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Feb
12
Pelosi Fact Sheet on what’s in stimulus conference bill
Filed Under Congress, democracy, Economy, Government, leadership, Media, Politics, Whitehouse09 | Leave a Comment
Thank you to ScienceDebate08 which continues to be active and is monitoring the Obama administration and Congress in regard to all matters related to science. They forwarded a fact sheet from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and it’s very comprehensive. I’ve republished it in its entirety here but most of it is after the jump:
Conference Report on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Preliminary Overview
Just over three weeks since the Inauguration of President Obama, Congress will consider the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to save and create jobs, get our economy moving again, and transform it for long-term growth and stability. The landmark legislation is the first dramatic new investment in the future since the creation of the interstate highway system a half century ago.
A staggering 3.6 million American jobs have been lost since this recession began in December 2007 – the culmination of the failed economic approach of the Bush Administration – one that also doubled our national debt in eight short years. We need a New Direction.
The conference report on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act currently being drafted will:
• Create and save 3.5 million jobs, rebuilding America, making us more globally competitive and energy independent, and transforming our economy.
• Give 95 percent of American workers an immediate tax cut.
• Invest in roads, bridges, mass transit, energy efficient buildings, flood control, clean water projects, and other infrastructure projects.
• Restore science and innovation as the keys to new American-made technology, preventing and treating disease, and tackling urgent national challenges like climate change and dependence on foreign oil.
• Invest quickly into the economy.
Many details after the jump: Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:55 am February 12th, 2009 in Congress, democracy, Economy, Government, leadership, Media, Politics, Whitehouse09 | Please comment
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Feb
12
NYT photo focus: banker greed, banker greed and peanut maker greed
Filed Under Business, Gender, Government, Media, Politics | Leave a Comment
What the hell – they’re all white men anyway.
Front page of the New York Times: three white male bankers trying to explain themselves to Congress – no story, just the three photos – we need three photos of these dudes, again? And no news on them?
Only to then go to the front page of the NYT business section: male bankers trying to explain themselves to Congress – but now at least there’s an article.
Page A19? White male peanut corporation CEO admitting that he knowingly allowed tainted food into the market.
I often read the last page of a book first. I’d love to have my newspaper delivered that way, too. Then again, by the time I get that paper, I could almost write it. It really doesn’t matter what’s on the front page anymore.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:26 am February 12th, 2009 in Business, Gender, Government, Media, Politics | Please comment
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Feb
12
[video] Bill O’Reilly owes billionth apology for remarks about Helen Thomas
Filed Under Gender, Media, Politics, Sexism, Women | 3 Comments
Does Bill O’Reilly have anyone on staff who does background?
Here you go, Bill:
Courtney Martin taking issue with sexism against Sarah Palin
Courtney Martin calling out sexism against Sarah Palin levied by…oh – look at that – Bill O’Reilly
I’ve already written to O’Reilly letting him know how eager I am to watch his show now that he’ll be be apologizing to Courtney. You can write him too – just go here.
I know – there’s always the chance that O’Reilly will try to argue his way out and say that neither of those examples are sexist enough. But using O’Reilly as the measuring stick for what is sexist enough to call out is like asking A-Rod to tell us about the use of steroids by baseball players.
Hattip to Feministing.
Last thought: I would love to know if Bill talks about Phyllis Schlafly the way he talks about Helen Thomas.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:46 am February 12th, 2009 in Gender, Media, Politics, Sexism, Women | 3 Comments
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Feb
11
Solis appointment moves out of Senate committee
Filed Under Announcements, Congress, employment, Government, Politics, senate, Women | 1 Comment
Finally, good news, as reported in The Nation:
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where the [nomination of California Congresswoman Hilda] Solis had been stalled, voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday evening to recommend confirmation of the congresswoman.
Solis, a labor ally who whose confirmation process was delayed by conservative Republicans who objected to her union ties and progressive politics, got the committee O.K. on a voice vote. Only two Republican members of the committee were heard to object.
A full Senate vote is likely this week, and Republican opposition appears to be crumbling.
As noted in the article, opponents to her confirmation first latched on to a tax issue related to her husband’s small business, aka, “A partisan ploy designed to embarrass Obama following the Daschle debacle, rather than a serious complaint about Solis.” Then, “[a]n objection to the involvement of the pro-labor congresswoman with pro-labor groups was acknowledged even by some Republicans as laughable.”
