CD08 Incumbent Michael Rogers (R-Brighton)

by: matt

Thu Oct 06, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Campaign Website

Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood

Biography:

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers? leadership positions, experience and legislative record make him an effective advocate for the citizens of Michigan?s 8th District in a multitude of areas that affect our everyday lives. Mike consistently reaches out to assist citizens in dealing with federal agencies on issues related to Social Security, veterans care, education, IRS, health care, and many others. He also is proactive in helping workers and businesses with job growth and retention, and supporting communities with a variety of development, funding, and service-related matters.

Mike?s leadership skills are acknowledged by House leaders in his appointment to serve on two major committees, the powerful Energy and Commerce panel and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Mike was appointed to the Intelligence Committee for his experience and personal interest in national security. The panel oversees the intelligence community, including operations and budgetary oversight, and is the primary panel responsible for overseeing implementation of the intelligence community restructuring.

In Congress, in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mike?s expertise was sought out during development of the USA PATRIOT Act, which gives law enforcement the tools necessary for tracking terrorists with today?s technology. Mike?s expertise proved invaluable in understanding how wiretaps are obtained and used, the complex checks and balances that prevent abuse of wire taps, and why the rules based on 1970s technology were no longer applicable in the day of cell phones and the Internet.

Only a few weeks before 9/11, Mike traveled in the Middle East where he talked with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, and has since made more than a dozen Middle East visits. Mike visited Afghanistan where he met with U.S. troops as well as leaders of Afghanistan, including President Karzai. Later he traveled in Israel and Saudi Arabia, and then to Turkey, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, where he met with U.S. military troops as well as leaders of those four nations. He was sent again to Turkey to talk with new leaders there about basing U.S. military troops on Turkish bases. Mike was a member of the first official Congressional delegation to Iraq following major combat operations, and has returned to the country multiple times. The first-hand knowledge gained from these fact-finding missions, and his own personal interest in national defense and world affairs, make Mike a valuable resource for his Congressional colleagues and the citizens he serves in Michigan.

On the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mike?s subcommittee assignments include: Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection; Health; and Environment and Hazardous Materials. Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. It serves as the principal guide for the House in matters relating to the promotion of commerce and to the public?s health and marketplace interests.

Mike has been aggressive in Congress on a number of issues, including measures that strengthen the economy and help build a stronger jobs base for Michigan communities, including more investment in developing alternative fuels to help get America off its dependence on foreign oil, and a focus on issues that will make health care affordable and accessible to all Americans. Mike is fighting to get U.S. officials to enforce trade laws that would prevent China from manipulating its currency to give its businesses an unfair advantage over American business and workers. He has authored legislation to help stop scam artists from defrauding Americans and stealing their hard-earned savings and investments, to stop the flow of Canadian trash into Michigan and other border states, to empower low-income and minority families to become homeowners, and to establish protocols and provide treatment for millions of Americans suffering from severe chronic pain. Rogers? measures already signed into law include a segment of tax cut legislation that makes college savings account earnings free from federal taxes; the Respect for America?s Fallen Heroes Act, to protect families at funerals for their fallen heroes by keeping away demonstrators; and making Health Savings Accounts available to low-income families.

In the Michigan Senate (1995-2000), Mike earned a reputation as a leader on education, jobs, and Internet crime prevention. He authored laws creating Michigan?s highly successful college and vocational training tax-free savings plan, created laws leading to thousands of new jobs, and led the fight to protect children from sexual predators while surfing the Internet and creating higher penalties for using the Internet to commit crimes related to stalking, gambling or bombing. He championed telecommunications consumer protection laws and spearheaded efforts to put Michigan?s Veteran?s Trust Fund in a "lockbox" to guarantee its availability to meet veteran?s needs.

A 1985 graduate of Adrian College in Michigan, Mike earned his reputation as a leader, problem solver and "people person" during service as a U.S. Army officer/company commander (1985-88), FBI Special Agent investigating public corruption as a member of the Chicago Bureau?s organized crime unit (1988-94), and in the Michigan Senate (1995-2000) where he served as Senate Majority Floor Leader (1999-2000).

Mike also has a strong business background. He is a co-founder of E.B.I. Builders, Inc., a family-owned home construction business in Brighton, and is a member of several chambers of commerce. Mike served in the University of Michigan Reserve Officer Training Corp (R.O.T.C.), belongs to the Society of Former Special Agents for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is an honorary member of Brighton Rotary Club.

Today, Mike and his wife Diane are raising their daughter and son in his hometown of Brighton. He commutes to the nation?s Capital each week, and can often be seen in the 8th District where he is a familiar face at many community events and activities.
(Rogers House web site).

