Skoop's Blog

Get On The Bus

2008-07-17T14:13:00.001-07:00

Get On the Bus

Former Michigan Governor William Milliken holds the all time record for riding to work in the most unusual vehicle. When the state was blasted with about two feet of snow during the 70's, the only way he could travel was in a National Guard half-track troop carrier. It pulled up to the back steps of the capitol and Milliken emerged all smiles.

While she can't top that, the current governor was all smiles this week, as she became the first chief executive to ride the bus to work.

"Good morning," she beamed to the driver as she boarded a Capitol Area Transit Authority bus at about 6:55 am as a band of sleepy eyed capitol correspondence chronicled the event.

She put five quarters in the box and off she went. The three "regulars" on the bus looked on in wonder as three TV cameras dominated the scene as she moved to her seat right next to the rear exit.

The photo op was aimed at promoting mass transit and providing motorists with relief from four dollar a gallon gas… if they would only ditch their cars.

But on the issue of mass transit in Southeast Michigan, this governor's record to date is not any better than the three guys who preceded her. Milliken, Jim Blanchard and John Engler huffed and puffed about the need for a Detroit area light rail system..a debate that goes all the way back to Mayor Coleman Young. They delivered nada.

As you might have noticed, all Detroit has is its dinky People Mover and some SMART and D-Dot buses. "We're the only region in the country without a=2 0major transit system," Granholm lamented.

But she reported help is on the way. A light rail system down Woodward Ave. is reportedly in the works with both public and private contributions. Granholm is upbeat about the two sources of revenue.

She hopes it eventually runs into Pontiac, Ann Arbor and Metro Airport.

Haven't we heard that tune before?

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Cherry Picking

2008-07-16T09:42:00.001-07:00

Cherry Picking

It is called the power of the incumbency and even though he is not the top banana in the Granholm administration, Lt. Gov. John Cherry knows how to exploit that power even as the second banana.

While the governor was over on Lake Michigan last week taking credit for "saving the Great Lakes", Cherry was in Port Huron doing some water promoting of his own.

"This morning, I'm beginning a tour of several communities on the shores of the Great Lakes…" he began an email blast to interested parties.

Before he is done he'll hit Benton Harbor, St. Joseph, Muskegon and Traverse City and while he's talking about the water as Chair of the Great Lakes Commission, he'll also have time to meet with "local democrats, local leaders, residents and the media."

So what's really going on? In case you missed it, Cherry is running for governor and this amounts to his first statewide foray of the 2010 campaign.

One of the powers of the incumbency is to use your office to gobble up oodles and oodles of free media. When Cherry hits each of those water towns, rest assured the local media types will be there asking penetrating questions such as, "What do you think of the Great Lakes?"

Cherry will hit it out of the park, get his mug on the evening news and hope that somebody remembers him when he formally runs for Granholm's job next year.

Last weekend, the governor passed along another perk to her second in command. Since she was out of state, for the second year in a row Cherry got to march in the parade named after him, The T.C. Cherry festival.

While most had no idea who he was, he got TV exposure, shook some hands, and got something none of the other contenders could get, exposure to half a million citizens/voters along the parade route.

Nothin' like the power of the incumbency.

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Jobs Roller Coaster

2008-07-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Jobs Roller Coaster

She was up, down, and all around the jobs issue that Gov. Jennifer Granholm and all in the space of about four hours.

First and with a big smile she announced a new world headquarters coming to the I-94 and I-96 corridor near Metro Airport. Dow Chemical is joint venturing with a Kuwait petro firm to create 800 jobs each paying close to 100 thou a year.

Michigan was victorious over Louisiana and Texas..a nice feather in the gov's job diversity hat.

But at the same event she had to comment on the huge job loses thanks to more "right sizing" at General Motors which took some of the edge off the Dow deal. Right sizi ng is a nice way of saying layoffs.

After that she hustled across the street to a meeting of the MEGA board which doles out tax credits to create jobs and again it was back to the smiles. 14 projects creating about 6,900 jobs she boasted...an impressive number.

But in the next breath she had to explain why Volkswagen of America had stiffed Michigan and will build a new plant down in Dixie.

