Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Trump Rally – Washington Township, April 28, 2018 (Follow up).

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I had mentioned earlier about this little shindig happening over in Washington this weekend (Michigan, NOT  DC). I also alluded to the fact that I’m not some mindless political cheerleader or brain-dead party apparatchik. If I see that something isn’t right, I have no qualms in saying it. Conservatives have already lost far too much ground by being “polite”.

On the flip-side, I do have several friends who still think rather highly of Pres. Trump. One of them convinced me to mention it here on Right Michigan (and on a side note, persuaded me to attend with him, along with a few others).

Unfortunately, he got delayed in getting out of Indiana. To make matters worse, he ran out of hours and there was no way (legally) for him to make the return part of his run back to Michigan in time to attend.

Even though I may not be part of the aforementioned apparatchik, I do try to look after my friends whenever I can.

So as a courtesy to him (I told him I‘d have this up this evening), along with other Right Michigan readers who were unable to attend, I have included material from last Saturday.

{Continued after the fold}

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Michigan Politics

2018 Michigan State Senate Elections

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Cross-posted at The Western Right, Right Michigan, and RRH Elections.

All 38 seats in the Michigan Senate are up for election in 2014.  Republicans currently have a 27-11 supermajority, and have controlled the senate since 1983.  Republican control of the state senate has prevented democrats from complete control of Michigan’s government in some years, and stopped a lot of bad things from being passed.

Fortunately for Republicans, the Michigan state senate is up only in midterms, which usually favor Republicans much more than presidential years.  Republicans had a good year in 2014, picking up one state senate seat, following four pickups in 2010.

The 2010 redistricting produced a map that was moderately pro-Republican, while complying with all relevant laws.

Michigan Redistricting: Official Republican State Senate Map Released
Michigan Redistricting: Republican State Senate Map Passed

There are 26 open seats due to term-limits, 7 D and 19 R.  All current state senators are former state representatives except three (Colbeck, Conyers, Hertel).  This pattern held in the past, and most credible candidates this time are current or former state reps.

For the past few years, the state senate has been more moderate than the state house.  This cycle, there are several ideologically split Republican primaries that will determine how conservative the state senate will be next year. These will be in districts 12, 21, 24, 26, 30, 31, 34, and 35.

I have included election data for the 2014 state senate election, and McCain (2008), Romney (2012), and Trump (2016) results in each district.  More data is available from Republican Michigander and RRH Elections.

Republican Michigander district profiles (see sidebar)
RRH Michigan Senate Data File
Michigan State Senate 2018 Preview (all up in 2018)

The McCain numbers look terrible for Republicans because he collapsed after publicly pulling out of Michigan.  The largest McCain percentage in any Michigan state senate district won by a democrat in the past twelve years is 46.2% in (old) district 31.

Here is a breakdown of the individual races.  State reps years in office are listed after their names, with P meaning present.

2018 Candidate List (Michigan Secretary of State)

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2018 Michigan Gubernatorial Race, Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion

Cultural Equivalence?

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Are we too afraid to ask the obvious?

What if you have an opinion that institutionalized misogyny is maybe not such a great thing?  Does even the question make you a bigot?

What if the centerpiece of my ‘religion’ was not a resurrected son-of-God who died in excruciating pain for all of our hatred, shame, and imperfections manifested in misdeeds.  But instead a warlord who to achieve power, subjugated other men, women, children, all in the name of (presumably) the same God.

What if that latter ‘religion’ was not one of proselytizing through love but through violent means, extortion, blackmail, lies and subterfuge.  What if it called for honor killings, female mutilation, death for apostasy, ransom, and purposeful deceit to advance it’s growth.

What if you do not have the intellectual ability to recognize a difference between spiritually uplifting beliefs, and those that foment acts of cowardice and terror quite literally DAILY.

Are these not legitimate questions?

Sadly we have those who in their political aspirations are too fearful to ask them.  The few who do, become targets of the purposefully stupid or intellectually dishonest in media, and are quickly branded as bigots and intolerant.

Go figure.

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans, Research & Analysis, Roads

I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part!

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Local leaders aren’t warming up you your schemes. The scuttlebutt is that focus group testing isn’t looking too good either (not having a real plan with real numbers didn‘t help). Lately, you have enlisted local business “leaders” to help in promoting your cockamamie strategy, but wouldn’t you know it, they aren’t getting that much traction either.

So, who are these people and why are they employing the last refuge for desperate men?

Here’s a hint: All the more reason to hold onto your wallet a little more tightly around Detroit.

{I’ll tell you who they are below the fold}

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2018 Michigan Gubernatorial Race, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Milton Friedman For Governor

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If you wanted the best economic outcome for Michigan, wouldn't he get your vote?

Today’s economists aren’t.

I mean they aren’t around anymore. Not since November 2006 anyhow.  That was when Milton Friedman took his last breath.

No one understood markets based on how people respond to incentive like Milton Friedman.  While sympathetic to our desire to do good for others, he recognized the nature of how we prioritize (en mass) when making spending decisions.

