MOMocrats and Barack Obama talk...

There are times in your life when you KNOW unequivocably that you are part of something amazing -something that will change the course of your life, something that will change your world. As of late for me that amazing experience has been being part of the illustrious women of the MOMocrats. We are a group of 22 women who are committed to getting a Democrat in the White House in 2008.

Politics has always intrigued me. My father always was the perfect example of someone who did his homework before voted. He read the paper incessantly - both the LA Times and some Filipino paper to keep up on PI politics. My dad always taught me it was an honor to be able to vote.

I've volunteered for phone banks, done precinct walks, gone door to door for candidates and have helped create outreach strategies on the local level, but I have never ever been part of such a powerful group of do-ers. You know the type of women, who just make things happen. The kind of women who squeeze keeping candidates honest in between carpool, before/after work, ballet class, in between client meetings, making dinner and baseball games. These women are serious. Together we know a lot about the issues and together we have pieced together a network that would astound most.

I admit, there are moments that I feel I don't have anything brilliant to add to the conversation. I soak it all in, learning as much as I can from my new friends and mentors about foreign policy, the war in Iraq and alleged power mongers. They have given me the gift of a real political education - one where we teach each other the value of our individual opinions, can agree to disagree and we leverage our "Big girl voices" to make our opinions known. I am more confident and even more clear, that any democratic candidate has got to work for my vote. I am voting for the one who will assure me that that he/she has some real solutions and will be sincere in making the table bigger.

This past week has been a whirlwind. Last month, we collected the questions from Momocrat readers and contributors that we wished ABC would have asked at the debate. We sent them to the Obama campaign and voila Barack responded to five of our questions! Yes, BARACK OBAMA responded directly to our questions - and they were not, "What is your favorite ice cream flavor or Please give us your best parenting tip." They were real policy questions about real issues - the ones we wished our country were focused on. Go to the Momocrats site to check it all out. You'll be impressed, I assure you! Read his answers, ask more questions. Be part of a movement of mothers/parents who are asking our candidates (and all us) to DO more and BE more.

Sheila also muses about raising her multicultural kids at xiaolinmama and SV Moms Blog.