"We're not surprised," the governor conceded. She says Tennessee had a sight ready to go and Michigan and Alabama did not. Asked about the so-called "union" issue in Michigan and whether that tipped the scales to Chattanooga, the governor did not want to speculate but she did reveal, "They had a lot of questions about that."

The always upbeat governor concedes the news cycle will focus on the GM and20VW stories since no headline writer can keep his or her job by putting job creations ahead of jobs losses.

But alas she is used to that and the bouncy ride on the jobs roller coaster At least this week she got to the summit twice, if only for a moment before the fall.

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Political Trifecta

2008-07-14T11:23:00.001-07:00

Political Trifecta

Try this on for size: Obama wins the White House with the help of Dennis Archer and his buddy Freeman Hendrix. Then President Obama helps Hendrix get elected Mayor of Detroit and then the two of them help Archer get elected governor.

Wow. There's a mouthful, and you're wondering what the heck are you smokin' Skoop?

Believe it or not this political "trifecta" as one person put it, is floating around the Freeman Hendrix camp as he quietly and methodically ponders another run for Mayor of Motown.

Hendrix is laying low and wants no part of this story, but take this to the bank he is "definitely interested" in reprising his bid for mayor after losing to Kwame Kilpatrick last time out.

But times change. The Kilpatrick who leveled Hendrix is not the same Kilpatrick who might run again next year. Maybe you've read about his problems?

Hendrix is poised with the lift of a finger to snap his campaign organization back together again which is why he is in no hurry to make any public noises about running. He's made no final decision, but most would be shocked if he did not do it again.

The Obama, Archer, Hendrix axis of power is worth contemplating. Archer was out front loudly and early for Obama when it was fashionable for most democrats to hitch their wagon to the "inevitable" democratic nominee..what was her name?

Furthermore Archer's former campaign manager, David Axlerod, is now Obama's main guy. And Hendrix was Archer's deputy mayor. Man, you can see all the back scratching that could unfold to the benefit of all three amigos.

Far fetched? You bet.

Could it happen? Same answer.

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Bob Who Remains Bob Who

2008-07-13T11:34:00.001-07:00

Bob Who To Remain Bob Who

When a politician contemplates running for office, they want to control when that announcement is made and they don't cotton to nosey reporters trying to move up the timetable.

So when you try to pin down one of those slippery types, they won't give you a straight answer. Years ago before she ran for governor, now U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow said she didn't know if she would run.

But then she got nailed with this follow-up, "In your heart, are you running?" You could tell by the look on her face that the answer was "yes" but she wouldn't say it.

0 Now comes Bob Bowman, the former treasurer during the Jim Blanchard administration. His name has been in the mix about a bid for governor in 2010. Appearing on the Off the Record public TV broadcast, Bowman was careful to leave the door open.

But then he gave two revealing answers to two revealing questions: You don't have the fire in the gut to run? Answer after a poignant pause, "I think that's a fair statement."

The other inquiry revolves around the fact that even though Bowman vacations at his summer home in Harbor Springs, he still resides the rest of the time in Connecticut. But yet he suggested he was still in touch with everything going on in Michigan. He apparently doesn't like the term "carpetbagger."

Which led to question number two: If you are in touch than, who is the captain of the Red Wings? Bowman, who runs the IT arm of Major League Baseball, did not know Nick Linstrom. "I'm a baseball guy," he demurred as the egg dribbled down his face. So much for the Bowman boomlet for governor.

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Plan B

2008-07-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

Plan B

My, my, you anti-government types are going to love this: A ballot plan to slice legislative salaries to $60,000 a year. They now make close to $80,000 not including bennies.

My, my, you anti-government types are not, however, going to like part two of the proposal: Total elimination of term limits.

Just goes to show ya, there is no such thing as a free pay cut.

The mastermind behind this latest wrinkle in the "Let's change the constitution" debate is East Lansing democrat Rep. Mark Meadows.

He s totally fed up with the more complex and far-reaching Michigan Government Reform Now proposal that goes well beyond cutting paychecks.

Meadows hopes his more simplistic approach will have curbside appeal. "I'm putting it on the ballot because that's what people really want…they don't even care about the rest of Reform Michigan."

He may be right on that, but he's dead wrong on common folks wanting to eradicate term limits. And when those folks find out that the Meadow's plan allows the current batch of term limited lawmakers to run again down the road, the affable Mr. Meadows is going to get an earful.

