One more step toward a Schauer gubernatorial candidacy

John Austin speaks to the Ann Arbor Dems earlier this year. Photo by Anne C. Savage

This morning John Austin, President of the Michigan State Board of Education, announced that he will not run for Governor of Michigan, something he has openly shown interest in over the past six months. Instead, he released a statement throwing his support behind yet-to-announce candidate Mark Schauer.

I am excited about a Mark Schauer candidacy, and encourage Democrats and all Michigan citizens to rally around Mark. He is a person of personal integrity and substantive strength. He knows what matters for Michigan and for its people to succeed. In particular, with education the issue most important to Michigan voters, I know Mark is committed to building up our public schools, not tearing them down.

We need to start early, rally around the strongest candidate, and Mark is positioned to run strong, unify Democrats, and win over independents who elected Governor Snyder in 2010. I look forward to forward to helping Mark any way I can, and working with Mark to promote what’s best for Michigan.

This is huge news and suggests that we may be hearing an announcement from Mark Schauer himself soon. With Schauer and Peters at the top of the ticket, perhaps without contested primaries, we would very likely see a very strong turnout by Democrats in 2014 both in terms of getting out the vote and at the polls. A strong Democratic turnout is essential in regaining control of our state government which is being systematically dismantled by ideological extreme corporatist Republicans.

Very exciting, indeed.

Adding… I just want to acknowledge what a terrific Democrat John Austin is. This couldn’t have been an easy decision but it’s the right one for the party, I think, and it’s good to know we have such a terrific Democratic bench in Michigan. He’d make a great Lt. Governor, come to think of it ; )

Time to go now, Ms. Platko

Last night, the Buena Vista Township Board passed a resolution calling for the resignation of Gloria Platko for calling Township Supervisor Dwayne Parker an “arrogant nigger” on a phone call with Interim Township Manager Dexter Mitchell.

The Buena Vista Township Hall was full as a special meeting was held to discuss clerk Gloria Platko’s use of a racial slur to describe Buena Vista Township Supervisor Dwayne Parker.

The meeting was held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, and included public comment, as well a vote on a resolution calling for Platko to resign from her position as township clerk. {…}

A resolution, which passed with five “yes” votes, requests the resignation of Platko from her position, though the resolution is mainly a symbolic gesture since the board does not have the authority to fire an elected official.

Platko did not attend the meeting.

Platko claims she didn’t mean it in a racist way and has apologized. However, considering that she prefaced her slur by telling Mitchell, “I know you’re not even going to like this” and saying “I’m sorry to say it that way”, it’s clear that she knew it was offensive.

Supervisor Parker is being charitable toward Platko Supervisor say he forgives her.

I forgive her, Clerk Gloria Platko, for those words. They were hurtful, they were painful but I want to move on.

Dawud Walid, Executive Director for the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI), penned an op-ed for the Detroit News calling on the Michigan Democratic Party and other Michigan activists to demand Platko’s resignation:

In media coverage of this fiasco…I have not heard any repudiation from the Michigan Democratic Party of Platko’s Jim Crow-esque speech. I even went to the Michigan Democratic Party’s website and found no disavowal of a member’s bigotry.

Had a member of the GOP made such a comment, civil rights organizations would pressure the party to distance themselves from the guilty party. Moreover, Democrats would likely would bring up the incident as evidence of a pattern of hostility towards minorities.

Where are the statements from activists calling on the Democratic Party to oust Platko from their ranks? Why is there no Democratic statement on their state website condemning racism among its ranks next to their statement ribbing Governor Synder about “transvaginal ultrasounds?”

This reeks of political hypocrisy.

All Republicans are not racists – nor are all Democrats sincere about racial equality in America. Our test is to have moral courage to not simply call out racism by those with whom we have political differences, but to also purge our own ranks of bigots. No political double standards please.

I agree with Walid on this and you can consider me one “activist” making such a call. The MDP should be outspoken on this and calling for Platko to step down. It’s time for her to move on.

You heard it there first

Gary Peters with Lizz Winstead at kick-off of Winstead’s WTF Tour to support Planned Parenthood, photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog.

The National Journal is reporting that Congressman Gary Peters will announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Carl Levin sometime this week.

That and a Mark Schauer gubernatorial bid is a winning ticket for Michigan Democrats. As I understand it, there are a lot of people pressuring Schauer to run and an early announcement like this one from Peters would be a smart move.

A rare opportunity

The Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner is the biggest fundraising event of the year for most state Democratic Parties and Michigan is no exception. Named after Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, these events draw big name speakers and candidates for office.

