Reshma Saujani's Book: Pay Up (Or Go Home)

“Motherhood in America is broken, and we need a plan to fix it,” Saujani said in a statement Wednesday. “I wrote ‘Pay Up’ because mothers are tired of being America’s social safety net and working for free. And we know that equity in the workplace will only be accomplished when there is equity at home. I want women to see themselves and their worth in this book and it provides a guidepost on what we can do to bring about change on a structural, cultural and personal level.”

Deep in the archives of this blog are several months of blog posts from when I volunteered for Reshma Saujani's campaign for Congress on the Upper East Side, and Astoria. She has impressive political instincts, not to say amazing intellect. To me it felt like a product launch before the market was ready. Gender is not a statement on Reshma Saujani, it is a statement on the rest of us, particularly men. I am very selective about who I volunteer for. For example, right now my focus is on this dude in Nepal who has never held any office but who I think is going to pull a Macron in Nepal. Dr. CK Raut. When America is trying its best to become South Africa, I think Nepal where I grew up and which has been seeing revolutionary fervor since 2006 just might give the world its most cutting edge democracy.

At the election returns party, when it became obvious she had lost, Reshma Saujani's then fiance Nihal approached me. To console him I said, Bill Clinton lost his first election for Congress, so did Barack Obama. To console me he told me how many times Lincoln had lost!

Might I suggest, a Marshall Plan for women can only be global. There is no other way for it to succeed.

Earlier this year, Saujani placed an advertisement in The New York Times, with co-signers including the actors Julianne Moore and Charlize Theron, urging President Joe Biden to pass a “Marshall Plan for Moms” that called for mothers to receive $2,400 monthly checks for unpaid labor at home. For her book, Saujani interviewed hundreds of women, and also shares her story of “waking up to the notion that overwork is a path to burnout, unhappiness, and rage,” according to One Signal.

Go big or go home!

Reshma Saujani Is Back

Image via WikipediaWell, she is.

Last Friday I went to see the Facebook movie in Murray Hill. Before that I had made a firm decision to not go see the movie. (The Social Network: Before Seeing The Movie) I was going to express solidarity with Mark Zuckerberg. But I was to learn later the entire Facebook team went to see the movie around the same time I did. Fred Wilson and I call it mind meld. There have been three times so far when Fred Wilson and I have talked about the same thing the same day at our respective blogs independent of each other. (I Gave In: Facebook: The Movie, To Make Sense Of The Facebook Movie, Facebook Needs To Revamp Email Next, Facebook's Location Patent)

On my way back, at the train station, on the platform, as I lay sitting, waiting for the train, a Reshma 2010 staffer walked over to me, former Reshma 2010 staffer. Jay Ko. New York is a big city. It is rare to meet people you know when you are out and about town. Happens about once a year for me.

"She is resting," he said. Oh, okay. (ANTA Convention: Emotional Bath)

I never really turned that Google Alerts thing off. For days it was yet another publication breaking news that "the Indian American woman who ran for Congress lost." Okay, I got that. I was at the election returns watch party, and that was like two weeks ago. I snapped out of it within seconds. Or maybe minutes. Definitely by the following day. Carolyn Maloney is mediocre. That is my permanent impression.

Looks like Reshma Saujani's coming out event was some Punjabi dude running for City Council. At some level she never really woke up from the Obama 08 Democrat From Punjab episode. I took a personal hit when that happened. It just felt wrong. I was the only full timer Obama 08 volunteer in the city at the time. And I am Indian, watch out. (There Is An Albert Einstein On The Obama Campaign Staff) I sent out a missive and Barack Obama personally responded. He said that press release was "stupid" and the work of some lowly staffer.

Reshma has a Punjabi roommate.

The Prime Minister of India is a Punjabi. Barack shall soon meet.

I am in America because Nepal is not safe. America is safe, or so I thought. Bobby Kennedy was no longer campaigning in June. (Competing With Hillary Now)

Politics was not safe, I thought, and so I decided I was going to pour myself into tech entrepreneurship. 2009 was my tech year. (The Dumbfuck Immigration Laws) I was a regular at the Science House MeetUp, not to say the NY Tech MeetUp, which is where I met the Science House people in the first place. Late in 2009 the FBI started sniffing around the Science House. A few months later they were still sniffing around. And I lost it. I am thinking, not now, not when my guy is in the White House. (Obama's Got Momentum: He Could Defy History In November)

Tech was not safe either. What to do?

Only later I read somewhere that Carolyn Maloney's husband had died in Nepal late in 2009. And I am thinking, fuck.

