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Dec

30

(updated) Another County Exec candidate: Ken Lanci

Filed Under Cleveland+, Government, Ohio, Politics, Primary, democracy | 10 Comments

Never heard of him, had to read his bio to learn that it sounds like he’s a successful businessman.  

Feel free to tell me/us more.

The only thing that’s curious to me is that he mentions support of/working with labor in the past (“Has Successfully Worked with Labor” section), but the campaign lit I received from his campaign today doesn’t have a union bug.  Lanci’s website says that he isn’t running as a member of any party” and

I have the skills and experience to turn around County Government. It’s what I’ve done for more than 40 years, and together, we can do it for Cuyahoga County.

When elected, I will work for $1 a year.
I won’t be aligned with any political party—this is no time for partisan politics.
I will refuse donations from Political Action Committees and County Employees.
I will not accept more than $250 from an individual campaign donor.

Could be a totally great or totally lame candidate – I have no idea.  But this, folks, is why, I learned myself, money does help – especially for people who have zero name recognition.  Working your butt off to get known is critical and does work, but when you have a name known to voters already, it’s just one less thing you have to focus on as you try to convince people as to why you’re qualified and that your vision and plans are worth backing.

Update: Looks like he expects to use some socmedia – a UStream channel.

Updatex2: He’s a donor to the 2008 Ohio 10th Congressional District’s Democratic primary campaign of Cleveland City Councilman, Joe Cimperman (the seat was then held by Dennis Kucinich, who was nominated in the primary and won the general in 2008 for that seat).

Updatex3: And he lives in Gates Mills? Practically next door, and I never heard the name before. Again, I can only think of just how much work these candidates have ahead of them re: seeking county-wide office – and name recognition at a minimum.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:41 pm December 30th, 2009 in Cleveland+, Government, Ohio, Politics, Primary, democracy | 10 Comments 

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Dec

29

Kucinich challenger claims USSR women had 12 to 20 abortions, each?

Filed Under Abortion, Congress, Dennis Kucinich, Ohio, Politics, conservatives, democracy | 4 Comments

Eek. This political candidate’s website came up in my Google alerts today because of someone else mentioned on his site, but I browsed around anyway, because I’d never heard of him.  On his “On the issues” page, he writes,

Under the socialist / communist healthcare plan in the Soviet Union during the early part of the 20th Century, the average number of abortions grew to 12 per female regardless of age. Some women had as many as 20, thus causing a sharp rise in uterine damage and related injuries and cancers.

As you might suspect, there’s no attribution for that information.

Why am I not surprised?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:37 am December 29th, 2009 in Abortion, Congress, Dennis Kucinich, Ohio, Politics, conservatives, democracy | 4 Comments 

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Dec

24

Health Care Reform: The Fun Has Just Begun

Filed Under Congress, Government, Health Care, Politics, Whitehouse09, democracy, leadership, senate | 1 Comment

Vice President Joe Biden led the Senate this morning while his colleagues voted from their seats in favor of Senate Bill 3590 (aka “Senate Health Care Bill” aka “The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”). The vote was 60-39 along party lines, as expected. Republican Jim Bunning of Kentucky, who is retiring at the end of the 111th session of Congress, failed to show up or vote for the second day in a row but no explanation was forthcoming.

As you head into serious holiday mode, here’s some calorie-less food for thought to put perspective on what we’ve gotten ourselves into:

If you haven’t already heard, the last time a vote was taken in the Senate on the day before Christmas? 1895 per the Senate Historical Office.

The Los Angeles Times published an interesting article on the role played by Senate leader Harry Reid.  In part (but the whole piece is a very good read): Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:23 am December 24th, 2009 in Congress, Government, Health Care, Politics, Whitehouse09, democracy, leadership, senate | 1 Comment 

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Dec

23

Women & Health Care Reform: Not Under The Bus, Drivers Of The Bus

Filed Under Abortion, Congress, Economy, Gender, Government, Health Care, Illness, Media, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Voting, Women, leadership | 1 Comment

From a source inside the Senate, I understand that the Senate’s vote on health care reform will now be at 7am tomorrow morning. (See more here.)

A lot of attention, appropriately, has focused on how women fare under the House and Senate versions. But just in case you thought women weren’t organized, didn’t care or couldn’t be bothered with politics and the economy and the finances behind health care, fahgeddaboutit.

