“The politics, strategy and tactics of addition”

Lon Johnson‘s name was probably not familiar to most Michigan Democrats until he announced his candidacy for the Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) last week. All of that changed with, in a letter from Senator Debbie Stabenow, the entire Democratic Congressional and Senatorial delegation came out in support of Johnson. Along with them, the Teamsters union and the UAW threw their support behind Johnson, as well.

Anne and I sat down with Johnson and his wife last weekend to discuss his candidacy, his qualifications, and his vision for the future of the MDP. Our interview is after the jump.

Garment-rending about a Cat Food Commission just ran headlong into the Obama Reality

Despite the wailing and gnashing of teeth from the lefty concern trolls who are convinced that President Obama is going to feed your grandma a steady diet of cat food once she retires, the Obama administration today unequivocally ruled out raising the eligibility age for receiving Medicare.

I realize that this won’t quell the yammering from the left about how this President, a man with absolutely no history whatsoever of doing things to harm our country’s most vulnerable populations, is going to sell seniors down the river to cut the deficit. But I thought it would be worth, you know, getting the actual facts out there.

Details after the jump.

Good for the goose but not for the gander

Last year, Michigan Republican Senator Joe Hune sponsored a bill, which was signed into law during the inflamed duck session, that prevents any school board member from voting on school district contracts if they or any family member are an employee covered by that contract. While this may seem reasonable to avoid conflicts of interest, it’s causing controversy in some school districts where school board members may have relatives who are teachers or district employees.

However, the bill represents an enormous level of hypocrisy from Hune. He sits on a Senate Health Policy Committee and is the chair of the Insurance Committee, making crucial decisions on legislation that affects these industries, industries that make financial contributions to Hune’s campaign.

Details after the jump.

18 years of leadership of one of the most active state parties in the country

For the past 18 years, except for a brief period when Jennifer Granholm installed Butch Hollowell at the helm, Mark Brewer has led the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) as its Chair. During Hollowell’s tenure, Brewer was given the newly created position of Executive Director and, since Hollowell’s departure a year and half later to work on the Kerry campaign, Brewer has held both positions.

Although Mark Brewer has been challenged in the past for his position as Chair, the most recently in 2011, the challenge he faces this year seems more robust than previous attempts. Brewer is supported by the Michigan Education Association, Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, and the Greater Lansing Labor Council among other organizations along with at least 60 local party leaders across the state. On the other hand, both Senators Stabenow and Levin along with the entire Democratic Congressional delegation, the UAW, and the Teamsters have shifted their support to Brewer’s opponent, former candidate for state House, Lon Johnson.

I spoke to Chair Brewer about this race, his accomplishments as MDP Chair and his vision for the future of the MDP. The interview is after the jump.

The Michigan Democratic Party’s center of gravity is in Washtenaw County

Yesterday, the Ann Arbor Dems held their monthly meeting and it featured a powerhouse line-up. In addition to Dr. John Callewaert, a University of Michigan professor who spoke for nearly 30 minutes on hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in Michigan, the meeting attendees heard from Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives Congressman John Dingell, President of the Michigan State Board of Education John Austin, and local State House Representatives Jeff Irwin and Adam Zemke.

The highlight of the day, however, was appearances by both Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) Chair Mark Brewer and his opponent in the upcoming election for MDP Chair, Lon Johnson. The event was extremely well-run by Ann Arbor Dems chair Mike Henry and in the overflow crowd of around 250 people was nearly every elected official from the Ann Arbor area. It was, without question, the biggest political event in Washtenaw County since the election last November.

Details and lots of photos after the jump.

How the world’s biggest spenders attack the most conservative government spendthrift since Eisenhower Speaking to House Democrats Friday, Bill Clinton reminded his audience how Republicans’ concerns about the deficit depend on who is in the White House. Having eliminated the deficit he inherited from Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and then being forced to watch the work he did […]

Hmmm…where have I heard THAT before…?

For the two years leading up to the cataclysmic events in December of last year that lead to Michigan becoming the country’s 24th Right to Work for Less state, Governor Rick Snyder told anyone who asked that Right to Work wasn’t “on his agenda” and that it was “too divisive”. That lasted right up until Dick DeVos and other rich Michigan businessmen reportedly delivered the ultimatum that Republicans do as they were told or face primary challenges funded by corporate interests.

Well, the “too divisive” label has now been used by Governor Snyder on another labor related issue: prevailing wage. Snyder says this, too, is “too divisive”.

Details after the jump.

A nonpartisan issue that’s about fairness over politics

Yesterday, Democrats in the Michigan State House introduced a Joint Resolution that would significantly reform the redistricting process that happens every decade after the national Census. In contrast to the current process where the political party that is in control creates districts that favor their candidates and makes it harder for the opposition party to win seats, the new process would be conducted by a bipartisan commission, would be far more transparent, would allow input from any Michigan citizen and, perhaps most importantly, would prohibit the type of gerrymandering that currently plagues our state.

Details on this extremely important resolution, House Joint Resolution I, after thejump.

Fighting racism and stereotypes one gun shop at a time

After receiving complaints from various folks in the Royal Oak area, Dawud Walid,
executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan (CAIR) paid a visit to Target Sports and found them selling a target depicting a skeleton wearing a turban and traditional Muslim clothing. He purchased a couple of the targets and then had a conversation with the store owner, Ray Jihad. By the time their conversation ended, Jihad had agreed to stop selling the shooting targets.

Details after the jump.

This is a meeting not to miss

If you are a Michigan Democrat, by now you probably know that Mark Brewer, who has been the Michigan Democratic Party Chair for 18 years, is being challenged for that position by Lon Johnson.

The UAW, the Teamsters, Senators Stabenow and Levin, and the entire Michigan Democratic House delegation have thrown their support behind Johnson while the Michigan Education Association and over 40 county party chairs are supporting Chair Brewer.

Both men will be speaking at the Ann Arbor Dems meeting this Saturday, February 9th starting at 9:30 a.m. Details are after the jump.

Now you’re going too far

After the Obama administration bent over backwards to accommodate the Catholic Church’s complaint that having to provide health insurance to their employees that covers birth control, the Church threw it aside claiming it wasn’t good enough. Why? In part because it doesn’t allow any employer that wants to to impose his or her religious views on their employees.

My rant after the jump.