What is going on here in West Michigan?

State Rep. Roy Schmidt has become a Republican.

Schmidt made the announcement in a news release. It appears he will run unopposed as a Republican for the 76th District seat in November. Democrat Matt Mojzak will challenge him for the seat. The Republicans in Lansing confirmed that Schmidt is now a member of the House Republican caucus.

The district was redrawn to be roughly 50-50 between the parties. Despite that, no other Republican ran - until Schmidt. The well-known Schmidt - who filed as a Democrat before withdrawing and then re-filing as a Republican - could've beaten Mojzak in a primary, then gone on to win the general election unopposed. In a statement, Schmidt says he is a moderate and that he wants to put his job above his party. But he did have this to say:

I believe I was sent to Lansing to serve the people of Grand Rapids, not political bosses. The simple truth is, extreme Democrat party bosses like Mark Brewer are unwilling to listen to ideas or accept my positions on issues that matter to me and Grand Rapids.

I only have this to say about this matter: 1. I do not know who Matt Mojzak is. 2. Schmidt's son ran for office several years ago as a Republican. Still, this is surprising. 3. Time will tell if he really puts West Michigan above his new party, as he promises. If that's the case, then as a lawmaker he will have to vote as though he's still a Democrat - because voting with the Republicans is voting against the needs of the people of this area.

Tomorrow: Filing deadline for precinct delegates and candidates!

Would YOU like to help make the Democratic Party more responsive to your concerns? Here's your chance!

Many Democratic activists like myself are precinct delegates. What is a precinct delegate?

The role of a precinct delegate is one of the most important yet least understood of any elected office. It is the active precinct delegate who wins elections for the Democratic Party. Precinct delegates are elected directly by the voters of each precinct to serve as a bridge between voters and the Democratic Party in your neighborhood and you represent your neighborhood at Democratic Party meetings.

So basically you will appear on the August 7 primary ballot in your precinct. While each precinct has a certain number of precinct delegate spots, many of them go unfilled. Result? If you file to run for Precinct Delegate, you are almost certain to win.

It's easy to run for Precinct Delegate. Fill out this form, get it notarized, and turn it in to your city/township clerk's office by 4PM tomorrow.

But wait... there's more! The Democratic Party is also looking for nominees for various offices at the state and county level. We can't let the Republicans go unopposed! If you want to run for office (even if it's just to put your name on the ballot), fill out this form, get it notarized, and turn it in along with a $100 filing fee (you'll get the fee back after the August primary if you're nominated). You will also need to fill out this form regarding campaign committees, but note that if you don't expect to spend much on the campaign, you can file for what's called a reporting waiver.

To find out who has filed to run for certain offices, or to determine where to file for office (which varies depending on the office and whether the district crosses county lines), call your county clerk's office. 
As the Democratic nominee for an office, you get the same rights as a precinct delegate, but you also get to serve on your County Party's Executive Committee for the next two years. (Nominees for certain offices constitute 1/3 of the County Democratic Executive Committee; the other 2/3 are selected by precinct delegates in November.)

HE DID IT!

ABC News:

President Obama today announced that he now supports same-sex marriage, reversing his longstanding opposition amid growing pressure from the Democratic base and even his own vice president. In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts, the president described his thought process as an “evolution” that led him to this place, based on conversations with his own staff members, openly gay and lesbian service members, and conversations with his wife and own daughters. "I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don't Ask Don't Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told Roberts, in an interview to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday. Excerpts of the interview will air tonight on ABC’s “World News with Diane Sawyer.” The president stressed that this is a personal position, and that he still supports the concept of states deciding the issue on their own. But he said he’s confident that more Americans will grow comfortable with gays and lesbians getting married, citing his own daughters’ comfort with the concept.

For him to do this right after a battleground state banned it? That shows courage on his part. He may well lose some votes over this come November, but I have a feeling he will get some votes because of this too. Either way, this was the right thing to do. And that is most important. And his willingness to do what is right - on this and many other issues - is why I am proud to support him. I am convinced that long after he is out of office, we will remember Barack Obama as a great President. Thank you, Mr. President!

I got a new job - and you can be a part of it!

I am pleased to announce that I have accepted a position as Deputy Political Director for Trevor for Congress!

Trevor Thomas is running for Congress in the new 3rd Congressional District, which now includes the counties of Barry, Calhoun, Ionia, and most of Kent. This is Gerald Ford's old seat, but Dick VanderVeen (D-East Grand Rapids) represented the district for nearly three years after Ford became Vice President. The seat has a tradition of electing Members of Congress who were well respected by Democrats and Republicans alike.

