Fathers and Families’ Election 2012 Campaign is a nonpartisan grassroots campaign with the goal of injecting family court reform into the 2012 election campaign.
Between now and New Hampshire’s February 14, 2012 primary, our activists will be going to candidates’ campaign stops, rallies, and Town Hall meetings, as well as calling in when candidates are interviewed on radio talk shows. We will be politely and persistently asking candidates questions about family court reform, with the goal of garnering media attention for our issues and getting candidates to go on the record with their views.
Our central issue is simple–family courts harm children by routinely separating them from one of the two people they love most.
How You Can Help
We want you to be a part of Fathers and Families” Election 2012 Campaign. Enjoy this social opportunity while joining like-minded men and women in activism and comradeship to bring our issues into the current presidential campaign.
No matter where you are, there are many ways you can help:
1) If you are in New England and can volunteer to make appearances at campaign stops and townhalls, please fill out our volunteer form here and type “Fathers and Families’ Election 2012 Campaign” at the beginning of the “How I Can Help” section.
Fathers and Families is resolutely non-partisan and works successfully with legislators on both sides of the aisle. We will be intervening at both Republican and Democratic campaign events. However, there are many more Republican events than Democratic events because the Democrats have an incumbent running.
2) We understand that many of you can”t participate due to geography or other limitations. You can still help by:
- Writing to the candidates, making calls to reporters, radio talk shows, and candidates’ offices, writing letters and posting comments in response to our campaign Action Alerts. You will see these on our website, our Facebook page, and in our weekly ENewsletter.
- Giving to Fathers and Families. Our New Hampshire efforts cost money–help defray our costs by making a tax-deductible contribution at www.FathersandFamilies.org/give.
Examples of Our Activism:
To date, six different presidential (or likely presidential) candidates have come out in favor of family court reform to varying degrees via Fathers and Families’ Election 2012 Campaign. These include:
- Gary Johnson, a former two-term governor of New Mexico. Johnson met with F & F Board Chair Ned Holstein, MD, MS in Manchester, NH recently and says “Family court injustices are one of the great injustices of our time.”
- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who in response to our activist’s question, told the audience the family law system has an “extreme anti-male bias.”
- Presidential candidate / businessman Herman Cain.
- Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a 2008 and potential 2012 presidential candidate.
- Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.
- Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman.
We Are Non-Partisan
Fathers and Families is resolutely non-partisan and has and continues to work successfully with legislators on both sides of the aisle on legislation to promote family court reform. Our primary goal is to protect the loving bonds children share with both parents after divorce or separation, and we’re happy to work with any legislators or political figures who share this goal.
During the Fathers and Families Election Campaign 2012 we will be intervening at both Republican and Democratic events. However, there are many more Republican events than Democratic events because the Republican primary will be hotly contested, whereas the Democrats have an incumbent running.
Is Family Law Also a Federal Matter?
Since family law is usually a state matter, it’s a fair question to ask, “What could the federal government do to promote shared parenting?” One answer is this:
The federal government helps shape states” policies in many areas by the payment or withholding of federal reimbursement funds. It works the same way with family law–the federal government reimburses the states billions of dollars each year in child support collection funds.
One of the things a pro-shared parenting administration could do to greatly encourage shared parenting is to tie those funds to progress in enacting shared parenting laws, implementing and encouraging shared parenting arrangements, and enforcing visitation orders.
Join us by volunteering at http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/volunteer.