on PolicyMic
Amy Rondinel I didn't know it was possible - GIF overkill! I preferred reading your written piece. :D
Amy Rondinel I think you hit on why inadvertently in your article - the term 'feminism' has a bad rap and I can see why some women may not want to be associated with the extremist side of it. That being said - your mom is a hard core feminist, I mean hard. :)
Amy Rondinel Sam, as a gen Xer, I encourage you to do something that I've learned as a woman maturing over time. Don't apologize or make excuses - "OK, pause. Let me be clear about one thing: As a feminist, I am really not all that radical". There are those who will consider your rational & logical thoughts expressed in this article as radical. In short, you can't control other people's opinion so don't bother apologizing or rationalizing to them. I get it - I'm there with you. But whether people choose to dismiss my perspective because I appear to them as a 'feminist', 'radical', 'liberal', or (god forbid) 'socialist' it's their problem & not mine. They don't know me & if they did, they'd be surprise. Kudos - I continue to enjoy reading your work!
Amy Rondinel Fellow peers, if you haven't read Sam's piece, hopefully now you'll get your chance. http://www.policymic.com/articles/18277/why-i-am-voting-feminist-in-election-2012. Social and economic issues are one in the same for a woman and if you don't recognize that, you're denying what makes you a woman. Oh, and if you're wondering, I don't need to be an angry feminist to believe that - I'm as conservative as it gets when it comes to my personal beliefs.
Amy Rondinel Our parties need to have "constructive debate between competing, feasible ideas about REAL problems". Rachel Maddow, you rock! But I'm sure you're thinking the same thing I am...how long will it take for Republicans to start the fact checking on all her statements?
Amy Rondinel "Many people misread the shift in the electorate in 2008 as an anomaly." I'm sorry...'many' people or Fox News, etc, etc.? In my opinion, the key is to listen to all not just one extremely biased voice when it comes to pulling together an argument. You're forgiven :D
Amy Rondinel You wouldn't gloat? Hmmm...maybe not exactly but am I the only one who caught the following in your piece: "He (Matt) had the foresight to realize that if Obama won, he would not win in an absolute blow out. Matthew believed that if Obama won the night, he would do so by the smallest margin ever obtained by an incumbent president that was reelected. Nice." Condescending much? Yes, Matt did predict the popular and electoral vote would be close - based on FACTS that were out there. Novel idea, right?
Amy Rondinel good catch but spelling errors aren't a huge problem on this forum so I'll take it.
Amy Rondinel To each there own, right?
Amy Rondinel It's unfortunate you've misunderstood my point but I'm not surprised. It's not about right or wrong, or who won or lost - it's about defending your beliefs and passion with valid (macro) arguments. Unfortunately this debate and overall election has shown me the blinders you and many others from both parties have when it comes to discussing politics by leveraging statistics and commentary that support your argument and brushing off the rest. My hope is that this is a lesson learned no matter what your political inclination may be. My takeaway? Business as usual when it comes to our respective parties needs to change and that begins with each one of us. If we don't, we'll only defeat ourselves what we all want - a more prosperous America.
Amy Rondinel "He (Matt) had the foresight to realize that if Obama won, he would not win in an absolute blow out...(and)...would do so by the smallest margin ever obtained by an incumbent president that was reelected. Nice. " Jesse, that's why it's been difficult to take you seriously. I think we were all aware Obama could come close to losing this election but to predict such a huge skew in Mitt Romney's favor was just simply ignoring the facts by claiming they were 'oversampling' Democrats. I agree, "The day we decide that we are above debate...is the day that our amazing republic will truly be lost." I agree with your fervent advocacy in your party and beliefs. I don't agree with accommodating facts with fiction. I look forward to your next piece.
Amy Rondinel Kudos on your predictions being practically spot on! Can't hold it against you for getting Florida wrong (I hope). I read your assessment yesterday but didn't have a chance to comment - in short my 2 cents is what I heard from many friends on FB: when choosing between two evils, you choose the evil you know not the unknown. Not my perspective, but understandably why so many undecided may have leaned Obama's way. The two faces of Mitt Romney was just too blatantly obvious for anyone to ignore.