That is, until 2010.

Justin Amash has shown himself to be very ideological and ambitious. In 2008, the 28-year-old Amash was elected to the state House. Just two years later, he chose to run for Congress instead of running for another two terms in Lansing. That's despite the fact that his State House district is very Republican, and he certainly would've won re-election. In his votes in Washington (and before that in Lansing), he has ticked off a number of his fellow Republicans. He endorsed Ron Paul for President this year.

In short, Justin Amash needs to go. And Trevor Thomas is the man to make that happen.

Trevor has accomplished a lot in such a short time. Raised in the town of Marne, Trevor is the son of two GM retirees and has many relatives who have worn our country's uniform. Trevor graduated from Grand Valley State before working for WGVU, WOOD TV8, Granholm for Governor 2006, the Office of the Governor, and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. He played a key role in eliminating "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." His roots here are strong; his commitment to progressive values is even stronger.

He has also shown that he is able to build the string base of support he will need in order to win both the primary and the general. In the first quarter, 800 donors gave more than $100,000 - and 88% of those donations were $200 or less. He has been endorsed by progressives like John Cherry, centrists such as Jennifer Granholm, and even a few Republicans (Former Kent County Republican Party chair Bob Eleveld introduced Trevor at his announcement speech last month).

If you've wanted Democrats in Washington to do a better job and stand up for our values, Trevor Thomas is your answer. If you think we need more people young people in Congress with working-class roots, Trevor Thomas is your answer. If you want to see more and better Democrats in elected office, Trevor Thomas is your answer. If you want someone who will stand up for his beliefs but who also knows how to build coalitions, Trevor Thomas is your answer.

To say the least, I am honored to have this opportunity to work for him and to help send him to Washington.

If you are so inclined, feel free to chip in a few bucks to ensure we have what it takes to win this race!

This time, the path to the nomination was a little easier for Obama

Sounds like Vermin Supreme didn't pose much of a threat to Obama after all. ;-)

What's this, Mr. President?

So let me get this straight, Mr. President. I voted for you, I've supported you through thick and thin, I've been planning to support you for another term - and you show up at that school in Columbus????

Tsk, tsk, tsk!

;-)

Not just on procedure, Congressman

The Party of Women (And Sensible Men) endorses its candidates

While I was bartending here in greater GR, other Democrats from across the state were gathered at Cobo Hall to endorse a slate of candidates for various offices in this year's election. The endorsees are:

• Supreme Court (technically nonpartisan): Bridget Mary McCormack, Shelia Johnson, Connie Kelley
• State Board of Education: Lupe Ramos-Montigny, Michelle Fecteau
• U-M Regents: Mark Bernstein, Shauna Ryder-Diggs
• MSU Trustees: Joel Ferguson, Brian Mosallam
• WSU Governors: Sandra Hughes O'Brien, Kim Trent

They are set to be formally nominated at a separate convention in late August (state law provides a certain window during which they may actually be nominated). I don't yet know a whole lot about all of these candidates, but a few observations:

1. McCormack has been campaigning for this for quite some time now, going around and meeting with grassroots Democratic activists around the state. It's a strategy I call "the Jocelyn Benson," since Jocelyn did that for more than a year before she was nominated for Secretary of State.

2. Johnson also campaigned across the state in 2010, appearing at many Democratic gatherings. However, she ended up not being nominated in 2010. I'm glad she got a nod this time.

3. Lupe was one of our nominees in 2010, as you may recall. She was a teacher in Grand Rapids Public Schools for 36 years. Don't you think the Board of Ed could stand to use an educator's perspective?

4. Bernstein should win on name recognition alone. Let's face it: If you're a candidate for one of these offices, most of the votes you get will be from people who (a) recognized your name or (b) vote straight ticket or close to straight ticket. If he does win, Bernstein will be the second in his family to be elected to a statewide education board; his brother, Richard, was elected in 2002.

5. Ferguson is the only incumbent Democrat seeking re-election to any of these boards.

6. If our Supreme Court candidates all win this year, the Michigan Supreme Court will have five women. Five out of seven. And of the 11 candidates endorsed this weekend, eight are women.

Of course, I don't think that merely having women in public office is the end-all, be-all for equality. I'm glad we have Vice President Biden instead of Vice President Palin. But at a time like this, it highlights a difference between the two parties.

