As we hit two weeks to go before Primary election day, I figure it might be my final chance to give some last minute advice to those brave and/or fool-hardy souls who have chosen to run for public office. I see too many people who throw their hat in the ring but seem unable or unwilling to do what it takes to win, so here's some free advice based on seeing where people get it right and where they go wrong...
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make when they run for local office is never telling people where they stand on actual issues. It's not enough to say in your campaign materials that you are trustworthy or that you're a nice person, what church you attend, that you have 2.5 children and a yellow lab, etc. Too often people spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars running for local offices but never seem to give people a reason for voters to take time out of their day before or after work to cast their lone ballot. Campaigning is a form of advertising and the first thing you do when you try to sell something to someone is tell them why they can't live without the product (which, if you're running for office, is YOU). Give concrete examples of how and why you'd do a good job. Voters need information and too often campaigns spend lots of money without telling voters anything besides where a candidate graduated, what they look like and other generic and meaningless factoids.
The flip side of convincing people to vote FOR you is convincing people that they also need to vote against the other person, not because they're bad but because you'd do that much better of a job. "Negative" campaigning gets a bad rap but it works because it's how you tell people that the other person is not as good as you. Many politicians get it wrong and give negative campaigning its bad reputation because their attacks aren't substantial and on message- they are mean-spirited and personal where they should be about issues and drawing a contrast between choices. I find too many candidates seem to do either too little or too much negative campaigning- too many don't understand the subtle difference between highlighting areas of difference and just being nasty. As a voter I need information that gives me a reason to vote for you and not stay at home, but a campaigns that gets too bitter and personal can keep people at home (which can be an intentional strategy used by politicians who know the other person is a stronger candidate). If I think the other candidate is also an acceptable choice then maybe voting isn't that important and I can just get home and fix dinner for the family and mow the lawn instead of choosing which little circle to fill in with a number 2 pencil.
I'm also surprised by how many people are willing to spend a bunch of money to buy campaign signs, send mailers, put their ego and pride on the line and then suddenly seem to get cold feet when the going gets tough. Elections can get expensive (why do you think so many politicians are people that already have money?) and if you're facing a tough opponent you can find yourself writing check after check to keep up. Too many times people jump in a race because it seems fun and exciting when people are telling you that should run, but then start to chicken out when they realize how tough it is. If people see you aren't willing to invest your own money and time on a race, they'll be less willing to help you out when the going gets tough.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Media lays an egg in
reporting on reform effort
It's said that space abhors a vacuum and so, it seems, does the media.
When word finally got out that a grassroots group had a petition drive in motion that would reform Michigan government the media was caught by surprise. The group was quietly gathering the 370,000+ signatures it would need to get the effort to amend the state constitution on the November ballot, but no one told the power brokers in Lansing. Alarm bells went off and soon political reporters and bloggers were hunting for every shred of information they could get about Reform Michigan Government Now. Sadly, they got a lot of it wrong.
In their effort to fill space in their newspapers the reporters often turned to uninformed idiots who were willing to pretend they knew what they were talking about. In that reporting was also an elitist element that sounded angry that the grassroots effort hadn't consulted the power brokers and influence peddlers in Lansing. Surely, this group was a secret front for some known lobbying group, the Lansing insider class decided. And all the rest of their reporting has been spent trying to prove their initial belief. Instead of trying to find the truth, the media decided it knew the truth and would fit the story around that supposition.
In the days and weeks that followed the initial news leak, many established Michigan pundits and politicos weighed in. Early on, State Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer commented positively on many of the reforms in the package and thus the media decided he must be behind the effort. When it came out that many of the members of the unsuccessful Unicameral Michigan campaign to "Fire the Senate" were behind Reform Michigan Government Now and that paid petition circulators were being used (sadly, you almost can't get a petition drive on the ballot if you don't have money to pay professionals to do the collecting- only one such effort was ever successful in Michigan), the media demanded to know who was funding the drive. In the absence of correct information, it was floated that John Stryker was bankrolling the effort. When Stryker issued a firm denial we get yet more speculation and no real information. The media's obsession with the money seems to have blinded it from doing it's job and asking the only important question- is it any good for Michigan? Should it pass?
