(I'm busy this morning ... talk amongst yourselves. - promoted by Eric B.)
I was at home in Grand Rapids this afternoon when I got an anonymous robocall from Zeeland that said I should contact my State Senator Jansen and urge him to vote for the Governor's pension tax plan.
The actual wording was quite a bit different than that. It was something like, "now some pensions are taxed and some are not and the Governor's plan would make it fairer for everybody"
Does anybody know what are the rules about identifying your organization for an issues call?
Let's try something different: Which legislative races do you care about?
Out of over 6,000 state legislative districts up for grabs this year, we've chosen 40 key races to highlight on our 2010 "Essential Races" list. These are 40 critical races that we anticipate will show which way the political tide is turning this fall.
But we recognize our own limitations. There are plenty of other key races all across the country -- so we're asking for your help in identifying them.
As we celebrate a beautiful Labor Day weekend, we can also rejoice in the unofficial start date of the 2010 campaign season. While many voters were bombarded with attention from campaigns over the past few months during primary season, the general election season will be upon us now with full vigor. Labor Day weekend also nicely coincides with the post-primary filing date for Michigan's legislative campaigns. Candidates must report the amount of money they have raised and spent between July 18 and August 23, and must also declare their cash on hand at the end of the reporting period.
Thus we can see the financial condition of candidates entering to the last 61 days before Election Day in the contours of Michigan's political landscape. As in previous analysis of the State House and Senate candidates, I have collected the reported financial data that can be obtained through a subscription. Please feel free to contact me at peterbratt@gmail.com.
With the last month of 2009 upon us, it is time to take stock at recent candidate filings for the State House and State Senate. It will be interesting to see the financial numbers released by campaigns once 2010 begins, but for now we'll have to do with rumors and potential candidacies.
State Senate
District 18 (Status: Safe Democratic)
As long suspected by many, State Representative Pam Byrnes has filed to run for the 18th State Senate District (11/25/2009). Byrnes' entrance into the race creates a primary between her and fellow Representative Rebekah Warren. This race has been covered ably by the Ann Arbor Chronicle. While this will be a primary to watch, the winner will be heavily favored in the November election in this safe Democratic district. While Ann Arbor locals might have a better idea of the current odds on favorite for this race, my guess is that Byrnes strong support of Andy Dillon's agenda will throw organized labor into Warren's camp, a sure plus in a heavily Democratic district.
District 29 (Status: Swing)
While Hildenbrand's entrance (11/10/2009) into the 29th District (Grand Rapids and Kentwood) race was covered earlier, another recent story in the Grand Rapids Press provides further details on the race.
No other Republican candidates have announced, although perennial Republican candidate Dan Tietema might run in the GOP primary. While at the moment no Democratic candidates have filed, State Representative Robert Dean has announced to supporters that he will run, while Grand Rapids City Commissioner David LaGrand and former State Representative Michael Sak are other potential Democratic candidates. Regardless of whether Sak enters the race, I consider LaGrand to be the front-runner in the Democratic primary.
District 30 (Status: Safe Republican)
This safe Republican seat covering Ottawa County is being vacated by Senator Wayne Kuipers, and as expected, State Representative Arlan Meekhof has filed to replace him (11/23/2009). No word yet on potential GOP rivals, although Wayne Huizinga might consider leaving the 2nd Congressional District GOP primary to run for this seat. No Democratic candidates have yet surfaced.
District 31 (Status: Swing)
State Representative Jeff Mayes (96th District covering part of Bay County) has filed to replace Jim Barcia, who is term-limited from running for this district covering Arenac, Bay, Huron, Sanilac, and Tuscola Counties (11/20/2009). Mayes's filing is covered in the Bay City News. While this is a swing seat, Mayes does not yet face Democratic or Republican opposition. It is expected that former Republican Representatives Steve Ehardt and Mike Green will run for the seat.
Can you believe that we are two weeks from Thanksgiving? On that note, here is the November State Senate and State House candidate update, that you can talk about with your relatives around the dinner table when you are tired of watching the Lions lose.
State Senate
District 2 (Status: Safe Democratic)
With Martha Scott term-limited, this safe Democratic seat is open and waiting for candidates. Olivia Boykins (10/28/2009), director of the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, is the first candidate to file for the seat. Expect numerous other candidates to also file, including Representatives Lemmons and Johnson. Although this seat is the most conservative of the Detroit districts (largely because of the Grosse Point suburbs are included in this northeastern Detroit seat), don't expect a Republican to win this seat.
