State appealing primary knockdown; fight back

by: David Boyle

Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 14:29:14 PM EST

  Supporters of reviving a joint presidential primary in Michigan on Jan. 15 aren't giving up.
  State officials said Friday they will file an emergency appeal of a court ruling that kept Michigan from moving near the front of the pack in the presidential primary season. ...
  "We believe the Legislature passed this law for a reason," said Secretary of State spokesman Ken Silfven. "That's so Michigan's issues can have the national attention they deserve." [Or so party structures can steal public property, Ken, re:]
  The conflict is a provision giving the state Democratic and Republican parties exclusive access to lists of who voted in their party's primary. ...

  So the amoral group of horse thieves known as "Michigan Politicians" (with some noble exceptions like Andy Dillon) are still trying to take property from you, the public, and give it to themselves. I guess they didn't learn anything from Grebner's lawsuit... Zombies, zombies, zzzombies.

  For some de-zombification, you too can be a "Slayer" and go to this informative diary to get contact info on how to tell your hired servants in public office to stop stealing from you, etc. Good luck!!
  (If a lot of you fight back, I'll give you 2-1 odds over the zombies PLUS Jason and Freddy thrown in, maybe even the "Saw" guy...)

DetNews: primary gutted, Dillon cites wastefulness, Dingell feverish

by: David Boyle

Fri Nov 09, 2007 at 02:39:46 AM EST

  Michigan lawmakers failed Thursday in their attempt to save Michigan's endangered Jan. 15 presidential primary. [Yes!]
  The Senate voted 26-9 on a bill to restore the primary in a way that could pass legal muster with a judge who this week declared the law establishing the primary unconstitutional. But Democrats refused to vote for a companion procedural motion to give the bill "immediate effect." And without that, the bill cannot become law until around March 1 of next year -- long after the proposed primary vote. [Go Dems!] ...
  The bill's sponsor, Sen. Michelle McManus, conceded that without immediate effect the primary is all but dead. She blamed Democrats and their union allies who want party caucuses, rather than a primary. [Ha ha Michelle McM! Gotcha!]
  Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, had urged his colleagues during Senate debate to vote to restore the primary.
  "If you don't support immediate effect, you have destroyed our opportunity to have a presidential primary on Jan. 15," he said. "Make us relevant in this (nominating) process." [Mike Bishop: Debbie Dingell's and Jennifer Granholm's GURU on this issue...]
  Bishop was hoping the House would pass the bill and return it to the Senate, where another vote on immediate effect then could be held. But later Thursday evening, House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, cast doubt that will happen. Dillon said the primary wouldn't be very meaningful if all of the Democrats, except Clinton, decide not to participate.
  "It costs us $10 million to have the election," Dillon said. "When the (top) Democrats pulled out, it hurt the quality of it ... I'm not sure it's worth $10 million to hold a primary that only involves one party." [ANDY DILLON FOR GOVERNOR!!!] ...
  Debbie Dingell, a Michigan member of the Democratic National Committee, worked feverishly to round up votes for the primary. And she said Thursday it isn't dead. [Feverish ol' Deb, failing fast...]
  "Not yet," she said. "We're still moving forward on the legal side and the Legislature may come back next week and could take it up."
  If the primary isn't held, Dingell said the fallback plan is to hold a Democratic caucus the same day as New Hampshire's primary, which will take place in early January -- although the date has not yet been set. [Why not Dec. 15? Scoop the whole country!]
  "I want the primary because I think it's the right thing," Dingell said. [Debbie Dingell--modern Gandhi, General Motors style.] ...

  2 tiny points:

1) I will likely advocate publicly for the recall, or removal from the DNC, of anyone who tries to hold a crazy-stalker-of-New-Hampshire early-January caucus;

2) as of yesterday's Senate vote; Debbie Dingell, Mike Bishop, and Saul Anuzis--and, yes, Jennifer Granholm--: Michigan Liberal bloggers like philgoblue, and courageous Michigan Senate Dems on Thursday, have kicked your sorry, treacherous *** re the early primary. And we will keep embarrassing you in public, the more you act like ***es.
  And learn to enjoy it, because that's what we're here for.

