Moms Making a Move to Defeat Bush
Single moms are mad, and they’re not going to take it anymore. At least not the mothers of Mainstreet Moms Oppose Bush, a new get-out-the-vote initiative aimed squarely at single mothers living in swing states.
The group, founded by Megan Matson of Bolinas, Calif., is trying to register the millions of women who didn’t vote in 2000 through house parties and letter writing as part of a larger effort to defeat President Bush. The all-volunteer group, composed of several former supporters of ex-Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, is using Dean-inspired “meetups” and online message groups to spread the word about its effort.
“We hope to get just as many single women -- single moms -- out there to vote as possible,” said Candace Kuss of Sonoma, Calif., the organization’s communications director.
The group has helped hold more than 50 letter-writing parties and has sent about 6,000 letters.
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Reading Kerry’s Lips
When it’s your job to talk all day, lip balm can be a wonderful thing.
That’s why Fox Searchlight Pictures sent Sen. John F. Kerry’s campaign about 100 tubes of SPF 30 citrus lip balm this month for those long days yakking on the campaign trail. The orange-and-yellow promotional products advertise an offbeat new movie, “Napoleon Dynamite,” from Fox’s indie house.
The flick’s awkward anti-hero suffers chapped lips, as has been reported about Kerry. And like the presumptive Democratic nominee, he’s into politics, as manager of his friend Pedro’s campaign for high school president.
Fox Searchlight hasn’t heard back from the Massachusetts senator on the gift.
“We had seen an article in The Times talking about [Kerry’s] chapped lips, and we thought that we would help him with that,” said Breena Camden, executive vice president of publicity and promotions at Fox Searchlight.
“Napoleon Dynamite” is playing in limited release (including Los Angeles) and will open nationwide this summer.
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By the Numbers
$2,000 to $25,000: Ticket prices for Thursday night’s Democratic fundraising concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.
100%: Share of the 3,141 U.S. counties from which the Bush-Cheney ’04 campaign has received contributions.
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Duly Quoted
“Presidential candidate Ralph Nader has chosen his candidate for vice president. In a related story, a tree fell in a forest and no one was there to hear it.” -- David Letterman on CBS’ “Late Show” Wednesday.
“Just when you think that the Illinois Republican Party couldn’t get any lower, lo and behold, we figure out a way to do that.”
-- Gary McDougal, former party chairman, to Associated Press. McDougal was referring to reports that GOP Senate candidate Jack Ryan took his wife, actress Jeri Ryan, to clubs in efforts to have sex with her in public.
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Compiled from staff, Web and wire reports by Times staff researcher Susannah Rosenblatt.