Michigan needs fair trade policies to help our workers and businesses compete

by: MarkSchauer

Mon Mar 02, 2009 at 13:42:15 PM EST

That's why I joined several colleagues late last week in sending a letter to President Obama outlining our priorities for establishing fair trade policies that will help states like Michigan compete for good-paying jobs. You can read the letter we sent to the White House here.

According to the MEDC, our state has lost 400,000 manufacturing jobs over the past eight years. A report released last fall by the non-profit Economic Policy Institute found that Michigan led the nation in the percentage of jobs lost to unfair trade agreements (7.49%) during 2007.

This is unacceptable - and unsustainable.

Last fall I made a pledge that the first bill I would co-sponsor as a member of Congress would address unfair trade, and that's a promise I kept when I signed on as an original co-sponsor of the Trade Enforcement Act of 2009 in January.

Detroit News Doesn't Know Fred Upton from Mark Schauer

by: bfealk

Sun Feb 01, 2009 at 04:23:08 AM EST

Prusi elected Senate Dem leader

by: LiberalLucy

Wed Nov 12, 2008 at 13:45:32 PM EST

Just in from the State Senate, Senator Mike Prusi of Ishpeming has been elected by his peers to be the next Democratic Caucus Leader when current leader Mark Schauer heads to Washington D.C. next January as Congressman for the 7th District.

From the Senate Democratic Caucus  -

"The challenges before us are great, but by staying focused on what's best for the people who sent us here we can turn Michigan's economy around," said Prusi. "We must be united in making changes that will help our children and grandchildren find jobs and raise their families' right here in this great state."

Prusi has served in several leadership positions within the caucus, including as the lead Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee and previously as the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The Senator also serves on the Energy Policy, Judiciary and Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs committees. Before being elected to the Senate, he served three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. Prior to his legislative career, Mike worked for over twenty years as an iron ore miner for the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company at various Marquette County mining operations, including five years as an underground miner.

"Senator Prusi has been at the forefront of the most pressing issues facing our state, including energy policy and the state budget," said Schauer. "These experiences will serve him well, and I am confident he will excel in his new role as Caucus Leader. We will work closely together to ensure a smooth, productive transition."

"Senator Prusi is an experienced, thoughtful legislator who will make sure people are the top priority," said Democratic Floor Leader Buzz Thomas (D-Detroit). "I look forward to working closely with him to advance an agenda that will attract jobs to Michigan and improve the lives of struggling consumers."

Previous to today's election, the race was defined by many insiders as a complete toss-up between Prusi and Thomas. It's also worth noting that Prusi had challenged Schauer for the position in 2006 after the Senate elections, but Schauer prevailed. 

A hearty congrats to Sen. Prusi, his family, and then entire Senate Democratic Caucus.

CD07: What To Watch For

by: Fitzy

Tue Nov 04, 2008 at 03:25:36 AM EST

CD07: Tim Walberg: "I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs!"

by: Eric B.

Tue Oct 28, 2008 at 21:56:20 PM EDT

Somewhere deep in the middle of Chris Gautz's live blog about today's debate between Mark Schauer and Tim Walberg:

Schauer said there wasn't the justification for war. Walberg said Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Even though the U.S. didn't find them but said there is evidence they were moved.

Emphasis mine.  Tim Walberg now joins any number of people who, in three days, will head off to local abandoned houses or local cemeteries with beer and marrywanna in hand, only to emerge when they run out and get cold, and swear that the bootprint in the mud/dust and that is an exact match for their own is evidence that some "really creepy shit" had happened.

Say, anyone hear about this outfit called the CIA?

Saddam wanted to recreate Iraq’s WMD capability—which was essentially destroyed in 1991—after sanctions were removed and Iraq’s economy stabilized, but probably with a different mix of capabilities to that which previously existed. Saddam aspired to develop a nuclear capability—in an incremental fashion, irrespective of international pressure and the resulting economic risks—but he intended to focus on ballistic missile and tactical chemical warfare (CW) capabilities.

...more...

• The former Regime had no formal written strategy or plan for the revival of WMD after sanctions. Neither was there an identifiable group of WMD policy makers or planners separate from Saddam. Instead, his lieutenants understood WMD revival was his goal from their long association with Saddam and his infrequent, but firm, verbal comments and directions to them.

Just the kind of carefully constructred organization you'd want if you planned to secret massive stockpiles of unconventional and potentially volatile weapons out of one country and into another.