Repub Senate + Deb D: put Barack/John/etc. on ballot against will

by: David Boyle

Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 21:43:34 PM EST

  ...The legislation the Senate voted on Thursday aims to mak[e] the problematic clause separable from the rest of the legislation. That would allow the primary to be held even if that portion of the law is again challenged in court.
  The law would give party leaders until Nov. 14 to inform the Michigan Secretary of State whether they would proceed with a primary. It also has measures to try and make sure all major candidates from both parties would be on the ballot. ...

  On the ballot against their will, that is. Obama, Edwards, etc. Classy move. Clas-sy.
  Any Democrat supporting this should be recalled, I'm tempted to say. (Though one can't exactly "recall" Debbie Dingell, who is working hand-in-glove with the Repubs and Saul Anuzis on putting a gun to Obama/Edwards/Richardson/etc.'s heads, see my previous diaries...)

Deal hatched on Jan. 15 primary?

by: Eric B.

Thu Nov 08, 2007 at 12:50:46 PM EST

The Michigan Senate is standing at ease until approximately 3 p.m. this afternoon.

At 3 p.m. the chamber is expected to take up legislation repairing the January 15, 2008 Michigan Presidential Primary.  Recall that Wednesday, Ingham County Circuit Court Judge William COLLETTE tossed out the primary law as unconstitutional because it granted sole ownership of the resulting voter lists to the state's two major political parties.

Senators are also waiting to see what, if any action the Michigan House takes on a possible repeal of the new services tax that is slated to go into effect on Dec. 1 of this year.

NAACP fields voter ID complaints; problems for primary?

by: David Boyle

Wed Nov 07, 2007 at 14:26:22 PM EST

  The Detroit NAACP has received a number of complaints today from voters turned away at the polls because of a new photo ID requirement.
  About 40 voters have called into the local offices of the NAACP, said Melvin (Butch) Hollowell, general counsel for the civil rights organization.
  "The complaints started first thing this morning," Hollowell said. "Voters are angry and confused." ...

  This does not bode well for a primary (of the kind that the courts just axed in Michigan); caucuses may be more amenable to voters than primaries, and there may be fewer ID problems. Something to chew on, especially if we want a diverse electorate.

MDP -OPEN-to-public-?? meeting on 11/7; demand a Feb. caucus & enfranchisement (MO further updated)

by: David Boyle

Mon Nov 05, 2007 at 19:25:09 PM EST

  Meeting location (MDP headquarters): 606 Townsend, Lansing, MI 48933

  MDP phone: (517) 371-5410

  MDP e-mail(s): jwarman@michigandems.com, Joanne Warman, MDP Receptionist
  (and/or jmoon@michigandems.com, Jason Moon, MDP Communications Director ...you can just put both in the "to" box)

  Hey, they might even have to listen to you if you show up in person, see the MDP rules here (unless they got secretly changed or something):

...ARTICLE 2. POLICY
A. Fundamental Principles

1. All public meetings at all levels of the Democratic Party in Michigan shall be open to all members of the Democratic Party regardless of actual or perceived race, color, creed, sex, age, national origin, economic status, religion, ethnic identity, ancestry,marital status, sexual orientation, physical appearance or disability. ...

3. The time and place for all public meetings of the Democratic Party on all levels shall be publicized fully and in such a manner as to assure timely notice to all interested persons. Such meetings must be held in places accessible to all Party members and large enough to accommodate all interested persons. ...

9. Votes shall not be taken by secret ballot at any meeting of the Democratic Party in Michigan at any level. ...

  It's YOUR Party. Do you want your vote to count, and the right to vote for all the 2008 candidates; or do you want some "beauty contest" that even Hillary said doesn't matter, and with most of the major candidates absent? Your Party, your choice.
  Let your voice be heard!!

  (And don't forget the lawsuit against the 1/15 primary by Mark Grebner due to the parties hogging election info, see the estimable Eric B. in State sued over presidential primary;
  nor forget state Dem rep Martin Griffin's attempt to undo the early primary, see here,

State Rep. Martin Griffin, D-Jackson, is pushing legislation that would effectively cancel the state's 2008 presidential primary.
He says the state can't afford a $10 million primary that no longer makes Michigan relevant in the Democratic process. ...
"In these tough economic times, taxpayers can ill afford to bear the cost of a presidential primary," he said. "The benefit to holding the primary is lost."

  Go Michigan democracy! Go Michigan Democrats!
  (And vote tomorrow...thanks!)