Once again, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, flown in to vote on the stimulus bill, was able to break the logjam:
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee chair Kennedy, a Solis ally and champion, saw an opening and seized it. After consulting Wednesday with key Republicans on the committee, Kennedy scheduled a hasty committee session, called for a vote and got the Solis nomination out of committee and headed toward confirmation.
And that, my friends, is the real value, for any aligned contingent, in having incumbency, experience and seniority on your side. It’s also the textbook definition of politics.
Other reports: Alternet, Boston.com and, from the AFL-CIO blog, word that the vote might even come tomorrow.
Workforce Management offers one additional hold up that could occur, however:
Once Solis is put before the whole Senate, any member could prevent a vote by placing a “hold” on it. Her nomination would almost certainly prevail in a roll-call vote. Democrats hold a 58-41 majority, with a disputed Minnesota race still pending.
A White House spokesman said Wednesday that he anticipates Senate approval.
“I think that process will hopefully conclude quickly,” said Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary. “The president has confidence in her ability to continue the department’s mission.”
Now, to be fair, one of the concerns about Solis is her support of the Employee Free Choice Act. You can read more about it here at Congresspedia. It has not yet been introduced in the 111th Congress. It deals with simplifying the way in which employees can form and choose to be members of unions. However, employers allege a fear that people will be pressured into joining as well as a more realistic fear that the ranks of unions will swell. Here’s an interesting article intended for management about how to deal, preventatively, with the likelihood of EFCA becoming law.
It’s late so I’ll pass on describing my experiences with unions but frankly, like most everything else, thre are points to be made for both sides and the bottom line is, as with the Lilly Ledbetter Act, if businesses treated their workers better, as a general rule, none of this stuff would be necessary, but it’s just not that way.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:48 pm February 11th, 2009 in Announcements, Congress, employment, Government, Politics, senate, Women | 1 Comment
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Feb
11
FBI probe extends to my state senator, Tom Patton (R)(24), also Nature Stone
Filed Under Cleveland+, Crime, Ethics, Government, Jim Trakas, OH17, OH24th, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Scandal, senate, Statehouse | 14 Comments
UPDATE: 2/19/09 FBI searches Nature Stone in Bedford, Ohio.
Original post:
Oy. This cannot be good.
Federal agents working on the Cuyahoga County corruption investigation expanded their focus yet again last week, demanding documents about Parma city schools’ dealings with a state senator, a former Lakewood mayor and businesses that made more than $25 million from the cash-strapped district over the past eight years.
…
The subpoena seeks documents connected to a web of [former Parma city schools board president J. Kevin] Kelley’s friends, including his cousin,Ohio Sen. Thomas Patton.
…
The FBI also wants to know about work done at the district by another Kelley connection — Blue Technologies, an office-equipment company that employs Kelley’s cousin, Patton, as a consultant.
The district paid Blue Technologies $489,284 since 2001. What Patton’s role may have been is unclear. He did not return several messages left at his Columbus office, his office at Blue Technologies and his cell phone.
A little more curious is this mention:
The FBI seeks records involving [Russell] Masetta, his company Nature Stone and members of his family. Nature Stone billed the district for $200,853 in work since 2001.
About Masetta, according to the article:
[he is someone]…whom the FBI once identified as a member of the Los Angeles mob, an allegation Masetta denied. In the 1990s, Masetta pleaded guilty to charges connected to a union-related kickback scheme in California.
Okay – why is Nature Stone curious?
My former state rep, before Josh Mandel, was Jim Trakas who is also a former head of the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County. As of August 2008, he was affiliated with Nature Stone.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:22 pm February 11th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Crime, Ethics, Government, Jim Trakas, OH17, OH24th, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Scandal, senate, Statehouse | 14 Comments
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Feb
11
Carnival of Ohio Politics #154 – do not skip it
Filed Under Blogging, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Leave a Comment
Daniel Jack Williamson’s evil – or something – twin took ver the carnival this week and produced what you might imagine you’d get from someone named Jack Daniels Williamson editing the Carnival of Ohio Politics #154.