I realize all of this has been debunked and debunked over the years. I realize that only a few hangers still insist that prior to our invasion that Saddam sailed armadas of secret death ships stuffed to the gills with illegal arms, buried air flotillas of balsa-wood gliders hung with cannisters of nerve gas labeled "Destination: DesMoines," and flew pallet upon pallet of mustard gas reconstituted in Saddam's mobile bio- and chem-weapon factories that doubled as hot dog carts out in Russian army helicopters.  I just didn't realize that the 7th District had elected one of these very special people to Congress.

Okay, lying.  I knew that.  Walberg, at least a couple of months ago, was still insisting that Saddam had a role in Sept. 11, which comes after he said that Baghdad and Detroit are basically the same place, violence-wise.

Detroit Free Press Endorses Gary Peters and Mark Schauer

by: bfealk

Fri Oct 24, 2008 at 05:42:32 AM EDT

No matter what shape the state is in or how much Michigan voters gripe about Washington, they have a pattern of retaining their representatives in Congress. It's pretty tough to knock off an incumbent on these peninsulas. The result is challengers who are sometimes unqualified, usually underfinanced, and generally unable to offer assets equivalent to the experience and seniority that matter so much in the Washington power structure.

This year, however, two challengers have made the case.

In the 9th District, which spans Oakland County from Farmington Hills north through Pontiac, the Free Press endorses Democrat GARY PETERS of Bloomfield Hills over eight-term incumbent Republican Joe Knollenberg of Bloomfield Township. In the 7th District, which encompasses all or most of seven southern lower Michigan counties, state Sen. MARK SCHAUER, D-Battle Creek, would do a better job than incumbent Republican Tim Walberg of Tipton has managed in his first term. Click here to read the rest of the story.

 

On the campaign trail ... CD07, CD09

by: Eric B.

Thu Oct 23, 2008 at 21:18:04 PM EDT

You can tell we're two weeks outside a major election ... my Inboxes are filling up, by the hour, with stuff that's going on.  So, let's break it down to highlights...

CD07 -- According to a press release from the Schauer campaign, the Democrat raised $226,000 in the first two weeks of October, compared to $157,000 raised by Tim Walberg. The Schauer campaign reports having $735,000 on hand entering the last two weeks of the campaign, while the Walberg campaign either has $691,000 on hand if you believe a Schauer campaign press release or $412,000 if you believe Deb Price of The Detroit News.

*--Responding to threats by the Walberg campaign over an ad that it is running in the 7th District, Health Care for America Now has responded by pouring more money into the district in adverstising. Walberg threatened to sue HCAN over this ad, and in response the group purchased more air time. Also, the group purchased space in the weekly newspaper The Tecumseh Herald for this full-page ad.

*-- Update! ... An internal poll from a DCCC firm finds that Schauer has an 8 point lead.

CD09 -- In a new internal poll, commissioned by the DCCC, Grove Insight found that Gary Peters had opened up a double digit lead over Joe Knollenberg.  According to a press release, when 400 residents of the 9th District were polled, 46 of them said they plan to vote for Gary Peters.  Thirty six percent said they would back Joe Knollenberg. Jack Kevorkian received 2 percent of the vote.

U.S. News and World Report: GOP expects to lose CD07

by: Eric B.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 18:53:49 PM EDT

The GOP expects that it could lose up to 34 seats, U.S. News and World Report is reporting.  More than that, they've apparently consigned Tim Walberg's reign of terror to the trash heap of history.

The document provided to Whispers is no gag: It comes from one of the key House GOP vote counters. The source called it a "death list." The tally shows several different ratings of 66 House Republicans in difficult races or open seats held by retiring Republicans. "Rating 1" finds 10 Republicans "likely gone." Those districts are New York 13, Alaska, Arizona 1, Virginia 11, New York 25, Illinois 11, Florida 24, Michigan 7, Nevada 3, and North Carolina 8. Under "Rating 2," nine Republican seats are listed as "leaning Democratic.

Emphasis mine.  Those are the seats the party expects to lose on the leading edge of a tidal wave that could sweep the GOP out of a majority in the House "for decades."

CD07: ... by the company they keep

by: Eric B.

Wed Oct 22, 2008 at 16:40:16 PM EDT

Club for Growth, which is again helping to bankroll Tim Walberg's campaign, leapt its way into another race yesterday by endorsing ratshit crazy Congresscritter from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann.

