(full disclosure – MomsRising is one of my clients. Yet this is an important enough debate for women of all backgrounds and newsworthy enough concerning Gwen Ifill that I thought I’d share it with y’all, if ya dig…)Last Thursday, MomsRising.org members tried to deliver our letter–signed by over 21,000 people–to Governor Sarah Palin‘s office in Washington, D.C. The letter simply asked,  “Where do you stand?” on key issues of importance to moms and families.

But, we were turned away at the door.

When pressed, Palin‘s staff told the group to drop the letter in the mail, refusing to acknowledge the crowd of moms (and adorable baby) who were in the office to hand deliver it.

Snail mail can take a while, and we want to make sure that this election covers more than moose burgers and body surfing.  All candidates–male, female, Democrat, Republican, and other–should speak to these issues. Some are, and others aren’t.  So, we’re bringing our questions to the next level:  getting our questions front and center in the Vice Presidential Debate today.

Email PBS Senior Correspondent Gwen Ifill, who will be moderating the debate, to tell her you want these important questions asked: http://www.momsrising.org/VPDebateQuestions

The MomsRising.org team has written five questions we’d like to see posed to both Palin and Biden in that debate (see the questions below (2)). Let’s get these questions to the debate moderator so the American public gets a chance to hear both candidates, side-by-side, answering the same questions.

When you click the link above, you’ll send a message to Gwen Ifill and cc both of the presidential campaigns to let them know that over 21,000 voters want to hear them talk about these issues (which impact millions of Americans) at the debate.

Tell your friends to email Gwen Ifill, too! She needs to know how deeply important  these issues are for millions of Americans–and that we demand they be addressed now!

The deets:1. MomsRising members are tracking all of the candidates’ speeches, tallying any mention of issues that impact moms.  See their tallies at www.momsrising.org/candidatesbingo.  If you plan to watch the presidential debate today, September 26th, you can tally the issues, too!  Get your scorecard at www.momsrising.org/bingocard — and keep an eye out for opportunities to get involved as the campaigns continue!

2. The five questions Moms want to know:

* Right now, the birth of a child is the number one cause of a “poverty spell” in America, and 1/4 of families with young children are living in poverty. Do you support a policy to provide paid family and medical leave to parents following birth or adoption of a new child?

* Nearly 1/2 of all full-time, private sector workers in the U.S. have no paid sick days. Do you support a policy to provide paid sick days for workers to use when they or their children get sick?

* In most American families, both parents work outside the home.  Please tell us what your administration would do to help parents secure excellent, affordable childcare?

* Studies show that moms are paid 73 cents and single moms are paid about 60 cents to the dollar for doing the exact same job as men. Do you support the Fair Pay Restoration Act and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act?

* A child is born every 41 seconds without healthcare.  What kind of Health Care Policy could Americans expect in your administration?

3) Follow MomsRising tonight on Twitter — they’ll be live-tweeting the debate along with lots of other mommy bloggers: @MomsRising.