Thank you to both for their very hard and fun work this week. A great pleasure to read.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:14 pm February 11th, 2009 in Blogging, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Please comment
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Feb
11
Live-blog: Call w/Chief Economist for VP re: Recovery & Reinvestment Act (aka stimulus bill)
Filed Under Announcements, Barack Obama, Blogging, Economy, Government, Media, Politics, Tech, Whitehouse09 | 1 Comment
Here’s the description:
On Wednesday, February 11, at 4:00 p.m. ET Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist for the Vice President, will discuss the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan on a press conference call with progressive media and bloggers. Bernstein will discuss the impacts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan and answer questions.
I’ll be on the call and live-blogging it with permission (it’s an on the record call). Come on back at 4pm if you’re interested and you can also feed me a question to ask on the call, since you know I never can think of anything to ask. Ahem.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:53 pm February 11th, 2009 in Announcements, Barack Obama, Blogging, Economy, Government, Media, Politics, Tech, Whitehouse09 | 1 Comment
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Feb
11
NY Gillibrand special election: Dems choose male candidate
Filed Under Campaigning, Congress, Elections, Gender, Hillary Clinton, leadership, Politics, Voting, Women | 1 Comment
Paterson To Set Special Date (Finally): After several weeks of hemming and hawing, Gov. David Paterson appears ready to announce the date of the special election to replace appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D) in the 20th congressional district. Paterson told a local television station yesterday that he would announce the schedule for the special today; under state law, once Paterson declares the seat vacant the special election must occur within 30 to 40 days. Both parties have already picked their nominees: state Assembly Minority Leader Jim Tedisco will carry the Republican banner and wealthy businessman Scott Murphy will be the Democratic standard-bearer. A poll released recently by Tedisco’s campaign showed him leading 50 percent to 29 percent although that survey is almost entirely a test of name identification at this early point in the race. The district is extremely competitive and the special election will receive significant attention from both national parties.
From what I could turn up on the Dem’s choice, wealthy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – and the chosen has no political experience in NY. From NPR’s Political Junkie:
Democrats have come up with Scott Murphy, a venture capitalist who has never run for office before, has been involved in politics in his home state of Missouri — and who, according to Politico‘s Josh Kraushaar, failed to pay “thousands of dollars in taxes on a start-up computer software company he owned more than a decade ago.” In the wake of l’affaires Geithner and Daschle, not to mention allegations about House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel, Republicans feel they have a winning issue.
More on Murphy and his problems: Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:47 am February 11th, 2009 in Campaigning, Congress, Elections, Gender, Hillary Clinton, leadership, Politics, Voting, Women | 1 Comment
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Feb
11
[update] No female Senators or Reps on stimulus package conference committee
Filed Under Barack Obama, Congress, democracy, Economy, Gender, Government, leadership, Politics, Sexism, Women | 13 Comments
You have got to be kidding me:
Senate Democratic leadership has announced who will be serving on the conference committee to iron out differences in the House and Senate versions of the stimulus bill.
- Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
- Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont.
- Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii
- Finance Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley, R-Iowa
- Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran, R-Miss.
Both Finance and Appropriations were heavily involved in the creation of the Senate version, with each committee holding markups on their portions.
And for the House:
- Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey, D-Wis.
- Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y.
- Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif.
- Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Jerry Lewis, R-Calif.
- Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Dave Camp, R-Mich.
This is what it means to not have a critical mass, to have less than 25% of your constituency represented. Only 17% of all congressional members are female. And so, with five from the Senate (5% of the Senate) and 5 from the House (just over 1%), what chance do women get to be selected for these critical reconciliation meetings?
The evidence is out there about the economic impact on women of the recession and women’s organizations have been consulted all along the way. This exclusion of all female congressional members from this final process is absolutely perplexing to say the least.
If you’re in the know, at least explain to me whether this matters. I don’t see how it doesn’t, but I’ll listen.
UPDATE: I’m not the only one who noticed. Read comment #24, from a man:
although two Republican women senators are chiefly responsible for the passing of the senate version, there are no women on this committee!
Argh!
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:37 am February 11th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Congress, democracy, Economy, Gender, Government, leadership, Politics, Sexism, Women | 13 Comments
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Feb
11
Mandel suggested for Voinovich’s seat
Filed Under Congress, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, senate, Voting | Leave a Comment
Just the messenger – this is an excerpt from a letter to the editors at the Plain Dealer, posted on their blog. I don’t know if it’s in the print version.
