Political Leaders come out in support of Jocelyn Benson in D.C.

Good to see you back here - (4.00 / 5)

we've missed you!

I wrote about Jocelyn's visit to Kalamazoo College back in April, here at West Michigan Rising, my main hang-out. Then, she had already been criss-crossing the state for some time. Others have done that, and come away empty-handed when a candidate with more name recognition jumps in later. In this case, however, she is locking up the support not only of the rank-and-file party faithful across the state, but of the movers and shakers as well. I think she is well on her way to being our consensus candidate for Secretary of State.

I will be making a motion for the Kalamazoo Party to endorse her early. I will also be suggesting that the Justice Caucus support her early, and make her race one of our priorities for '10.

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by: memiller @ Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 18:18:58 PM UTC

Thanks memiller! (4.00 / 1)

Our sparring primary days were fun filled memories :-)
I'm so looking forward to the 2010 elections.

Nothing is easier than solving a problem on the back of the poor. People who don't have lobbyists or clout.

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by: yvette248 @ Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 02:04:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The idea (4.00 / 6)

of having a Secretary of State who's an expert in election law just makes me positively giddy. We lucked out with this one. I've also been following her on Twitter for a long time now and I'm struck by her willingness to pound pavement to talk to people all over the state. Kudos to her for that!

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by: PerfectStormer @ Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 19:37:10 PM UTC

Isn't Kathy Angerer running as well? (0.00 / 0)

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by: Menhen @ Fri Jul 17, 2009 at 23:15:58 PM UTC

Unopposed (0.00 / 0)

Officially, Jocelyn is unopposed. I'm not sure about rumors floating around, but no one else has announced.

Nothing is easier than solving a problem on the back of the poor. People who don't have lobbyists or clout.

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by: yvette248 @ Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 02:06:22 AM UTC

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Its strange (0.00 / 0)

to see Saginaw County Democratic Clerk Sue Kaltenbach and Democratic Register of Deeds Milly Dodak ( Wife of former Speaker of the House Lew Dodak) endorsing Republican Ann Norlander.  

http://www.annenorlander.com/e...

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by: bulljiver @ Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 00:05:54 AM UTC

I don't like that endorsement list at all (0.00 / 0)

just looking at the one Marquette County endorsement.  She lists Patricia Manley as and Endorser, even though Manley's a Democrat.  I suppose that doesn't mean Manley didn't endorse Norlander, but the website lists Manley as both Register of Deeds, and County Clerk of Marquette County.  Connie Branham is the Marquette County clerk, and she's a real Democrat so I don't know why they're incorrectly listing Manley as clerk when she's not.

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by: Menhen @ Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 03:51:47 AM UTC

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Dolly Cook, County Clerk and Register of Deeds (4.00 / 1)

for Dickinson County also a Democrat.  She lists "Arlen Bright" as "Menominee County Treasurer."  Diane Lesperance (D) is the Menominee County Treasurer, not Arlen Bright.  Obviously fraudulently listing people as holding a political office when they don't is not a good thing.

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by: Menhen @ Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 04:41:09 AM UTC

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I'd be concerned (4.00 / 1)

If she can't get names right on her own endorsement page, how do you think she can get a statewide election right?

Nothing is easier than solving a problem on the back of the poor. People who don't have lobbyists or clout.

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by: yvette248 @ Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 13:30:03 PM UTC

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Ann Norlander (0.00 / 0)

I think you will see a lot of county clerks of both parties endorsing Norlander.  She's the past President of the County Clerk's Association and is known as the go-to person for other county clerks when they have questions.  She has also been very non-partisan, which is exactly what a Secretary of State should be.  It's unfortunate that our system essentially requires very highly qualified people like Norlander to run on a partisan ballot.

Disclaimer:  Norlander is my county clerk (Calhoun) and the only Republican I voted for in the 2008 election.  Although as much as I like Norlander, Kathy Angerer would be my first choice for this position if she runs.

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by: Brady @ Sat Jul 18, 2009 at 13:45:35 PM UTC

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The news of the event (4.00 / 2)

reached all at Camp Wellstone in Chicago this weekend.

Steve Pestka for Congress

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by: philgoblue @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 13:38:55 PM UTC

Wellstone (4.00 / 1)

You went, Phil? I went to the one in Michigan a couple years ago. It was a great learning experience for me and I still keep in touch with a few people from that amazing weekend!

I'm surprised at how many people know Jocelyn across the country and how well regarded she is. Maybe Jocelyn will be OUR Al Franken :-)

Nothing is easier than solving a problem on the back of the poor. People who don't have lobbyists or clout.

