BlogHer - Please tell us: Should BlogHer interview presidential candidates or stick to their spouses? - Comments

Robynsc: On "spouses as diversionary tactics"

Lisa Stone — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:10:50 -0600

Here's another comment I haven't seen articulated elsewhere. Duly noted and thank you for voting! Why would a spouse be offered if there's a perfectly good candidate and a policy positio available, is that what you're saying?

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Prof. Kim: On forums where candidates repeat themselves

Lisa Stone — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:09:17 -0600

Touche Professor Kim. Repetition, pandering and potshots -- the three monkeys of spin alley and television sound bites, on which I've made my opinion clear.

For those of you who did not attend BlogHer 2008, we had groups of 20 or more women develop the four question categories and 12 questions in the Voter Manifesto linked above. The focus on serious policy and leadership on Iraq, the economy, the enviroment and -- above all -- health care was unyielding. This community clearly wants the candidates to dig into these answers. And what's fascinating to me, in my early review of the survey, is that women who took this poll would be happy with video and/or text. We just want a response.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

alyssaroyse, you do make me laugh...

Lisa Stone — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:03:58 -0600

Do I hear a vote for truth serum for all potential First Spouses?!

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Mata, duly noted: "The person whose name appears on the ballot..

Lisa Stone — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:02:47 -0600

"...should have their name on the interview as well."

Thanks for voting!

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Barefoot, thank you for voting

Lisa Stone — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:01:32 -0600

I really appreciate you adding your candid commentary to your answers - couple of thoughts:

I don't think of women as a minority because we are the majority -- of the American population, of consumers and of Internet users! Now if we can just get more of us to show up at the polls...

Couple of thoughts about BlogHer specifically: We work constantly to spread the word that women who blog cannot be stereotyped as interested in a single subject (see our topics list!) or representative of a single demographic -- we're every age, every race, and from every continent on the planet. I do find that techno-savvy women who blog tend to be better educated and better paid than the average American female, but in order to avoid homogeneity, we make sure that every year the grand majority of our conference speakers are brand-new to the conference, and we also work hard to encourage cultural and racial diversity in our speaker and editor recruiting. We feel blessed that a number of folks who attend our conferences have attended before, but in Chicago most had not. And I'm sorry that you felt the identification of blogs created a pecking order -- I perceive it as women trying to put a face to a blog-name and online identity. And I can see why - these blogs are gorgeous and should be a point of terrific accomplishment and pride. :)

Back to what you're looking for from our election coverage: Duly noted that you're anti-celebrity interviewer. I think you're representative of most! 'll blog the other results soon...

Best,
Lisa

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Cindy, Staci, great points about "both"

Lisa Stone — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:52:09 -0600

Thank you for voting.

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

Women as a "novelty voter" block

Lisa Stone — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:50:41 -0600

That's a very interesting observation, Tacomamama, I haven't heard anyone else articulate this point. Would love to know what you think drives it - and here's a link to my favorite site about the women's suffrage movement. You know your history!

Lisa Stone
BlogHer Co-founder
Surfette

I'M NOT VOTING FOR SPOUSES

robynsc — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:12:41 -0600

there is a reason why courts don't allow spouses to testify for or against.

i am voting for president, not first lady (or first gentleman). the media tries to muddy the waters by incorporating everything including the kitchen sink. the only thing that is important is the candidate's views on topics of importance to this country, its citizens and its neighbors around the world. i don't care what mrs obama or mrs romney or any other mrs or mr think about their spouse or about what they think about what their spouse thinks and i certainly don't want them telling me about it.

i want the candidate to tell me what they think about the issues and what they plan to do with the four years we grant them to indulge in the privilege of leading this country.

please don't continue these diversionary tactics. let's stick to the candidates and the issues ONLY.

thanx.

Here's what I'd like to see

Kim Pearson — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:56:32 -0600

We spent a lot of time surveying the community to identify the issues folks cared about. What I'd like to see, more than even appearances by the candidates, is for a group of us to take those issues and track what the candidates are saying about them over time. I started collecting some of that information when I put together this spreadsheet on the Democratic candidates' positions on the issues identified in the Covenant With Black America earlier this year. An effort to track candidates' positions on issues that the BlogHer community has identified as important would be a really good way of drawing attention to those issues, providing depth, and holding candidates accountable. As it is, there are so many forums in which candidates just seem to repeat themselves, pander, or take potshots at the other candidates. I think that we have to do something different to get real substance.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Maybe Rudy's Exes?

alyssaroyse — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 18:20:37 -0600

What is a spouse going to say that is going to differ from the party line. I'm not at all interested in what heart-warming gift so and so candidate gave so and so spouse for their first anniversary. But maybe, just maybe, if I though a spouse would stand up and say, "my husband (or wife, in one case) has a serious problem controlling his ego and cannot, for the life of him, listen to the advice of people smarter than him...." well, that might be useful.

