ScottyUrb faces stiff challenge in re-election bid for Precinct Delegate

KENTWOOD, MI (Unassociated Press/Snarx News) - Scott Urbanowski, the funny and mildly attractive blogger known on the series of tubes as ScottyUrb, has filed to run for a third term as Democratic Precinct Delegate in Kentwood - beginning what is expected to be a contentious campaign for re-election for the 22-year-old activist, blogger, and soon-to-be Central Michigan University graduate.

"There has been no greater spokesperson for truthiness, justice, and the American way," said Urbanowski, who ran as Stephen T. Colbert's vice-presidential running mate.

While Urbanowski is used to facing competition - he won by one vote in the 2008 election - this time will be different. In the wake of the controversial Citizens United v. FEC decision, he expects many serious contenders in his bid for re-election.

Among them are:

HAL E. BURTON - Comes from, ahem, a well-oiled machine.

CARL ISLE - See above.

WALLY MART Known for sexist tendencies. Claims foreign-policy experience; takes credit for supporting economy of Communist China.

AL TICOR - Formerly known as Amway. Dream Job: Host of The $100,000,000,000 Pyramid Scheme.

GOLDMAN SACHS - HUGE campaign war chest.

TOY OTA - Campaign slogan: "No Slowing Down!"

DOM INOS - Campaigning on its "new taste" and "pizzazz."

J.P. MORGAN CHASE - Notably quiet on the bailout issue.

AL COA - Campaign slogan: "We Deserve A Metal."

CAT R. PILLAR - Accused of dirty deals, they say they're well-grounded.

MIKE ROSOFT - Slogan: "Voting for librulz doesn't compute!"

Why I'm Supporting David Leyton for Attorney General

One thing about being a Democrat is, when it comes to candidates for offices, we often have an embarrassment of riches. Deciding which candidates to support for the Democratic nomination can be a difficult - albeit exciting - task! In 2008, for instance, I was so impressed with Edwards, Obama, and Richardson that it took me quiote a while to finally back the Obama campaign.

Such is the case with this year's race for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General here in Michigan. I have had the chance to hear both of them speak, and each has a solid record of standing up for the people - which is something I like in a Democratic candidate! Each is also impressive in his own way and, I believe, is capable of taking on whichever excuse for a candidate the Republicans put up.

But after much thought, David Leyton has earned my vote at tomorrow's MDP Endorsement Convention.

Great leaders are willing to make difficult decisions that will benefit the people they lead. Leyton has served as Genesee County Prosecutor for more than five years; in this role he has had to tackle crime in one the most crime-ridden locales in the state, while managing a prosecutor's office that has not enjoyed the easiest time when it comes to the budget. Right now, Michigan needs an Attorney General who will do more with less - and the fact that Leyton has that prosecutorial and public-administration experience under his belt is what, in my mind, separates him from Bernstein.

Speaking of Bernstein, what really amazes me is that he has done all he has done - becoming an attorney, winning countless cases for regular folks, and, oh yes, running 12 Ironman triathlons - while blind! And, to quote from his website:

Bernstein appears frequently in court where he commits entire case files to memory.

That takes a lot of hard work - but we could use a few more hard workers in state government!

But Leyton has time and time proven that he too is a hard worker and a champion of the people. And when I heard each of the talk, both of them spoke extensively about many different issues -including protecting seniors, the disabled, the less fortunate, consumers, and the environment. As I said, they are both very capable public servants.

But while I think Bernstein's future remains bright, tomorrow my vote will go to Prosecutor David Leyton to be our Party's endorsee for Attorney General.

Help support our troops at the MDP Endorsement Convention!

I hope you are looking forward to this weekend's Michigan Democratic Party Endorsement Convention like I am!

As you know, we have an important duty to fulfill on Saturday, as we endorse candidates for Secretary of State and Attorney General. But while we fulfill this important obligation in Detroit, we would do well to remember the selfless service of our troops thousands of miles away, whose job it is to protect the very freedom that allows us to choose our leaders.

Thanks to the Michigan Democratic Party Youth Caucus, Saturday will present us with an excellent chance to make life easier for some of our men and women in uniform!