This year, the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) has scored a real coup: Vice President Joe Biden will be the keynote speaker. The dinner is on the evening of Saturday, April 20th at the Cobo Center in Detroit. It kicks off at 6 p.m. Tickets are available HERE.

When he announced that Vice President Biden would be speaking at the Jeff-Jack Dinner, MDP Chair Lon Johnson said, “As we continue to fight against policies that hurt the middle class in Michigan, Vice President Biden is the perfect person to really help fire up the troops for that battle. Whether it’s working to make sure that we all have access to health care or that the rights of women, workers and seniors are protected, Vice President Biden has always been a champion for the causes of everyday men and women in Michigan.”

It’s a rare opportunity to be able to hear the Vice President speak in such an intimate venue. Michigan Democrats won’t want to miss it. Get your tickets today before they’re gone!

The fight to preserve workers’ rights is FAR from over. Get informed.

One of the premier Democratic Party clubs in the state is the Western Washtenaw Dems, a club I’m proud to be a member of. Started in 1999 by former Democratic House Speaker Pro Tempore Pam Byrnes, the group is both a social club for Democrats on the western side of Washtenaw County as well as an active political force in our county. They regularly sponsor important and timely speakers, panels and forums and this Thursday is one that area Democrats won’t want to miss. It features Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan AFL-CIO president Karla Swift, Michigan AFT president David Hecker along with moderator Ron Motsinger from the IBEW.

Here are the details:

Western Washtenaw Democrats invite you to:
RIGHT TO WORK
What’s Next?

As the Right to Work legislation becomes law in Michigan, the Western Washtenaw Democrats present a forum of esteemed speakers to discuss the consequences, reactions, and what concerned citizens of Michigan can do to overturn the law.

JOIN US:
Thursday, March 7, 2013 @ 7:00p.m.
IBEW Hall
7920 Jackson Road
Ann Arbor, MI
Located between Ann Arbor and Chelsea.
Exit I-94 at Baker Rd. (Exit 167)

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
State Senator Gretchen Whitmer
Karla Swift | President, Michigan AFL-CIO
David Hecker | President, Michigan American Federation of Teachers

Moderated by:
Ron Motsinger | IBEW Assistant Business Mgr.

You can download a printable flyer with this information HERE (pdf).

RSVP on the Western Washtenaw Dems Facebook event page HERE.

[Photo credit: Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog]

Earlier this week, I wrote an “open letter” to newly-elected Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson. My primary goal with the piece was to start a conversation with Chair Johnson and among Michigan Democrats across the state about the future of our party. There’s no question that we must evolve as a party in order to retake control of our state from the overreach of our drunk-with-power, ideologically-corrupt Republican opponents. From new ways of engaging activists to improved communications with the citizens of our state, if we’re not moving forward, we’re losing ground.

It is my opinion that Lon Johnson gets that. However, there are many across the state who are reluctant to adopt new ways of doing things. Perhaps they are fearful of change. Maybe they enjoy the voice they have and the power they have now and don’t want to challenge the status quo. Whatever the reason, change is hard and will not always come easily. The first step is to have the conversation.

I was thrilled, therefore, when Chair Johnson took time from his crazy first-week-on-the-job schedule to respond to my letter. His response is below as is the full text of his acceptance speech, delivered one week ago today at the Cobo Center in Detroit. I am thankful for his response and it gives me even more confidence that Michigan Democrats made the right decision at their statewide convention last weekend. I agree with Ken Sikkema, former Senate Majority Leader and Senior Policy Fellow at Public Sector Consultants, who told Michigan Radio this week that the election of Lon Johnson as MDP Chair is “a smart move for the Democrats.”

It’s been a busy first week. I’ve been on the phone talking with party leaders, activists, and elected officials all week. Last night, Julianna and I spent some time at the Michigan Political Leadership Program Dinner where Robert Gibbs spoke, and we went to a fundraiser for our allies at Planned Parenthood. I also taped “Off the Record” this morning and it will air on local PBS stations this evening and Sunday.

I can already say that I’ve got the best job, in the best state, for the best party in the country.

I want to address your ideas and questions one by one.

Broad Coalition of Supporters Who Were for Our Team
On the issue of representation and influence let me first talk about what our coalition looked like and second let me refer back to my speech.

Of the folks identified as supporters who were coming to the convention, there was a broad and diverse coalition. Additionally, we received hand counts from our team for most of the 97 floor divisions — those are the divisions where floor votes happen and from which delegates are allocated. Those hand counts showed that we were going to do very well because of our broad, diverse coalition. Not just demographically though, we were also going to do very well in every area throughout the state from Houghton to Allegan and from Detroit to Flint.