Maloney has been of no interest to me in the five years I have been in the city; until Reshma 2010. She was a mere blip on the screen. She was mediocre. She filled a slot. She was part of the landscape. Hakeem Jeffries, on the other hand. (Hakeem Jeffries: Principled Compromise, Hakeem Jeffries Debate, New York Times: Hakeem Jeffries)

Nepal has a Shangrila image, and rightly so, it has been the most popular destination among Peace Corps volunteers for half a century, but that is only half the story. Nepal is also the poorest country outside of Africa. It only a few years back ended a decade long civil war. Nepal saw the rise of the number one ultra left group in the post Cold War era. Compared to the Maoists of Nepal, the Shining Path of Peru was not much. One of the drug routes goes through Nepal. High level people in the country's army get involved for the money.

I have walked in every part of New York City, and at all hours of day and night.

I am a nonviolent person, always have been. I am a political person, always have been. But nonviolent militancy is still nonviolent. (To: The Ayatollah, Newt Gingrich: Monkeyface)

I am too politically gifted to be wowed by a Barack Obama, even when it is my firm judgment he is going to go down in history as a great president. (I Touched Obama: Babel, Barack) I might not have felt the same intimacy if he had been a pastor or a pilot, but politics I know.

A few days back I read a piece where Osama Bin Laden was seeing a connection between global warming and the recent unusual floods in Pakistan. No politician in Pakistan saw that connection, not that I heard of. When random fires erupted all over Greece a few years back, they arrested all sorts of arsonists with records. They did not know to blame global warming. And I am thinking Bin Laden is a smart guy, just like I thought. He is that other butterfly effect dude on the planet.



And here you have two blog posts from Reshma Saujani. The question I have asked - before ever meeting - is what if she is too racist and too sexist by my extremely high standards? Internalized racism and sexism are still racism and sexism.

Reshma Saujani: Want to Break the Glass Ceiling? Give Young Women a Running Start: the outcome of the 2010 midterms could lead to the biggest reduction of female representation in Congress in over three decades...... Women make up 17 percent of the members of Congress, ranking the United States 68th internationally in women’s political representation ...... in the 20th century, twelve of the nineteen presidents were thirty-five years or younger when they were elected to their first office. ...... nurture and mentor young female candidates who lose their first local, state or federal race and empower them not to get discouraged and to continue to strive for elected office. ..... What progressives cannot do is let Sarah Palin’s Mama Grizzlies define what the female politician looks and sounds like in the 21st century. This country is hungry for female leadership, and as women continue to be the majority of voters, we must take the opportunity to paint our nation pink.

Sarah Palin: Palin 2012: Rogue

Reshma Saujani: Bullhorn: Democrats Need to Fire Up the Fed-Up: we need more candidates running insurgent campaigns to engage communities who feel they do not have a voice. ..... the turnout of the South Asian community in the 14th district primary reached historic proportions. On election day, I saw crowds of Bangladeshi Americans come out and vote who have never participated in a primary election before. Young South Asian girls surrounded me holding my campaign materials, telling me that they too can run for higher office. ...... dropout factory schools ...... The ironic outcome of America electing the first black President is that it energized the right but not the left. ..... For many of us who were moved by President Obama’s historic campaign, we are fired up and ready to go – but the question is, where are we headed?

Reshma Saujani: Blogger

Related articles by Zemanta

• On To Reshma 2012 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani: Top 10 Women To Watch In America (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani: My People's Chief Guest (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Laxmi Saujani: Third Bumper Quarter In A Row (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani Loves America (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

Reshma 2010: A Post Mortem

Image via CrunchBaseI very much stand by this blog post: Positivity, Excellence, Dark Matter.

There are three departments - money, message, organization - and Reshma Saujani is excellent at all three. Reshma 2010 was an amazing operation. I marveled at all the details that Reshma 2010 worked on day in and day out. I marveled at the long hours the Reshma 2010 team put in and still stayed in good spirits. It was an amazing effort.

Maloney won because there is power in incumbency, there is power in raising three million dollars for a primary, there is power in getting endorsed by a former president and two sitting Senators. And a sitting president. And the entire congressional delegation in the state. Maloney is mediocre, not exactly headed for greatness, but she has consistently voted the party line. Party leaders like that. She has been reliable.

But I felt victory was possible. And getting 6,000 votes when you could have won at 16,000, I am calling it close.

Now that the race is over, I am in a small mood to do a slight post mortem. Could we have done a few things differently? I hope this does not come across as Monday morning quarterbacking, that is why I started with words of heartfelt praise.

Social Media, YouTube

I never understood why there was no prominent, direct link from the main Reshma2010.com page to the Reshma For Congress YouTube channel, and why the Reshma bio video was not prominently displayed on the front page itself. Perhaps on the sidebar. We did want TV debates and we were not too happy we got a radio debate, but we did not make enough use of YouTube in the same spirit. I put in a request. Give me YouTube versions of all of Reshma's HuffPo articles. I did not go anywhere with that request. We should have attempted to go viral on Facebook with those videos. Forget Maloney, we should have debated the voters.