"It could be a liability," he concedes but he's hoping the chance to reduce the paychecks for legislators will trump the term limit phobia.

Meadows has a long and bumpy road to hoe in getting this modified plan on the November ballot. He needs two-thirds of the house and senate to approve it and even if that happens, voters would have to say yes as well. And selling it would be costly with no guarantee voters will buy it.

Undaunted by that harsh reality, Meadows begins his push for Plan B next week when lawmakers return from an extended July 4^th holiday.

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Bowman For Governor. Who?

2008-07-09T15:21:00.001-07:00

Historic Repeat?

Congressman Jim Blanchard walked up the sidewalk to the TV studio on the MSU campus where the Breslin Center now stands and his trusted aide Ron Thayer advised him, "Now when they ask you about running for governor, leave the door open."

Blanchard did and well, as they say, the rest is history.

Now comes Bob Bowman, former state treasurer in that
Blanchard administration, who will walk into a different studio at a different MSU location on Friday and will face the same question. He'll leave the door open, too.

Bowman will tell the Off the Record panel he indeed is interested in running for governor in 2010.

Of course expressing interest is one thing, actually running is quite another.

Former EPIC-MRA pollster Ed Sarpolus calls Bowman a "sharp" guy with lots of ideas but he warns, "He doesn't want to become the next Carl Marlinga (who was known for flirting with running for this office and that but never ran.)" Sarpolus argues if Bowman does not "stick with it, his political future in Michigan is dead."

Sarpolus calls a potential Bowman candidacy a "long shot. Does he have as much money as Dick DeVos? No. Does he have access to money? Yes."

In addition the first major hurdle is "Who in the hell is he?" Sarpolus asks. Voters don't know Bowman from Adam. He does note that Bowman would have a "better ability to go after business folks" than any other democrat who might run, but by the same token he lacks any "traditional democratic group behind him" such as organized labor.

Bowman, who now runs the IT arm of Major League Baseball, is in town for a golf tournament and is working on the All Star Game set for next week in New York.

But he'll find time in his busy schedule to go where Blanchard went to put his own name into play for the 2010 contest. As to whether he hits a home run ala Blanchard, who knows?

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Gunnin' To Kill MGRN

2008-07-08T13:35:00.001-07:00

Gunnin' To Kill MGRN

Kill it before it multiples seems to be the mission.

They rounded up the usual suspects at the Michigan Chamber of Commerce headquarters on Tuesday to map out a strategy for killing the Michigan Government Reform Now (MGRN) movement before it gets to the November statewide ballot.

The counterattack centers on two fronts: (1) Trying to keep it off the ballot by proving the backers did not collect the required 380,000 names to put it there. Those backers claim to have gathered 487,000 names that were turned into the state on Monday.

Assuming all the petition t's were crossed and all the I's dotted, the second strategy is to block the issue in the courts.

Bob LaBrant from the chamber who called the "skull session" says, "I'm confident that we've got a strong constitutional argument to present in court, if we have to get that far…Our constitutional arguments will be recognized by the court and this proposal will not be placed on the 2008 ballot."

LaBrant summoned lawyers, senate GOP staffers, public relation experts and others to plot the next move.

Meanwhile Gov. Jennifer Granholm says she is waiting to see what the court says about the controversial drive that amends 13% of the state constitution without a constitutional convention.

If forced to vote today, the governor says she's not sure how she'd plunk. She likes the government downsizing aspect but frets about the possible violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act.

"That's a great concern to me," if African Americans lose seats in the house and senate, she says. Supporters of the amendment, which also includes a slice in salaries for top elected state officials, claim voting rights will be preserved.

LaBrant sees enough legal fish hooks in this nine-page proposal that he boldly predicts, "We will win."

Which is, of course, what the proponents are saying, too.

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Dodging Bullets

2008-07-07T11:08:00.001-07:00

Dodging Bullets

Flash back to last fall when lawmakers and the governor were trying to wade through a sea of red ink by latching onto a tax increase.

Members of the Michigan House had three problems i.e. trying to decide if the tax hike was the right thing to do and if it was, they fretted about being recalled. Long term they also knew they'd be facing the issue again this November if they ran for reelection.