Michele Bachmann (MN-06): Though only a freshman in Congress, Rep. Bachmann has emerged as a strong proponent of free-market, limited-government policies. She has quickly become a leading opponent of pork-barrel spending, refusing to accept earmarks, and a supporter of expanding America’s domestic drilling.

Sounds familiar, don't it.  Almost like, as if it were, highly complementary of ... how about a leap here.

Tim Walberg (MI-07) Michele Bachmann (MN-06): Though only a freshman in Congress, Rep. Walberg Bachmann has emerged as a strong proponent of free-market, limited-government policies. He She has quickly become a leading opponent of pork-barrel spending, refusing to accept earmarks, and a supporter of expanding America’s domestic drilling.

Why are we talking about Michele Bachmann?  Because Club for Growth's endorsement of her came after she went stark raving mad on Hardball, calling Barack Obama "unAmerican" and suggesting that the media investigate the "anti-American" attitudes of certain members of Congress.

Everyone else has fled from Bachmann like rats from a ship that is burning, sinking and crewed entirely by cats since, with the RNCC pulling its advertising, her opponent raising wheelbarrows full of money, and every political handicapper immediately shifting the race from a safe GOP to tossup.Not Club for Growth, which on the 15th of this month laid down an additional $226,000 for an ad buy on Walberg's behalf. They looked at the race, and the most recent developments, and said, "You know, we need to spend a lot of money of this person's behalf."

State Report: Michigan

by: 21st Century Democrats

Fri Oct 17, 2008 at 15:27:54 PM EDT

This is the second in a series of Grassroots Reports we will be providing over the final few weeks of the campaign to let the blogosphere know what 21st Century Democrats is doing in several key battleground states. This week we’re focusing on Michigan where Democrats continue to build momentum. Recently, John McCain was forced to pull out of the Wolverine State in a move that will benefit not only Barack Obama, but Democrats all down the ticket – including our endorsed candidates Gary Peters, Mark Schauer and Andy Meisner.

21st Century Democrats has focused the majority of our resources in the important swing district of Oakland County. We've had organizers on the ground there for months and the polls have started to show voters moving in the Democrats' favor with Barack Obama now leading John McCain in the county by 6%. While this is a good sign, we must keep fighting hard until all the votes are counted on November 4th.

In Michigan’s 9th Congressional District (which includes Oakland County), Gary Peters is running ahead of incumbent Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg. Recent polling has shown Peters up by as much as 9 points, and he is ‘banking’ a lot of support in preparation for a strong get-out-the-vote effort. The campaign has already identified over 55,000 ‘yes’ votes for Gary! Things are also looking good in the 7th Congressional District where Mark Schauer is consistently polling 7-10 points ahead of his opponent, Rep. Tim Walberg.

Andy Meisner, our endorsed candidate for Oakland County Treasurer, is running a truly impressive field operation as he tries to move to a new post after three successful terms in the state legislature. 21st Century Democrats’ organizers have helped the Meisner Campaign contact 34,143 voters and make 7,886 IDs. The numbers are looking very good with 7,886 voters identified as a ‘1s’ or ‘2s’ (meaning they will likely vote for Andy) against only 463 people who said they would probably vote for his opponent.

The prospects for a big Democratic victory in Michigan are strong, but we can't let McCain's withdrawal make us complacent. As Peter's Republican opponent's campaign manager said, "our voter turnout operation is knocking on doors to get people to show up on Election Day." These Republicans understand the value of knocking doors and turning out the vote - and so do we! I hope you will support our efforts in Michigan and around the country.

Sincerely,

Dan Lucas
President

CD09: Knollenberg declines Lessenberry interview

by: Eric B.

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 18:28:25 PM EDT

I've listened to dozens of interviews Jack Lessenberry has conducted with people from across the political spectrum.  Whatever he writes elsewhere, he's always a respectful interviewer, asks questions and just lets the person answer without trying to shout them down or trip them up in order to publicly embarrass them (he's not like Frank Beckmann, who actually used clearly edited clips to make the governor look bad on taxes last year).  So, I can discern no explanation for this...

We had hoped to speak with both candidates however, Congressman Knollenberg declined to be interviewed for this program.

Peters gets time to talk about something he talks about and understands well, which is a forward-thinking energy policy.

Update! ... Oh, Knollenberg isn't the only person who turned down an invite by Lessenberry.  Last week, Tim Walberg did, too.