The Youth Caucus will have a table set up at Cobo Hall on Saturday so you can drop off some items that will be sent to a unit overseas.

Among the items most needed and wanted over there are:

• Wet wipes/baby wipes (in high demand)
• Magazines
• Non-perishable snacks
• Non-perishable canned food (small cans, please!)
• Packets for coffee and hot chocolate
• Lemonade/Kool-Aid/Gatorade mix
• Hygiene products
• Toiletries - toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.
• Comics
• CDs and DVDs
• Playing cards
• Paperback books
• Calling cards
• Envelopes

These are just some of the items that would help greatly. The major restrictions are that we cannot send alcohol, pornography, weapons, or perishable food.

Given all that our troops are going through for us, helping to make their deployments easier is the least we can do. So, on this Saturday, as we take advantage of our right to endorse two of our Party's nominees, please take this opportunity to thank those who serve our country. Please consider bringing a few of the aforementioned items to the Convention, and pass the word to everyone you know who plans on coming!

Why I Support Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State

Over the next couple of days, I will be sharing with you which candidates I am supporting for the Democratic nominations for Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General. We will, of course, be voting to endorse candidates for Secretary of State and Attorney General at this weekend's Endorsement Convention, but while we don't vote on the Governor's race until August, I have settled on a candidate. I'll share my preferred candidates for Governor and AG later in the week.

First off is the race for Secretary of State. We have two Democratic candidates, but one of them stands out and has shown that she is capable of being a solid Secretary of State. That candidate is Jocelyn Benson.

She has been a national leader in advancing fairness and justice in our elections and our society as a whole. She has worked for the DNC, the SPLC, the Harvard Civil Rights Project, and - like Jennifer Granholm - she was a clerk for Judge Damon J. Keith. She has also fought off one attempt to close a Secretary of State branch and an attempt to prevent victims of foreclosure from voting. She also achieved tenure as a professor of election law at Wayne State University and has published a book on best practices of secretaries of state.

Benson's broad platform includes removing barriers that often face would-be voters; cracking down on election fraud and intimidation; easing voter registration; supporting consumers' rights; improving customer service at the Secretary of State branches.

More importantly, however, seems to be her dedication to listening to people and making good use of their input. I'm involved with both the Kent and Isabella Democratic Parties, and Jocelyn has met with both County Parties more than once. She demonstrated very early in the campaign that unlike many politicians, she is a listener.

No wonder she's racked up so many endorsements: more than half of the county parties; countless state lawmakers and local officials; and several caucuses, unions, and other progressive organizations are joining Jocelyn's campaign.

On paper, Janice Winfrey does have some accomplishments about which she can boast. She has served as City Clerk for Detroit and has done some things to ensure election integrity in Detroit. However, her Vision page on her website is lacking.

It is Jocelyn Benson whose record and vision are what Michigan needs now. She is the one who has the ideas, dedication, and willingness to listen and understand that, if elected, would make her a truly remarkable public servant. That is why I will be proud to vote for her this Saturday.

Why You Should Get Involved in This Year's Campaign

(This is part 1 of a 4-part series leading up to this Saturday's Endorsement Convention. Parts 2 and 3 will deal with the races for Secretary of State and Attorney General, while Part 4 will feature my thoughts on the race for Governor, even though we won't vote on that until August.)

We dodged a bullet here at CMU.

For the fifth and final time as an undergrad, last week I cast a vote in our Student Government Association presidential election. A former SGA Senator, I still care about what goes on in SGA - and was quite concerned by what might have happened had the wrong candidate won the SGA presidency.

That candidate's SGA experience consisted of one semester representing the "Campus Conservatives" (which the now-Cheboygan drain commissioner founded) in SGA. In true conservative fashion, he didn't do his job (he was subject to removal from SGA due to absences) and lied, lied, lied about his opponent. He also ran on a platform that, among other things, included "lowering tuition."

Had he won, it would have shown that people can get away with lying to people and not doing your job. Thankfully, he lost.

We at CMU dodged a bullet, but what if Michigan and America aren't so lucky?

