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CD15

Dingell dangles dangerous detachment

by: David Boyle

Thu Aug 03, 2006 at 18:58:29 PM EDT

While John Dingell was not quoted correctly and fully by conservative blogs like PowerLine, see Freep,

"...On Detroit station WDIV-TV's "Flashpoint" public affairs show, which aired Sunday, Dingell was asked, "You're not against Hezbollah?" -- the terror group that captured two Israeli soldiers on July 12, which sparked the violence between Israelis and Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon.
"No," Dingell replied.
But the snippet, which was posted on Power Line, a popular conservative Web site, and picked up by other conservative Web logs, was only part of the comment.
Dingell's full statement: "No, I happen to be -- I happen to be against violence, I think the United States has to bring resolution to this matter. Now, I condemn Hezbollah as does everybody else, for the violence." ..."

: still, the Freep doesn't address Dingell's earlier part of his speech, see, e.g., Think Progress (which rightfully criticized PowerLine but fails to see what I am about to point out),

"DINGELL: Well, we donâ€™t, first of all, I donâ€™t take sides for or against Hezbollah or for or against Israel."

Not for Israel? What??? --Or even if it's not *taking sides for* Israel, I think Dingell lumps Israel in with Hezbollah a little too quickly.
One can be an "honest broker in the Middle East" and still realize that Israel is a longtime friend and ally of ours, even if it doesn't have 110% perfect policies in all ways. I'm for Israel more than for Hezbollah, believe me. Dingell is a little too detached, here, I think, and that is not the same as being fair.
So while the GOP is wrong to exploit some things J. Ding said, there is still ample room for anyone, Dem, Rep, Green, or Purple (...) to criticize his words.

By the way: who should replace Dingell when he is gone? He's already part of a dynasty (dad was a Congressman in same district, I believe), and it would be horrific to see his wife Debbie, his son, or some other relative automatically get the 15th District seat when it could go to someone really qualified like Lynn Rivers or Chris Kolb. Curious what people think.

Discuss :: (9 Comments)

RIP, Chris Smith

by: matt

Sun Jun 11, 2006 at 20:47:34 PM EDT

From the DFP:

Chris Smith, a longtime player in southeast Michigan's Democratic Party politics, lost a battle with cancer on Saturday.

According to friends, Mr. Smith, 75, died that afternoon at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

"He was a political mentor, advisor and dear friend. He will leave a tremendous void in the political leadership in our state," Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano said Saturday through a representative.

Mr. Smith, who lived in Lincoln Park with his wife, Alyce, served as the Democratic Party chairman for Michigan's 15th Congressional District, representing Downriver communities, and was known as a right-hand man for U.S. Rep. John Dingell, a Dearborn Democrat.

"John Dingell is the most reverent name in Democratic Party politics, as far as I'm concerned," said Wayne County Commissioner Joe Palamara. "And everybody knew his main man was Chris Smith."

By Saturday, the bowel cancer Chris Smith was diagnosed with just a few months earlier took its toll, said Cindy Dingell, deputy chief operating officer for Wayne County and Rep. Dingell's daughter-in-law.

Cindy Dingell said Mr. Smith was district chair for more than 25 years, during which he worked hard to find innovative ways to get voters to the polls.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Dingell's "Night Before Christmas" on the House Floor

by: Hy Dudgeon

Thu Dec 15, 2005 at 22:31:20 PM EST

We're only halfway through the 108th Congress, but it's already compiled quite a body of work: the Terri Schiavo debacle, threats to use the "nuclear option," Jean Schmidt calling John Murtha a coward, and even an investigation of the Bowl Championship Series.

Today, the House took up another burning issue: protecting "the symbols and tradition of Christmas," which if you listen to Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson of Fox News Channel, are under attack from secular liberal Grinches.

During the 40-minute debate over House Resolution 579, John Dingell scoffed at the Right, delivering his own tart version of "The Night Before Christmas."

There's More... :: (4 Comments, 480 words in story)

Dingell now 3rd longest-serving U.S. Rep. ever

by: matt

Thu Oct 13, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn, becomes the third-longest serving House member in U.S. history on Friday, surpassing a New York City congressman who campaigned for him during his first race.