Walberg: Not Hukd on Fonix

by: LiberalLucy

Wed Oct 15, 2008 at 14:16:53 PM EDT

We're all human, I get that. God knows I've put up my fair share of typos in blog posts and emails, but then again, I don't have a fully funded campaign staff supporting me.

Congressman Tim Walberg does.

So one would expect that I's would be dotted, T's crossed, and for the love of all that's holy - the man's name would be spelled correctly. 

But it wasn't.

Did I mention this isn't the first time? 

Call it Political Darwinism, call it Fate, or just call it stupidity.

But if a fundraising plea to help Timmeh out can't even spell the man's last name right, does he really deserve your money, much less relection? 

I'm gonna go with - NO. 

And in case you think I'm just being funny, keep in mind this is the stuff that the opposition would kill for, because you just can't make this kind of stuff up. Seriously. 

On the other hand, I hear that Mark Schauer's a fine speller with excellent grammar and personally knowing and respecting the man, I'd recommend that you donate to him today. 

That'll teach Timmeh. 

CD07: The Politico on the Club for Growth impact

by: Eric B.

Tue Oct 14, 2008 at 10:16:04 AM EDT

The Moron Effect rears its head at The Politico.

For Club for Growth-backed candidates across the country, this is sounding like a familiar story.

The group scored one of its biggest victories in 2006 when it bounced moderate Republican Joe Schwarz in a GOP primary and elected Tim Walberg the representative in a conservative-minded southern Michigan district. But now Walberg is running behind Democratic state Sen. Mark Schauer — with Schauer using Walberg’s ties to the Club for Growth as a central message in his own campaign.

The story is about how Club for Growth's campaign to place more ideologically pure (i.e. people who'd eat their own feet before they'd support raising any tax anywhere for any reason) could very well result in more Democrats in Congress. One of those races featured...

CD07: League of Conservation Voters to add Walberg to Dirty Dozen

by: Eric B.

Mon Oct 13, 2008 at 14:29:54 PM EDT

Late last year, the League of Conservation Voters named Joe Knollenberg to its Dirty Dozen list. Tomorrow, the group plans to add another Michigan name to that list ... Tim Walberg.

What was their rationale?  Is it that Walberg thinks that because it's colder in Prague than Nigeria that global warming is a bunch of hoo-hah?  Is it because Walberg thinks that drilling for oil in Alaska will lower the price of gasoline?  Is it because Walberg thinks that burning oil will solve global warming? Is it because Walberg voted against Amtrak? Is it because Walberg hates rare cats?

By being named to the list, Walberg joins Knollenberg and the likes of Jim Inhofe, the Oklahoma senator who thinks global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated and who once called science fiction novelist and believer in spoon bending Michael Crichton to testify before the Senate.

CD07: Walberg makes campaign about Michael Moore

by: Eric B.

Fri Oct 10, 2008 at 11:35:15 AM EDT

Is Tim Walberg taking a page from The Maverick's campaign playbook?  When you can't beat 'em on the issues, smear by association.

Rep. Tim Walberg is trying to link his Democratic congressional challenger to filmmaker Michael Moore.

Walberg, a Republican, released a new ad Thursday that argues the liberal documentary maker is supporting state Senate Democratic Leader Mark Schauer. Schauer is trying to unseat Walberg in a south-central Michigan congressional district.

Personally, I think it's a point of pride that Michigan not only can claim Michael Moore as a native son, but that he hasn't abandoned the state after attaining celebrity and in fact has established a pretty decent film festival in Traverse City. Then again, I'm not a minister in Tipton who's idea of deep political thought is riding through the district on a motorcycle to send a message to the American people that if they, too, had a mid-life crisis they could save a few pennies on the price of gas.

CD07: Walberg clears air by lying

by: Eric B.

Wed Oct 08, 2008 at 15:07:28 PM EDT

"Walberg clears the record after Schauer ads"

An awfully curious headline, if I do say so myself.  It's the kind of thing that's maybe lifted right from a press release. But, it isn't. In fact, it's a headline lifted right from a story in the Battle Creek Enquirer in which Walberg responds to ads being run against him in the 7th District.  Here is Tim Walberg, clearing the record:

Walberg said he doesn't support privatizing Social Security, but instead insulating it from use for anything other than Social Security benefits and Medicare.

Insulating it ... from use for anything ... other than ... Social Security benefits ... and Medicare? How's he plan to do that? Let's take a trip in the Wayback Machine to the year two-thousand-and-six (aught-six, to those nostalgic for the the early 20th century). Tim Walberg on the issues.

