For Good Friday - no comment needed.

2012 DNC delegates to be selected via May caucus

While many of you were/are in Lansing, I have been spending my day (a) interviewing for a job, (b) listening to our President, and (c) skimming through the Michigan Democratic Party's Draft Delegate Selection Plan for the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

From a press release:

The caucus will occur on May 5, 2012 with district-level delegates and alternates elected at congressional district conventions on June 2, 2012 and statewide delegates and alternates elected at a State Central Committee meeting on June 23, 2012.

Michigan has 177 delegates and 13 alternates to the National Convention. Those numbers will be increased by holding the caucus in May under an incentive system adopted by the DNC.

A draft delegate selection plan (DSP) was posted on the MDP website today, beginning a 30-day public comment period. The plan will be considered for adoption by the State Central Committee at its May 14, 2011 meeting in Mt. Pleasant.

Here's the draft Delegate Selection Plan. The plan will be put up for a vote at State Central next month in Mount Pleasant.

The allocation of delegates to various Presidential candidates will depend on the candidates' performance in the state as a whole as well as in each Congressional district (the districts being the current ones, i.e. those adopted after the 2000 Census). Delegates are distributed proportionally to those who get at least 15% of the caucus vote in a district or the state overall.

What does this mean? Obama will probably get most/all of the delegate votes unless either (a) he gets a credible primary challenger and that challenger is still in the race in May (after several primaies/caucuses have been held), or (b) enough disenchanted Democrats (which I doubt there really are that many among the MDP's membership, but that's for another time) care enough to show up at the caucuses to vote 'Uncommitted.' Remember from the 2008 primary that 'Uncommitted' is automatically listed just like a candidate, but whether Uncommitted can get 15% of the vote is up in the air.

Here's hoping I'll see you in Charlotte!

Bits of Tid: March 31, 2011

• Guess who wants Wisconsin State Senator Randy Hopper recalled? His wife.


• It looks like Tim Pawlenty is on the cusp of running for President. He and Huckabee may be two of the more formidable challengers for Obama - Pawlenty, perhaps more than Huckabee. Neither of them have much (that I know of, at least) that could be used against them. At least not on the order of Romney's flip-flopping, Gingrich's many scandals, and Bachmann's extremism.


• For those of you complaining that Obama shouldn't spend time filling out his bracket, with all that's going on in the world: (a) Even the President needs a break - especially Obama, given all he's had to deal with; (b) Don't tell me you wouldn't fill out a bracket if you were President; and (c) Explain why you (most of you, anyway) voted for this guy:


• For those of you complaining about Obama being in Latin America while ordering airstrikes in Libya: It's the 21st Century. Everything the President needs to make these decisions is easily accessible when he's traveling abroad.


• We don't know all the details about Libya (as much as some of us think we do). But I do know that after 8 years of You-Know-Who, it's good to have a thinking President again.


• Don't you just hate it when government butts in and tells us what kind of internet service we can and cannot get?


• Will someone PLEASE stand up for those downtrodden, overtaxed big businesses?


• Perhaps Hillary should reconsider not running for President again: 66% of Americans view her favorably.

Cue the Buyer's Remorse: Bernero would likely beat Snyder today

So says Public Policy Polling. The press release is in PDF form and it won't let me copy and paste, but here are a few highlights:

• Of poll respondents who didn't vote, Bernero leads 37-32%
• 47% would back Bernero, 45% would back Snyder
• Snyder's approval rating is 33% (with 50% disapproval)
• Collective bargaining rights are favored 59-32%; a constitutional amendment to ensure these rights would be backed by 49-37%
• Snyder's EFM power grab is opposed 50-32%

What does this tell us?

• Now that people know who Snyder is and what he stands for, they don't like him. No surprise.
• People have said that turnout was a big factor in the disastrous results. Well, this shows that it was. It also shows that with better turnout, Bernero wouldn't have had to persuade that many independents and others to vote for him in order for him to win.
• We didn't have to lose the 2010 election. The only reasons we did were because of bad turnout and the lack of funds needed to define the campaign on OUR terms, as opposed to their terms. (Hiring more paid staffers would've helped too, had we had the $$.)