Volunteers

Reshma 2010 stayed staff centric. It burned the midnight oil like a tech startup, but it also stayed staff centric like a tech startup. It might have hired perhaps two fewer people and had a much larger budget for volunteer barbecues.

The New Woman Push

Barack Obama did not talk much about race. Reshma Saujani did not talk much about gender. But perhaps she should have. There was a South Asian push, but there was not a similar New Woman push.

Related articles by Zemanta

• On To Reshma 2012 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• 6,000 To 16,000 Votes (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Radio Debate: Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma: Obama's Number One Weapon For November 2010 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• 400 Phone Calls In 5 Hours For Reshma 2010 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

Image via WikipediaI think I knocked on close to 350 doors the final four days of the campaign, 110 on Saturday, and more than that on Tuesday. I must have handed out about 400 flyers on moving trains: Panhandling For Reshma.

Sunday I got to put in three fewer hours than I had planned. I went to a Nepali event in Jackson Heights that started late, and it kept me stuck for more than an hour instead of the "10 minutes" I was promised. Time is different in different cultures. In the Nepali culture, it stretches.

Monday I ran out of flyers about 10 blocks from the office, and it also started raining. I also went to the Hudson Terrace party Monday evening. That might, or might not have been a good idea, but I thought I would give about three hours to Manhattan when I was giving more than 30 to Queens. After that party Reshma invited people to overnight flyering all across Queens. Did I hear "illgal flyering?" I thought. They could deport me on that small technicality, why give them the benefit of doubt? It is not like I ever stopped calling Rangel a monkeyface. I am not yet completely out of my immigration mess. I still have a court date in June 2011.

Tuesday was really something. I woke up at two. I could not go back to sleep again. I guess I was excited. I ran Tuesday on three hours of sleep. And for the most part I was okay. The first few hours were handing out flyers on the subway. I was assigned a subway stop, instead I was working the train, from the Ditmars Blvd to Queensboro Plaza and back.

Then it was knocking on doors for the next few hours. Then lunch. Then I did the subway thing again for a few hours. Then it was back to knocking on doors all the way to 9 PM.

Some of Reshma's staunchest supporters were Muslims. Her Cordoba stand had really percolated. It was touching to me to witness all these Muslim families that were out in force for Reshma. There is nothing fake about a political campaign. You are impacting real lives.

Field Director Megan's mother was in town. She gave me a ride from the Astoria office to where the election watch party was: 932 Second Avenue, The Pressbox. When they called it for Maloney, I protested. I am waiting for my Queens bump, I said. Everybody I talked to who said they will vote for Reshma did vote for Reshma. But maybe we did not get to talk to enough people still.

On to 2012. There's no stopping this train.

Four Interactions
110 Knocks (2)
110 Knocks

Related articles by Zemanta

• On To Reshma 2012 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani: My People's Chief Guest (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• 6,000 To 16,000 Votes (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

6,000 To 16,000 Votes

Do you think Reshma Saujani could move from 6,000 votes in 2010 to 16,000 votes in 2012? I very much think so. I can't wait for the rematch.

Charlie Rangel: Monkeyface
Carolyn Maloney: Radioface

New York Observer
Primary Night: Reshma Keeps Them Waiting, Wondering
Diana Taylor Stumps For Reshma Saujani on The Upper East Side Taylor admitted that it is "very unusual" for her to support a challenger to an entrenched office holder, but said she was immediately taken with Saujani, because "she knows what it is to work," which seemed to be a shot at Maloney, who has spent most of her career in public service. ....... She's smart, she's young, she works really hard and she has opinions about things. We tend to agree on a lot of things— jobs, the economy. She's actually had a job and she knows how jobs are created, she knows what it is to work. She is passionate about education, she is passionate about the economy. And quite frankly at this point the biggest issue we have facing us is jobs and she is really good on that issue. ....... Knowing that Taylor was making this stop with Saujani, Maloney's campaign flooded the area with supporters of their own, making for a crowded sidewalk and some grumbling among harried commuters. ..... "All politicians are fucking liars," shouted one man at Taylor as she tried to hand him a palm card for Saujani. ....."Except for this one," said Taylor.

Related articles by Zemanta

• On To Reshma 2012 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Okay, So Maloney Has Been A Democrat, And A Woman (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Debating Is Not About Media Attention To Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Charlie Rangel: Monkeyface (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• MyFoxNY: Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• The Brian Lehrer Show: Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Carolyn Maloney's Newest Lie (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani And The Chris Matthews Band (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Joke Of The Day: Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

On To Reshma 2012

Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Reshma Saujani: they all lost their first congressional races. Bill Clinton went on to run for Attorney General. Barack Obama went on to run for the US Senate. Reshma Saujani has the comparatively modest goal of running for the same seat again in 2012.