What would it say if Michigan's next governor were someone like Mike Cox, who has sued to prevent people from getting the health coverage they need, or Pete Hoekstra, who capitalized on America's near-misfortune by fundraising off the attempted plane attack near Detroit? What would it say if teabaggers get their way in the election?

It would say that it's okay to attack the working class. It would say that lies are okay. It would say that carelessness, reckless, and incivility are to be embraced by all who wish to be in politics.

We have plenty of time to do something about that... but it's up to you and me!

This year does not seem like the best year to be a Democrat. To be perfectly honest, if you forced me to guess, I would say that Republicans are more likely to win the governorship and enough other top races to stop Michigan from moving forward on key issues. Look which party's candidates have the name recognition and monetary advantage - then add in the fact that a lot of voters are unhappy with how things are going, and look which party holds the governor's office. (It's a shame that governors and presidents are blamed and credited for things that the legislature and Congress do or don't do, but that's another story.)

But that in no excuse for anyone to not do their part to get progressive Democrats elected! 203 days before an election is 203 days too early to give up! After all:

• We have superb candidates. We have a couple of great candidates for governor, plus Andy Dillon. We also have spectacular candidates for Secretary of State, AG, and other offices. All of our nominees will surely be worthy of our support!
• Cox? Hoekstra? Really? No more embarrassments for Michigan!
• The Democratic Party is worth supporting. While the Democratic Party is far from perfect, it is the Democrats who have the great ideas needed to tackle great challenges. Democrats have been the ones leading the great transformations of American Policy - from the New Deal to the Fair Deal to the Great Society to the Big F***ing Deal. And while not all Democratic politicians are great, most great politicians we have nowadays are Democrats.
• Look what the Republican Party has become. Lies, ineptitude, and attacking and opposing progress are not what we need - but, sadly, that is what has become of the other party. What used to be the Party of Ford, Milliken, and Eisenhower is now the party of disaster, teabagging, insulting the meaning of freedom and liberty, and "Hell No You Can't!"
• The Republicans are divided as heck. You know how the 'liberal' media has spent so much time and effort telling us that the Dems are divided and in disarray? Well, I got two words for you: Michael Steele. Not to mention that, unlike in years past, the Republicans aren't outraising the Democrats by hefty margins. Of course, the impact of the activist Roberts Court's decision against democracy is yet to be known.
• Speaking of money, how's Governor DeVos doing? I mean, he must be governor, since he (a) outspent Granholm by oodles; (b) ran as a challenger in a beleaguered state; (c) ran in what is usually called a toss-up state; and (d) . So he must have at least eked out a win in 2006. Oh, wait... Granholm won? By 14 points?!?! Well, I guess money and anti-incumbent fever
  
• We have a good shot at holding the State House. In 2008, we won 67 House seats to the Republicans' 43. It would take an enormous shift for the Republicans to gain 13 seats and take back the House.
• We may very well take back the state Senate. The Democrats came within a few thousand votes of taking back the state Senate in 2006. While the Repubs have since gained a seat via Mike Nofs, Dems can gain control with four pickups. Casandra Ulbrich in the 12th (Bike Bishop's seat), Doug Spade in the 16th, David LaGrand in the 29th, Bob Jones in the 20th, Mary Valentine in the 34th, and Andy Newmann in the 36th are all running in seats held by Republicans that we may very well take - if they get our support!

Given all that's at stake, how can we afford to not support progressive Democrats running for Secretary of State and Attorney General at this weekend's Endorsement Convention, and other progressives running in the primary in August? And= how can we afford not to give our Democratic candidates our full support?

This is our chance. Our chance to once again say NO to the politics of hatred and cynicism, and YES to progressivism and true public service. As I said, not all Democrats are amazing.... but I'll take an okay Democrat over almost any Republican.

Yes We Can once again bring about the change we so desperately need in our communities, our Great Lakes State, and this wonderful nation!

"Stand" - Powerful ad from VoteVets

Gotta give the VoteVets people credit - they say it a lot more powerfully than I could sometimes!