Amy Rondinel This sums up your arguments exactly: http://gerrycanavan.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/poll_watching.png?w=700. It's unfortunate that your Republican party blind spot makes it difficult to take what you postulate and others like you seriously. With all sincerity, best of luck next time - I look forward to a debate based on facts, not contrived fiction.
Amy Rondinel It's great that you can pose a critical perspective on your candidate of choice. Though I voted for Obama, I could pose a similar viewpoint on the Obama campaign. The core issue isn't the presidential candidates per se but the dysfunctional party system where policies are stalemated based on party lines and special interest groups versus what is best for the American people. It's up to each of us to work within our party of choice and guide them in a new direction that will help move the US forward, not backwards.
Amy Rondinel Finally a valid assessment on how terrible this election season has been on addressing the core issues at hand. Whether Obama or Romney wins tomorrow, we as Americans need to bring focus back to what's important and more than anything, the facts.
Amy Rondinel Fair enough but I agree - you may want to start with satire lite versus insults.
Amy Rondinel LOL I'm sure she was...
Amy Rondinel For those of you who expressed there is no pay discrimination, hope you get a chance to read a fellow PM article: http://www.policymic.com/articles/17512/presidential-polls-2012-as-gender-gap-closes-candidates-struggle-to-learn-what-women-want
Amy Rondinel Concern and confusion exists because there are individuals in power who legitimately advocate extremist and may I add ludicrous perspective on the subject. Subsequently they given power to potentially impose extremist policies. A line needs to be drawn and I'm inclined to support existing policies vs. those being considered.
Amy Rondinel Not dancing....Gangnam Style!
Amy Rondinel " How can we value the young teenage mom over Carson's life? " That's my point-this is not for you or I to decide or dictate; it's between the mother (or family) & child in question. When a women chooses to give her life so her baby can survive, do we step in and protest by attempting to create policies to ban that choice? No, we don't because it's personal. Though I understand that your concern is primarily around the abuse of abortion, where do you draw the line? We've gotten to the point where we have a politician publicly stating that a woman's body would naturally abort if it was a "legitimate rape" hence there being no need for abortion. This may be an extreme example but my concern is the all or nothing approach to abortion policy.
Amy Rondinel All the best to your niece; I am so happy for your family. That being said I agree with Laura. My personal choices however traditional has nothing to do with my advocacy for women's right to choose. Pregnancy can take a significant toll on a woman's body especially the older she gets not just with potential complications giving birth but long term issues such as diabetes, bone density loss, etc. We also know of women who have lost their lives giving birth due to complications. Is a child's life more important than the mother's? Clearly there are cases where women have chosen their child's life over their own but that's my point - it's a choice. In the end it's important to know there isn't one face to story & the story is gray.
Amy Rondinel Thanks for this Sam. It amazes me how so many don't realize the connection between what may be classified as 'social' women issues and economic issues. Oddly enough, 'binders full of women' didn't seem to deter many women to continue to advocate for Romney in a policy mic discussion including some citing there is no pay differential to address. (http://www.policymic.com/articles/16835/women-for-romney-an-interview-with-romney-insider-cindy-gillespie/256009). Despite my personal perspective on women, social and economic issues, I'm still keen to get an answer - what will Mitt Romney do to improve women's rights efforts vs. hurt them which is the only I see happening if Romney becomes President.
Amy Rondinel Add to that a separate but related issue of free education including advanced education (minimally at a lower cost) in most developed countries & the bill keeps adding up. In the US today, women & in turn families are still regularly asked to choose between family v. career. We shouldn't have to & our gov't should be active in minimizing this differential where they can within the statutes of our democracy. If our next president could make it part of his agenda to implement one policy that will enforce a more positive v. negative impact to women, in the long run it will help our economy.
