Happy Revolution Day!

by: philgoblue

Fri Jul 04, 2008 at 12:36:07 PM EDT

Long Live the Revolution!

Cooney Campaign Update

by: memiller

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 23:47:07 PM EDT

The Cooney campaign is rolling along. I'm doing my own thing, of course, so I can't keep up with everywhere he is campaigning, but I was at a wonderful fundraiser put on by old friends Mike and Marie Stoline for Don Saturday night.

Mike Stoline listening to Don

It was great to be with so many old friends, veterans of many a campaign, some won, some lost, and get the juices flowing, once again, to move our country a little bit towards justice, once again.

Don gave us his stump speech, which is well worked out now. It is hard to imagine how Upton will be able to answer Don's arguments and criticisms, which leads me think he'll find some excuse not to, and when he has to appear with him, he'll just keep changing the subject.

Don riffs on the fact that "...people say Fred Upton's a nice guy. Nice guys don't vote against (insert latest Upton vote)." He continues running down Fred's actual voting record, how he's been an enabler of the whole Bushite program, and it's pretty powerful stuff.

Cliff VanMeter

Phil mentioned Don's cool website. Cliff is the designer, and he is now working with me to design a site for the whole 6th District Dems. We had hoped to have one before now, but various things cropped up. We're now underway, I met with Cliff today.

Robert Dean (SH-75) on Minimum Wage Raise

by: philgoblue

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 15:00:00 PM EDT

Rep. Dean Hails Increase in Minimum Wage to $7.40
State's minimum wage increases, giving workers' paychecks needed boost

State Representative Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) today hailed the increase in the minimum wage to $7.40 an hour as a victory for working families.

Dean said:

"Families all across Michigan are struggling to get by in these tough economic times. People who work hard deserve a fair wage. Today's action will help some of our hardest-working residents move away from poverty and onto the path of independence."

In 2006, the Democratic-led Michigan House along with ACORN (and John Edwards FYI) led the charge for increasing the minimum wage, passing a plan to raise Michigan's minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.40 an hour. The plan took effect in three increments, beginning in October 2006, when the minimum wage increased to $6.95 per hour. On July 1, 2007, it rose again to $7.15, and saw its final increase today to $7.40 per hour.

The higher wage will help nearly 300,000 people in Michigan -- many of whom are their families' sole breadwinners -- and boost local economies. Additionally, another 482,000 workers who make at least $7.40 an hour are expected to get a spillover pay raise as employers pay more because the floor has been raised, according to the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. Michigan is now one of 32 states plus the District of Columbia to have a minimum wage higher than the federal rate.

Dean added:

"The rising cost of everything from gas and food to rent and prescription drugs is breaking the backs of many working families. Today's increase in the minimum wage will give our workers some much-needed relief. While some businesses may have to adjust in the short-term, raising the minimum wage will create a healthier and more robust economy that will make Michigan a better place for workers and businesses in the long-run."

Viva demand-side economics!

Go Forth and March on Revolution Day!

by: philgoblue

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 12:16:30 PM EDT

I'm getting bombarded by emails and calls about Fourth of July -- Revolution Day -- Parades.  I'll try to keep this as updated as I can, but the best thing to do is contact your local county party (there is a list to your right) or local candidate (there is another list to your right).  

Campaigns are gearing up and always want a big contingent of marchers to show off to the public.   So, you should be a part of their efforts. Marching is a fun and no-pressure way to get your feet wet in the political volunteering gig.  Campaigns are gearing up and always want a big contingent of marchers to show off to the public. You really just have to old a sign, smile and maybe toss candy, and for this you get a big thank you and, usually, a free t-shirt.  It's an easy way to help and get to know the candidate and their staff and then think about getting more involved later.  Plus, it's just a fun high to be in a parade.  And don't forget to bring the kids -- they'll love it!

Dan Scripps for State House

Subject: Fourth of July Volunteers Wanted!

We could use some help in the upcoming parades for Manistee in Ludington on July 4th. You can contact us anytime (231) 271-0236 or (231) 866-0629 if you are interested in coming along.

Here are the exact details, if you are able and willing to walk along with us and hand out candy, stickers and signs for one or both!:

•  Manistee Parade: Meet up at 9AM at the Manistee Democrats Headquarters on River Street, parade starts at 10AM.
•  Ludington Parade: Meet up at 12:30PM at the Ludington Democratic Headquarters, parade starts at 2PM

Also, tell your friends or relatives if they are interested in helping out too!!