Barack Obama lost to Bobby Rush. That makes Carolyn Maloney the White Panther. Bobby Rush also did the radio debate thing like Carolyn Maloney did. Incumbents love FDR.

Reshma Saujani is the most amazing politician I ever met. That has not changed. She gave just the most amazing speech at the election watch party last night. Here was someone who deeply, deeply cared about her team, and it showed.

There is something about running for the first time. I showed up in America and I ran for Freshman Class President. Everyone else got more votes than me. I was not trounced. I was not even mentioned anywhere. Five months later I had got myself elected student body president. Forget Class President. And this was in the Deep South, Bible Belt, white country.

Corey Booker ran for Mayor. He lost. He ran again. He won by a landslide. Eliot Spitzer ran for Attorney General. He lost. Then he started going all over the state, attending every little political event by every little political club, collecting names and contacts. He ran again. He won by a landslide.

"Today has been the best day of my life," Reshma said. This woman is very much at home on the campaign trail. This is a political animal.

"You are still very much invited to the ANTA Convention as Chief Guest," I said to her. Take 10 days off, and you are right back on the campaign trail. How about that?

Reshma Saujani: My People's Chief Guest

I am going to show up for the ANTA Convention in my Reshma 2010 uniform all over again. The pride will never go away. This is just the beginning. Reshma's best political days lie ahead.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Radio Debate: Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Bill Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani: My People's Chief Guest (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Obama Needs To Ride The Reshma Insurgency Wave To November Victory (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Barack Obama Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Debating Is Not About Media Attention To Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Okay, So Maloney Has Been A Democrat, And A Woman (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• One Detail Missing In AP Article On Reshma (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• The Brian Lehrer Show: Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Hillary's Support For Reshma Can Not Be Spinned Away (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

Reshma Saujani: My People's Chief Guest

Over the weekend, ANTA - Association of Nepali Teraian in America - endorsed Reshma For Congress. Teraian is another word for Madhesi. We are the Indian origin people in Nepal. We don't have it as bad as Uganda or Sri Lanka, but it is half way there. Things should get better for us after we secure federalism, which is what we are working towards right now.

Madhesi Self Hate

Buddha was born a Madhesi. (Please Fund My Work For Iran Democracy: Email, Larry Ellison)

I am the person who launched ANTA in New York Metro, but I never became a member or office holder. I try to stay away from the gross inefficiencies of ANTA as an organization. I focus on the hard core political. ANTA also does the social, cultural stuff. I have put some major digital, political work for the global Madhesi cause. That's been my turf.

Dr. Binod Shah is president of ANTA. He is a family friend. We share the same hometown in Nepal. His elder brother and my uncle have known each other a long time. Dr. Shah is a medical doctor based out of Scarsdale like Al Wenger. (What Are You Doing Monday? Come Meet Al Wenger) Dr. Shah owns some real estate on the Upper East Side. That is his direct connection to District 14.

I stayed in Binodji's home for a few weeks after November 8, 2008 until I started missing New York City bad, and I moved.

ANTA had John Liu as the Chief Guest at its first ever Holi event back in February. (Happy Holi) ANTA has now invited Reshma Saujani as its Chief Guest for its first ever convention on September 25. It is an all day event, lunch, dinner included, but the Chief Guest is not expected to stay the entire time. Madhesis from as far as England and Texas are showing up.

Dr. Binod Shah has pledged to email and call a whole bunch of Indians in New Jersey and a whole bunch of Indian doctors in the Bronx for Reshma 2010.

Related articles by Zemanta

• New York Observer Endorsement: Reshma 2010 Now Unstoppable (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma's Afghanistan Remark And The Wise Guys/Gals At FireDogLake (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• DNAinfo.com: Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani On NY1: The Big Moment (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• September NY Tech MeetUp Needs To Feature Reshma Saujani (technbiz.blogspot.com)
• Russell Simmons For Reshma Saujani (observer.com)
• Reshma 2010: Digital Volunteering: Some Tips (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani: New Solutions To East Side Problems (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Laxmi Saujani: Third Bumper Quarter In A Row (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani Loves America (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

Four Interactions

Image via Wikipedia110 Knocks (2)
110 Knocks

1

In search for the first door on my first map, I walked the wrong way yesterday, and ended up in this small park. I said hello to some people. I really got into a conversation with this woman. She was a senior, retired. She said she came over from Greece. "We are not from here." I asked a few questions and mostly listened to her talk. She had some very strong feelings about senior issues. These conversations are so important. Otherwise if your only knowledge on the issues comes from policy papers, they become abstract. You end up with a slight disconnect. She said she had sat on all sorts of committees while she was still working. She was friends with many local labor leaders who she pledged she will talk to on behalf of Reshma. Oh, her? I saw her on TV, she said about Reshma. She was referring to Reshma's NY1 appearance. I got her to promise she will get 10 people to vote for Reshma.

