So yeah, I’m a little annoyed. That’s me using grown-up words because I’m on my best behavior here. But this one is personal (when aren’t they, you say…)
Many of you know I’ve been working on yet another mystery project for BlogHer. Well, cats out of the bag, as it were…and I’ve been busting my rather round buns on Election ’08.
BlogHer Co-Founder Lisa Stone has a very calm (something I don’t do well) and rational (something I do from time to time) post asking our community what they want/would like to see over at BlogHer for Election ’08. The part in her post that reads:
“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 launches “Women for Obama”:
The parts I highlighted up there? “BlogHer invites, BlogHer re-invites, BlogHer re-invites…” yeah, that’s me. And by “re-invite” it was, Erin busting out her long-ago-used news reporter skills to annoy campaigns. Of course I did a bit more than that too (my technical term here is PRODUCER and Field Reporter) the gist of it is me being told over and over and over and over again how important women are in this election yet being denied over and over and over again by every single presidential candidate running’s email, phone, or email and phone aide type person.
Annoyed. Yes. Yes I am.
We were handing them 7.6 million blogher readers on a golden blogher platter (while using our Butterball potholders, of course) the majority of them the WOMEN THEY WANT TO VOTE FOR THEM and interest by the candidates has been, shall we say…less than enthusiastic. We even offered them hosts from their own parties (Morra Aarons-Mele and Mary Katharine Ham, why YES you DO see them on CNN).
And I wonder why I still have to write about feeling ignored as a woman voter. By being patronized because Obama and Oprah have teamed up. By once again feeling like I was patted on the ass and sent to go cook in the kitchen. They can market to us, sure…but can they just TALK to us? We’re women, we want you to sit down and chat along WITH your stats and stances. We’re WOMEN, we want you to answer the tough questions about healthcare and education AND Iraq. We’re not afraid to talk about the economy and choice. Hell, one of you running is even ONE OF US, and is well aware we are no longer just reading the Style section and worried about whatever it is our husband’s tell us to worry about.
I also know one thing, deep down to my Queenly toes…these candidates will get possibly the fairest interview and most diplomatic handling that is currently on their agendas. Bar None. BlogHer has made sure of it, BlogHer is alllll about it, BlogHer tends to roll this way with EVERYTHING. So not only is this a great opportunity to reach their target demo, it’s one of the safest interviews they’ll ever have. Will we pitch softballs? No, but they’ve seen our Voter Manifesto, they know what we’re asking.
One thing keeps sticking with me throughout this whole, frustrating process-Oprah has 8 million viewers, BlogHer has 7.6 million readers.
We’re a nonpartisan dot com.
Yes, I’m annoyed. And quickly losing faith in this election process. I really want my faith back. I really want to believe.
I’m annoyed. And I’m waiting.
Go take the BlogHer survey. Make your voice heard.
Demand they pay attention. Our questions will NOT be ignored.
I knew I needed your RSS feed in my feedreader, even though I’m not a mommy. I just didn’t know what folder to put you in. So…the Queen of Spain blog has been sitting at the bottom of my list of feed folders, all by herself, waiting to be categorized…slotted…boxed up…
I think she shall remain there, since she is delightfully noticable by me…and therefore I didn’t miss this extremely important post, hidden amidst the thousands of posts that I am behind in my feedreader.
I have a political blog too. It’s an angry-woman-lefty blog. So, I can relate to your post. I have yet to dive in and get involved at BlogHer. I believe it’s time to do so.
Thanks so much for lighting my fire.
That slurps, and is freakishly insulting.
Are they not getting that Oprah doesn’t sweep across the BlogHer lines – as in – you won’t be double-dipping!?
Not even sending in answers to questions?
Maybe you scare them! 😉
Shoot out a list to Kucinich. I love that guy, and he’s all … let’s see, how would you say this? … puffy hearts in love with women.
I’d be running out of energy too – I’m exhausted just READING this…and you’ve been DOING it?
I’m giving you a great big queenie slap pat on the bum. Oh you liked that? Here, let me do it again.
I surveyed.
and I pink puffy heart love you for doing that. It’s been a long time coming.
Shash
I’ve already completed the survey and said my piece there, but I am as up in arms as you are about this whole situation. Ever since I turned 18, I’ve been voting in every election. (My husband, on the other hand, just registered to vote this year after years of prompting from me.) I follow politics with great seriousness and I find it beyond insulting that the candidates think it’s okay to basically ignore 51% of the population. BlogHer is a group of involved, active and independent women who deserve to be heard. Any candidate who doesn’t value that is making a big mistake.