And I'm sure that Rudy's exes have some good info, but other than that, no.

Really, you want my vote, ask for it directly. I won't even have dinner with my friends who have their assistants ask me rather than asking me themselves.... that's just rude.

If the candidates don't think that the votes of 7 million or so engaged, intelligent women who communicate with each other matters, well, then..... i guess our votes don't either.

___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE
make some good news!
www.JustCauseIt.com

Candidates only

Mata H — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:11:44 -0600

Here is the prize : MY VOTE

The prize will not be given to a spouse or a supporter. The prize will be given to a candidate.

The candidate who wants my vote will have the courtesy to show up for it.

When the spouses are up for a legal vote, I'll be happy to interview them. Maybe on a soft news day. Maybe for human interest. But unless they are the ones calling the political shots, why should I care what they say about the candidate?

The person whose name appears on the ballot should have their name on the interview as well.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Sometimes the spouses are inspiring

Morra Aarons Mele — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:12:12 -0600

or at least make us like the candidates better- this article on Ann Romney is pretty insightful, actually: click here- although wow, is Ann romney a throwback:

he has a Web site and an autobiography in the works, just in case the occasion — a general election — should call for one. She has been in People magazine and on the television interview shows. By that measure, she has more in common with Michelle Obama and Elizabeth Edwards on the Democratic side than with any of the Republican spouses.

But she cuts a far more traditional figure, sticking to small talk — in South Carolina, she went on and on about the weather — and personal stories, and putting a contented face on stay-at-home motherhood. She began dating her husband, son of Michigan’s then-governor, George Romney, at 15. (Her high school yearbook jokingly referred to her as “the first lady.”) She converted to his religion, Mormonism, at 18, waited the two-plus years that Mr. Romney spent as a missionary in France, and married him when she was 19.

She spent the first decades of her marriage raising five sons. She taught 6 a.m. Mormon scripture classes five days a week for her sons and other children, and put sesame-seed chicken on the table for her boys at 5:30 p.m., hours before Mr. Romney returned home to Belmont, Mass., a suburb of Boston, from his work in consulting and then private equity. She even went to bed surrounded by her kids, who held searching late-night talks in their parents’ bedroom.

Mr. Romney is so devoted to his wife, said Laraine Wright, an old friend, that when he had to spend a few days in another city for work, he would sometimes fly home at night, just so they could see each other. And once, when a Romney son insulted his mother, Mr. Romney sped home at midday to set him straight.

The seeming perfection of the Romney’s union has led to some eye-rolling, but their claim of total harmony is a bit easier to understand in light of their religious beliefs. When Mormons wed, there’s no “till death do us part.” Couples are actually “sealed” in a ceremony meant to bond them for eternity. One result is that the church emphasizes perfecting, marriages — talking out problems, getting help. “It’s like constant marriage counseling,” said Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp, a religion professor at the University of North Carolina.

Here are my thoughts

barefoot — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 13:41:09 -0600

1. Do you want BlogHer to talk with the candidates themselves -- Obama, Hillary, Mitt, etc.-- or will their families and supporters -- Oprah, Chelsea, Ann, etc. -- do?

I want BlogHer to speak to candidates AND spouses, not supporters. Most of the candidates are men, so what this implies is their wives (women) are not as important. These candidates are NOT super heroes, they cannot be everywhere and do everything, their spouses are the best extension of them. I also believe that people DO vote for the first lady, if you like the spouse there is a good chance you'll like the candidate. The first lady has an important role to play, I grew up with Nancy Reagan's say no to drugs campaign and the hope that with Hillary being a career woman that a new era had come.

I almost answered None to this entire question because BlogHer does not represent every type of woman on or offline. I went to blogher07 and it was clear to me that you better be well networked in this group. It is a hierarchical society, that's why people announced what blog they were from. Not to mention that although blogher represents the largest minority, women, I didn't get the impression it was a culturally or geographicaly diversified group.

3. Are you turned on or turned off by the candidate’s tactics to reach moms (as spelled out below)?
I like efforts like “Women for Obama” and “Moms for Hillary”
I’m turned off by these efforts
Other ____
Not really, it doesn't bother me either way, as long as they don't call me at dinner or knock on my door while I'm changing a diaper we're ok.

