The more I learn about Justin Amash, the more I think he might be the only candidate that a qualified (i.e. serious) Democrat could actually beat.
Amash is a Libertarian at heart, and it appears that he has drunk the Tea Bagger's cool-aid and is fully on-board with the right-wing fringe of the GOP. On one hand, I think this makes him a strong contender in the GOP primary, where I suspect the baggers will have an outsized influence.
In the general, the key will be to force him to admit, over and over, that he really does think Social Security should be abolished and Medicare should be turned into a means-tested insurance voucher program. Unlike a seasoned politician, Amash may actually get up and say what he believes, instead of burying it in a bunch of poll-tested bullshit.
It will be up to the Democrat to force Amash to throw his support behind Paul Ryan's roadmap to the GOP future and not let him get away from it. Only when voters are viscerally confronted with the insanity of the GOP's platform will they understand how radical it really is.
On the other hand, maybe this is what the majority of Kent County actually wants, in which case Canada is really not that far away.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Lame Ducks
Representative Tom Pearce was recently quoted in the Press saying we shouldn’t expect much from the legislature in an election year – a statement that was remarkable for both its candor and its fecklessness. Since Representative Pearce is term-limited, he can actually tell the truth – something Michigan politicians seem to have trouble with when they think their positions are on the line.
At the same time, Pearce’s statement revealed just how broken our political systems is. If there is any time we should expect results from our representatives, it is in an election year. Even more so, it is at a time when the state’s budgetary and tax systems are in desperate need of a complete overhaul. Instead, it’s business as usual in Lansing.
It should be obvious that term-limits have been a colossal failure in Michigan. Instead of experience and wisdom we have legislators who are either learning their jobs or looking for the next one. However, if there is one saving grace it should be the ability of representatives to use their final term as a chance to get the right things done for Michigan without the fear of partisan reprisals.
With the Governor, one third of the House and entire Senate being evicted in 2010, now is the time for bold action on the tax system. Failure to act will only pass the problem to next year’s trainees, and Michigan will continue its pathetic race to the bottom. Business as usual is no longer a viable option.
At the same time, Pearce’s statement revealed just how broken our political systems is. If there is any time we should expect results from our representatives, it is in an election year. Even more so, it is at a time when the state’s budgetary and tax systems are in desperate need of a complete overhaul. Instead, it’s business as usual in Lansing.
It should be obvious that term-limits have been a colossal failure in Michigan. Instead of experience and wisdom we have legislators who are either learning their jobs or looking for the next one. However, if there is one saving grace it should be the ability of representatives to use their final term as a chance to get the right things done for Michigan without the fear of partisan reprisals.
With the Governor, one third of the House and entire Senate being evicted in 2010, now is the time for bold action on the tax system. Failure to act will only pass the problem to next year’s trainees, and Michigan will continue its pathetic race to the bottom. Business as usual is no longer a viable option.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Pandering
On Friday, the Press reported that the state was canceling 243 highway construction projects, resulting in the loss of 10,000 jobs and the accelerated deterioration of Michigan’s infrastructure. The reason is that Michigan’s gasoline tax is too low to win Federal matching grants. Because of this, we will forgo $2.1 billion in grants and get back only 50% of the federal taxes we pay at the pump. And how much do we need to raise the tax? Eight cents over two years.
On Saturday, the Press reported that six Republican gubernatorial candidates agreed there should be no increase in the gas tax. During the same event, the candidates droned on and on about how the state must attract new jobs. To which I can only respond: what planet are these people from?
As a small business owner, I know there is very little politicians can actually do to increase private sector jobs in the short term. I will hire more people when I have customers demanding more of my products than I can produce. Period.
What politicians can do is create an environment where people want to live and grow their businesses, which includes decent roads and schools. Pandering to political extremes and the “no new taxes” crowd are part of what got Michigan into this mess, and it has to stop. We need smart governance, not political dogma.
Pandering may get you elected, but it will not make Michigan the great state it deserves to be.
On Saturday, the Press reported that six Republican gubernatorial candidates agreed there should be no increase in the gas tax. During the same event, the candidates droned on and on about how the state must attract new jobs. To which I can only respond: what planet are these people from?
As a small business owner, I know there is very little politicians can actually do to increase private sector jobs in the short term. I will hire more people when I have customers demanding more of my products than I can produce. Period.
What politicians can do is create an environment where people want to live and grow their businesses, which includes decent roads and schools. Pandering to political extremes and the “no new taxes” crowd are part of what got Michigan into this mess, and it has to stop. We need smart governance, not political dogma.