Who made up our coalition? Young people, progressives, African Americans, numerous labor organizations and their members, folks from the LGBT community, along with many others. We didn’t win all these communities with 80% or 90% of the vote, but we knew heading into convention day that we had brought new people into the process and that we were going to win big majorities in these key communities.

This is important, but what is more important is unity going forward. We are a big tent party, and we must be open to and welcoming to communities and individuals across the state.

The second point is a reiteration of my speech. In my speech on Saturday I said:

“Winning matters. And to win, we need to change. We need to practice the politics of addition.

“Because we are the ‘U-A-W,’ the ‘I-B-T.’ We’re the ‘M-E-A’ and the ‘M-F-T.’ But most importantly, we’re the ‘M-D-P.’ And when we are the ‘M-D-P,’ we ‘W-I-N.’ We win!”

I meant every word of that. That means more MDP members, so individuals have more influence; that means more small dollar donors, so that we are less dependent on a few donors; and that means a party that more effectively and creatively uses the resources we have.

Getting OFA Folks Involved in the Democratic Party
I agree that grassroots and online organizing are both keys to our success. We have begun the planning process, and I do not want to pre-empt that process.

But, I can say that there will be a field team. Its size and the exact roles are still to be determined, but that’s why feedback from you and other Michigan Democrats is so important.

On the issue of how we engage OFA activists and teams, I think first and foremost, we ask. We ask, and we make the case like you did on your blog.

In addition to asking, we have to listen. We are a diverse party, and our ideas are better when they come from every corner of our coalition and every corner of the state. So, I believe getting former OFA folks engaged in our effort will be about both asking and listening.

Competition for Activists in Michigan
I agree that we have to make compelling case to activists because they have so many options, but I think we can make case that we need to work toward winning in 2014 on the state level.

Also, it’s a fact that everyone has different interests, and we cannot get everyone. That is fine. But, we can get a lot of progressives engaged if we ask and make the case.

I can also promise that we will find and create ways for every Democrat and every progressive across Michigan to take action. Like the Obama and Stabenow campaigns, we will make it easy to engage and take action.

Working on Issues
I do not want to go into deep detail on which issues we will engage MDP members in because I want to hear feedback from folks across the state first. I will say that at the federal, state, and local level, there will be many opportunities for us to engage voters on key issues. We will go on offense and stay on offense. Governor Snyder has shown us that he is an out of touch corporate CEO, and we all need to fight for the middle class because he isn’t.

Everyone Should Have a Voice at the MDP
On this point, I agree wholeheartedly. We must have a two-way conversation. First, I encourage folks to Tweet to @MichiganDems or comment on our Facebook page. Second, in the weeks to come a survey and feedback form will be released. We are starting the planning process, but that process must be inclusive, and must use the best ideas from around the state. Third, we will do some conference calls to engage party members and activists around the state. Fourth, if folks have feedback or ideas in the meantime, they can email us at midemparty@michigandems.com.

Thank you so much for the letter, and I urge all Eclectablog readers to take action because only with their work and activism can we be successful in 2014.

Thanks,
Lon

P.S. Below is the full text of my speech, which I believe also addresses many of your ideas, questions and concerns.

Fellow Democrats:

Today, we REMAKE our great Party, we RENEW our great purpose, and we RECLAIM our great state!

Together, WE will make Michigan … Michigan again!

This has been an incredible journey. And there are so many people I want to thank – starting with my wife, Julianna Smoot.

I want to thank our two great Senators, Senator Levin and Senator Stabenow. And I want to thank our entire Democratic delegation – Congressman Dingell, Congressman Conyers, Congressman Levin, Congressman Peters, and Congressman Kildee. Thank you.

I want to thank former Governor Jim Blanchard, former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, and former Congressman Bart Stupak.

I also want to thank a good friend, and a great Democrat: Mark Brewer.

I know that this has been a spirited campaign. But I – and, I know, WE – have always respected and admired all that Mark has done for our Party. And I hope he’s ready to do more – because we need him.

Most of all, I want to thank all of you.

Some of you came here to stand with me. Some of you with Mark. But now, we must stand together – because when we don’t, bad things happen.

I am honored, and humbled, and grateful that you have chosen me to lead the charge. And I’m ready to get to work.

Let’s start by making one thing clear: This is Michigan. WE are Michigan.

Together, we’ve won six straight presidential contests.

Together, we’ve won six straight Senate contests.