Proven Leadership: Why I Support Mike Cox for Governor

For eight years, Michigan has wallowed in the pain of a governor who doesn't value our businesses. Jennifer Hussein Granholm has single-handedly destroyed Michigan in the past several years. In fact she has been so horrible that, anticipating her Marxist stranglehold, Michigan's unemployment rate actually surpassed the national rate more than a year after she became governor.

It is clear, then, that we need someone who's actually going to step up and lead. That's why I support Mike Cox for Governor.

Cox has taken the lead by:

• Interfering in an investigation into a wild party at Manoogian Mansion;
  
• Suing to stop Michigan residents from getting the healthcare they need; and
  
• Refusing to do his job. We cannot have a governor who does their job and proves that government actually can work!!!
  

This was a difficult choice for me to make. Pete Hoekstra has opposed everything from healthcare to environmental regulations to doing the right thing. But while Cox has done all of this, Hoekstra has been less forceful, leading me to believe that the Congressman may be a Communist.

Tom George and Mike Bouchard are even worse Communists - have they spoken out against making government work? Not that much!

And Rick Snyder? HE ACTUALLY BRAGS ABOUT BEING A NERD! WE CANNOT HAVE A SMART GOVERNOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's why we need to support Mike Cox for Governor. He impedes justice and equality and is determined to make government not do anything. In short, he he is a conservative in the truest sense of the term.

Oh, and one more thing:

APRIL FOOL'S!

Bernero: "Being a good leader starts with being a good person"

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, one of our Democratic candidates for Governor, came to CMU to speak to students and to answer our questions. While I won't pretend that I'm 100% behind Virg, Alma, or Andy, I will say that now I know why so many others are supporting the Mayor!

Unsurprisingly, Virg talked mostly about economic issues. He discussed, among other things, his proposal for a state bank; our need for better trade policy; the importance of manufacturing; unions; Wall Street's refusal to invest in Michigan; the tendency of some to blame the workers for our economic problems; and so much more.

Virg also talked about his record in Lansing - including how he was able to get the budget done on time, without laying off a single person.

Beyond economic policy, Virg is also a supporter of the new healthcare reform law, though he (like many of us, myself included) doesn't think it's perfect. He also supports a woman's right to choose, though he only talked briefly about it, saying that as a man, he doesn't make decisions about abortion.

In terms of economics, I'm not sure I've ever (or at least lately) heard anyone in politics sound so wonk-ish and nerdy as Virg Bernero. (Especially not Snyder!) And yet he comes off like a regular guy someone smart enough and easygoing enough to relate to people and understand what our state needs.

While I don't know for sure who I will support on August 3, Virg Bernero has made a very solid impression on me.

Hypocrisy

Rosie O'Donnell posted this on her blog. She got it from someone else.

You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.

You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.

You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.

You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.

You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.

You didn't get mad when we spent over 600 billion(and counting) on said illegal war.

You didn't get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq.

You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.

You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.

You didn't get mad when we didn't catch Bin Laden.

You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.

You didn't get mad when we let a major US city, New Orleans, drown.

You didn't get mad when we gave a 900 billion tax break to the rich.

You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans...oh hell no!

Freedom Triumphant

This week has been a great week for the cause of freedom here in America.

More Americans will spend less just to be healthy - or alive. They will have the freedom to not only live, but to keep more of their hard-earned money (or spend it on something worthwhile - boosting another sector of our economy).

Because we will get to stay on our parents' insurance until age 26, more young Americans will have the liberty to get on a sound financial footing before we have to buy health insurance on our own.

Millions of Americans, bound by the chains of preexisting conditions, will no longer be bound by the additional chains of not having

Countless small businesses will see the freedom to save more of their money or hire more workers, as they will enjoy tax breaks and costs savings for health insurance plans.

There are so many other benefits to the new healthcare laws passed by Democrats in Congress and signed by President Obama. But they all center around one simple idea: You should not be punished for being sick.

While these laws aren't perfect, and while our union isn't perfect, this week we have taken some giant steps in forming a more perfect union. The idea of 'liberty and justice for all' - an ideal on which our founders formed our nation, and for which so many have died - is becoming more of a reality.

That is why I am pleased to dedicate this post, my 500th on Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott, to those who fought to make this reform the law of the land, and to all who fight for our country's ideals at home and abroad.