PunditMom's Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America [Hardcover]

Joanne C. Bamberger Joanne C. Bamberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2011

Illuminating women's clout and influence both online and in the political realm, this book, by popular political blogger, PunditMom Joanne Bamberger, studies the rise of the motherhood political movement and how online and social media tools have enabled women to become a larger and more powerful presence in the world of politics and activism.
 
Recognizing the fact that women make up the majority of online users and influencers, Bamberger traces this influence across the intersections of politics, motherhood and social media. Mothers of Intention, with its myriad stories and opinions, sheds light on a strong undercurrent that most of the political realm ignores - women's voices, and more specifically, those of mothers. By countering the political dismissal of mothers with proof of women's varied and impassioned responses to politics and media, the book attests to the increasing importance of mothers' opinions in time for the 2012 campaign and for elections to come.
 
In addition to analyzing this ever-growing trend, Mothers of Intention presents a collection of essays by passionate women who are quickly becoming political influencers, including a preface by Pulitzer Prize winner Connie Schultz, and essays by Mom-101's Liz Gumbinner, Veronica Arreola of Viva la Feminista blog, Jaelithe Judy of MOMocrats, Jessica Gottlieb, and MomsRising's Lisa Frack, among many others.  Bamberger describes "Mothers of Intention" as women, diverse in geography, ethnicity, age and political persuasion, who pursue a world of more political discourse through their powerful, thoughtful and humorous voices about what it's like to be a mother in today's political world.

Joanne Bamberger is a writer, political and media analyst and social media consultant. In addition to writing her own political blog, PunditMom, she is a regular contributor atAOL's Politics Daily and The Huffington Post, as well as MOMocrats and MomsRising. Bamberger was also a contributing editor for News & Politics at BlogHer and is the co-founder of The DC Moms blog and The Broad Side, a new site for women's opinion writing. A former op-ed columnist for The Washington Examiner, Joanne's work has also appeared in a variety of publications such as The Washington Post, Legal Times, Washingtonian Magazine and many others. Her political commentary has appeared on CNN, Fox News, Good Morning America, XM POTUS Radio, BBC Radio, NPR.com, and more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A brilliant fist-pumping, 'hell-yeah!' great read. Bipartisan proof ... of the power & validity of women in the political arena through their savvy use of social media. --Lara DiPaola, Examiner.com & author, Chicken Nuggets of Wisdom blog

One of the most important political books of 2012! -- Jason Williams, Host of For The People Show, KVNU Radio, Provo, Utah

"A real awakening about women online!" -- Maggie Linton, co-host, Cover to Cover show, XM/Sirius Radio

" ...[P]ositive and energizing, no matter whether you're a C-SPAN junkie or barely get a second to skim the headlines over coffee. [Mothers of Intention] is a great reminder that while mothers differ on specific issues, our common concern for our kids' futures unites us."-- Cool Mom Picks, coolmompicks.com

"Encouraging mothers to step up & enter the political fray, whether through public policy process or espousing political opinions in blogs or columns, Bamberger calls upon mothers to muster their courage, harness their intellectual prowess & change the political conversation."  Meredith O'Brien, columnist, MommyTrackd.com

From the Inside Flap

From her vantage point in the nation's capital, Joanne Bamberger reveals the powerful impact social media tools have in amplifying female voices in American politics.  Mothers of Intention examines the rise of the motherhood political movement and how women have become a larger, more powerful presence in political activism.  In the first book to describe this new political idiom, Bamberger analyzes this ever-growing trend and debunks the commonly held notion that motherhood renders women mute when it comes to public policy and electoral politics. Mothers of Intention explores today's complex political scene with humor, intelligence and humility and explains what it means to be a mother within it.  An important coda to the last presidential election and the essential gender issues it raised, Mothers of Intention is must reading for anyone wanting to understand what motivates women in the political arena.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Bright Sky Press (June 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933979941
• ISBN-13: 978-1933979946
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #451,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joanne Bamberger is a political and media strategist/analyst, author, and recovering attorney living in the shadow of the nation's capital. She's also known around the blogosphere as PunditMom!

