I had this sad revelation while the PunditMom family was away on vacation and I continued to stew about the lack of coverage or interest the media and the presidential candidates had when it came to this year’s BlogHer conference, the largest conference of women bloggers in the world.

We are the acknowledged spenders of household income. We’re the demographic that advertisers want.

Exhibit A? The huge Butterball turkey sitting on one of the exhibitor’s tables throughout the event. So they want our opinions (and money) when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, but not on one of the most important presidential elections of our time.

Only two presidential candidates deigned to send representatives to BlogHer, one of them being Elizabeth Edwards. Yet, when it came to the mostly middle-aged white male blogging conference the following week, the media couldn’t get enough and the Democratic presidential contenders were out in full force.

So my question that drifted into my jet-lagged fog when we returned was this:

Are there any real ‘Mommy’ opinion leaders?

If so, our voices don’t seem to be reaching any sort of critical mass. Even the one woman running for President was more interested in attending the Yearly Kos conference and making nice to the white men than she was in meeting with women bloggers. The lone representative Hillary Clinton sent to the BlogHer conference wasn’t that interested in making contact with the bloggers — she kind of hovered in the back of the political discussion rooms. When I introduced myself and told her I had a somewhat well-read political blog, she gave me the cold-shoulder brush-off.

OK, I’m no Kos or Arianna Huffington, but that’s a perfect example of the amazing short-sightedness of the candidates and the way women are viewed in the blogosphere.

So what do we do about that?

Maybe part of the problem is how we, as women, view the world.

We’re great at starting and having conversations. Mulling, considering, sharing. Yet, many times we don’t want to force our personal views and opinions on others. Now could be the time we need to put them out there in the blogosphere and not hold back.

We don’t have to get into a whole big row about it. As women, often we do have a different filter on issues that cover the front pages of newspapers and take up the first minutes of cable news shows. Maybe it’s time to be less reticent and fearful about putting other women off and start stating our case for those views in a way that would make the candidates and the main stream media perk up and pay some attention.

If a few of us put our toes in those political opinion-making waters, would other women follow?

Cross-posted from PunditMom’s Spin Cycle at Work It, Mom!

We are so sorry that we couldn’t be at your cute, little ladies’ soiree in Chicago last week. You know how hard it can be to fly into O’Hare in the summer time — it can really throw the campaign off schedule with those thunderstorm delays.

We want your votes next November, we really do. But right now, there are just so many demands on our time from those farmers in Iowa and the seven people who vote first in New Hampshire, that we really couldn’t squeeze in a few minutes for over 800 women with blogs that reach tens of thousands of other women voters.

Yes, we admit that a lot of us are attending the YearlyKos blogger convention this week, but hey, they’re hosting a real debate for the Democrats! And they’re going to have 1,000 bloggers, not just 800 and change. So that really is a different story.

Oh, and, well, we realize the YearlyKos is meeting in Chicago just like yours was, but when we checked our travel schedules, we saw we had to make a stop there this week to visit our grandmas anyway. So hey, what’s a few more minutes here or there.

We sure hope that you ladies will find it in your hearts to support us, because we really do think you’re swell. Please don’t take it personally that we couldn’t be there with you or that only Edwards and Clinton could be bothered to send a representative at all. After all, we know we can count on you anyway, and we want to spend our time with the “serious” political bloggers.

So you all run along now and have a nice time basting that Butterball Turkey you won at BlogHer while your kids are eating those Jello snacks they were giving away. You just leave the complicated business of selecting the next leader of the free world to the professionals.

Sincerely yours,

The Democratic and Republican 2008 Presidential Candidates

I was merely trying to do some oenology research for my other very important blog!

Thank goodness, Mrs. Chicky, wasn’t there — we would have needed MUCH more wine!

(Sorry — I stole the photo from LawyerMama!)

Oops! I almost forgot!

Tell me your “story” from blogger that you deny, and I’ll pick one at random when I get back from vacation (after 8/12) to receive one of the swag copies of I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, from those great women at sk*rt!

Trust me — what happens at BlogHer, stays at BlogHer (and at PunditMom)!

It wasn’t difficult for Cooper Monroe and Emily McKhann, two activist bloggers who were behind the been there clearinghouse to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, to figure out that if major advertisers like GM, Dove, Yahoo and Google are interested in a conference where close 1,000 women bloggers will be, that we, as a group, could also have significant influence on the major political issues in the next election.

The winner? Global Health.

A pretty significant issue for a whole variety of reason, especially when it comes to the whole health insurance coverage question.

