a day to be thankful

Today is a day that we as Americans reflect on our lies and give thanks to those who have given our lives meaning. I will not get into my personal life here as that is not the point of this blog. What I will be thankful for are the things that are important to me as a New Jersey Democrat.

1) We have a President who is putting his efforts into solving the nation's problems instead of simply passing them off onto his successor. Say what you want to about Obama's healthcare plan-- many forget to realize that we've come farther with health care now than we have in over 40 years. We may not agree 100% with the way that he is solving all of the problems, but he is choosing to tackle them in his first term.
2) For the next 6 weeks, we have one of the most progressive governors that New Jersey has ever had. Again we may not all agree on the way he's trying to solve the state's problems, but unlike many of his predecessors (and most likely his successor), he's tackling the problems and trying to solve the state's financial troubles.
3) We still are a blue state despite our losses this month. New Jersey still sends a Democratic majority to Washington in Congress, we still have two Democratic senators, and we still have both the state assembly and state senate.
4) I am thankful to be represented in Washington by a Congressman (Frank Pallone) who shares my values and fights to do the right thing for New Jersey. I'm thankful for his strong positions on environmental issues and health care, and his role in drafting the health care legislation in the House.
5) Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, independent, or other party, we should all be thankful for our rights to free speech. Without that right that our founders fought for, I would be unable to publish this blog without fear.
6) Another right I am thankful for is my right to vote, and to become politically active. (I only wish that my fellow Democrats would exercise this right in every election but that's a post for another day.)
7) I am thankful that marriage equality has the chance of passing here in New Jersey within the next six weeks. I'm thankful that we have elected officials who want to extend the basic human right of marriage to the LGBT community here in New Jersey. As a straight woman, I believe that everyone should have the same rights that I (and so many of my straight friends) take for granted.
8) I am thankful for the many great people I have met while working on the various campaigns I've worked on in 2008 and 2009. I am thankful to call so many of you my friends. I am thankful for the strong presence of grassroots progressive political groups here in M county.
9) I am thankful for the experience I've gained while working on campaigns. Despite my blog's name, I am rather shy in real life. Street canvassing in urban areas was something that I would have never dreamed of doing just two short years ago. Now it's almost second nature to me and is something I enjoy very much. I can't wait to street canvass for Newark mayor Cory Booker's re-election in May.
10) I am thankful to all of the readers of this blog, my Twitter followers, and anyone who reads my posts on DU. Without you guys, I would have nobody to rant to and keep everything inside of me. As my presence grows, I want to extend a special thanks to Blue Jersey for featuring my post on marriage equality. Later that same post was quoted in two newspapers (Edge Boston and the Star Ledger) who's staff I also want to thank. This blog being quoted in the state's largest newspaper was beyond my wildest dreams just over a year ago when I started this blog, and now it's a reality.

I want to extend everyone who is reading this a happy Thanksgiving, and remind you guys that there is always something politically to be thankful for even after being creamed up and down the ticket. I know many people avoid politics on Thanksgiving (and rightfully so as it divides many families), but when you are giving thanks for the things in your personal life, consider giving thanks for the things in your political life as well. Happy Turkey Day :-)

Sarah you lost-- shut up and get over it

2008 was a very good year for Democrats politically. We gained huge majorities in the House and Senate, and recaputured the White House. Many blame two people on the Democrats' huge gains made in 2008--- George W. Bush and Sarah Palin. Politically Bush is at the end of his career-- he was term limited out of office and probably will not run for anything again (shoot me if he does). Sarah Palin is a different story. She's now seen as a rising star within the party, and definitely has 2012 on her mind.

But if you have vast political ambitions, shouldn't you serve out your term first? People want elected officials to be committed to the office in which they hold. Sarah Palin did not do that to the voters of Alaska, who elected her governor in 2006 (hey Mr. Christie-- do New Jersey a favor and take a page out of this playbook!) She quit her job to become a media whore and spend all day on Facebook. I guess it's not PC to try and run a state while posting on Facebook all day and she took the road that most teenagers would take.

Now in her post-political career, she has made enemies out of David Letterman (who she accused of being a child molestor) and Levi Johnston, her ex future son-in-law and father of her grandson. I'm still surprised she hasn't ordered a hit on Tina Fey (the best thing to come from Sarah Palin).

