A few days ago, I posted a diary in support of Lance Enderle's campaign in which, along with several other key points, I pointed out his opponent, 5-term incumbent Republican Mike Rogers' extreme position on reproductive rights for women:
4. MIKE ROGERS WANTS RAPE VICTIMS FORCED TO CARRY RAPISTS' OFFSPRING: The whole nation is abuzz about Alan Grayson's opponent, "Taliban Dan" Webster. Well, guess what? Republican Mike Rogers is also so extreme on abortion that he wants women who are the victims of rape to be forced to give birth to their rapist's offspring. I can't imagine the injustice of police detaining & supervising rape victims for 9 months until their rapists' spawn are born. Yet that is the necessary consequence of Mike Rogers' position.
Time again for my weekly feature in which I excerpt my articles from Examiner.com. This week, the digest not only describes what happened on primary night, but also debunks two popular myths about this election year.
Many column inches have been written about the anti-tax sentiment sweeping the country in the form of Tea Party protests and town hall meetings during the past year. However, only a relatively small amount of that well-publicized hostily to taxation was in evidence Tuesday, as ten of the thirteen ballot proposals involving property taxes passed, some by impressive margins with relatively strong turnouts exceeding the county average of 21.28%. Only the renewal of the millage for the general operating budget for Manchester Township, one of the millage renewals for police protection in Northfield Township, and the bond proposal for the Saline Area Schools failed.
Details on the ballot proposals at the link in the headline.
In municipal primary elections held last Tuesday, all the incumbents running to keep their offices won. In Ann Arbor, the mayor and five council members won strong, in some cases overwhelming victories over an insurgent slate. In Ypsilanti, the mayor and the one council member who ran for re-election also won by large margins.
These electoral wins came despite widely publicized anti-incumbent sentiment which claimed only a few victims in the state, most notably Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who lost her congressional seat in the primary.
Details on the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti municipal elections at the link.
It looks both these memes (anti-incumbent and anti-tax) held little weight in local elections. Take that, Tea Party!
Other races, including Governor and U.S. House of Representatives, on the other side of the jump.
WASHINGTON -- Rep. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said Monday that he will introduce legislation that would essentially tax 100 percent of the controversial bonuses paid to employees of bailed-out insurance giant American International Group Inc.
"It is beyond outrageous that the very people who brought AIG to its knees and helped create the current financial crisis are scheduled to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses while tax dollars keep their company afloat," Peters said in a written statement.
This morning, my 3-year old son and I had the honor of attending a roundtable/press conference event with freshman Congressman Gary Peters (MI-09) to discuss the first bill that he's introducing to the 111th Congress.
My wife and I are both self-employed (myself for 10 years as a website developer; her for the past year as a professional coach/consultant). We share a home office (not easy to do with your spouse, but we've pulled it off so far!), and our son is in daycare 4 days a week (we alternate taking care of him one day a week, which is why I was able to bring him with me today).
Needless to say, the $600+ or so per month is quite a hit to our pocketbooks, only beaten out by our mortgage and health insurance premiums.
Since child care is rightly considered a legitimate business expense (paying someone to watch your kids frees you up to actually make a living), there's a federal child care deduction. In 1981, the Dependent Care Tax Credit (DCTC) was set at 20% of a maximum of up to $3,000 for one child an $6,000 for 2 or more children.
For the past several weeks I wrote diaries [on Daily Kos] imploring Kossacks to help us in the Michigan 9th to raise some funds for Gary Peters' campaign against GOP incumbent, Joe Knollenberg, through the fundraising contest held by People for the American Way's Voters' Alliance Progressive Champions campaign.
To say that these diaries seemingly fell on blind eyes is an understatement. I mean, do you guys have any idea how lonely it feels to be the only one to comment in one's own diary?
Nonetheless, I received the following email today, and it was quite gratifying:
Yesterday morning, I received this email from the Michigan GOP (yes, I am on their e-mail list..need to keep up with the other side!) :
Dear ___
Today, you may have received an email from a disgruntled former employee, Justin Zatkoff, that is an example of game-playing that is distracting from our efforts this fall. It has been leaked to the press and being circulated by the same old group of troublemakers who are more interested in intra-party political silliness than helping Republicans win general elections.
