March is officially recognized as Women's History Month, and it's only fitting that we celebrate the Michigan women who've made a difference for others by breaking barriers and glass ceilings and setting milestones of their own.
Jennifer Granholm is someone who's done plenty of that in just 49 short years. Besides being Michigan's first female head of state, she's humbly lead the state through some difficult times, starting with inheriting a huge debt from her Republican predecessor and concurrently dealing with the massive decline of the state's auto industry and its far-reaching impact.
Regardless of the problems she's been handed with, Jennifer Granholm has been someone who's been a once-in-a-generation politician. It's nearly impossible for those who meet her in person not to instantly warm up to her. Her charisma, genuine compassion, and seamless ability to connect on the most basic human level is a rare find. Her opponents have often remarked that she's a powerful political weapon for which there is no defense.
Since her formal entry into politics with her 1998 election as Attorney General, making her Michigan's first woman to hold that office, Granholm has made a noticeable impact on the state. During her four year tenure, she established the state's first High Tech Crime Unit to prosecute Internet crimes, and is probably best known for her tough stance on gas gougers following the September 11th, 2001 attacks.
After winning the 2002 gubernatorial election, Granholm made history again by trimming $4 billion dollars in budget deficit, more than any other governor. As the first in her family to attend college, Jennifer Granholm went on to sign legislation in December of 2006 that created the Michigan Promise Scholarship, the very first program in the entire country that will award $4,000 to every Michigan student who successfully completes two years of post-secondary education. These are just a few of her many accomplishments that she's achieved in her short time, and she's still got 3 more years to lead Michigan forward.
In an age where morally-respectable political leaders are lacking in number, Jennifer Granholm is a remarkable woman, and she's a shining example of what Michigan women in politics are capable of. She's also an excellent role model for women in general, whether our field of choice is business, education, raising a family, or politics. If you still have your doubts, check out this excellent speech from 2002 when she was running for Governor. Her 'Who is Emily' speech has been praised from male and female politicians alike across the state and the country. She's Jennifer M. Granholm, and I'm proud to have her as governor of this great state.
Well,
here's one
way to pay for a new primary/caucus:
James
Carville, a Democratic operative and Clinton supporter, said on
CNN that he had been calling deep-pocket Democrats and pledged to come
up with $15 million to help pay for primaries in Michigan and Florida.
He challenged Obama supporter David Wilhelm, a former DNC chairman, to
match it.
"I'll guarantee $15 million and have the
Obama people put up $15 million," Carville said. "And let's go to the
polls come June 7. I've got fund-raisers that are lined up ready to go.
I think the Democratic Party is going to look absolutely absurd if they
don't have primaries and let these people in Florida and Michigan vote."
Wilhelm
said the issue needs to be solved but was noncommittal to Carville's
suggestion.
Meanwhile, MDP chair Mark Brewer pointed
publicly to the Obama campaign as the immovable object standing in the
way of a
new Michigan primary/caucus. The Obama camp counters that they're still
open to
a "fair solution." This from
the Detroit News:
Michigan Democratic
Party
Chairman Mark Brewer said Friday that the Obama campaign opposes a
do-over election scenario preferred by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. On
Thursday, she advocated a "firehouse primary" -- a contest that is
somewhat less than a full-blown primary but broader than a caucus. It
would be run by the party, and allow Democrats to vote at as many as
1,000 sites across the state on a Saturday in June.
"Obama
opposes the redo as proposed by the governor and unless we can get the
two campaigns to agree on something it's not going to happen," Brewer
said.
A statement from the Obama campaign, however,
suggested Brewer overstated its position. While the campaign is adamant
that results from the Jan. 15 primary must not be recognized -- Obama
had his name stricken from the ballot, to protest the unauthorized
early primary -- it is open to a "fair solution."
"Our
campaign will support whatever the DNC rules are, including a fair
remedy to this problem," Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage said. "However,
allowing Sen. Clinton to change the rules and award her the nonexistent
delegates when there was no campaign in the state and Obama's name was
not on the ballot is not the answer. Whatever the resolution, we are
looking forward to building a winning campaign in Michigan in the
general election."
Since no one has seen the
specific details of what's being proposed - and apparently rejected by
the Obama camp - it's hard to say for sure exactly what's going on.
Maybe they've decided they're better
off just going to Denver without
the Michigan/Florida issue resolved. What a disappointment
that would be (not to mention bad strategy for winning or
holding superdelegates).
Then again, perhaps there is some particularly onerous provision in
the "firehouse" plan that we don't know about. Maybe there's some weird
linkage to Florida. More likely in my mind is that Obama is
simply
holding out in favor of a format that's more favorable to him. I guess
that's somewhat understandable...but the clock is a-ticking. And it
would be pretty shameful if the whole thing fell apart just because
they're playing
tit-for-tat.