The recent announcement that George Voinovich will retire from the Senate has many Republicans wondering who should run to succeed him. Sen. Voinovich is a moderate, voting with Republican leadership 75.3 percent of the time. So the nominee should probably be a moderate. And despite Rob Portman announcing his candidacy, he lives in Cincinnati. Southern Ohio has traditionally voted Republican, so it would help if the nominee were from Northern or Central Ohio.
It is important for Republicans to keep this seat in order to keep balance in the Senate. The best candidates to make sure this happens are Deborah Pryce, Josh Mandel and Steve LaTourette.
What makes Mandel qualified?
Josh Mandel is a young Republican who has served in the Marine Corps and graduated first in his class from Marine Corps Intelligence School. He served two tours in Iraq and was awarded the Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal for “superior performance of his duties.” On top of Mandel’s military service to this country, he brings a r sum of public service. He worked hard to bring tax relief to the people he served while he was a Lyndhurst city councilman. He currently is an Ohio state representative and serves the 17th District, which is only 17 percent Republican. On top of that, he won 71.64 percent of the popular vote last election in this Democratic district. If elected he would be, at 32, the youngest senator in Ohio history.
It appears to have been written by a Benedictine high school student who was the youngest volunteer for the McCain-Palin team’s appearance in Chagrin last fall. But given that I might have the wrong Matt Wagner, it really would be inappropriate to do more than let readers take it in for themselves.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:12 am February 11th, 2009 in Congress, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, senate, Voting | Please comment
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Feb
10
A quota of one: “Supreme Sexism” at SCOTUS & what will Obama do
Filed Under Barack Obama, Civil Rights, Courts, democracy, Gender, Government, Law, leadership, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Whitehouse09, Women | 9 Comments
Marie Cocco wrote an excellent column about the shamefulness of having only one woman on the Supreme Court of the United States. In “Supreme Sexism,” she writes:
Women—of all ethnic backgrounds—are not a minority. We are a majority of the population and a majority of the electorate. Women earn about half the law degrees awarded each year, and make up well over half of those earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Still, we are treated as a cranky interest group to be placated, and rarely given our rightful place in leadership.
But when women lead, something extraordinary happens: Suddenly the voice of more than half the population can be heard.
This was the voice that called out almost immediately after President Ronald Reagan appointed [Sandra Day] O’Connor in 1981 as the first woman justice. Though she was appointed by the icon of the contemporary conservative movement—and is best known as a centrist, swing vote on the high court—O’Connor’s most consistent votes were those she cast in favor of equal treatment for women. Her vision became apparent quickly, when she wrote the majority opinion in a 1982 case involving an admissions policy at the University of Mississippi nursing school that favored women over men. O’Connor attacked not just the illegality of the policy but its pernicious message. The admissions rule, she wrote, “tends to perpetuate the stereotyped view of nursing as an exclusively woman’s job” and so “lends credibility to the old view that women, not men, should become nurses, and makes the assumption that nursing is a field for women a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
And, Cocco writes, regarding the concept of having a critical mass and not just tokens, in the case of SCOTUS, two women – Ginsburg and O’Connor:
O’Connor, a Republican and a Westerner, and [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg, a Democrat and the personification of the Eastern intellectual, brought few similarities in personal background to the Supreme Court. Yet they shared an outlook as women who suffered blatant discrimination early in their careers. Both understood intuitively that women experience life differently than do men, and often saw the legal issues before them through that lens.
Finally, Cocco’s conclusion really says it all: an aspiration that women from everywhere along the ideological spectrum can possess, and, in my opinion, should possess:
“Normal” would be having a Supreme Court on which four or five justices are women. And if this sounds like a fantasy, it is only a measure of just how abnormal the high court’s makeup is now.
We are far from normal in far too many settings. That’s what this is about.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:25 pm February 10th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Civil Rights, Courts, democracy, Gender, Government, Law, leadership, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Whitehouse09, Women | 9 Comments
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Feb
10
[updatex2][action] What the hell is wrong with these men?
