Monday, April 14, 2008

Not as unpopular as they would have you believe

According to the newest Epic MRA poll of Michigan voters, Barack Obama leads John McCain. The more interesting bit of news is how much better he matches up against McCain than Hillary Clinton would.

Obama, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, leads McCain 43 percent to 41 percent, according to the survey by Lansing polling firm EPIC-MRA. Obama's lead is well within the poll's error margin of 4 percentage points, however. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, holds a 46-37 edge over Clinton.


Obama's numbers look even better when you realize he has yet to fully campaign in the state while McCain has done so twice. It's reasonable to assume his numbers could come up by campaigning here just as they have in virtually every state during the primary season.

So much for the notion that Michigan voters would hold it against him that he followed the rules in the state's primary. The Clinton campaign has waged a bitter fight for the state's delegates which many felt could potentially alienate Obama from voters, thus denying him a fairly reliable large midwestern state. Clinton has tried to use her "win" here in an effort to sway remaining primary voters and Democratic Party superdelegates by creating a mythical narrative that only she can win the big swing states many see as key to an electoral victory in November. Not only was the argument wrong because it ignores many other small states that could tip the scales which Obama has ran well in, but now it's clear that it is also incorrect to assume her "win" meant anything more than it's easy to win a beauty contest when you're the only one vying for the crown.


In other polling data, even though it's being spun as bad news, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is not nearly as unpopular as the state's media wants to think she is. 45% hold a favorable view of the term-limited Governor, while just over 50% viewed her unfavorably (the President's unfavorable ratings are 10 points higher).

I'd say that all in all this isn't bad news for Granholm who has taken the brunt of round after round of budget battles with belligerent opponents who can't accept defeat at the ballot box as a sign that the public is not with them in their quest to restrict investments in state infrastructure and education, as well as getting the blame for the economic downturn which was caused by the failure of the Big 3 to nurse itself away from production lines raking in vast profits making gas-guzzling SUVs before the price of oil rose and dried up their profits, leading to massive job layoffs in a state already hit with the effects of trade deals without sufficient worker and environmental protections to level the playing field.

If the state's Republicans want to talk about the "unpopular" Governor then we should help them remember how few Americans still trust or support the President's failed policies and inept leadership and remind your fellow citizens that the Republican Party thinks that what we really need is more of the same.

36 comments:

Pol Watcher II too said...

pw - why would you delete TS comments last night on this blog. Did it strike a nerve and are we going see another lathered up verbal tizzy fit? It is clear to everybody that your blog doesn't respect or believe in freedom of speech. You ballyhoo your opinions and feel so smug with your self-rightousness and then you bury others who dare to give their comments, opinions or speak the truth.

pw you should change your blog name to the "Hastings Democrates Opinion" because it mirror's the slim of detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, hellary clinton, the trio plus, ag3, hubka and cichey doesn't it?

lonevoice said...
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lonevoice said...
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Pol Watcher said...

You want freedom of speech, go start your own blog.

lonevoice said...
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Pol Watcher II too said...

Pol and TS - wow where did that come from. if that came from this blog we never saw it, but it sounds exactly like the stuff we have read in the paper. could that be why that judge won't drop the case yet against black belt barney, the prosecutor and newspaper as reported in the grand press and on the the local radio? something isn't right there. we hope el grillo, captain sixberry or sarvers runs against barney and good lawyers like gloose or trip runs for attorney prosecutor, we used them both and they know the law and tell the truth. Thanks TS for you and bul for keeping us updated.

codered said...

So what is a narcissist? Someone who preens in front of the mirror all day in admiration? NOT! Ask yourself this: is your partner intensely angered by anything that seems to suggest that he or she might have a flaw? Narcissists will do anything, including brutalizing their own family, to maintain their own feeling that others see them as without any flaws. And, narcissists have extreme and illogical sensitivities, sometimes connecting the most minute observations with their intense fears of being seen as flawed. Narcissists will strain every muscle to meet their own "flawless" image, and demean or destroy anyone or anything who casts any doubt on this image. If you see this dynamic in your partner, family member, coworker, or friend, you are very probably dealing with a narcissist.

Pol Watcher said...

TS, you've abused my blog enough and I won't allow it to continue. If people want to read what I've written they are free to do so or you could have simply linked to them or quoted a short relevant excerpt instead of yet again spamming the comments on a post that has nothing to do with your PERSONAL vendetta.

agnosticrat said...