The Manistee County Democratic Party will also have an entry with local candidates walking the parade route.

Bruce Hawley for State House

Thank you to those who have responded and are planning on participating in the 4th of July Parade in Sand Lake with us!  Looks like we're going to have a good turn out so far and we're hoping even more of you will show up.  Please feel free to bring your family, friends, neighbors, etc. along with you.

Here are a few more details of locations and times:

·  The parade starts at 1:30 P.M.  You should be in the line-up area no later than 1:00 P.M.

·  You can get to the line-up area via Ninth Street on the west end of town or by Oak Street (one block south of Lake St.) if coming from the east.

·  For those who are interested, there will be lots of fun events, including a fair, going on in Sand Lake.

Please wear your "Elect Bruce Hawley" T-Shirt if you already have one - we will be handing them out to those who do not.  

During the parade, we will be handing out candy and refrigerator magnets, we have flags and signs to carry, and a banner to lead the way.  We'll have plenty of water and juice to keep everyone hydrated.

Much more on the flip and we'll keep this updated.  Feel free to add more yourself in the comments.

GOP aims for the bottom on renewable energy jobs

by: danscripps

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 10:21:07 AM EDT

Unfortunately all of this has seemed to escape the attention of the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate. Late Friday night, just hours after Governor Granholm announced that Michigan will be home to the world's first Cellulosic Ethanol plant and helped to kick off the energy fair the Michigan Senate passed legislation that makes a mockery to the broadly shared goal of being a leader in the renewable energy field. The specific legislation calls for a watered down renewable portfolio standard of just 7% which would put Michigan at the bottom of the pack in terms of states that have enacted an RPS. Worse, the legislation actually calls for a combined 7% between energy efficiency and the production of renewable energy. And to add insult to injury, the republican controlled Senate has included coal-gasification as a renewable energy source. Simply put, the legislation passed by the Senate does nothing to bring renewable energy jobs to Michigan and indeed hurts our ability to compete on a global stage in this exciting and growing field. It's not that the Senate shouldn't have known better, earlier this month, Jim MacInnes, CEO and co-owner of Crystal Mountain Resort, called for an energy efficiency goal of 25% an ambitious portfolio of policy recommendations, including a Renewable Portfolio Standard. (Not yet posted on the Michigan Senate Energy Committee's webite). In addition a report released last year by NextEnergy, showed that of the various options being considered, the more ambitious renewable portfolio standard, the more jobs would be created. It is in the face of all this evidence that the senate offered little more than more of the same. We need more than the same tired old Lansing thinking if we are going to get Michigan moving again, and the legislation passed on a party-line vote late last Friday night, does nothing to help with these efforts.

To see pictures of my visit to the Energy Fair, check out my Flickr page here.

Obama's Grand Rapids Office

by: philgoblue

Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 10:02:53 AM EDT

949 Wealthy Street
Suite 201
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
That's at the corner of Wealthy and Diamond in Easttown.
Phone: 616-328-5654

The temporary headquarters is being run by Magdey Abdallah and volunteers, some of whom are Obama Fellows.  They've got a very nice office in Guy Bazzani's building and I hear they're in some nice donated apartments downtown rather than sleeping on someone's couch.

Don't expect to go there to get free yardsigns, bumper stickers or buttons, the office is meant to coordinate volunteers (I've already gotten three calls from them this week, so they're working hard on outreach to activists).   So, if you go down there, be ready to volunteer a few hours of your time to the cause. Speaking of which, they'll be marching in several parades (more on that later if I get a change -- I'm 5 hours away from leaving for Up North for the Revolution Day Weekend) and will be at the East Grand Rapids Fourth of July festival at Collins Park on Reeds Lake from 6:00 pm until the fireworks start.  

Still, at this point, they are mostly concentrating on new voter registration and appear to be pushing that effort to a smart door-to-door operation in the coming days.  Up to now, they've mostly been congregating in public places looking to sign folks up to register.