  UPDATED: also recall that, cf. philgoblue's diary, On the Primary Crisis: What's Next, Kent County Democrats are demanding to be enfranchised with a Feb. caucus, and cf. sndowty's diary Washtenaw Dems Resolution on Jan. 15th Primary to similar effect re Washtenaw Dems, etc. If MDP leadership insists on ignoring the people, they could find their own seats jeopardized at the next election...

  FURTHER updated: looks like meeting may be *Closed to Public!!! !!*, see comments below. (Why should your Flawless Leaders ever listen to you anyway?) However, you can always

1) stand outside the meeting with a sign (or would they have you arrested),

2) express your displeasure with a closed meeting of a supposedly "democratic" organization...either by phone, or e-mail, or on this blog, etc.,

3) anything else you can think of, to fight your own disenfranchisement!!!

  MO further updated: a comment below sez that the meeting's now open, so that the ol' title "MDP *CLOSED-TO-PUBLIC* meeting on 11/7; demand a Feb. caucus & enfranchisement (FURTHER updated)" may be superseded, hopefully...

Bob Jones endorses Romney; Romney endorses torture?

by: David Boyle

Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 21:52:32 PM EDT

  Dr. Bob Jones III, chancellor of the fundamentalist Christian university that bears his name, is looking past his religious differences with Gov. Mitt Romney and endorsing the Mormon for the Republican nomination for president, he told The Greenville News today.
  "This is all about beating Hillary," Jones said. ...
  "If it turns out to be Guiliani [sic] and Hillary, we've got two pro-choice candidates, and that would be a disaster." ...

  But will Bo-Jo's endorsement help...or hurt?

  In other terrible news, see TPM--Election Central, Romney's New National Security Adviser Said He'd Torture "In A Heartbeat",

  Retired General James "Spider" Marks, who has just been named a new national security adviser to Mitt Romney's campaign, asserted in a 2005 interview that he would readily torture prisoners to save a soldier's life or stop a terror bomb, saying: "I'd stick a knife in somebody's thigh in a heartbeat." ...
  Contacted by Election Central, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden declined to comment on Marks' assertions or say whether Governor Romney agreed with them. Madden did, however, say that Romney opposes torture, though he also confirmed that Romney supports the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques." Madden declined to specify what techniques in particular Romney was referring to.
  At the GOP debate in May, Romney surprised a lot of people -- and drew applause from his audience -- when he said: "Some people have said, we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is, we ought to double Guantanamo."

  Double your fun, huh. And we ain't talking bubblegum.

  Old Man Romney (the "George W. 43" of Michigan) must be spinning in his grave. Maybe his boy Mitt will promote gas-guzzling Detroit cars with an electric cattle prod feature to use on heathens or something.

Debbie Dingell hearts Anuzis: involuntary servitude for Obama etc.

by: David Boyle

Thu Oct 11, 2007 at 22:23:48 PM EDT

Political leaders of both parties are pushing for the state Legislature to place the names of four Democratic presidential candidates back on the Jan. 15 primary ballot, trying to undo the damage to Michigan's political clout when the candidates removed their names from consideration this week.
  Democratic National Committee member Debbie Dingell and state GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis both support the idea; Anuzis said today the Republican leaders of both chambers of the Legislature are on board. ...
  "We have to be prepared to play hardball," said Dingell, the wife of U.S. Rep John Dingell, D-Dearborn, and a prime mover in the bid to challenge Iowa and New Hampshire. ...

  That's just what Michigan's image needs: a white woman (person) who married into power, forcing an African American (Obama) and a Latino (Richardson), plus some others, to be forced to do something they don't want to do. 
  And cuddling up with "Super Saul" Anuzis to do it. Now isn't that special.

  Wasn't involuntary servitude abolished a long time ago??

  ...Why hasn't Debbie Dingell resigned from her position at the DNC, or been forcibly removed from it? She isn't happy there. And she clearly has no respect for the DNC, or maybe for anyone else either, maybe. (Except for her husband or General Motors--hard to tell the difference between them--, and Hillary, who could advance Debbie's career.)

  Yes, involuntary servitude got abolished a long time ago (that "Civil War" thing), but not everyone has noticed, I guess...

MDP should enfranchise voters: hold a February caucus

by: David Boyle

Wed Oct 10, 2007 at 17:51:15 PM EDT

  Therefore, Obama or Edwards or Richardson or Biden or (tried to withdraw, but too late?) Kucinich may not deserve your anger for following the DNC rules, but rather, the MDP deserves that anger for NOT following the rules; since the MDP can enfranchise you and get your vote counted any time you want, but they have refused to do so, so far.