That last point is important because it speaks to an issue I've noticed among many Democrats in recent months: The lack of a 'Yes We Can' attitude toward getting things done. I heard someone say as early as May 2009 that we wouldn't win the governorship. That attitude prevailed throughout the entire campaign, despite the fact that Michigan is a Democratic-leaning state. The reality is, if more people realized that we could have won... we might've won. People were happy to jump on board the campaign of Barack "Yes We Can" Obama, but who would want to volunteer for a campaign that they thought would be impossible to win? And more importantly, why did so many Democrats feed that mindset?

Another example: There was a mindset being pushed by many of the House Democrats that said, "Hey look, we're not going to win the State Senate, so support us instead." I asked a House Dem operative to elaborate on why he thought we wouldn't win the Senate, and all he could say was, "The numbers just aren't there." Turns out, the numbers WERE there. Had we kept the Senate seats we lost, we could've won back the Senate with LaGrand, Hopewell, Valentine, and Law. And with better turnout, we would have won the Senate. Instead, thanks to a fragmented campaign, the other side ended up with a 63-47 majority in the House when many people thought it impossible for Republicans to even get 56 seats. What a damn shame.

Yet another example: There is a YouTube video that was very popular among many of my Facebook friends and that was shared very widely, called "Michigan is screwed." That video was of a Rachel Maddow segment about the EFM bill. MSNBC had their own video of that segment, but the title didn't allude to us being 'screwed.' Someone I hadn't heard from in a LONG time posted the "Michigan is screwed" video on my FB wall, and before long I found the video on quite a few of my friends' FB pages.

I was even invited to an 'event' called "Michigan is F**ked." Yeah, really.

I could go on, but all I'll add is that what's going on now would not be going on if Democrats had done better in November. And Democrats would have done better if more of us had a better mindset - a mindset of doing what it takes to win, rather than a mindset of tearing down fellow Democrats and conceding an election long before it even takes place. But I mention all of this because the 2010 election has many lessons to offer us, and it is critical that these lessons be learned.

Dear Abby joke

Bet you won't expect the punchline to this one:

Dear Abby,

I am a resident of Los Angeles. My parents live in a suburb of Miami. They have recently been arrested for selling crack cocaine to a kindergarten class and are currently dependent on my other two sisters, who are prostitutes in Miami. I have two brothers, one who is currently serving a non-parole life sentence in Texas for murder. The other is currently in jail in Alabama on charges of incest.

I have recently become engaged to marry a former prostitute who lives in Los Angeles and indeed is still a part-time "working girl." We intend to marry as soon as possible and are currently looking into the possibility of opening our own brothel with my fiance utilizing her knowledge of the industry working as the manager. I am hoping my two sisters would be interested in joining our team. Although I would prefer them not to prostitute themselves, at least it would get them off the streets and hopefully the heroin.

My problem is this: I love my fiancee and look forward to bringing her into the family and of course I want to be totally honest with her. Should I tell her about my cousin who is a strong Scott Walker supporter?

Signed,
Worried About My Reputation

Coming Soon to a Ballot near you, Part II: Proposals

Welcome to Part II of a post-2010 election, pre-2012 election miniseries here on Great Lakes, Great Times, Great Scott, titled "Coming Soon to a Ballot Near You." Part one, on candidates who may make a comeback, can be found here.

Michigan residents have voted on 19 statewide ballot proposals since 2000. These proposals have legalized medical marijuana and stem cell research; banned gay marriage and affirmative action; and restricted eminent domain, felons serving in office, and pay increases for lawmakers. Voters have also blocked mandates on education funding, mourning dove hunting, the elimination of the 'straight-ticket' voting option, and school vouchers.

Despite Michigan's recent history with controversial ballot proposals, the two that appeared on the 2010 ballot garnered very little attention - and the results of each were decisive. Proposal 1, the proposal for a Constitutional convention which appears on the ballot every 16 years, was defeated by a 2-1 margin, while Proposal 2 passed by a 3-1 margin, thus preventing certain felons from holding elective office until 20 years after their conviction.