Filed Under activism, Announcements, Gender, Media, Politics, Sexism, Women | 37 Comments
UPDATE: 2/11/09:
Statement from The Women’s Media Center President, Carol Jenkins:
Thank you all so much for your support! The messages–thousands of them–are getting through and generating discussion. The topic will be covered on “The O’Reilly Factor” tonight, and our own Courtney Martin will lend her perspective as a young, woman journalist and member of our Progressive Women’s Voices program.
UPDATEx2: Whoopsie – looks like O’Reilly owes another apology: Here’s a recap of Courtney’s appearance, no video yet though.
Original:
If you have to ask someone else if they think your insult of the legendary journalist Helen Thomas was over the top, Bill O’Reilly, the answer is…YES!!
Please visit the Women’s Media Center and demand an apology.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:41 pm February 10th, 2009 in activism, Announcements, Gender, Media, Politics, Sexism, Women | 37 Comments
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Feb
10
[chart] Israeli election: Livni/Kadima=30, Netanyahu/Likud=28
Filed Under Elections, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Voting | 1 Comment
These can change – I’ve seen it, it happens. But this is the most current spread for now.
What I don’t get is: Livni had the most last time too – but couldn’t form the coalition and that’s what got us to today. So, now what? According to Jameel:
10:27 PM What happens next: that’s [3:27EST]
1. Final Results to be announced by 6 AM [11pmEST]
2. President Shimon Peres will then go from party to party and ask if they will form a government with the leader of the largest party (and if not, which leader would they follow).
3. Assuming it’s Livni — she will try to woo Leiberman into her government, meaning that the left would have a majority government.
4. If Leiberman holds strong, then the second largest party leader (Netanyahu) will be asked to form a government — and since the Rightwing is larger than the left, its likely he’ll succeed.
What’s this mean to anyone who hasn’t studied these coalition gov’ts? Basically, there’s a somewhat historic realignment since Labor is coming in with fewer seats than Yisrael Beiteinu. Typically, Likud was cast as the right wing, Labor as the left, Kadima – a relatively new party created by Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert’s party – somewhere between the two but many believed closer to being dovish, and now Yisrael Beiteinu as far right.
I know little about YB other than what I’ve read in the last few days. Again, the idea of direct representational government is a lovely thing in theory, but in practice, I don’t know – not so much maybe. Pretty messy actually – in my estimation.
We’ll know more over the next few hours.
Ha – Jameel! I’m just noticing – you put “Right” in blue and “Left” in red – interesting! Here in the USA, we do it the other way.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:46 pm February 10th, 2009 in Elections, Foreign Affairs, Israel, Voting | 1 Comment
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Feb
10
How, what to follow: Israeli elections today
Filed Under Elections, Foreign Affairs, Israel, leadership, middle east, Voting | 3 Comments
I haven’t even checked in yet on the latest, but here are the places/people I’ll be checking:
Starting at 2pm, the Israel Consulate will be live-tweeting the poll results – go here to follow
Having been at a central location in Jerusalem to follow the historic 1984 elections (National Unity Government was the result), let me tell you – the poll result reporting phase requires a very strong constitution, and stamina
Shmuel Rosner’s live-blog of the elections from the Jerusalem Post
Ha’aretz live-blog by Bradley Burston
The Muqata’s special election live-blog
IsraellyCool is live-blogging too but with a Cover It Live blog – I will be checking in there for sure (polls should be closing shortly there I think)
That should keep you busy clicking around.
Jillian C. York asked me via Twitter last night who I would think is best for domestic issues and I realized that I had barely given that a thought. How U.S.-centric is that?! I don’t actually know who is best on the economy, civil rights, health care, education.
Please list other sources in the comments and if you have a preference for a winner, or what the coalition should look like, let me know. Remember, they elect via direct representation and frankly, it’s looking very fractious.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:21 pm February 10th, 2009 in Elections, Foreign Affairs, Israel, leadership, middle east, Voting | 3 Comments
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Feb
10
Lauren Goode: Well, that was fast from ODP back to Fisher
Filed Under Announcements, Campaigning, Democrats, Elections, lee fisher, Ohio, Politics | 2 Comments
On Friday, I received this notice from Lauren Goode, previously Interim Communications Director for the Ohio Democratic Party:
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern today announced the appointment of several new staff members.