2

A young man answered the door. The name was Anglo, the face looked Indian, but I did not ask. After a brief talk, I said okay then. I walked down the steps. The father opened the door. That was my son, he said. As in, you talked to my son, you did not talk to me. This family was from Madhya Pradesh in India. The guy started talking in Hindi. He was brimming with pride in Reshma's candidacy. I said, call all your friends all over America. Those who can't vote can donate.

3

This was a housing project building. So I was trying to punch the numbers hoping someone will open the door. This kid half my size, obviously less than 10 years old, walked over and just stared at me like, duh. The door is open, he said and gently pushed it. See this tape? The door does not lock. I knew I was talking to the wise guy of the building. I went in, knocked on a few doors on a few different levels. On my way out I just assumed the door is open, so I pulled. It was not open. That kid appeared mysteriously to my side again. He had that duh look again. You press this button, he said, and pressed the button.

4

When I felt like I was half way done, I decided on a soda break, and went to sit in this small park. There were these two women sitting on a bench. I said hello. Ends up they were special ed teachers at the elementary school we could see from the park, this tall building. They were not planning to vote on Tuesday. They got talking about education. They felt passionately about small classroom sizes, additional funding, and arts and music for kids. They reminded me of the senior in that other park, only these were teachers talking about teacher issues. They promised to vote for Reshma and get about 10 others to do the same as well.

I knocked on 110 doors yesterday. I did not meet one person who told me they were voting for Maloney. I came across maybe four Schneiderman for Attorney General flyers - black and white, not color and glossy like the Reshma 2010 ones - but other than that I did not come across any political literature from any candidate for any office.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Reshma's Afghanistan Remark And The Wise Guys/Gals At FireDogLake (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Gandhi, Reshma And Tornadoes (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Uptown Upstart (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani Loves America (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Maloney Reshma Radio Debate Aftermath (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Randi For Reshma (technbiz.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Featured On Rediff Property (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

110 Knocks (2)

Image via Wikipedia
Saturday I showed up at the Astoria Reshma 2010 headquarters after lunch. Reporting for duty, Sir! Or, rather, Ms. I reported to Lwiza.

When staffers compete over you - work my turf, work my turf, work my turf - you know you are smoking it as a volunteer.

Lwiza first game one map. I told her I had plenty of time. I was going to stick around for as long as it takes. So she gave me three maps. I ended up knocking on 110 doors. This was just the best canvassing I have ever done, like ever ever ever. The best part was working the housing projects. These housing projects were the exact opposite of their movie images. You could actually see little kids playing around on the green lawns between buildings.

I said to Lwiza before heading out, when I was a kid, and when somebody ran, and I needed to catch that person, I would go after that person, and I would send another kid to run around the building from the other side. You guys are already making the phone calls, and knocking on doors. Let me just go talk to people wherever I can find them, in stores, on the sidewalk, parks, wherever. She said no. We have a list of potential voters, and I need you to go talk to them specifically, she said. I said okay. She said she had already flooded the stores with Reshma 2010 literature.

But I did a little of both. I did everything she expected me to do. I knocked on every single door she asked me to knock. But I also talked to some random people in some random places. The two best ones were in two small parks.

The first one was this senior woman, she had seen Reshma on TV. I kept meeting people who had seen Reshma on NY1. That NY1 appearance by Reshma has been the turning point for the campaign, I think. Ends up this woman had sat on all sorts of committees while she was still working. She said she had friends among local labor organizations. I asked her to get 10 people to vote for Reshma. She said fine. After I left I had regrets. I should have asked for 20, I thought.

The second such talk was in another park when I felt like I was half done knocking on doors, and I took a small soda break. I found myself talking to these two elementary school teachers. These two women were special ed teachers. They said they were not even planning to vote on Tuesday, but now they were going to vote for Reshma. I got them to also promise that they will get 10 others to do the same as well.

The idea is that if one person will talk to 10 people, those 10 might talk to five each on average without even being asked to.

When I got back Lwiza had vitamin water for me. For me vitamin water is acquired taste. I learned to drink vitamin water when I showed up to make phone calls at the Reshma 2010 headquarters.

There was tremendous energy in the office. You could sense this quiet confidence among everybody. These people were plugged in all the way to midnight. And they come back to work early in the morning.

Reshma 2010 has felt like a tech startup to me from day one. It sure acts like one. Tech startups are known to burn the midnight oil.

I am going to keep showing up day after day. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. I am going to the Hudson Terrace party Monday evening.

In knocking on doors for Reshma 2010, I am rescuing myself. Slowly but surely my atrophied social muscles are building back up.