It's the media obsession with Brewer and Stryker which is so "striking" to me and gets to the heart of why these reforms are so necessary. In their attempts to find a way to attack the reform movement, they wish to 'kill the messenger' and they can't really do that with a group of ordinary citizens other than to incorrectly label group treasurer Harland Nye as a chicken farmer (he's a retired band director). The group of political outsiders has played their cards close to the vest which seems to be an affront to the sort of insider-class culture in Lansing. Despite employing the public relations firm of former state House speaker Dianne Byrum, the group is attacked for not being more establishment such as when Jack Lessenberry writes that:
So, it's nakedly partisan to preserve a majority of Governor Engler-appointed judges on the bench? It's partisan to take a non-partisan method for eliminating the two most inexperienced members of the bench? Lessenberry's arguments show exactly how much the media is contorting itself to find reasons to oppose these common sense proposals which make up a rather cohesive set of reforms that could never be enacted in our poisoned partisan atmosphere in Lansing. Yet some of the people who make a living speaking out against are now mad that the proposals aren't more blatantly partisan. In fact, Lessenberry decries that the proposal doesn't target the most independent member of the state Supreme Court (the court which was recently ranked worst in the nation in judicial partisanship by the way). Huh?
In a town where partisan politics is everything, Lansing can't help but turn an anti-partisan/non-partisan effort into something which can only be seen through the filter of which party it helps or hurts. What's funny is that in none of these efforts do we hear any good reasons why one side might be advantaged. We do suddenly hear how partisan our non-partisan justices are though which should come as a surprise to anyone who thought they were voting for judges and not political parties.
Which brings me back to the effort by some to paint this as a secret scheme by Mark Brewer to control state government. First, the state Democratic Party is poised to have its best November in a long time. With a toxic Republican brand and a charismatic figure on the top of the ticket who threatens to boost turnout in the state, Democrats in Michigan have to be swooning at their prospects this fall. Yet we are to believe that instead of trying to turn out the vote in November, Brewer has been busy crafting and organizing an effort that would take redistricting away from his own party? We are also supposed to believe that Brewer is secretly behind a plan that includes proposals floated or supported by people such as Terry Lynn Land (no-reason absentee voting), Glenn Steil Jr. (reducing number of state legislators), and Chief Justice Clifford Taylor (reducing number of judges), among others?
In their rush to judgment and then to be jury and executioner, the media has conveniently forgotten many of the proposals were originally proposed by members of the Republican Party and seem to exclusively focus on the ones that do not benefit the Republican Party machine while skimming over the rest (some of which, like losing the power of redistricting which has helped deliver State Senate control to the GOP despite getting less votes state-wide, actually hurt Democrats but the reporting never seems to mention that aspect). State Republican Party chair Saul Anuzis has attacked Reform Michigan Government Now's ballot drive with his standard line of attributing anything he doesn't like as coming from trial lawyers and liberals but Mr. Anuzis and the media have been pretty scant on what in the proposal would advantage Democrats. Other than the coincidental fact that the two most inexperienced Supreme Court justices are "Republicans" despite their constant past efforts to pretend they were non-partisan. Apparently it's bad that the effort is so partisan except when it should have been even more partisan. Yes, they think you're that stupid that you can't see through their shifting reasons for attacking the grassroots effort.
What's sad is that most average citizens in Michigan realize state government is badly broken and want it to get fixed but feel powerless to do anything about it. After too many years of divisive wrangling over budget issues and taxes, Lansing has proven it can't take on the toughest of issues. What is needed is for someone, anyone to step up the plate and deliver a set of much-needed reforms that would help reduce the partisan atmosphere and help voice the disgust of the people at what is happening in Lansing. Instead, we get the media trying to kill the messengers. We get the partisan spin of Saul Anuzis reported as truth. We get lies about the honest people in Barry County who've given years of their lives in trying to make Michigan state government actually work for the people. We get a defense of the status quo. We get more of the same.
