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!

Primary postmortem

Turnout barely exceeds 2008: Looks like Republican turnout will surpass the 2008 total by only about 125,000 votes, give or take a few. In 2008, 869,169 votes were cast for Republican candidates. This year, two things appeared to contribute to increased turnout:

• The Democratic race is uncontested this year, and some people who voted for Hillary or for Uncommitted in 2008 either did not vote this time or crossed over.
• Republicans invested much more heavily in Michigan this time than in 2008. Last time, the focus of the national Republican race was on Super Tuesday, as Romney was more or less expected to win the Michigan primary (which was three weeks before Super Tuesday). This time, a very close race (and the possibility of Romney losing what he should've won in a cakewalk) meant more interest in the race - thus also contributing to higher turnout.

Despite that, Republicans only got around 1 million votes this time.

A lot of money to barely win your 'home' state: Romney and his super PAC spent $3,807,082 in Michigan, while Santorum and his super PAC spent $2,182,786. At the moment, with a few precincts left to report, it comes out to $9.33 per vote for Romney and $5.79 per vote for Santorum. And what did Romney get for that? A 3-point win in a state he should've won in a cakewalk. And as Dana points out, Romney's 41% just barely exceeds his 2008 performance of 39%.

Exit poll sheds light on primary electorate: CNN's exit poll has a load of fascinating info.

• 9% of Republican primary voters were Democrats, and Santorum got a majority (not just a plurality) of Dems.
• 39% called themselves moderate or liberal.
• Santorum gets almost half the vote among those who dislike the other candidates more than they like their own candidates.
• Nearly 3 in 8 Republican primary voters say abortion should be "always" or "mostly" legal.
• 44% approved of the government bailing out the automakers.
• Most fascinating of all (IMHO): Romney and Santorum tied among Tea Party supporters, with Santorum winning among those who do not support the Tea Party.

Republicans' irresponsibility comes back to bite them: Michigan republicans wasted $40 million of our tax dollars to hold this primary so they could anoint Romney as the nominee here in Michigan. Well, how's that turning out for you, Republicans? Your party is at war with itself, and now your frontrunner is trailing Obama by 16 points in Michigan.

State House races offer good signs for Democrats: The 29th and 51st State House districts had special elections to fill the remainders of the terms of Tim Melton (D-29th), who resigned, and Paul Scott (R-51st), who was recalled. Both were succeeded by members of their own parties, meaning there will be no change in the balance of power in the State House.

In November 2008 - a great election for Democrats - Paul Scott got 53% of the vote in the 51st House race. This time, with a much more Republican electorate, Joe Graves got a whopping 54%. One should be careful about reading too much into that, but with a much more Republican electorate voting yesterday (60% Republican statewide, according to CNN), do you not think Graves should've done much better than 54%?

Could it be that Michigan Republicans are in for a backlash for their anti-worker agenda?

Republicans prepare for caucuses, touting commitment to jobs, fiscal responsibility

By SCOTT HUSSEIN URBANOWSKI
SNARX News

LANSING - Republicans across the state are preparing for tonight's Presidential caucuses, which have brought the world's attention to this state with a Republican-dominated government.

Michigan Republicans decided last year to use a caucus to allocate the state's Republican National Convention delegates. Proposals for a statewide, taxpayer-funded primary were shot down.

"In 2010, we campaigned on more jobs, less government, and less spending," said Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville. "By choosing a caucus system instead of a primary, we are fulfilling our promises by not spending your tax dollars."

US Senate candidate Gary Glenn said that Republican lawmakers have taken a route that is "consistent with Christian principles."

"Christ taught us to take care of the poor," said Glenn. "Rather than waste money doing something our Party could do by itself, our Party decided to forgo using tax dollars for a primary, instead using that money to allow things like the Earned Income Tax Credit to continue as they were before."

A Republican spokesman noted that by saving $10 million on a primary, many jobs have been saved, including those of police and firefighters.

"The Democrat Party has forgotten 9/11," said the spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous. "We haven't forgotten. We remember the bravery of our firefighters and police. In tribute to them, and in order to protect our communities, we have chosen to preserve their jobs here in Michigan."

Republican activist Sanctity O'Marriage, R-Roscommon,* said he is proud of his party for standing up to Democrats in Washington by showing how to cut spending in government.

"Instead of getting government involved in private matters, Republicans are committed to doing the responsible thing," said O'Marriage, who plans to caucus for Santorum.

"Debbie Spenditnow and Khalid Sheikh bin Hussein bin Soetoro bin Obumbum can't say that!"

Stay tuned to SNARX news for complete Michigan Republican caucus coverage

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*Roscommon = Actual name of a village in Ireland, pop. 5,000. It's purported that the town in northern Michigan is named for the one in Ireland. Fun fact.

Santorum boasts of Limbaugh, Dobson, Bauer, Beck

Rick Santorum's super PAC is not good at targeting.

My parents and I are lifelong Democrats. Mom and I are Democratic precinct delegates. And yet we keep getting flyers from the Red, White and Blue Fund, telling us that Romney is evil and that Santorum is a true conservative. We got three full-page flyers yesterday, in fact. But today's flyer tells me that Santorum isn't even hiding who supports him.