Candidate's live chat

by: Eric B.

Sun Nov 25, 2007 at 12:06:23 PM EST

Come early, ask often.

Pete Hoekstra - Bought and paid for by the Insurance and Pharmaceutical Industries?

by: Michigan Girl

Tue Nov 20, 2007 at 18:30:58 PM EST

This wasn't the diary I had planned to write today. I had big plans for the second diary in my series chronicling Pete Hoekstra's dirty deeds to be about Pete's cozy relationship with the Telecommunications Industry... However, my plans changed after I received a phone call this morning from my Mother.

I answered the phone this morning and my Mom was crying... Big-heaving-heart-wrenching-tears-can't-catch-your-breath kind of crying. If you knew my Mom, you'd understand just how unusual it is to hear my Mom cry. I can only remember hearing my Mom cry like that one time before in my entire life and that was when she got the call that her daughter was dead... It basically takes a tragedy of unimaginable proportions to make my Mother cry.

UPDATE: "My name is Fred Johnson, and I'm running for Congress."

by: FredJohnsonForCongress

Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 14:23:41 PM EST

Also be sure to see the television coverage of the event: http://www.wzzm13.co...

This morning, Fred Johnson formally announced his intention to run as a Democrat for Michigan's 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I've spent years in the classroom, making sure that my students understood that they had a responsibility to themselves, their society, and this nation to be more than spectators in this wonderful democracy.

...

I've told them that anyone can complain about problems, but that complaints don't solve problems, people do. And it's not until the people rise up and take action that changes can be made to set right that which has gone wrong; to correct that which has been broken; to bring harmony to that which is in turmoil. 

Over the last few months as I've talked with people who are working two and three jobs but barely able to make ends meet and dreading illness because they don't have health insurance.

As I've heard people share their deep concerns about the health of our rivers, lakes, land, and air, wondering why so few in power are taking action to prevent a looming disaster.

As I've felt the frustrations of so many who wonder when the time will finally come when we call home our young men and women who have been sent, over and over, into harm's way . . .

As I've pondered those concerns, my words to my students have come back to haunt me, challenge me, and demand that I live up to that which I've spoken.

Like so many of my friends, neighbors, associates and others in this region, I have come to believe that our country has, for some time, been going in the wrong direction. Thus, after a much soul searching of myself, and a lot of planning by others, I have a message for you today that is simple and straightforward: my name is Fred Johnson and I'm running for Congress.

Pete Hoekstra's desire for endless war - Religious crusade or war profiteering?

by: Michigan Girl

Tue Nov 13, 2007 at 12:22:12 PM EST

I've been asking myself a question for quite awhile, "What drives Pete Hoekstra's desire for eternal war?

Is it possible that the infinite statements from Pete Hoekstra (Lying Dutchman MI-02) like this:

"Our nation faces a serious and ongoing threat from radical, militant jihadists. I fear that some believe that by pushing a date certain for withdrawal

"As the radical Islamists themselves have made clear, it will not, and we need to from Iraq we will somehow make the radical jihadist threat just go away.remain engaged to counter this threat."

might have something to do with this little fact:

Before the run-up to the Iraq War the lying Dutchman hadn't received campaign contributions from the Defense industry. However, starting in 2003 that all changed.

In fact, Hoekstra's list of campaign contributors changed a LOT...

Turtlegate Not Playing Well in Muskegon

by: PerfectStormer

Sun Nov 11, 2007 at 15:18:22 PM EST

(Note: The Chronicle does not print its letters to the editor online, so I'm probably committing about ten counts worth of copyright infringement...whoops.)

Read on...

Pete Hoekstra votes against Veterans

by: AikoAdam

Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 17:51:32 PM EST

Quite a busy quarter for the Lying Dutchman. First it was children and now among many others it is Veterans. Who doesn't Pete vote against? HR 3043 among many other things, provides for veterans:

$231 million for Veterans' Employment and Training programs to assist returning veterans to find and train for jobs
$23.6 million for the Homeless Veterans' Program.
$10 million for those veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI), for their rehabilitation, hospital care and long-term support.
$3.4 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

But on Hoekstra's government website he says:

We cannot forget their sacrifices that make our freedoms possible. The commitment in Congress to meeting the needs of America's veterans is strong...I look forward to continuing to work to ensure that the men and women who have served, are serving or will serve in the U.S. military receive the compensation and assistance they deserve.

I wonder if he mentioned this when he was giving a speech in Holland,MI for Veteran's Day? For the men and women who give all for our country, this is how your Congressman repays your service.

hat tip to GSMSO for the info, visit her site HERE

The Christian Coalition: Coming to a Congressional Race near you

by: LiberalLucy

Sat Nov 10, 2007 at 15:00:00 PM EST

Halloween maybe over, but news out of Washington D.C. yesterday may prove more tricks are yet to come.  It also proves that Michigan's Democratic Congressional candidates will need even more help fighting the Religious Right in 2008. 