So now Sarah's come out with a book, Going Rogue (and the Nation will release Going Rouge on the same day-- I'd rather read the latter). It's already a best-seller because like all of the other right-wingers who write books, groups like Newsmax, the Heritage Foundation, etc will buy them in bulk and make them appear to be popular. I honestly don't know how anyone in their right mind can read a 400 page word salad written by Sarah Palin. I wouldn't even use the book to line my cat's litter box. And of course the book tour comes with the media attention that she just lives for. I won't be watching any of the interviews, but I will inevitably see clips from it on Keith, Rachel, etc. Now is the time for Tina Fey to bring her back.

Would people really vote for her again in 2012? That is a huge question. I've noticed that some of her most vocal supporters are stepping away from her becasue of her turn off the deep end. That and she did not show a commitment to doing her job. If God forbid she is elected President in 2012, would she serve out her full term?

Sarah, the American people spoke. The polls were close before John McCain put you on the ticket. Your insane antics cost him the presidency. And as a Democrat, I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see you run in 2012. Please Sarah run in 2012-- that would ensure a 2nd term for President Obama.

abortion and health care

As you may or may not know, the health care bill passed the house last Saturday late at night. I have mixed feelings about this bill. In my opinion, it does not go far enough, but it is a step in the right direction. This bill can always be tweaked later on. I'm much more worried about whether it passes the Senate. I'd be on the phone daily with my two Senators, but I know they're both in favor of the bill and would vote for it (I've gotten letters and emails about it).

The bill barely passed the House. 218 votes are needed to pass, and 219 Democrats voted for the bill (and a lone Republican). A few progressive Democrats voted against the bill because it was not progressive enough (Dennis Kucinich). But we passed the first hurdle when it comes to health care reform and that's a good thing.

However Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) inserted an amendment in the bill that would ban any insurance company (including the public option and private companies) on the newly created "exchange" to pay for any abortion related services. There is already existing law that bans federal funds from covering abortion-- the Hyde Amendment-- and that has worked since its interception in 1976. I think it's worked well and is a good compromise on the issue.

I will also admit that abortion is the one issue that I have become more conservative on as I've grown older. It's most likely that I am watching my own clock tick wondering if I will ever have a child of my own. I used to be 100% in the pro-choice camp, but now I consider myself a part of the "personally pro-life politically pro-choice" camp. I'm also very mixed on abortion as a political issue because I know several otherwise liberal people who vote for Republicans solely on the abortion issue. The Democratic party is a big tent (unlike the Republicans who are purging moderates), and they should be welcome in the party. On the other hand, the pro-choice crowd is a very vocal part of the Democratic base, and New Jersey learned a lesson last week on what happens when you do not first mobilize your base.

It is a very complex issue. If the Republicans actually did care about abortion, they would have done something about it when they had all 3 branches of government (2001-2006). However most of the time it's only an issue that is discussed around the time of elections to pander to the church crowds. I personally think the best thing that could be done about abortion is maintain the status quo (Hyde Amendment). This will be an interesting story to watch as health care reform gets through the Senate.

Some resignations

Since I'm flip-flopping between covering my take on state vs national issues, I'm flipping back to national issues for the time being. Two key figures resigned yesterday and they did not resign without my comments.

The first is CNN's Lou Dobbs. I must admit I don't watch CNN that much, I'm much more of an MSNBC girl. But I still see CNN as the middle of the road in cable news (to the left of Fox, to the right of MSNBC's primetime lineup). My main beef with CNN is that they launched the career of the uber right wing whackjob Glenn BecKKK. If they had been "liberal" as the right-wing claims, then Beck would not have been given any airtime by them.

Lou Dobbs did have some good ideas initially. His main good was that he's a crusader for the middle class, which has been decimated over my lifetime. We need more crusaders for the middle class on both sides of the aisle (the right-wing radio and TV hosts are filthy rich and look out only for themselves). Maybe another middle class crusader would convince people to stop voting against their own best interests. The downfall for Lou Dobbs is that he blames everything on illegal immigrants. In the months of the Obama administration, he's come across as downright racist. There's a lot of rumors that he'll be heading over to Faux. He'll fight right in, but the network will probably curb his fights for the middle class.