I'm hearing from several sources that the Coordinated Campaign office will open sometime in mid to late July -- in just a few weeks.  Obama and all the local candidates -- Dean, Schmidt, Hawley and everyone in the Third Congressional District running for State House, the County Commission candidates, Carl Levin, Henry Sanchez, and down the ballot will have a public headquarters there.  It'll be nice to combine the numbers and enthusiasm of the Obama folks with the detailed knowledge of Kent County and the entire Third District of folks like Sue, Maggie, Ida and Brandon.  No deal has been inked to my knowledge, but it looks like the Coordinated Campaign office will be somewhere in Easttown.

Any news on the Obama efforts elsewhere in West Michigan?

Walking with Brandon and Roy

by: philgoblue

Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 13:54:42 PM EDT

This past Saturday I did a little door-to-door canvasing with Roy Schmidt, Brandon Dillon, and Brandon's brother Brian.  On a beautiful, sunny day, the four of us walked through a nice neighborhood of well-maintained single family homes near Leonard and Fuller in north Grand Rapids.  Although we were only out for a few hours, we had good success in this mostly Democratic neighboorhood.  Brian
and I mostly did a brief,

"Hi, I'm x and I'm out talking to neighboors on behalf of Brandon Dillon -- your County Commissioner -- and Roy Schmidt, who is runninig for Mike Sak's State House seat since Mike is termlimited. ... They'll be back themselves later in the fall, but they hope you'll have the time to read these introductions [hand the two lit pieces].  Thanks, have a great day."

We also tried to get OKs for yard signs from folks who had done so for Brandon last election or from new folks who seemed enthusiastic.  Of course, the candidates themselves did better at the door and they got a bunch of acceptances for yard signs to go up later in the fall.  Both Brandon and Roy were great at the door and obviously have a comfortable way with people.  It's both nice to see Roy with one of the strongest Democrats in Kent County and to see Brandon with our future State Representative.

Brandon had a nice lit piece with his slogan "Honest Leadership. Better Government" prominent along with the website.  Inside, Brandon extolls his love of family and community and then gets down to stressing his opposition to unfair new fees, supporting greenspace preservation, pushing for "smarter development strategies for Kent County," and making sure the city "gets its fair share of county resources" (a "core cities vs. outlying townships" theme I think all Democratic candidates in GR, Kentwood, Wyoming, etc should be pushing).  He also included a joint quote from Rosalynn Bliss and David LaGrand the two city commissioners from the second ward which heavily overlaps with Brandon's 18th district.  On the back he's got his list of endorsements including state representatives Sak and Dean, four city commissioners, all the Democratic county commissioners (save one, one guess which), the County and City police union, the city firefighters, Scott Bowen, Alicia Pestka (for Steve who is a former State Representative and now a judge), Lupe Ramos-Montigny, Frank Lynn, Roy Schmidt himself, many others, and finally some guy named Phil Skaggs (I'm sure I'll get bumped for more important people later, but for now, it's nice to be included).

Roy's lit piece is extremely fansy and 8 pages!  It's mostly an introductory piece -- the title is "Hi, I'm Roy Schmidt.  It's probably for folks outside GR's Ward 1 where he was a city commissioner for 16 years.  It's not the easiest to find, but it does say "Democrat" on the front page.  The piece has a lot of feel-good photos of Roy listening to constituents.  But, he does talk issues -- solid Democratic issues --, stressing restoring some Revenue Sharing from Lansing to the cities, keeping school funding from Lansing at a level to insure good schools, taking a strong stand to protect Great Lakes water, creating jobs, and making "healthcare affordable and available to every family."  Unlike the webpage, it doesn't stress some level of post-partisanship and thankfully leaves out the "two great parties" part.  Overall, I continue to be impressed with the campaign Roy is running.

Later, the four of us went to a Creston Neighborhood Association cookout for hotdogs, brats, and some handshakes.  The Creston NA is extremely active and a great bunch of folks.  Brandon and Roy headed down to the Water Festival (dang, thtese guys work hard) while I headed off to a brief visit to the Grand Rapids Obama Headquarters which I'll write about later today.

We had a great time and I got to know Roy and Brian better.  I'm convinced Roy is a smart campaigner and elected official and will do Democrats proud in Lansing.  Roy is running hard and that's a good thing.  A blowout election would make this seat safe for us for decades and a big win, with a well-funded campaign that can donate some of that to other (including, hopefully West Michigan) Democratic candidates means that Roy will be in a position to quickly get into and move up the leadership ladder since he's got Mike's big shoes to fill.  Still, don't expect this one to end up too close.  Word is that his Republican "challenger" didn't even bother to show up for the Chamber of Commerce endorsement interview.  So, he can't be running that hard (he also apparently doesn't have a website).