The Party of Palin has been declaring war on Palin's gender in the name of "religious freedom" or "conscience" - and now they are paying the price in the polls. Their nominees for various offices will likely include Mitt "What Will He Believe Next Month?" Romney, Stephen Markman, Brian Zahra, Pete "Cultural Sensitivity" Hoekstra, and probably several men (and a couple women) for education boards. (There will likely be a lot of pressure from Republicans to have their party nominate a woman for the other Supreme Court slot, and given their plummeting standing among women, don't be surprised if Romney picks a woman for VP.)

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party's nominees for various offices will include our first African-American President, the author of the Violence Against Women Act, Michigan's first female Senator, and the aforementioned women (and men).

Transparency, anyone?

Knowledge is power.

Cliches are a dime a dozen, but when you think about it, knowledge really is power. That's why I'm a big fan of transparency.

Now, I understand that there are times when government - and those who influence it – need to maintain some sort of confidentiality. People's identities need to be protected, and dangerous consequences may result if the CIA’s work is blown or a secret military operation is leaked (who knew about the raid on the bin Laden compound?)

But overall, transparency needs to be the rule, not the exception. That goes for those in government as well as those who seek to wield their massive resources to ensure that government does their bidding.

In the wake of that disastrous Supreme Court decision of 1/21/10 – the one whose name I will not mention – many of us wondered what we can do about it. There is growing support for an amendment to the United States Constitution, which would involve a massive undertaking if it is to be adopted.

But while we might not be able to stop corporations from spending their vast resources without, we can make them tell us when they’re doing it.

Enter the Corporate Accountability Amendment. It's a proposal to amend the state Constitution (much easier than amending the US Constitution!) to shed some light on the campaign finance system.According to their website, this amendment has two primary goals

1. Disclosure: Ensuring citizens know when CEOs and lobbyist are influencing elections and public policy by requiring instant disclosure of Corporate Funded Political Communications and Lobbying in Michigan.

2. Disclaimer: Ensuring large corporations and CEOs "Stand By Their Ad" by requiring them to identify who funded the political and lobbying communications on the ads themselves, just like candidates for office and unions have to do right now.

One thing I like about this is that when a political ad comes on TV, people will see right there who is behind it.

That Supreme Court case was one of the biggest affronts to democracy in a long time – right up there with the Emergency Manager law. If this amendment passes, starting in 2014, voters will see who is responsible for these ads that we have to put up with every election season.

And that knowledge will be power - power to make an informed decision and to know who's really responsible for that propaganda.

Being an amendment to the state Constitution, 322,000 signatures need to be collected to put it on the ballot. So be sure to sign up on their website to keep updated on how to help.

Pestka announces for Congress

1976.

America had just turned 200, West Michigan native Gerald Ford was President, disco was big, and most Republicans were decent.

That year, Congressman Dick VanderVeen - a Democrat who had won a 1974 special election to replace then-VP Ford in Congress - lost his bid for re-election. Ever since then, Greater Grand Rapids has been represented exclusively by Republicans.

Steve Pestka wants to change that.

Pestka, a longtime fixture on the West Michigan political scene, announced today that he is running for Congress in Michigan's 3rd Congressional District. Pestka has served as a assistant prosecutor, Kent County Commissioner, State Representative, and Circuit Court judge.

Pestka is the second Democratic candidate to enter this exciting race. Trevor Thomas, a rising star in our Party, has worked for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network for the Granholm Administration; he jumped in the race three weeks ago. Either one will make a fine Congressman.

The new 3rd District includes all of Calhoun, Ionia, and Barry counties, a piece of Montcalm County, and most of Kent County. Grand Rapids and Battle Creek are the two big cities in the district.

Pestka has already earned the endorsements of former Congressman Mark Schauer; State Representatives Brandon Dillon, Roy Schmidt, and Kate Segal; and a host of local Party activists and elected officials and Democratic Party activists.

Thomas has landed two big endorsements in recent days: Both Granholm and her lieutenant governor, John Cherry, have endorsed Thomas. In addition, Thomas has already raised nearly $19,000 on his ActBlue page alone - not to mention much more offline.

A recent poll showed Amash leading Pestka in a hypothetical matchup 50-39, but after respondents were given positive statements about each candidate, Pestka pulled within two. When positives and negatives were added to the mix, Pestka actually led 47-43.

Combine that with Amash's 25% approval rating, and you'll see that Amash is in big trouble.

As long as we have a healthy primary contest, and as long as our nominee fights for progressive Democratic values, Amash will have a heck of a fight on his hands!