The announcement was made yesterday that The Christian Coalition of America will be skipping the presidential primaries and instead be focusing on Congressional races. From the AP -

"We're going to be focusing on congressional races," president Roberta Combs told The Associated Press by telephone. "I think it's more important that we focus on the congressional races and getting more conservatives in office because that's who makes the laws that govern our land."

-snip-

Combs said she was meeting with others to help determine which 2008 congressional races to rally around. "I plan to look at targeted states where we need more conservative lawmakers," she said.

Meanwhile, the coalition hasn't decided whether to develop voter guides for the presidential primary. The group has released the information in the past, but Combs said the candidates' positions are fairly well known already.

The coalition became an important ally to George W. Bush when he ran for president in 2000. Christian conservative support only grew after Arizona Sen. John McCain called Robertson and Jerry Falwell "agents of intolerance." (emphasis added)

Turtlegate: Hoekstra's Gubernatorial Smackdown, Part Deux

by: LiberalLucy

Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 09:15:00 AM EDT

Just when it seemed to be the least likely of four-legged creatures to cause a splash in the political arena, the turtle beats the hare for the win. I'm guessing that Republican Rubberstamper Congressman Pete Hoekstra of West Michigan is wishing he had never heard of the little guys.

After having a temper-tantrum in front of the press about a federally-funded fence going up in his district to protect turtles and motorists alike, Hoekstra didn't like the response his letter to Governor Granholm got. The entire event was merely posturing for Hoekstra's desired run for Granholm's seat in 2010, it seems to have backfired a bit on him. 

While most of the state viewed the tete-a-tete between the Lady Gov and Sneaky Pete from the luxury of their newspapers, Pete couldn't go down without swinging one more lousy punch. I'm also going to take a gander that he's going wake up feeling this one in the morning.

Hoekstra flips the bird to the environment for the sake of posturing

by: LiberalLucy

Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 13:03:43 PM EDT

Pete Hoekstra, Republican Congressman from West Michigan (CD-02) and friend to DeVos/Amway and Prince/Blackwater, hates the environment so much that he's now taking on one of nature's most defenseless creatures, turtles. He's speaking out against protecting turtles and the many motorists that run across and over them every year. This from the man whose own campaign website with statements like

...we need to be involved in protecting the Great Lakes at the local, state, federal, and international levels and we need to move forward as aggressively as we can to protect them.

The Death Of a Mustache

by: PerfectStormer

Sat Oct 20, 2007 at 22:29:44 PM EDT

I'm talking, of course, of Scott Killips' mustache. Scott's mustache suffered an untimely death at the hands of a razor sometime this week, never to be seen again.

Scott's mustache led a happy life, riding Scott's smile all over Manistee for years, never expecting to meet such a grisly end. But last week, things changed.

P. Ho (Pete Hoekstra) vs. the turtles

by: David Boyle

Fri Oct 19, 2007 at 00:55:33 AM EDT

  A congressman disputes the state's contention that it's worth $318,000 in federal money to keep turtles from becoming roadkill.
  Installation is expected to begin this week on a 2-mile-long fence along both sides of U.S. 31 in Muskegon, in west-central Michigan. It is intended to prevent hundreds of turtles, some of them protected species, from being killed as they migrate to nesting sites along the Muskegon River, which the highway crosses.
  Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., questions why the Michigan Department of Transportation did not consider using the money on other projects "more related to the movement of people and products."
  "Serious times require a serious approach to the very real problems Michigan faces," Hoekstra said in a news release issued Wednesday.
  The 4-foot-high chain-link fence has been planned for two years. State officials consider it a relatively inexpensive solution to a problem that affects traffic safety and the environment of rare turtle species.
  The fence will cover a stretch of road that is Michigan's deadliest for turtles and one of the nation's worst for the reptiles, Tim Judge, manager of a Transportation Department service center in Muskegon, said Thursday.
  Two state-protected species - the wood turtle and Blanding's turtle - are common traffic victims, as are snapper, painted, box and map turtles.
  Department spokeswoman Dawn Garner didn't know whether any drivers swerving to avoid turtles have gotten into crashes, but said: "There is definitely the potential for improving the safety of motorists." ...

  So is P. Ho against the "Turtle Fence" because

1) it helps people (traffic safety), or

2) it helps turtles?

  Or both, maybe???

Are you Watching your Republican CongressCritter?

by: LiberalLucy

Tue Oct 16, 2007 at 15:18:54 PM EDT

You won't find his name on the wall in the post office, but you just might see it on billboards and yard signs in the coming months. His name is Scott Killips and he's running against Pete Hoekstra in Michigan's 2nd Congressional District. Today he launched his website.