Pandering may get you elected, but it will not make Michigan the great state it deserves to be.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Conservative Activist Judges
For years, conservatives have flogged the theme of “liberal activist judges”. The message is that unelected, liberal judges subvert the will of the people when they overturn laws on constitutional grounds.
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn nearly 100 years of precedent and allow corporations unfettered rights to influence political campaigns should put to rest the canard that activist judges are by definition liberal. This stunning decision was promoted by the Court’s most conservative justices, including Chief Justice Roberts.
You may remember how when Roberts was being confirmed he said he was a conservative judge who would respect precedent and favor incremental, narrow rulings over sweeping motions. His actions in the recent case show that he has either a short memory, or simply lied to advance his confirmation. He is a conservative activist judge who ignored precedent and used a case that could have been interpreted narrowly to hand vast powers to the corporations who already hold too much influence in Washington. No one can deny that this was a radical, activist ruling enacted by a staunch conservative.
It should be clear by now that conservatives don’t really care about judicial activism. Judicial activism is only a bad thing if it works against their purposes. The duplicity of this no longer surprises me. What surprises me is how Democrats continue to ignore the obvious and allow for the confirmation of radicals like Roberts.
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn nearly 100 years of precedent and allow corporations unfettered rights to influence political campaigns should put to rest the canard that activist judges are by definition liberal. This stunning decision was promoted by the Court’s most conservative justices, including Chief Justice Roberts.
You may remember how when Roberts was being confirmed he said he was a conservative judge who would respect precedent and favor incremental, narrow rulings over sweeping motions. His actions in the recent case show that he has either a short memory, or simply lied to advance his confirmation. He is a conservative activist judge who ignored precedent and used a case that could have been interpreted narrowly to hand vast powers to the corporations who already hold too much influence in Washington. No one can deny that this was a radical, activist ruling enacted by a staunch conservative.
It should be clear by now that conservatives don’t really care about judicial activism. Judicial activism is only a bad thing if it works against their purposes. The duplicity of this no longer surprises me. What surprises me is how Democrats continue to ignore the obvious and allow for the confirmation of radicals like Roberts.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Dear Mr. President
I am as serious a Democrat as you are likely to find. I am Treasurer of my county Democratic Party. I have run for state office more than once in hopelessly Republican districts. My entire family knocked on doors to help get you elected.
I have never before written to a President but am writing to you now because I am afraid that you are letting everything we achieved run down the sewer of Republican opposition. I did not vote for you so you could be nice to bankers and insurance companies. I did not vote for you to achieve bipartisanship with selfish, ignorant, bigoted Republicans. I voted for you to lead us out of an unbelievable mess, and you are failing.
I cried the night of the election for two reasons. One because I was overjoyed, secondly because I was afraid that it would be all downhill from there. It’s time for you to take off the gloves and prove me wrong.
As Digby just pointed out, the Republicans always need to create something (or someone) for their dense minions to hate. Unfortunately, you have become it, and you have to change the dialog.
I have never before written to a President but am writing to you now because I am afraid that you are letting everything we achieved run down the sewer of Republican opposition. I did not vote for you so you could be nice to bankers and insurance companies. I did not vote for you to achieve bipartisanship with selfish, ignorant, bigoted Republicans. I voted for you to lead us out of an unbelievable mess, and you are failing.
I cried the night of the election for two reasons. One because I was overjoyed, secondly because I was afraid that it would be all downhill from there. It’s time for you to take off the gloves and prove me wrong.
As Digby just pointed out, the Republicans always need to create something (or someone) for their dense minions to hate. Unfortunately, you have become it, and you have to change the dialog.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Is it Just Me?
Many blogs ago I asked the question: Now that we've won, how do we turn this into good public policy?
On the national level there were a few gimmes at the start: expansion of CHIPS, the Ledbetter equal pay act, Sotomayor, and... (help me out here - there must be more.)
At the Executive level there have clearly been major changes in attitude at places like the Interior Dept, where they will stop giving everything away to the extractors. But at Treasury it's business as usual, which means giving Goldman Sachs everything they want so they can pay their precious bankers and traders $10 fucking billion in bonuses.
At the state level, it's business as usual with more taxes on beer and cigarettes because they are so sinful and Granholm clearly doesn't give a shit for the predominantly poor people who smoke and drink (let alone the awesome Michigan beer industry.) Everything else coming out of her office is nothing but chipping away at budgets with no constituency so she can keep shoveling money out the door to movie makers and any corporation that says it will add a few jobs. The vision thing just ain't there, and if Andy Dillon is the only person making grand statements (about dismantling union negotiated health care agreements no less), we've got problems.