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The facts page along at Not Under The Bus makes the site worthwhile and worth your time. There are links and stats to satisfy every level of interest and support your email, letter or call to your house representative or senator.

In their own words, Not Under The Bus is:

More in regard to the video:

Take a look at this new video by the Women’s Media Center that shows how women can take control of the health care reform bill and make sure they are not thrown under the bus by politicians in Washington.

Make sure you are taking your concerns to Congress and telling them that you want pro-choice, comprehensive and affordable health care!

We hope you will watch this video below and share it with friends – don’t let women get run over in the battle to pass health care reform.

The conference committee process that will begin after the winter break will be contentious and require every constituent’s involvement.  And in that speaking up, do not ever forget that you have a vote – you had it when you used it and you will be able to use it again, and again and again.

And in between? Call, write, email – take action.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:58 pm December 23rd, 2009 in Abortion, Congress, Economy, Gender, Government, Health Care, Illness, Media, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Voting, Women, leadership | 1 Comment 

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Dec

19

UPDATED: Nelson to support health care reform; Summary of Reid’s Manager’s Amendment; States get power to limit abortion coverage

Filed Under Abortion, Congress, Government, Health Care, Politics, Women | Leave a Comment

UPDATE 1: Democratic Sens. Barbara Boxer (CA) and Patty Murray (WA) issue statement in support of compromise.

I don’t know what fumes the folks on the Hill are living off of but Senator Harry Reid has introduced the Manager’s Amendment (#3276) and word is that Senator Ben Nelson, a Democratic holdout, will support the overall health care reform bill.

How they got Nelson:

Mr. Reid’s amendment includes major restrictions on abortion that were intended to win support for the bill from Mr. Nelson. Under Mr. Reid’s proposal, health insurance plans are not required or forbidden to cover abortion services, but there is a major exemption that would give states power to prohibit abortion coverage in the insurance markets, or exchanges, where most health plans would be sold.

Mr. Reid’s amendment also includes a substantial increase in federal contributions to Nebraska’s costs of providing Medicaid coverage to the poor.

The Wonk Room has more on the abortion-related language.

Here’s a link to the full 300plus pages and here’s the summary of it:

Manager’s Amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

 

Providing More Competition & Affordable Choices for Americans

 

The Manager’s Amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act builds upon the strong bill we already have. It demands greater accountability from health insurance companies while creating more choice and competition for consumers. It implements new programs to further rein in health costs and makes health insurance policies more affordable; and it improves access to quality, affordable health care for children and vulnerable populations.

 

Tougher Accountability Policies for Health Insurance Companies

Stronger medical loss ratios.  Health insurers will be required to spend more of their premium revenues on clinical services and quality activities, with less going to administrative costs and profits – or else pay rebates to policyholders.  These stricter limits will continue even after the Exchanges begin in 2011, and apply to all plans, including grandfathered plans.

Accountability for excessive rate increases.  A health insurer’s participation in the Exchanges will depend on its performance.  Insurers that jack up their premiums before the Exchanges begin will be excluded – a powerful incentive to keep premiums affordable. 

Immediate ban on pre-existing condition exclusions for children.  Health insurers will be immediately prohibited from excluding coverage of pre-existing conditions for children. 

Patient protections.  Health insurers will have to abide by a set of patient protections that, for example, protect choice of doctors and ensure access to emergency care. 

Ensuring access to needed care.  The use of annual limits on benefits will be tightly restricted to ensure access to needed care immediately, and will be prohibited completely beginning in 2014.

Guaranteed opportunity to appeal coverage denials.  All health insurers will be required to implement an internal appeals process for coverage denials, and states will ensure the availability of an external appeals process that is independent and holds insurance companies accountable.

 

Stronger Policies to Make Health Care Affordable

 

Innovation.  Medicare will be able to test new models and, if successful, implement them via a stronger Innovation Center, Independent Payment Advisory Board, and other authorities. 

Transparency.  New requirements will ensure that insurers and health care providers report on their performance, empowering patients to make the best possible decisions. 

Small businesses.  A package of improvements include starting the health insurance tax credit in 2010, expanding eligibility for the credit, and improving the purchasing power of small businesses.

More Health Insurance Choices 

Multi-state option.  Health insurance carriers will offer plans under the supervision of the Office of Personnel Management, the same entity that oversees health plans for Members of Congress.  At least one plan must be non-profit, and the plans will be available nationwide.  This will promote competition and choice.

