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| Latest hand-selected Michigan political news and analysis headlines |
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 15:59:32 PM EDT
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(Welcome, Senator! - promoted by PerfectStormer)
This afternoon, I’m speaking on the Senate floor about high energy prices. Unless something is done to make energy more affordable, the record-high prices will continue to reverberate throughout our economy, increasing the prices of transportation, food, manufacturing and everything in between. Skyrocketing energy prices are a threat to our economic and national security, and the time for action is long past.
One of the major causes of our energy crisis is the failed policies of the current Administration. In January 2001, when President Bush took office, the price of oil was about $30 per barrel. The average price for a gallon of gasoline was about $1.50. Since President Bush took office, crude oil prices have nearly quadrupled, natural gas prices to heat our homes have almost doubled, gasoline prices have more than doubled, and diesel fuel prices have nearly tripled.
One key factor in price spikes of energy is rampant speculation in the energy markets. |
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 16:00:00 PM EDT
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Moshi moshi, MichLibbers! It's Monday, May 12, 2008. Do you know where your congresscritter is? Mine is presumably sucking at the teat of the military-industrial complex, but YMMV.
- Brian Dickerson: Some judges just don't know when it's time to go. "And the state Supreme Court, which establishes the criteria for disqualification, has been more concerned with preserving judges' prerogatives than with protecting the court's reputation for impartiality." Cliff Taylor, anyone?
- LSJ: Elections in May costly for schools. To the tune of a hundred thousand bucks, that is...
- GR Press: Rockford portable toilet battle isn't over. "'There's a lot more important things to be taken care of in the city of Rockford than rewriting the city ordinance over a Porta-John because one person complained," Brady said. "What kind of city government is that? It's Mickey Mouse. It's ridiculous.'"
- Things Younger Than John McCain. Spam...Keith Richards...two entire US states...
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 12:59:00 PM EDT
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( - promoted by Eric B.)
State Sen. Martha Scott made it official this morning ... she's challenging Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick for the 13th Congressional District. From a Facebook page for this morning's press conference. Now I have decided to take the next step. On Monday, May 12, I will announce my candidacy for Michigan's 13th Congressional District, representing Detroit, Ecorse, the Grosse Pointes, Harper Woods, Lincoln Park, River Rouge, and Wyandotte. I want to take my fight to protect our most vulnerable citizens, to create world-class educational facilities, and to see that all citizens are given fair and equal treatment to our nation's Capitol.
Ex-state Rep. Mary Waters had previously announced that she planned to run in the same race. Kilpatrick hasn't faced serious opposition since she was elected to Congress in 1996. |
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 12:16:36 PM EDT
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| Via MLive...
Who: Barack Obama
What: Campaign Rally
When: Wednesday, 7:00PM
Where: Van Andel Arena, downtown GR
"You don't win in the fall without carrying Michigan," Levy said.
The Obama appearance here signals his pivot toward the national campaign against presumptive GOP nominee John McCain, whose appeal to independent voters could make him competitive in a state that has not gone Republican since 1988.
Come on down to downtown GR and get fired up!! |
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 12:03:04 PM EDT
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| Teh Awesome. The Macomb County clerk says roadblocks to voting should be eliminated, and she's doing her part by mailing applications for absentee ballots to all senior citizens in the county.
But the Michigan Republican Party is backing an effort to block Carmella Sabaugh from mailing unsolicited applications for this year's remaining elections, claiming the practice is outside county government's authority.
Mind you, the question here isn't about absentee ballots themselves. From the complaint. Plaintiffs assert that while a county clerk has a statutory duty to send AV ballots to city and township clerks in advance of elections, a county clerk has no authority to send AV ballot applications directly to voters.
Although Sabaugh ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state back in '06, this isn't Sabaugh a Democrat doing this. It's Sabaugh, Macomb County clerk, following through on action taken by the county board (unanimously?, which means our favorite little recall elf gave his consent ... unless he was out in fairy tale land with his big foam pig friend and gang of monkeys zarkos). |
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 10:00:00 AM EDT
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| We are just thirty hours away from the filing deadline for those who want to run for office or become a Precinct Delegate this year. The Kalamazoo Gazette puts it better than I could: Have you ever watched or read about the state Legislature, your county board or township board and thought: I could do a better job than that? You have until Tuesday to decide whether to try to do it.