…
Lauren B. Goode, 29, of Peebles, was tapped to serve as the Interim Communications Director of the Ohio Democratic Party. Goode most recently was Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Lee Fisher and the former Communications Director for the Ohio Association for Justice.
About 15 minutes ago, I received this, from Todd Hoffman at the ODP:
Media Contact Changes at Ohio Democratic Party
(Columbus) – Effective Monday, February 9, Lauren Goode is no longer the Interim Communications Director for the Ohio Democratic Party.
Members of the media should contact Doug Kelly, Executive Director of the Ohio Democratic Party, at (614) 221-6563.
Well – a moment spent googling got me this, from yesterday:
Barely a month after U.S. Sen. George Voinovich said he will not seek reelection, the race for his seat in 2010 is heating up. Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a Democrat, today filed paperwork for an exploratory committee for the Senate seat.
Republican Rob Portman, a former congressman and Bush administration official, already is exploring.
Fisher has set no timetable for deciding whether he will run for certain, said Lauren Goode, serving as spokeswoman. “But he expects to make his decision in the near future,” she said.
You all are supposed to be the old-hand pros. Can you please get this straightened out?
Ugh. I know, I know – no one is ever going to help me now. But remember – I’m your friend. You do not want to hear “D’oh!” from your enemies, yahhh???
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:22 am February 10th, 2009 in Announcements, Campaigning, Democrats, Elections, lee fisher, Ohio, Politics | 2 Comments
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Feb
10
Brunner v. Fisher in Dem primary possibility: no sexism, yet
Filed Under Campaigning, Congress, Elections, Jennifer Brunner, lee fisher, Ohio, Politics, senate, Sexism, Sherrod Brown, Ted Strickland, Tim Ryan, Voting, Women | 4 Comments
Chris Baker might come to owe me dinner, because wisely I didn’t bet that Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Ohio Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher will not run against each other in a Democratic primary to be the party’s nominee to fill retiring U.S. Senator George Voinovich’s seat. I only wagered that Brunner and Ohio congressman, Tim Ryan, wouldn’t be facing off.
Still, I didn’t think the Brunner-Fisher scenario was as likely to materialize as it now seems to be.
First, primary blogging news from RootsCampOH ’09 about Fisher’s intentions on Sunday. Then, an announcement yesterday that Fisher had filed papers for an exploratory committee. This morning, Politico has these quotes, first from Ohio Democratic Party Chair Chris Redfern:
“If you watch the primary between Hillary and Obama, the governor doesn’t do anything halfway. He goes full steam,” said Ohio Democratic Party chairman Chris Redfern. “Hillary Clinton knows a lot about Ted’s commitment to friendship and loyalty.”
…
“At this point, it looks like a two-person field: Fisher and Jennifer Brunner,” said Redfern. “It looks to be a competitive primary, but with the governor’s support, that bodes well for the lieutenant governor.”
Then from Brunner:
In an interview with Politico, Brunner said she understands that Strickland has loyalty to his lieutenant governor, but that wouldn’t necessarily dissuade her from running. She noted that, if elected, she would be the first female senator in state history.
…
Brunner has already held several conversations with the women’s group EMILY’s List, which has been encouraging her to run.
“Her accomplishments this last election are pretty impressive, given the fact that all eyes were on Ohio and the elections … for the most part came off smoothly,” said EMILY’s List political director Jonathan Parker.
“This, despite the fact that she was a national target of bloggers who were making her into public enemy No. 1.”
Brunner also has high-profile labor and trial attorney allies from her 2006 secretary of state race, not to mention connections to Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat elected in 2006. She worked on Brown’s secretary of state campaign in 1982 and later served as one of his top legal advisers.
“Everyone thought that if Fisher ran, he would clear the field. No one thought anyone else would take him on,” said one leading Ohio Democratic operative. “Jennifer doing so raises a lot of eyebrows. It will be a classic duel — the powerful governor’s pick versus EMILY’s List.”