The lack of controversy from last year's ballot proposals may have contributed to the low turnout in this year's gubernatorial election. Nearly 570,000 fewer voters showed up at the polls in this year's gubernatorial election compared to 2006 - despite nicer weather and the fact that an unusually high number of seats were open.

But with the 2012 campaign starting to warm up, activists on all sides of various issues are getting ready to collect signatures to put various proposals on the 2012 ballot. Debate surrounding ballot proposals often influences the debate surrounding offices on the ballot. Recall, for instance, the considerable debate surrounding Bush, Gore, and vouchers in 2000, as well as Bush, Kerry, and gay marriage in 2004.

With 3,226,088 people having voted in the 2010 election for Governor, a ballot proposal would need the following number of signatures to get on the ballot, depending on the type of proposal:

• For a Constitutional amendment: 322,609 signatures


• For an initiative statute: 258,088 signatures


• For a referendum on a bill passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor: 161,305 signatures

So the bar has been set a little lower due to the low turnout in the gubernatorial election, meaning this could be the best chance supporters of a certain issue have to get a proposal on the ballot. Result? 2012 could be the busiest year, proposal-wise, that Michigan has had since 1996.

What issues could be the topics of ballot-proposal discussion in 2012?

Mining: Supporters attempted to get a proposal on the 2010 ballot that would have severely restricted mining in Michigan. They say they will try again for the 2012 ballot.

Healthcare: Opponents of President Obama's healthcare law failed to get a measure on the ballot that would have apparently stopped the healthcare law from taking effect in Michigan. A similar measure passed in Missouri last year.

Term limits: This is one of those that is often talked about, but hasn't been on the ballot since the current limits were enacted in 1992. Since then, individuals have been eligible to serve three 2-year terms in the House and two 4-year terms as a State Senator, Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor. Petitions were circulated in 2010 to eliminate term limits, but it didn't make it to the ballot. A group is trying to get it on the ballot in 2012; their proposal also calls for the elimination of the state Senate.

Rights of state employees: The same group attempting to get the term limits/get-rid-of-the-Senate proposal on the ballot is also pushing for three ballot proposals that would curtail the rights of working Michiganians. These proposals would ban collective bargaining by our hard-working state employees; make Michigan what I call a "Work for Less" state; and repeal the Public Employment Relations Act. The Legislature is considering bills that would do these things, thus possibly making these efforts irrelevant. However, if such bills are passed and signed into law, don't be surprised if labor groups unite to force these issues onto the ballot via referendum.

Casinos: Following the passage of Proposal 1 in 2004, new casinos may only be opened following a statewide vote to approve such casinos. If the group Michigan Is Yours gets their way, we could have seven new casinos opening across the state after the 2012 election.

(Historical fun fact: Another provision of the 1992 proposal had limited members of the US Congress from Michigan to six 2-year terms in the House and two 6-year terms in the Senate; however, like other term limits laws affecting members of Congress, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to invoke restrictions on serving in Congress beyond what is already in the Constitution (being of a certain age, living in the US a certain period of time, and living in the state you wish to represent in Congress).)

Government reform: In 2008, a number of Michigan Democrats tried to get a detailed proposal on the ballot that was called "Reform Michigan Government Now. Among other things, the proposal would have reduced the number of state lawmakers and judges; curbed state lawmakers' retirement benefits; mandated a paper trail for all elections; prohibited election officials from being involved in campaigns for elections they directed; and established a commission to conduct redistricting. Each of these issues could be placed on the 2012 ballot separately, although the one on redistricting may wait until later in the decade.

So what should progressive Democrats like us do?

Given that Republicans control the entire Legislature, there may be a lot of bills passed by the Republicans in Lansing that end up being both bad politics and bad policy. In addition to the anti-worker efforts mentioned above, there is also a bill to eliminate the Earned Income Tax Credit. Forcing these laws onto the ballot by referendum could prove to be a very worthwhile strategy.

