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Moms, Including Michelle, Spin the Debate Online
"My 6-year-old is more mature than these guys" and other voices from the mommy message boards.
Before it had even begun (and well after it was over), hockey moms, soccer moms, and security moms were online, debating the debate. Their raw comments provide a fascinating first-person, real-time reaction—without those annoying red and blue dial lines.
Readying herself at 5:23 p.m., MoreMomsForMcCain offered up this little prayer:
Lord,
Watch over John McCain tonight. Give him the words You would have him say. Help him be strong. Help him speak truth. Help him touch the hearts of the American people. Send your angels to protect him. Help America return to You, Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I knew McCain would want to get up and wander around. When I first saw the table and chairs, I thought, uh oh, he’s going to have to SIT!
Over at BlogHer, another mother voiced a more earthly wish:
I want them both to look me in the eye and tell me they are real. I want them both to say to my face, “yes, you don't have to be cynical and assume I lie...I really am who I am asking you to believe in.”
And now I have to go feed my unicorn before we fly over the rainbow.
In the Moms & Politics forum at iVillage, women who can smell an impending tantrum a mile away wrestled over whose misbehavior was worse.
Juliana3: I totally saw McCain’s attempt to stay calm but he still looked flustered and irritated.
Hilllaryt1234: I thought that Obama looked ruffled. McCain finally put him in his place. To me Obama just talks in circles. He never makes sense to me.
lj_jacieb: I think McCain seemed feisty (if not slipping into grouchy)…
Litlpixy: Obama was smirky. I knew McCain would want to get up and wander around. When I first saw the table and chairs, I thought uhoh, he’s going to have to SIT!
On MisfitMoms, Foster_Mama and r3sunz were turned off when McCain started laying into Obama:
Foster_Mama: McCain is still looking like an angry and condescending jerk. At least he’s not calling Obama “that one” this time.
r3sunz: Hey lets celebrate the lack of “my friends” LOL
Foster_Mama: I agree he sounds like my 6 y.o. when it comes to these debates.
Denise chimed in: Anyone have Joe the Plumber’s card?
The abortion rights issue got the moms in a state over at MotherTalkers. A different FosterMama wrote:
I’m glad to see Obama is not backing down from his Roe V Wade stance. I hate wishy washy politicians on such strong topics. Whether I would ever have an abortion or not I am happy to hear his stance without flinching on it.
This prompted Ginabad to share her own story:
Made this decision this summer…I was disgusted when McCain talked about prochoice movement “moving the line.” I'm actually high risk and with 2 special needs kids, my unplanned pregnancy was a risk. IT WAS MY CHOICE because ya know, my kids need me.
Tessajp commiserated:
I’m so sorry you had to make this choice, but you have an excellent point. This is just another example of Republicans not caring once the child is actually BORN. Having a mother around isn’t as important, apparently…What happens if both my kids, 37 and 40 years younger than me, need assistance when they grow up? They’ll have to fend for themselves with McCain’s legacy, you betcha.
These mostly Democratic moms agreed that it’s easy for McCain to be pro-life without being pro-the-rest-of-its-life. Mamacita called him out on this:
He lied in his response, something like, “Don’t worry poor young mother, we’ll help you with everything.” b*llshit.
A message-board poster named Shenanigans rounded out the lively discussion by pointing out how narrow McCain’s statement on abortion rights was:
His “young women” comment misses the fact that over half of women who get abortions already have children, and a substantial percentage report that they have “completed their childbearing.” Older women need and use choice too.
Over at Momocrats, Lawyer Mama wondered whether McCain’s repeated autism references were slipups:
Has Senator McCain simply forgotten that Calculus Algebra Trig has Down Syndrome? it certainly appeared so. Or maybe McCain just thinks that autism and Down Syndrome are the same thing. WTF?
And back at BlogHer, none other than Michelle Obama outed herself as an overworked, multitasking mom—just like us! She posted a lovely piece about the stress of trying to juggle our many jobs, responsibilities, and obligations:
No matter where we live—no matter our race, our socioeconomic background, or our political party—we women wear many hats. We’re daughters and sisters and moms. We’re professionals and students. We run errands and do laundry and shop for groceries. And to get it all done, we have another skill that we rely on. We’re jugglers.
I know that every other mommyblogger out there knows exactly what I’m talking about.
The work-life balance is something I think about a lot. I’ve struggled for so many years to get it right, and I still haven’t figured it out. Too often, when I’m with the kids, I feel like I’m shortchanging work. And when I’m at work… or these days, on the campaign trail… I feel like I’m shortchanging the kids. For many years, I felt a lot of guilt—and I still do, though it’s better now.
Prompting a commenter named Mom101 to respond:
It's so important that we know that juggling life, work and family is hard for everyone, and harder still for others… Wait…did you just refer to yourself as a mommyblogger? Kinda cool.
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
The Right Dumps Carrie
Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
Tessajp and Shenanigans hit the nail on the head. It seems to me that all republicans think that women who want/need an abortion are teenage girls who had premarital sex and the guy didn't pull out because it felt too good. I still wonder if Bristol will get married after the republican ticket loses the election.
I missed most of the debate but I personally cant agree with Palin being in office after seeing this http://www.MrsVeep.com.
Did any of you moms out there notice that McCain twice referred to Autistic children in regard to Sarah's "special" child? The dhild has Down's Syndrome. Very different. Not to mention, if anyone checked her record prior to his birth, in Alaska, they have a waiting list of over 200 youngsters waiting for "special" placement. The problem with that is that the state has a huge finacial surplus, so why no action for these kids?
Some champion she is.
Great that Michelle Obama gets involved in this conversation -- she's a mom and she knows the drill. Where's Cindy McCain -- can't she have a secretary or a maid do a little Mommy-blogging for her?
I'm not a Mom...but I've watched my sister and friends do the juggle - worry as single Moms and I KNOW they have the largest jobs in society.
I appreciate deeply the comments by Ms. Obama. Vast difference between her and Ms. McCain's support efforts. Don't cha think?
I too pray. I pray that the White house and congress go Democratic because the Repbulicans have ruined not only our counrty but the world's opinion of our country.
The more I've watched and researched, the more I like Obama and the less I respect McCain and Palin. Those of you moms who think that Sarah is a special ed advocate should check into Alaska and find out that the special ed population has a waiting list for services. And mind you, the state has a financial overage. Also, Mr. McCain kept referring to Ms. Palin's child as Autistic. He has Down's Syndrome. I have worked with special need parents for over 25 years, and I hope they do not get deceived with false hopes from a candidate that doesn't know one disorder from another to a mom who only NOW is saying something about it. Whether she will do, something? Your guess is as good as mine.
Dr. Gail former school psychologist and special needs advocate.
Thank you.
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