President Obama won here by nine points, spending hardly any money, never coming here – and this was Romney’s home state!

This is Michigan! WE are Michigan.

These victories show our values.

We value diversity. We care about our environment. We believe in people. That’s Michigan. WE are Michigan.

Together, we must build a Party that is more than the sum of our parts.

Our institutional partners and the MDP have done great things together. We’ve changed Michigan. We’ve changed the world.

But now, the MDP must have the courage to change – the wisdom to add new allies and the ability to maximize the power of individuals.

We can value our institutions and value the contributions of individuals. And doing both is the only way we win.

Democrats win when we practice the politics of addition. And we’ve seen it work.

President Obama was the personification of the politics of addition. He was the right man at the right time. But what he had to work for, what he had to build, what he had to maintain, were the tools and technology to take all these new people who he brought to our party, and get them moving in the same direction. He took a supporter and turned them into a volunteer, a volunteer into a contributor, and a contributor into a raiser. Compounding their engagement at every step.

How did he do that? He made it easy. He made it meaningful. And it changed the world.

We can do that here. We must do that to win. Because no one’s going to do it for us.

We don’t believe in trickle-down economics. We shouldn’t believe in trickle-down organizing.

If we want to win, we need to build this ourselves.

Winning matters. And to win, we need to change. We need to practice the politics of addition.

Because we are the “U-A-W,” the “I-B-T.” We are the “M-E-A” and the “M-F-T.” But most importantly, WE ARE the “M-D-P.” And when we are the “M-D-P,” we “W-I-N.” We win!

And when we don’t, bad things happen.

Losing means Michigan discriminates. Winning means equal rights for our LGBT brothers and sisters.

Losing means politicians decide. Winning means women choose.

Losing means our schools suffer. Winning means our kids can compete.

Losing means emergency managers. Winning means local control.

Losing means right to work. Winning means workers’ rights.

Winning matters.

Winning isn’t an opportunity. Winning is an obligation.

Winning is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year job. And we need the tools to win.

We need to restructure.

We need to double our operating budget.

We need to increase our commitment to minorities, women, and youth.

And we need the best technology.

We need to recruit, recruit, recruit. When we’re not adding, we’re dying.

Organizing has always about addition, about bringing people together to do big things. Walter Reuther did it in a local. Coleman Young did it at the TULC. Now they’re doing it on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube – and we need to meet them there. Same strategies, new tactics.

That’s the politics of addition.

This starts right now.

Take out your phone. Right now. Take out your phone, hold it up, and take a picture of the people in this room.

Post it on Facebook. Put it on Twitter. Use the hashtag #thisismichigan.

Let’s show our state who we are, and that we’re ready to fight.

When Lansing looks like this room…and acts like this room – then we’ll be Michigan again!

This is just the beginning. We’ll have more for you to do. We’re just getting warmed up.

Thank you. Thanks for being here today. Thank you for having the courage to change. Thank you for believing in the politics of addition.

Today, change came to the Michigan Democratic Party. In 619 days, change comes to Lansing.

And that’s when we’ll make Michigan Michigan again. Thank you! Let’s go win.

Lead on, Lon!

Dear Mr. Johnson,
First of all, sincere congratulations on your recent election to the position of Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP.) I was impressed that you ran a completely positive campaign that focused on your own strengths and vision and didn’t resort to tearing down your opponent. That one thing makes me confident that your stated desire to move forward with a unified party, united in our focus on winning back control of our state, is not just sincere but entirely possible.

I was also incredibly encouraged by the intensity of your short, three-week campaign. In my interview with you, you talked extensively about the importance of “technology, technology, technology” in winning elections. It quite clear from my observations of your operation at the Cobo Center convention last Saturday and in the discussions that I’ve had with various folks that, even for this short campaign, you brought technology and the smart use of data to bear, calling targeted MDP voters and being strategic in your mailings and phonebanking. This allowed you to accomplish an incredible level of outreach on a small budget and with a great return.

Much of the concern that I heard voiced about your candidacy in the weeks leading up to the convention on Saturday centered around the influence of the UAW on the election results as well as on YOU as their chosen candidate. While Democrats are solid in their support of labor unions, many are fearful that the UAW has far too much control over the MDP and squelches the voices of others. Considering that only about a fifth of the jobs in our state are union jobs, not all of which are UAW shops, this is a quite valid concern.