  That is, they can hold a February caucus, Feb. 5 or later (say, Feb. 9), and stay within the scope of the rules. And get the delegates counted. (Unless they enrage the DNC in some other way) Or they can refuse to do it, and keep you disenfranchised.

  Would you like to be enfranchised? and do something positive, rather than seething with negative feelings and feeling powerless? Just contact the MDP, and ask that they immediately enfranchise you by holding a February caucus.
  MDP phone number: 517-371-5410.
  MDP Communications Director Jason Moon e-mail: jmoon@mi-democrats.com.

  Have a great democratic/Democratic day!

FLASH: Obama/Edwards/Richardson withdraw names from Mich. primary ballot

by: David Boyle

Tue Oct 09, 2007 at 13:54:21 PM EDT

Two of three leading Democratic presidential nominees have removed their names from the Jan. 15 Michigan presidential primary.
  U.S. Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards both filed paperwork to have their names withdrawn minutes ago with the Michigan Secretary of State's office.
  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson sent a letter yesterday, also asking to be taken off the list.
  Today is the deadline for candidates to have their names removed.
  Michigan Democrats were under pressure from the national party to disavow the state's recent move to push the primary ahead of both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary in violation of party rules.
  The big question now is whether Sen. Hillary Clinton, the frontrunner among Democrats, will join the others and remove her name from the ballot.
  It wasn't immediately clear whether Michigan Democrats would now switch to their original plan to hold a caucus on Feb. 9. ...

  Indeed. (And see my own 9/10/07 Daily Kos diary Barack, John, Hill: take your names off Fla./Mich. ballots!; not that that makes me a prophet, but...)
  If Mark Brewer can't change the plan and have a February 9 caucus, perhaps he should consider resigning from office. He messed up seriously by caving in and supporting the rulebreaking early primary plan that defied the whole DNC and Howard Dean. (See my earlier diaries on this) How does he look now? And how do John and Debbie Dingell look? And, I must say, Jennifer Granholm and Andy Dillon, who were seduced by Mike Bishop into defying their own party's National Committee primary schedule?
  I hope this all teaches the MDP a serious lesson; part of which is that they have done a terrible, terrible job for the Democrats, and the people, of Michigan. (Including wasting time on the early primary nonsense, rather than getting ready for the budget battle with the Republicans...)
  Thanks to Barack, John, and Bill for upholding the integrity of the DNC primary process.

  (Note: as I'm completing this, I see the story's been frontpaged, http://michiganliber... . My commentary is something I want put up, though, so here we are.)

Michigan Draft Gore Needs Your Help

by: NYPopulist

Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 23:48:35 PM EDT

Dingell hearts Hillary's coercive health care plan

by: David Boyle

Tue Sep 18, 2007 at 21:53:25 PM EDT

  "Well, it wasn't an actual endorsement of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, but U.S. Rep. John Dingell today held nothing back in his rave review of her new universal health care plan.
  "There is no candidate for president with more experience in fighting the health care battle and more knowledge of the health care issue than Sen. Clinton, my partner in seeking to expand coverage for the children of our nation," Dingell said in a statement released by his campaign. ...
  He adds, "Her proposal outlined yesterday is a serious one that I welcome. Her focus on controlling costs and on making sure every American is covered is exactly right. They are her priorities, they are my priorities, and they must be our national priorities." ..."

  Surprise, John Dingell endorses something Hillary has done. (See my earlier diaries on what I suspect Hillary might give the Dingells in exchange for their support; not that I'm alleging a conspiracy or nuthin...)

  Hillary's plan includes MANDATORY health insurance purchase by you. Doesn't sound like a free country to me. In fact, she might let employers demand to see your health insurance papers before you are hired! according to the AP interview in my current Daily Kos diary and poll, Hillary on employers: "Ve vill see your HEALTH PAPERS!!", where the poll results support my pro-freedom position by about 2-1 at present.

  "They are her priorities, they are my priorities, and they must be our national priorities.": they're not my priorities (at least as Hillary's plan frames and coerces them), Congressman Dingell. Nor those of a lot of people, I suspect. We'll see what happens. God bless America.