CD08 District Profile

by: matt

Thu Oct 06, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

Misunderestimated

by: kelster

Mon Jan 19, 2009 at 09:42:50 AM EST

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, said Bush has received a bum rap from many citizens.

"He didn't get credit for being a nice guy a lot, but his tendencies are always to do that, I think," Rogers said. "He didn't get a chance to display it."

Well!  I feel so much better about the past eight years, don't you?  Who knew that being a nice guy magically canceled out defiling the United States Constitution, racking up a trillion-dollar deficit and starting a few wars?

Consider this Palinesque display of syntax and logic as a preview of what to expect if Mr. Rogers should become Michigan's next governor...

cross-posted at Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

CD-08 Cook Political Report Upgrades District from Solid to Likely Republican

by: Philip.R.Moon

Mon Nov 03, 2008 at 18:35:44 PM EST

At Dailykos, feel free to reccomend 

The Cook Political Report just updated its ranking of the Michigan 8th District. The new ranking, updated on November 3rd, shows the district going from "Solid Republican" to "Likely Republican"

This was first indicated by Mark Grebner last month, when he did a small poll that showed Bob Alexander within 4- 8points of Mike Rogers. The change was further evidenced by the Michigan Republican Party's absurd mailers, claiming Bob Alexander wanted to use taxpayer money to support health care for illegal immigrants and the rich.

 
 

Bob Alexander has stepped up and despite an underfunded campaign has put one of the Republican Party's top fundraisers in danger of losing his seat. This is the third front against the Michigan Republican Party and its Bush-rubberstamp Congressional delegation. Tommorow we could see the Michigan Congressional Delegation flip 180° from 9-6 Republican advantage to a 9-6 Democratic advantage.

Remember to vote for Bob Alexander tommorow and turn the heart of Michigan blue.

CD08: Alexander for Congress Poised for TV Blitz

by: Bobalexander

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 12:18:18 PM EDT

I also have the endorsement and financial support of U.S. Senator Feingold's Progressive Patriots PAC, and the Lansing State Journal's endorsement; the buzz on the blogs is that Michigan's 8th District is now competitive, and that I am in a toss-up race with Congressman Mike Rogers.

The 30 second spot focuses on Mike Rogers's history of voting in lockstep for the devastating policies of George W. Bush, and promotes my plans to work for positive change for the residents of the 8th District and all Americans. Preview the ad here.

CD08: Why does Mike Rogers hate Canada and Mexico

by: Eric B.

Sun Oct 26, 2008 at 09:29:40 AM EDT

Following this morning's post and revelations that Mike Rogers has decided that race baiting is the campaign strategy of last resort, I decided to revisit Mike Roger's energy plan on his Web site.  You might remember this from a few months ago, because it was criticized as being racist by suggesting that everyone we give oil money to in the Middle East is a terrorist.

The racist bit was predicated on the fact that much U.S. money goes to people who hate us.  We must break our addicition to foreign oil, his wacky little application tells us, because we must not give money to our enemies.

Below the fold, two oil import charts...

Help push back against MI GOP smear on Bob Alexander(MI-08)

by: Gaspare

Sat Oct 25, 2008 at 18:35:14 PM EDT

The smear is the usual distorted, baseless, xenophobic smear which is typical of Mike Rogers and his clan of smash mouth campaign operatives.

I haven't been going door to door for Obama and Alexander here in the heart of the beast, heavily Republican Oxford, MI to put up with this garbage.

Update by Matt:

I'll save you the trouble of typing in that long URL on the mailer (be sure to go below the fold and see it for yourself). The link is here. It's to our live chat with Bob from last month. What are they actually referring to? Bob's support of H.R. 676, which is John Conyers' national health insurance bill. So in other words, we should deny health coverage to all of the uninsured men, women and children in America because 9 MILLION MEXIC... ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS could be covered too. I see the Michigan Republican Party is once again doing what they do best. Expect a darkened picture of a black man on the next mailer.

Send Bob some love now here. This is not a drill. I repeat. As evidenced by the last minute xenophobic hate mailer from the state GOP, this is NOT a drill.  

Student Voter Registration Drives Undo Voter Supression Intent of "Rogers' Law"

by: Philip.R.Moon

Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 12:55:36 PM EDT

X-posted at Dailykos

A little over 8 years ago, a State Senator introduced a piece of legislation he said would prevent voter fraud. The law, requiring people registering to vote at a new address to update their driver's license, was pitched as a way to help local clerks and prevent election fraud.

That same State Senator would benefit from the law in 2000 during his bid for Congress, which was won by a few hundred votes.