We'll see what tomorrow brings...
Finally,
in case you're missed it, our old friend and ML front-pager Mark Grebner
is the guest on Michigan Public TV's "Off the Record" this week.
If any
of you have ever wondered what Mark looked or sounded like, here's your
chance: watch the show here.
As
Commissioner Grebner's slogan goes: "he may be a fool, but he's OUR
fool!"
According
to the
papers this morning, lack of money is the chief obstacle
standing in front of a new Michigan caucus. Okay...here's a
suggestion for dealing with the problem...
As soon
as possible, the MDP should put up a special website devoted to raising
cash for a new contest. Let it be known that the MDP will be soliciting
contributions for one week (either on the site or by delivering checks
to Hart-Kennedy House by mail or in person). At the conclusion of this
week, the amount of money raised will determine what sort of
contest we'll have. For example, if less than $1 million is
raised, there will be no re-vote (I'm just pulling these figures out of
you-know-where). Over $1 million, and we'll vote by mail or Internet.
Over $3 million and we have an Iowa-style caucus. $10 million and we
have a 2004-style closed primary (a.k.a. a "firehouse primary.")
It
is true that since Camp Hillary seems to be gunning for the "firehouse
primary" option, it would put significantly more of a burden on her
supporters to come up with the cash. On the other hand, if they want
the more expensive option then they ought to pony up more for it.
Another
option might be to allow people to indicate candidate preference when
they donate. The candidate with the largest total or most donors then gets to choose the
date (within certain parameters).
Of course, the
downside of both of these options is that it takes time to pull a
caucus or primary together...and time is running out. But if we could
spare a week...perhaps this is a way to settle the both funding issue
and some of the logistical sticking points in one fell swoop.
By now, you may have seen that Michigan
has received an overall grade of B+ by the Government
Performance Project - a tri-annual study of state management
performed by the non-partisan Pew Center on
the States and Governing magazine. Only three other states
received a higher grade than Michigan. Here's the lede from the actual
report in Governing:
The Battle of
Lansing, as many have come to remember the state’s bloody
budget deliberations last year, drew national attention to
Michigan’s economic woes. And there’s no question
that fiscal austerity has hurt the state’s capacity to
deliver basic services. The workforce has been drastically reduced, and
Michigan officials worry that agency staff reductions have gone beyond
fat and deep into bone and marrow. No new workers are likely to arrive
soon. As the automobile industry continues to suffer, revenue streams
are in trouble and the state’s credit ratings have dropped.
And for all the emergency moves, including a substantial tax increase,
Michigan is far from structural balance between revenues and
expenditures.
With all that in mind, the
surprise in Michigan is the strength and suppleness of much of its
management, in both good times and bad. “To be honest, when
the economy’s doing well, you tend to be a little bit
blasé about things,” says Treasurer Robert Kleine.
“When things are going badly, you’ve got to focus a
lot more.” (emphasis added)
In
2005, Michigan also received an overall B+. However, this year we went
up in 3 of the 4 survey categories - going from a B to a B+ in
"People," a B+ to an A- in "Infrastructure," and a B+ to an A in
"Information." Not too surprisingly, with all of the negative national
attention over last fall's budget struggle, Michigan's "Money" grade
(not to be confused with a "Money" shot - which is something very different), did drop from B to C+.
Here's
the breakdown of the grades (also snapped from Governing):
Considering
Michigan's situation, not too shabby. More below the fold...
Florida Governor Crist said that he would be open to a “redo” of his state’s Democratic primary.Michigan’s Governor has not been so generous.
The Democratic Party stripped Michigan and Florida of their delegates for moving their primary before February 5th in violation of party rules.
Governor Jennifer Granholm of Michigan said in February that, “The DNC created this problem by the sanctions they used and unfairly applied. The DNC has to fix this problem.”
As both a Democrat and a resident of Michigan, I have to say she could not be more wrong.Moving the primary ahead to January 15th brought Republicans and Democrats together in Lansing in ways they would not previously.
Of
the prospect of using her legal authority to order Mayor Kilpatrick out
of office, former Republican State Senator Bill Ballenger says in this
morning's DFP that Governor Granholm "won't touch
that with a 10 foot pole." He may be right - and there's no doubt such
a move would spark an angry reaction from various officials and operatives dangling on
Kwame's coattails to the effect of "how dare some lady in Lansing
undermine the will of Detroit voters," etc.
On the
other hand, if the Detroit City Council were to pass a
resolution asking specifically that the
Governor order the Mayor out, she's got some cover - and can
legitimately argue she's just carrying out the wishes of Detroit's
elected City Council.
