Sorry, but I see bbell as the Fred Thompson of the Bloggernacle. Nate and Adam can fight over which of them is the Mitt Romney of the Bloggernacle.

Other notables:

Dennis Kucinish – DKL
Ron Paul – Kevin Barney
Rudy Guiliani – Steve Evans
John McCain – ???
Hillary Clinton – ???
John Edwards – ???
Sam Brownback – ???

The thing I consider most important, is that I’m reaching out to the most neglected group of latter-day saints … the mid-singles. We are singles in a decidedly “married” church, and mostly considered beyond the hope that the young single adults are generally accorded. For women, the situation is compounded by the fact that educated, active women over 30 far outnumber their male cohorts, and the possibility that we may never have some of the most church-advocated experiences, ie: getting married, bearing and raising children.

I used to think that the best way to reach the mid-singles was through the church organization. However, anyone who has ever attended a mid-singles dance can attest to the fact that most such activities are a huge disaster. I’ve talked with ward and stake leaders, who I generally respect, about strategies that have helped support mid-singles in other stakes, but there is very little comprehension, and even less interest in providing solutions.

And so, I’ve gotten over the idea that the church will be able to support me in certain things, and have been finding other ways to reach out to singles, especially women. Planning fun events, meeting new people, networking, getting people to talk about their ideas, etc. Really, it’s about forming my own community.

As for helping latter-day saint women be more charitable towards each other? I think that hearing and understanding one another’s stories is what helps women most. I think that we all can find a little of ourselves in each other, if we just took the time. For instance, when you talked about your experiences with Exponent II, it sounded a lot like what some post-Mormons have experienced, just in the opposite direction … you found something new that filled your needs at a critical time, then moved beyond it when you had had enough, to something that fills your needs in a more complete way. Even if I don’t agree with everything else, that simple story resonates, because we’ve all had that type of experience, to a greater or lesser degree.

I think that’s more a question for each person to ask of him/herself, not to use to demand answers from others.

But just as an example, I want to ask more questions when I get into a conversation with someone (or someones) who see things differently, rather than spend all of my time simply sharing my own point of view.

I also am working really, really hard to avoid sarcasm, assumptions about people’s motives, and trying not to respond in anger or frustration when I feel attacked.

What about you? :)