Ah, but there's a catch. See, any bill that includes an appropriation of some sort is not subject to a referendum. That was the reason the state Supreme Court blocked a referendum on the controversial concealed weapons law of 2001. If referenda on destructive Republican legislation are prohibited by such appropriations, we could still reverse these laws through the initiative process.

Either way, promoting our stances on issues via ballot proposals is an effort Democrats should definitely undertake. Win or lose on the proposal itself, this strategy would give otherwise apathetic voters - many of them Democrats/Obama supporters - a reason to vote.

And if 2010 taught us anything, it's that they sure do need a reason to vote.

Sick of highly-paid teachers?

Found this on Facebook:

Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit!

We can get that for less than minimum wage. That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours).

Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day.

However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET'S SEE....

That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000.

$50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!!

Make a teacher smile; repost this to show appreciation for all educators!

Bits of Tid: February 19, 2011

More Power Edition

• You know how Republicans are supposed to be against tax hikes? Well, not anymore. At least not on seniors and poor people.
• On Daily Kos they're talking recalls in Wisconsin. Perhaps we should consider a recall or two in Michigan - or at least organaize a campaign to recall someone, even if it comes nowhere near getting on the ballot. One benefit of the low turnout in 2010 is that the threshold for recalls is lower. It would only take 19,895 signatures to force Dave Hildenbrand to face a recall. Recall drives must start at least six months after a lawmaker's term begins, so we could start gathering signatures on or after July 1. If we campaign to get a recall on the ballot, we can at least use it as anm opportunity to educate voters.
• Be sure to follow the the Michigan, My Michigan group on Daily Kos! Let me know if you'd like to be added as a member of the group.
• Sad news: West Michigan Rising is closing.
• Happy news: I have been elected to three things in the past ten days! Earlier this month I was elected to the Kent County Democratic Executive Committee, filling one of a few vacancies. Last weekend at Cobo Hall, I was also elected as a member of the Michigan 3rd District Democratic Executive Committee. Then on Thursday, Dad and I were elected as Council 4362's two delegates to the Michigan Knights of Columbus State Convention in May. Delegates from our council are usually the current Grand Knight (currently myself) and a past Grand Knight (Dad was Grand Knight in 1999-2000). Dad was previously a delegate to the 2000 and 2003 conventions.
• What a difference 17 days makes. On February 2, nearly every school in West Michigan was closed, as were most businesses, due to one of the biggest blizzards to hit the area in many decades. Now, there's almost no snow on our deck and very little on the ground. I hear Mother Nature is going to do something about that tomorrow.

VerWys's opposition to jobs makes no sense

When Autocam offered to bring 200 jobs to Kentwood, city leaders saw an excellent opportunity.

With all the vacant industrial space in our city, the Kentwood City Commission embraced the idea of bringing in new jobs for the folks of Kentwood and surrounding areas. Autocam sought a tax abatement from the City so they could get started. It's a good deal for the City, given that the alternative - leaving the industrial space vacant - would have resulted in the same amount of tax revenue for the next couple years but without the jobs (though the City would receive new revenue in a few years; more on that later).

So Kentwood City Commissioners voted 6-1 to offer Autocam the abatement.

The one exception? Commissioner/Tea Party activist/Republican precinct delegate/twice-convicted felon Ray VerWys.

Why?

He said abatements are no different from “the targeted tax breaks handed down in Lansing” and that giving tax breaks to some only shifts the tax burden onto others. “We cannot afford to give up this kind of money,” said VerWys.

And in just a couple sentences, VerWys both slams the successful state tax breaks instituted under then-Gov. Granholm, while at the same time demonstrating a lack of knowledge about tax abatements and their benefits. So let me explain.

See, here in Kentwood (and in other places), the City Commission is authorized to give tax abatements to businsses that are starting up in Kentwood. This is meant to help with their start-up costs; the idea being that while they will still be responsible for their fair share of the tax burden in a few years, the City will do what it can to help them get started by not letting tax burdens prevent companies from creating jobs.

In the Autocam situation, it makes perfect sense. Without the abatement: (a) the empty industrial space would have remained empty; (b) no jobs would have been created; and (c) the city would get no additional revenue from the project.