West Michigan in Congress - June 27, 2008

by: Christine

Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 18:44:05 PM EDT

US Senate

REJECTED:

Cloture Motion; Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 - (58-40, 2 Not Voting) - The Senate failed to reach the 60 votes necessary to proceed to consideration of a bill that would cancel a scheduled cut in Medicare physician reimbursements.

AGREED TO:

Agreeing to House Amendment to Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 - (79-16, 5 Not Voting) - The Senate approved the first of three parts of this housing package.

Cloture Motion; Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 - (80-15, 5 Not Voting) - The Senate voted to take up this bill that would rewrite electronic surveillance laws and give legal immunity to telecommunication companies that provided intelligence-gatherers with customer information.

Agreeing to House Amendments to Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 - (92-6, 2 Not Voting) - The Senate agreed to the domestic component of a supplemental spending package that also funds military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

VOTING YES (on all of the above):

Carl Levin - Democrat

Debbie Stabenow - Democrat

The House is over the jump ...

WMR's First Look at the West Michigan State House Races: Part V, Likely Safe Republican Districts

by: philgoblue

Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 15:56:19 PM EDT

We started rolling through the State House Race Handicapping Series just over three weeks ago. This, fifth installment brings the early handicapping series to an end. Now we're ready to begin the full Candidate Profiles which you can expect throughout July followed by Profiles for as many County Commission races as we can accomplish.

The past installments:
Part I: The Democratic Incumbents
Part II: Strong Opportunity for Democratic Flips
Part III: Possible Opportunity for Democratic Flips
Part IV, Long Shot Opportunities

For today, here's our look at districts that are in all likelihood safe Republican seats even in a tidal wave year for Democrats. These races are in extremely difficult districts (Republican +14-31 with few Democrats in the past 4 years getting above 35% of the vote). Still, I could see one or two of them moving up to the next tier -- "the long shots." But that would take an extremely well-run campaign and probably some Republican stumbles.

District 87  
Barry and Ionia Counties    
Peter District Baseline: Strong Republican -13.7
2004 Election: Republican Gary Newell defeated Democrat David A. Brinkert 63-35 (2 for Libertarian). Kerry Lost with 38%. 
2006 Election: Republican Brian Calley defeated Democrat Doug Kalnbach 56-41 (3 for Libertarian).
Greg Grieves  
General Election Opponent: Incumbent Republican Brian Calley
WMR Early Analysis: Democrats are doing increasingly better in this district; this could become a competitive race if there is a strong Democratic campaign.

District 88  
Allegan County
Peter District Baseline: Safe Republican -18.6  
2004 Election: Republican Fulton Sheen defeated Democrat Marty Jo Fleser 67-33. Kerry Lost with 35%. 
2006 Election: Republican Fulton Sheen defeats Democrat Gery Lynn Weichman 61-36 (3 for Green).
Tom Clark  
General Election Opponent: Republican Fulton Sheen is Term Limited; 8-way Republican Primary.
WMR Early Analysis: Clark is a serious candidate and perhaps the Republicans will beat each other up and them nominate a utter and complete nut out of their 8-way primary.  Worth watching.

District 77  
south-western Kent County
Peter District Baseline: Safe Republican  -18.4
2004 Election: Republican Kevin Green defeated Al Abbasse 66-29.  Kerry Lost with 35%.  Green defeated Kent Vanderwood 54-46 in the Republican Primary.
2006 Election: Republican incumbent Kevin Green defeated Democrat Daniel Ficeli 67-29 (3 for Libertarian)
Charles Geerlings  
General Election Opponent: Republican Representative Kevin Green is running for a third term.  
WMR Early Analysis: Could the billboard scandal create an opening?  Geerlings is a member of UAW 730.

District 86  
Eastern Kent County
Peter District Baseline: Safe Republican  -17.6
2004 Election:  Republican Dave Hildenbrand defeated Democrat James Turner 67-31 (Libertarian 2%). Kerry Lost with 37%.  Hildenbrand won the Republican primary with 40%, to Wayne Creelman's 34%, to Bob Eleveld's 28%.
2006 Election: Incumbent Republican Dave Hildenbrand defeated Democrat Melissa Casalina 64-34 (2 for Libertarian)
Melissa Casalina 
General Election Opponent: Incumbent Republican Dave Hildenbrand
WMR Early Analysis:  Phil's beloved district is hopelessly Republican (viva redistricting!).