The UAW clearly turned out to help you at the convention. It’s no surprise, of course, that a union the size of the UAW would have an impressive level of organization. But I was happy to learn from various sources that, as I had predicted the week before the election, the influence of the 1,349 UAW delegates that became MDP members at the last-minute was quite small with only a portion of them actually attending the conference. The fact that you were able to have so much more support than your opponent among the rank and file, non-UAW members of the MDP is a tribute to your campaign, to your message and to your overall ability to win.

And, if there’s one thing Michigan Democrats need more than anything else, it’s the ability to win.

Having spent a great deal of time speaking with people around the state, including you, and covering your election to the chair of the Party, I want to take advantage of my cyber megaphone to share some thoughts with you. Some are from people I have talked with, most are my own, and I offer them as a perspective from “the trenches” as someone who has put considerable time and effort organizing at the local level, knocking doors, making phone calls and getting others to do the same.

One of things I hear frequently from folks who worked for the Obama campaign, what was then called Obama for America or OFA, is that they are new to politics and are very reluctant to get involved in the Democratic Party itself. They see the formal party structure as not inclusive of grassroots organizers, full of intra-party politics, and basically an organization full of people who are set in their ways, comfortable in their position of power within the party, and not open to new ideas & new participants. This is unfortunate because many of these new organizers are still full of energy to effect change in our state and beyond. At the end of the day, they don’t see the MDP as a group that has anything to offer them either at the county or state level. Based on our conversation, I believe that you recognize this disconnect and see this as an area where we as a party can improve. If we can show these folks that the MDP in its various manifestations — state party, county party, and Democratic clubs — can actually help them achieve their goals with resources, training, and networking opportunities with other like-minded Democrats, we have a real chance to expand the party and make it stronger, more successful.

The fact is that there are lots of different politically progressive groups competing for this pool of trained grassroots activists. Issue-focused groups like Planned Parenthood, Clean Water Action, LGBT rights groups and myriad other organizations are all eager to engage volunteer organizers to help them advance their agendas.

OFA’s new iteration, Organizing for Action, a group that has your wife Julianna Smoot as a board member, is now going to be competing for these activists time and energy. As I pointed out earlier this week, I am personally asking Michigan activists NOT to work with OFA, despite the fact that they have the advantage of their impressive database to help people organize. While I completely support the efforts of OFA to promote President Obama’s agenda, here in Michigan we simply do not have the luxury of taking our eye off the ball in terms of the changes that need to be made in this state.

However, in order to compete with these other groups, the MDP has to offer local organizers something to compel them to get involved. Without the powerful tools that OFA has to offer, the souped-up VAN database, and veteran trainers & leaders with incredible field expertise, the MDP is at a bit of a disadvantage.

However, we do have one very important advantage: we are here in Michigan. We live here. We work here. We stay here between elections. Each and every day we live with the horrific impact of the Republican dominance of our government and their harmful policies that affect every single Michigander.

In our interview and in my piece earlier this week, we talked about the idea of “Organizing for Michigan”. The concept is to replicate the OFA model of continuous activism and organizing every single day with an emphasis on building networks, relationships, and coalitions to engage in the person-to-person contacts that can make the difference in winning on issues and winning elections. While the Voter Action Network (VAN) data we have now isn’t as robust as what OFA had/has, that doesn’t mean it can’t be again. If we build something similar but something that is uniquely “Michigan” and remains here year after year, we would have a distinct advantage over our political opponents, an advantage that can overcome and overwhelm their money & propaganda machines and their corruption of our political process through gerrymandering and dirty tricks.

It’s my hope that you will embrace this concept. Call it what you want but the time ripe right now to capitalize on the energy and the existing teams and networks that worked together in the 2012 election. But that has to begin immediately and make it a top priority.

As many people know, I was highly critical of the MDP’s lack of involvement in recall efforts and in the effort to stop the Emergency Manager Law that is disenfranchising so many of our state’s citizens. While I understand the reluctance to get involved in recall races — reasonable people can and do disagree on that — these, along with other issue-based efforts, present opportunities to form activist networks that can have long-term benefits for the progressive movement and Democrats in general in our state. Michigan Democrats have an abysmal record of turnout during midterm elections. However, we could change that if local teams were in place well ahead of time, working on issues important to Democrats between elections.

This won’t be easy. It requires resources and effective communication over a whole range of media. We need to give local organizer tools to make their efforts easier and we need to provide them with the information that they need to be effective communicators of our message. Rebuilding the VAN database with a “Pure Michigan” focus will be a huge part of that. But also having places where people can make copies and make phone calls and access the VAN network is also going to be crucial. So, too, will use of social media, email, and other forms of communication.