PunditMom blog is the home of op-ed commentary by Joanne, who is also a freelance writer and former op-ed columnist for The Washington Examiner. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including The Washington Post, Arrive Magazine, Legal Times, Washingtonian Magazine, and many others. She is the co-founder of The DC Moms blog, as well as the forthcoming blog, The Broad Side: Real Women. Real Opinions. Real Politics.

A new media expert and authority on political involvement of women and mothers, Joanne is a regular contributor to AOL's Politics Daily/Woman Up, The Huffington Post, MomsRising and MOMocrats. Her political commentary has appeared on CNN, Fox News, Politics Daily's Woman Up Sunday talk show, ABC.com, BBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera English & XM Radio POTUS '08, among others. Joanne has done freelance media/political consulting work for a variety of organizations including MomsRising, WomenOnline and Turner Strategies and recently joined the Netroots Nation Advisors Committee for the annual Netroots Nation conference.

Joanne speaks frequently at conferences and to private groups about the growing influence of women/mothers in politics and social media. She has presented and participated in panels at Netroots Nation '09 (Building a Conversation Across Generations of Progressive Women), the Feminist Majority Foundation, EMILY's List, BlogHer '08, Fem 2.0 (panels on motherhood as a political motivator and using social media in a political world), Mom 2.0 Summit (The Macro Impact of Social Media Engagement), Type-A Mom Conference (panel on moving beyond the blog), WAM! 2009, the Women's Media Center, Yahoo!'s Motherboard Summit, Netroots Nation '10 (Why Progressive Women are the Key to Future Progressive Election Victories), BlogHer '10 (Radical Blogging: You'd Be Crazy Not to Take These Women Seriously), Activism, Media & Politics Summit (Engaging Women & Moms), and Blogalicious '10 (Blogging the Issues). Joanne is a former contributing editor for News & Politics at BlogHer.

Joanne was in the inaugural fellows class of the Progressive Women's Voices program at the Women's Media Center. Joanne's work is also featured in the books Kirtsy Takes a Bow: A Celebration of Women's Online Favorites and Courageous Parents, Confident Kids. Joanne was honored to be selected as a finalist in the BlogHer '10 Voices of the Year competition.

Joanne is an award-winning broadcast journalist who spent a decade as a radio and television reporter before attending law school. Joanne spent 15 years in private and government practice, including a stint as Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Joanne claims to have time for other things, but has given up sleep.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PunditMom is Fantastic, June 18, 2011

By 

Stimey (MD United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: PunditMom's Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America (Hardcover)

Joanne Bamburger's voice is one of the smartest in the political blogosphere. This book is wonderful. Joanne is a thoughtful writer and has brought together a slew of intelligent voices to contribute to her book. Too often, mothers are dismissed in politics. Joanne highlights the ways that women and mothers are relevant, smart, and important. Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful and easy read, August 18, 2011

By 

J. Aragon "Feminist Educator" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: PunditMom's Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America (Hardcover)

This is a perfect book to read before bed every night. It will leave you with good thoughts about the different ways that women are using social media to their advantage to advance their political beliefs. The second part of the title is telling--revolutionizing politics. This is exactly what women are doing in politics and other spheres. The inclusion of blog posts or the excerpts in the book are pleasing and frankly the book's layout is aesthetically pleasing.

This book will speak to the political continuum. I didn't agree with all of the contributors, but that's a good thing. The book is written well and for the lay audience. The book could work in a lower division Gender and Politics or Gender and Society course at the college level.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An assortment of women's voices you won't find elsewhere, August 9, 2011

By 

ADP (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PunditMom's Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America (Hardcover)

Here's why I'm so glad I bought this book: I have a ready reference to the smartest political bloggers on women's issues and perspectives right at my fingertips. I don't have to search for their best posts; I've got them all in one place. Bamberger has done the research to find the most interesting and relevant blogposts on and by women in politics, then tied it together with excellent analysis of her own. I keep this book by my office desk and scan through it daily, whenever I want an interesting take on politics from a mom's perspective. Bamberger not only gives us the published posts of some terrific bloggers, but insider moments that can't be found elsewhere (a colleague's son meeting Hillary Clinton, and what that meant for their family; DeeDee Myers' personal take on politics in her own family; etc.).

As we approach 2012, this is a particularly great read for anyone wondering how to find and speak with moms in politics. But anyone who is a mom or has a mom should pick this up. You'll enjoy it.