Mike Rogers, Michigan's Machiavellian Congressman from the 8th district, used the law to disenfranchise students at Michigan State University. The law, tied with an existing law requiring first time voters to vote in person and not  by absentee, worked to drop the student participation vote. By October 2002, the Detroit Free Press was reported double digit drops in voter registration in college towns. For Michigan State University and East Lansing, it came to an 11% drop in the number of registered voters. False rumors around campus that registering in East Lansing would get students kicked off their parents' health insurance helped scare other students away from the polls.

MI-08 Lansing State Journal endorses Alexander

by: matt

Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 08:54:35 AM EDT

In the end, though, this vote hinges on this disparity:

Mike Rogers has been a reliable vote for the Bush administration and its policies. That choice has not benefitted mid-Michigan.

Bob Alexander will be a vote for doing things differently.

And, in 2008, that's what mid-Michigan needs.

MI08 - This changes everything

by: matt

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 08:03:28 AM EDT

Dem Tide Is So Strong, It May Rock Mike Rogers

by: Grebner

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 02:53:47 AM EDT

(FYI, here is Bob Alexander's campaign website - Matt)

With Obama surging, McCain AWOL, and the Republican brand so badly damaged it brings "Watergate" to mind, various polls suggest we may see the end of Knollenberg and Walberg.  But what are the prospects for flipping a third Congressional seat?  There aren't any obvious prospects - the rest of the Republican incumbents seem well dug in, and are facing unknown and unfinanced Democratic opponents.

Still, I started thinking about conducting a micro-poll in CD8, just to confirm the conventional wisdom that Mike Rogers will clobber Bob Alexander, like he did four years ago, when Bob ended up well below 40%.  Two years ago, Marcinkowski spend a substantial amoung of money - in a very Democratic year - and didn't do much better.  I couldn't find a client to pay the measly $400 for one of my cheapie polls, so I ate the cost.  

Bob Alexander Named to Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriot Fund

by: Philip.R.Moon

Sun Oct 05, 2008 at 19:05:24 PM EDT

We've identified 10 House challengers in emerging races, all of whom were nominated by you.  These candidates have worked hard and made their races competitive, often without much support from traditional Democratic institutions.  I'd like to give their GOTV operations a big boost, but to do that we're going to need your help.  Our goal is to raise $50,000 so that we can contribute $5,000 to each of these 10 candidates

Sign of the Apocalypse?

by: kelster

Mon Sep 29, 2008 at 09:05:44 AM EDT

Many readers hear the words "Livingston County" and picture a place redder than Ann Coulter's lipstick, a sea of GOP plankton providing no nutrition for progressive life forms, a vast wasteland devoid of trees to shade liberal thought -- OK, OK, you get the picture.

I'm happy to report some news that may make you reconsider the reputation of my adopted home.  LivCo Dems Chair Judy Daubenmier has been standing up for what's right, and getting some support from unexpected quarters.

To recap, Genoa Township received a land donation from a local lawyer a few years ago for use as a fire station.  The land is located along the south side of Route 96 between Howell and Brighton.  Among the restrictions placed on the land gift was a requirement that the donor retain possession of, and be allowed unfettered access to, a billboard between the road and the fire station.  Normally, the billboard displays an American flag (I seem to recall that it's also shown a yellow ribbon in support of US troops).

The problem arose when the lawyer did his biennial billboard switch, changing the flag image to a [Mike] Rogers for Congress sign.

Plenty of local Dems have been annoyed by this, but Ms. Daubenmier acted on it. She filed two complaints with the state, alleging that the billboard violates a law prohibiting the use of public property in a political campaign. 

CD08 - Democrat Bob Alexander Live Chat on Wednesday 9/17

by: rich

Tue Sep 09, 2008 at 14:55:01 PM EDT

Democrat Bob Alexander, who is looking to unseat Republican Mike “Mr. Grin” Rogers in the 8th Congressional District, will be available to answer questions during a live chat on Wednesday, 9/17 from noon to 2pm.

If elected, he vows to,

* Create good paying jobs in Michigan.
* Develop immediate and long-term solutions to the energy crisis draining our bank accounts.
* End the war in Iraq.
* Expand access to health care for all.
* Provide quality education for our children.
* Protect our environment and create green jobs.

The format will be like a regular comments thread, with questions left as comments, and the candidate answering them. Or, if you're not going to be around on that day, you can either email us your questions or post them in the comments thread for this post, and we’ll post them in the comments during the question and answer thread next week.

Be sure to check out Bob’s web site for more information about how you can get involved.

Michigan's Machiavelli: How Congressman Rogers Stole Students' Votes

by: Philip.R.Moon

Tue Aug 19, 2008 at 10:54:06 AM EDT

X-posted at Dailykos, please reccommend. 