District 8 (Status: Safe Democratic)
Covering working-class suburbs in southern Wayne County, this safe Democratic seat is currently represented by term-limited Raymond Basham. Former State Representative Hong Yung Hopgood (10/23/2009) is the first to file, and will likely be facing a Democratic primary.
District 14 (Status: Safe Democratic)
Another solidly Democratic seat (covering southeastern Oakland County), this race has attracted two Democratic candidates to replace term-limited Gilda Jacobs. Oakland County Commissioner Dave Coulter (10/13/2009) and Representative Vince Gregory (10/15/2009), who current serves the 35th State House District, both have filed for this seat. With the only competitive contest for this seat coming in the Democratic primary, expect more Democrats to eye this seat.
It's crunch time. The Nov. 3 Special Election for the vacant seat in the 19th State Senate District is less than a week away, and Michigan and Rep. Martin Griffin, D-Jackson, need our help.
The campaign is gearing up for the all important "get-out-the-vote," and special elections are won by the candidate who gets his people to the polls. The Republicans are spending money like a drunken sailor to win the race, and as a former drunken sailor, I know of what I speak.
They are paying for volunteers, and you can't turn on a Lansing or Jackson TV station and not see a TV commercial from the GOP opponent. He has at least two different commercials, and all are complete lies. He's floating the lie that the new Michigan State Police building had something to do with the layoff of state Troopers. Expect that lie to be used next November, too. He's also pushing the Cobo Hall tale, and he's even trying to acciuse Griffin of voting for federal legislation.
The Griffin campaing is asking people to volunteer beginning on Friday to Election Day on Tuesday. They need people to go door-to-door, make phone calls or any other task needed.
In a bit of great news, former State Representative Doug Spade, D-Adrian, formally announced today he is a candidate for the 16th District State Senate District that covers Lenawee, Hillsdale, Branch and St. Joseph Counties.
"With two government shut-downs in the past three years, a seeming inability to act on pressing matters in a timely fashion, and a 'my way or the highway' attitude of inflexibility exhibited by all too many elected officials, it's no surprise the public has lost confidence in state government," Spade said in a press release announcing his candidacy.
The 16h District Senate seat is currently occupied by rightwing Republican Cameron Brown, but he is term limited and running for Michigan Secretary of State. But winning in a conservative district is nothing new to Spade. When he was elected to the first of his three terms in the House in 1998 he was the first Democrat to serve Lenawee County in the House since 1914.
I have met Doug Spade a few times, and I had the same impressions as everybody else: he's a class act, and they think they already know him from listening to the radio show he hosted on WLEN Adrian for 25 years.
I first met him when I was working for my first newspaper, the mom and pop weekly Blissfield Advance. He and I were the "celebrity" guests at a diner hosted by a Girl Scout troop in Blissfield. All I can tell you is that his seeing eye dog was much more popular than both of us.
Spade was the operations manager at WLEN, and for 25 years he hosted a call-in show called "Party Line." It was not your conventional talk show. The show began at noon, and people just called in to talk about anything they wanted. He made the show about the callers, and they could talk about anything under the sun; from their garden to current affairs. I would listen to see what people were talking about.
I ran across him again when I went to work for the Adrian Daily Telegram. I had only been there a few months when the 1996 election occurred. Doug Spade made his first run at the state House against then incumbent extremist right-winger Tim Walberg, and Walberg kept his seat by just a few votes after a recount. When he retired in 1998, Doug won the seat handily; now held by his brother, Dudley Spade.
A month has past since the previous story on filings for State Senate and State House seats, and it is time for another update. Here is a brief synopsis on the various races:
State Senate:
District 7 (Status: Swing)
No filings since early September for State Senate races expect in this swing seat being vacated by term-limited Senator Bruce Patterson. Democratic Michael Kheibari (09/18/2009) has filed, and joins Democratic candidate John Stewart (a former Republican) in the race. Expect more people to join this race.
Griffin voted in the minority on Sept. 30 to protect the Michigan Promise Scholarship from getting axed and preserve other higher education funding, and college students are standing up for Griffin for that support.
The plan is to invade the district beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday Oct. 10 at the Martin Griffin for State Senate campaign office in Calhoun County, 38 Michigan Ave E: Battle Creek, 49017.
The Nov. 3 election is less than a month away, and this is the first step in taking back the Senate like we did the House in 2006. The Republicans enjoy a thin 21-16 lead with the vacant seat, and they are pulling out all the stops to win it back. They see it as the first step in keeping control of the Senate in 2010. More people voted for Senate Democrats in 2006, but they gerrymandered the districts so badly, they kept control.