The Total Meltdown of the State GOP, under the fold
The progressive advocay organization People for the American Way (PFAW) has launched a short, sweet and to-the-point contest to raise awareness and funds for congressional elections. The contest rules are simple: Raise the most money by October 15, 2008, and PFAW's Voters' Alliance Fund will contribute an additional $3000 to the winning candidate's campaign.
Let's bring some money into Michigan, and with it some much deserved notoriety for this race. After months of fundraising on national sites like Daily Kos, which have consistently ignored both Peters and Schauer's efforts, we need to take charge of our own internet/blog fundraising events.
Well, what it buys is airtime for a single ad for Gary Peters, who is taking on incumbent GOP Congressman Joe Knollenberg in Michigan's 9th District. Previously I introduced you to Peters, and told you a bit about what we are up against in Knollenberg, and why this is a race we can win. Why we can help move ever closer to such a majority in the House that we can avoid the ills associated with Blue Dog and other defections from truly progressive policies.
No, this is not a marquee matchup here on Daily Kos, but it one that the DCCC has targeted in the first wave of Red to Blue challengers' races. And now, based on some recent polling data which I'll detail below, there's all the more reason to believe that we can actually win this one.
If you've got a few moments and can spare $38.20, you can help.
I just got back from a "Town Hall"-style event with Barack Obama here in Oakland County, Michigan. In addition to being the first time I (and my wife) have seen him in person, this particular event was noteworthy for being his first appearance in Michigan since the DNC/RBC/Delegate Allocation brouhaha was settled over the weekend.
The event was thrown together on short notice and was held at the gymnasium of Troy High School in the heart of Oakland County, Michigan. Many pundits state that no Democrat can win the White House without Michigan, and no Democrat can win Michigan without winning Oakland County, so between that and Obama's need to mend fences with Michigan Clinton supporters anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't his last visit to Oakland County--but I had the honor of being present for his first.
(Welcome to soon-to-be-Congressman Peters! - promoted by Eric B.)
Friends,
First, I’d like to begin by thanking all of you for your support. Because of contributions from people like you, our campaign has just been ranked in CQ’s list of the top ten best funded challengers in the country. The voters in Michigan’s 9th Congressional district are tired of the failed leadership they’ve gotten from my opponent, Congressman Joe Knollenberg, for the past sixteen years, and they’re eager for a real change in Washington.
As a former Lt. Commander in the Navy, I wanted to take a moment to write to you this week as we pass the fifth anniversary of one of the most shameful moments in recent American history. On May 1st, 2003, President George W. Bush landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln, in front of the now-infamous “Mission Accomplished” banner and said these words: “My fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.”
Oakland County, MI- Gary Peters continues to build overwhelming momentum in his bid for Congress in Michigan's 9th District. Peters has received more contributions to date than any previous candidate to take on Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg and has garnered early key endorsements. Peters garnered support from almost 1000 individuals in the district including support from Republicans and Independents.
"Whether it's people I meet at house parties and club meetings or the nearly 1000 individuals that have contributed to our campaign, every day I see momentum building for our grassroots campaign. Our working families in Oakland County are fed-up with Washington and the direction of this country. Our message of change, fighting tooth and nail for jobs, and putting Oakland County first has really struck a chord."
Gary Peters is widely regarding for having a hands-on approach to solving local problems. He has a record of results and independence -- turning the lottery around, cutting taxes, holding the line on spending, and creating economic opportunity for the middle class.
In addition to his strong fundraising, Peters has received a flood of endorsements. Last week Peters received the full support and endorsement of the Michigan Association of Police Organizations, which represents over 14,000 police officers in Michigan. Peters has also recently received the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers in Michigan as well as the Service Employees International Union, the fastest growing labor organization representing over 80,000 workers in Michigan. Peters has also received one of the earliest endorsements of the Michigan AFL-CIO which represents over 600,000 workers and 59 unions across the state.
Peters, who has been outspoken about our need for change in Oakland County, raised $183,414.00 last quarter, bringing the total funds raised of the campaign to $401,217, and has a cash on hand balance of $359,366. The Democrat who ran against Joe Knollenberg last cycle raised just under $24,000 in her end of the year filing in 2006. Peters has also exceeded David Fink, the top raising Democrat to challenge Knollenberg, who to date in Q4 of 2001 had amassed just under $370,000 thousand.