Dingell marks 49 years, 10 months and 14 days in the House of Representatives, putting him ahead of Rep. Emanuel Celler, who represented a district that included Brooklyn, N.Y., from 1923 until 1973. Celler died in 1981.

-snip-

Dingell, now 79, was first elected on Dec. 13, 1955, in a special election to replace his father, who died in office. He surpassed former House Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas in longevity in August 2004.

According to the Congressional Research Service, only two members have served longer than Dingell: Mississippi Democrat Jamie Whitten, who served 53 years, 2 months and 13 days and Georgia Democrat Carl Vinson, who served 50 years, 2 months and 13 days.

At the beginning of every session, Dingell re-introduces his father's national health insurance bill. Congratulations, Congressman. Let us hope that we finally see action on your dad's proposal before you break Rep. Whitten's record.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Analysis

by: matt

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

Alan Fox (interview with Matt Ferguson, October, 2005):

MF: John Dingell is the longest serving member of the ENTIRE U.S. House, he's been there since 1955. Should he ever decide to retire, there is a successor floating around...his son Chris was a state Senator for a number of years...

AF: ...was a state Senator, is now a judge. No, actually, Debbie Dingell, his wife would like to run for the seat. But there's no sign that Dingell's going to retire. He's in good health, he's about 80 years old now, he's been a member of Congress longer than anyone else...

MF: His dad was a member of Congress...

AF: His father was a member of Congress, the seat's been in the family since 1933. Though...the seat has moved. When John Dingell Sr. - and even when John Jr. - were first elected, that district was entirely within the city of Detroit. The west side of the district got bumped out to the suburbs, and now it goes all the way to Ann Arbor. Again, it was very carefully built to do two things. One is to keep all the Democrats they could out of McCotter's district and out of the Schwarz district, but also to put two Democrats in the same district so that only one would emerge...

MF: Lynn Rivers.

AF: Yeah, and this district will also be interesting when the incumbent is gone, because the liberal Democrats in Ann Arbor think about it as their seat. My understanding is that Debbie Dingell has been very visible in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, and so the plans for an orderly succession are underway and it may be a situation where there isn't a big primary. I don't think we're going to see any primary in the near future. John Dingell is probably going to stay there as long as he can.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Wal-Mart and Michigan's congressional delegation

by: matt

Mon Aug 15, 2005 at 01:00:00 AM EDT

For quick reference, here's a wallet-sized list of all of Michigan's congressional delegation and the amounts each officeholder has received from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. PAC for Responsible Government over the past five years or so (the horrible irony behind the names of some of these corporate PACS never ceases to amaze me). Funny how U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) got 20 grand from Wal-Mart as he continues to crusade against Chinese currency manipulation, or - as he so eloquently put it - "the new red menace." (snark) I'm no economist, but it sure seems to me that an inflated Yuan would cut into Wal-Mart's bottom line. All of this begs the question of whether Wal-Mart is getting a poor return on their "investment" or Mike's talk about currency manipulation is a bunch of non-starter B.S. You decide.

U.S. Senate
Carl Levin (D)	$0.00
Debbie Stabenow (D)	$0.00

U.S. House
Bart Stupak (D)	$0.00
Pete Hoekstra (R)	$5,000.00
Vern Ehlers (R)	$5,000.00
Dave Camp (R)	$2,500.00
Dave Kildee (D)	$0.00
Fred Upton (R)	$10,000.00
Joe Schwarz (R)	$0.00
Mike Rogers (R)	$20,000.00
Joe Knollenberg (R)	$20,000.00
Candice Miller (R)	$6,000.00
Thaddeus McCotter (R)	$13,500.00
Sander Levin (D)	$0.00
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D)	$1,000.00
John Conyers, Jr. (D)	$0.00
John Dingell (D)	$5,000.00

Source: Federal Elections Commission

BTW, Dingell got his 5k during his primary fight with then-U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers (who really needs to get back into politics). Also -- At first glance, it doesn't appear that Wal-Mart has a state-level PAC. If they do, it doesn't include the word "Wal-Mart" in the name.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

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