The canvas is not limited to students or even parents of students struggling to help their student pay for college, so grab a friend or two and come out with your walking shoes. And think car pool. Call (269) 425-4333 for further information.
Rep. Marty Griffin, D-Jackson, is looking for volunteers to march in the annual Harvest Festival Parade that steps off at 10 a.m. Saturday in Parma.
Griffin is running in a special election set for November for the 19th District that represents Calhoun and Jackson counties that was vacated with the election of Sen. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, to the U.S. House last November. This is the first step in taking back the Senate like we did the House in 2006.
The Republicans enjoy a thin 21-16 lead with the vacant seat, and they are pulling out all the stops to win it back. They see it as the first step in keeping control of the Senate in 2010. More people voted for Senate Democrats in 2006, but they gerrymandered the districts so badly, they kept control.
The budget process has shown how important control of the Senate really is. Senate Republicans are pushing an irresponsible budget proposal that mortgages Michigan's future just so they can stay in power.
The Senate Democrats have presented an alternative budget proposal that still includes some painful cuts, but uses reforms to protect the things that will make our state competitive in the future. The Senate Democrat's budget proposal would maintain funding for many important programs and looks to other funding sources to soften the cuts to other state programs. But, the Senate majority refuses to even consider it because at least five in the Republican Caucus are running for statewide office next year, and they want to be seen as cutting taxes.
The Republicans are throwing money around in this race like it's candy, and they are practically paying volunteers. This is from the state party web site:
"For your help and support at these events, the Michigan Republican Party will take care of all transportation to and from events down in the 19th Senate District along with all hotel accommodations." It doesn't say if the accommodations are 4-star, but it's sad that they are so bankrupt of ideas they have to bribe volunteers. When you are out of ideas, spend lots of money.
This is what we are up against, so we need you Saturday, as well as on other days to knock on doors and to phone bank.
The gathering point for Saturday's parade is the corner of Elizabeth Street and Grove Street in Parma, 49269. You can RSVP by calling (810) 623-3198 or visit the Facebook page. The campaign is trying to set up car pools for the parade.
Join like minded Democrats and progressives this Saturday for the "Battle in Battle Creek" sponsored by the Justice Caucus for the first battle in the war to take back the Michigan Senate from the obstructionist Republicans.
Rep. Martin Griffin, D-Jackson, is running in a special election set for November for the 19th District that represents Calhoun and Jackson counties that was vacated with the election of Sen. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, to the U.S. House last November. This is the first step in taking back the Senate like we did the House in 2006.
The state election will have national repercussions when the Congressional district boundaries are redrawn based on the 2010 Census.
The plan is to gather at 12:30 p.m. at Ironworkers Local 340, 510 Columbia Ave E, Battle Creek, MI 49014. Following a picnic lunch, volunteers will hit the streets of Battle Creek to knock on the doors of targeted Democratic and independent votes in support of Griffin. Bring a friend or two and make a contribution to improving the state. Griffin is well known and popular of his home county of Jackson, but he is less known in Battle Creek and Calhoun County.
For more information call (313) 333-4502 or (734) 674-7327.
The Justice Caucus mission is to promote the cause of progressive democracy within the Democratic Party, in government and in the legal profession. They also put on Camp Millie that gives Democratic activists the tools for effective progressive political action in their community.
The cover story in Sunday’s Detroit Free Press was: “Afraid of the Water.” It’s worth reading the article about citizen’s problems with contaminated wells in many agricultural areas in Michigan. Industries (mainly food) that exist near residential homes spray their wastewater on the surrounding fields. It causes leaching of metals in the soil. That mixes with the groundwater and the runoff ends up in drinking wells. The extensive article went on to say that the state assured the people the levels of iron and metals in their water did not pose an immediate health hazard, but long-term illness from it is still unknown. Our lives are being measured in parts per million again.
In a widely (and rightfully) praised diary profiling the 2010 state Senate elections in Michigan, Menhen provided a good overview of what we can expect in my home state next year. I don't have much, if anything, to add to most of what he wrote, but I would like to give everyone a somewhat closer look at one race in particular. This is arguably one of the three most important races of 2009, ranking alongside VA-Gov and NJ-Gov, and could be a better bellwether for 2010 than either of those races.
I am talking, of course, about the special election in Michigan's 19th Senate District.
SD-19 is the race that the DLCC specifically singled out from Menhen's diary as one that they "will watch very closely." And in the world of media narratives and post-election spin, a Republican victory might mean bad news for John Cherry, good news for Mitt Romney, a repudiation of Granholm and Obama, and, of course, great news for John McCain.