You might not live in the 2nd CD, but do you know your local Congresscritter? While our state is blessed to have a fantastic Democratic Congressional Caucus, we're also cursed with a couple Republicans thrown in here and there, like Hoekstra, Tim Walberg, Thad 'Momma's Boy' McCotter, Candice Miller, Fred Upton, Dave Camp, Vern Ehlers, Joe Knollenberg and my own critter, Mike Rogers.

We all want them out, and there's only way to go about it, get to work pounding the pavement, working on research, raising money, and blogging, blogging, blogging.

One of the biggest reasons Michigan's progressive netroots is a national leader is due to our respected congressional watch-blogs. We're winning the battle, but the war is far from over, and we need your help.

Do you like to do research? There are plenty of skeletons in the Republican campaign finance closet, most available online.

Are you more of the artistic type? We can always use a few good men and women with mad Photoshopping/Illustrator skills.

Are you good with a camcorder? We can always use more trackers, following the Congresscritters at their various public events, just waiting for the next Macaca moment. Trust me, sooner or later it will happen, and you will be so glad you were there.

Do you like to write? We always need more bloggers publishing the facts and photos.

We've got a fantastic crew of CD watchbloggers, but there's always room for more help. If you're interested in pitching in no matter what way, contact me (liberallucy [at] gmail [dot] com) or email the contributors directly through their blogs.

Check out the list of Congressional WatchBlogs below -

Second Congressional District Roll Call

by: PerfectStormer

Fri Oct 12, 2007 at 15:24:19 PM EDT

I just got done having a rather interesting conversation with some of Michigan's movers and shakers in the blogosphere, and most of the conversation centered around bits and pieces of inside information that these people have picked up from their contacts on the ground in their district.

Furthermore, last week I attended Camp Wellstone in Lansing, and as far as I know I was the only person there from the western side of Michigan. These events are a lot of fun and are very educational, but being the token Hoekstra constituent is getting old.

Many of our other districts are leagues ahead of us in terms of organization and communication. I am therefore launching a concerted effort to bring the MI 2nd together in some sort of organized fashion.

To that end, I have taken the liberty of creating  a Google group for Democrats in the Michigan 2nd. I'm going to do the best I can to vet the membership list myself, so if you wish to be added to this group please send me an email-- myleftpinkie AT gmail DOT com.

(x-posted at all the usual suspects--dKos, BFM, and MLP)

Erik Prince and Blackwater and Hoekstra Oh My!

by: AikoAdam

Thu Oct 04, 2007 at 20:42:40 PM EDT

* Blackwater has been involved in 195 "escalation of force" incidents since 2005, an average of 1.4 shooting incidents per week. From January 2005 to April 2007, Blackwater employees used their weapons 168 times, compared to 102 times for rival DynCorp and 36 for rival Triple Canopy during that same time frame.

According to the majority staff, Blackwater operatives fired the first shot in 80 percent of those cases, though its contract with the State Department only permits the use of "defensive" force.

* A single Blackwater security contractor costs the government $1,222 every day to guard U.S. civilian personnel, or $445,000 per year. That's six times the cost of getting a U.S. Army soldier to perform the same function. As P.W. Singer observed last week, private security companies increasingly exist to free up tasks for U.S. troops, ensuring a sort of dependence on contracting occurs for a military coping with the strain of deployments for two wars.

* The State Department's attitude to Blackwater shootings is most often a directive to compensate the victim's family, "rather than to insist upon accountability or to investigate Blackwater personnel for potential criminal liability."

* Blackwater's initial contract to protect U.S. diplomats in Iraq, in 2003, was a no-bid contract. So was its 2004 successor. On that one, Blackwater stood to earn a maximum of $338 million, but actually received $488 million from State between June 2004 and June 2006. In total, Blackwater has earned upwards of $1 billion in government contracts since 2001.

  Today the House passed HR 2740, MEJA expansion and Enforcement Act, a bill that would make contractors in combat zones subject to prosecution in US courts. The bill passed overwhelmingly, damn near could have had a voice vote 389-30. Hoekstra voted NO. One of only 30 members of Congress to vote against the bill. Oh but there's more.

Peter Hoekstra and George W. Bush hate children. (UPDATED!)

by: LisainManistee

Wed Oct 03, 2007 at 13:55:30 PM EDT

"Bush cast his veto behind closed doors without any fanfare or news coverage."

We only needed 15 Republicans to change their NAY votes to overrule bush's veto... My Congressman Pete Hoekstra was one of the Republicans in Congress that refused to change his vote. He refused to protect the 23,061 children living in MI-02 without healthcare! Let me repeat that:

PETER HOEKSTRA VOTED AGAINST 23,061 CHILDREN IN MICHIGAN'S 2nd U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT!!!