110 Knocks

My personal plan is to raise 150K plus to do Iran democracy work. Third World dictators are my absolute favorite things to hate on this planet. Do the work, win the Nobel Peace Prize.

"I need the money," like Russell Crowe says in a movie.

I already did Nobel quality work in 2006, but they did not "get" it. Maybe after they see a repeat in Iran, they will "get" it. (Iran: A Brief Survey Through Time Magazine)

Russell Crowe - The Cinderella Man: "What the hell, I'm a working man," the former champion explained today. "I worked as a longshoreman before I was a fighter, and now I need the money, so I'm working again. I always liked hard work; there's nothing wrong with it."

Related articles by Zemanta

• Recruited 60 For Reshma 2010 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• New York Observer Endorsement: Reshma 2010 Now Unstoppable (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma: Obama's Number One Weapon For November 2010 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• A Few Hours At The Reshma 2010 Headquarters (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Assigned To The Astoria Office (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Iran, Obama 2010, Reshma 2010 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Arthur Schwartz, Jeff Kurzon, Reshma 2010 (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Shifting To A Major Iran Focus (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma 2010 GOTV: What Does It Entail? (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Iran, Iran, Iran (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

110 Knocks

September 13 Hudson Terrace Party: Young Professionals For Reshma

September 13, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Hudson Terrace
621 West 46th Street
Between 11th and 12th Avenues
New York, NY 10036

Bill Clinton Endorsed Maloney, Or Did He? Read Carefully

What Bill Clinton Said

The first bill I signed into law as President was the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993. Carolyn Maloney voted for it.

What Bill Clinton Really Said

Carolyn Maloney is someone who will fall in line. She is a pretty reliable Democrat. She is a checkbox Democrat. She is no leader, if that is what you are looking for, but she is not one of those who give you a hard time voting for what the rest of the party is very willing to vote for. That is an A on reliability.

What Bill Clinton Said

(S)he recently introduced a bill that would expand this act to include LGBT employees and their partners. That is how you effect real change— by figuring out how to build upon the progress we've made as a nation.

What Bill Clinton Really Said

Carolyn Maloney has not done dazzling work on gender. There is no pre-Maloney, post-Maloney thing on gender. She has been unremarkable, pretty much. But I don't think this is a quest to demolish Maloney and put in her place Reshma Saujani. If Reshma Saujani wins, she is going to have to build on some of the good work Maloney and others like Maloney have done. These early women have laid down the foundations. Women in future will have to build upon that. Reshma Saujani's quest is more to become the successor to Maloney, rather than to displace Maloney.

What Bill Clinton Said

(Maloney) passed anti-rape legislation .... (Maloney) succeeded in getting mammograms covered by Medicare

What Bill Clinton Really Said

See, I told you. Maloney has done some work for women. Women in future are going to have to build upon Maloney's work. What Maloney has done is not the total package, it is not a complete package, it is rather piecemeal and haphazard, but it is what it is.

What Bill Clinton Said

with all the work she's done on financial issues.

What Bill Clinton Really Said

Look, both you and I know Maloney will bite the arm if you will give her a finger. She has been trying to take credit for all the financial reform work that has been done by two chambers of Congress these past few months, but this is election season, and she is facing a tough primary fight. I think she is entitled to take a little more credit than is due hers. What the heck, politicians do that all the time. Don't fault the woman for what is pretty mainstream behavior.

What Bill Clinton Said

As a father, I want what's best for my child and someday, her children. Decades from now, we will all still be reaping the benefits of Carolyn's extraordinary work.

What Bill Clinton Really Said

My daughter has never heard of Carolyn Maloney. But then she likes rap music too. It might be generational. I asked her, and she was wondering if Carolyn Maloney was one of our family friends from back in Arkansas. Carolyn does have a North Carolina accent, but that is not why Chelsea asked.

If you ask me, Carolyn Maloney is "maxed out" like the New York Daily News said, or was it the Observer? It is hard to keep track of New York newspapers, there are so many of them. I am from Arkansas. We like to keep it simple, one newspaper per town.

I was going to stay neutral. Reshma Saujani did raise a lot of money for Hillary 08. But Maloney kept bugging me. So I finally relented, and asked my staff in Harlem to prepare a little something. I said email. You know I don't send out emails. That just is not who I am. I am a robocall guy. So if Maloney is telling you I sent out an email on her behalf, she could not be telling the truth.

But what the heck. She reminds me of Clinton 92, and that is just the sweetest memory. And so I asked my staff to prepare a little something for her. With all the insurgency that is going on, she will likely not win, but September 15 is another day. You bet I will be placing a call to Reshma Saujani first chance I get. I am going to start the talk by saying thank you for all you did for Hillary. Yeah, I know. I read that power shoes story in the New York Times. These women are from a different planet. They speak a different language. It is code to guys like me.