It wouldn't hurt to have backing from some Detroit legislators too.
True,
there are other ways Kilpatrick can be removed. There is a possibility
that the City Council could remove him on their own - but it's
far
from clear that - absent a felony conviction - it would
actually be permitted under the city charter. There could be a citizen
recall drive - or Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy could file perjury charges
and try to send the Mayor to jail. But all of these options would take
a l-o-n-g time. By the time they were exercised, it may very well be
time for the next regular mayoral election.
Detroit
can't wait that long. Any who doubt this need only look at the stories
this morning about the National Conference of Black Mayors cancelling
its convention in Detroit because of the
Kwame situation (along with bringing some positive media attention to
Detroit, the convention would have brought in 2,000 people who
presumably would have stayed
in Detroit hotels and spent good sums of money in the city). And then
there's the outside
audit finding "significant deficiencies" in how the Mayor's
administration is managing the city's books and that, according to the
Freep, could pave the way for charges of fraud and misappropriation of
assets.
Whatever the process, removing an official
who has been elected by the voters is an extraordinary and serious step
- which is is why it is so rarely applied. But the ability to
fire an elected official exists under our law for a reason. Whether
it's a fiend like Richard Nixon, screwball Ex-State Senator Dave Jaye or Mayor Kwame
Kilpatrick - sometimes the public interest is better served by NOT having
to wait until the next election or until a lengthy string of legal
appeals has run its course. When the mayor of the state's largest city
has been clearly shown to have committed perjury - AND to have
negotiated illegal secret deals to give away millions of city taxpayer
dollars to cover up that perjury (not to mention driving an already
starved city to the brink of fiscal disaster), I would
respectfully submit that this is one of those
extraordinary times.
Kwame Kilpatrick needs to go.
Those close to him will kick and scream. But there are
far more - both within the City of Detroit and across Michigan
who will loudly applaud such a bold move by the Governor. If the City
Council - along with members of the Detroit delegation to the
legislature and other elected officials from the city - come together
and ask for a new mayor, then for the sake of our state's largest city,
it will be time for the governor to do what must be done.
Last November Gov. Granholm and Michael R. DeVos, Executive Director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), launched the "Save the Dream" campaign to protect Michigan families and keep consumers in their homes. This public awareness campaign is intended to help citizens avoid foreclosure and stabilize our state's turbulent housing market.
As the Democratic Vice-Chairman of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, I recently helped usher the bills implementing the Save the Dream initiative through the committee process.
One of the main goals of the Save the Dream campaign is to establish an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) Refinance Program that will help homeowners switch to a lower-interest, fixed-rate loan. These ARM's have been one of the major factors contributing to our state's foreclosure crisis, which is why I am proud to have sponsored Senate Bill 948 to make sure homeowners in this state can transition into a stable, long-term mortgage that they can actually afford.
Here's something I don't
want to slip by unnoticed: on Friday, Governor Granholm used
her clemency powers to set two
prisoners free.
It's significant because
this is the first time the governor has commuted the sentence of
any prisoner who wasn't sick or dying.
The two
inmates received unduly harsh sentences in the 1990s for delivering
cocaine. From
the AP:
The inmates are 70-year-old
Lawrence Drum and 40-year-old Vickie Hoskins, both of Oakland County.
Drum has been in prison since 1992 and Hoskins since 1998.
Both
would not have been eligible for parole until 2021.
Corrections
spokesman Russ Marlan said Drum and Hoskins had unique sentences.
Drum
was sentenced to life with the chance of parole for delivering or
manufacturing more than 650 grams of cocaine. He could have been
eligible for parole in 2011, but after that he would have had to serve
10- to 20-year sentences, making him ineligible for parole until 2021.
Hoskins
was sentenced to at least five years in prison but for many consecutive
terms, making her ineligible for parole until 2021.
According
to the Flint Journal, former Gov. William Milliken personally
lobbied on Drum's behalf. Gov. Milliken originally signed the infamous
"650 lifer" law in the 1970s but now says doing so was a mistake.
Michigan
has roughly
50,000 people in prison. We have one of the highest
incarceration rates in America - which means Michigan also has one of
the highest incarceration rates in the entire world.
Regardless of the
"whats" and "whys" it's one of our state's greatest shames.
It
also costs a hell of a lot of money, which was the actual
justification given for the clemency orders.
I
commend the governor and the clemency council for her act of mercy and
hope they will consider offering compassion to others among
that 50,000 who don't truly belong behind bars.
It's two days after Valentine's Day, and I've been bitten by the love bug. Those of who you know me know that I'm gay, and those of you who know me know that there's one guy in particular who I think is the bee's knees.