The other resignation I wanted to note was that of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. Focus on the family is a group that I have absolutely nothing positive to say about. They're part of the Christian right wing of the Republican party that wants "big government" in your bedroom (yet out of the boardroom-- go figure!). They spend all their effort opposing gay marriage, abortion, and what not. Their idea of a "family" is one that would be found on the set of a 1950's sitcom-- Dad is the breadwinner, Mom is a housewife who is a doormat. Focus on the Family was one of the groups responsible for mixing religion and politics. IMO they're responsible for George Bush and his extremely conservative social policies.

To James Dobson, good riddance. I hope your organization folds too.

the case for working with Chris Christie

I will admit this... I'm more inclined as a Democrat to give Chris Christie a taste of his own medicine. Yet since the election from talking to friends and fellow Democrats, they're more inclined to work with the guy to try and move New Jersey forward. So far, you guys think that we should work with Chris Christie. I'm now arguing the opposite of what I argued yesterday, and I will admit that this post was much tougher for me to write than yesterday's. So far nobody's talked me down from fighting him though. To every Democrat I've talked to that wants to work with Christie, you're a stronger person than I am.

Chris Christie ultimately has the same goal as anyone who has ever run for office, worked on a campaign, or gotten involved in any politics in the first place. We all want to make (in this case) New Jersey a better place to live, work, and visit. You can be a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Socialist, Green, etc and want to achieve those very basic goals. The issues at place here are how to achieve them, and what the finished product ultimately looks like.

New Jersey is not a red state. In the past, Republicans that have won statewide have been moderates, although that hasn't happened (until recently) since the 1997 when I was a high school student living in New York. Ironically there must be something about the name Christie that makes New Jersey vote Republican because the last Republican who won statewide was Christie Whitman, who's mess we are still cleaning up.

Democrats and Chris Christie working together can be a good thing. Even though New Jersey is known for dirty politics, that's not a reputation that we necessarily have to keep. One thing I do admire about Christie is his toughness and willing to fight corruption, which is so rampant here in New Jersey that a book has been written about it ("The Soprano State"). Maybe he can be the governor that ends corruption in New Jersey. I say if he puts one corrupt establishment player in jail, he's made a huge stride forward.

If the Assembly and state Senate Democrats and Christie successfully work together, we could also be a model for bipartisanship everywhere, after the pathetic attempts of bipartisanship in Washington so far in the Obama administration (which consist of the Democrats watering down the legislation to suit Republicans who block it anyways).

Ever since I can remember, we've been a partisan society. And frankly as partisan as I am, I'm sick of the bickering and would love more civility in politics. I came of voting age while the Republicans in Washington were trying to impeach a president because of his sex life. More than a decade later, the Republicans are still making the same pathetic attacks on a Democratic president. This time they're listening to the Glenn Beckkks of the world and comparing him to everyone from Hitler to the Joker-- yes the Batman villain.

Across the country statehouses need to show the pundits and politicians in Washington how the two parties CAN work together. New Jersey has the golden opportunity to become a leader to show the country and 49 other states how it can be done. I'd love to see this happen and our reputation change.

I really should not be judging Christie yet as he has yet to take office. Maybe what Trenton needs is a change in administration. As you can tell from the language of this post and the last, I am still not sold on everything. Someone please try and sell Chris Christie to me.

the case for fighting Chris Christie

Before I start, again I must mention other matters. However this one is a positive note. My previous post on marriage equality was featured on Blue Jersey's "quick hits" list yesterday (and it's still up there today), and I wanted to thank "Hopeful" on Blue Jersey for sharing my blog. It means a lot to me to see this little blog start to gain some traction. I'm still debating on whether or not to focus more on national issues, as I did before, or state and local issues, which ultimately matter more to me (and anyone) than national ones. I'll probably keep it a mix. If you have a preference one way or another, let me know in the comments.

The subject of my latest poll is one that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I still have very mixed emotions on how we as a party should handle Chris Christie. There are two strategies that the Democrats can take-- we can either work with him or fight him. I'm going to argue for fighting him today-- maybe for working with him in a subsequent post. If you disagree on this, as Rachel Maddow would say-- talk me down (in the comments).

The case for fighting him is rather simple and the Democrats already has a blueprint to work from. Even though in Washington, the Republicans have minorities in both the House and Senate. President Obama chose to emphasize bipartisanship after a very nasty campaign in which the opposition went as far as calling him a terrorist (and to this day continue to use such divisive tactics which endanger his safety). In the year since he's been elected and the 10 months since he's taken office, the Republicans have had a say in the legislation that's come to his desk. In the stimulus bill, there was a good chunk of tax cuts (a Republican idea) in the bill. Yet how many Republicans voted for the bill? None in the house, and three in the senate (one of who has since became a Democrat). The health care legislation in Congress (that passed the House Saturday night-- I am sure there will be more on that coming) is loaded with compromises. Hell the public option *IS* a compromise on the original progressive idea of single payer. And that's being watered down.