As you begin your work as our new Chair, I urge you to consider how we can implement something like this, something that will show Michigan Democrats that we are serious about engaging ALL of them in the effort to win elections. As you said in your acceptance speech on Saturday, “We don’t believe in trickle-down economics so why would we believe in trickle-down organizing?” It will start with you and your MDP staff but will necessarily need to spread out to the county parties and the Democratic clubs to be effective. Ultimately, in order to be successful, it must be locally driven.

Related to this, one of my biggest complaints as a Precinct Organizer for the Washtenaw County Democratic Party (WCDP) was that I didn’t even know what resources existed to help us with our local and regional organizing efforts. I hope you will consider assigning an MDP staff person to reach out to folks like me in each county to ensure that we are fully knowledgeable about what resources we have at our disposal.

If the MDP is effective at recreating itself with a renewed focus on local activism that is coordinated across the state, we can begin to roll back the egregious and overreaching policies and laws that the Republicans have put in place in just two short years. We can repeal Right to Work. We can overturn the Emergency Manager Law and elect leaders who are interested in building up our struggling urban centers rather than cutting and cutting until there’s nothing left but real estate to be exploited by greedy corporatists. We can end the endless War on Women and ensure that all women in Michigan are treated equally and have complete, unfettered access to the full range of health and reproductive services they are entitled to by law. We can reverse the anti-democratic gerrymandering that skews our elections in favor of a political minority in our state and that gives them more power than they have earned. And, finally, we can return control of our state government to the party that represents the majority of people in Michigan: The Democratic Party.

When we accomplish this we will have done more to advance the priorities and national agenda of President Obama and the Democratic Party than any work we might do with groups like OFA. Then, and only then, we will have the luxury of engaging once again in the national issues that affect our whole country.

One final thing: it is critically important that the MDP ensures that all Democrats, whether they are new to the party or a veteran and whether they belong to the UAW or some other labor group or not, have a voice and a role to play in the direction of the party. You have already shown that you understand this and that you value it. As you asked during your appearance in Ann Arbor, “Who wants to participate in any MDP convention or activity when the outcome has been predetermined by a small group of power players?” Whenever a decision is made by you and the MDP leadership, I hope you will first ask the question “Does this expand our party or does this benefit a small group only?” If you apply your “Politics of Addition” concept in this way, you will be well on your way to making the MDP an inviting, inclusive group that even those new to politics want to be part of. And that is a recipe for winning.

We wish all the best, Mr. Johnson. It’s not an overstatement to say that we are counting on you. Your effective leadership of the Michigan Democratic Party will be the key achieving our goals and we look forward to helping you every step of the way.

Lead on, Lon!

This should be a non-partisan issue

As I wrote about last week, the Justice Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party held a discussion panel at the statewide convention on Saturday titled “Citizens United v. FEC – The Invisible ‘Person’ in Michigan Elections”. Organized by former Washtenaw County Democratic Party Chair and well-known Michigan attorney and activist Stu Dowty, the panel discussion was wide-ranging and covered everything from undisclosed donors in our judicial elections to the repeal of the odious Citizens United Supreme Court ruling.

Rich Robinson, Executive Director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, got things started with a discussion about “dark money”, untraceable campaign donations from unnamed sources, influencing our judicial races. Robinson, with the aid of charts, showed how spending on our state Supreme Court races has skyrocketed in recent years. “If we don’t know where the money, the campaign contributions, are coming from,” Robinson said, “We don’t know if our judges are ruling on cases involving their major donors.”

In the last Supreme Court race in 2012, Robinson said that as much as three-quarters of the money spent on the campaign was “off the books” with the donors of millions of dollars never revealed.

Robison spoke about the use of PAC money in advertising, saying that it must be spent on issue advertising only without endorsing candidates.

“But there’s a disconnect,” he said, “Because judges aren’t ‘lobbyable’ entities. Yet, there is no such thing as authentic issue advocacy in judicial campaigns.”

You can get more information about dark money in our judicial (and other) campaigns at the Michigan Campaign Finance Network website.

Next up was Jocelyn Benson, author, Dean of the Wayne State University Law School and former candidate for Michigan Secretary of State. In her 2010 race for Secretary of State, Benson said she raised over $1 million transparently from the voters of Michigan. Her opponent, Ruth Johnson, raised twice that much yet reported only about $200,000 of it, mostly contributions “from people with the last name of DeVos”. Because so much of the money she raised came from unknown sources, Benson said, “We don’t know who is influencing her and the bad decisions coming out of her office.”

