I'm a Mommy, Make Me Senator!

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I'm a Mommy, Make Me Senator!

By Mo Rocca

Jan 5th 2009 10:50AM

You may have not have noticed when it happened (there was no announcement, no fanfare, no constitutional amendment I know of), but the qualifications for women seeking higher office have changed: motherhood is now considered experience on par with, say, elective office or any other professional experience.

It started at least as far back as 1992 when Patty Murray won her Washington state Senate seat campaigning as just a "mom in tennis shoes."

The progeny-as-experience argument was back in the news when Barbara Boxer grilled Condi Rice over military casualties in Iraq in January 2007: the California senator said the childless Secretary of State had no "personal price" to pay in the war.

Then a year and a half later Sarah Palin paraded her brood (and soon-to-be grandbrood) on the campaign trail, as supporters like Fred Thompson touted her "experience not only in politics but in life ... She's a mother of five."

And now comes Caroline Kennedy, who brings her experience "as a mother, as a woman, as a lawyer" -- in that order. (She's also extremely wealthy, or just a "mom in Manolos.")

Am I willing to dismiss her motherhood as experience? Of course not. I plan to walk outside at some point today -- and I'd rather not be castrated by an angry gang of knife-wielding stay-at-homes. (In that sense I'm no different than any of the other male TV or print journalists who have yet to question the "mommy" credential.)

But is having kids an unqualified qualification? If it were, the RNC and DNC talent scouts better hightail it to the YFZ Ranch, because those ladies are really qualified.

Let's face it, there are good mommies and there bad mommies. If we're going to include motherhood as experience, then we need to make sure we're electing a competent, reputable, good mommy.

We need transparency. To that end I propose the following measures so that voters can evaluate Caroline Kennedy's performance as mother:

* - Report cards for Kennedy's three children for the last ten years.
* - Footage of the family eating dinner: how are the kids' table manners? how do they talk to each other?
* - Bedroom inspections: have the kids been taught to clean up after themselves?
* - Sit-down interviews with each of the kids for their candid thoughts on their mother's child-rearing.


This vetting is hardly failsafe: the kids, after all, have a father. And who's to say which parent is responsible for the Kennedy-Schlossberg kids' best qualities? But some vetting is better than none at all.

What do you think? Is being a mother a qualification for higher office? What other mommy vetting measures would you add to the list above?

And what about the guy who had the baby last year? Is he extra qualified?

http://news.aol.com/political-machine/2009/01/05/im-a-mommy-make-me-senator/

Why is it always somebody like this guy or Jon Stewart who points out these types of absurdities? I guess Mo is right, and the 'real' journalists are afraid of the mommy set especially the SAH tit nazi mommies. I am not afraid. Being a mommy does not make you qualified for public office in and of itself, whether you're Sarah Palin or Caroline Kennedy. It just doesn't.

Oh yes, a mommy's resume sure is impressive.

And don't forget these!

*conflict management
*finance management
*menu planning
*schedule management

I don't think being a mother qualifies you across the board for anything- including being a mother of multiples. Footage of the little dynasty's table manners means nothing.

Caroline Kennedy is really gunning for the NY position. She does feel entitled due to her last name. Who says the caste system is not alive and well in the USA??? It is all about who you know and who birthed you.

I watched an interview with Fran Drescher. She has a greater handle on the issues facing her state and her constituency than Princess Caroline ever could. She has also probably done more public media work than PCK. Goddess knows she would have the most distinct voice in the senate!

Princess Caroline is not entitled to the job, no matter what some rich assholes in NYC may think. Let her go out and get elected the same way that HRC did--house by house and vote by vote.

As a political junkie, I take some interest in the types of people who are appointed to the U.S. Senate when a vacancy is created mid-term.

Here are the appointments made in the last 10 years along with the cause of the vacancy and the credentials of the appointee:

1999 - Georgia senator Paul Coverdell (Republican) dies while in office. The governor of Georgia is a Democrat so he won't be appointing a spouse or other relative even that person were otherwise qualified (i.e. has held elective office or a significant appointed office). The governor appointed former governor Zell Miller.