Free choice vouchers.  Workers who qualify for an affordability exemption to the individual responsibility policy but do not qualify for tax credits can take their employer contribution and join an exchange plan. 

Improved Access to Quality Health Care for Seniors, Children, and Vulnerable Populations

 

Quality of care in Medicare.  Seniors will benefit when additional health care providers are reimbursed by Medicare for the quality of care they deliver, not the quantity of services they provide.

Children’s health.  Support will be extended for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the adoption tax credit.  Foster care children aging out of Medicaid will be able to retain its comprehensive coverage.

Community Health Centers.  A substantial investment in Community Health Centers will provide funding to expand access to health care in communities where it is most needed

Rural and underserved communities.  Access will be expanded through funding for rural health care providers and training programs for physician and other types of health care providers. 

Vulnerable populations.  A range of new programs will tackle diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and children’s congenital heart disease, will improve the Indian Health System, and will provide support for pregnant teens and victims of domestic violence.

Identifying Alternatives to Litigation

Testing new models.  States will be eligible for grants to test alternatives to civil tort litigation that emphasize patient safety, disclosure of health care errors, and early resolution of disputes, with a provision for patients to opt-out of these alternatives at any time.  Alternatives will be evaluated to determine their effectiveness.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:17 am December 19th, 2009 in Abortion, Congress, Government, Health Care, Politics, Women | Please comment 

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Dec

15

At least 29 women running for Governor in 2010

Filed Under Campaigning, Elections, Gender, Politics, Women, leadership | Leave a Comment

ElectWomen.com has the links and a list for “…the top, most viable female gubernatorial candidates…” and an asterisk after some of the names indicates that in addition to the women listed, there are also female primary challengers for some of the candidates.

The number of states involved: 16!  Currently, just six states (Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, Washington, Connecticut and Hawaii) have female governors.

And if you don’t subscribe to ElectWomen’s enewsletters, you should.

Any bets on how far these candidates will get, what the outcome will be in 11/10?

Alex Sink, Nikki Haley, Sue Bysiewicz, Meg Whitman, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Jan Brewer – those are the names I know, from one way or another. I don’t think Whitman (CA) can do it, I wish Hutchison (TX) could at least get past Rick Perry (whose been endorsed by Sarah Palin) but I’m not sure, Nikki Haley (SC) is very intriguing but assessing the impact of her closeness to Mark Sanford and his policies is tough. Alex Sink (FL) has been getting name play from women’s forums for quite a while and I’ve been hearing about Bysiewicz for years and years because of my connections in CT.

And how many of these women, after two years, do we think might challenge potential candidates in runs as vice president…or president in 2012? If elected to gov-ship in 2010, they’d at least meet the minimum experience qualification threshold, set – for better or worse – by Sarah Palin in 2008.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:20 am December 15th, 2009 in Campaigning, Elections, Gender, Politics, Women, leadership | Please comment 

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Dec

14

Why James Chartrand wears women’s underpants: because it pays better

Filed Under Blogging, Civil Rights, Gender, Media, Politics, Sexism, Women, Writing, employment | 3 Comments

Whether you’re surprised by this story or not is beside the point, which is that this kind of thing and variations on the same thing happen with shocking regularity.  From Why James Chartrand Wears Women’s Underpants:

You know me as James Chartrand of Men with Pens, a regular Copyblogger contributor for just shy of two years.

And yet, I’m a woman.

This is not a joke or an angle or an analogy — I’m literally a woman.

This is my story.

What you’ll learn when you read his/her story is the shocking! but true! tale of how – I know, hold your breath – men make more than women in the writing world, even when everything is remote and online.

Shock. Ing. I. Know.

Some takes on this so far:

From The Frisky:

My first instinct was to be inflamed with anger at the discrimination that led her to do use a pseudonym. Same old, same old BS, right? Sexism and racism are indeed alive and well. And, hey, as a woman, I can sure relate to how she felt. I’ve had my share of sexist blog comments calling me the c-word, and worse; I remember what it felt like when I was a newspaper reporter and the fire chief in town, who loved to pal around with my male colleague, declined to answer a question from me because it was “too complicated” for me to “understand.” I absolutely believe Chartrand when she says that her gender cost her gigs. Who knows, maybe Chartrand is not Caucasian and has a real name that reflects she is a person of color, a potential double bind when she applied for jobs. Maybe her race cost her gigs, too.

