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Oct

31

National online event: The Day After: A Feminist Town Forum

Filed Under Elections, Gender, Politics, WH2008, Women | Comments Off

The Republicans and the Democrats won’t be the only ones debriefing after Tuesday. It’s been a long election season, and, I don’t know about you, but I am so ready get together and figure out what it all means and, even more important, what’s next.  I’m extremely honored to be one of several of the most prominent online women’s communities that cater to and empower us through conversation and connecting in this first-ever event.

Next Wednesday, you can come back here and the player will be set up for you in its own post for live participation from 7-9pm.  You’ll be able to use the chat feature in the mogulus player to chat not just with each other, but with EVERYONE ELSE who’s watching online. They’ll also use the chat feature to suggest questions and comments that our volunteers will be selecting from to read live in Boston (where the Center for New Words is based).

The Day After: A Feminist Town Forum

Wednesday, November 5 @ 7:00PM

PARTICIPATE IN PERSON: Cambridge Family YMCA, 820 Mass. Ave., Cambridge

PARTICIPATE ONLINE IN REAL TIME: Participate by logging on 11/5 at 7PM EST to any of our participating blogs, including Feministe, Feministing, Girl with Pen, WIMN’s Voices, CrossLeft, No Cookies for Me, Writes Like She Talks, Heartfeldt Politics, TakePart, The Sanctuary, The Real Deal, or at our mogulus channel.

At this culmination of our This Is What Women Want election project, please join us, our panel of national leaders and the feminist community nationwide to discuss what happened on Election Day, and what we should be thinking about and doing now to fight for equality and justice for all.

This is a first of its kind event convening feminists from around the country live via the blogosphere! Watch live, converse with other audience members around the country and submit your comments and questions in real time.

Panelists will include:

BYLLYE AVERY
Founder of the National Black Women’s Health Project and MacArthur Genius Award Recipient

MICHELLE GOLDBERG
Journalist and author of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism

ANNE ELIZABETH MOORE
Critic, activist, artist, journalist and author

PAULA RAYMAN
Founding Director of the Radcliffe Public Policy Center

LORETTA ROSS
National Coordinator, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective

ANDREA BATISTA SCHLESINGER
Executive Director, Drum Major Institute for Public Policy

Come optimistic, disgruntled, angry, or just exhausted. Come in person or online. But come. We need to hear every voice and idea!

(Facebook users: Click here to RSVP and invite your friends!)

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:58 pm October 31st, 2008 in Elections, Gender, Politics, WH2008, Women | Comments Off 

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Oct

31

[video] Grandchildren of First Jewish American Supreme Court justice Brandeis on Obama

Filed Under Barack Obama, Jewish, Politics, WH2008 | 2 Comments

From the National Jewish Democratic Council:

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) has launched a new video featuring two of the grandchildren of the late Justice Louis D. Brandeis discussing the 2008 election. Justice Brandeis, the first Jewish American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1916 to 1939, was one of America’s greatest justices, an ardent Zionist, and a Jewish leader.

With Election Day fast approaching, it is important that the Jewish community fully understand what is at stake in this year’s election. This important video is part of the final push to make sure the Jewish community goes to the polls fully informed about Senator Barack Obama’s strong record on Israel and social justice issues.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:12 pm October 31st, 2008 in Barack Obama, Jewish, Politics, WH2008 | 2 Comments 

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Oct

31

Ohio House 17th District: Cleveland Jewish News Q&A

Filed Under Abortion, Education, Elections, Government, Health Care, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Voting | 9 Comments

Today, the Cleveland Jewish News published a Q&A with Ohio statehouse candidates, incumbent Josh Mandel (R, Lyndhurst) and his Democratic opponent, Bob Belovich (Brecksville).

CJN: How can the General Assembly increase jobs in Ohio and improve the economy?

Mandel: All I hear when I knock on doors is the economy. I’m drafting legislation to keep young people here. If they commit to staying in Ohio for five years after college, the state would give them $20,000 in income tax credits for a bachelor’s degree and $30,000 for a master’s.

If they stay here five years, they may fall in love, find a community and a job, and we may keep them here for 50 years.

Belovich: We have a jobs infrastructure bill passed by the current legislature that my opponent voted against. The state can raise money for bridges, roads and sewers by selling bonds. I support that.