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 07:29:29 AM EDT
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| Brrr.... it's cold in here. There must be some Repugs in the atmosphere. It's Monday. Spring seems to have left the State (probably for New York or D.C.) and we're back to chilly and damp. So grab something warm to drink and see what's going on in Michigan politics...
Politics
- The Conservative Media: Policy Summit Brings Together Diverse Progressive Groups. Miss the Policy Summit on Saturday? Check out this summary of the speakers and highlights. Sadly, no mention of the head-sized cookies or the Crazy.
- Grosse Pointe Dems: Is Kilpatrick Vulnerable in the 13th District? With Sen. Scott running against Congresswoman Cheeks Kilpatrick, could this seat turn over this year?
- Freep: Oakland County Races to Watch. Ok all you politicos in Oakland County, check out the Freep's analysis and take some notes.
- Rasmussen Report: Election 2008: Michigan Senate. Sen. Levin has a 90% chance of being reelected to the U.S. Congress this fall. That doesn't mean he can't get out there and campaign though... he showed up at the Michigan Policy Summit on Saturday unlike nearly all of our elected officials (except for the fabulous Sen. Mark Schauer, of course).
Environment & Economy
- LSJ: Mich. Food Stamp use up 53% Since 2003, Rate Well Above US. Need a sign that the Michigan economy is recessing? The real story is the number of families needing help with feeding the kids. Please make a donation to your local food bank or pantry today.
- Freep: Invaders that Swim in also must be Checked. The Asian carp are lurking at the gates of the Great Lakes and environmental experts lament the delays in the fence that will keep these voracious critters from killing our fisheries and sports fishing industry. Must explore the possibility of Asian carp sashimi...
- MI Messenger: Politics, Dow and Dioxin. Decades of political interference in Dow cleanup have caused serious harm, say local activists. The politicians naturally think they're making it all better by bringing everyone to the table.
The Gay Agenda
(There's so much news on the LGBT front, I've decided to add a special section. Because I can. So go forth, read and support the LGBT community!)
- Dem Edge: Legislating from the Bench or Judicial Activism 101. Think the Supreme Court's recent decision that offering health benefits to someone is the same thing as marriage was stupid/ridiculous/insulting? The author does too.
- MI Messenger: Michigan Pride Plans 20th Anniversary Bash Not to Miss. Calling all progressive allies - we need you! Stay tuned for more details...
- State News: Benefits Banned. Local LGBT activist and professor Penny Gardner and her partner talk about the impact of the Supreme Court decision on their family.
- Det News: Mich. Court Condones Misleading Ballot Tactics. Deb Price rips the Michigan Supreme Court for letting lies and a twenty year old dictionary form the basis for their recent political decision to harm Michigan families.
- MI Daily: Reverse the Ban. Michigan has regressed civil rights by about two decades, opines the U of M student editors. For more, see this article on the real impact of this decision.
Amusing Things
- KAAA: Internal McCain Memo. This has been floating around the tubes for a week or so... it's NSFW but very, very funny.
- Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott!: Love for Dogs Key in Precinct Delegate Race. It's not just enough to kiss babies, advertise and be a good person. Now you have to love dogs too. Sounds like a movie title...
Calendar Check
Go forth. Do good. Talk amongst yourselves in the comments. |
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Mon May 12, 2008 at 00:14:56 AM EDT
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(! - promoted by Eric B.)
As I've said all along, I could blog the Carl Levin-Jack Hoogendyk race in my sleep. I assume that, as this year's sacrificial lamb, Hoogendyk is after something other than to be one of Michigan's two senators. Fortunately for us, Hoogendyk has chosen to blog, leaving his thoughts out there in the blogosphere for all to read and admire. Earlier, Hoogendyk on the Dillon recall: State reps and senators are partisans. They run as Democrats and Republicans, each with an agenda. Those two agendas are quite different and it often results in partisan battles over policy. But it now appears that legislators in Lansing, or at least some of them, are trying to protect one of their own. In an apparent show of arrogant self-preservation, a House Resolution has been offered to condemn the acts of voters to place a member of the legislature, namely Speaker Andy Dillon, on the ballot for recall. While this resolution seems to be supported by virtually all Democrats, it was offered by a Republican!