But most gay guys I know keep a list of the Top Ten Women We'd Go Straight For. Ladies and gentlemen, I have a confession to make.
Governor Granholm addressed the Activate '08 training at MSU. She let us all know how important the blogosphere is to policy development and support from Democratic bloggers are to making sure Michigan makes the progress we all want for our state.
Thanks for coming out on a Saturday morning, Governor.
I believe that Jack Lessenberry is closer to the truth than most Michigan Democrats would like to admit. Michigan's Democratic establishment is playing hardball and using brute force to prevent a fair fight in Michigan.
I don't think Senator Levin planned it that way at the outset, or that Levin, Granholm, Dingell, and Brewer had a "secret meeting" to decide their strategy.
These are all savvy politicians. They know what they want, and they know how to get it. They know that this is the most important election in decades. They know this is the biggest opportunity for Democrats in decades.
They know just as well as any of us does what the difference is between a caucus and no caucus in Michigan, and seating the delegates as they stand or not seating the delegates at all.
They know which candidate they support too. They have done the math and picked their pony. What they've ultimately chosen is good for them, but that's no good for Michigan or the Democratic Party.
You tell me which candidate you support, and I betcha I can tell you what you think about a caucus in Michigan. You tell me what you think about a caucus in Michigan, and I'll tell you which candidate you support.
This ain't rocketscience.
I promise, I will not be boycotting Clinton if she wins the election by the Michigan Margin. I'm a Democrat, and another Republican president could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
But you can bet the farm that other folks will boycott! This has the makings of a true disaster for the Democrats. If Florida 2000 haunts us to this day, how are we gonna feel if the Clinton operation pulls off this ham-fisted delegate rob in Michigan, and it makes the difference between President Democrat and President McCain? They always say, "Democrats always manage to rescue defeat from the jaws of victory" ...
The only near-fair solution is a showdown in Michigan and Florida. So long as the Democratic establishment in Michigan is not boxing with gloves on in this election, why should the voters, why should I?
We should be demanding a caucus, and we'll only be getting a caucus when Democratic activists say, "Either we caucus or heads are gonna roll!"
(Only fair to discuss the other side of the argument - promoted by lpackard)
The following are key arguments that I believe support a Michigan Presidential Caucus.
ARGUMENTS:
(1) Michigan deserves to have clout in this election. So long as our delegates do not count, Michiganders do not have clout.
(2) Our 128 delegates could be decisive. The race for delegates is expected to be very close at the time of the convention, with both candidates near, but not at, a majority. Michigan could tip the balance.
(3) Michiganders deserve to see the primary candidates up close and hear the candidates debate the issues that matter in Michigan, like the health of the Great Lakes and the loss of manufacturing jobs. Michiganders will not have this opportunity if January's results stand.
(4) Michigan voters deserve to be able to choose between all of the candidates. Most of the candidates names were removed from Michigan's ballot, and "Uncommitted" won the "youth vote," the "black vote," and over 40% (200,000) of the overall votes.
(5) Michigan deserves to have our delegates seated at the Democratic National Convention. As it stands, the DNC will reject the delegates distributed at Michigan's January 15 Primary because Michigan advanced the date of our Primary in defiance of DNC rules. They will restore our delegation's voting credentials if and only if we hold a caucus.
(6) Whichever candidate wins the nomination, they must win Michigan to win the presidency. The opportunity to campaign in Michigan prior to the nominating convention would strengthen the nominee with Michigan voters.
Capitol Journal: No do-overs. Derek says not to hold your breath when it comes to holding a second Democratic primary/caucus.
GR Press: Tracking donations to the candidates. Obama pulled in more money in 2007 in Kent and Ottawa Counties than Romney and Huckabee combined! (h/t Hazen)
Tim Skubick: Miller takes look at '10 bid. Tom discusses a potential gubernatorial run for Candice Miller.
DetNews: Mayor signed deal to hush up texting. More bad news for Kwame.
State Government/Legislation
AP: Granholm budget proposal less contentious than in past years. Boy, let's hope so. Kathy Barks Hoffman has more on the details of the Governor's FY 2009 budget.
BFM: "Best budget that I've issued since I've been governor." Cathleen dissects the budget.
Freep Editorial: Balanced, lean and realistic. "Granholm has put together a rational budget that still shows many signs of scrimping but appears to be structurally sound. In sum, it is essentially unchanged from the current year's budget at $9.8 billion for the general fund. The school aid fund is up slightly."
DetNews Editorial: Michigan needs modern driver licenses. In a shocking development, the Detroit News is supporting the plan being offered by Senate Republicans.