Chelsea wants to come out for Saujani. And I am trying my best to not let that happen. How will that look? Father is for one candidate, the daughter for another? So far so good.

Just between you and me, Chelsea does NOT relate to Maloney. At all. So for anyone, even me, to say Chelsea's children might connect any dots going back to Maloney, I don't see that happening. But this is election season. The emphasis is not on accuracy, at least not for my and Carolyn's generation. We peaked out politically in the 1990s. Bush was an anomaly.

Chelsea and Hillary have both been ganging up on me. Hillary says if she were not Secretary of State, she would outright endorse Reshma Saujani. But since it is not legal for her to endorse, she did the shoe thing.

My mother, though, if she had been around, I think she would have sided with me. It is a South thing. Maloney has just the accent. But truth be told, I am not for Maloney either. Sitting and former presidents don't have the luxury to not endorse an incumbent. I mean look at my man Barack. He kept Maloney dangling on the 9/11 health bill. He is feeling like Maloney is taking too much credit for finance reform. So he left her dangling. But he did endorse her first, back in April. It is not like he had the option to not endorse her. But then now he has gone and undercut her. He has pulled the rug. I understand politics speak. By now Barack is neutral, if not tilting Saujani.

And if you watched Reshma Saujani on NY1, I am neutral too. But it takes some political sophistication to be able to read that. (Bill Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani)

Barack is pissed Maloney is taking too much credit for finance reform. Hillary is pissed Maloney is taking too much credit for the work on the health of the 9/11 first responders. My man Charlie Schumer is pissed Maloney is taking too much credit for the Second Avenue subway line. Now that is one trick I would like to learn from Maloney. How do you take credit for something that does not even exist? I am pissed Maloney has tried to take too much credit for my Family Leave Act. "We all worked together," Maloney says to me about my Family Leave Act.

So far Maloney has not taken credit for anything Bloomberg has done. How does Bloomberg do that? Barack, Hillary, Schumer and me, we would all like to know how.

What Bill Clinton Said

Carolyn is what I call a "how" politician

What Bill Clinton Really Said

All my grey hair aside, I am still a politician. Don't you call me no philanthropist! I feel like I am entitled to at least one lie in one email. And this is my lie. The truth is Carolyn Maloney has no clue how Congress works. Look at the woman's record. She says she has authored 70 bills. We all know what that means. Her staff authored those 70 bills. It is not like Maloney went to Yale Law School like me, and Hillary and Reshma Saujani. She does not know how to author bills. Of those 70 bills, three passed. If you can't connect the dots there, let me tell you in plain English. That is NOT good. That is NOT a good record.

When I say Carolyn Maloney is a HOW politician, that is an inside joke in Clintonland. Once Carolyn Maloney was overheard saying on the Hill: "People keep passing bill after bill. How?" That is when James Carville decided on that nickname for her, that Maloney is a HOW politician.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Okay, So Maloney Has Been A Democrat, And A Woman (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Carolyn Maloney's Newest Lie (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Carolyn Maloney Is No Mother Teresa (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• The Brian Lehrer Show: Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani On NY1: The Big Moment (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• The Debate Format (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Yes, Maloney Is A Crook (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Carolyn Maloney: Feeling Ugly? (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Bill Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)

Reshma's Afghanistan Remark And The Wise Guys/Gals At FireDogLake

Image via Wikipedia

New York Daily News Endorses Reshma Saujani, Who Thinks “Afghanistan Attacked Us” By Jane Hamsher, FireDogLake

The insinuation here is that Reshma Saujani is a green horn, especially on foreign policy, and does that not make the New York Daily News an ignorant little newspaper to have endorsed Reshma Saujani in the hottest primary in America?

First thing first, the New York Daily News is not some ignorant little newspaper. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in New York City. Or maybe the FireDogLake people are based out of Utah, and they don't know that little fact.

As for Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden - or maybe the FireDogLake people think it was Saddam - masterminded and funded the most vicious attack on US territory since Pearl Harbor. Not even Pearl Harbor itself compares to 9/11. No attack on US soil compares to 9/11. 9/11 was the first attack of its kind on US territory.

The Al Qaeda did it. Osama Bin Laden was and is the chief of that organization. He was living in Afghanistan and might still be. At the time he was living under the direct protection of Mullah Omar, who was and is the head of the Taliban, and is also on the run. Osama Bin Laden played a key role in bringing the Taliban to power in Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden and Mullah Omar were blood relatives in 2001. The Taliban was and is a regional organization. The Al Qaeda was and is global. The Al Qaeda continues to actively plot against the US. If they have not succeeded on a second attack, it has not been for lack of trying.

