...Martin Luther King Jr. earned special ire from Paul's newsletters, which attacked the civil rights leader frequently, often to justify opposition to the federal holiday named after him. ("What an infamy Ronald Reagan approved it!" one newsletter complained in 1990. "We can thank him for our annual Hate Whitey Day.") In the early 1990s, a newsletter attacked the "X-Rated Martin Luther King" as a "world-class philanderer who beat up his paramours," "seduced underage girls and boys," and "made a pass at" fellow civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy. One newsletter ridiculed black activists who wanted to rename New York City after King, suggesting that "Welfaria," "Zooville," "Rapetown," "Dirtburg," and "Lazyopolis" were better alternatives. The same year, King was described as "a comsymp, if not an actual party member, and the man who replaced the evil of forced segregation with the evil of forced integration."
While bashing King, the newsletters had kind words for the former Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, David Duke. ...
Hillary hasn't been good on MLK issues, but Paul is much worse.
Do you want to vote for Adolf, uh, Ron Paul now? Maybe not. I hope.
There is also the ethical issue about messing with somebody else's primary; I don't really like it, any more than I would appreciate 10 zillion Repubs crossing over and making Mike Gravel the winner. Dems should vote...DEM, etc.
And finally, there is also the "dilution" tactical problem, i.e., one Dem thinks, "I'll vote for that loser Huckabee and he'll win the Michigan vote, haw haw", but another thinks "I'll vote for that loser Ron Paul and he'll win the Michigan vote, haw haw", so that the "loser" votes may be spread out too much and let Romney or McCain slip through anyway--and ALSO let Hillary slip through.
This is what professionals call A Bad Result.
...I stated a few days ago that Senator Clinton needs to say, on record, unambiguously and as Shermanesque as possible, that she will not challenge the Michigan delegate ban under any circumstances, and not accept delegate votes from Michigan under any circumstances. If she won't commit to this statement, she is patently unqualified to run in the Democratic primary to begin with, as she would be advocating the strategy of stealing an election. I spent the last day or so trying to get an answer from the Clinton campaign, and no one will commit to this statement that I've talked to so far. Which is terrifying.
Therefore, I have changed my mind about the strategic advantage of voting for Ron Paul. It is now the clear strategic advantage, if you're in Michigan, to vote "uncommitted". Voting "uncommitted" in the Democratic primary allows the delegates to be freed up to support who they like, should the convention prove a close one.
Yes, most Michigan Democrats I know still plan on staying home, or voting in the Republican primary, but I hope the word gets out in time that there is a better option. Voting uncommitted isn't the same as not voting -- it's stopping Hillary Clinton from the potential of hijacking an election with invalid delgates (should the final totals be close). And that in and of itself is even more valuable than assuring Ron Paul keeps being a pest.
As for Hillary, by the way: congratulations on her slim 2-point victory over Barack in NH last night, although Barack's 9-point Iowa victory over her was proportionately more impressive.
However, as Maureen Dowd notes in Can Hillary Cry Her Way Back to the White House?,
...Gloria Steinem wrote in The Times yesterday that one of the reasons she is supporting Hillary is that she had "no masculinity to prove." But Hillary did feel she needed to prove her masculinity. That was why she voted to enable W. to invade Iraq without even reading the National Intelligence Estimate and backed the White House's bellicosity on Iran. ...
Hillary sounded silly trying to paint Obama as a poetic dreamer and herself as a prodigious doer. "Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act," she said. Did any living Democrat ever imagine that any other living Democrat would try to win a presidential primary in New Hampshire by comparing herself to L.B.J.? (Who was driven out of politics by Gene McCarthy in New Hampshire.)
Her argument against Obama now boils down to an argument against idealism, which is probably the lowest and most unlikely point to which any Clinton could sink. The people from Hope are arguing against hope. ...
Hope against hope. Heh.
And with Hillary confirming in her victory speech that she'll get us out of Iraq "the right way", it implies she knows better than other Dem candidates what to do there. Which she didn't when she voted to send us to war there, causing far more tears in the families of our dead soldiers than she herself has shed recently; and I don't think she knows better now about Iraq, either. So much for Hillary.