But that's getting way too speculative, and as SwingStateProject election prediction contests have shown, I'm absolutely awful at that. Instead, let's focus on what we know about SD-19.
We all know how important it is that Democrats re-capture the Michigan State Senate next year. If they take the Senate and hold the Governorship, they will have complete control over the redistricting process. Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Michigan Politics, says "Democrats look poised to pick up at least 3 seats" next year. To take control, we only need to win 4 Republican seats. Democrats have not controlled the State Senate since 1982. Below I have all 38 Senate seats listed, with the name of its Senator, the party, whether or not it will be OPEN next year, and a brief description of the district. I also give a brief preliminary paragraph handicapping the race.
Then I give the 2008 Presidential Result in that District. Remember that the 2008 resutl is sort of a "High Water Mark" here. Note that I didn't calculate the Presidential Vote for the 5 Detroit districts because this would require going precinct by precinct which would have taken days. They are all at least 80% Obama, many are more than 90% Obama.
I then included all of the announced candidates for the races, with links to their websites or sources. I then list potential candidates for each race, usually State Representatives or other local officeholders. Finally, I offer a Charlie Cook style rating: Safe, Likely, Leans or Tossup. The Senator's name links to their website, where you can find a map of his or her district.
I'd appreciate any input that anyone here at Michigan Liberal has, whether I missed an announced candidate, or a potential candidate, or you disagree with my analysis, post it in the comments and I'll update my diary to reflect that.
I realize that this is a lot of text, so for those who don't want to read the entire thing, I added all my ratings seperately at the bottom of the diary.
LANSING -- The Russian are Coming; the Russian are coming!
At least Sen. Alan Sanborn, R-Richmond, seems to think so. The extreme rightwing Senator has used the statement portion of the Senate session the last three days to rail against the alleged "creep of socialism" in the country, and addressing his fellow Senators as "comrades." He also used it the last three days to attack the President of the United States, the U.S. Congress and especially Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
The time is normally used by the Senators to recognize a special day, event or speak about a pet project issue or bill. Sen. Martha Scott, D- Highland Park, uses the statement section to give an original and impassioned speech on her pet project, insurance reform, every single day, and she always ends it with the cry of "move my bills." A session is not complete until we hear from Sen. Scott.
What they don't do is insult each other, and the deliberative body never addresses a colleague by name, using the phrase "the Gentlemen from Howell" or "the Lady from the Second District." But Sanborn's rant was a little over the top on Thursday, even for him, and he took out his shoe and banged it on the rostrum. I though he might consider throwing it at someone considering how unbalanced the man seems to be.
But, apparently, he thought it was October 1960 and he was Nikita Khrushchev in the UN General Assembly held in New York. His boorish behavior certainly reflects that he was Khrushchev, but Sanborn was on the floor of the Michigan Senate in 2009.
His ridiculous behavior was too much for an exasperated Sen. Gilda Jacobs, D-Huntington Woods, and she appealed for respectful behavior on the floor.
"We have young people here witnessing this unusual and weird behavior," she said. "This whole thing just saddens me that we have to stoop to these theatrics."
(Many good points by soon-to-be Representative Scripps. - promoted by JNelson)
There is a growing awareness that Michigan is incredibly well poised to take advantage of opportunities in the renewable energy field. With incredible wind potential, a number of idle manufacturing plants that could be retrofitted for renewable energy manufacturing and a skilled workforce, Michigan should be a global leader in renewable energy production and innovation. With events like the Michigan Energy Fair, held this last weekend in Onekama, Northern Michigan is particularly well positioned to lead in the area.
Unfortunately all of this has seemed to escape the attention of the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate. Late Friday night, just hours after Governor Granholm announced that Michigan will be home to the world’s first Cellulosic Ethanol plant and helped to kick off the energy fair the Michigan Senate passed legislation that makes a mockery to the broadly shared goal of being a leader in the renewable energy field. The specific legislation calls for a watered down renewable portfolio standard of just 7% which would put Michigan at the bottom of the pack in terms of states that have enacted an RPS. Worse, the legislation actually calls for a combined 7% between energy efficiency and the production of renewable energy. And to add insult to injury, the republican controlled Senate has included coal-gasification as a renewable energy source. Simply put, the legislation passed by the Senate does nothing to bring renewable energy jobs to Michigan and indeed hurts our ability to compete on a global stage in this exciting and growing field. It’s not that the Senate shouldn’t have known better, earlier this month, Jim MacInnes, CEO and co-owner of Crystal Mountain Resort, called for an energy efficiency goal of 25% an ambitious portfolio of policy recommendations, including a Renewable Portfolio Standard. (Not yet posted on the Michigan Senate Energy Committee's webite). In addition a report released last year by NextEnergy, showed that of the various options being considered, the more ambitious renewable portfolio standard, the more jobs would be created. It is in the face of all this evidence that the senate offered little more than more of the same. We need more than the same tired old Lansing thinking if we are going to get Michigan moving again, and the legislation passed on a party-line vote late last Friday night, does nothing to help with these efforts.