District 89  
western Ottawa County   
Peter District Baseline: Safe Republican  -20.5
2004 Election: Republican Barbara VanderVeen defeated Democrat Rebecca Arenas 72-28. Kerry Lost with 34%.
2006 Election: Republican Arlan Meekhof defeated Democrat Don Bergman 61-35 (4 for Tim Winslow as independent)
Democratic Primary: James VanderZouwen and Tim Winslow: Windslow, 27, ran as an independent for the seat two years ago and seems to be stressing cutting taxes on small businesses.  Winslow lives in Spring Lake and is a graduate of the greatest university in the known universe (Go Blue!) and the University of Vermont Law School.  VanderZouwen, 24, lives in Allendale Township and is an Iraq War vet and computer science student at GVSU.  VanderZouwen seems to be stressing welfare and technological reforms.
General Election Opponent: Incumbent Republican Arlan Meekhof is running for a second term.
WMR Early Analysis:  Tough to make heads or tails of the two Democratic candidates, in a Grand Haven Tribune article from May, they sound more like Republicans than Democrats.

District 72  
southern Kent    
Peter District Baseline: Safe Republican  -21.1
2004 Election: Republican Glenn Steil Jr. defeated Democrat Thomas Burke 68-30 (2 for Libertarian). Kerry Lost with 34%.
2006 Election: Republican incumbent Glenn Steil JR. defeated Democrat Kyle Hinton 66-32.
Al Abbasse  
General Election Opponent: Republican Representative Glenn Steil Jr.  
WMR Early Analysis: Abbasse is an experienced candidate, but this is a safe Republican district.

District 74  
Ottawa and a small part of western Kent Counties
Peter District Baseline: Safe Republican  -27.1
2004 Election:  Incumbent Republican Dave VanRegenmorter defeated Dawn Sloboda 75-24.  Kerry Lost with 27%.
2006 Election: Republican David Agema defeated Steven Kauffman 70-28 (2 for Libertarian)
Leon Chase 
General Election Opponent: Republican David "Beware Sheep" Agema
WMR Early Analysis: Chase is a member of UAW 730. An impossible district for decades to come.

District 90  
Southern Ottawa    
Peter District Baseline: Safe Republican  -30.9
2004 Election: Republican incumbent Bill Huizenga defeated Democrat Jo Bartlett 79-19 (3 for Libertarian). Kerry Lost with 24%
2006 Election: Republican incumbent Bill Huizenga defeated Democrat Clay Stauffer 78-22
Clay Stauffer  
General Election Opponent:  Republican Representative Bill Huizenga  is Termlimited; 2-way Republican Primary: Bob Harmsen and Joseph Haveman.
WMR Early Analysis: An impossible district for decades to come.

National Republican Congressional Committee: "There are no safe Republican seats"

by: philgoblue

Sun Jun 29, 2008 at 18:33:31 PM EDT

In the past they've been able to run on Gods, Guns, Gays and "we know how to run the economy."  But, in the light of stagnating salaries, sky high gas prices, the credit crunch, the deindustrialization of Michigan and America, and the bursting of the house bubble, the culture wars seem minor and the "we can run government like a business" crowd sounds like "we actually just run government like Enron."  

We've always dominated on the actual issues -- healthcare, education, environment, etc -- but have always had trouble getting our message out with a horse-race and scandal obsessed press corps that hates to report on issues and isn't generally buys into supply-side economics.  We've also been hampered since the Republicans usually outspend Democrats 2-to-1 and we let our field operations and activist mobilization systems fall into disrepair after the downturn in the power of organized labor in the 1970s and 1980s.  

Well, with the power of low-dollar donations and online outreach we've pulled even or ahead in fundraising and have found a way to match their power in direct mail.  As I've written before, the main lesson of the Obama win in the primary ought to be the power of grassroots volunteering in an organized field operation and tied together through email and the internet.  With the economy in recession, the war off the front pages mostly because Bush effectively surrendered to the Sunni militants and turned them into a provincial police force in Al Anbar and other Sunni majority districts yet no closer to whatever "victory" we might define, Bush at 28% approval, and the percentage of Americans saying "we're on the wrong track / we're dissatisfied with the current situation in America" somewhere around 80%, the Republicans are fearful of a tidal wave against them and for Democrats in November.