We also can reform our home lending laws. Much of that has to be solved at the federal level. But we can strengthen our state laws to protect individuals in real estate transactions and provide better disclosure on both sides of the ledger.

CJN: With tax revenues falling in a faltering economy, what would you cut in a tight state budget?

Belovich: Several years ago, the legislature changed Ohio tax laws, with more tax cuts to come in 2009. The problem is not only declining revenue (due to lower income-tax receipts); the tax rates are declining. We have to look at all unnecessary expenditures. One I’m opposed to is the experiment with (for-profit) charter schools. It’s been costly and in large measure unsuccessful in terms of academics.

Another big expense is prisons, which are housing many individuals because of drug violations. We should be looking at ways to treat individuals’ drug problems instead .

Mandel: It’s not responsible to propose cutting any specific program without seeing what Gov. Ted Strickland proposes in the next budget.

CJN: The Supreme Court has ruled four times that Ohio’s school funding is unconstitutional. How should the state fund its public schools?

Mandel: Republicans and Democrats are waiting for the governor’s proposal on school funding. I do not think we have the best school-funding mechanism now. But I do believe in local control of tax dollars. The more dollars controlled locally as opposed to having state bureaucrats in charge, the better.

Belovich: Strickland has started off the right way by finding out what people think are the proper aims of public education. Once we have consensus, we have to rewrite school funding laws. We may determine other taxes are superior to property taxes or should be used in conjunction with property taxes.

We also have to look at the recent tax changes (which caused schools to lose revenue) to see if those should continue or be altered.

CJN: How do you suggest increasing access to healthcare for the poor?

Belovich: I favor universal healthcare, more likely to happen at the federal level. In the meantime, the state regulates insurance within Ohio. I favor changing the standards of medical underwriting to emphasize primary-care medicine. Now, individuals may not get treatment until they see a more costly specialist, and by then the original condition may have gotten worse.

Mandel: There’s always more we can do. Everything is affected by budget implications.

CJN: What can the state do to ease the financial burden on the elderly?

Mandel: I worked with Ohio Jewish Communities lobbyist Joyce Garver Keller to restore state funding for kosher meals through Meals on Wheels, which the state cut.

Belovich: The state’s Homestead Property Tax Relief Act should help our seniors. We should form buying groups so the elderly can buy prescription drugs at lower cost. We can promote healthy lifestyles such as walking through the design of our communities to make them pedestrian-friendly.

CJN: Where do you stand on abortion, civil rights for gays, and school prayer?

Mandel: While I respect people’s opinions on all issues, I am focused on growing the economy and reversing the exodus of jobs and people from the state.

Belovich: Roe vs. Wade is the law of the land. There’s nothing the state legislature can or should do to change that.

We have a constitutional ban on gay marriage, which I opposed. I favor the fullest extent of civil rights for all individuals.

If prayer is in pubic school, it is intrusive on some members of the community.

I will not be voting for Mandel because his positions on political issues differ significantly from mine: Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:02 pm October 31st, 2008 in Abortion, Education, Elections, Government, Health Care, OH17, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Voting | 9 Comments 

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Oct

31

Eagleburger on Palin’s readiness to be POTUS: “I devoutly hope that it would never be tested.”

Filed Under Campaigning, John McCain, Politics, Sarah Palin, Vice President, WH2008 | 6 Comments

Nothing to add. From Boston.com’s Political Intelligence:

In an interview Thursday with National Public Radio, [former Secretary of State Lawrence] Eagleburger was asked whether Palin could assume the presidency during a crisis.

“It is a very good question,” he said before pausing and adding with a chuckle: “I’m being facetious here. Look, of course not.”

“I don’t think at the moment she is prepared to take over the reigns of the presidency. I can name for you any number of other vice presidents who were not particularly up to it either. So the question, I think, is can she learn and would she be tough enough under the circumstances if she were asked to become president, heaven forbid that that ever takes place?

“Give her some time in the office and I think the answer would be, she will be [pause] adequate. I can’t say that she would be a genius in the job. But I think she would be enough to get us through a four year… well I hope not… get us through whatever period of time was necessary. And I devoutly hope that it would never be tested.”

Did Eaglerburger just earn himself a place with the George Will and Kathleen Parker crowd?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:58 am October 31st, 2008 in Campaigning, John McCain, Politics, Sarah Palin, Vice President, WH2008 | 6 Comments 

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