Today, the group is expected to drop well more than the required number of signatures, with plenty of cushion to ensure that the effort gets on the ballot in November, into the hands of the Secretary of State. The special interests have already lined up against this, the influence peddlers have been honing their attacks. All I ask is that the people quit listening to the media trying to tell them they're too stupid to understand the proposal and look into it themselves. The media shouldn't waste it's time telling you WHAT to think about it but instead telling you what it actually would do. If they can't do that simple task then they are part of the problem too.
In fact, not only are they trying to tell you what to think about the proposals instead of giving you the information to think for yourself, the media has gotten many of their facts wrong. If you can't trust them to give you the basic facts about Reform Michigan Government Now, then how can you trust them when they try to tell you it's a bad idea? That's something even a chicken farmer could understand.
When word finally got out that a grassroots group had a petition drive in motion that would reform Michigan government the media was caught by surprise. The group was quietly gathering the 370,000+ signatures it would need to get the effort to amend the state constitution on the November ballot, but no one told the power brokers in Lansing. Alarm bells went off and soon political reporters and bloggers were hunting for every shred of information they could get about Reform Michigan Government Now. Sadly, they got a lot of it wrong.
In their effort to fill space in their newspapers the reporters often turned to uninformed idiots who were willing to pretend they knew what they were talking about. In that reporting was also an elitist element that sounded angry that the grassroots effort hadn't consulted the power brokers and influence peddlers in Lansing. Surely, this group was a secret front for some known lobbying group, the Lansing insider class decided. And all the rest of their reporting has been spent trying to prove their initial belief. Instead of trying to find the truth, the media decided it knew the truth and would fit the story around that supposition.
In the days and weeks that followed the initial news leak, many established Michigan pundits and politicos weighed in. Early on, State Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer commented positively on many of the reforms in the package and thus the media decided he must be behind the effort. When it came out that many of the members of the unsuccessful Unicameral Michigan campaign to "Fire the Senate" were behind Reform Michigan Government Now and that paid petition circulators were being used (sadly, you almost can't get a petition drive on the ballot if you don't have money to pay professionals to do the collecting- only one such effort was ever successful in Michigan), the media demanded to know who was funding the drive. In the absence of correct information, it was floated that John Stryker was bankrolling the effort. When Stryker issued a firm denial we get yet more speculation and no real information. The media's obsession with the money seems to have blinded it from doing it's job and asking the only important question- is it any good for Michigan? Should it pass?
It's the media obsession with Brewer and Stryker which is so "striking" to me and gets to the heart of why these reforms are so necessary. In their attempts to find a way to attack the reform movement, they wish to 'kill the messenger' and they can't really do that with a group of ordinary citizens other than to incorrectly label group treasurer Harland Nye as a chicken farmer (he's a retired band director). The group of political outsiders has played their cards close to the vest which seems to be an affront to the sort of insider-class culture in Lansing. Despite employing the public relations firm of former state House speaker Dianne Byrum, the group is attacked for not being more establishment such as when Jack Lessenberry writes that:
They just might have been able to pull this off if they had gotten together with a few reasonable Republicans, like Joe Schwarz and Kalamazoo County Administrator Don Gilmer, and come up with something truly bipartisan. Instead, to give themselves cover, they put up as their official treasurer an 80-year-old retired high school band director who says he is a Republican. Give me a break.So, is Lessenberry saying Mr. Nye is NOT a Republican or that he's not reasonable? Is he saying it's bad that the group lies but only because they didn't tell a different lie, one that him and his reporter buddies are used to hearing? Give US a break, Jack. If you don't think the effort is bipartisan, please tell me what's in the plan that makes it partisan. Instead we get more garbage like this:
But the proposal reveals its naked partisanship in its intention to eliminate two state supreme court justices.
