Open Thread: Convention Weekend

You forgot one other significant point of information... (4.00 / 4)

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you MI-08 official Democratic Congressional Candidate Lance Enderle!

(seen here with Jocelyn "Pit Bull*" Benson)

*(my personal nickname for Benson after hearing her acceptance speech at Cobo Hall--she may be a small woman, but she's a hell of an attack dog!!)

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by: Brainwrap @ Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 19:08:31 PM UTC

Oops...almost forgot the NEW Facebook page: (4.00 / 4)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/...

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by: Brainwrap @ Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 19:09:34 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

He looks like Dingell! (4.00 / 2)

Though he'd probably be the first to say that he's no Dingell!

Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott

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by: ScottyUrb @ Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 19:23:43 PM UTC

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Benson's acceptance speech now online (4.00 / 2)

Be sure to watch the whole thing; she spends the first 2/3 talking about her plans for improving the SoS office (both election- and non-election related stuff)...but then goes off on a tear against Johnson. Wow!

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by: Brainwrap @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 15:23:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

NO reason for the MSU hate (2.50 / 2)

But I souldn't be surprised that a cmu alum is also a um fan.  

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by: 48101 Guy @ Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 20:06:49 PM UTC

I agree (4.00 / 1)

Using Michigan's and MSU's participation at the Youth Caucus should not be used to explain why Michigan is the better school when it is obvious that Michigan is the better school.

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by: Seth9 @ Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 23:56:53 PM UTC

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Has Dillon Endorsed Bernero/Lawrence yet? (4.00 / 2)

I was just wondering because I haven't seen anything about Dillon having endorsed Bernero.

Anyone know whether this has taken place yet?

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by: bfealk @ Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 23:37:47 PM UTC

"U-M Regents: Paul Brown and Greg Stephens" (4.00 / 2)

I'm getting a strong sense of deja vu from this year's contest for U-M Regent.  Not only are both the incumbents the winners from 2002, but Greg Stephens ran against them that year as well.  That's three of the four candidates in a rematch from eight years ago.

On top of that, there is a Regent Emeritus Paul Brown of Ann Arbor of Ann Arbor who served as Regent from 1971-1994.  Is he any relation to the Paul Brown who is running on the ticket this year, or is it just a coincidence?

Greetings from Detroit, Ground Zero of the post-industrial future!

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by: Neon Vincent @ Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 02:04:03 AM UTC

Something was mentioned at the convention (4.00 / 2)

about his father and grandfather. His father, also named Paul Brown, ran as Sandy Levin's running mate for Governor in 1974. I think they mentioned that the elder Paul Brown was also a U-M Regent.

Their father and grandfather, Prentiss Brown, was a US Representative and Senator in the 1930s and 1940s.

Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott

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by: ScottyUrb @ Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 04:37:46 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thank you! (4.00 / 1)

That's what I suspected.  I thought there were too many similarities for it to be a coincidence.  Thanks for confirming my suspicion.

Greetings from Detroit, Ground Zero of the post-industrial future!

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by: Neon Vincent @ Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 06:28:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

I never thought I'd be thanking RightMichigan... (4.00 / 5)

...for anything, but someone there posted this YouTube video of the "Cooper Withdrawl" action from the GOP convention yesterday:

Make of it what you will.

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by: Brainwrap @ Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 02:12:00 AM UTC

Headline from GOP... (4.00 / 2)

... Michigan State Convention should have read:

"MI GOP Chairman Booed off Stage, Mayhem and Chaos Rules Convention Swept by Tea Party Activists"

What you don't see from this footage is the what seemed to be 15 minutes of "dead time" just prior to Bill Cooper (Radical Right candidate for 2nd Congressional for Hoekstra's old seat taken by Bill Huizenga) making this 'concession'.

Cooper, strongly supported and endorsed by "Tea Party" delegations from across the State, probably would have won the nomination for Lt Governor, had GOP Party Officials not stepped in, apparently asking Cooper to step aside for Snyder's choice Brian Calley.

The 'normal' Friday night meet the candidates and nominees mixers found many of them missing their sponsoring candidates, as many GOP candidates were 'forced' (in some of their own words actually) along with GOP leadership figures like Saul Anuzis, to run out to a "Tea Party" caucus held in Holt, Michigan to well... plead for mercy.

Double the attendance of Michigan GOP Conventions past, at roughly 4-4,200 in attendance, old time GOPers found themselves largely outnumbered by people they had never seen before.

Lines formed for several hours, as ID's and credentials were checked for the record crowd, which led to over an hour and a half past the scheduled start time.  Several speakers into to the convention, officials finally let basically anyone in to the convention with no restrictions on access to the floor or 'voice' votes.

Mike Bishop's defeat for AG (although a dead heat in meeting in Holt straw polling) and Johnson's win for SoS are just a couple examples of victories gained by 20+ "Tea Party" organizations, which took over most major GOP countries at the county level a couple weeks ago in one of the biggest changes in the Michigan Republican Party since 1988.  

Many regular GOP convention delegates were not seated for the convention due to Tea Party activists taking over county conventions, including Washtenaw County Michigan Publican Party Chair, Ron Weiser, who was immediately harassed by a delegation dominated by mostly unknown "Tea Party" elected delegates, estimated at 600-1,000 of the 2,000 seated delegates, and a majority attending, at the start of his own convention.

Gone are the days of Betsy DeVos, who had everyone going home by 12:30. All is not well in Stepford this cycle.

Opportunity knocks MI Dems... GOTV!

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by: Hector Solon @ Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 13:23:30 PM UTC

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