After 9/11 happened, the US asked Mullah Omar, the head of state of Afghanistan at the time - today it is Hamid Karzai - to hand over Osama Bin Laden. If he refused, that would be tantamount to a declaration of war. Mullah Omar refused. He claimed he had no knowledge of the 9/11 plot and that the US needed to submit proof that Osama Bin Laden had something to do with it in the first place. Maybe the blog FireDogLake is interested in that parsing of words, but my candidate is not.

It was Afghanistan, it was not Iraq. That was the whole Obama 08 plank, that the US needed to stay focused on Afghanistan and the Afghan-Pak border, that to go into Iraq was to take eyes off the Al Qaeda that never stopped plotting against the US in the first place.

That is why President Obama has increased military presence in Afghanistan but has pulled out of Iraq.

Are you still going to tell me Afghanistan did not attack the US? If the people in power at the time in Afghanistan had nothing to do with it before or after 9/11, they would have handed over Bin Laden. Instead they ran away with him and are perhaps hiding together as we speak. Why?

In The News

Russell Simmons Backs Maloney Foe New York Daily News (blog) (AllVoices.com)
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Reshma Saujani and Me Clyde Fitch Report (blog)
The Main Street-Wall Street Battle: When Will It End? Wall Street Journal (blog)
Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons For Reshma Saujani In NY-14 Primary Brawl By Celeste Katz
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Reshma Saujani have raised more than $4.1M in East Side race for House seat New York Daily News
Economy tops issues in Maloney race YourNabe.com
Scoopy's Notebook The Villager
Incumbents Have Edge In Most Races Western Queens Gazette
Custom Shirts, GPS Dating and Hyperlocal News at the NY Tech Meetup NY Convergence (blog)
Congressional hopeful Reshma Saujani: 'I might not vote' on Election Day if I lose primary New York Daily News
An Insider Running as an Outsider New York Times (blog)
The New York Observer's Primary Choices New York Observer
Murkowski Not Done Yet, Political Mudslinging on Twitter and More in Capital Eye Opener: September 8 Center for Responsive Politics
New York Daily News Endorses Reshma Saujani, Who Thinks “Afghanistan Attacked Us” By Jane Hamsher, FireDogLake
Saujani Harshly Criticizes Maloney in Radio Debate | The Lo-Down NY
Maloney, Saujani Spar in Radio Debate | OurTownNY
Links to Wall St. Become Liability in Primary Races - NYTimes.com By DealBook
Maloney, Saujani Spar in Radio Debate By Our Town
Reshma Saujani Calls Carolyn Maloney a Liar During Radio Debate DNAinfo
The Big Debate: Rep. Carolyn Maloney Vs. Reshma Saujani - Liveblog New York Daily News (blog)
Before Debate, Maloney, Saujani Get Dueling Endorsements | OurTownNY
Good Morning! | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side By ed, The Lo Down NY
The Big Debate: Rep. Carolyn Maloney Vs. Reshma Saujani – Liveblog By admin, Colocation Hosting Pricing
Reshma Saujani: "Afghanistan Attacked Us" Video
RESHMA SAUJANI: YOU GO GIRL! Janet Hanson · 85Broads.com
New York Daily News Endorses Reshma Saujani, Who Thinks "Afghanistan Attacked Us"
Battle For NY-14: Maloney, Saujani Each Get Big Endorsements Gothamist
For Indian-American pols, the “What are you?” test | Gauhar.com By sarmad
YouTube - Reshma Saujani on Israel
Reshma Saujani Vs. Carolyn Maloney On Debating... Again - New York
Daily News Endorses Reshma Saujani, Francisco Moya, Lynn Nunes New York Daily News (blog)
Daily News Endorses Saujani | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side
DN For Saujani To Bring 'New Blood' To NY Delegation By Liz Benjamin, Capital Tonight
Mayor Graham's View: DN For Saujani To Bring 'New Blood' To NY Delegation By Jeff Graham
THE N.Y. TIMES ENDORSEMENT EDITION: AGAINST RANGEL, FOR LAZIO AND MALONEY.. Florida Latin Connection
Daily News Endorses Reshma Saujani, Francisco Moya, Lynn Nunes Cars, Trucks, Motorcycles
Daily News Endorses Reshma Saujani, Francisco Moya, Lynn Nunes

Related articles by Zemanta

• Bill Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Reshma Saujani On NY1: The Big Moment (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Hillary Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Debating Is Not About Media Attention To Reshma Saujani (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Carolyn Maloney Is No Mother Teresa (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Yes, Maloney Is A Crook (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Okay, So Maloney Has Been A Democrat, And A Woman (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• New York Daily News Endorses Reshma Saujani, Who Thinks "Afghanistan Attacked Us" (fdlaction.firedoglake.com)
• The Brian Lehrer Show: Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)
• Radio Debate: Reshma Saujani, Carolyn Maloney (democracyforum.blogspot.com)