While other GOPers took heat, only ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) was smart enough to avoid endorsing a candidate in NY-23, the race that pitted a Conservative Party candidate against a liberal GOPer. But Romney's run of good luck may be coming to an end.
...snip...
The third candidate, state Treas. Tim Cahill, is no gadfly. He already has $3.2M in the bank, according to state campaign finance reports, and he's won election statewide -- albeit as a Dem. Now, he's signed on a top-level campaign team, including John Weaver, John Yob, Mark Salter and Mike Dennehy, all high-profile GOP strategists.
Emphasis not mine. Yob and Weaver are high-ranking advisers to Rick Snyder, and although there was a connection to Scott Brown's recent win in Massachusetts that could explain things in a rational, sane manner, most of us know Yob and Weaver from other things. Weaver was a high-level McCain adviser ... and, hey, so was Yob. And, hey, they both worked McCain in a year when McCain was going up against Mitt "Mittens" Romney for the GOP presidential nomination.
Most of us fans of history remember that Michigan was supposed to be a "firewall" for George "Dubya" Bush back in 2000, declared as such by John Engler, who himself was said at the time to covet a place in The W's cabinet. That didn't happen, because Michigan proved to be no firewall. The guy backed by the Yob clan, John McCain, wound up winning with their assistance and The W had to smear McCain down South to win the nod. (There was the Big Eff Yoooooo! from the Yob clan to McCain for pulling out of Michigan back in 2008 and making them look bad.)
And, then, waaaaaaay back in 1998, this all started with the Yob-Engler split over the attorney general's race. Engler switched from backing boring old John Smietanka to Scott Romney, brother of Mittens, while the Yob clan stuck by Smietanka, who wound up with the nomination and then wound up losing the general election. At the time, I think Tim Skubick took credit for Granholm's win. Anyway, the whole thing started a giant GOP slapfight that I think maybe continues to this day, especially since the Yobs are today in the corner of Rick Michigan.
Once you get past all the interesting history and eddies to this thing, I'm sure what will really matter to Michigan's wingnuts is that Rick Michigan's top political gun is going to work for a pro-choice independent who won statewide office in Taxsachusetts as a Democrat.
The software will not be available to Snyder’s GOP opponents nor will it ever be available to a Democratic campaign, Yob said.
...snip...
“There’s no doubt the Obama campaign was light years ahead of the McCain campaign,” said Yob, emphasizing he is selling exclusively to Republican campaigns.
Did he mean it, or is the new definition of a Republican really anybody without a 'D' after their name and who has a lot of loose money?
Update! ... Below the fold, the Leyton campaign denies having anything to do with this via MIRS. ~Eric B.
This week Dem activists across MIchigan received a shady robocall, suspiciously timed after Richard Bernstein won the endorsements of Gary Peters, Mark Schauer, John Conyers, Charles Pugh, and the overwhelming majority of the Capitol Caucus.
Here's what the call said:
This is an urgent message for Michigan Democrats. Did you see in the papers this weekend that Chairman Mark Brewer moved our state convention to April? Then just Monday, Richard Bernstein announced his campaign for attorney general. Seems like Brewer and Bernstein have some sort of cozy deal worked out. Now local Democrats like us might be shut out of selecting our nominee in August like we've always done. Backroom Lansing deals have gotten our party into the mess we're in today. We should pick our candidates.... not Mark Brewer and his special-interest friends. Call Democrat headquarters at 517-371-5410. Tell Mark Brewer it's time to quit playing games with our democracy.
Clearly, someone is getting a little nervous over the momentum Bernstein has been building over the last few weeks -- but this kind of anonymous gutter politics has no place in the race for attorney general. The nomination for attorney general should be won on the issues and on character, not sleazy anonymous robocalls.
This isn't one of Peter Sinclair's usual videos. Rather than taking on bad and scientifically illiterate denial points, it's kind of a primer on the history and breadth of scientific evidence. Rather than a rebuttal to the latest recycled talking point (this week, I think they're still on the "It's an U.N. plot" by way of the IPCC), it's kind of a rebuttal to the general notion, "This one thing proves global warming is a hoax," 'cause one thing makes no difference when you consider the overall body of supporting evidence ... not that self-professed "skeptics*" understand that.
*--A skeptic is someone who rejects the body of evidence as a whole, not someone who rejects the premise beforehand and then finds excuses to find the evidence unconvincing. Someone who does that is, in common parlance, a dumb ass.
Tonight was the 32nd Annual Ingham County Democratic Mardi Gras Fundraiser. My wife and I attended along with several others. The guest list included U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, State House Speaker Andy Dillon, State Representative Alma Wheeler Smith, Wayne State University Professor Jocelyn Benson, Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton and many, many others. Heck, just sitting at our table we had as our dining companions Ingham County Commissioner Todd Tennis, East Lansing City Council Member Nathan Triplett, Delhi Charter Township Clerk Evan Hope and their guests, and oh yes, Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer was also there. And that was just our table!