But once I sat for awhile and thought more analytically, I felt resentful that Chartrand chose to “pass” (my word, not hers) as a male writer. Chartrand wrote she wasn’t interested in becoming an activist—as she put it: “I never wanted to be an activist, or to fight the world. I’m not interested in clawing my way up a ladder to a glass ceiling. Life’s too short for that.” That’s the part that slays me—“life’s too short.” Well, sure, life is too short for any woman, or a black person, or a gay person, who is discriminated against. However, most of us aren’t lucky enough to be in a profession where we can completely hide behind a pseudonym. Madeleine Albright didn’t do it. Meg Whitman didn’t do it. The Williams sisters didn’t do it.

From Momsrising:

This is an old story. But it’s also a story of the Internet age, of a prominent blogger who “came out” today online to tell her story. That this is a story of a digitally proficient, virtual knowledge worker somehow surprised me.

If women still need to take men’s names to earn as much as men do, then surely we need a new woman’s movement. And not one centered solely around reproduction and abortion politics, which I fear is what people think of instinctually when they hear the word “feminist,” now.

From Jezebel:

The success of BlogHer and the mommy blogger movement have led some to hail the blogosphere as a place of gender equality. While some mommy bloggers snag Wal-Mart endorsements, the world of business blogging — Men with Pens advertises its “business sense, branding expertise, and savvy sales and marketing smarts” may still be more of aMad Men type of place. It’s impossible to tell whether the bullets-and-bricks aesthetic of Men with Pens was a calculated decision, but it’s possible that a male name and a stereotypically male persona are favored in the web marketing industry. Are mom-bloggers seen as fundamentally amateur, even if they shill for big companies, while men get the real professional gigs (even if those “men” are actually moms themselves)?

At this point, James seems to have built a brand, and it’s unlikely that she’ll suffer too much from her outing. But a post she wrote last year now seems eerily apt. In “Would You Become Someone Else To Achieve Your Dreams?,” James writes, “Think about how you would react if someone told you that who you are is holding you back – and you knew they were right. This person tells you that if you were someone else, you could live your dream.” She adds,

If you had the chance to be someone else, would you do it? Would you take on a role that makes opportunity possible, makes life easier, and makes your dreams become reality? More importantly… who would you be?

For James, it appears the answer was yes — and it’s easy to understand why. Still, it’s pretty sad that the “role that makes opportunity possible, makes life easier, and makes your dreams become reality” still has to be that of a man.

Do not be fooled into an “is this okay or not for a person to do this just to make money” cycle of argumentation.  This is similar to the “writers should always turn down opportunities that don’t pay” debate (pro turning down: if we all turn down no-pay assignments, payors will be forced to pay everyone all the time; against turning down: you build your portfolio, could get paid work from the free work, build name recognition, get published).

The real point is this: in both situations, the people who control the money  don’t give it up (or don’t give it up in equal amounts to men and women) unless they have to.  The question then being: how do we make “you have to pay, period” or “you have to pay men and women the same” the default?

If you think this is a rare and odd circumstance, let me give political blog readers and bloggers one name: Digby.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:07 pm December 14th, 2009 in Blogging, Civil Rights, Gender, Media, Politics, Sexism, Women, Writing, employment | 3 Comments 

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Dec

14

הבית הלבן משרד הדובר

Filed Under Barack Obama, Holidays, Jewish, Judaism, Religion, Whitehouse09 | Leave a Comment

I always got a kick out of how Israeli pop radio didn’t call The Police “The Police” – Americanizing the name, but rather Ha’Mishtarah – or, “The Police” in Hebrew.   Likewise, I got a kick out of the in-Hebrew Hannukah greeting posted (in pdf though) by the White House last week:

הבית הלבן משרד הדובר

לפרסום מידי 11 דצמבר 2009
הצהרת הנשיא אובאמה לרגל חג החנוכה
מישל ואנוכי שולחים את מיטב איחולינו לכל מי שחוגג בימים אלה את חג החנוכה ברחבי העולם. סיפור חנוכה של המכבים ושל הנסים שהם חוו מזכירים לנו שאמונה והתמדה הן כוחות עצומים המסוגלים לקיים אותנו בתקופות קשות ולעזור לנו לגבור על מכשולים כנגד כל הסיכויים.
חנוכה הוא העת לא רק לחגוג את אמונת העם היהודי ואת מנהגיו, אלא להעלות על נס את השאיפות המשותפות של בני כל הדתות. בשעה שבני משפחה, חברים ושכנים נאספים יחדיו כדי להדליק את הנרות, מי יתן והלקחים של חנוכה ישמשו השראה לכולנו להודות על החסד שנפל בחלקינו, למצוא מקור אור בתקופות אופל ולפעול יחדיו למען עתיד יותר מלא אורה ותקווה.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:56 pm December 14th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Holidays, Jewish, Judaism, Religion, Whitehouse09 | Please comment 