So, it's nakedly partisan to preserve a majority of Governor Engler-appointed judges on the bench? It's partisan to take a non-partisan method for eliminating the two most inexperienced members of the bench? Lessenberry's arguments show exactly how much the media is contorting itself to find reasons to oppose these common sense proposals which make up a rather cohesive set of reforms that could never be enacted in our poisoned partisan atmosphere in Lansing. Yet some of the people who make a living speaking out against are now mad that the proposals aren't more blatantly partisan. In fact, Lessenberry decries that the proposal doesn't target the most independent member of the state Supreme Court (the court which was recently ranked worst in the nation in judicial partisanship by the way). Huh?
In a town where partisan politics is everything, Lansing can't help but turn an anti-partisan/non-partisan effort into something which can only be seen through the filter of which party it helps or hurts. What's funny is that in none of these efforts do we hear any good reasons why one side might be advantaged. We do suddenly hear how partisan our non-partisan justices are though which should come as a surprise to anyone who thought they were voting for judges and not political parties.
Which brings me back to the effort by some to paint this as a secret scheme by Mark Brewer to control state government. First, the state Democratic Party is poised to have its best November in a long time. With a toxic Republican brand and a charismatic figure on the top of the ticket who threatens to boost turnout in the state, Democrats in Michigan have to be swooning at their prospects this fall. Yet we are to believe that instead of trying to turn out the vote in November, Brewer has been busy crafting and organizing an effort that would take redistricting away from his own party? We are also supposed to believe that Brewer is secretly behind a plan that includes proposals floated or supported by people such as Terry Lynn Land (no-reason absentee voting), Glenn Steil Jr. (reducing number of state legislators), and Chief Justice Clifford Taylor (reducing number of judges), among others?
In their rush to judgment and then to be jury and executioner, the media has conveniently forgotten many of the proposals were originally proposed by members of the Republican Party and seem to exclusively focus on the ones that do not benefit the Republican Party machine while skimming over the rest (some of which, like losing the power of redistricting which has helped deliver State Senate control to the GOP despite getting less votes state-wide, actually hurt Democrats but the reporting never seems to mention that aspect). State Republican Party chair Saul Anuzis has attacked Reform Michigan Government Now's ballot drive with his standard line of attributing anything he doesn't like as coming from trial lawyers and liberals but Mr. Anuzis and the media have been pretty scant on what in the proposal would advantage Democrats. Other than the coincidental fact that the two most inexperienced Supreme Court justices are "Republicans" despite their constant past efforts to pretend they were non-partisan. Apparently it's bad that the effort is so partisan except when it should have been even more partisan. Yes, they think you're that stupid that you can't see through their shifting reasons for attacking the grassroots effort.
What's sad is that most average citizens in Michigan realize state government is badly broken and want it to get fixed but feel powerless to do anything about it. After too many years of divisive wrangling over budget issues and taxes, Lansing has proven it can't take on the toughest of issues. What is needed is for someone, anyone to step up the plate and deliver a set of much-needed reforms that would help reduce the partisan atmosphere and help voice the disgust of the people at what is happening in Lansing. Instead, we get the media trying to kill the messengers. We get the partisan spin of Saul Anuzis reported as truth. We get lies about the honest people in Barry County who've given years of their lives in trying to make Michigan state government actually work for the people. We get a defense of the status quo. We get more of the same.
Today, the group is expected to drop well more than the required number of signatures, with plenty of cushion to ensure that the effort gets on the ballot in November, into the hands of the Secretary of State. The special interests have already lined up against this, the influence peddlers have been honing their attacks. All I ask is that the people quit listening to the media trying to tell them they're too stupid to understand the proposal and look into it themselves. The media shouldn't waste it's time telling you WHAT to think about it but instead telling you what it actually would do. If they can't do that simple task then they are part of the problem too.
