Monthly Archives: October 2015

80th District Special Election (2015), Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Part Time Legislature, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

The ‘Money Poll’ in Michigan’s 80th District House Race

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Mary Whiteford - the Establishment's Revenge for Proposal 1's Defeat?

More campaign finance reports are trickling in to the Secretary of State’s Bureau of Elections and it is clear that an avalanche of money from establishment Republicans is backing Mary Whiteford in the State House of Representatives 80th District special election. You have to dig a little to figure out just how much money and from where, but most of the evidence is available. Let’s call this the ‘money poll’.

Mary Whiteford Image 2Ms. Whiteford’s official committee (BoE 516401) has collected $ 28,200, plus another $ 2,807.96 of in kind contributions (actually expenditures) by the candidate herself. Great Lakes Education Project, an IRS 527 political action committee, has been furiously mailing cards supporting Mary Whiteford and trashing Cindy Gamrat. – $ 15,477 worth. So a total of $ 46,484.96. Another group, Michigan’s Voice (LARA 71630M), has made at least one mailing on Mary Whiteford’s behalf, but little is known about this recently incorporated (10/26/15) group and they have made no filings with the SoS BoE. By law they have 10 days to file, so we probably won’t know anything further about their efforts until after the primary. A well targeted mailing in the 80th costs around $ 4,000, so the Michigan’s Voice effort elevates Ms. Whiteford’s total funding in this special primary above $ 50,000.

Only 26 of Ms. Whiteford’s contributions – $ 6,300 – came from within the 80th District (excluding the candidate’s own contributions), far less than the 200 plus contributions that came to her from within the District in her first election attempt last year. This year, 85% plus of her funding is coming from establishment Republicans from outside the 80th.

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics

Turning The Tables

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Last night's debate revealed the true order of things.

I really dislike having to cry foul about the ‘mainstream’ media.

Michigan has its own media issues, much of it protecting the bad actors in Lansing.  Some of it locally even pursuing its own agenda.  But in the national scene?

Indeed, after last night’s CNBC GOP debate, it will be a lot easier to do so.  After the assault of “Do you still beat your mother” line of questions to a number of the candidates, it was apparent that there was no intention of talking about policy and the crushing debt our nation faces.   The only purpose any liberal media outlets might have in such an event is to personally destroy each and every viable GOP contender for Team D’s advantage.

However, after Ted Cruz (to the right) said what needed to be said, it was clear the candidates would not be victims for the remainder of the carnival.

It simply got better from there.   With little to no ‘friendly fire,’ in the balance of the show, there was something to cheer about from nearly all of the candidates.

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Michigan, Opinion, Philosophy

Pro Gun Advocacy Group Did It.

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The mistake in Sunday's Record Eagle was undoubtedly not purposeful, however ..

R-E-ResponseIt is unnecessary to dig the hole any larger or deeper.

The Traverse City Record Eagle editors have been bombarded with negative FB posts, and probably filled in boxes since the posting of Sunday’s page three error. They have been accused of having an agenda that is anti gun, and purposefully going after the ‘headline readers;’ those folks who scan the newspaper and rarely read the content.

It was a doozy of a mistake, and likely one they painfully regret.  And however unlikely it is that the newspaper would try such a thing purposefully (I am sure it was not intentional), it does underscore one aspect of today’s journalism.

The “shooter” key is used more frequently in the newspaper environment than the “backspace” key.

It is pre-programmed whenever there is a mass killing (unless abortion is involved) anywhere in the county.  In the front page response to the mistake and its ‘notoriety’ the editors apparently cannot accept that their own perspective and that programming has not perhaps led to this unfortunate error.  The image to the right suggests such an attitude.

Its tough to be the news I suppose.

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Michigan

Defining The Narrative?

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Has storytelling become pre-programmed to present a specific perspective?

A terrible thing happened in Oklahoma on Saturday.

And a curious thing happened in Traverse City Michigan the next day.  The local paper, often cited for its liberal leanings presented a distorted view of the tragedy that occurred October 24, 2015.  The story was pre-programmed accurately for the newspaper outlet, but somewhere in the editorial process, a bit of Freudian process has emerged perhaps?

shooter

One should think that the picture above from the hometown paper is a curious thing to see in the hyperactive anti-gun atmosphere of mass media.  Of course, a retraction has already been issued by the Traverse City Record Eagle.

H/T Andy Marek

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Democrats, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Three Cheers For The B Team

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House Democrat turns on the heat.

Steudle-GranholmKirk Steudle was appointed long before Rick Snyder was the new sheriff.

Jennifer Granholm appointed Steudle to the Michigan Department of Transportation post in 2006. He did such a bang up job leading to our current road conditions across the state, that no local communities have had to pursue their own millages for road fixes, and the trunklines, bridges and arteries are in top notch shape.  In fact, we have been able to lower taxes, return money to taxpayers and by-golly, put shock absorber companies at risk due to lack of business.

Now, [SARC OFF] a Democrat legislator is doing the job that any one of dozens of Republicans should have done LONG before ever asking taxpayers to bend over last May.  From the Lansing State Journal:

In a news release late Wednesday, State Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, a former MDOT employee and state employee union official, said he’d introduced a bipartisan resolution citing numerous issues — from idle railcars that cost millions of dollars to state auditors’ repeated warnings about weak oversight of MDOT’s warranty program — that he says show Steudle is “unfit to lead the department.”

Huh, I wonder where we have seen that before?

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Fees, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Part Time Legislature, Philosophy, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Republicans, Taxes

Get a load of the latest Michigan republican party spin

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Does anyone even proof this before it gets posted?!?

As if they were not already utterly clueless regarding what they allegedly stand for (Hint: I’ve included a small sampling below of what they have obviously forgotten/willfully chosen to ignore (source)):

I BELIEVE free enterprise and encouraging individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth and prosperity.

I BELIEVE government must practice fiscal responsibility and allow individuals to keep more of the money they earn.

You need to see what came in my e-mail this morning on how the “conservative” republicans are trying to cover up the massive stench from their latest batch of stink-burger bills pertaining their road funding “solution” by releasing this nifty little informational graphic so that we can all drink the kool aid all look the other way and pretend that there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between Michigan republicans and the democrats.

{No, you will not be able to un-see the horror, er, I mean, stop laughing at the patent hypocrisy below the fold}

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Michigan, Michigan Politics

Representative Larry Inman Clarifies AFP comment

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Larry-InmanMichigan State Representative Larry Inman has requested clarification on his reference to AFP’s Pete Lund in yesterday’s post.

We are happy to provide an outlet for clarity.  Posted without comment.

” Please disregard my remark regarding Pete Lund and Americans for Prosperity. I was misinformed by a third party comment. I have since had an opportunity to personally speak with Pete Lund and he does not support any bills or actions by the Michigan Legislature that are in any form of a tax increase both personally, and representing Americans for Prosperity . My deepest apology to Pete Lund and Americans for Prosperity for this miscommunication. I accept full responsibility for this miscommunication that was reported. Larry C Inman. “

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