Yes, the man who started his own "Draft me for U.S. Senate" Facebook group called a resolution condemning recalls for anything other than criminal activity to be a misuse of the citizen power an "apparent show of arrogant self-preservation." We leave open to interpretation the suggestion that the Dillon recall is an act of "voters," organized as it was by a guy who lived in the next county over. |
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Sun May 11, 2008 at 20:37:40 PM EDT
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A few days before the 2006 election, State Republican Chair Saul Anuzis sent out a taunting email, claiming the Republicans had launched a boldly re-engineered "Get-Out-The-Vote" drive, whose unprecedented effectiveness would push their candidates several percentage points above their standing in the late polls. Saul believed he had caught the MDP napping, and he wanted to stake his claim before the ballots were counted, in order to get credit for the surprise win he expected.
As we all know, the only surprise on Election Day was how badly Republican candidates did. Granholm and Stabenow were re-elected by very large margins (14 and 16 points, respectively), the Dems swept the statewide education posts, re-captured the State House, came within a whisker of taking the State Senate, and were within hailing distance of upset wins in a couple of Congressional seats - which nobody thought were even in play.
The conventional wisdom is that the landslide was caused by a record turnout, especially among Democrats. This post looks at patterns of turnout at the level of individual voters, seeking confirmation of that hypothesis, but not finding it. To my surprise - shock really - Saul was right. No matter how I look at the data, the numbers come out the same - the Republicans turned out their vote more efficiently than the Democrats did. The Democratic landslide was not based on turnout patterns, but shifts of voter allegiance away from the Republicans. |
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Sun May 11, 2008 at 12:00:00 PM EDT
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| Camp Millie is Michigan's homegrown version of the campaign/activist training of Camp Wellstone. It's arranged by the Justice Caucus, Michigan's Democratic Progressive caucus. They are getting in gear for the 2008 elections by holding a training May 17-18th in Grand Rapids. More trainings to follow in Kalamazoo, and Detroit. From their website blurb: Camp Millie is a 2-day intensive training program designed to give you the tools for effective progressive political action in your community. Our faculty of experienced political organizers will share their gifts on subjects grass roots activists, campaign managers and candidates must know to succeed, including: Framing your issues and Message Development; Volunteer Recruitment; Democratic Party Structure and the Importance of the Precinct Delegate; Techniques and Strategies to Get-Out -The-Vote; Door-to-Door Canvassing; Phone Banking; Fundraising and Campaign Finance Law Compliance. Sessions will include practice exercises so you can hone your new skills. Your $35 tuition fee includes training materials and box lunches on Saturday and Sunday. Find out more and register here: http://www.justicecaucus.org/campmillie/ Hope to see you there! I'll be one of the instructors next Sunday, talking about campaigns and the internet. |
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Sun May 11, 2008 at 09:07:55 AM EDT
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| Nolan Finley's column this morning had a very promising headline. It was "Payment coming for reckless war." In the past, the Detroit News has endorsed solutions to the violence in Iraq, including flooding the country with an additional 100,000 American soldiers, so I thought maybe it was a moment of clarity for Finley. Nope, just Finley shouting at the kids to get off the dad blamed lawn. The sum total of his column is that environmental policies -- policies aimed to deal with global warming, about which Finley used to express doubt -- are at the root of rising energy and food prices. It includes stuff like this: Motorists are pleading for relief from rising gasoline prices. Fuel costs are a function of supply and demand. We've placed severe restrictions on oil exploration and refining within our own borders and require expensive gasoline formulas for summertime driving. Guess what? Those policies show up at the pump.
Yes, right, and the Energy Department report that it would take 10 years to get to ANWR oil and that what we got would satisfy a fraction of our daily demand. I mean, there are probably reasons why oil companies haven't invested in new refineries in the last 30 years ... and none of them include environmental concerns. |
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Sat May 10, 2008 at 13:05:45 PM EDT
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| Right now, we're listening to Jim Hightower while we're eating lunch. He has a lot of words of wisdom. The first job of an activist is to keep your mouth open. It helps if that mouth is attached to a brain.
Heck yeah.
If it weren't for agitators, we'd be wearing white powdered wigs and singing "Hail to the Queen".
I look awful in wigs. It's not enough to be Progressive. We have to be Aggressive.
So who's willing to be an agitator for the Progressive Movement in Michigan? Sign up in the comments! |
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