"We have outsourced a substantial portion of our manufacturing operations to countries in Asia..."
The far right already has its Tea Party. Now, it's got a Mad Hatter.
Because you'd have to be mad, right, to think that what Michigan needs is a corporate CEO. Because those CEOs have done a lot for the country, and for Michigan, right?
Wrong.
Now it's clear that Rick Snyder isn't a "tough nerd" but another fat cat bonus baby. In fact, he's so far from the realm of reason that he thinks we won't notice that he, like Dick DeVos before him, sent thousands of Michigan jobs overseas.
You'd have to be a Mad Hatter to think that what Michigan's hard-working families want is to wave goodbye to more jobs, so big business can benefit.
Ballard, who describes term limits as “a disaster,” said politicians are cowardly refusing to address the obvious need for additional revenue streams. For some, the mantra “no new taxes” has morphed into a religious conviction that obscures the facts.
...snip...
“People tell me all I want to do is raise taxes,” Ballard said. “Actually, I’d be happy if we just quit cutting taxes.”
...snip...
Citizens told Ballard that they fear, as Michigan’s economy continues to languish, that public services will plunge to an unacceptable level and lawmakers won’t be brave enough to tax more.
“Be loud,” Ballard said. “The time for being nice is over.”
Apart from the fact that he appears resigned to finish converting Michigan to an economy based on paper rather than making things...
(Bump ... catch Carl Marlinga on this week's Off the Record! - promoted by Eric B.)
Many thanks to the folks at Marlinga for State Senate for sponsoring MichLib this week. Please, by all means, repay the favor by going and visiting their site and getting to know a bit more about Carl Marlinga. Also, while I'm at it, thanks again to Lonnie Scott's campaign for state House for sponsoring this site last week.
Both of them are now a part of our growing list of site sponsors. Through their generosity (or the calculated decision to obtain cheap advertising), we can continue to provide semi-witty commentary, news, and other neat stuff. Their support is greatly appreciated by not just myself but also my landlord and also the people who provide this site with its own online home.
If you'd like to find out how to support this site, please go below the fold...
Dan Kildee's bid to be Michigan’s next governor is coming to an abrupt end just one week after it started.
The former county treasurer and chairman of the county's Land Bank Authority told The Flint Journal he will announce Friday that he's leaving the race to avoid splitting the support of organized labor and the votes of progressives in the Democratic primary.
"If I had stayed in, it would have turned into fractious primary fight," Kildee said. "In that scenario, no one wins."
I don't believe primary fights are always detrimental (see: Obama, Barack, 2008; see also: Granholm, Jennifer, 2002).
But if he's leaving to "avoid splitting the support of organized labor and the votes of progressives in the Democratic primary," then it's quite tempting, to say the least, to think that he believes what a lot of us believe - that Dillon is simply not progressive. He also seems concerned that Dillon would get the nomination if progressives are split amongst Bernero, Kildee, and Smith.
"In the present form, the Senate health care bill is going nowhere," Stupak told Fox News today. "I want to see health care passed (but)… there's a principle and a belief that the American people agree with which says no public funding for abortion."
He was on the George Stephanopolous a few days back and reiterated this point, highlighting pages (2069-2078) of the Senate bill that he says ould use public funds to pay for abortions. The problem? Go read the pages yourself. Right off, you'll notice that the bill, which Stupak says would use federal funds to pay for abortions, says that abortions for which it is currently illegal to pay for through federal funds cannot be funded through this health care reform legislation. Stupak also complained about a $1 fee for every enrollee to be used for reproductive rights. The problem is that this isn't federal money. It's money collected by the insurer from each enrollee. It never touches federal hands. Stupak is saying that money taken by private insurance companies from individuals seeking health care coverage is federal money for the purposes of making it more difficult to get an abortion. You should also pay close attention to the words he uses to describe what he's really after. It's not direct federal funding; it's direct federal subsidy, which is fleshed out quite well here.
Stupak has moved from offering honorable opposition based on personal convictions to chief obstructionist in pursuit of those convictions.
Update! ... I'm told that Ed Brayton of Michigan Messenger will be on Rachel Maddow's show tonight discussing Stupak, health care, and "C" Street.
A friend of mine teaching at the University of Georgia shares this link via Facebook. Georgia, like everywhere, is going through serious budget problems. Like lots of places in the South, their state assembly is dominated by Republicans. And, if those Republicans are anything like Republicans in Michigan, they've got nothing but cuts on their mind. Except:
In a commentary slated to appear in Saturday's edition of this newspaper, state Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, makes the case for a $1-per-pack increase in the state's cigarette tax, a measure that could bring more than $300 million in revenue to the state. Legislators also are looking at ending the state sales tax exemption on food and imposing a tax on hospital revenues, among other revenue-raising measures.