So if you want a viable change candidate like Barack Obama (cf. the other poor man's Mich Lib, the Huffington Post, Obama Wins Key Support Of Nevada's Largest Union today) or John Edwards to win--and no lawsuit knocks over the primary, and if you don't want to boycott the primary, and maybe even if you like Richardson--, vote "uncommitted" and make sure all your friends do, too, and spread the word the best you can. --Kucinich is campaigning here, so he's violating the pledge not to campaign, maybe? and who wants to vote for a dishonest candidate? And Dodd is out. And Gravel...is Gravel, God bless him.
Ironically, then, if you are COMMITTED to change, you may have to vote UNCOMMITTED on 1/15. Funny, I know, but that's life.
(Worth a thought on a chilly Wednesday afternoon... - promoted by Eric B.)
For Michiganders who grew up in the days of the Chrysler miracle, seeing Bill Richardson get the endorsement of Lee Iacocca is reason for pause.
Critics are probably correct to fault Richardson for often not being prepared enough--and in the right way--to truly emerge as a leader in this race. But getting the endorsement of such a towering maverick of an executive is sure to catch the eye of many people in Detroit.
Among other things, Iacocca was the last person who looked at the Detroit auto industry and said: never give up. To many, he was much more than that and most people don't even realize it.
This is cross posted at The Huffington Post and posted here for your convenience in case you missed it yesterday.
Truly ending the war in Iraq will only come about when our troops are no longer targets. That is why Governor Bill Richardson believes that we should not leave behind any of our troops. --Joaquin H. Guerra, Bill Richardson for President.
It's Time to Make a Choice in Iraq
By Governor Bill Richardson
Yesterday,twelve former Army captains wrote that short of reinstating the draft, "our best option is to leave Iraq immediately." In an extraordinary editorial in the Washington Post, these captains--all of whom served in Iraq--made it clear that we need to end this war and we need to end it now. They wrote that a " scaled withdrawal will not prevent a civil war and it will spend more blood and treasure on a losing proposition."
I strongly urge every American to read this important report from those who served in the failed conflict in Iraq. Army captains are the staff officers who plan operations against insurgent strongholds. They are the company commanders who lead our soldiers through the streets of Baghdad. And they are the soldiers who will direct our withdrawal from Iraq.
These men and women know the score. They know that we must leave Iraq. As they put it, "It's time to make a choice." Americans are fed up with the President's stalling and Congressional failure to act. Frankly, it is well past time we make a choice. And the only responsible choice left to us is to get all of our troops out of Iraq, with no residual forces left behind--no combat forces, no non-combat forces. As President, I will do it. I will get all of our troops out within a year after I take office - sooner if we can get it done safely.
The other major candidates in this race have said--again and again--that they will not. Senators Edwards, Obama, and Clinton have all refused to commit to getting all of our troops out of Iraq by 2013. None of them are willing to be clear about removing all troops - combat and non-combat. It's unbelievable. Are they looking at the same war the rest of us are? Furthermore, they are all advocating precisely the sort of scaled withdrawal that these twelve captains are warning against. It doesn't make any sense. Real leadership is about making the tough choices, and knowing when it is time to make bold moves. Now is the time for action, not hesitation. Ending this war requires real change, not more incrementalism.
Ending this war is the most important issue of our time. And it is the fundamental difference between me and Senators Edwards, Obama, and Clinton. I will end the war; they will not. I will get all of our troops out; they will leave troops behind indefinitely. I will order a safe and rapid withdrawal and have our troops out within a year. They have proposed a long, protracted withdrawal that will only increase the danger to our fighting men and women and drag out the war.
2013 is six years from now - six years. In six years, will we have lost 6,000 men and women in Iraq? 10,000? More? In six years will this be a $2 trillion mistake? Or $3 trillion? The war has been going on for four and half years already. Six years from now, we will have been there for more than a decade. Are you okay with that? I'm not.
The choice in Iraq is clear. We need to get all our troops out quickly. We need to end this war for real. Go to getourtroopsout.com to join Americans across the country in calling for a quick, clear, responsible end to the war in Iraq.
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...
Okay. So what if Mark Brewer decides to go ahead with the January 15
primary (ultimately it is his call...mostly...err...along
with Saulius Anuzis) - even if two of the three major
presidential candidates are not participating? Then what?