Florida Dems retreat from early-primary mess

by: David Boyle

Sat Sep 15, 2007 at 16:45:07 PM EDT

  "Florida Democrats, unable to work out a compromise to avoid harsh sanctions imposed by the Democratic National Committee, appear ready to give in and declare the Jan. 29 presidential primary meaningless.
  While state party officials insist no ''consensus'' has been reached on what the party should do, there is a growing recognition that within the next week Democrats will announce a plan that renders the primary vote nonbinding in order to comply with national party rules. Florida Democrats will instead decide some time after Jan. 29 which presidential candidate is the winner of the state's delegates to the national convention. ...
  ''The positive thing about this is reality may finally be setting in at the party that delegates will not be selected on the 29th of January and if we want to have delegates we need to have an alternate plan,'' said Allan Katz, a Tallahassee attorney and member of the Democratic National Committee. ..."

  Good. I'm glad Howard Dean and the DNC stuck to their guns.

  There's another state Democratic party I could think of, that should be taking the same lessons fast. At least when they're done with the budget mess: a mess that got exacerbated by wasting time to declare a rulebreaking "early primary" in the first place.

Presidential candidates should withdraw names from Michigan early primary ballot

by: David Boyle

Wed Sep 05, 2007 at 03:55:01 AM EDT

  "...some of the candidates -- including former Sen. John Edwards, who has invested heavily in building early momentum in Iowa and New Hampshire -- were said to be considering upping the ante by withdrawing their names from the Michigan primary ballot.
  Edwards campaign director David Bonior of Michigan didn't respond immediately to queries about his candidate's plans. But if one or more of the top contenders drops out, Michigan's Jan. 15 primary could quickly deteriorate into an insignificant sideshow.
  ...But [Carl] Levin said it was "inconceivable" that any Democratic candidate would do "something as self-destructive as taking their name off the primary ballot. ...
  In [a] letter, Levin and [Debbie] Dingell argued that it was New Hampshire -- not Michigan -- that first violated party rules by moving its primary from Jan. 22 to sometime before Jan. 19 in a "transparent effort ... to maintain its privileged position of going immediately after Iowa. ..."
  Levin said Michigan could revert to its original Feb. 5 primary date, but only if New Hampshire backs off its jump. ..."

  So, if NH goes 3 days before it should, then Mich can go...3 WEEKS before it should? Oy.
  --Note, though, how Carl Levin gives wiggle room for Michigan to cave completely. Astute, if belated. With a pathetic little "rebellion" like Michigan is mounting against the DNC and Howard Dean, no wonder Levin wants an out.

  Not even discussing related issues like primarying John Dingell out of office: I hope the presidential candidates remove their names from the rulebreaking Michigan primary ballot as soon as possible. It's actually good for Michigan, in the long run, since people will be taught that you can't win by cheating.

Will some legislator please draft a "Move the primary to 2/5/08" bill?

by: David Boyle

Tue Sep 04, 2007 at 02:04:02 AM EDT

  Thanks for doing your job!

*UPDATE*: Obama, Edwards, Dodd, Richardson, Biden AND HILLARY pledge to avoid Michigan primary

by: David Boyle

Sat Sep 01, 2007 at 14:06:35 PM EDT

  See, e.g., Daily Kos, Breaking: John Edwards signs Four State Pledge. It reveals that Obama, Edwards, Dodd, Richardson, and Biden have all done the right thing and pledged to stick with the four states Howard Dean and the DNC are happy with keeping first: a geographically diverse array of early primary/caucus states, Iowa (Midwest), New Hampshire (Northeast), South Carolina (South, and considerable African-American representation), and Nevada (West, and considerable Latina/o representation).

  I could write a long thing about this, but...does the Granholm/Brewer/Dingell early primary idea look like a

  GOOD IDEA

now?
  Maybe not, huh.

Spence Abraham To Manage Fred Thompson Campaign

by: RandySF

Tue Jul 24, 2007 at 18:05:39 PM EDT

David Nacht Serious Contender

by: kbs386

Sat Jun 30, 2007 at 21:21:36 PM EDT

Al Gore: The Support is Real

by: jamesboyce

Fri Jun 29, 2007 at 16:24:47 PM EDT

Well, a poll released this week in New Hampshire shows that the support is real, very real. Here's the highlight.

MI-09: Gary Peters Looking At Taking On Knollenberg

by: RandySF

Thu Jun 28, 2007 at 17:09:59 PM EDT