It seems to me that if it is inevitable that the nomination goes all the way to convention, there could be a chance for Michigan delegates to make a stand. Not for a candidate, but for changing the Democratic party rules on the scheduling of primaries in the future.
If in fact they were to refuse to take their seats when they were inevitably called to, they could make quite a stir at a time the cameras are rolling, and odds are there may be at least one candidate that may likely want to count their votes bad enough to be on Michigan's side and force a vote on such a measure.
The best incentive for both candidates to consider this, is to allow Michigan's delegates to vote their own will, instead of having to follow results from the sham election that took place months ago.
I know there are a million and one reasons this will not happen, but let a guy dream will ya. I'm looking for lemonaide here.

lonevoice said...
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Bulwark said...

codered you might consider getting a wig or getting fixed, there is assistance available for narcissist. Look first in your own mirror, you'll see many a person have attempted to help you to their own demise

Bulwark said...

ONE MORE QUESTION for pw and bebe can expound on. What defense, justification or rational does DARling barney have for driving the county car to HIS civil suit hearing in Charlotte? As we read it here, the civil suit was filed against DARling barney, not the sheriff or the people of our county..... could it be that DARling had to pick up his son from school or make a trip to walmart...now that's integrity.

truth teller said...

Bulwark:

That is a minor point compared to the question -- Is the county and/or its insurance company defending DARling Barney and Tom? Is that right if the Judge ruled they were not acting as sherif and prosecutor? Makes you wonder. One of the County Commissioners reading this should ask the same questions.

Pol Watcher II too said...

Bul - makes us want to ask a couple of other questions. do you know if evans went to court in charlotte? did they ride together ? did they charge the citizens for travel expences, like lunch? did they carry sick time, annual leave or work time?

le bébé d'oiseau-mouche said...

Codered, I was thinking bi polar, but.....

Jay thanks for all that you do.

PW wonderful site, great blog!

You all are welcome to come see me in my new positions, I will be busy I am sure because a person of cloth, and running a jail is busy busy work.

TheDarkSide said...

I heard this afternoon of a petition circulating to run for prosecuting attorney. I forget the name but I was told it was a lady who used to work in that office

le bébé d'oiseau-mouche said...

Does she need a petition?

lonevoice said...
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TheDarkSide said...

le bebe,

whatever it is called that gets her name on the ballot.

agnosticrat said...

In this case the term "the director" is beginning to sound like an unknown character in a futuristic, 70's, Woody Allen film. It is also incorrect.
The Former, or Resigned Director is more apropos. Try that for awhile, it gives it a little more 80's James Bond film feel to your diatribes.

Pol Watcher II too said...

just watched channel 8 news and saw that the barry county animal shelter is under quarantine for the second time in three weeks. they had to kill several animals because of some illness. management of the animal shelter falls directly under DARling barney and comiss engleth committee and it appears that this is yet another destructive failure that the taxpayers will have to pay for because of their inept leadership. maybe barneys buddies were in florida on the jail junket and nobody was taking care of business.
instead of buying high heeled swat boots and baseball hats, or taking jail junkets, or directing traffic at his church, DARling barney should have insured that the animal shelter was properly sterilized the first time. What will barneys use for his excuse now pw and bebe?

le bébé d'oiseau-mouche said...

Is the Fair Board under SHeriff's too? I recall a quarantine there, that they were aware of an ill pig, and if proper care would have been taken, the whole barn may not have needed to be quaratined.

I see you believe politics officials should micro manage. Please run for office. Help us clean this County up. I would love to see a super hero take office and do all the work. Barry County needs more citizen involvement, more citizens running for offices, more volunteers. Have you put your name in the hat yet?

lonevoice said...
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Bulwark said...

bebe - couple of simple questions -if someone was to jump off a bridge, would barney jump too? or because the clerks decided to misappropriate taxpayers money, should the people in the tresurers office do the same thing?

Your dismal analogy of the pig barn and micro manageing are simply more excuses for lack of leadership and management integrity. DARling barney must be held to the high professional standards that his two predecessors where. They didn't always blame their employees, make excuses or pass the buck, they lead by example. Let me assure you, if it wasn't for our undersheriff our department would be in total disgraceful shambles.

lonevoice said...
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le bébé d'oiseau-mouche said...

So Barry County Deps should drink and drive, plow over mail boxes, leave the seen?

darkside,

I was asking sincerely, not being a smart butt : ) does a person have to have a petition to run?

TS you are right, I will go to that blog, and if you and bul have questions for me that is where you will me. Thanks.

TheDarkSide said...

le bebe,

I may not be using the right term but if I am not mistaken you must submit a paper (I thought a petition) with x amount of signatures of registered voters to the county clerk in order to get your name on the ballot

lonevoice said...
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Bulwark said...