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Dec

12

Democrat pulls petitions for Josh Mandel’s to-be vacated OH House seat

Filed Under Campaigning, Cleveland+, Democrats, Government, OH17, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Statehouse, Voting, leadership | 7 Comments

Kelli Kay Perk, an attorney who appears to be in the General Civil Division of the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s office and was, according to this information, a magistrate in Portage County as recently as 2004 (her current address is in Broadview Heights), has pulled petitions to run for the Ohio House 17th district seat that is being vacated by State Rep. Josh Mandel (R-Lyndhurst) in 2010. Walton Hills Mayor, Marlene Anielski, appears, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, to have already pre-checked and satisfied petitions requirements to run for the seat on the GOP side.

I’ve voiced perplexion before regarding just how much the state and county parties care about Ohio House District 17 because, based on my sense and now based on my experience of running for office in Pepper Pike, I feel certain that a Democrat could win the House seat – with a lot of work, always, but still, the voters and votes are there. I believe that 100%.

I don’t know Kelli Perk, who graduated from Springfield High School in Akron (1981), and I’m about to Google her to learn more, but at a minimum, she’s done the right thing by pulling petitions now.  And no candidate for an open seat, of all things, should go unchallenged. Again, from personal experience, there’s no question that it makes you work harder but it also can provide the necessary edge to win, even against someone who has the backing of the sitting elected (which, in this case, for this district, lately? don’t count on that being so positive).

BONUS: I love seeing two women running for this seat. I don’t know, but I don’t believe any women have ever run for this district, before or after it was re-drawn in 2000.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:49 pm December 12th, 2009 in Campaigning, Cleveland+, Democrats, Government, OH17, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Statehouse, Voting, leadership | 7 Comments 

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Dec

11

[video] And Chag Sameach to Orrin Hatch, too

Filed Under Culture, Holidays, Jewish, Judaism, Music, Politics, Religion, Writing, senate | 9 Comments

In the what do Jews do series for Chanuka this year, they can watch and listen to U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah and Mormon) and his most excellent Chanuka song (video below).

Let me tell you, after sitting through 90 minutes of a middle school band and orchestra concert during which each group played the same exact Chanuka medley (which is often the one played every year), I want to start a letter-writing campaign to have Hatch come and orchestrate his piece for adaptation to high school music curriculums. (More on how Hatch came to write the song here, from the New York Times, and from Tablet Magazine, which released the video, and written by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, here.)

Chag Sameach everyone.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:55 pm December 11th, 2009 in Culture, Holidays, Jewish, Judaism, Music, Politics, Religion, Writing, senate | 9 Comments 

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Dec

7

Yo AWD Senators: Let men pay abortion rider for women they impregnate

Filed Under Abortion, Culture, Ethics, Gender, Health Care, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Women, democracy, leadership, senate | Leave a Comment

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And here’s another great idea: health care plans allowed to coerce women to get sterilized in order to get health care coverage:

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Floor transcript of floor speech today by U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) during Senate debate of the health care reform bill and the Nelson amendment in particular: (bolded portions are in the video clips above) Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:03 pm December 7th, 2009 in Abortion, Culture, Ethics, Gender, Health Care, Politics, Sexism, Social Issues, Women, democracy, leadership, senate | Please comment 

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Dec

5

Two from Some People Pay Me Dept.: On Afghanistan, On Political Dynasties

Filed Under Barack Obama, BlogHer, Blogging, Campaigning, Ethics, George Bush, Government, Military, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Voting, Whitehouse09, Women, Writing, Youth, democracy, leadership, peace, war | Leave a Comment

Two recent pieces from the Some People Pay Me Department (and many thanks to those that do – I can’t believe it’s been nearly nine years since a certain Plain Dealer writer suggested I try my hand at freelance writing).

1. Why It’s Okay to be Person Most Likely to Stand in Front of a Tank To Stop It and Continue Military Work in Afghanistan

It starts with this:

If there was a high school yearbook category Person Most Likely to Stand in Front of a Tank To Stop It, I’d be the winner hands down.