Energy, Environment and the Economy
WWJ: Rust Belt No More? Michigan Is Becoming Increasingly Innovative, Researchers Say. Good news for Michigan: "Innovative economic activity in Michigan increased 2.8 percent from the middle of 2006 to the middle of 2007, according to a new 'innovation index' developed by scholars at the University of Michigan-Dearborn School of Management."
Oakland Biz Review: Volt battery efforts roll ahead. "The Volt I think has also another mission, which is to get the technology leadership back to GM and back in this country in some sense," Patil said. "As a production plug-in hybrid vehicle it's going to be breaking a lot of new ground. It is creating a lot of excitement."
Great Lakes Guy: The Power of Money. The Great Lakes Guy takes a look at the initiatives to support renewable energy announced in the State of the State addresses from governors in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.
AP: Delta, NWA inching closer to deal, says person briefed on talks. The companies want to combine so they can create one giant, lumbering, inefficient airline.
AP: Great Lakes advocates not pleased with Bush's spending plan. "According to the group's analysis, the president requested $297.6 million for Great Lakes programs, down from $353.76 million appropriated for this year."
Lansing City Pulse: Granholm and the environment. "There's room for improvement, but in comparison with the destruction that [former Gov. John] Engler wrought, she's stellar."
Odds & Ends
GR Press: Amway warns e-mail about charity is a scam. When it comes to Amway, it's hard to tell which scams are real and which ones are fake.
Media Mouse: Military Recruiting Numbers Released for Michigan and the Nation. This doesn't sound good: "Of those recruited in Michigan in 2007, only a little over 69% had high school dimplomas. Additionally, only ~45% of recruits from Michigan were what the military terms 'high quality.'"
BFM: Important Figures In Michigan Black History (Part 1). DJ highlights notable African Americans from Michigan in honor of Black History Month.
Let me know if I forgot anything. Drop your links in the comments section...
Michigan Liberal Snarkachedelic News, 6 February, Wednesday: Fresh of dueling wins on Super Duper Tuesday, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama caught midnight planes from New York and Illinois and headed to the next key battleground state -- Michigan. While there is a Louisiana primary, a Nebraska caucus and a meaningless Washington caucus (their actual primary is in two weeks), both candidates will spend most of the next three days concentrating on the Great Lakes State as Michigan's voters seem about to pick the nominee and probably the next President of the United States in their caucus on Saturday.
Happy Groundhog Day Eve. Be safe on the roads out there, folks... lots of schools closed this morning. Enjoy your cup-o-links...
State Government/Legislation
Crain's: Governor impresses business leaders. "The type of economic development incentives she presented really are right on," said Richard Blouse president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. "It's very much in line with what we need to have in our tool kit to bring those companies here."
Observer & Eccentric: DeRoche recall just a distraction, legislator says. "I think the voters of the Novi and South Lyon area know I was fighting for them. I hope they see it for the political stunt that it is." This man has no concept of irony.
Observer & Eccentric: Corriveau's 2007 voting record spotless. Congrats to Corriveau for never missing a vote in 2007. As for the Republican Minority Leader? "House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) was recently listed as one of the most absent voters in the Michigan Legislature for 2007."
Lessenberry Interview: Paul Condino. "State Representative Paul Condino of Southfield chairs the state house Judiciary Committee. And he thinks people who make a mistake as children deserve a second look when they are adults. Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry spoke with him."
Tim Melton: Promise Zones can help push kids into college. "The Kalamazoo experience suggests that once the promise of higher education is extended to every family living within the boundaries of a community, property values will experience a significant increase. By establishing a Promise Zone, a community will be able to use that positive impact on property values to partially finance the scholarship promise."
Freep: Granholm: universities should dip into endowments before hiking tuition. Is anyone else concerned with the fact that we keep shifting the burden of funding public universities onto the schools themselves?
DetNews: Granholm: Reform prisons. "Asked how she intends to save the $200 million on budget cuts and reforms she proposed in her State of the State address this week, Granholm said: 'Corrections is a big piece. Are there people in the system who can be released in a cost-effective and safe way? Yes there are.'" The full Q&A is here.
WILX: Bullying On The Rise In Schools. Too bad there isn't a bill in the legislature to help stop bullying. Oh, wait... there is. That's right, Mike Bishop put "Matt's Safe School Law" in the circular filing cabinet back in March of 2007.
FARLEFTFIELD: Mike Cox Attacks Workers. The Left Fielder comments on Mike Cox's latest effort to attack state workers by blocking payroll deductions that support union-backed candidates.
Local, State, National Politics
Jackson Cit-Pat: Signs point to heated 7th District contest. Schauer is breaking fundraising records while Tim Walberg begs the radical Club for Growth to bail him out. Go Mark, Go!