In fact, not only are they trying to tell you what to think about the proposals instead of giving you the information to think for yourself, the media has gotten many of their facts wrong. If you can't trust them to give you the basic facts about Reform Michigan Government Now, then how can you trust them when they try to tell you it's a bad idea? That's something even a chicken farmer could understand.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
That's Debatable- Prosecutor Edition
Barry County prosecutor Tom Evans will square off against primary challenger Kerri Selleck tonight (June 26) at 7 p.m. at the Barry County Commission on Aging. The debate will be moderated by attorney David Makled.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
That's Debatable- Sheriff's edition
Based on the comments on this blog and from what I'm hearing, the Barry County Sheriff's race may be the "big one" this primary season in Barry County. The candidates will be debating tonight at the Barry County Commission on Aging building on Woodlawn Avenue in Hastings at 7 p.m. Fred Jacobs, publisher of the Hastings Banner, will moderate. I just learned I can't make it so I doubt I'll be posting a recap of it (if I can or if I can tune it in on local radio I'll edit this post later to reflect that). Feel free to post your own reviews in the comments, though let's try to keep this race on the level of who will do the best job and stay away from the "your momma wears combats boots" rhetoric, shall we?
On a related note, I'm glad to see the GOP chair decided to step back from moderating the upcoming primary debates. We saw last election cycle how dangerous it can be when a party chair intervenes in a debate in what was generally seen as an underhanded way set up to aid one particular candidate. I'm also glad that the local Republican Party finally stepped up and decided to quit whining about how the Democratic Party handled the debates and host their own, especially seeing as how it didn't make sense that in a one-party system it was the OTHER party that was actually doing a better job of letting the public know who was running and what they stood for. While it makes sense for the Republican Party to host their own primary debates, I still would prefer to see the debates sponsored by the local media and/or a consortium of local civic organizations especially when it comes to the general election- at least when we manage to get a slate on candidates running on both sides of the political fence.
On a related note, I'm glad to see the GOP chair decided to step back from moderating the upcoming primary debates. We saw last election cycle how dangerous it can be when a party chair intervenes in a debate in what was generally seen as an underhanded way set up to aid one particular candidate. I'm also glad that the local Republican Party finally stepped up and decided to quit whining about how the Democratic Party handled the debates and host their own, especially seeing as how it didn't make sense that in a one-party system it was the OTHER party that was actually doing a better job of letting the public know who was running and what they stood for. While it makes sense for the Republican Party to host their own primary debates, I still would prefer to see the debates sponsored by the local media and/or a consortium of local civic organizations especially when it comes to the general election- at least when we manage to get a slate on candidates running on both sides of the political fence.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Lights Out
Wow. The entire city of Hastings is without power and estimates seem to be getting pushed back as to when it gets restored – yesterday, I kept hearing maybe Wednesday while today I'm hearing it might be Thursday. Makes me wonder where all those people I saw driving around town were headed since it was after morning rush hour when I drove through town Monday morning- up to Grand Rapids to buy generators perhaps?
One has to wonder how many people spent much of Friday's check on groceries sometime during the weekend, only to have a lack of power and 90+ degree temperatures turn the food into worthless mush. Luckily, my in-laws have a generator and some extra room in their refrigerator and freezer or I'd have been throwing out a good chunk of the $100+ I spent on staples this weekend without money to replace it.
The weird thing was that I was without power most of the weekend (we're on Great Lakes Energy out here at the Pol Watcher Compound- sometimes it seems as if every stiff breeze knocks out our power, if only for a few minutes), it seemed to get restored from Saturday's storms just in time for the wave of Sunday storms. I thought power had been restored around dinner time Sunday night but it lasted only for a brief minute or two before going back off until sometime after midnight. Hastings seemed to be in clear and was fine for a few hours after the storm passed Sunday afternoon before the lights went out.