And then we have health care, and the willingness of the Administration (which is supposed to be Our Administration) insisting that there is such a thing as a bipartisan Republican. Is the President that we worked so hard to elect really going to cede decision making to gas bag Senators from rural stares with less population than Grand Rapids? Is he really going to gut health care reform even though it is obvious the not a single Republican Senator is going to vote for it? He can't be that naive and he's clearly not stupid.
Please God tell me this is just a well laid trap where Rahm and Barack will come back from vacation and announce that they have seen enough of the Republican bullshit, and that it is obvious that they have no intention of negotiating, and the the Democrats are going to pass the right bill. If they have to ram it through reconciliation and cause the GOP to wet their pants with indignation, so be it.
On the national level there were a few gimmes at the start: expansion of CHIPS, the Ledbetter equal pay act, Sotomayor, and... (help me out here - there must be more.)
At the Executive level there have clearly been major changes in attitude at places like the Interior Dept, where they will stop giving everything away to the extractors. But at Treasury it's business as usual, which means giving Goldman Sachs everything they want so they can pay their precious bankers and traders $10 fucking billion in bonuses.
At the state level, it's business as usual with more taxes on beer and cigarettes because they are so sinful and Granholm clearly doesn't give a shit for the predominantly poor people who smoke and drink (let alone the awesome Michigan beer industry.) Everything else coming out of her office is nothing but chipping away at budgets with no constituency so she can keep shoveling money out the door to movie makers and any corporation that says it will add a few jobs. The vision thing just ain't there, and if Andy Dillon is the only person making grand statements (about dismantling union negotiated health care agreements no less), we've got problems.
And then we have health care, and the willingness of the Administration (which is supposed to be Our Administration) insisting that there is such a thing as a bipartisan Republican. Is the President that we worked so hard to elect really going to cede decision making to gas bag Senators from rural stares with less population than Grand Rapids? Is he really going to gut health care reform even though it is obvious the not a single Republican Senator is going to vote for it? He can't be that naive and he's clearly not stupid.
Please God tell me this is just a well laid trap where Rahm and Barack will come back from vacation and announce that they have seen enough of the Republican bullshit, and that it is obvious that they have no intention of negotiating, and the the Democrats are going to pass the right bill. If they have to ram it through reconciliation and cause the GOP to wet their pants with indignation, so be it.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Mike Cox and the Big Lie
Not that it's a surprise to anyone, but Michigan AG Mike Cox is running for governor. He's been sucking up to the hard right for years so it's clear which way he's going to lean to try to win the GOP primary.
In a recent Press exclusive Cox leads off his platform with the Big Lie, the conservative meme that refuses to die, the GOP fantasy that cutting taxes will actually increase revenues to the state. This is the so called Supply Side Economics cooked up in the Reagan administration - that has as much to do with economics as my dog's nuts.
Cox the Magician says he will cut state taxes by $2 billion:
As if that's not enough, Mr. Cox also thinks Michigan needs more Nuclear and coal-fired power plants:
And not to forget the religious right, Cox tops it off with his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions:
In a recent Press exclusive Cox leads off his platform with the Big Lie, the conservative meme that refuses to die, the GOP fantasy that cutting taxes will actually increase revenues to the state. This is the so called Supply Side Economics cooked up in the Reagan administration - that has as much to do with economics as my dog's nuts.
Cox the Magician says he will cut state taxes by $2 billion:
Cox insisted that increased revenues stimulated by the tax cuts would help Michigan close a projected 2010 budget deficit of $1.6 billion.What planet does this guy live on? Hello Mike, this is 2009! We just tried the Supplied Side crap for eight years with your soul buddy George and, uh, I don't think it worked too damn well. And then there's John Engler - remember him? the guy who cut Michigan taxes 30 or 40 times? That worked really well too, didn't it? Just look at all the economic growth that flooded in after all those tax cuts.
"When you reduce tax rates, revenue going into government actually increases," Cox said.
As if that's not enough, Mr. Cox also thinks Michigan needs more Nuclear and coal-fired power plants:
"I think we ought to aim to be the energy capital of America," Cox said. "Nuclear is one way we could be more competitive in the long run. In the long run, that's a way to diversify our economy."Clean coal? Another big stinking turd dreamed up by our friends in the coal industry. There is no such thing as clean coal, period.
He noted he backs a $2 billion, 800 megawatt Consumers Energy "clean coal" operation in Essexville.
And not to forget the religious right, Cox tops it off with his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions:
"Gay individuals by and large do enjoy the protections that heterosexuals do," he said.Go for it Mike, wanker extraordinaire that you are.
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