Can anyone conceive of the Michigan Republican who'd endorse raising the cigarette tax a buck to balance the budget? Georgia Republicans are apparently the same thing as Michigan centrist Dems.
I was going to write a reply to Scotty Urb, but then decided to make it a formal diary.
He has many of the players right, but leaves out some, as we shall see.
DEMOCRATS So far, only Paul Mayhue has jumped in. He represents a cross between an ideological True Believer run, and the usual token Kent County Dems have put up.
Pat Miles Jr. is the one to watch, but as of this morning, he is still in the "considering" mode. He would be a formidable candidate, not only with a resume that includes Harvard Law (and Barack Obama as a friend), but as a member of the board for Aquinas College. He brings a nice profile of civic engagement, and a plus for Dems, he has resources. A real campaign could be possible.
REPUBLICANS Here is where the fun starts.
Rep. Justin Amash -- Lots of money, ideology and a fan base. Plus he is energetic. The question however is whether he has staying power. He is only two years into his term in the State House and only four years out of law school. So will he be disciplined enough to win? The DeVos family thinks so, and has endorsed him.
Sen. Bill Hardiman -- Has name recognition, both as senator and former mayor of Kentwood. Undistinguished in the Senate (a disappointment, actually) whose main concerns have been those of the social conservative, Family & Mariage. Although initially the protoge of Vern Ehlers, he is now more clearly identified with the Grandville crowd of Terri Land et al. Downside is that his campaign starts with virtually a zero balance, and a barely operational staff. He announced from over on the west side, a sure appeal to social conservatives, but it is hard to see how much more they want to give relatively to the fire of Amash.
Steven Heacock. Head of the County Commission in the late 90s; lawyer; and executive with the Van Andel Institute (that's the place doing high tech medecine). A serious man, with some serious links to money -- his web site is smart and professional from the get-go. He announced on Wednesday and picked up the endorsement of former State Rep Jerry Kooiman. The question will be whether Republican voters in the primary want this sort of seriousness? Or will they go for the red meat and bomb throwing? In any case Heacock's entry virtually dooms Hardiman.
Bob Overbeek. Haven't heard of him? Dollar Bob is a veteran and student at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He's running a quixotic campaign asking only for a dollar a person in contributions. Nice Schtick. That way he'll at least have enough for coffee. He's from Wyoming, so the safe assumption this is another of those wacky west siders in action.
Once upon a time, the old guard Southern Democrats held most of the positions of power in Congress, because their tenures were so safe they could survive two or three decades without challenge.
Of late, that role has shifted to the Rust Belt, and since Michigan is the rustiest of all, we find ourselves at center stage, exactly at the time we seem to be losing all our other assets. (Come to think of it, there's another parallel with the South.)
Anyway, with Charlie Rangel imploding, our own Sander Levin appears in line to take the Chair of Ways and Means, roughly the fifth most powerful position in the U.S. House.
Our leaders - Dingell, Conyers, Kildee, Carl Levin - aren't exactly in the prime of life, but we have to take what we can get. Taking them all together, I guess the lesson is that if you're part of the majority party, avoid scandal, don't lust for higher office, and pay attention to running effective reelection campaigns, you have all the makings of a power in Congress. Of course, you need to get elected in the first place while fairly young.
The challenge to Sander by Mickey Switalski looks more quixotic than ever.
Unfortunately, most candidates for the state's highest office have had little to say about rebuilding Michigan's cities, encouraging regional collaborations, or developing walkable urban areas that attract businesses and educated young professionals. The lone exception is Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Genesee County who, as treasurer, led nationally renowned efforts to breathe life back into Flint's downtown and nearby neighborhoods.
Virg Bernero shouldn't have to articulate a vision for urban renewal because he's currently in a position where he is influencing the development of a regional economy. In fact, the editorial in just the previous paragraph to that points out that Lansing is the anchor to a regional economy. If past is prologue, you can look at what he's doing in Lansing and assume that absent some articulated plan to devitate from it, that it's a clue about what he'd do elsewhere if governor.
The caller was direct: I have it from a reliable source that the UAW is going to endorse the Mayor of Lansing.
Wow. The "Virg" on the verge of a mando endorsement.
Actually the caller was a day late. On Tuesday another source sent along the same story.
That prompted a call to the man. When his recorded voice came on the line, this cryptic message was left: "I'd like to run the story that the UAW is going to endorse you. Give me a buzz."
Well, actually, I thought Dillon said that private sector unions were going to support him. Anyway, the interesting thing will be to see what electoral juice the UAW really still has. As the number of AW's have contracted, what has that done to the impact that the UAW can wield when it comes to elections.