For those voters not enraptured by Hillary's inevitability, the
pickings are pretty slim: Dodd, Gravel and (whoops!) Kucinich. But what
about writing-in a candidate? A number of folks have suggested
writing-in Al Gore or one of the candidates who recently pulled their
names off the ballot. Yes, you will physically be able to do this. But
there's a problem: your
vote will probably never be counted. Why is that? Refer to
Michigan Election Law (MCL
168.737a):
(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the
board of election
inspectors shall not count a write-in vote for a person unless that
person has filed a declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate as
provided in this section. The write-in candidate shall file the
declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate with the filing
official for that elective office on or before 4 p.m. on the second
Friday immediately before the election. The secretary of state,
immediately after the 4 p.m. filing deadline under this subsection,
shall prepare and have delivered a list of all persons who have filed a
declaration of intent to be a write-in candidate under this subsection,
if any, to the appropriate county clerks. A filing official other than
the secretary of state who receives a declaration of intent to be a
write-in candidate or list of persons who filed a declaration of intent
from another filing official under this subsection shall prepare and
have delivered a list of all persons who have filed a declaration of
intent to be a write-in candidate to the board of election inspectors
in the appropriate precincts before the close of the polls on election
day.
In other words, under this provision (adopted in 1997 with little
fanfare), for Al Gore, Barack Obama, or John Edwards' write-in votes to
be counted, Al Gore, Barack Obama, or John Edwards would have to fill
out this
form declaring themself as a write-in candidate by the second
Friday before the election. Things could change of course, but at the
moment that doesn't seem very likely.
So what to do?
Well, the first thing is to try to convince Brewer (and...uh...Anuzis) to scrap the Jan.
15th primary. We know for sure that with only one major candidate,
Michigan's Jan. 15 will have no more actual relevance than the
"elections" they used to hold in the former Soviet Union. We may as
well move to February, where we'll probably
be irrelevant too. However, at least in February there is some shred of
a possibility that there could be a scandal, implosion or other
disturbance in the force that could change the landscape and make
Michigan matter again.
But if we're stuck January 15, then contest will become a
yes/no referendum on Hillary. Odds are, she will win hands down.
However, if there are a larger than expected number of votes
for the other three candidates, it could reflect badly on her at a very
early and important stage of the process. Hillary's people apparently
think this is an acceptable risk for them. I'm not so sure about that.
Michigan Messenger: New DHS director faces some uncomfortable questions but passes confirmation hearing. Michigan's wannabe Ann Coulter tried to give Ismael Ahmed some grief yesterday, but the Senate's Families and Human Services Committee voted unanimously to support his appointment after hearing 30 speakers offer testimony in support of the new DHS Director.
State News: Group seeks to extend term limits for state legislators. Term limits appear to be the hot topic since last week's budget deal went through.
Rudy Giuliani: Michigan needs fiscal discipline. Rudy says the answer to Michigan's problems are more tax cuts. Boy, thanks for those pearls of wisdom.
Senate Dems: Senate Democrats, Business Leaders Urge Support for Clean Energy Development. There's still more work to be done on the budget, but it's time to take up important bills on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The Bay City Times has a short post about this renewed legislative push here, and Kevin has a related post up about the BlueGreen Alliance over on Michigan Messenger.
Department of History, Arts and Libraries: Great Lakes Arts, Culture, and Heritage Survey Results Give Michigan a Powerful Tool in Leveraging a Key Economic Sector. Okay, so that lengthy headline is pretty self-explanatory. Check out the release for more info.
Michigan's Economy
AP: Go Solar program turns power users into power savers. "I view it as prepaying for utilities," said Skinner, 56. "We're bargaining over time that it'll be worth it because one day, we'll get free energy."
DFP: Chrysler, UAW push the deadline. A nice update on the status of the negotiations. We'll know what happens by 11 a.m.
State News: Adjunct physics professor at MSU wins Nobel Prize. "This year?s Nobel Prize for physics winners Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg?s research could potentially allow for more songs on an MP3 player or more memory on a laptop. Fert, an MSU adjunct professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, along with Grunberg, discovered and pioneered a giant magnetoresistance field in 1988."
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.)