Politico – you should name your operatives once in a while – other than Redfern, you reference “Democratic operatives” at least three or four times – but no names? Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:12 am February 10th, 2009 in Campaigning, Congress, Elections, Jennifer Brunner, lee fisher, Ohio, Politics, senate, Sexism, Sherrod Brown, Ted Strickland, Tim Ryan, Voting, Women | 4 Comments
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Feb
9
Case Western med school grad connected to Suleman octuplet case
Filed Under Cleveland+, Health Care, Media, Ohio, Parenting, Science | 5 Comments
In the NBC interview, [mother of 14 and most recently octoplets, Nadya] Suleman did not identify her doctor by name, but said that she went to the West Coast IVF Clinic in Beverly Hills – of which [Dr. Michael] Kamrava is director – and that all 14 of her children were conceived with help from the same doctor. In 2006, Los Angeles TV station KTLA ran a story on infertility that showed Kamrava treating Suleman and discussing embryo implantation.
Kamrava graduated from the University of Illinois and went to medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, according to state records and his Web site.
Here’s the clinic’s website and a bit about him:
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Illinois, Dr. Kamrava received his medical education at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, took his residency at Cleveland’s Mt. Sinai Hospital and was a fellow at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Hospital.
But here’s how clueless our local paper can be – they post the same AP story, seven minutes ago? Without reading it first and catching the CWRU link and following that up.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:31 pm February 9th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Health Care, Media, Ohio, Parenting, Science | 5 Comments
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Feb
9
Participate: 24 Hours of Stimulus starts at 12noon today
Filed Under Blogging, Economy, Government, social media, Tech | 2 Comments
If you’re like me, you’ve heard and read enough from the pundits and politicians about the stimulus. Look, when a country is where we are economically, no solution is going to be one that everyone can support because we know we don’t all agree on solution and we know we don’t know what will happen – no matter who tells you otherwise.
Today, starting at 12noon, you can participate in a discussion with people like yourself and others about the stimulus. Here’s what you need to know.
What it is:
You’re invited to participate in 24 Hours of Stimulus – an online bipartisan citizen discussion on the Economic Stimulus and Recovery bill, hosted by Political Voices of Women on Twitter, starting at 12n EST, Monday, February 9th. hashtags: #24stimulus and #pvow,
This schedules the tweetchat between the start of the Monday Senate session and the currently anticipated time of the stimulus vote.
It also gives everyone a chance to pop in and have their say at a time that’s most convenient for them.
How to do it:
Follow the conversation: Go to summize.com or search.twitter.com and search on the #24stimulus or #pvow hashtags. That will bring up the tweets that have been written as part of the discussion.
Participate: If you have a Twitter handle, just jump in with a comment or thought or reaction or question and be sure to add the #24stimulus hashtag to your tweet.
If you don’t have a Twitter handle, get one – it’s free and easy to set up at twitter.com.
I’m told that if you go to Tweetchat.com, you can enter the room with either hashtag and follow the tweets and contribute to the discussion there.
Looking forward to it.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:51 am February 9th, 2009 in Blogging, Economy, Government, social media, Tech | 2 Comments
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Feb
8
NOW’s Gandy top option for DOL’s Women’s Bureau director
Filed Under Barack Obama, employment, Gender, Government, leadership, Politics, TMV, Whitehouse09, Women | Leave a Comment
With the Lilly Ledbetter Act now law, and the first piece of congressional legislation signed by President Barack Obama at that, it’s time to consider who will lead the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau in its fulfillment of its mission:
Mission Statement
To improve the status of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment.
Vision Statement
The Women’s Bureau promotes 21st Century solutions to improve the status of working women and their families. Better Jobs! Better Earnings! Better Living!
Let’s take a look at history before looking at the possible choices President Obama could select.
This history, prepared when the Bureau turned 70, in 1990 (yes, it was created the same year women got the vote – but the DOL wasn’t even created until 1913), isn’t that easy to read only because it is so plain, compared to what we’re used to reading on the Internet now. However, it’s got all the information about the Bureau, up through 1990. And all of it is fascinating, including significant passages about each of the directors during those 70 years.
Here is the U.S. Code, as of 2007, that details the duties and responsibilities of the Bureau:
It shall be the duty of the Women’s Bureau to formulate standards and policies which shall promote the welfare of wage-earning women, improve their working conditions, increase their efficiency, and advance their opportunities for profitable employment. The said bureau shall have authority to investigate and report to the Department of Labor upon all matters pertaining to the welfare of women in industry. The director of said bureau may from time to time publish the results of these investigations in such a manner and to such extent as the Secretary of Labor may prescribe.
You can see how the Ledbetter law figures into the bureau’s role.