I'm taking my chances with this post since many of you regular readers might be among those without power, but for those with some juice feel free to share your story about how you made it through the weekend. Enjoy your weather-related 3 day weekend... and give some sort of thanks to the crews working 'round the clock to get everything back up and running even as you wish they could do it even faster.
P.S. For the political junkies, I should be getting around to doing some kind of round-up of local elections as time allows sometime in the very near future. A Clash of the Titans going to head to head for Sheriff, the entire county running for Drain Commissioner, not one single Democrat filing for county-wide office – it's almost too much to put together.
One has to wonder how many people spent much of Friday's check on groceries sometime during the weekend, only to have a lack of power and 90+ degree temperatures turn the food into worthless mush. Luckily, my in-laws have a generator and some extra room in their refrigerator and freezer or I'd have been throwing out a good chunk of the $100+ I spent on staples this weekend without money to replace it.
The weird thing was that I was without power most of the weekend (we're on Great Lakes Energy out here at the Pol Watcher Compound- sometimes it seems as if every stiff breeze knocks out our power, if only for a few minutes), it seemed to get restored from Saturday's storms just in time for the wave of Sunday storms. I thought power had been restored around dinner time Sunday night but it lasted only for a brief minute or two before going back off until sometime after midnight. Hastings seemed to be in clear and was fine for a few hours after the storm passed Sunday afternoon before the lights went out.
I'm taking my chances with this post since many of you regular readers might be among those without power, but for those with some juice feel free to share your story about how you made it through the weekend. Enjoy your weather-related 3 day weekend... and give some sort of thanks to the crews working 'round the clock to get everything back up and running even as you wish they could do it even faster.
P.S. For the political junkies, I should be getting around to doing some kind of round-up of local elections as time allows sometime in the very near future. A Clash of the Titans going to head to head for Sheriff, the entire county running for Drain Commissioner, not one single Democrat filing for county-wide office – it's almost too much to put together.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Vander Roested
I'm not sure what to say about this...
So, you ask someone the time (apparently Vander Roest's car is without a clock and he has no working cell phone and doesn't wear a watch) with your window halfway down (how's that for unnecessary detail- one way to tell someone is lying to you is that they give too many details that don't really add anything to the story). We don't know what the other person (he/she?) said (though we have to imply it involved a price for a service of some sort- probably a hot dog vendor or something) and Vander Roest responds with a harmless joke about rising prices (see, he really does care about how energy prices affect your life) and the person responds to the joke by inviting him to a park (I'm sure it was a beautiful day out and he wanted someone to play with and Vander Roest's display of humor gave the unknown person walking the street the idea that he might be a playful guy but maybe Vander Roest has a medical condition like a debilitating wide stance that leaves him unable to engage in overly-physical activities at the park and he was running late anyway). So, Vander Roest does the honorable thing and drives the opposite way. So, what exactly is the problem here? Damn liberal media....
Vander Roest was the guy who ran against Lorence Wenke using the fact that Wenke was one of only 3 Republicans to oppose putting discrimination against gays on the ballot in order to enshrine homophobia in the state constitution. Wenke edged out Vander Roest in a squeaker, winning by less than 100 votes. The weird thing is that some people allege that Vander Roest lost that race because of allegations leaking out right before the election that he had solicited a prostitute. Wenke is term limited and so Vander Roest was running again for the open seat he had once held. So, was Vander Roest responding to those old allegations or to something new? None of the new coverage I've seen has touched this part of it. Either way, methinks he doth protest too much.
Vander Roest's exit from the race leaves Marshall Republican Calhoun County Commissioner Jase Bolger unopposed against Vicksburg Democrat Phyllis Smith for the State House of Representatives seat for the 63rd District in the Nov. 4 general election.
News Release
I am requesting to have my name withdrawn from the 63rd House Seat, for which I served from 1998-2002. I do this reluctantly and sadly, because I believe I could have been a good State Legislator for the 63rd District if I was elected. My focus was to be a part of the solution in helping to turn Michigan's economy around, and making a better life for each of us and our families.