3rd Update: Dodd stays in as well. (Politico) Statement from the Dodd campaign, courtesy of Tim Tagaris:
""We are committed to the importance of Iowa and New Hampshire going first, and we signed the four-state pledge to hopefully prevail upon the DNC and the state parties to add clarity to that situation. However, it does not benefit any of us if we are the nominee to pull our name off the ballot and slight Michigan voters," said communications director Hari Sevugan."
2nd Update: Clinton stays in. (AP story) BTW, Biden is also out.
Update: Here's a statement from the Edwards campaign, courtesy of Tracy Russo:
"Michigan is a great state with some of the finest Democrats in the nation - but it's important we respect the role that the four early states play in the nominating process. In Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada voters can look their candidate in the eye and determine who is best to bring about real change in America. In these early states issues matter more than money, celebrity and advertisements. Voters want and deserve a candidate who represents real people, not corporate special interests, and this primary process will help ensure that's exactly what the American people get." -Edwards Campaign Manager David Bonior
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.
We've waited "Long Enough" for an answer on how many residual troops the other Democratic Presidential Candidates will leave behind in Iraq. That's why the name of our campaigns' new TV ad is entitled "Long Enough."
Bill Richardson is changing the debate with his clear, bold, plan to end the war and bring all the troops home. This war will drag on as long as our troops are in Iraq.
(Topical, but not in an ointment sort of way - promoted by Eric B.)
As ethics demand they should.
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
UPDATE: Nirmal gave me the official OK to put his pic up, so there you go--bask in the glory of his "Walmart Kills Kittens" T-Shirt below!
I went, I saw, I returned. I'm not one of the more prominent or prolific Kossacks, and I didn't have any idea what to expect or what (if anything) I might be able to contribute. Even so, the closeness of the venue this year (I'm in a suburb of Detroit) combined with the realization that I haven't been on an overnight trip by myself (ie, no family) in a whopping 7 years made it a no-brainer to attend.
The first thing I'll say is that I should've paid more attention to the schedule--for some reason I was under the impression that Dean's keynote address on Thursday evening was the first event; sadly, this meant that my Thursday afternoon arrival (followed by having to check in, find my hotel room, etc) resulted in my missing several sessions earlier that day. Worse yet, the timing of my *return* trip meant that I missed all of the closing stuff on Sunday. Live and learn; lesson for next year: if you want the full experience, show up the day before and don't leave until the evening of the last day.
Miss the show? No problem. You can always listen to the archives at www.blogtalkradio.com/headingleft where you can stream past programs or download a podcast.
City Pulse just ran excerpts of their interview with our ex-governor Milliken. Though he's historically a Republican, I believe (as do others) that there is no home for moderates like him in the Republican party any more. Thus, Dems like me tend to eat up these bits of old-school quasi-reformed Republican wisdom. We especially love it when they dis on 'Dubya and DeVoss. However, do Milliken's musings mean anything to us? Should we care? Can we use these wandering old school Republicans to our advantage?
For those of us who voted in the 2004 Michigan Democratic Party Presidential Caucus, it was an exciting time. For the first time we could vote on the internet for our favored candidate and for me, it made the election process all the more interesting and interactive.
As much as the netroots community likes to complain about the prehistoric nature of the MDP, you just might be surprised to learn that Michigan was the very first state to do this internet voting. Even more impressive, we're the only state (at this point) that's going to do it again in 2008.
Here's a question - how many of you had dial-up service in 2004 versus your broadband connection today? Probably a lot of you. Despite that, a whopping 28% of the 160,000 Caucus voters in voted online. When you consider how Internet has been growing in leaps and bounds, imagine how that number will skyrocket.
As it stands now, the MDP already proposed several changes to the Delegate Selection Plan, all designed to make it a little easier for all of us to better participate. After looking it over, here's some points of particular interest:
Internet voting will be open for 7 days, as opposed to 30 days in '04
Voters will be able to vote in any voting location within their county. Go where it's closest.
You can take your utility bill, drivers license, or your MI Identification card as proof of identification. I think this is a great idea, it makes it more accessible to everyone, since we don't all have a Drivers License.
Choice of voting by mail, internet or in person.
Of course, if this is something we want to be available again next year, we need to let the MDP know. Right now, they are taking public comment on the Caucus Draft Selection Plan. Between now and April 28th, you can view the Plan online and then email the MDP with your comments.