What kind of women have served as director in the past?
The Bureau’s website offers this gallery, with photos, dates and information, on all past directors. There have been several women of color – I remember the first, Alexis Herman, very well, even though I was only a teenager at the time. From her Wikipedia entry:
Jimmy Carter met the young Herman while campaigning in Atlanta, Georgia and, after winning the White House in 1977, tapped her to be Director of the Labor Department’s Women’s Bureau. At age 29, she was the youngest person to ever serve in that position.
Wow – age 29. She went on to be the Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton in his second term, the first African-American nominated to that post and the fifth woman appointed to it.
So what might Obama’s list of possible candidates look like? According to at least a few blog mentions, Kim Gandy, President of the National Organization of Women (NOW) should make anyone’s short list. From PunditMom:
To say that Gandy would be the perfect person for the slot is an understatement (and I’m not just saying that because I hear she’s read my blog every now and then!)
…
Gandy has devoted her life to fighting for the rights of women. It started for Kim when, according to her Wikipedia entry, she had to get her husband’s permission for employee benefits when she worked for AT&T after getting out of college. Yeah. His permission. That would have inspired me to do something, too.Seriously, Gandy has worked tirelessly for women ever since…
Since 2001, Gandy has led NOW’s campaigns on issues ranging from Supreme Court nominations to the rights of mothers and caregivers, from Social Security reform to ending the war in Iraq. Through grassroots political action, Gandy helped increase the women’s vote and change the face of Congress in 2006 and is leading the organization’s efforts around the pivotal 2008 elections.
That’s exactly the kind of person I want in charge of women’s issues at the Labor Department, especially now as the administration contemplates how more women will be able to employed in the jobs creation aspect of the stimulus package. Gandy has been a champion for women’s rights her whole life, and that’s who I want working hard to make sure women get an equal slice of the job creation pie.
Other posts speaking positively of Gandy include long-time political insider and women’s rights advocate, Cynthia Samuels and assistant director of the Center for Research on Women & Gender at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Veronica Arreola, who wrote this post at Viva La Feminista.
PunditMom’s post notes that a few blogs – some that may be familiar because they sounded the PUMA and “no Obama no way” arguments during the 2008 elections – disagree with the idea of Gandy. At least one blog suggests other leaders who should be considered including Ellen Bravo, who is well-known for her connection to working women via 9to5. Her colleague, Karen Nussbaum, is in fact one of the past directors of the Bureau.
While we should be so lucky to have multiple, excellent choices, I would caution, almost always, against using retaliation as a basis for who you support or don’t support (Gandy and NOW endured a lot of heat for eventually endorsing Obama, though they’d been supporters of Clinton early on). Retaliation, as a method of persuasion, is very ineffective when it comes to offering advice because it has no objective basis, but reeks of personal anger. And it certainly doesn’t promote the idea that any entity that says it’s about women first and ideology second (like the PUMA-oriented collectives) is in fact about women first and ideology second.
Regardless, Gandy’s is a name that appears to be most in play and it’s easy to understand why. Luckily, there is a deputy director position. That arrangement is precisely conducive to the kind of unity and diversity of voices Obama has said he wants in his administration, if Obama chooses wisely.
NB: One chore that needs to be accomplished ASAP? Updating the Bureau’s Wikipedia entry. Paltry, but given what we’ve been hearing about the technology left by the Bush administration, not surprising. Here’s to hoping that the Obama administration’s emphasis on upgrading new media will do this step without being asked once a director is in place.
Cross-posted at The Moderate Voice.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:20 pm February 8th, 2009 in Barack Obama, employment, Gender, Government, leadership, Politics, TMV, Whitehouse09, Women | Please comment
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Feb
8
Obama puts Cheney to shame
Filed Under Barack Obama, Culture, Media | Leave a Comment
From April Winchell, who may be one of the funniest people you’ve never heard of (at least I hadn’t but I’m linking her up now), we’re reminded that President Barack Obama read for the audio version of his book, Dreams From My Father, and that that means that you can hear him read quotes from a classmate of his who cursed, a lot. Meaning…you can hear Barack Obama, reading the classmates’ curses.
April has the audio clips at her post here.
Hattip to Feminist Law Professors.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:29 am February 8th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Culture, Media | Please comment
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