Amy Rondinel If women are working as hard but making less (time is money), are not advancing both in their career & thusly not increasing in salary when they choose to take time out for child care & may not be able to opt back into their careers depending on how much time they take off, then over time it has a huge impact on household income. And it shouldn't be so. The pay differential for women in other developed (& even some underdeveloped) nations is significantly less than in the US. Most nations also have policies in place that allow mothers (& father) to take time off for child care (sometimes up to a year or more), full coverage for hospital stays for giving birth & no loss of job/pay/your place in line when you return to your career. (cont'd)
on PolicyMic
Amy Rondinel I didn't know it was possible - GIF overkill! I preferred reading your written piece. :D
Amy Rondinel I think you hit on why inadvertently in your article - the term 'feminism' has a bad rap and I can see why some women may not want to be associated with the extremist side of it. That being said - your mom is a hard core feminist, I mean hard. :)
Amy Rondinel Sam, as a gen Xer, I encourage you to do something that I've learned as a woman maturing over time. Don't apologize or make excuses - "OK, pause. Let me be clear about one thing: As a feminist, I am really not all that radical". There are those who will consider your rational & logical thoughts expressed in this article as radical. In short, you can't control other people's opinion so don't bother apologizing or rationalizing to them. I get it - I'm there with you. But whether people choose to dismiss my perspective because I appear to them as a 'feminist', 'radical', 'liberal', or (god forbid) 'socialist' it's their problem & not mine. They don't know me & if they did, they'd be surprise. Kudos - I continue to enjoy reading your work!
Amy Rondinel Fellow peers, if you haven't read Sam's piece, hopefully now you'll get your chance. http://www.policymic.com/articles/18277/why-i-am-voting-feminist-in-election-2012. Social and economic issues are one in the same for a woman and if you don't recognize that, you're denying what makes you a woman. Oh, and if you're wondering, I don't need to be an angry feminist to believe that - I'm as conservative as it gets when it comes to my personal beliefs.
Amy Rondinel Our parties need to have "constructive debate between competing, feasible ideas about REAL problems". Rachel Maddow, you rock! But I'm sure you're thinking the same thing I am...how long will it take for Republicans to start the fact checking on all her statements?
Amy Rondinel "Many people misread the shift in the electorate in 2008 as an anomaly." I'm sorry...'many' people or Fox News, etc, etc.? In my opinion, the key is to listen to all not just one extremely biased voice when it comes to pulling together an argument. You're forgiven :D
Amy Rondinel You wouldn't gloat? Hmmm...maybe not exactly but am I the only one who caught the following in your piece: "He (Matt) had the foresight to realize that if Obama won, he would not win in an absolute blow out. Matthew believed that if Obama won the night, he would do so by the smallest margin ever obtained by an incumbent president that was reelected. Nice." Condescending much? Yes, Matt did predict the popular and electoral vote would be close - based on FACTS that were out there. Novel idea, right?
Amy Rondinel good catch but spelling errors aren't a huge problem on this forum so I'll take it.
Amy Rondinel To each there own, right?
Amy Rondinel It's unfortunate you've misunderstood my point but I'm not surprised. It's not about right or wrong, or who won or lost - it's about defending your beliefs and passion with valid (macro) arguments. Unfortunately this debate and overall election has shown me the blinders you and many others from both parties have when it comes to discussing politics by leveraging statistics and commentary that support your argument and brushing off the rest. My hope is that this is a lesson learned no matter what your political inclination may be. My takeaway? Business as usual when it comes to our respective parties needs to change and that begins with each one of us. If we don't, we'll only defeat ourselves what we all want - a more prosperous America.
Amy Rondinel "He (Matt) had the foresight to realize that if Obama won, he would not win in an absolute blow out...(and)...would do so by the smallest margin ever obtained by an incumbent president that was reelected. Nice. " Jesse, that's why it's been difficult to take you seriously. I think we were all aware Obama could come close to losing this election but to predict such a huge skew in Mitt Romney's favor was just simply ignoring the facts by claiming they were 'oversampling' Democrats. I agree, "The day we decide that we are above debate...is the day that our amazing republic will truly be lost." I agree with your fervent advocacy in your party and beliefs. I don't agree with accommodating facts with fiction. I look forward to your next piece.
Amy Rondinel Kudos on your predictions being practically spot on! Can't hold it against you for getting Florida wrong (I hope). I read your assessment yesterday but didn't have a chance to comment - in short my 2 cents is what I heard from many friends on FB: when choosing between two evils, you choose the evil you know not the unknown. Not my perspective, but understandably why so many undecided may have leaned Obama's way. The two faces of Mitt Romney was just too blatantly obvious for anyone to ignore.