Democrats, who voted for the tax hike, dodged the recall bullet. The recalls turned out to be all talk and no action. This November republicans are hell bent on making sure the bullet hits the target this time.

If a democrat voted for the tax hike, rest assured his or her GOP opponent will bring up the issue over and over again.

The framing of the issue will be forthright. Democrats will argue they had no choice. Facing a $1.8 billion hole in the budget, they demonstrated leadership by doing the unpopular thing.

Baloney the GOP challengers will holler. With four bucks a gallon gas and voters pinching pennies wherever they go, the GOP will try to exploit a yes vote on taxes into a no vote on those who cast it.

You can hear the GOP commercials now: Times are tough in Michigan. You're struggling to put gas in the tank, struggling to hang onto your job and the future is not very bright. In the middle of all that my democrat opponent voted to take even more money out of your paycheck by raising your income tax. That's not leadership. That's just plain wrong. Vote for me.

That message appeals to the raw emotions of frustrated voters while the democratic ad will appeal to the voter's intelligence: Hi, I'm democrat so and so. I know times are tough not only for you but for state government as well. Last year, I had the courage to fund your schools, keep your cops on the street, and provide some hope for the future. Leadership is all about making tough decisions. I did that. Vote for me.

When it's emotions vs. intelligence…well let's put it this way, the D's have a tougher sell job.

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No Heads Up

2008-07-06T12:44:00.001-07:00

No Heads Up

In politics no one wants to be blind-sided, so one of the unwritten rules is: Give me a heads up if you are going to whack me or help me.

Apparently state Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer forgot to read that rule and consequently he has some unhappy campers in his ranks.

Brewer, without confirming it, is being pegged as the "mastermind" behind a massive petition drive that basically turns the current state constitution on its ear. It is far-reaching, controversial, and unfortunately for Brewer very secretive.

So secretive that in fact during two 11^th hour skull sessions to belatedly bring other democrats up to speed and hopefully on board with the effort, Brewer has run into a buzz saw of questions, criticism and in some cases downright dissatisfaction if not anger.

Legislative democrats knew squat about this plan to put all this before the voters in November. And like any good politician, each democrat is weighing the impact the amendment will have on them personally and their constituents.

Whenever there is dissention in the ranks, all the players attempt to clamp a lid on media coverage so as not to damage the party's image. But the Detroit News over the weekend reported a conference call involving key players, the governor and supposedly Brewer who got an earful.

Two days earlier the MIRS newsletter reported that Brewer invited interested lawmakers to huddle in the basement of party headquarters where he was not exactly patted on the head for this stealth petition drive.

In fairness to Brewer his strategy since last December was to conduct this drive in secret so that opponents could not persuade folks not to sign the petitions.

But now he is reaping the wrath of some of his own party members who felt left out in the cold. Some will abandon the chairman; others will hold their noses and support him, while others will be gun-ho.

But the story line here will be: Democrats upset and not unified on changing the constitution. It's not the story line Mr. Brewer wants to read, but he has himself to blame for that.

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Leave My Car Alone

2008-07-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

Leave My Car Alone

Now don't laugh at this, but state lawmakers are not complete idiots and every time it comes to regulating anything that has to do with your automobile, they prove it.

You see even legislators have figured out that most voters have a car and if you try to regulate what goes on inside those cars, you run the risk of losing a vote.

Put more bluntly: voters drive and drivers vote. 'Nuf said.

Which is why it took years to pass a mandatory seat belt law which, by the way, does save lives. Nervous lawmakers, fearing a voter backlash, at first refused to do anything sitting on the seat belts for years. They finally passed a law but watered it down saying you could only get a seat belt ticket if you broke another traffic law first. Years later when the life saving evidence was overwhelming they dropped that provision.

The record is replete with other auto related goodies that have scared the be-jeezus out of lawmakers. Banning cell phones has been around for years…never passed. Regulating the number of passengers teenagers can have in the car…never passed.

And now comes a retread, lowering the speed limit. OMG, even though it might save lives and most certainly would save gasoline and money, lawmakers won't touch that with a lead foot.

The governor tip toed into the issue the other day noting that lowering the speed limits should be considered but moments later, perhaps sensing a push back, tacked on, "I'm not proposing that."