This is intolerable! Thanks for all of the work you’ve been putting in. I’m off to the survey now…
Thanks for all of your work. The whole Oprah thing really annoys me. I feel like her viewers will just vote for Obama because that’s what she said to do. Not because they researched him and stand behind his take on the issues. Keep trucking along. We need people like you!
I filled out the survey, but I’m not as outraged as you are because I honestly believe that dividing issues into genders isn’t helpful. I don’t like the whole “Moms for xxx” movement. To me, it’s a total turnoff. I’m interested in the entire country, not just the women in the country. I don’t think the issues evenly divide amongst gender lines. Healthcare is not a gender issue, it’s a national outrage.
I also think that Oprah and her Obama crush is a serious turnoff for many women (and men). I can’t STAND Oprah, and anyone she supports would immediately be suspect in my mind. She’s too ‘friendly’ with the Scientologists for me to respect anything she has to offer.
I would like to know where you got the statistic that there are 7.6 MILLION Blogher readers. Could you please cite your stats?
The month of October stats were released via BlogHer at 6 million http://www.prnewsnow.com/Public_Release/Womens_Interest/169359.html
Lisa Stone sites in her post linked to above and has told me personal that is up for November to 7.6 million.
BlogHer who uses *Nielsen/NetRatings
and no, I can’t spell…that’s personally and I have no idea why that link is so long. I also have no idea why I can’t post in my usual purple as this is my blog and all…but it wont’ let me
again, wordpress is my enemy
Not to harp on the Oprah thing but I’ve been thinking about it more since I commented earlier. If she can get A Million Little Pieces to be a number one best seller, and later we all find out that the author lied in his autobiography, the fact that she is supporting a candidate is somewhat frightening when you think about what she can accomplish.
Survey taken. Thank you.
I am especially pissed at Obama, since I expected better from him. And Clinton, you’d think…BlogHER after all…
This angers me more than anything ever has. I’m disappointed in these alleged GOP candidates. They really are a “boys club” and I’m sick, sick, sick of it.
SICK OF IT.
I wish I could say it would be easier to be a Democrat supporter, but they don’t seem to care about women either.
I’m with you, disgusted and disappointed however, not surprised. Things just never get better with politicians. Haven’t been here in awhile, glad I stopped again. I’ll take the survey. I/m very distressed at Oprah Think it would been better if she was more subdued about her support. Instead I feel like she’s issuing an ultimatum.
Stay rested.
Dorothy from grammology
call your gram
http://grammology.com
Speaking as ‘guy’ I would say don’t take this as a slam against women. Take it as a slam against “non-mainstream, non-controlled, media outlets.” Honestly, I think unless they have a long-standing relationship with the media outlet (along with an extensive, unspoken list of back-scratching history) they will not talk.
You are a risk. Especially since you are seeking to be bi-partisan. They don’t have any idea if they can trust you.
Now, if you were partisan (moveon.org, swiftboat.org) then they at least know whether you will be friendly or hostile. Barring that, the time of day won’t even be delivered.
Your conservative, male twitter-friend.
Steve
I moved to Iowa and started a print publication called Leading Voices: Iowa because I have not liked the way women have been treated by presidential administrations or candidates for at least ten years. Some information is available at http://www.mrfcomm.com. I also now write for http://www.AroundDesMoines.com. I continue to be stunned by what I learn and observe as regards women’s equality.
I especially don’t understand why Senator Clinton wouldn’t respond, seeing as how she sent a representative to BlogHer last summer to pass out bumper stickers and buttons. Hello, Hillary? BlogHER would like to speak to you! Sheesh.
At DC Metro Moms we tried to get the candidates to meet with us too. We also got the smack down, although we met with Elizabeth Edwards. But we’re much, much smaller. You’d think they’d pay attention to BlogHer. And I don’t buy that they don’t like non-traditional media outlets. Hell, there was a front page story about Obama a few weeks ago and how technologically savvy his campaign is. All the candidates have aides for blogger outreach. (Or supposedly they do.) And most of the Democratic candidates managed to show up for the Kos convention the week after the BlogHer conference in Chicago.
Big mistake. Huge.