2000 - Rhode Island senator John Chafee (Republican) dies while in office. The governor of Rhode Island is a Republican and he appoints Chafee's son, Lincoln. Lincoln was the mayor of Warwick, RI, so he had adequate credentials even if he were not John Chafee's son.

2001 - Missouri governor Mel Carnahan (Democrat) dies tragically in a plane crash a few weeks before the 2000 election. His name remained on the ballot per state election law and he "wins" anyway. The Lt. Governor, Roger Wilson (Democrat), just before his term ended at the end of 2000, had the power to make an appointment. He appointed Carnahan's wife, Jean (who was not on the plane with Mel and his son, his campaign advisor and Chief of Staff).

2002 - Minnesota senator Paul Wellstone (Democrat) dies tragically in a plane crash a week before the 2002 election. His name did not remain on the ballot but regardless of who would win the election, the governor (Jesse Venture, an Independent) would have to appoint someone to take Wellstone's place for the last 2 months of the year. Ventura appointed Dean Barkley, a fellow Independent and appointee in Ventura's administration. [Ventura was leaving office at the end of 2002 anyway.]

2003 - Alaska senator Frank Murkowski (Republican) runs for governor and wins, creating a senate vacancy. In a controversial move, the Republican-dominated state legislature changes the succession law so that the incoming governor (Murkowski) gets to appoint his successor instead of having the outgoing governor (Tony Knowles, a Democrat) make the appointment. This law was passed, not surprisingly, over Knowles' veto. Frank Murkowski then appoints his daughter, Lisa (a member of that same Alaska legislature) to fill his senate seat. Shortly after this, after outrage by Alaska's citizens, the Alaska legislature removes the appointment power from the governor and requires a special election, something a few other states have. This measure was tied up in the Alaksa courts and came to light when Alaska's other senator, Ted Stevens, was close to winning last November's election despite being convicted of corruption charges and could be expelled had he won. Stevens lost, so the issue has faded for the most part.

2006 - New Jersey senator Jon Corzine (Democrat) runs for Governor and wins, creating a senate vacancy. He appoints one of the state's Democratic Congressmen, Bob Menendez, to succeed him.

2007 - Mississippi senator Trent Lott (Republican) resigns from the senate shortly after his re-election in 2006, creating a vacancy. He supposedly did this so he would not be subject to tighter ethics laws regarding what senators can do after they leave office (i.e. lobbying). Governor Haley Barbour (Republican) appoints one of the state's Republican Congressmen, Bob Wicker to replace him.

2007 - Wyoming senator Craig Thomas (Republican) dies whie in office. Governor Dave Freudenthal (Democrat) is required by state law to appoint someone from the same political party as the outgoing senator, from a list given to him by that party's leaders. He chooses Tom Barasso, a state legislator.

From the 2008 elections, we have several senate vacancies as a result of direct election (Obama and Biden) and some of Obama's appointments (Clinton and Salazar). Biden's has already been named, a member of Biden's staff. Salazar's successor is the Denver Superintendent of Schools.

So, the pattern I see here is when the vacancy is due to death, and the governor is of the same party as the senator, then a spouse or offspring may get appointed, political experienced or not. If the vacancy is due to some other reason, then the appointee is someone who has some direct or indirect public office experience, elected or otherwise. Caroline Kennedy definitely doesn't fit the former and doesn't seem to fit the latter, either. I don't think she should be appointed but she is free to run a primary in 2010 against whoever gets the appointment, of course.

I hate that automatic famblee appointment too Deegee. It happened with George Wallace's wife Lurleen too in Alabama some time ago, although I think she may have actually been elected later on, but I can't remember for sure. Montgomery is a little farm town acting like a big city, so "everybody knows everybody". Having grown up in Montgomery, I "know" (knew) the whole Wallace clan and Lurleen NOR her cocaine snorting son George Jr were or are qualified to hold any kind of public office, not that George Sr. was especially qualified either. As for these moomies using the "motherhood" card in their election campaigns, I find that preposterous, especially when just a few short years ago they were down playing it. Male politicians have played out the "famblee man" card for quite some time though and some have even gotten married and had a famblee to succeed in the realm of politics, even when in reality they were nothing more than a toe tapper. When I hear, "As a father", or "Being a mother of five I am uniquely qualified to..." come out of a politician or politician wannabee's mouth when they are discussing political issues, it is a HUGE turn off to me. Unfortunately, the breeders identify with it and eat it up because they think that only a parent can understand and therefore be sympathetic to their plight in this world. So, they will vote for a fellow breeder over a more qualified childfree candidate every single time.