Rep. Aldo Vagnozzi of Farmington Hills is proposing it but, he does it without any fear. He's not running for reelection which is about the only way to avoid the wrath of all those speeding drivers who also vote.

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What Can You Say?

2008-07-02T11:47:00.001-07:00

What Can You Say?

Former Gov. Bill Milliken was the first to coin the phrase and the current governor has used it often: As Detroit goes, so goes the state.

In case you missed it, Detroit is not going very well lately, as it is one shocking headline after another. If it is not the mayor in trouble with the law, it's four members of the city council under the watchful eye of the FBI and as if that is not enough, the Detroit schools are struggling to wade out of a sea of red ink.

A grieved Governor Jennifer Granholm has watched all this unfold and she laments, "Obviously it's extremely disconcerting and disappointing."

Quizzed at a Wednesday news conference on the meltdown in Motown, you could tell the governor was burdened by the flood of negative stories and agonized to find just the right words to reflect her feelings.

She was asked, "What's going on in Detroit?"

She paused, shook her head, looked down at the floor and came up with, "I don't know."

She later concluded "It is not good for Michigan," which is what she said when the first batch of Kwame Kilpatrick/text messaging stories blanketed the Detroit news media months ago.

Trying to put her concerns in context, the governor told reporters everyone had to be careful not to use a "broad brush" to tarnish the entire city. But she concedes the city faces "enormous challenges" on both the ethical front for city government and the financial front for the schools.

In a variation on the "As Detroit goes…" theme, the governor says, "The state can't thrive without a thriving city."

If this is thriving, you can count her out.

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Brooks: Almost There

2008-07-01T13:16:00.001-07:00

Brooks Almost There

Are you sitting down?

After months of berating, bad mouthing and blasting every Cobo Hall expansion plan to come down the pipe, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson is within a half of sandwich of embracing the latest proposal penned by none other than Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

Wonder of wonder and miracle of miracles!

Please note that Patterson has not seen the details and is not endorsing anything until he does, but check this out.

"We're getting there…the numbers are making more sense," he says for the first time.

He wasn't a math major but Patterson figures the mayor's $90 million version is less that the $600 million first floated by his Wayne County counterpart Robert Ficano.

"$90 million is a whole lot more palatable that $600 million," he reasons and once you divvy that up among all the shareholders, he thinks Oakland County can afford to get on board.

Patterson believes the state, the three counties, the automakers and the three casinos in Detroit will all contribute and that means the "bite size portions" are more easily digested.

The key to all this, he contends however is Red Wing owner Mike Ilitch.

Patterson says the pizza guy has to unload Cobo Arena as part of the deal and, "I think he will be working the deal where he gets out of the arena, but he gets a sweetheart deal on this hockey arena."

Asked if he thought the Cobo expansion and new home for the Wings were linked as suggested in this space sometime ago, Patterson says, "I absolutely believe it."

To be sure nobody has told him that but he is "just trying to read the tea-leaves" and he concludes the leaves are pretty clear.

"I think so," he continues.

If all this finally falls into place, it will not only save the North American Auto Show from moving to another state, Patterson calls it a "win-win-win" for Mr. Ilitch, Detroit, and if it's down to $90 million, "the taxpayers win," too.

As long as it stops at that figure, Patterson reveals, "This one I can handle."

You may now stand up…if you can.

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McCain's Got "Gore" Problem

2008-06-30T12:22:00.001-07:00

McCain's Got Gore Problem

When former V.P. Al Gore ran for president, he had a major problem….his boss the president. Throughout the 2002 campaign Gore struggled with what to do about Bill Clinton. Recall Clinton was a lightening rod with all sorts of political baggage. Should Gore ignore him, or cuddle up to him, or what? Gore never really figured it out.

Fast forward to John McCain running for president with a Gore problem of his own…namely George W. Bush. Some would argue that the current president has even more baggage than Clinton given the war and all

So what is Mr. McCain doing?

One of his first TV ads in Michigan begins with the line, "McCain broke with the president…"

Guess that takes care of that.

McCain, like Gore, has a delicate line to walk. He cannot completely walk away from the president because that would offend the 20-30% of the folks who still support him. And in fact McCain has stuck with the prez on the war in Iraq, and on the Bush tax cuts.