Walberg Watch: Walberg's 4Q Fundraising. "Walberg, a freshman congressman from Tipton, reported raising about $151,000 during the same span and ended the period with about $438,000 in his account." Schauer out-raised him by $200k! Walberg's days are numbered.
Freep: Granholm likes a Clinton-Obama ticket. "I would love to see her ask him to run as her vice president," Granholm, a supporter of Clinton's candidacy told the Free Press editorial board. "And if he gets it, I would hope that he would do the same."
WLNS: Lawmaker Speaks Out About Recall Effort. There's a similar article in the LSJ, and Simpson's quote is priceless: "I will fight this to the bitter end because we are not going to allow outsiders and a little two-bit punk like Leon Drolet to come into our district and try to take control and try to convince people ... that they need to get rid of their state representative," Simpson said.
Skoop's Blog: Governor to Stay Put. Skoob discusses the rumors of Granholm leaving for a post in a Hillary Clinton administration, which seems increasingly less likely.
Energy, Environment and the Economy
AA Biz Review Op-Ed: U-M projects enhance area. "The institution is a major economic driver for the region in obvious ways - like student enrollment - and in subtler fashions, such as through the multitude of research products that yield spinout companies and private hiring."
AA Biz Review: State still divided over Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance bills. "I'd like them to address risk pools and insurer of last resort as mechanisms to make insurance affordable," said [State Sen. Tom] George. "Should we have one, the other, both, neither? The committee needs to make a judgment on that."
BFM: Today is National Earned Income Tax Credit Day in Michigan. Yesterday was National EITC Day. Wizardkitten has more.
Odds & Ends
BFM: Progressive Michigan Job Bank Launched. Looking to hire talented workers? Need a new gig? Check out Progress Michigan's new Job Bank.
Let me know if I forgot anything. Drop your links in the comments section...
The Governor presented us with an aggressive, innovative, fiscally-responsible vision tonight. Everyone knows that our economy needs to be job one, and this focus on growth industries, education improvements, and incentives will help us keep and attract jobs. I'm looking forward to working in a bipartisan way to create jobs and more security for Michigan families.
From Speaker of the House Andy Dillon -
The governor's aggressive plan to diversify our economy and create thousands of new jobs for our workers makes this an exciting time to live in Michigan. The renewable energy industry stands to make Michigan a leader in the 21st century global economy and create new opportunities for our workers to get ahead. My colleagues in the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle can move past the partisan gridlock to achieve the one thing that we all want to do - build a brighter future for Michigan.
Tonight I'll be back at the Capitol live-blogging the Governor's State of the State address and I hope you'll join us for the discussion starting at 6 p.m.
In attendance tonight will be the full House and Senate, including Lt. Gov John Cherry, the State Supreme Court, a multitude of elected officials including the Attorney General, Secretary of State and several honored guests invited by the Governor.
Widely-speculated possible topics the Lady Gov's speech include -
Education
"No Worker Left Behind" - worker retraining
Health care
Drug Industry Immunity
Clean Energy Manufacturing
"Michigan First" program
Government Reform
And then there's the list of things that we can probably expect from the other side...
Possible Republican Response topics include -
The Governor's wrong
Andy Dillon's wrong
Mike Bishop walks on water (or at least floats well, with all that hair gel)
Rich Republican Conservatives feel for Working Michigan
Cutting more taxes
"Protecting Michigan families" - i.e. telling you who you can and cannot love and what you're allowed to do with your own body.
Speaker of the House Andy Dillon and Senate Democratic Leader Mark Schauer will be speaking to the press shortly after the speech concludes.
So be sure and drop by MichLib after 6pm as I'll be bringing you the latest from the Capitol. Listen or watch along at home and join in the conversation here!
I have been musing that the MDP scheduled a primary on Martin Luther King's birthday (as opposed to the national holiday), when it was a primary that disenfranchised a black candidate who respected the letter and spirit of DNC rules (and a replacement February primary/caucus could easily have been scheduled); but maybe the forces of justice had their due last night.
...the exit poll results from this strange contest reveal some troubling trends for the New York Senator. ...
Among black voters, Clinton was crushed by "uncommitted," 26-70. If that kind of margin among African Americans continues into future primaries, she faces major problems in the heavily black January 26 South Carolina primary....
...Clinton was perfectly positioned. She had no serious opposition. She also had the strong support of top Michigan Democrats such as Governor Jennifer Granholm and U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow.
Usually, a prominent presidential contender running a primary campaign without serious opposition and with strong in-state support from party leaders can count on winning 90 percent or more of the vote. ...
