Dear Friend,

Last week, at the memorial for the victims of the January 8th tragedy in Arizona, President Obama asked our country to live up to the expectations of nine-year-old victim, Christina Taylor Green: "I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations." [1]

This week many politicians and pundits across the country slid back towards their usual over-heated language.[2]

We've got to get a message through to Congress that we need them to live up to the expectations of our nation's children. We need our leaders to work together.

Sign on now to our letter calling on Congress to begin living up to our children's expectations--starting with the first small, step of Republicans and Democrats breaking tradition by sitting together instead of separated by party during the State of the Union this coming Tuesday.

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/01-13-11_State_Of_The_Union1/?source=taf

* If you've already signed on, THANK YOU. You can still do something though, please forward this email to the two people you know that would also sign on too. The more voices we all bring together, the stronger our impact!

In the wake of the tragedy in Tucson, many of us felt some hope when given the opportunity to support this proposal for mixed party seating during the State of the Union. Is this a small and largely symbolic first step? Yes. But breaking tradition to have mixed party seating during the State of the Union, for the first time in almost 100 years, is a powerful way to model cooperation and unity for our children and ourselves. [3] And, frankly, doing something positive is far better than letting the corrosive, caustic rhetoric return to our political culture.

Right now our country needs to act on ideas that will bring us closer to the democracy our children deserve. Families are still reeling from the largest recession since the Great Depression, and nearly 1 in 4 U.S. children are experiencing food scarcity due to family economic limitations. So we need all of our leaders to work together for our families.[4]

Bipartisanship and civil dialogue has led to great legislation in our country in the past. The Civil Rights Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) are just a few of the major pieces of legislation that have passed only because Republicans and Democrats worked together.[5]

Some members of Congress are hearing our calls for renewed dialogue between parties.

Since just last week when we first launched the petition for mixed seating during the State of the Union, Senators. Charles Schumer(D-NY) and Tom Coburn (R-OK), along with 58 other members of Congress, have announced that they'll sit together during the State of the Union. [6, 7]

Let's keep the MOMentum going, sign on to our open letter to Congress today:

http://action.momsrising.org/sign/01-13-11_State_Of_The_Union1/?source=taf

Together, we can get Congress to start living up to our children's expectations, starting with the first small step of Republicans and Democrats sitting together during the State of the Union.

And, together, we are a powerful voice for women and families,

-- Sarah, Kristin, Donna, Ruth, Joan, Nanette, Mary, Anita, Ashley, and the MomsRising Team



[1] "Obama’s Remarks in Tucson," New York Times, January 13, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/us/politics/13obama-text.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

[2] "Morning Bits, Washington Post, January 20, 2011 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/right-turn/2011/01/morning_bits_41.html

[3] "In this year's State of Union, seating could blur party lines," Miami Herald, January 21, 2011 http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/21/2027387/in-this-years-state-of-union-seating.html

[4] "Bipartisan Timeline," Bipartisan Timeline http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/bipartisanship/timeline

[5] “America's economic pain brings hunger pangs” Washington Post, November 17, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111601598.html

[6] "Schumer, Coburn Plan to Sit Together at State of the Union," Roll Call, January 16, 2011 http://www.rollcall.com/news/-202518-1.html?pos=adp

[7] "Sixty lawmakers back bipartisan State of the Union seating plan," The Washington Post, January 22, 2011 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2011/01/nearly-sixty-lawmakers-back-bi.html