But conversely, McCain has to create some distance from the president because the democrats are doing everything they can to morph McCain into Bush. And you're likely to see a TV ad that does just that.

From the curb side, it looks like McCain's strategy is like being half pregnant i.e. he sides with the president on some stuff and when it comes to global warming and the like, he walks away.

Will the blueprint lead him to the White House?

We'll know in November.

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Read The Fine Print

2008-06-29T13:31:00.001-07:00

Read the Fine Print

Buyer beware. Or more correctly, voters beware.

Since last December, somebody has been paying up to $2.50 per name to collect petition signatures to dramatically revamp 36 sections of the Michigan constitution. Until several weeks ago this stealth campaign was just that.

If some group or groups want to generate voter support for these changes, why not inform the electorate from the outset unless there was a hidden agenda?

And there was. If nobody knew anything about the secret campaign, than the opponents could not counter attack to discourage citizens from signing the petitions.

Recently Mark Brewer, who runs the Michigan Democratic Party, acknowledged that he supports this effort and lots of folks believe, he actually helped write it. He has not disclosed where the millions of dollars came from to pay for the petition names.

In the meantime the proposition is now getting plenty of ink.

Brewer now wants the public to know some of the elements in the plan: salaries for lawmakers, the governor and others would be slashed; the 110 member house and 38 member senate would be slashed to 82 and 28 members respectively and the State Supreme Court and State Appeals Courts would be reduced, too. That has tremendous curb side appeal to tax weary citizens. But the plan does more than that. Lots more.

So while this looks like a cost saving plan, Brewer has another hidden agenda. Many of the other changes seek to reduce the influence of the GOP in state government which is why the state GOP is going ballistic.

It looks like this Trojan Horse will get to the ballot in November if Brewer et.al. can file enough signatures by July 7^th. Then the battle royale will begin.

Not telling ya how to vote on this puppy, but to repeat, voters beware.

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Pass the Wet Noodle

2008-06-28T05:12:00.001-07:00

Pass the Wet Noodle

Senate democrats and one lonely republican were part of an aborted coup last week, and this week the rebels got their punishment…a whack with a wet noodle.

If the Senate GOP leader was trying to flex his muscles and send a strong message, he failed on both counts. Charles Atlas he ain't.

Oakland County Senator Mike Bishop had a variety of punishment weapons in his tool chest, but he selected the weakest of the bunch.

GOP Senator Bruce Patterson who sided with the democrats lost his vice chairmanship of one senate committee and was removed from another.

Likewise for democratic Senators Mark Schauer and Gretchen Whitmer. They were bounced from committees as well. On a scale of one to ten, this was a minus 5.

"It's important that we not have those types of things happen here. It doesn't reflect well on the body," Bishop meekly announced after dishing out the paybacks.

Bishop had no choice. He had to do something to make sure the democrats and Patterson don't try to take control of the senate again, and maybe by using a velvet glove he was able to accomplish that goal without causing more problems. He gets the benefit of the doubt on his strategy.

But if he was trying to beef up his image as a powerful, take no hostage-type leader, that message was not sent. As lobbyists have whispered in the hall outside the senate, Mr. Bishop is no John Engler.

When Engler ran the senate years ago, if somebody tried to take power from him, the "guilty" parties would have been shaking in their boots.

As for Patterson, Schauer, and Whitmer, all they need is a towel to wipe off the moisture from the wet noodle.

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The Experience Card

2008-06-26T12:54:00.001-07:00

The Experience Card

If you blinked your eyes on Wednesday, you missed the POTUS.

The President of the United States landed about 4:10 pm and it was wheels up on Airforce One about three hours later. In-between he raised a nifty $700,000 for the Michigan GOP and got in a few plugs for John McCain.

But one of the plugs went in the wrong socket.

President Bush told the 300 or so party faithful that John McCain has the experience to run the country.

"In trying times we need a president who has been tested…we need a Commander in Chief who understands we need to defeat the enemy overseas so we don't have to fight him here…"

Playing the experience card was a waste of time.

Hillary Clinton tried that against Barack Obama and you see where it got her.

"I have 35 years experience," she lectured voters. "I'm ready to be Commander in Chief on day one."

Yep, she had the experience but he got the nomination.

Put more bluntly, experience in this presidential race does not mean squat.