A remarkable 40 percent of Michiganders who participated in the primary voted for nobody, marking the "Uncommitted" option on their ballots. ...
Ominously for the Clinton camp, the former First Lady was losing the African-American vote -- in Wayne County and statewide -- to "Uncommitted." African-American leaders such as Detroit Congressman John Conyers, who backs Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, had urged an "Uncommitted" vote. ...
It is hard[] to believe that Clinton will get very far claiming Michigan handed her a meaningful victory Tuesday night. When two out of every five voters choose nobody rather than a prominent candidate who is running with little or no opposition, that candidate's got no reason to celebrate.
With comments like the Mich Lib one recently about needing a Caucasian fella on the ticket (Why? I'd vote for an Obama/Sebelius ticket, no white guy there), I think it is good to be sensitive, racially and otherwise, when making comments, maybe. And with the Daily Kos observations today, John Kerry: Kicking ass, defending the right to vote, and flying to Nevada (on John Kerry's fighting the Clinton attempt to disenfranchise largely Latina/o workers' vote), and Say Goodbye to Howard Dean, (about the DNC entering the legal fray against the Clinton disenfranchisement attempt, and the likelihood of the Clintons booting Dean, in favor of Terry McAuliffe, if they win), it looks not just like a Michigan Dem struggle against Granholm/Brewer/Dingell's complicity with disenfranchisement, it looks like a national battle, of the reformers against the unworthy Establishment. I hope we'd all be on the side of the reformers.
(While the DNC can't per se oppose the Clinton campaign, it's nice to see them at least opposing a Clinton initiative. Maybe Dean knows that not only will he be booted if the Clintons return to power, but decency itself will be booted as well.)
--The message, as always, is, be active and take back your party. Find replacements for the people I mention above who need to be replaced. Run yourself if you have to. Be inclusive to minorities and to people in general. Promote the right over the wrong, and progress over stagnation. Keep the dream alive. MLK would expect no less of you.
Everyone had better start thinking about something else to write/complain about from here on out, because the Michigan presidential primary is finally OVER. There's all sorts of stuff to chew on in this extra special primary edition of Coffee Talk. Enjoy your cup-o-links...
Primary Coverage
NPR: Romney Wins Michigan's GOP Primary. "It's a victory of optimism over Washington-style pessimism," Romney said during his victory speech, with his hair dangling down uncharacteristically onto his forehead.
Freep: Mitt Romney Takes Michigan. "Now, he can fight on, being one of three candidates to have scored major victories in the primary season. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3 and McCain, who won Michigan eight years ago, took New Hampshire's primaries last week."
Freep: Michigan GOP mistakenly sends release praising McCain for victory. Nice work from Saul Anuzis' crack team over at the MI-GOP. Those guys really know what they're doing.
Stephen Henderson: A big win for Romney and Clinton. This does not bode well for camp Hillary, despite her win: "Clinton got clobbered among African Americans (by nearly a 70-26 margin) and lost handily among independent voters." More in this editorial.
DetNews: Tough economy is top issue for Michigan primary voters. "Fully 60 percent of those taking part in the Democratic presidential primary cited the economy as the most important issue as did 55 percent of those who cast ballots on the Republican side of the ledger, according to a National Election Exit Poll conducted at key precincts across the state Tuesday by Edison/Mitofsky."
CNN: Primary Results. Vote totals for the Republican and Democratic primaries, with lots of colorful charts and graphs.
Michigan Messenger: Live coverage of polling results - Michigan's presidential primary. Self-explanatory.
Far Left Field: Victory Without a Fight! A nice post from the Left Fielder about the Lansing-area UAW efforts to fight back against RTW.
BFM: Bennington Twp Violating Election Laws. Christine chronicles photo ID abuses in Shiawassee County. More here.
Upper Hand: Live from the MI AFL-CIO Headquarters. In case you missed it, here's Julielyn's liveblog from yesterday. More here, here, and here.
Local, State, National Politics
Stephen Henderson: The next president must pay attention to our problems. "Michigan needs a president who'll take real action against the currency manipulation, unfair labor standards and protectionist trade policies that give foreign companies a ridiculous and largely unearned advantage over their American counterparts."
BFM: God Bless The Unions. Christine thanks the Michigan unions for their efforts to beat back the RTW campaign before it ever got off the ground.
Rep. Miller: Florida Will Catapult Giuliani to Feb. 5. Yep, Rudy got half as many votes as Ron Paul last night. He's got the rest of the field right where he wants 'em.
State Government/Legislation
AP: Comcast plans temporarily blocked. Need another reason to hate Comcast? "The cable company planned today to move PEG - public, educational and governmental access channels - across the state into the 900-level digital range, requiring subscribers with analog televisions to buy digital cable-ready televisions or rent or buy a digital converter box for each set."