To see pictures of my visit to the Energy Fair, check out my Flickr page here.
LANSING - With voter turnout at an anemic rate often below 25 percent across Michigan, logic says any attempt to improve that number in a country that prides itself on Democratic elections would be welcome, but that does not seem to be the case with no reason absentee voting.
Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus held a press conference Tuesday in front of the state Capitol surrounded by members of the Michigan Municipal Clerks Association (MMCA), various advocacy groups, working people and mothers. The message was simple: an absentee ballot any time, any place for any voter.
"Workers of the state don't always know if they will be able to vote because they may have an extra shift or get called in to work on Election Day," said Sen. Liz Brater, D-Ann Arbor. "I go door-to-door all the time and have people tell me they're sorry but they can't vote because they have to work.
"I also don't want to see anyone disenfranchised because they can't stand in that long line," she said.
Brater introduced Senate Bill 12 that will allow no reason A/B voting way back when the legislative session opened in January 2007, but it has been bottled up in the Senate Committee on Campaign and Election Oversight. Brater hopes Michigan will join 28 other states that allow no reason A/B voting, and she hopes the ground swell of support, similar to the grassroots support that got the smoking ban bill out of committee, will work with SB 12.
"We urge you to contact Sen. (Michelle) McManus (Chair of the committee) and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop to urge them to take up the bill and give it a hearing," she said.
February 22, 2008 marked the one year anniversary the House of Representatives voted to repeal the anti-consumer protections for big drug companies called FDA based immunity. It has been a long year waiting for the State Senate to act on this common sense reform to protect Michigan citizens from drugs that kill or harm their friends and family. While my House colleagues and I are still waiting for the Senate to take action, no one has waited longer, or suffered more for this change than Michigan residents like Leslie Richter. Leslie Richter lost her husband, Richard, in 2003. Richard was killed by a stroke after he took Vioxx, the painkiller that has been responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries across the country. In 2003 alone, Merck, the maker of Vioxx, raked in $2.5 billion in worldwide sales even as the drug was causing heart attacks and cardiac deaths in tens of thousands of Americans. Vioxx, a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was only taken off the market in 2004 after public outcry and numerous outside studies proved that is was, in fact, harmful. After Richard passed away, Leslie was at an extreme disadvantage in finding a way to hold the big drug company that manufactured Vioxx accountable for causing her husband's death. Why? Because Leslie is a resident of Michigan, the only state in the nation that gives drug companies total immunity from legal recourse when their products harm or kill consumers. Those who are in favor of drug industry immunity argue that if drugs are approved by the FDA, big drug companies should not be held responsible if their products are later found to be dangerous. However, study after study has shown that we simply can't rely on the FDA to keep us safe. In 2005, one of the FDA's own scientists, Dr. David Graham, testified before the U.S. Senate that the agency’s drug approval process was “broken.” Even United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) railed against the FDA for being too cozy with drug companies, a sentiment echoed in a recent report on National Public Radio. Those who are in favor of drug industry immunity also claim that repealing Michigan's one-of-a-kind law will be a "job killer." Yet, since the law was signed in 1996, we have not seen an influx of pharmaceutical jobs in Michigan. In fact, as Pfizer recently demonstrated when it shifted more than 2,000 jobs to East Coast states that don't have drug immunity laws, we have seen the number of pharmaceutical jobs in Michigan evaporate. The bottom line is that big drug companies will stop at nothing to protect their massive profits, even if it means people like Richard Richter lose their lives. It is an outrage that such a profitable industry would be allowed to dispense any drug it can push through the FDA's flawed approval process and then escape responsibility when those drugs harm or kill our residents. It's time for the big drug companies' free ride in Michigan to end. My House Colleagues and I have told Michigan's consumers that they deserve to have a voice when FDA approved drugs hurt or kill their friends and families. As we mark one year since the House voted to repeal this anti-consumer law, we should ask ourselves "What is the Senate saying?"
Show your support and help repeal the protection for big drug companies visit:
