I
have to start off by apologizing for the misleading title and the shameless
self-promotion of me with one of the most influential (in my book at least) rap
artists of the 90's - a decade of which I am extremely fond. Okay so with that
out-of-the-way, here's the reason I'm babbling about Young M.C.: through a
weird confluence of events which includes a barely understandable cell phone
message I found myself the co-host of a young professional event for my friend
Andrei Cherny who is running for Congress here in the great (and at times
slightly twisted) state of Arizona. But here's the best part: wait for
it...wait for it...the event featured Young M.C.!!! Ladies I know you are
thinking what I was thinking - NO WAY! But in fact: WAY.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

So
I get to the event and if you can't tell from the photo I am about
"busting a move" myself to meet Young M.C. And when I finally did I
have to say he was all I had hoped for and more - smart, polite, funny, real
(and as I found out because I am that nosy, technically single. Although he
seems to be enamored of a particular gal at the moment - but ladies this one is
a catch).

So
here is where I veer off into the point - and it has nothing to do with (sigh)
Young M.C.. My point is that I'm at this political event and it hits me full
force that nothing will make you interested in politics like having a baby
will. I'll admit that before I had children I was awfully one dimensional. I
voted the straight Democratic ticket because I was raised to believe Republicans
were Satan (my parents were hippies, you'll have to cut me some slack). But as
we all know, the minute we have that first baby all bets are off. And I think
that is especially true of moms.

I've
been working in banking and finance for 13 years. Guess what it feels like when
I hear candidates bashing "Wall Street?" I also had been staunchly
pro-choice my whole life. But when those double lines showed up on that stick I
realized I wasn't "kinda" pregnant - and don't get me started on the
ultrasound! Now I'm not trying to influence anyone one way or another but I am
trying to be honest about the fact that pregnancy changes everything -
including how you vote - or at least how you measure your candidates.

All
of a sudden it doesn't matter so much if a candidate has a "D" or an
"R" after their name. What matters is that they are people just like
us who care about what we care about. And here is like the greatest secret on
the planet: during the primaries you get to see these folks up close and
personal. Right now in the election cycle you get to meet these people for
yourself and take the measure of them as human being. There's no spokesperson
between you and them. There's no media force field buffering their voice. At
this fundraiser for Andrei you could have paid $40 and met him and his wife.
And you would have been able to ask him ANYTHING YOU WANTED TO! And you would
have been able to hang out with him and feel how he is an easy-going, down to
Earth, kind, and incredibly smart man. Then you would have met his wife
Stephanie and that would have sealed the deal. Because she is one of us! She is
a strong working mom just like us. Balancing all the ridiculous things that we
deal with every day. You'll never get that from a campaign ad or a soundbite on
the news.

So
I'm begging you: go out and meet the candidates. Find out if they are going to
help keep our school systems strong, and our streets safe, and create jobs to
help stabilize working families - or whatever the heck you are into! But don't
let this opportunity pass you by!

In
the word of one of the greatest artists of all time: "Don't just stand
there, busta move!"