The first time I heard the “four ways to spend money” was not Friedman however.  It was during a presentation on health care options for Michigan by Pat Colbeck.  He wasn’t a candidate for Governor at that time, but he was clearly advocating a sensible approach on how we pay for our health care needs.  Part of it is returning the incentive to those who will watch more closely how well the money is spent to achieve the best results and at lowest cost.

A recent newsletter from the Mackinac center reminded me of this, which is the way Colbeck had put it a year and a half ago.

There only four ways to spend money.

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Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Wayne Schmidt Has Challenger In The 37th District

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Conservative ideas to be argued in the primary.

Good.

One of the best parts of any election season is the opportunity for the candidates to argue that they are best equipped to represent a particular set of ideas and philosophy.   When incumbency is used to mask what might be a crappy candidate, we all lose.

Yesterday, a challenger has filed to face the Red light camera king in the Northern Michigan district.

Republican activist Jim Gurr is not sitting this cycle out, and is not going to let the man who would have all property owned by government have a free shot.  From his site:

Our current State Senator serves many masters, but unfortunately not the voters in the 37th State Senate District. This is unfortunate, and sadly typical of those who hold power of office to be more important than the needs of the people they serve.

And lists a number of grievances.

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2018 Michigan Gubernatorial Race, All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Cronyism, Democrats, Elections, Government Incompetence, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans, Research & Analysis, Roads

The song remains the same. (Updated)

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Continuing with the “unofficial” theme this week, local officials have decided to strike while the iron is hot and use a tired old ploy to fix a problem that really should never have been a problem in the first place had elected officials done their jobs, looked at the problem as a whole and fixed the problem at the source rather than only reacting to the symptoms.

So what are they doing now?

{Details below the fold}

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Democrats, Firearms, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Dingell and Upton Will Introduce Federal Gun Confiscation Legislation

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Soviet Justice Comes To America

RINO Rick is playing coy with his impending school safety proposal, refusing to say whether Extreme Risk Protection Orders – now rebranded as ‘red flag laws’ – will be part of it. U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell has no such qualms. The Wicked Witch of West Bloomfield announced yesterday that she intends to introduce federal Extreme Risk Protection Order legislation based upon Indiana Code Title 35, Article 47, Chapter 14 (IC 35-47-14). She claimed on Fox News Live that West Michigan Congressman Fred Upton, a Republican, will be a co sponsor.

Indiana Code 35-47-14 establishes procedures for law enforcement to seize privately held firearms from individuals deemed ‘dangerous’. An Indiana law enforcement officer can petition a circuit or superior court for a warrant to “search for and seize a firearm in the possession of an individual who is dangerous”. Or the Indiana law enforcement officer can just go ahead and both search for and seize firearms in the possession of any individual; then at his leisure submit a written statement to the circuit or superior court with jurisdiction, declaring the individual to be dangerous ex post facto.

An Indiana law enforcement officer can declare the individual to be dangerous on his own accord, or rely on the declaration of a third party informer. The law enforcement officers and informants are not required to prove any qualifications in court. The law enforcement officer and the informants are unchallenged. Their assertions alone transform an otherwise legal activity – private firearms possession – into a crime.

Indiana Code 35-47-14 claims that this is legally sufficient probable cause, but is it?

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Conservative News, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Firearms, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Is Congressman Mike Bishop Abandoning The Second Amendment?

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And the rest of the conservative agenda?

Michigan 8th District U.S. Congressman Mike Bishop’s campaign website has been scrubbed updated to remove any mention of the Second Amendment from its Issues page. Or anything else remotely controversial in the conservative agenda. His new campaign website Issues page has a bunch of anodyne pablum, but no mention of firearms:

His new, Second Amendment free, Issues page

His previous, 25 September 2017, Issues page:

2nd Amendment
Supporting our 2nd amendment right to bear arms, Mike Bishop championed right-to-carry legislation, received A/A+ rating from NRA and is personally a gun owner with a CPL.

The Rochester Republican has not made any public statements indicating changes in his position on the Second Amendment, but the update of his campaign website speaks volumes.

Bishop faces no opposition in the August 7th Republican Primary, but tough Democratic opposition in the November 6th General Election. Chris Smith, a labor-backed professor at MSU’s School of Criminal Justice, and Elissa Slotkin, an Obama Administration DoD appointee, are both running. The winner of this Democratic primary match up is expected to be well funded in the Fall.

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Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking

Blowing Us Away

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Only SANCTIONED thievery is allowed in Michigan's cronyism environment.

It wasn’t just Granholm.

Rick Snyder got the ball rolling back not too long after Jennifer Granholm was blushing behind a privacy screen on the dating game, but well before she became our state’s executive Monte Hall.

Rick Snyder was the first CEO of the MEDC, and don’t let this fact escape anyone.

The MEDC has given BILLIONS of dollars to ‘winners’ since its inception in the 90s.  Granholm was certainly more embarrassed however, to find out that it was the MEDC under her watch which gave $9 million to a guy running an international corporation out of a trailer in flint. He just got out of prison.

That guy didn’t really have a business, and he went to jail.  He didn’t create the jobs and suffered penalties for fraud.

Of course there were others who abused the system and also paid.

But then there were others who legitimately, and legally stole from us under Rick Snyder’s creation, have not created those jobs, and none are screaming for heads. (free market minute audio here)

Why do you suppose that is the way its done?

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