| In 2010, when a few dollars could have helped wither Jocelyn Benson or Alton Davis win their respective races, the state Democratic Party instead backed a dumptruck of money up to Mayor Quimby's campaign, doused it with ligher fluid, and set it ablaze. Not only did Mayor Quimby secure his seat as Lansing's chief executive by taking a brutal ass kicking at the polls, but Jocelyn Benson didn't win the Secretary of State's office and Alton Davis was voted off the state high court. Today, we see the brilliance of the underlying strategy come to real fruition. A source inside the state Hall of Justice confirms that Justice Diane Hathaway has cleaned out her Lansing office and the locker where she keeps her robe at the Michigan Supreme Court.
She's been under investigation for real estate dealings. Hasn't said that she's going to resign, but that appears to be the assumption of most people. If it does, based on the fact that Democratic-nominated justices managed to hold onto a seat this year, it'll cause the high court to revert back to 5-2 Republican control ... the same as it was when Cliff Taylor ran it, but without Betty Weaver's occasional dissension. Update! ... MIRS is reporting that Hathaway isn't resigning. Supreme Court Justice Diane HATHAWAY is not stepping down in the face of a FBI investigation into her private real estate dealings, despite a report on WJR's Frank BECKMANN Show and other signs that signal the contrary, the justice said in a letter to all of the justices today. Beckmann said on his daily radio show today that Hathaway had "cleaned out her office" at the Hall of Justice, a bit of information confirmed by Michigan Public Radio.
Well, obviously the first problem here is that anyone believed anything Magic Frank said. If anyone had mentioned that his radio show was the first place where this news was "broken," we would have all known to be more skeptical of it. That said, I hope this illustrates the fragility of the situation here, and how unwise campaign resources have been used over the years. That doesn't change just because Magic Frank's idea of news is whatever doesn't offend his ideological sensibilities. |