In 2000 political attention turned to Florida as the decision for president remained to be resolved. In a state run by Bush family members and loyalists, tales of voter purging and other underhanded tactics revealed the willingness of Republicans to act clandestinely to ensure their victory by denying the vote to Democratic leaning groups.

But one year before in the state of Michigan one legislator introduced and passed a new law guaranteed to disenfranchise and dissuade a group of heavy Democratic voters from democracy. His work in disenfranchising voters would lead to his winning a seat in Congress.

That legislator was State Senator, now Congressmen, Mike Rogers of Michigan's 8th district. And the group he successfully disenfranchised was the young voters at Michigan State University, which is located in his district, and every other residential college and university in Michigan.

Hate in MI-08 Mike Rogers against Arabs

by: Philip.R.Moon

Thu Jul 31, 2008 at 17:52:52 PM EDT

From YAF Watch, x-posted at Daily Kos 

Republican Congressman Mike Rogers recently caused controversy when his campaign posted his Energy Independence Plan. The plan uses stereotypical images of Arabs as "America's enemies". While naming Hugo Chavez specifically, the other two enemies consist of a Lenin-looking Russian and an unnamed Arab in Middle Eastern garb.



This images caught the attention of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee. Michigan Messenger reported on the Committee's reaction.

Key Michigan Races: April Quarterly Report Numbers

by: JPowers155

Mon Apr 14, 2008 at 17:46:42 PM EDT

UPDATE:  New CD-07 Numbers!
UPDATE 2:  More Numbers! 

We're starting to get gotten all of the fundraising numbers for the first three months of 2008 for the Michigan Congressional races. Please note, all sources for data will be cited.  Press releases will likely differ from the FEC filings since campaigns have more than one source of income. 

CD-07
Sen. Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek) has raised more than $326,000 this quarter with more than $750,000 in cash on hand.  (Source:  Schauer Campaign press release)  [FEC Reports say $323,549.59] Jim Berryman raised $0 and has $16,098.82 cash on hand while Sharon Renier raised $275.00, has a total of $45.04 cash on hand and owes a campaign debt of $5,200.00.  Congressman Walberg raised $265,095.70 ($87,500 from PACs) and has a total of $604,466.54 cash on hand.  Brad Smith raised $0, $465.83 cash on hand and debt of $138,150.  Former Congressman Joe Schwarz raised $300.00 and has $59,144.09 cash on hand. (Source:  FEC Campaign Reports)

CD-09
Democratic candidate Gary Peters has raised more than $346,000 this quarter bringing his total raised to nearly $748,000.  (Source:  Peters Campaign press release)  Incumbent Joe Knollenberg raised a total of   $400,171.00 with $112,500.00 from PACs.  Knollenberg has total cash on hand of $1,336,212.77.  Now former candidate Nancy Skinner raised $14,178.87 and has $13,680.48 cash on hand.  (Source:  FEC Campaign Reports)

CD-01
Congressman Bart Stupak raised a total of $109,292.14 with a total cash on hand of $451,522.03.  Tom Casperson raised $5,481.57 with a total cash on hand of $29,661.62.  (Source:  FEC Campaign Reports)

There's more below the fold...

Mr. Rogers' Progressive Energy Plan

by: janeenr

Thu Apr 10, 2008 at 09:26:38 AM EDT

not just for financial and environmental relief, but also for security reasons.

Two Michigan representatives on DCCC targeted list

by: Eric B.

Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 21:33:04 PM EST

Tim Walberg and Joe Knollenberg have both made the DCCC's list of targeted Congressional districts for this year's election.  The criteria for landing on the list is as follows:

* The demographics of the district benefit the Democratic candidate.

* The Democratic presidential nominee won the district in 2004.

* The Democratic presidential nominee performed reasonably well in the district in 2004, and the 2008 Democratic House candidate is particularly strong.

* The Republican incumbent running for re-election in the district is damaged -- either ethically or in some other manner.

The shifting demographics of Knollenberg's district have left him more vulnerable, while Tim Walberg is outright insane.  State Sen. Mark Schauer, Michigan Liberal's Public Servant of the year for 2007, is challenging Walberg, while Knollenberg has attracted a field of challengers including Nancy Skinner, who challenged him last year, and Gary Peters.

Rogers(MI-8) Pollutes my inbox with his Environmental update

by: Gaspare

Tue Dec 11, 2007 at 11:13:24 AM EST

He "fully supports this legislation" However, he is concerned that it doesn't go far enough.  He wants stronger protections, like requiring ships to meet the IMO ballast rules.  But isn't that the problem?  Aren't the IMO too weak or difficult to enforce, causing this problem to get worse.  I also smell a rat from the shipping industry who most likely want to see this legislation stalled or killed.  I posted the entire letter below for comment.