Cindy Sheehan thinks that losing a child to war, qualifies her to hold political office.
Ask any mom and she will tell you that motherhood qualifies her for any job and she deserves top pay.

T wo
H ousehold
I ncome
N o
K ids
E arly
R etirement

I also hate how the empty nester politicians will STILL use the "I am a mom" card. All of the issues such as public schools, daycare, job related perks, hot kiddie topics de jour, etc.....no longer affect them personally, so they have to play up the "...but I understand how it is to be a working mom and I vow to make things easier for you than it was for me..." OR they drag the current grandkyd or potential grandkyd into it and it's "This is to help our children and our GRANDchildren now and of the future......." platform, which is basically alienating anyone who, for whatever reason, does not have children from the cozy little realm of their "help". They play the it's, TMIJITW card to the SAHMoos too and work both sides when and as it's convenient. They (both male and female) pretty much completely IGNORE male voters, for some strange reason, when the topic moves to parenting and breeding. I find that rather odd, but that's the way it seems.

Every major hot famblee "issue" always seem to be about the woman, whether she is a SAHMoo or working moo, their breeding rights issues, childcare related sagas, etc..........The only time we hear about a baybee daddy or fatherhood is when it involves deadbeat dads, or so it seems. If I was a male and a father, this would HIGHLY piss me off, but they don't appear to care.

Constitutionally, the only requirements to be a senator are that you are over 30 years of age, a US citizen for at least 9 years and a resident of the state you would be representing.
To be a congress person, you must be at least 25 years of age, a resident of the state you would be representing and a US citizen for at least 7 years.
To be president, all one has to do is be a natural born citizen, 35 years of age and live in the US for at least 14 years.

Obviously, there are many elected, and appointed, dumb asses.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

13-and-a-half more days....

That's HOW many minutes?

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"I have learned that pleasing everyone is impossible, but pissing everyone off is easy and fun as hell"

:eatu

The essential problem here people, is that the childfree have NO LOBBY in Washington, therefore we are non citizens, invisible and only count when spilling blood on april 15.

There are an incredible number of people, believe it or not, NOT having kids. Something like 20% of women not having kids at all? Maybe higher than that... I seem to remember hearing an overall figure maybe 30%, it's not a teeny tiny minority like it used to be anymore. And anyhow, for what it is worth, the constitution was designed to protect the minority from tyranny of the majority, which is exactly why the CF needs a lobby group in washington. The moos have lobby groups, we should too.

I am not fond of any of the bush administration, but condi rice IS childfree and i would defend her again breeder boxer any day of the week.

Free Condi?

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

Mommies are qualified to run the country like part-time office cleaners are qualified to design and build skyscrapers.

Mommies specialise in impatience, shrillness, cluelessness, self-centredness, attention-seeking and laziness. Perhaps they don't realise that running a country actually takes time, knowledge, talent and flawless judgement. And lots of social connections with people in very high places. Not to mention the ability to reason and argue like an adult, not a child. Being a mother is proof in itself that they have none of these qualifications.

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"The death of creativity is a pram in the hallway"
- Cyril Connolly

God, these women really do think that being a mom qualifies them to do practically anything, don't they? What galls me the most is that they think they're so empowered, when, really, they just sound stupid. Plus, their stupidity makes it that much harder for the rest of us to be taken seriously.

New Rule: Any woman who starts a sentence with the words "As a mother, I..." gets an automatic kick between the legs.

I think these sad old bags are so lost in their kiddie-tastic worlds that they've lost the plot. They think a position in the US Sentate is something you sign up for on the clip-off portion of a photocopied membership form, like the John Boggins Elementary School PTA. "Check this box if you are interested in attending hearings and debates. Check this box if you are interested in carpooling to Capitol Hill."

Why don't they just shut the fuck up and go away and suckle something.

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"The death of creativity is a pram in the hallway"
- Cyril Connolly