PETER HOEKSTRA HATES CHILDREN!!!

I will be standing on the corner of River Street and US 31 in Manistee, MI at 6:00pm tonight. I will be the one holding a sign questioning Hoekstra's heartless vote and bush's evil veto. Hopefully, I will not be standing there alone, but I will if I must. I am heartbroken by this veto and Hoekstra's vote.

I've spoken to people about Hoekstra's vote against SCHIP and heard:

So what? I've never even heard of SCHIP before.

And those people are right... Sort of.

It's true that we don't have SCHIP here in Michigan, but we do have MIChild, and MIChild gets funding from the Federal SCHIP program. No SCHIP funding means no MIChild funding.

Attention MI-02 Dems!

by: LisainManistee

Tue Oct 02, 2007 at 17:19:21 PM EDT

The Manistee County Democratic Party is hosting the training session in Manistee. The training is free of charge. Arrive early for drinks and muffins, which will be provided free of charge by the MI-02 Democratic Party.

Date: Saturday, October 6th, 2007

Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm.

Place: Bungalow Inn Restaurant Conference Room

Located on US 31 near the Kmart, in Manistee, MI.

Lunch will be on your own. Order off the regular restaurant menu. The food is good and not too expensive... Plus the owners of the Bungalow Inn were kind enough to loan their conference room free of charge... to a bunch of crazy liberal Democrats that will be using their conference room to plot their nefarious scheme to take over the country and provide health care for children!

So I don't think this really needs saying... but ordering from the menu will help a pro-Democratic business and we don't have too many of those up here in Manistee County. So we want to give them all the support we can get!

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at:
lisa@manisteedems.org

We hope to see you there!

Pete Hoekstra and Michigan republicans ready to stay in Iraq

by: AikoAdam

Mon Sep 10, 2007 at 11:14:21 AM EDT

Pete Hoekstra votes against higher education assistance

by: AikoAdam

Sun Sep 09, 2007 at 00:56:38 AM EDT

Increasing the Purchasing Power of Pell Grants: Authorizes and appropriates additional funding for the program for FY2008-FY2017 to increase the amount of the maximum Pell grant for which a student is eligible by $200 for each of the award years 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, $300 for award year 2010-2011, and $500 for each subsequent award year. Increases the authorized maximum Pell grant to $7,600 for academic year 2008-2009 and by $1,000 increments each academic year thereafter until it stands at $11,600 for academic year 2012-2013. Increases students' Pell grant eligibility by increasing the income protection allowance.

Making Student Loans More Affordable:Phases-in cuts in the interest rate charged undergraduate student borrowers under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) programs, thereby reducing such rate from 6.8% in July 2006 to 3.4% in July 2012.

Rewarding Service in Repayment:Provides student loan forgiveness to borrowers under the FFEL or DL programs who serve full-time in areas of national need as: (1) early childhood educators in low-income communities; (2) nurses; (3) critical foreign language specialists who teach in elementary or secondary schools or use such knowledge as federal employees; (4) librarians; (5) highly qualified teachers who teach bilingual education or who teach in schools that enroll a high proportion of disadvantaged students; (6) child welfare workers; (7) speech language pathologists in elementary or secondary schools; (8) National Service participants; (9) school counselors in elementary and secondary schools that enroll a high proportion of disadvantaged students; and (10) public sector employees. Provides up to $1,000 of student loan forgiveness for each year of service, but limits forgiveness to $5,000 in the aggregate.

And Hoekstra voted no.

Hoekstra berates NYT for "disclosing highly classified intelligence"

by: AikoAdam

Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 23:05:15 PM EDT

More on FISA. Look's like NYT made Pete mad....again.
Here's their editorial that set him off.

Here is Congressman Hoekstra's rebuttal to the Executive Editor in which he says:

It has been my practice not to deal with the New York Times after its recklessness in repeatedly disclosing highly classified intelligence programs to enemies who seek to attack our nation and because of what I believe was a lack of honesty and integrity in its dealings with me as Chairman of the Committee at that time.

The campaign for the Web site was led by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Peter Hoekstra of Michigan. Last November, he and his Senate counterpart, Pat Roberts of Kansas, wrote to Mr. Negroponte, asking him to post the Iraqi material. The sheer volume of the documents, they argued, had overwhelmed the intelligence community.

More below the fold...even a movie!

Broken Promises, Broken Oaths.... Pete is Forsworn.

by: LisainManistee

Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 15:38:42 PM EDT

As a member of the United States House of Representatives, Peter Hoekstra has sworn a solemn oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

"I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."