And yet, there’s no way I would support a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan post-haste. This blog entry, A Commitment Strategy to Afghanistan, by Lorelei Kelly offers a great explanation but here’s the crux for me (I recommend reading the whole column though):

The left and the right are too often defaulting to Iraq-era talking points for Afghanistan. On the right, Vets for Freedom is running anti-Obama ads, using the Iraq surge as a bludgeon against him. On the left, the California Democratic Party just adopted a resolution calling for increased humanitarian aid along with a military withdrawal.

But what if you can’t have one with the other? The consequences of a complete withdrawal would leave a violent, chaotic hole in the middle of a tense neighborhood. The US would deal a potential death blow to the world’s premier military alliance (NATO) and crackpot messiahs across the globe will claim credit. Troops need to be in the mix. Most Afghans want us there. They overwhelmingly dislike the Taliban. Girls attending school has risen to 44% since we’ve been present. Far more Afghans have access to basic health care. We need to start seeing these benchmarks as part of a broader set of objectives — all thus far achieved with the help of American troops. [emphasis mine]

A month before that, Lorelei wrote, in Commander-in-Chief, Yes He Is, a pre-emptive strike that Obama critics from any point on the spectrum would be wise to read:

It still kills me that so many neoconservatives claim to value the military, yet demonstrate so few military values. Like: looking after the general welfare, shared risk, sacrifice for common goals and longterm planning. And here’s the kicker: public service. Here are some other reminders of how progressive the military can be:

And her conclusion really says it all for me:

The idea that power comes not from dominance, but from the ability to influence change, is a lesson learned from recent experience. Contrast the tea-drinking and negotiating experience of Afghanistan with the linear, engineering mindset of the Cold War–where a rigid worldview fit nicely with hardware-heavy solutions. Low-tech is our future. Afghanistan is the test. Finally, we have a President who hears what the military has been saying for nearly twenty years now: Security is about people.

I’m going to gloss over the fact that what I hate most about our military intervention in Afghanistan is how disconnected I’ve always felt it has been from getting at those individuals and groups and influences behind who actually performed the terrorist attacks (read more about how they connect to one another) and the countries and entities that have truly given asylum to such individuals. I read Three Cups of Tea, I think the Afghanistan population, like that in many countries around the world, our own included, could benefit enormously from the skills our military can deploy when not using arms or weapons (as Lorelei notes the other things the forces do), but that’s why we have the U.N. and its derivative groups as well as NGOs.

And so, as a student of just and limited war, while it’s incredibly difficult for me to even accept that we’re in Afghanistan since we barely went after the right parties in the right way in the first place, I must insist that we now look at how deep in we are. There’s little practical value to withdrawing 100% immediately either as no objectives will have been met if we do so.

You can read the rest of my post here.

You can see comments that have been elicited by that post as cross-posted at The Moderate Voice where I’m still a contributer here.

2. Zimon Wins Council Seat (and I’m not writing about me)

Teaser, courtesy of the amazing talent of Diana Hadley (please check out her website and work):

We have a daily school-day routine when my kids come home that involves them giving me their lunch bags and all “parent” papers. One day this fall, during that chore, my son’s blank form for a student council candidate’s speech wafted out of his trapper. As I picked it up and read it simultaneously, I asked him about it.

“So are you thinking of running this year?” I asked.

“I am, but I don’t want you to read what I write.” I could tell he was firm in this assertion because he swiped the document from my hand and marched up to his bedroom, folding the paper in half and hiding it away for a week.

Eventually, my son did let me read his stump speech, but not until the morning that he would be giving his presentation. By then, nothing I could say to him would impact his campaign plan. So I just wished him luck and smiled as he left for school.

I had to pick him up that day because he had a doctor’s appointment. As I parallel-played at home all day working on my campaign, I wondered to myself how it had gone for him.

As soon as he opened the car door and slung his backpack inside, I assumed that he would burst out with, “I won!” or slump over with a, “Well, there’s always next year.”

Instead, all I got was a “did you bring me a snack to have in the car on the way to the doctor’s office?”

Huh?

You can find the Cleveland Family magazine in libraries, grocery stores and other locations where you’ll find parents or read the whole column here online.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:09 am December 5th, 2009 in Barack Obama, BlogHer, Blogging, Campaigning, Ethics, George Bush, Government, Military, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Voting, Whitehouse09, Women, Writing, Youth, democracy, leadership, peace, war | Please comment 

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