Friday, The Associated Press got their hands on a Republican blue-ribbon report reviewing the performance of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) given three straight loses in recent congressional elections in what had historically been safe Republican seats -- in Illinois, Louisiana and Mississippi.

According to the AP, the review committee primarily blamed the national political environment (re: Bush, War, Gas, Recession) but also noted that the Republican candidates were "less than optimal" and they ran flawed campaigns.  Apparently the biggest flaw was that the Republican campaigns mentioned they were Republicans running for national office and they used the old Republican playbook that this time around failed to sway voters.

The report said:

"None of the candidates nor their allies successfully established themselves and their local brand in contrast to the negative perception of the national GOP."

The review warned of the potential for widespread losses in congressional races this fall unless Republican candidates can overcome "negative perception of the national party."

Karen Hanretty, communications director for the NRCC, reacted to the private report by acknowledging the difficulties confronting her party.

"This is a challenging environment. Any Republican running for office has to run basically on an independent platform, localize the race and not take anything for granted. There are no safe Republican seats in this election."

The review advises Republicans to show "deep empathy towards the voters."  Now this is interesting given that I listened to Rush for 3 minutes a few days ago and he was talking about how great the economy is in America.  The report also stressed that Republicans running to be members of the House of Representatives in Washington DC should rely on local rather than national issues.  Somehow I doubt running a drain commission campaign is really going to help, but if that's what they want to do, OK.

The report was blunt, and although you can blame your defeated candidates pretty easily when it comes down to it, the Republicans had to admit that

Democratic candidates accurately reflected the views of the districts....

The Republicans have also stressed how well-funded the Democratic challengers were in these three special elections.  However, the ability of Democrats to have the money to get their message out isn't likely to change.  At the end of May, the National Republican Congressional Committee had $6.7 million in its bank account, while the Democrats reported $47.2 million (remember, don't just give to the Obama, but remember the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee).

Democrats currently hold a majority of 235-199, with one vacancy. We ought to be thinking of flipping 30-40 seats and taking our majority to something like 270-164.  This would put progressive Democrats in a clear majority and insure we have a strong bench for future runs at the Senate.

What does this mean to us here in West Michigan?

It means our top candidates like Fred Johnson and Don Cooney can win and are worthy of us giving them our hours and dollars.  

In West Michigan, first we have to believe we can win, then we have to work hard and smart, then ... we stun the country!

Why we ALL should care about our County Drain Commissioner

by: ShirleyK

Sun Jun 29, 2008 at 10:59:05 AM EDT

The drain commissioner is responsible for planning, developing, and maintaining surface water drainage systems under the Michigan Drain Code.  The need for an elected official is facilitated by the high density of waterways and low-lying areas throughout the state.  A commissioner may work closely with other government officials to develop and manage drain systems to accommodate new construction or to maintain urban infrastructure.  A drain may be a natural or artificial creek or ditch, or a massive pipe for carrying storm water.

We all want growth in Kent County...Responsible growth.  Growth creates jobs and helps keep our local economy strong.  The Drain Commissioner is the last line of defense for our fragile environment.  Improper growth can cause serious harm to our water table, putting our water at risk.  I believe in responsible growth, sustainable growth that protects our water and preserves our environment.

The Drain Commissioner has the authority to levy tax assessments and directs construction or maintenance of drains and culverts on behalf of each drainage district.  Since a Drain Commissioner can have an impact on taxation, the position must be accountable to the voters.  However, although it is an elected position, the Drain Commissioner is not necessarily a political position.  In fact, in order to properly preserve and protect our water, a Drain Commissioner needs experience in ecology, geology, and environmental stewardship.  Kent County needs a Drain Commissioner who will properly balance responsible growth and sustainability with environmental stewardship.

I support Brian McKay for Kent County Drain Commissioner as the candidate with a commitment to the environment, and as the candidate with the most relevant educational and professional experience.

But to raise his 42% take of the vote last round to a winning majority this election, Brian must again wage a County-wide campaign in an election year in which there is unprecedented competition for donors.

