Tag: Brown

The issues to be argued are known generally by the public, but few understand them in any detail.  For example, during a recent forum, the Lieutenant Governor here in the Enchanted Mitten, arguing for a state-established health care exchange, said that even if the Court finds the individual mandate unconstitutional, it will have no effect on health care exchanges, since HCEs are not before the Court.  This position is not exactly accurate.  If the Court determines that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. it will then  expressly decide whether the entire law must be struck down, including those provisions pertaining to health care exchanges.

The finest representatives were put to the test on this issue and failed.  Somehow, in the test of constitutional understanding, there are few in our political system who could muster even a barely passing D-.  Core beliefs aside even for "conservatives" who found their "pet peeve" to be in stark contrast to principles they had presumably held.  In the end I guess its ok to tell people how to run their business, who may attend it, and now what they can consume while there.

Detroiters 18 and older: 603,000

National voter registration: 67.6%

National African American voter registration: 60.7%

Projected Detroit voter registration: 375,000 (approx.)

Number of bad registrations flagged for removal: 47,000

Total projected voter roll plus acknowledged bad entries: 422,000 (approx.)

Detroiters registered to vote: 633,000

Phantom voters: 211,000

Hu-wha?!

Yep.  You read it here first, boys and girls.  According to the best projections, historical records, census and registration figures there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 211,000 voter ID cards floating around the Motor City that have no business even existing.  

The Tower goes to great lengths to explain away the fact that more registered voters exist than eligible  voters, highlighting ad nauseam the problems with federal law that require bad voter registrations to remain on the books for two federal election cycles before being removed (that 47K number above) but never does the rest of the arithmetic.

211,000 phantom voters.  

Here are a few more numbers to consider, from the top of the ticket...

2008 General Election results-
DEM: 96.93%
GOP: 2.65%

2006 General Election results-
DEM: 95.05%
GOP: 4.33%

2004 General Election results-
DEM: 93.61%
GOP: 5.93%

I'll say it again... 211,000 phantom voters.  211,000 phantom voters in a city that has spent the last two election cycles going more than 95/5 for the Left.

I'm just glad I'm not the only person who thinks that's a problem.  In exclusive interviews with RightMichigan, 2010 Secretary of State candidates Cameron Brown, Michelle McManus and Anne Norlander each expressed concern about the integrity of registration rolls and groups like ACORN who have been caught red handed registering everyone from Mickey Mouse to Daffy Duck in cities across the country.

The Democrats argue that very few bad registrations make it all the way to City clerks, but I (don't) know 211,000 non-existant Detroiters who'd take issue with that claim.

It's the oldest trick in the book.  You campaign as a populist, you tell the people its all about them and then as soon as they aren't looking you start funneling as many perks, favors and giant paydays as possible to your cronies, no matter how many Michigan jobs it'll kill.

This time last cycle it was House Bill 4044 among others, this year it's a package of bills, HB 4316-4318.  The numbers have changed but the legislation is the same.  

Democrat Representatives Dian Slavens, Deb Kennedy and Lisa Brown have each sponsored a portion and re-introduced the Michigan Trial Lawyer Enhancement Act.

By way of background...

Both the Michigan Republican Party and the Michigan Democrats are holding their winter conventions this weekend and on the GOP side, the campaigns for Governor, Secretary of State and Attorney General unofficially begin.

Not that there isn't one major difference.  Over on the RIGHT side of things, convention delegates... thousands of them... will select the Party's candidates for AG and SoS (the gubernatorial nominee s selected by both parties via primary).  Over on the LEFT its up to the UAW.  No.  Hyperbole aside.  Seriously.  

It appears the Dems have already selected their AG nominee.  Despite her connection to a massive Bureau of Elections investigation into serious campaign finance irregularities stemming from the 2006 election, state Senator Gretchen Whitmer all but has that spot sewed up.

John Cherry is the man with all of the Big Labor backing in the race to follow Jennifer Granholm at the state Capitol.  Barring a huge electoral shocker, that just leaves holes in two places.  MDP still needs a nominee for Secretary of State and he or she simply must be black.  Not Hispanic.  Not Asian.  Not Jewish or Indian or Arab.  Black.  Because quotas are cool, apparently.

No matter how you cut that cake, though, there isn't much excitement left in the selection process for Democratic activists.  Quite simply, they have no input.  

QUITE the contrary over at the Michigan Republican Party.  This weekend, aside from the technical work of officially selecting Ambassador Ron Weiser to be the next Party Chairman, picking various vice chairs and other Party positions, the activists and volunteers and normal, average working moms and dads from across the state will have a chance to get a good long look at more than a couple of handfuls worth of candidates.

Read on...