4. Do you want BlogHer to interview mainstream media personalities who have interviewed and know the candidates and their positions?

definate NO on this one, not at all interesting, this idea reminds me of E! True Hollywood Story

Thanks for asking, hope you get what you're looking for!

beauty blog: http://steepingbeauty.com
mommy blog: http://pajamamom.com

I am so glad to have found your site

Tacomamama — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:46:46 -0600

I just posted a little rant the other day in my other blog about why I am voting for Edwards, if it matters at all by the time the Washington State primary rolls around. The idea that any candidate trying to reach moms right now would not focus on the economy is beyond me. Every day, I wake up and things cost just a little more than they did the day before, across the board. I don't know anyone with a family who isn't struggling this year more than they were last year. Edwards is the only candidate I have heard consistently addressing the economy, and the only candidate with a history of taking on the corporatocracy in any real way.

On the Blogher candidates issue: As a mother, I am tired of being treated like a novelty voter, more interested in a spouse's chocolate chip cookie recipe than any real issues. As a woman, the thought that campaigns have extended this novelty voter block treatment to our entire gender is both offensive and surreal. When did we wind the clock back to 1920?

I voted for "both" and agree

Staci Schoff — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 12:45:16 -0600

I voted for "both" and agree 100% with what Cynthia said.

http://stacischoff.blogspot.com/

Please tell us: Should BlogHer interview presidential candidates or stick to their spouses?

Lisa Stone — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:28:41 -0600

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Hi everyone,

This headline isn't a gimmick--it represents a real choice BlogHer needs to make in our 2008 Election coverage, and we need to hear from you and your readers to head in the right direction (see poll below).

BlogHer's Election 2008 coverage was created in response to the terrific enthusiasm this community demonstrated while developing our non-partisan 2008 Voter Manifesto, twelve policy questions American women have about health care, Iraq, the economy and the environment.

Frankly, however, our political team is confused by the response of presidential candidates to BlogHer, and to some other organizations and blogs by women. For the past six months, BlogHer has invited seven leading presidential candidates -- Democratic and Republican, we're non-partisan -- to participate with BlogHer's influential, passionate community of now 7.6 million techno-savvy women, who write and read thousands of influential blogs. While our editors, Morra Aarons-Mele and Mary Katharine Ham have made in-roads with the campaigns and we do have another year until Election Day, at this point we've been told no, both in words and in actions, as have some other women's blogs and political groups.

And there’s more -- what really confuses us is that:

BlogHer has not obtained any interviews with presidential candidates. BlogHer has been offered an opportunity to interview two candidate spouses, Ann Romney and Michelle Obama (note: these were separate conversations. More in our action timeline below)

Just this week, two presidential campaigns (Senators Clinton and Obama) marketed new Web sites devoted exclusively to women, even specifically to moms. These are the very women who populate BlogHer's conferences, visit our sites and write the blogs in our ad network. In fact, if they’re trying to reach moms, the majority of BlogHer's 1,100 BlogHer Ad Network members are mothers, and most blog about that parenting experience! (More detail, including their recruiting letters to women and moms in our action timeline below.)

I believe these candidates are missing a key piece of the social media puzzle where women voters are concerned so I'll spell it out here: BlogHer's surveys demonstrate time and again the extraordinary influence of women who blog. According to our most recent survey, 62 percent of our bloggers and their readers have purchased a product based on a recommendation from a blogger and 52 percent have recommended a product to friends online. Presidential candidates – the ultimate product in an election year -- who earn the votes of these women stand to benefit from blogger influence in our communities! Women who blog are an essential and influential segment of the American female population that has made up the majority of American voters since 1964.

So our question is, do we want to be marketed to by presidential campaigns or spoken with? And by whom? We think that if they want to get our votes, candidates themselves should answer our questions in the Voter Manifesto. But only if that’s the course this community supports. So -- could you please lead us in the right direction by answering these questions and asking your readers to help us too by posting this poll on your blog? We’ll take all our votes and our voices on this poll right to the presidential campaigns.

How Should Presidential Candidates Earn Women’s Votes?

CLICK HERE to take the survey questions described below

1. Do you want BlogHer to talk with the candidates themselves -- Obama, Hillary, Mitt, etc.-- or will their families and supporters -- Oprah, Chelsea, Ann, etc. -- do?

Candidates
Spouses and supporters
Both
None

2. Do you want presidential candidates to answer policy questions in the Voter Manifesto?

Yes, on video
Yes, in print
No, the candidates don't have to but the campaign should
No, I have a different question I'd like to ask: (Open-ended question)

3. Are you turned on or turned off by the candidate’s tactics to reach moms (as spelled out below)?
I like efforts like “Women for Obama” and “Moms for Hillary”
I’m turned off by these efforts
Other ____

4. Do you want BlogHer to interview mainstream media personalities who have interviewed and know the candidates and their positions?