Social Security Reform
Tim supports President Bush’s efforts to expand our ownership society by allowing younger workers to voluntarily invest a portion of their payroll taxes and allowing the money to be secured in personal investment accounts.

Uh-huh, so Tim Walberg supports efforts to expand our ownership society by allowing younger workers to take a portion of their payroll taxes, otherwise no doubt earmarked for Social Security, and secured ... in personal ... investment accounts. I wonder if that's why Ontheissues.org has Walberg listed as "strongly favors privatizing social security?"

Anyway, consider the record cleared.  Tim Walberg doesn't support privatized Social Security, only workers using their payroll taxes to create their own investment funds.

CD07: This is all that happened? ...

by: Eric B.

Wed Oct 01, 2008 at 14:53:23 PM EDT

Mark Schauer and Tim Walberg get into a testy debate over breakfast, and all the AP reporter can manage to come up with are ... six paragraphs?

The two clashed on taxes and other issues. The forum was hosted by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce.

That is some intense writing, d00d. We get to-the-second breaking coverage of Paris Hilton's jail sentence for repeatedly breaking the law, we know what toppings were on the burger David Hasselhoff ate while being filmed a rambling drunk, and two candidates in a closely-watched district have an impromptu debate over bagels, and this is the most detailed the guy on hand to cover the story gets? And, yes, I've tried looking up some of the key phrases to see if there are any write-thrus ... none, so far.

Takin' It to The Streets: West Side

by: rchsdems

Mon Sep 29, 2008 at 11:07:05 AM EDT

CD07: Pravda-like poll shows Walberg lead at 10 percent

by: Eric B.

Sat Sep 27, 2008 at 12:49:22 PM EDT

The last time the Schauer and Walberg campaigns released the results of internal polling, Schauer's was pretty close to what EPIC/MRA found, while Walberg's polling data practically had Schauer conceding the race.  The other day, another Schauer internal poll showed the Democrat ahead, and by more than the margin of error.  Just yesterday, stories started popping up with results of another Walberg internal poll ... predictably, Walberg had a double-digit lead.

Walberg's polling firm is the same one he used last time, when his lead was 16-points instead of just 10.  Now his lead, according to the same firm has shrunk to 10, which is still a heap greater than what EPIC/MRA had last time around. That makes it a great deal more likely that rather than providing a real sense of where the race stands, that the Walberg campaign would be using its internal polling data as propaganda.

There isn't anything especially wrong with that, of course, and any fault here lies with the paper that published a story that passed along this kind of information uncritically to readers. Rather than repackaging a pro-Walberg press release, the paper could have done a quick Google search and provided some idea if the information coming from the Walberg camp was at all consistent with what neutral, objective observers were saying. That kind of context might even be helpful to the paper's readers, who maybe today are wondering who is most likely to tell them what they need to hear rather than what the campaign thinks they ought to hear to satisfy the campaign's own best interests.

National Bush Legacy Bus tour roars into Michigan

by: kjbas58

Fri Sep 19, 2008 at 13:27:40 PM EDT

The Bush Legacy is a 45-foot, 28-ton clean bio-diesel powered museum on wheels that features several exhibits on how disastrous the Bush/conservative policies have been, and how they have weakened America's security abroad while neglecting and undermining important priorities here at home.  

It is also highlighting the people who have helped Bush wrecked havoc on the county, and the bus tour will be in Battle Creek on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the backyard of Bush enabler Tim Wahlberg, where he is locked in a battle with State Sen. Mark Schauer. It will be in front of the Kellogg Arena at Michigan Ave between Macamly and N. Capital. On Monday it will be in Jackson from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 120 N. Jackson St. The museum will also be in Lansing in front of the Capitol from 2-4 p.m.

On Tuesday it will be in Bush enabler Joe Knollenberg's district from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Royal Oak Farmers Market at 11 Mile Road and Troy Street in Royal Oak. Gary Peters is neck and neck against Knollenberg.

The tour kicked off on June 24 across the street from the White House, and the National Bush Legacy Bus tour has since blanketed half the country - from New Hampshire to New Mexico - and will continue making nearly 150 stops in the hometowns of Bush's enablers in Congress and symbolic locations like the President's home away from home in Crawford, Texas.

It will be back in Michigan before the tour concludes on Election Day in Virginia. It will be in Kalamazoo on Oct. 21; Grand Rapids on Oct. 22 and Ann Arbor on Oct. 23.