging in intellectual discussion. appreciate your point of view though. i predict mccain by 6 points by the time all is said and done. jill, you heard it here first – mccain by six. i’m willing to wager on it even though the odds seem to presently be against me.
What you call evidence, Joe, I call conjecture. Given McCain’s and Obama’s voting history, I’m quite comfortable with my own version of evidence and stance. And yes, I am stubborn. Even I won’t argue with that comment.
miss lara, perhaps you will permit me to pose a question to you and then explain whether it falls into the category of evidence or rhetoric. a series of questions along this line would be more appropriate and better allow me to make the case but i don’t feel like typing that much. so, the question is this:
is it rhetoric or fact (or evidence therof) that the democratic governor of illinois, blagjovich (a democrat) recently offered the mayor of chicago richard daley (another democrat) the services of the illinois national guard because crime on the southside of chicago is so out of control that forty nine black men have been killed in the past 48 days? this is the same community that barack obama claims to have organized (a community organizer on the south side of chicago). this provides indisputable evidence and proof beyond any doubt whatsoever of the change that results after obama applies his organizational talents and abilities to a community. this is not rhetoric. the freaking community that this fool contaminated is so chaotic and out of control that the governor is offering to send in the national guard to restore order. this is also the location of UCC, the racist church that obama attended for 20 years and where (obama’s self-admitted spiritual advisor) reverend wright alleges that white people purposely invented the aids virus to infect and kill blacks. this is the same racist church that the rev pfegler preached that “the black man stole my show” when mocking hillary clinton in his buffonish characterization of a leader of the democratic party. it was the obama campaign that accused bill clinton of racism for making the comment that jesse jackson won the south carolina primary on two different occasions (84 and 88). so before you try to label me with your conjecture and rhetoric as a racist, you need to pull your caucasian head outta your white a$$. it was white people that freed blacks from slavery in this country and hundreds of thousands of white people lost their lives in the effort. so jill, this brings me to you: walk down kinsman after dark and tell me how much privilege you experience because you’re white. gimme a freakin break! they will knife you in the back just like they did their boy “the first black president” bill. are you that freakin stupid? really!
evidence or conjecture? my bad.
Are we serious about the community organizer role, Joe? Then you don’t know what an organizer does. He does not police crime, he does not guarantee crime prevention years after he has done his work in job and community development, and he does not distort the truth like a Hannity or Limbaugh. White people did not fight to abolish slavery. They fought to keep the Union together, even the ignorant people that don’t know what they are talking about when they abuse their freedom of speech with racism and ignorance. Lincoln did not free slaves until 1863 as a political move. Maybe your hero Rush can take more classes and fewer drugs to improve his mind and logic.
http://www.nohussein.org/
a site on Obama, your thoughts Jill?
and another
http://jewsagainstobama.org/
would love for you to weigh in.
Did you make a mistake there or just trying to beef up linkage? Seriously, I know you’ve commented constructively here from time to time so I won’t strip out the URL there, but please, don’t like to that stuff again or I will.
It’s complete and total fearmongering. They lost me before they finished the first sentence by starting with the conclusory “most unqualified and most dangerous” junk.
Lada – you were too quick – please – do not insert anymore like that – the second one is very old – been around a while. If you would like to promote those, start a blog. I don’t promote anti-McCain or Palin websites here, please don’t pop those here either, please? I will delete them the next time.
Thanks.
I’m not for McCain Palin either. I notice you only like comments that reinforce your own. There is never even any discussion other than threatening to remove my comments. I have a blog, we’ve gone through this before.
You can censor, it’s your right but you are posting this stuff for people to read. It’s on a public blog not some password protected forum. I’m really amazed you will only entertain the rhetoric and are not open to the possibility you may be backing the wrong team.
In Judaism we always question and engage in intellectual debate. You’ve lost that intellectual edge and it’s really kind of sad.
Lada – I tussle with people constantly – I press them to provide specifics, evidence, back up their labels by explaining the criteria that supports them.
The links you provide are full of fear-mongering based on gross generalizations and broad brushstrokes. And they’re smears. That’s not debate. That’s intimidation.
if that’s how you view anything that contradicts what you think is the truth, how can you ever really know you are backing the right side? I read it all; both sides and make a conclusion based on multiple sources. Sometimes the Huffington Post is dead on, other times they are pure propaganda but I still keep going back because I want to be informed, I don’t want to miss anything. Left, Right, all; to have any clue what is actually going on. I research what they all claim; I don’t just take it as law. It’s time consuming but well worth it. You dismiss the sites before you read more than a single few words.
I can tell by what you post here that you truly don’t challenge any idea that comes from your party, but just regurgitate what you are told. I’m intrigued by your lack of thought, by your utter acceptance without the slightest glimmer of inquisitive question.
Is it out of laziness or are you just too busy to care?
Lada – this just isn’t accurate
“you truly don’t challenge any idea that comes from your party, but just regurgitate what you are told. I’m intrigued by your lack of thought, by your utter acceptance without the slightest glimmer of inquisitive question.”
and I won’t be dragged around as if McCain is trying to keep the focus on character rather than on issues. You’re entitled to your impressions and opinion.
I don’t support McCain I think he’s worse than Obama. Why do you keep bringing that stupid man up?