Please join me in making a modest contribution to his campaign.  And show your support by attending his

Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
Tuesday, July 1, 5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
G.R.E.I.U.
917 Bridge St., NW, Grand Rapids
$25.00 Suggested donation
Music, Friends, Fun and Food

I will be there, and I hope to see many of you as well.  A little from all of us can make a BIG difference!

RSVP to by emailing Brian or 616 776-6908
Make checks payable to Brian McKay - Protecting OUR Water
or Mail to Brian at
1124 Spring Dr. NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

The Michigan Energy Fair

by: philgoblue

Sun Jun 29, 2008 at 10:54:36 AM EDT

A must-check-out story.

On Voter Registration vs. other efforts.

by: memiller

Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 14:40:27 PM EDT

Maybe it's not quite that simple - it does matter which people come out to vote, and we've seen in the past where certain ballot initiatives have energized the Republican vote even more, to our detriment. But if everybody voted, the political landscape would move in our direction - massively.

Realizing this, the Obama campaign has launched 'Vote for Change', a nationwide voter registration effort. When full-time operatives came into W Michigan over a month ago, they set about organizing the grassroots here to start doing voter registration. Here in Kalamazoo, a few weeks ago, with the number of volunteers becoming unwieldy, we split up into six neighborhood teams to do the same thing.

This diary analyzes the patterns of voter involvement in Kalamazoo County, gleaned from the VAN (Democratic database), and attempts to apply them to the question of whether our efforts should actually be aimed at registering voters, or in a different direction.

The Cooney Campaign Takes Flight

by: philgoblue

Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 12:06:50 PM EDT

The Cooney for Congress campaign has taken off in the past 8 weeks and is flying high.  Obviously, we have the impressive ability to get 3,000 signatures in a little over one week to get on the ballot.  Since then Don, has hired a campaign manager and just brought on a well-respected field director.  In addition they've put up an impressive new website with great features: actblue donation links, easy ways to volunteer, a blog, links to social networking sites, audio and video, a calendar, etc.  So, this is clearly a campaign that's runninig to win and Cooney's path to victory is clear: tap into Don's roots and history in Kalamazoo city and county, build off of the Obama Effect by mobilizing youth and the African-American community (something Cooney has already been doing for decades), mix in support from labor and college folks, and run a strong campaign throughout the district with strong Obama-Cooney GOTV in Berrien county and they can pull an upset against one of the richest silver-spoons in Congress.

Think that's pie in the sky?  An old friend of mine -- Nick Beaudrot -- who is a complete numbers geek, ran numbers on how an Obama Effect might influence Congressional races.

Admittedly a "very crude" model to estimate of Barack Obama's performance on a district-by-district basis, what Nick did was:

I've given him 95% of the black vote, 60% of the Hispanic vote, 55% of the college white vote, and 35% of the non-college white vote. This gives him 43% of the overall white-plus-Asian/other vote, and just over 50% nationwide. I've then assumed that Black voters and Latino voters exhibit uniform voting patterns, and then computed the Partisan Voting Index among white voters to arrive at a number for Obama in the district...

Now, I'm not even sure that Nick is taking likely very increased voter turnout among African-Americans along with increases in the Latino community into effect or not, but he does find that Michigan's 6th Congressional district is the 31st most competitive among Republican incumbent seats.  Beaudrot finds that based on his assumptions, Obama would win the district with 48.6%.  And that's an opening for Cooney, especially given that I think McCain will be in a world of hurt come the fall and that the election could look over by early October, leading to low Republican turnout in November for people like Upton.  Of course, we have to work our tails off to make those assumptions -- and more -- true.

Follow me below on how you can help Don win TOMORROW (Satruday) the 6th Congressional District....

Unite For Change In West Michigan This Saturday!

by: AikoAdam

Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 09:00:00 AM EDT

So you say you have nothing to do on a Saturday now that they don't show cartoons all morning? Well do I have an event for you. People from all over the country are gathering at neighbors' houses this Saturday to talk about how we are going to get Barack Obama elected. So while you could be sitting at home watching This Old House or the New Yankee Workshop, or mowing the lawn, baking cookies,doing the laundry...you get the point. Find the event nearest you and go meet some new people, some old friends and help be a part of the solution! So go to BarackObama.com to search events by radius or just go below the flip to find a house party near you.