But who is going to find out about this amazing effort to lead the way on gaining attention for and promoting solutions for the myriad health care issues we all face when no one from the main stream media shows up to cover it?

If we blog about health care and no one covers it, do we make a sound?

It didn’t occur to me that there was no one there really covering BlogHer — 800+ (mostly) women bloggers working together to be more politically savvy — until someone mentioned that the YearlyKos convention is going to be held this week, as well.

So I did a news search for the BlogHer conference — there were no major media stories that reported on this historic event. There’s a Yahoo Tech entry, some press releases and a mention in the Orlando Sentinel from another woman blogger.

For YearlyKos? Plenty of stories, including ones in the National Journal, the Washington Post, MSN, FOX News and the New York Times. That’s what I’d call Main Stream Media attention.

So if the MSM is interested in the political aspect of the YearlyKos and the impact that conference has on political coverage, where were they for BlogHer?

Last year’s Kos Konvention attracted close to 1,000 bloggers, according to the NYTimes. This year, BlogHer had 800+ — doesn’t seem like much difference to me.

So where are they? And why aren’t those reporters clamoring to interview us bloggers with two X chromosomes about our agenda?

A woman with a blog, especially a politically, active and pissed-off woman, is a powerful thing.

MSM — you might want to reconsider before we get testy.

The W Lakeshore was one of the conference hotels for this past weekend’s BlogHer Conference. (WHOO-HOO, BlogHer!)

I’m not sure if I was more excited about the conference, finally getting to meet so many of my favorite ladies in person (I don’t want to leave anyone out, so just check my blogroll and comments — you’ll know who they are!), or the thought of having a hotel room to myself. For. Three. Whole. Nights!

Of course, I forgot I’m getting to be an un-hipster and the W chain is all about hip.

Take this lovely TP cozy for example. All wrapped up and tied in a bow.

Nothing could trump that for all the hotel coolness, right?

Think again.

‘Cause nothing says, “You’re too hip for me,” than providing poetry blocks in the room.

And the bath mat that says, “Step.”

And the fitness room called, “Sweat.”

And the pool called — you know you can guess it — “Wet.”

But, all my fears about being unhip, uncool, and, well, downright old if I am forced to say it, were settled when I met all the gals.

Of course, having unlimited, free amounts of wine in the evenings didn’t hurt, either!

Thanks ladies for welcoming me with open arms into to sisterhood of blogstresses!

TOMORROW!! YEAH! Tomorrow, tomorrow. I’m leaving for BlogHer tomorrow!!

Can you tell I don’t get out much?

Sorry, I’ll get a grip.

Anyway, those gals at Cool Mom Picks who I worship from afar (and hopefully, after TOMORROW, from a-close, but not in any weird sort of way!)

In the spirit of The Great BlogHer Photo Hunt, I wanted to give a quick rundown that could be helpful for accumulating points:

1. I have a pink cell phone.

2. I will be using pen and paper — the laptop is staying at home, so I hope the hotel has a business center.

3. Wine? Did someone say wine?

4. My shoe size is usually a 7, but it varies, so depending on the shoes I bring, you could get points for more than one size!

5. I did get a fresh pedi for the occasion, but I went with red, not black. (Sorry).

I hope to have some great stories, both personal and political on my return!

While I’m away, though, please check out my posts over at PunditMom’s Spin Cycle, The Whinery, the Huffington Post, MomsRising or The Soccer Mom Vote.

Hopefully that will hold you until next week!

So I’m counting down the days until I hop on that short flight to Chi-town and meet up with some hot blogging chicks!

In an effort to get right to the meat of some serious conversations (!), the BlogHer goddesses have come up with the idea of pre-introducing ourselves, but nothing too lengthy!

So this is me in ten seconds:

After a pretty substantial detour through the world of law, I’m back to my writing roots and spend my days freelancing and thinking about how I can stir up the world of politics just a little bit with my blogging. Believe it or not, I was a radio and TV journalist MANY years ago.

Aside from politics, I’m passionate about adoption, since my daughter PunditGirl was adopted from China. We can’t wait to visit there in a few years with her.

I don’t get to spend enough time with my girlfriends, but I’m working on fixing that.

I am organizationally challenged and can’t seem to manage the clutter in my house.

I am trying my best to fill up all the pages in my passport.

Even tho’ I’m a city girl now, I haven’t forgotten my childhood growing up on a farm.

My new mantra this year to people who want me to take on a new project or school-related commitment that doesn’t fit into my “master plan” is, “Just say no!”

So there you have it! Anything else? Ask me on Thursday!

blogme2007