Freep Editorial: State surplus can help build a better budget. "Some taxpayers may have felt deceived when the surplus showed up after the crisis atmosphere that persisted in Lansing through 2007. But people really should be pleased that several state departments made thrift a priority. With that penny-pinching model, the state now must press forward on changes and reforms that have long-lasting impact."
Jackson Cit-Pat: Lawmakers going to bat for SmartZone. Schauer, Griffin and Simpson are all pushing for the state to create three new SmartZones, which they hope Jackson will compete for.
Energy, Environment and the Economy
Freep: Granholm to support Ficano's smaller Cobo expansion plan. "Last week, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano offered a scaled-down plan to expand Cobo by 120,000 square feet, a plan that he said included $150 million from the State of Michigan." More on Ficano's plan here.
DetNews: Taylor program buys houses for $1, repairs and resells them. "This should provide an opportunity for citizens to possibly get out of the rental mode and become homeowners, stay in the community and become more stable. It's a win-win."
But will she capture a large enough percentage to avoid embarrassment Tuesday?
),
Gov. Jennifer Granholm said this morning at a Clinton rally in Southfield that her candidate "is committed to Michigan."
"Her opponent in this state apparently is 'uncommitted,' which is not an opponent," Granholm told reporters after speaking to 100 Clinton supporters at the Westin Hotel. "That is why we are encouraging voters to get out and vote for Hillary Clinton. She is not uncommitted to Michigan, which the other candidates apparently are."
Clinton opted not to campaign in Michigan because she made a pledge to uphold the party primary calendar, which is tilted to early races in Iowa and New Hampshire.
There are multiple truth problems with JG's words here, including the fact that, uh, Clinton pledged not to campaign in Michigan (as noted above)! so that Dennis Kucinich, whatever his other problems, is more committed to Michigan than Clinton, cf. George Bullard in DetNews, Re Michigan, at least Kucinich shows up.
As well, like it or not, Gravel and Kucinich are opponents of Clinton, too, so JG is inaccurate by not mentioning them as opponents, mentioning only "uncommitted" as an opponent. (Cheap rhetorical trick?)
Last but not least, Granholm (who USED to say that Michigan Liberal is her favorite blog--is that still true??--, so that she may read here frequently) may have borrowed the "committed/uncommitted" wordplay of yours truly on 1/9/08, "Ironically, then, if you are COMMITTED to change, you may have to vote UNCOMMITTED on 1/15." ...I wonder how much she might owe me for "copyright infringement"! No wonder the writers went on strike...
Now what is really interesting, is Jennifer Granholm's lack of commitment to staying in Michigan herself and doing her job, instead of running off to D.C. with Hillary, if she wins, and then leaving the Michigan mess to her new "Chief Operating Officer" (!! "Michigan Incorporated"??), and to John Cherry, whose, to be blunt, "charisma issues" might prevent him from becoming governor in a normal election.
See Tim Skubick, the "Off the Record" video of his JG interview on 10/12/07, at c. 13:45-15:45 on the video. (Check WKAR if the above link doesn't work) TS asks JG repeatedly if she will pledge not to leave Lansing, and JG refuses again and again to answer, talking about "speculation", dodging the issue, and leaving a deep suspicion about her own commitment to Michigan. (She does say that fixing Michigan should take longer than a year and a half, and that she doesn't want to go to D.C. ...o.k., then why can't she pledge to stay in Lansing? Whom does she think she's fooling??)
Repeatedly refusing to pledge to stay on the job in her own state, throwing (or even subtly massaging...) the election for a pal who can give her a cushy slot in D.C., and taking millions of taxpayers dollars to do it, plus the voter list graft, plus holding the DNC-rulebreaking election even after 4 Dem candidates correctly avoided it, plus Michigan's collapse in general...how committed is politician Granholm to Michigan, or staying in Michigan, or anything? Can she be believed when she mocks "uncommitted" voters like the great John Conyers and says voting Hillary is better?
Probably not. If you vote, vote "uncommitted"...and commit to doing something about Granholm's, Dingell's, Brewer's, Anuzis's, McManus's, and Bishop's noxious dedication to doing the wrong thing re the 1/15 primary, and so many other wrong things as well. Thanks for your commitment to Michigan and to Michigan rank-and-file Democrats!
Last November Gov. Granholm and Michael R. DeVos, Executive Director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), launched the "Save the Dream" campaign to protect Michigan families and keep consumers in their homes. This public awareness campaign is intended to help citizens avoid foreclosure and stabilize our state's turbulent housing market.