OK, so maybe I do have a few things to add ; )
To correct statements made regarding an incident from the past, I have never pled guilty nor ever been charged with the charges that have been "alluded to" by the media. My only sin was stopping to ask someone for the correct time while on my way to a meeting at the Capital. With my window half open, I mistakenly made a joke about "how inflation probably affects all business ventures." It was suggested I meet at a nearby park; I instead drove in the opposite direction towards the Capital. I was never charged with, nor pled guilty to the charges that have been raised against me. I only wish people could've known all of the facts.
When my campaign opponent and the media found out about the fact that I had been stopped by an entrapment situation, the word spread and claims were made that I was charged with solicitation, which is not true. Inaccuracies hurt people more than anyone can realize. I've learned that the people who speak out the loudest against a circumstance in someone else's life are generally the ones with the most to hide themselves.
I have a terrific family, a wonderful wife whom I love more than life itself, and beautiful children and grandchildren. I don't want any of them hurt by this situation. So, with a heavy heart, I have decided to withdraw from running for the 63rd House Seat. I was looking forward to meeting with people, discussing the issues and giving voters a choice of representation.
I would like to serve in the future in whatever way I can to give back to the community and help create a better life for others. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jerry Vander Roest
2689 N. 37th Street
Galesburg, MI 49053
So, you ask someone the time (apparently Vander Roest's car is without a clock and he has no working cell phone and doesn't wear a watch) with your window halfway down (how's that for unnecessary detail- one way to tell someone is lying to you is that they give too many details that don't really add anything to the story). We don't know what the other person (he/she?) said (though we have to imply it involved a price for a service of some sort- probably a hot dog vendor or something) and Vander Roest responds with a harmless joke about rising prices (see, he really does care about how energy prices affect your life) and the person responds to the joke by inviting him to a park (I'm sure it was a beautiful day out and he wanted someone to play with and Vander Roest's display of humor gave the unknown person walking the street the idea that he might be a playful guy but maybe Vander Roest has a medical condition like a debilitating wide stance that leaves him unable to engage in overly-physical activities at the park and he was running late anyway). So, Vander Roest does the honorable thing and drives the opposite way. So, what exactly is the problem here? Damn liberal media....
Vander Roest was the guy who ran against Lorence Wenke using the fact that Wenke was one of only 3 Republicans to oppose putting discrimination against gays on the ballot in order to enshrine homophobia in the state constitution. Wenke edged out Vander Roest in a squeaker, winning by less than 100 votes. The weird thing is that some people allege that Vander Roest lost that race because of allegations leaking out right before the election that he had solicited a prostitute. Wenke is term limited and so Vander Roest was running again for the open seat he had once held. So, was Vander Roest responding to those old allegations or to something new? None of the new coverage I've seen has touched this part of it. Either way, methinks he doth protest too much.
Vander Roest's exit from the race leaves Marshall Republican Calhoun County Commissioner Jase Bolger unopposed against Vicksburg Democrat Phyllis Smith for the State House of Representatives seat for the 63rd District in the Nov. 4 general election.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Once More To The Point
So, Brian Calley was once again interviewed on WOOD-TV's political news show, To The Point. Rick Albin and Republican State Rep. Calley discussed Michigan's response to the foreclosure crisis with Democratic State Rep. Steve Tobocman.
Nice to see some common sense in our politics and so for once I'll refrain from giving my cynical take and simply applaud all involved for doing the right thing to stop some of the bleeding. (Also, Blogger's autosave seems to be slowing my computer down, keeping me from wanting to type a lengthier piece.)
Nice to see some common sense in our politics and so for once I'll refrain from giving my cynical take and simply applaud all involved for doing the right thing to stop some of the bleeding. (Also, Blogger's autosave seems to be slowing my computer down, keeping me from wanting to type a lengthier piece.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
