Blog 11 of Top 25 Political Mom Blogs

Favorite Blog Posts

• Saying Goodbye to Elizabeth Edwards and Remembering Dana
• Why Crisis Hasn't Shaken the Bedrock of Japan's Culture of Civility
• Saying Goodbye to Elizabeth Edwards and Remembering Dana

Where I Am On The Political Spectrum

I'm a political and social liberal who tries to rein it in for a mainstream audience; I prefer to influence rather than alienate. Although I'm upfront about my personal beliefs, it's important for me to keep a two-way conversation going. (Nobody has yet been convinced by a shouting match.) When someone is surprised to learn I'm not conservative, I'm actually pleased since it suggest I've achieved some level of objectivity. I frequently cover women in politics and try hard not to be overtly biased against candidates who don't share my views. It's about moving women forward -- not tearing them down.

The Political Issue That's Most Important To Me

Gender equity, but that term encompasses a broad spectrum. If true parity between the sexes existed, there wouldn't be issues like the Walmart sex discrimination suit denied as a class action by the Supreme Court; rape and sexual abuse of women such as the horrors endured by Lara Logan in Egypt or the assault of the maid in the Dominique Strauss-Kahn case; limited access to contraception and family planning services and threats like the defunding of Planned Parenthood; or a Congress that's on average only 16% female. So my political issues include workplace equality, violence against women, reproductive choice, and sexism in politics. If half the decision-makers in both the public and private sector were female, I wouldn't need to blog about women's issues -- I'd be out of a job.

If I Was In Charge At the White House For One Day, I Would...

The United Nations defines 30% as the minimal percentage of women required for government to reflect women´s concerns. Of the 25 countries that have reached 30% or more women in their national legislative bodies in 2009, 22 had applied quotas -- either mandatory or voluntary. With this in mind, I'd do what Costa Rica, Belgium and Argentina have done -- push for legislated quotas which specify that a certain percentage of candidates for election must be women. Those elected officials would probably be in a better position to effect lasting and beneficial changes for women, which is my ultimate goal