Benson heads up a group called the Michigan Transparency Coalition that is trying to make sure that campaign financing is open and transparent so that Michigan citizens know who is having the most influence on our government. But they shouldn’t have to do this if our Secretary of State was doing her job and fighting to make sure our elections are free from the corrupting influence of money. “The work Rich [Robinson] does should be the role of our government,” Benson said.

Benson talked about the transparency ballot initiative the Michigan Transparency Coalition is going to bring back in 2014. This is an important first step, with others to follow, to correct the situation we find ourselves in today, she said.

“We need to work strategically to fight for transparency and disclosure,” said Benson. “Too often we focus on one thing and think we’re done.” We need a multi-pronged approach. In her mind that means reforming transparency and disclosure laws regarding campaign finance followed by work on a constitutional amendment like the one proposed by the Move To Amend coalition to declare, once and for all that money is not speech and that corporations are not people.

The final speaker was state House Representative Jeff Irwin from Ann Arbor. Part of Democratic minority in the House, Irwin talked about the efforts he and other Democrats will be pushing this legislative session.

Talking about reforming our election and campaign finance laws, he said, “This not only the right thing to do, it’s a strategically smart thing to do for Democrats”. If we’re successful, he said, it will help get “Koch brothers money” and the influence of the right wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) out of our state elections and government.

Irwin talked about three different initiatives. First is an effort to reform the laws governing disclosure by lobbyists. “There is an army of lobbyists in Lansing,” he told the audience, “All of them are trying to influence our votes. For every lobbyist pushing for environmental protections, there are ten trying to roll back those protections.”

Irwin described how Michigan has some of the weakest laws in the country when it comes to disclosure by lobbyists. He said that lobbyists only have to report their expenditures when they spend over $55 in a single month on a single legislator. “Think about it. That means they can spend over $600 per legislator each year to influence our vote without reporting it,” he said. “We will introduce legislation that will require reporting from the first dollar spent.”

Second, Irwin said, we need better financial disclosure from candidates. Here, too, Michigan has some of the weakest laws in the country since legislators don’t have to file annual financial disclosures. This lack of transparency leads to influence that is untraceable.

“Republicans probably aren’t going to vote for this legislation,” Irwin said, “But, by introducing the bills, they will be forced to show their allegiances in this fight.”

Finally, Democrats will tackle campaign finance reform to campaign financing, exposing dark money and forcing candidates to disclose who their donors are. The timing on this will be crucial, according to Irwin.

“Our House Speaker, Jase Bolger, is facing a one-person grand jury investigation right now,” Irwin reminded the audience. The best time to push for these reforms may be when the results of that investigation are made public.

I asked Rep. Irwin if there was any chance that some of the newer tea party legislators may join Democrats in supporting these reforms since they talk frequently about transparency and open government.

“Well, some of them may be supportive of this,” he replied. “Unfortunately, their leadership, who have been around a long time and have benefited from the way things are now, will fight it. So that will make passage very difficult.”

It was a terrific panel and I commend Stu Dowty and the Justice Caucus for putting it on. This topic is clearly one that has a lot of interest as nearly 300 people filled the room, making it standing room only. As Stu told the audience in his closing remarks, there are multiple efforts to repeal Citizens United and amend the U.S. Constitution to enact these important reforms. Just as importantly, there are hundreds of state and local efforts that are ongoing across the country and the effort has barely begun.

If you are in the Washtenaw County area and would like to get more involved in the effort to repeal the Citizens United ruling, create more transparency in campaign financing in Michigan and the country as a whole, and to reform our election laws to eliminate influence by corporations and wealthy individuals, join the “Up To Us” working group. Contact Stu Dowty at sndowty@yahoo.com to get on our mailing list and find out more.

[Crappy iPhone photos by Chris Savage]

THIS is how it SHOULD be done

It was a day that promised to be memorable and the 2013 Michigan Democratic Convention at the Cobo Center in Detroit did not disappoint. In addition to electing the Party Chair, Michigan Democrats are coming off a 2012 election where they experienced mixed results. On one hand, we elected President Barack Obama by 9 points, Senator Debbie Stabenow by more than 20 points, and picked up 5 seats in the Republican-dominated House. On the other hand, we still don’t control any major power position in Michigan whatsoever.

So Michigan Democrats are fired up. Based on the number of voting delegates, 3,677 compared with the Republicans paltry 2,100 and change, Michigan Democrats are more fired up than ever before and poised to fight back HARD in 2014.

It was immediately evident upon entering the Cobo Center that the Johnson campaign had a huge presence. There wasn’t a space in the convention area that wasn’t plastered with Johnson signs. The UAW an entire room set up to check in their members, hand them a free Lon Johnson t-shirt and put Johnson stickers on them. Some were handed signs to carry around the convention center.

