MomsRising members came out to the Republican and Democrat debates last week to show the strong support in California for healthcare for all kids. It was a terrific time -- and exciting for this staff person to get some face-to-face time with our fabulous members in CA!

See below for notes from the field and pictures of our efforts!

Outside the Republican Debates Jan 30th, 2008

01/30/08 - Republican Debates in Simi Valley
The volunteers at in Simi Valley were full of energy, fun, and good sports. MomsRising.org was the only nonpartisan organization there and we were told by both of the local print news outlets that we were the most interesting part of the grassroots presence at the Republican Presidential debate that day.
- Lots of opportunity to discuss the issues with fellow grassroots activists.
- Those ONEsies are awesome -- everybody loves to see them, wonders they are about, and wants to talk about it. Couldn't ask for better visual aid.
- I like Los Angeles -- everything feels like it's come out of thin air just yesterday and is already fabulous.

Looking forward to the Democratic Presidential candidate debate tomorrow in Hollywood -- cased the place this evening and can' wait to see the Onesies on the walk of fame :)

Outside the Democrat Debates Jan. 31st, 2008

01/31/08 - Democrat Debates in Hollywood
The Press was everywhere -- I think we got our picture taken by CNN, FOX, ABC, the LA Daily News, LA Times, a host of locals, and (my personal favorite) an interview with Al Jazeera, among others. If yesterday was a whirlwind, today was a hurricane!

We had about 8 volunteers, some with youngin's along, who proudly displayed the Onesies and talked with the public about MomsRising. I think all of them, at one point or another, were interviewed by someone who was holding a microphone and/or camera. We were stationed right at the entrance to the Kodak - along side Spider-man, Elvis, Batman, and a Marilyn Monroe, all of whom were big fans of healthcare coverage for kids! A great spot that got plenty of attention.

In Hollywood, they truly do it big - shut down the whole street to fill it with satellite dishes and onlookers. I'm still recovering from all the visual and auditory stimulation. I've attached a few pictures but know that what I captured here is just a small piece of the action. Yeah!

I watched the debates at the mall that holds the Kodak theater -- sat at the counter and had a little dinner while tallying up the issues with MOTHERS bingo -- I got the whole counter involved in tallying along! Right below us in the mall, the place was packed with people watching the live feed of the debates on a 15-foot screen. Many Obama supporters but a good showing for Hillary as well. Cheers and boos all around - they filled the outdoor mall with democracy at its finest! I've never seen a group of people so engaged in political debate. It was truly a sight (and sound!) to behold.