While you're checking out the plan, you can also learn a little more about being a delegate, how delegates are selected, how the Convention process works, and the burning question - what's the date of the Caucus (Feb. 9th, 2008 as it stands now, but of course, that could change...)
Either way, it's your state, and your voice - make it heard!
"Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson said in Santa Fe that he would veto a bill that would have required New Mexico girls entering sixth grade to be vaccinated against a sexually transmitted virus.... Richardson had indicated he would sign the bill after it passed the Legislature.... He said he changed his mind after parents and doctors told him their concerns about the program. "While everyone recognizes the benefits of this vaccine, there is insufficient time to educate parents, schools and healthcare providers," he said. The measure would have required girls entering sixth grade this fall to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus before they enter public or private school. Richardson did sign a related bill that requires health insurance providers to cover the vaccine." (emphasis added)
This article is very important, because Richardson is a widely respected figure, and he
a. is making it easier to get the vaccination (the bill he did sign), but
b. is not going to use coercive government power in this instance to force vaccination.
Some governors, and politicians, in the Midwestern area might do well to follow his example.
As for Michigan elected officials: who is getting donations from Merck? if anyone. That is one question I am interested in re Michigan efforts to mandate consumption of the particular HPV drugs that profit Merck. And again, thanks to Bill Richardson for his wise decisions here.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan Democrats overwhelmingly prefer Hillary Clinton.
Almost a year before the state's parties hold primaries or caucuses, Clinton is the clear choice of Michigan Democrats with a nearly 30-point lead over her nearest rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll conducted last week shows. The New York senator and former first lady got strong support crossing racial lines, income levels, geographical boundaries and age.
At this point, I think that these results reflect on name recognition more than anything else. To candidates, the real value of polling this early is in defining the media narrative and fundraising.
The head-to-head polls were conducted by Selzer and Company. They sampled 675 voters from Jan 28 to 31, and claim a margin of error of 3.8 percent. In their simulation of a Democratic primary vote, they sampled 273 voters from Jan 28 to 31, and claim a margin of error of 5.9 percent.
While we turn our eager young eyes towards 2008 and the presidential nomination process, Bill Richardson continues to edge further ahead in earning the support of at least one Mich Libber.
One notable quote:
"Another national security threat: climate," Richardson said.
Happy Sunday, fair people of the progressive online hamlet that we gleefully populate when we have a spare moment on the internets.
I am back with Volume II of the far too soon and far too horserace-ish 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination Watch, as promised last Sunday.
Here are the results from our first installation of the Democratic presidential choice poll, from November 19 to November 26, 2006:
* Wesley Clark - 7 votes (20%)
* John Edwards - 6 votes (17.14%)
* Al Gore - 6 votes (17.14%)
* Barack Obama - 6 votes (17.14%)
* Evan Bayh - 2 votes (5.71%)
* Hillary Clinton - 2 votes (5.71%)
* Tom Daschle - 2 votes (5.71%)
* Bill Richardson - 2 votes (5.71%)
* Joe Biden - 1 votes (2.86%)
* Tom Vilsack - 1 votes (2.86%)
* Christopher Dodd - 0 votes (0%)
* Mike Gravel - 0 votes (0%)
* John Kerry - 0 votes (0%)
The poll for the coming week is included in the extended text. Also included are the following stories that have developed over the past week. Lets see what some of our candidates have been up to:
- Obama talks with top advisers in Iowa
- Denver poised to land 2008 convention
- Presidential candidates court activists
- Edwards, Obama gain attention on book tours
- SurveyUSA approval ratings of Senators
- Emmanuel hopes to avoid Clinton, Obama clash
- Clinton lobbies for New York convention bid
- Carville makes Dem candidacy predictions
- Americans consider Clinton qualified to run
- Feingold does not rule out VP nomination
- Clinton financial advantage depleted
- CNN polls Democratic candidates for president
- Home state voters favor Obama, Clinton runs
- Kerry says he's not out of the '08 race
- Edwards says Obama should run for president
Plus, a focus on the next candidate in no particular order alphabetically: U.S. Senator Joseph "Joe" Biden of Delaware.