“Command Central” for the Johnson campaign

In contrast, when I walked into “command central” for the Brewer campaign, it was a small room empty except for one very weary-looking staffer.

As the day went on, you could feel the momentum building for Johnson. One person who I spoke with had been doing some head counts and said he was finding little support for Brewer compared with Johnson and, when Johnson and Brewer spoke to the various caucuses and Congressional District meetings, Johnson nearly always got a much more enthusiastic response.

I had heard that the Rules and Credentials Committee last night had ruled, with agreement by both campaigns, to accept the 1,400+ contested UAW delegates. However, on nearly every chair in the caucus area was a one-page flyer imploring delegates not to participate in a floor fight to contest the decision. It was clear from that flyer that someone was going to fight it out to the bitter end on behalf of Mark Brewer. In addition to that, Congressman Sandy Levin made the rounds to all of the caucuses to make the same case.

That someone turned out to be Macomb County Democratic Party Chair Ed Bruley, a Brewer supporter. When Rep. Levin delivered his remarks regarding the floor fight to the 9th District meeting, he and Bruley ended up in shouting match as passions ran high.

This and other intra-party friction ended up all being for naught, however. After getting the convention underway and showing a couple of knock-out videos from the House Dems and the Senate Dems (that I am going to try to get my hands on as soon as I can), Mark Brewer calmly announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy for Chair. He told the delegates, “I’ve had a great 18 years as chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party and I’ve enjoyed working with all of you, but I’m withdrawing my candidacy for chairman.”

After a collective gasp, the audience leaped to it feet, cheering and applauding.

The crowd on its feet cheering Mark Brewer’s decision to step down

Brewer then turned the Convention Chair gavel over to former Michigan Lt. Governor John Cherry, a neutral party who had been chosen at the previous evening’s meeting, and left the stage.

Brewer’s withdrawal paved the way to for the election of Lon Johnson as the Michigan Democratic Party Chair by unanimous consent.

In his speech, Johnson thanked Mark Brewer and welcomed him to stay involved in Michigan politics “because we need him”. He said that we must pull together and delivered a strong message of unity and moving forward together into the new era of politics. “When we lose,” he said, “We get right to work. When we win, workers are protected.”

I applaud Mark Brewer’s decision. It avoided an incredibly divisive and destructive battle within the party and allows us to work together for 2014 as a far more unified group. Afterwards, I spoke with Debbie Dingell who lamented that it couldn’t have happened two weeks ago before any damage had been done. While I agree, that’s simply not how politics works. If we’re a strong party, however, filled with members who have integrity and a singular focus on winning elections so that Democratic values determine our state’s path, we can get past these events and work together toward our common goals.

Well played, Michigan Democrats. Well played indeed.

P.S. Did I mention that the Dems had nearly twice as many delegates as the GOP did today? They did. Heh.

[Photos by Chris Savage. In other words, please don't blame Anne Savage ; )]

It didn’t have to be this way

For the past two weeks, Mark Brewer and Lon Johnson have been running positive campaigns in their race to be Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. They have both had nice things to say about each other but have made strong cases for themselves and their qualifications.

This week, that changed. An Eclectablog reader sent me copies of a mailer attributed to “Mark Brewer for MDP Chair”. The two-sided mailer says nothing about Mark Brewer. Rather, it is an attempt to slam Lon Johnson for his voting history in Michigan. Here is the mailer (click the images for larger versions):

What I find most unfortunate is that this election couldn’t have been a positive one where each candidate talks about what they can do make sure Democrats win in 2014 and beyond and didn’t spend time tearing down their opponent. That is how it started and there’s no reason why it couldn’t have been that way the entire time. It’s a party chair race, for Pete’s sake. Both men are Democrats and presumably have the same goals for Michigan Democrats.

Equally unfortunate is that Johnson-bashing Twitter and Facebook accounts popped up this week. These hacks are so cowardly that they don’t even bother to reveal who is behind them and, fortunately, have laughably small followings.

You can make up your own mind if Lon Johnson’s lack of voting in a handful of past elections is enough to disqualify him from being the MDP Chair.

You can also make up your own mind if Mark Brewer’s decision to run a negative campaign is enough to disqualify him.

UPDATE: I have learned that former Michigan Governor Jim Blanchard has been doing robocalls on behalf of Johnson, blasting him for going negative. Johnson defends his lack of voting in 2010 saying that he lived in Washington, D.C. at the time and was unsure of his voting status in Michigan.