Reflecting his misplaced priorities, Knollenberg hires Bush/Cheney insider as Washington Chief of Staff
Lansing, MI - The Michigan Democratic Party took Congressman Joe Knollenberg to task for hiring a Bush/Cheney crony as his Chief of Staff.
Knollenberg named Craig Albright, formerly the deputy assistant for Legislative affairs to Vice President Dick Cheney and most recently the special assistant for legislative affairs to President Bush as his new Washington Chief of Staff.
"We knew President Bush and Vice President Cheney were worried about losing one of their most loyal and vulnerable 'yes men' this cycle in Joe Knollenberg, but even we were surprised they resorted to parachuting-in one of their most trusted political cronies to try to salvage Knollenberg's fledgling campaign," said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer.
"As a thank you to Knollenberg for voting with the White House 95% of the time, President Bush has sent Michigan's 9th Congressional District a very unwated gift. Come Election day, we expect Michigan's voters to reject Knollenberg and his politics-as-usual and instead cast a vote for change."
Knollenberg's previous Chief of Staff, Trent Wisecup, left Knollenberg's office last fall after having a very public and heated exchange with a local activist.
This finally proves that the NRCC is scared of Gary Peters.
Greetings from Peters for Congress! We have been up to a whole lot, which I am excited to share with all of you.
Recently we surpassed $50,000 in donations via ActBlue! The contribution that put us over the top was only $50, and was made on November 8th. We are excited to see the support from the online community. ActBlue is a viral network?if you would like to support Gary's campaign, you can create your own personal fundraising page and direct your blog readers, friends, and family to contribute. We can track how much your own fundraising page is responsible for raising.
Even more exciting is the money being raised and friends being made within the district. We were graciously welcomed to the homes of two Peters Supporters for house parties this past weekend. At our campaign events page you can check to see if Gary will be coming to a location near you soon! If you'd like to host one, get in touch with the campaign- if you'll have us, Gary would love to meet you and your friends and talk about the race. I would especially like to thank our pals in Royal Oak's 25th precinct for the cupcakes!
Did you hear that the entire Michigan Democratic Delegation has united to throw a fund raiser for Gary Peters and Mark Schauer? You would've if you were on our email list- be sure to Stay Informed by signing up at PetersForCongress.com
No, the campaign isn't all just about money: last Wednesday Gary got a chance to speak to the Troy Democratic Club. He got to address the critical issues we are facing. He continued to call for withdrawing from Iraq immediately and safely. He called the lack of access to affordable healthcare unconscionable?a stark contrast from Joe Knollenberg, who has voted against insuring 10 million more children by expanding SCHIP. Gary spoke about protecting our environment the way only a former Sierra Club Environmentalist of the Year could, and he has the experience to hit the ground running on these issues. He talked about preserving the American dream and making sure that no generation will be worse off than their parents.
Peters for Congress is proud to announce that the entire Michigan Democratic delegation will be supporting a December fundraiser for Gary Peters and Mark Schauer. The event comes weeks before the next crucial campaign finance reporting deadline.
Through his campaign manager, Joe seems to be a little concerned about Nancy's entrance into the race. Can you count how many times he says her name in this video?
Assuming that this is true, I'm deeply disappointed.
I haven't supported her campaign--I'm absolutely on-board with Peters--but I defended her right to run (along with Nancy Skinner and whomever else qualifies...I have no problem with contested primaries).
All of which makes it embarrassing, to say the least, to discover that she may have pulled a stunt like this.
Rhonda, if this is true, there's no excusing this. Bad form all around.
If it isn't true, then the entire Daily Kos team owes you (and their readership) one hell of an apology.
If you're reading this, and have been falsely accused, I'd strongly recommend clearing this up ASAP.
I'll be having a house party/fundraiser for Gary Peters at my home in Rochester Hills on September 23 at 4:30 p.m. My goal is to raise $2000 for Gary's campaign. Suggested donation $25, but Gary will gladly accept more if you would like to contribute up to the federal maximum.
It's Labor Day weekend and Joe NOllenberg is campaigning at Arts, Beats and Eats in Downtown Pontiac, telling people about some of Joe Knollenberg's bad votes in Congress, taking pictures with visitors to the festival and having some fun. Joe found a booth where he could have his picture taken with Elmo.