Katie Couric | CBS
Gwen Ifill | PBS
Rosie O'Donnell
Mara Liasson | NPR
Oprah Winfrey
Barbara Walters | ABC
No
Other ____________

5. Where do you get most of your news?

Newspapers
TV
Radio
Internet
Blogs

6. Do you have a message for the candidates about this initiative that you’d like to share?

Thank you so much for voting! And to provide you with more information, here's a timeline of the past year and the work BlogHer has done to bring your questions to candidates:

Jan 2007:
-Democratic Senators Obama and Clinton announce candidacies in same week, resulting in a rash of excited election-related posts from blogs that rarely if ever talk politics

May/June 2007:
-BlogHer reaches out to representatives of Democratic and Republican campaigns to invite staffers to speak at and/or to attend BlogHer 2007 in Chicago.

July 2007:
- Clinton and Edwards campaigns send representatives to BlogHer 2007, with 800 women in Chicago. Elizabeth Edwards keynotes.
- All seven Democratic candidates attend the Yearly Kos convention in Chicago, with 1,000 progressive political bloggers. In response, PunditMom blogs "An Open Letter From the Candidates" on The Huffington Post.

Aug/Sept 2007:
- BlogHer is offered interviews with two wives of presidential candidates, Michelle Obama and Ann Romney.
- Rudy Giuliani addresses 1,500 women at the National Federation of Republican Women in Palm Springs, CA; he is the only Republican candidate to attend.
- The Chicago Moms Blog invites the Obamas to a meeting and get turned down, while a sister blogger on the Silicon Valley Moms Blog donates her way into a meeting they have with Oprah.
- Hillary Clinton agrees to answer questions submitted to iVillage.

Oct 2007:
-BlogHer invites Candidates Clinton, Edwards, Obama, (Democrats) and Giuliani, McCain, Romney and Thompson (Republicans) to answer Voter Manifesto questions on-camera, including an offer to fly to the U.S. location of the candidate's choice and be interviewed for 15 minutes by a member of her or his own political party, by either Editor Morra Aarons or Editor Mary Katharine Ham (also of Townhall.com). No candidate accepts.
-BlogHer co-sponsors 10questions.com, a techpresident.com initiative co-sponsored by The New York Times and MSNBC.

Nov 2007:
-BlogHer re-invites candidates to answer Voter Manifesto questions on-camera. No candidate accepts.
-BlogHer members submit questions to 10questions.

Dec 2007: BlogHer re-invites candidates.
-Candidates John Edwards and Mike Huckabee submit answers to 10questions.com. Candidate Ron Paul also agrees to participate, according to the site.
- Sen. Obama tours Iowa with Oprah Winfrey and his campaign markets "Women for Obama" to women bloggers using this email (note: The Obama campaign launched "Women for Obama" in Feb. 2007):

"As part of the Obama for America campaign effort to engage women across the country, the Women for Obama team is reaching out to women's political blogs, seeking ways to bring useful information about Barack, his policies, his record and his approach to leadership to women on line.

"Would you be interested in sharing information about Barack with your readers? Perhaps by linking to our website (www.women.barackobama.com)? Could we send you our weekly e-newsletter, for use in your own blog? Do you ever invite guest bloggers? We would happily arrange for a senior member of Barack's political or policy advisory teams to provide insight into the campaign, his policy proposals, how women are reacting to or affected by the election, etc.

"As background, Women for Obama is a national grassroots network of 20,000 women working in the field every day on behalf of Senator Barack Obama. They serve as the backbone of our operation on the ground by reaching out to undecided women and organizing supporters to play an active role in their communities to help elect Obama their next President. Through organizing activities such as canvassing, phone banks, book clubs, house parties, community donation drives, caucus and primary trainings, fundraising and online outreach, Women for Obama has engaged women throughout this country who are now positioned to make the difference in this election..."

- A few days later, Sen. Clinton's campaign launches Moms for Hillary with this offer:

"Sign up to become a Mom for Hillary and you could win a special Mom's Night Out!

"The holidays are in full swing - what would you want most? A night when you can put up your feet with your favorite pals and have someone throw a party for YOU! You can be that one lucky person who is randomly selected from the first moms who sign-up on the Moms for Hillary website to receive a fabulous - and very unique - prize.

"Not one - but two - former White House Social Secretaries, Ann Stock and Capricia Marshall, will plan and execute a lovely gathering for you and your favorite moms. They will come with a bundle of campaign goodies, including t-shirts, bumper stickers, a signed book and lots of stories about Hillary.

"Holidays are Hillary's favorite time of the year! Let Ann and Capricia tell you all about Hillary's family's special traditions and favorite things! The event will be at a venue and date selected at the discretion of the Committee in consultation with the winner."

Again, please let these candidates know who you are and what you think! We invite you to add your comments to this post, as well as link your blog and any of your writings about our question or any Election 2008 issue. If you are so inspired, we would very much appreciate your help spreading the word about this poll, which you can place on your own blog by copying and pasting this link.

We look forward to your thoughts –

Best,
Lisa

For Elisa, Jory and Lisa

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