TS - with your posting of 0-13 we assume you mean the prosecutors dismal court win 0 lost 13 record. Our people, the city officers and the state police take seal proof cases to him. He either dumps them or screws them up so bad in his delivery and presentation the courts or jury throws them out. Some very bad people have been set free because of his lack of ability to prosecute routine or uncomplicated cases. The most horrible cases that have been thrown out are the ruthless sex predators who will continue to prey on our young and vulnerable children.

Since the election of DARling barney, evans and engleth, our department and our county contines to lumber along in the wrong direction. The actual victims of the dumbing down of our county are the taxpayers, because the trio plus take the taxpayers to be a bunch of mindless mouth breathers.

Pol Watcher II too said...

ts and bul: it's understandable why the prosecutor isn't in private practice, he'd starve. Dad said the Tigers are even doing better than that. Maybe he ought to go back to spring practice.

lonevoice said...
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lonevoice said...
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Bulwark said...

TS - What the rag reported is very old news. We knew the accusations were untrue over four years ago when DARling barney was running for sheriff. You must remember, we worked with that angry disgrundled employee, who hides behind the name codered. She worked here before she went to work at dispatch and she did the same thing to a city officer.

Nasty himself was wrong, first to hire her, but most importantly he should have fired her, but he was stupid enough to try to change her and make her a productive employee. Shame on him, all nasty got was a poke in the rear and the other employees suffered for it too.

DARling barney, evans and the rag tried to ride into moon light by trying to make nasty a bad guy. It looks now like the trio "plus" are getting hit with a wad of their own shit now.

Everybody here continues to wonder why our department and the taxpayers have to pay for the trio plus lack of leadership and black belt stupitity. Looks like nasty should be wearing the swat outfix now, because he is battle tested and has survived many negative hits and outragous lies.

Pol bebe jay etc. any answers yet ?

Pol Watcher II too said...

bul - maybe the county commissioners should ask the state attorney to investigate the wasting of taxpayers money, political corruption, and possible malfeasance in the sheriffs dept and the prosecutors office. We still haven't seen any answers to your question like where did the lunch money go, was it embezzelment?; who authorized comiss. engleth company to do work at the jail without following the counties bid policy; who hired the unlicensed electrician without bids being let; who authorized jay the janitor to work on comiss engleth company vehicle in the jail garage on county time; why can the sheriff drive a county car to his civil suit; how much money and man hours was spent on the witch hunts against Charles Nystrom and on and on and on. don't allegations need to be publicly looked into? dont the taxpayers have the right to no?

for the commissioner chair mike calton to say "nobody came to the commissioners in a public meeting to ask questions" is just burying the messenger. it looks like he is afraid of being exposed to the truth. is it because calton doesnt want to be degraded by the local paper for seeking the truth or is he just a follower and not the leader trys so hard to be?

There are 8 or 9 county commissioners who were elected to work for the taxpayers, why wont they do there job and get answers to the questions raised? it looks like the trio plus have cost the taxpayers far to much money and time by chasing there tails, all for the wrong reasons.

the old man wonders if the trio plus could stand the humiliation and scrutiny nasty had to take. hopefully the courts will finally expose the whole truth? in the long run, the taxpayers will almost certainly have to pay more and more and more.

with rep. callys new law, the trio plus will be ordered to pay back the taxpayers with there own money.

ps - i think nasty is to old to dress up in a swat costume and high heel swat boots.

Bulwark said...

strict new orders have now been issued. anyone caught sending any messages to the blogs that mention the trio plus, will be fired.

We wonder here if this came about because:
(1) nasty was taken off the 10 most wanted list
(2) there is an election coming up and things aren't looking to promising for DARling barney and evans
(3) there is a legitimate and potentially expensive civil suit pending against DARling barney, evans and the local paper ???

Things aren't very happy around here. We can only assume our detective will now be working on DARling barneys and evans civil suit because the clock is ticking and is it ever costing our department and the taxpayers heaps of money. The money that has already has been wasted could have paid for a state of the art,three story jail.

Guess we'll just have to type the truth with our uniforms off and our wallets (ID) in our dresser draw at home.

el grillo said...

I'll have to look back, but I suspect that this thread had something to do with national politics.
What most voters in the USA aren't aware of is that the people in the rest of the world are better informed about our politics than we are. They have much more to lose.
If the Republican Party continues to dominate the USA, we will become even more isolated than we have become.
The value of the US dollar is now beginning to reflect the loss of respect we have in the rest of the world.
Given the limited choices that we are being offered, the Democrats will have to work very hard to screw up another election. Barack Obama is recognized outside of the USA as the least terrible of the ridiculous options, and the most frequently asked question that I heard was "Is that the best your country can offer the world for leadership?"
Suddenly Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales and Daniel Ortega seem to have what it takes to lead this hemisphere into the future.
Latin America will soon have open borders, common currency and will no longer behave as dependent upon us for their happiness.