But since the abatement was approved: (a) the industrial space will be occupied; (b) 200 jobs will be created; (c) the city will get new, direct revenue starting in a few years; (d) these new jobs will help families avoid foreclosures, meaning the City continues to earn revenue from their property taxes; and (e) the local economy will get a boost from their spending, meaning more jobs and more businesses saved (and again, keeping revenue for the City).

To hear VerWys say it, you'd think this is actually costing the City money. What would have cost the City is if VerWys had his way.

Which, thankfully for 200 West Michigan families, he did not.

Stay tuned as I keep track of how many jobs VerWys opposes for the remaining three years of his term.

Bits of Tid: February 6, 2011

Elections Here and Abroad Edition

• Happy Birthday Grandma! She's 87 today, which is hard to believe. She's also a proud Democrat, was an Army nurse, and is deeply committed to her Catholic faith. (She met Grandpa through her brother-in-law, who was one of his Army buddies.)
• So Mubarak says he won't run in the upcoming Egyptian election. But will he even allow it go on? Or will he just cancel it and maintain power for as long as he's able to? That's not far-fetched given that he hasn't allowed anyone to run against him.
• Notice how the media is portraying the protests as 'anti-government' protests? They're anti-Mubarak protests, but you don't hear them calling them that. Unless they're trying to use these protests against the Mubarak regime to further a general distaste of government in general.
• If not for Egypt, the fact that this would have been Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday would probably be the big story of the day. But as someone recalled in a recent letter to USA Today:

  I do not recall any celebration of Franklin D. Roosevelt's 100th birthday, and he had real accomplishments: leading this country out of the Depression and to victory over the Nazis in World War II. Roosevelt created the modern presidency, not Reagan, who demeaned and disgraced it.

  Furthermore, one wonders if the modern Tea Party would tolerate someone like Reagan running for office. He tripled the national debt and raised the payroll tax. At any rate, there better be a lot of hoopla surrounding the 100th birthdays of Gerald Ford (July 14, 2013) and John F. Kennedy (May 29, 2016).
• It's February 6 and so far only one Republican - Herman Cain (?!) - has even formed an exploratory committee to run for President. At this time in 2003, Howard Dean, John Edwards, and John Kerry (and probably a couple others) had announced Presidential runs. Four years ago today, Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and Tom Vilsack had formed committees, along with Sam Brownback (R) and others. Perhaps they're waiting for Palin to say whether she'll run or not? Either way, while she has a hardcore batch of supporters, I don't expect Palin to get the nod.
• I kind of suspect that they all see Obama as the general-election favorite, and many people who didn't vote in 2010 (thus enabling the Republican wave) will vote this time, boosting Obama and other Dems. Perhps if they see more weakness/vulnerability in Obama, they'll run. Otherwise, who wants to be the Dole or Mondale of 2012? (Keep in mind, though, that so much can and will happen between now and November 6, 2012. In fact, Bush Sr.'s poularity in 1991 is credited/blamed for dissuading many Democrats from making a run - but Clinton's persistence paid off big time.)
• That said, 2011 does come before 2012. (Shocking, huh?) This year's focus is on local races, including for mayor of Grand Rapids, Flint, and other cities, along with city council/commission races in most cities. Perhaps, for the first time since I turned 18, I (a First Ward resident) will vote in a contested City Commission race here in Kentwood!
• Also up for election this year are seats on school boards as well as community college trusteeships. The race for two spots on the Grand Rapids Community College Board of Trustees features former GRPS superintendent Bert Bleke and former Republican state House candidate Frank Murin, among others. In Kentwood, incumbent Bill Joseph is retiring, while Mimi Madden is seeking her third term (and will likely get one of my votes). That means one other person will be elected - and unless another great candidate steps up to the plate, my other vote will go to Amanda LeAnne Brunzell.
• After much thought, I'll cheer for Josh Gordy, Cullen Jenkins, Frank Zombo, and the Packers over Antonio Brown and the Steelers. But like I said, they both got good players.