"Female politicians have risen to new power and prominence...surrounded by reminders of motherhood."

[DeepModem Mom]

LAT: Mom is at home in House, Senate
Female politicians find that talking about motherhood issues reassures traditionalist voters, strategists say.
By Maura Reynolds, Times Staff Writer
January 22, 2007


First stop in presidential run: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) poses with a group of children at a health center in New York City.
(AP)

It probably wasn't chance that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's first public event after announcing her interest in running for president — a stop at a New York health center named for the Chelsea and Clinton neighborhoods — echoed the name of her daughter.

Nor was it chance that the new speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, took up her gavel for the first time earlier this year surrounded by children, including some of her grandchildren.

In recent days, female politicians have risen to new power and prominence. And they did so — deliberately — surrounded by reminders of their motherhood....

Strategists say that talking about motherhood is reassuring to voters, some of whom are still uncomfortable with women in powerful jobs. It also helps create a narrative for their lives that connects them to mainstream and traditionalist voters....

One example is freshman Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who brought her 11-year-old daughter, Abigail, to the Senate floor for her swearing-in this month. Abigail frequently accompanied her mom on the campaign trail, and the story of her complicated birth — and the family's struggles with their healthcare plan — was a frequent campaign theme.

"Being a mom is a big part of who I am. Historically, I don't think there have been enough moms in the U.S. Senate, and I think it was good for mothers across our state to get the sense that someone who understands their lives is in the United States Senate," Klobuchar said recently....

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-women23jan23,0,1827012.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Crabby Appleton]

1. exactly

"Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) poses "

[No Exit]

2. Sadly, motherhood doesn't seem to have improved some women.

Case in point: Liz "Bloodbath" Cheney.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/22/AR2007012201103_pf.html

[LeftishBrit]

3. Or Maggie Thatcher...

poster woman for how NOT to run a country, and how NOT to bring up your son.

[zbdent]

4. Mary Cheney had a strong "father figure" in her life ...

and look how she ended up ... supporting the party that wants her to die a slow, painful, agonizing death by AIDS ...