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by: yvette248 @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 15:46:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yep (4.00 / 2)

I was very impressed by the folks at Camp Wellstone. I'm going to push them to come to GR or at least Lansing soon.

Yes, one of the presenters -- Rudy Lopez -- was at the event and mentioned its success.  He tauted it as a brilliant example of using personal contacts to fundraise.

I can tell y'all Jocelyn landed one of the best folks her in Kent to be her county organizer. If she's doing that well in a bunch of counties, she's in good shape.

Steve Pestka for Congress

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by: philgoblue @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 19:42:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

yvette and I both attended (4.00 / 3)

Wellstone in Lansing in 2007 and I was very, very impressed with the program. Then last spring I turned around and attended DFA Campaign Academy...and it's all the same material presented in pretty much exactly the same way. Go to one, but not the other. And I have to say that as much as I love DFA as an organization, Wellstone's trainers were 100x better.

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by: PerfectStormer @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 04:18:15 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

... (4.00 / 1)

I still keep in touch with a few people from that amazing weekend!

So do I! <wink wink>

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by: PerfectStormer @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 04:16:08 AM UTC

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WTF? (4.00 / 1)

I met Jocelyn at our Monroe Party HQ grand opening last month and was much impressed.  So, it's greatly dismaying to hear that she's already playing the lobbyist game by having a fundraiser in DC with "100 DC insiders."  Or does this betray the false values of the writer of this article?  WTF?

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by: gregsullmich @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 15:33:58 PM UTC

Er... (4.00 / 3)

So she's not supposed to even try to get support from the MI delegation or the Obama administration?

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by: rich @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 20:50:39 PM UTC

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Rich, Rich, Rich... (4.00 / 3)

You can't argue with people who don't know what the hell they're talking about. Haven't you learned anything from these here intertubes?

Nothing is easier than solving a problem on the back of the poor. People who don't have lobbyists or clout.

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by: yvette248 @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 00:45:24 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Clearly Not n/t (4.00 / 3)

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by: rich @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 01:51:44 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

yvette (4.00 / 2)

and her damn false values. hehehe  

"Kill the headlights and put it in neutral..."

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by: AikoAdam @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 22:54:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Who said anything about lobbyists? (4.00 / 4)

Yvette said:

Obama Administration officials, House and Senate staffers and top tier national political operatives...

and that is pretty much what I have heard too. Those are activists - people like us - who now happen to be on the inside. Which is a good thing - ! Unless you like being perpetually on the outside, irrelevant and impotent. Not me.  

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by: memiller @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 14:08:08 PM UTC

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I'm giving you a '4,' also (0.00 / 0)

Your comment prompted my mini-tirade below, which felt pretty good to get off my chest.  It was also not directed at you personally.

Among the Trees

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by: Eric B. @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 16:10:27 PM UTC

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I'm going to give this a '4' because I like healthy skepticism (0.00 / 0)

Probably like a lot of people, I've followed Jocelyn Benson building her campaign via Facebook status updates and tweets.  I've never met her, but I do have a very favorable impression based on what I've read, seen, and heard.

On the other hand, I'm not feeling like we really have a whole lot of people on the inside.  Two straight election cycles of victory and we still can't get meaningful reform in really anything.  The banks that nearly caused global financial meltdown last year have, if anything, become more solidly entrenched.  Paul Krugman wrote a day or so ago that there is no progressive voice among the economic experts advising the president. We still don't have climate or energy legislation.  The Republicans have said that they hope to make health care Obama's Waterloo, and they might have enough Democrats to actually pull it off.

Back here in Michigan, what has the Democratic majority in the House given us?  Nothing.  We can't even get the House majority to support the governor's call to limit the construction of new coal plants to what we really need and can't get in some other way, or to raise enough revenue to match federal grants to fix our fucking roads (this shouldn't even be a partisan issue, but it is because we live in a political culture run by oversized children).  Andy Dillon's idea to balance the state's budget is to, instead of supporting something that would help everyone in this state, screw over a key Democratic constituency, which ultimately damages any chance of enacting change in other important areas.  

Frankly, I'm feeling a bit like I felt at the end of the Clinton years ... frustrated, disappointed and taken for granted.  Again, I have no special reason to believe that Jocelyn Benson is running for Secretary of State primarily because she wants a job, or to ingratiate herself into various political circles for a shot at some higher office in the future.  I have every reason to believe that she's running for office with the best of intentions.  But, it's high time we started holding the people elected to fix what's broken in this state and country accountable for not getting the job done and allowing the agenda of the common good to get hung up by rank idiocy.  That starts by scrutinizing the people we support as candidates.

Among the Trees

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by: Eric B. @ Tue Jul 21, 2009 at 16:04:11 PM UTC

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