Democrats and independent voters had a chance to vote for experience in the battle between Clinton and Obama but they chose change instead.

So where does that leave McCain?

That's a question he and his troops should figure out before what happened to the Hill, happens to him.

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Why Bush? Why Now?

2008-06-25T11:47:00.001-07:00

Why Bush? Why Now?

Go figure. President Bush's popularity is lower than an earthworm's belly and yet the state Republican Party wants him in town.

What gives?

M-O-N-E-Y.

Despite his bumpy war in Iraq, despite four bucks a gallon gas, and despite a housing industry in the tank, George W. Bush has not lost his ability to put his hands on wallets all over the country. The event in Livonia this week was $1,000 a pop, and as long as he has that staying power, he'll be a draw.

As for any political fallout that might hurt John McCain, the state party says not to worry. "The democrats are going to hang Bush around McCain anyway," a state GOP insider confesses. So what's the diff if he does a fundraiser?

To be sure the party will not trot out the president to do any campaign rallies in Hart Plaza or any town hall meetings in the tri-county region. That would be counterproductive. But you will continue to see him glad-handing the party faithful and posing for pictures, at $5,000 a pop, between now and November.

There is one school that suggests the Bush visit was designed to counteract the recent campaign appearances of Barack Obama in Michigan.

Good theory, but wrong theory.

As this same insider admits, "The White House doesn't move fast enough for that."

Funny thing. Isn't that the same thing you could say about their domestic and foreign endeavors as well?

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Get It Where You Can

2008-06-24T13:26:00.001-07:00

Get It Where You Can

Will this help to elect him governor?

Probably not, but why not do it anyway.

In the coming days, you'll hear a lot about Michigan's minimum wage going up on July 1^st and one of the guys you'll be hearing from is the lt. governor.

You're going…yeah, the lt. governor…the lt. governor? Just who IS the lt. governor?

Which is exactly why John Cherry, who wants to run for Jennifer Granholm's job, did two little public service announcements on the pay increase that will run on radio stations all over the state. They were produced at taxpayer expense.

All the power brokers in this town know Cherry. He's served in the house and senate and has been one of the few reliable sources that the current governor can lean on to get her agenda through a sometimes recalcitrant legislature.

But beyond Lansing, Cherry is much like a former unknown politician running for governor years ago. Nobody knew who the Senate Majority leader was either, but by the time he got through with the sitting governor Jim Blanchard, everyone knew Gov. John Engler.

In other words you can overcome a lack of name identification and the PSA's on the minimum wage are aimed at doing just that.

Cherry proudly announces the new minimum wage which will have widespread appeal to part of his democratic power base. They will be happy to get the raise and maybe they'll remember John Cherry when they cash their first check. At least that's what he's hoping.

The "freebie" is just one of the benefits of being in office and Cherry concedes the point. "When you're engaged in politics you get opportunities."

And if you're smart you take them, and Cherry just did.

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This will be expensive

2008-06-23T11:06:00.001-07:00

The TV and radio stations around the state can hear a giant ca-ching as a potential $20 million battle over legalization of embryonic stem cell research begins to unfold soon.

In this corner, the bi-partisan coalition hoping to wipe out the current state ban on that research. And in that corner, Michigan Right to Life hoping to keep it.

Former democratic candidate for governor Larry Owen, who heads the pro-research effort, discloses his budget will top $10 million. Michigan RTL with help from the Michigan Catholic Conference and others will likely see that $10 mil and raise it to who knows how much?

Owen and company need about 350,000 petition signatures to get it on the ballot. He claims they have 400,000 right now with more coming in by the filing deadline of July 7th.

The anti-embryonic folks have assumed all along that the question would get to the ballot, and they've fashioned a message to defeat it. "This permits human cloning," contends Right to Life lobbyist Ed Rivet.

Owen dismisses that as "grossly dishonest."

Owen will also argue that using embryos that are now being "tossed in the trash" will help cure diseases and save lives. Rivet in his ads will argue this research will destroy human life.

The stem cell issue starts out with strong public support, but the other side has not begun to fight. Rivet reminds anyone who will listen that when there was a push to legalize assisted suicide, it also had widespread support, but when they counted the votes, it was defeated.

The TV and radio stations will be more than happy to provide the paid airtime to see if history will repeat itself.