Amy Rondinel This sums up your arguments exactly: http://gerrycanavan.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/poll_watching.png?w=700. It's unfortunate that your Republican party blind spot makes it difficult to take what you postulate and others like you seriously. With all sincerity, best of luck next time - I look forward to a debate based on facts, not contrived fiction.
Amy Rondinel It's great that you can pose a critical perspective on your candidate of choice. Though I voted for Obama, I could pose a similar viewpoint on the Obama campaign. The core issue isn't the presidential candidates per se but the dysfunctional party system where policies are stalemated based on party lines and special interest groups versus what is best for the American people. It's up to each of us to work within our party of choice and guide them in a new direction that will help move the US forward, not backwards.
Amy Rondinel Finally a valid assessment on how terrible this election season has been on addressing the core issues at hand. Whether Obama or Romney wins tomorrow, we as Americans need to bring focus back to what's important and more than anything, the facts.
Amy Rondinel Fair enough but I agree - you may want to start with satire lite versus insults.
Amy Rondinel LOL I'm sure she was...
Amy Rondinel For those of you who expressed there is no pay discrimination, hope you get a chance to read a fellow PM article: http://www.policymic.com/articles/17512/presidential-polls-2012-as-gender-gap-closes-candidates-struggle-to-learn-what-women-want
Amy Rondinel Concern and confusion exists because there are individuals in power who legitimately advocate extremist and may I add ludicrous perspective on the subject. Subsequently they given power to potentially impose extremist policies. A line needs to be drawn and I'm inclined to support existing policies vs. those being considered.
Amy Rondinel Not dancing....Gangnam Style!
Amy Rondinel " How can we value the young teenage mom over Carson's life? " That's my point-this is not for you or I to decide or dictate; it's between the mother (or family) & child in question. When a women chooses to give her life so her baby can survive, do we step in and protest by attempting to create policies to ban that choice? No, we don't because it's personal. Though I understand that your concern is primarily around the abuse of abortion, where do you draw the line? We've gotten to the point where we have a politician publicly stating that a woman's body would naturally abort if it was a "legitimate rape" hence there being no need for abortion. This may be an extreme example but my concern is the all or nothing approach to abortion policy.
Amy Rondinel All the best to your niece; I am so happy for your family. That being said I agree with Laura. My personal choices however traditional has nothing to do with my advocacy for women's right to choose. Pregnancy can take a significant toll on a woman's body especially the older she gets not just with potential complications giving birth but long term issues such as diabetes, bone density loss, etc. We also know of women who have lost their lives giving birth due to complications. Is a child's life more important than the mother's? Clearly there are cases where women have chosen their child's life over their own but that's my point - it's a choice. In the end it's important to know there isn't one face to story & the story is gray.
Amy Rondinel Thanks for this Sam. It amazes me how so many don't realize the connection between what may be classified as 'social' women issues and economic issues. Oddly enough, 'binders full of women' didn't seem to deter many women to continue to advocate for Romney in a policy mic discussion including some citing there is no pay differential to address. (http://www.policymic.com/articles/16835/women-for-romney-an-interview-with-romney-insider-cindy-gillespie/256009). Despite my personal perspective on women, social and economic issues, I'm still keen to get an answer - what will Mitt Romney do to improve women's rights efforts vs. hurt them which is the only I see happening if Romney becomes President.
Amy Rondinel Add to that a separate but related issue of free education including advanced education (minimally at a lower cost) in most developed countries & the bill keeps adding up. In the US today, women & in turn families are still regularly asked to choose between family v. career. We shouldn't have to & our gov't should be active in minimizing this differential where they can within the statutes of our democracy. If our next president could make it part of his agenda to implement one policy that will enforce a more positive v. negative impact to women, in the long run it will help our economy.
Amy Rondinel If women are working as hard but making less (time is money), are not advancing both in their career & thusly not increasing in salary when they choose to take time out for child care & may not be able to opt back into their careers depending on how much time they take off, then over time it has a huge impact on household income. And it shouldn't be so. The pay differential for women in other developed (& even some underdeveloped) nations is significantly less than in the US. Most nations also have policies in place that allow mothers (& father) to take time off for child care (sometimes up to a year or more), full coverage for hospital stays for giving birth & no loss of job/pay/your place in line when you return to your career. (cont'd)