Of course fighting Chris Christie does have some drawbacks. The issue is CAN we Democrats as a party fight him? First of all in order to engage in a political fight, one must have a spine. With the exception of guys like Alan Grayson (D-FL), the Democrats in Washington do not show any guts. This has been a problem since they regained Congress in 2006. It's now so bad that when a Democrat does "grow a pair" it makes the news. Until recently, I have not paid much attention to the Democrats in Trenton. Locally we have no Democratic representation in Trenton. However the Assembly Democrats recently started to use Facebook and Twitter, so I'll be able to keep an eye on them that way. If we have a party of Alan Graysons in Trenton, we can fight Christie. If we have a part of Harry Reids, we can't.

Chris Christie is not exactly coming to Trenton with a clean slate. As a Bush US Attorney who kept his job, he took orders from Karl Rove to prosecute Democrats for political reasons. I was not living in NJ at the time, but when Senator Robert Menendez was up for re-election in 2006, Christie brought corruption charges against him that were mysteriously dropped after the election. Christie has already gone on record saying he would love to replace Senator Menendez (who is not up for re-election until 2012). I just hope that the Democrats in Trenton give Christie a taste of his own medicine.

If the Democrats win this fight, we have a victory-- a one-term governor. Christie knows that the great Newark mayor Cory Booker is waiting in the wings, and could energize the Democratic base to get to the polls the same way that President Obama did.

why marriage equality matters in new jersey

All year, there has been rumors that New Jersey could be the next state to pass marriage equality. Governor Corzine already said that he'd sign a bill in favor of marriage equality. Now the clock is ticking and we need to get this done fast because Chris Christie opposes marriage equality just like his party's platform.

People often wonder why I am fighting for marriage equality. As a straight woman, I have no dog in this fight, and many would sit back as a spectator. Many don't even care until legislation affects them personally. This does not affect me personally. Sure I'd like to get married someday (not sure if that will happen though-- I'm not exactly getting any younger), but no matter where I go, it will be legal for me to get married. That's not the same for my gay friends or family members, and I'm ashamed of it. Why should I enjoy rights that others can't? There's something fundamentally wrong with it.

People argue that marriage equality is wrong because it redefines the "traditional marriage" of one man and one woman. Yes those marriages have been around for centuries, even millenia. However in the past (and present), teenage girls are forced to marry men more than twice their age, polygamy is still practiced (even right here in the United States). And many churches have been the most vocal opponents of marriage equality, and often fund the campaigns against it. Funny how the Mormon church opposes marriage equality, yet it's fundamentalist sect practices polygamy. All the time, churches will deny a couple the right to get married, and IMO that's perfectly fine. City Hall should not have the right to deny two consenting adults the right to get married.

Maine also let me down last Tuesday by voting down marriage equality. The bright spot is that younger voters (under 35) tend to overwhelmingly support marriage equality, and over time the older voters (who oppose it) will die off. The problem is that the younger voters don't often get to the polls. I really don't want marriage equality on the ballot in New Jersey-- this is why we must pass it before Corzine leaves office.

If you're willing to join me in this fight, it needs to be done like yesterday. There are three major things that you can do to help. Unfortunately some only apply to New Jersey residents.
1) Send a handwritten letter to your two assembly members and one (state) senator telling him/her why you support marriage equality.
2) Call your assembly members and state senator on a daily basis urging him/her to vote for marriage equality.
3) Tell your friends and family in New Jersey to call and/or write their legislators about marriage equality.
4) Volunteer-- Garden State Equality needs your help with phone banks, office work, and postcarding to make marriage equality a relaity in New Jersey. If you're in my area, the office is located in Asbury Park, and could really use your help.
5) If you're on Facebook, become a fan of Garden State Equality (no matter where you live) and if you're on Twitter, follow Garden State Equality @GSEquality
6) Put your money where your mouth is. Garden State Equality's trying to put ads on TV and the radio, and currently can't put that many on due to funding. They need your help. Donate online at www.gardenstateequality.org