House Speaker Andy Dillon or Andy Didn't?

Why is Granholm getting a free pass? (0.00 / 0)

I'm no apologist for Andy Dillon but I'm not sure why he deserves the blame for the budget stalemate.  The biggest problem is Lansing is and remains executive leadership.  Governor Granholm has failed to make the case - in simple and effective terms - for the necessity (and it is a necessity) of raising taxes to Michigan citizens.

A more effective leader could have rallied public support for the tax hike.  It's not a difficult argument to make.  State taxes play for roads and schools.  Most people like roads and schools.

It's not the Speaker of the state House's job to rally the public behind this kind policy initiative, it is the Governor's job.  Once again she has failed where more able executives would have given legislative allies the popular support necessary to pass important legislation.

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by: Slouching Toward Youngstown @ Sun Sep 23, 2007 at 22:54:01 PM UTC

No Free Pass (0.00 / 0)

Granholm did what she said she would do.

Andy Didn't.

As for the broad public support effectively rallied by Granholm, it was Do-Nothing Dillon who appears to have squandered it through inaction.  See this AP story from May 7, 2007:

Nearly two of three Michigan residents responding to a newspaper survey said the state should raise taxes and cut spending simultaneously to fix the state's budget crisis.

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by: SoberOakland @ Mon Sep 24, 2007 at 05:39:40 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Board public support? (0.00 / 0)

When was there ever broad public support effectively rallied by the Governor?

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by: northernlib @ Mon Sep 24, 2007 at 21:39:31 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

ummm.... (0.00 / 0)

John Engler - better or worse - for Prop A.  It helped that Debbie Stabenow played his useful idiot sure but when the state voters had a choice between raising the income tax or raising the sales tax to pay for Prop A Engler and company led the fight for the sales tax.

Look policy wise Granholm is pretty much spot on - about as good as can be expected from a politician but she hasn't been  persuasive in winning the battle of public opinion.  For Christ sakes, Frank Beckmann runs rings around her when he interviewers.  Anyone with two IQ points to rub together should be able to out debate a bona fide retard like Beckmann.

Thank God she beat Dick Devos otherwise Michigan's college students would all be hustling windex and steak knives to pay for school but I continue to be underwhelmed by our Governor.  Two words: light weight.

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by: Slouching Toward Youngstown @ Tue Sep 25, 2007 at 01:49:06 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

2 of 3 Voters (0.00 / 0)

Favored the Granholm plan in May.  Note the poll above.  That's broad public support.

Granholm's case for the plan was pretty effective.  See the video here.

Too bad it took the legislature too many months to follow through.

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by: SoberOakland @ Tue Sep 25, 2007 at 02:21:15 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

wake up! (1.00 / 1)

No wonder you call yourself SoberOakland -- you've been drinking the GOP Kool Aid!

While I respect the meticulous way with which you have compiled Dillon's statements, you are missing (or perhaps moonlighting for) the real culprit of this brinkmanship.

Dillon is charged with the impossible task of negotiating a budget deal with a Senate counterpart, Mike "2tan" Bishop, who refuses to negotiate any kind of solution to the budget crisis.  Instead, catering to the right wing ideologues who vote in the Republican Party primaries, he calculates every move based on his gubernatorial aspirations.  Unlike every other elected leader in every democracy in the world, 2tan refuses to negotiate on behalf of his caucus members who elected to be their leader.

Dillon is walking a delicate line in keeping together an ideologically diverse caucus, averting recalls, and pushing good public policy under trying circumstances.

Don't get me wrong, I don't live in Redford and I don't own a team Dillon Cheerleader outfit, but cut the guy some slack and understand that he is trying to grab a hold of water in working toward a solution with 2tan who seems bent on furthering his own career by shutting down the government of Michigan.

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by: captain_sweet @ Sun Sep 23, 2007 at 23:02:12 PM UTC

No Slack for Bishop (0.00 / 0)

See post here:  Mike Bishop is Newt Gingrich.

Dillon needs to lead from a position of strength, not weakness.

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by: SoberOakland @ Mon Sep 24, 2007 at 05:30:15 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Andy Doesn't (4.00 / 2)

In Texas Andy would be known as all hat and no cattle. As SoberOakland, obviously not Brooks Patterson, has meticulously documented Speaker Dillon cannot walk the talk. It is hard to believe that someone as tall as Andy could be in over his head, but that certainly appears to be the case.

The Governor has championed a tax increase, but she needs her party to do something other than to listen to a little consultant. Speaker Dillon's feckless refusal to line up the votes for revenue because his consultant is telling him it might cost him control of the House will place Andy high in the ranks of the all time worst Speakers in modern Michigan history.

With a state government shutdown people will die and the House Dems will deserve some credit for those deaths. It is not too late for Andy to do the right thing which is what the voters expected when they voted Democrats into power in the House last November. The citizens did not elect Democrats just to have them hand over their power to vote on legislation to Andy's consultants or to be too frightened by a little wierdo with a plastic pig or to be schooled by one of the dimmer legislative leaders in recent memory to what is right for the state. This is all so sad.

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by: Fourthestate @ Mon Sep 24, 2007 at 00:46:00 AM UTC

They have all failed (0.00 / 0)

Andy Dillon has failed by playing footsie with Bishop for seven months and not keeping his caucus in line.  Granholm has failed by not being strong enough to maintain discipline within her own party and punishing those cowardly ten in the house. She makes a tax proposal and then ducks. The cowardly House ten are perhaps the most despicable.  Using Barb Byrum as one ripe example, she cosponsored a public meeting in her district this spring the purpose of which was to gain public support for a tax increase to address the structual deficit.  When it came time for her to put it all on the line, she showed her true character by playing it safe (she thinks) by not voting on the most important bill she has been required to make in her, hopefully brief, tenure as a Representative.
 

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by: Donkey1 @ Mon Sep 24, 2007 at 11:38:50 AM UTC