At last night's meeting, the KCDP unanimously voted to endorse Jocelyn Benson to be the party's nominee for Secretary of State. The endorsement means that the County Party is encouraging all MDP members who attend the Endorsement Convention on 17 April to vote for Benson.
From the Benson campaign:
Breaking news out of Kent County tonight as the Kent County Democratic Party has just endorsed our campaign for Secretary of State! We are incredibly grateful for the support of all Kent County Dems!
The Kent County Democratic Party is one of the three largest County Parties in the state and it joins its friends in Oakland in being out front for Benson.
I'm voting for Jocelyn and encourage my brothers and sisters in other West Michigan County Parties to join us in supporting Benson for SoS. Read full diary [0 Comments, 0 Words]
The Detroit papers are reporting that Bart Stupak will have a primary challenger. The move is both understandable, but also points to a potential fracturing in west Michigan politics. Connie Saltonstall is a former county commissioner, who ran against Kevin Elsenheimer (MI 105) in 2008.
As she expressed her reasons to the Free Press
"I believe that he has a right to his personal, religious views, but to deprive his constituents of needed health care reform because of those views is reprehensible"
We have largely found a way to keep both wings -- the pro-choice and the pro-life -- talking with one another here in Kent County. The longer Health Care Reform founders, the more the impasse is seen as turning on that of abortion (an objection many observers find unfounded), the greater the risk to this alliance and to our ability to hold the gains we have made.
It will take a great deal of wisdom and common sense for the party to maintain its unity in the light of these outside challenges. We have strong advocates on both sides of the abortion issue. And with the upcoming election we will need everyone working together. Read full diary [0 Comments, 0 Words]
The last thing this country needs is more Bushenomics. We're still trying to recover from the Bush Recession. You just don't solve a problem by doing the same thing twice. Read full diary [3 Comments, 8 Words]
Organizing for America Strategy Session on the 2010 Elections
Time: Saturday, March 13 from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Host: Jennifer Warner
Contact Phone: 269.270.9466
Location: Eberhard Center, Rm 215 AB
301 West Fulton
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Join Organizing for America for our 2010 Strategy Briefing in your area. The Strategy Briefings are a chance to talk with OFA staff and other volunteers in your area about our legislative and electoral plan for 2010. As an organization, we have come a long way in the past year. We have lessons to learn from the budget pledge drive, health insurance reform and the Massachusetts Senate Race. Now is the time to bring those lessons together and look forward to 2010. There are countless opportunities to create change in the coming year and we have an important role to play in making that happen. As a team, we will talk about how to be involved in creating change in our country, both legislatively and electorally. We will talk through national strategy and discuss together what that means for our local community.
Looks like at least 100 people will be attending. I encourage them all to find a Democrat and march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade starting at Ottawa and Lyon at 10:45 am before heading over. Read full diary [0 Comments, 0 Words]
Looks like the GOP in the 6th Congressional District want some of the fun that is happening in the 3rd Congressional District in Grand Rapids:
From the Kalamazoo Gazette:
KALAMAZOO - Jack Hoogendyk, a conservative Republican activist and former state representative from Texas Township, is testing the political waters for a potential August primary challenge to U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph.
It would be lovely to see another bitter GOP primary, but it would be even more enjoyable to see a strong Democratic candidate emerge for 2010. The 6th is even less of a GOP seat than the 3rd, so there is an opportunity for a strong candidate. Read full diary [0 Comments, 0 Words]
It has been just about one year since Secretary of State candidate Jocelyn Benson visited Kalamazoo College, her first stop in Kalamazoo on her indefatigable campaign for the Democratic nomination. I was there, and wrote about it for West Michigan Rising, one of many articles lost when our files disappeared in a server migration. As I recall, we had three students, her aide, 20th Senate candidate Mark Totten, and myself in the audience. Despite the small audience, she gave an animated and impassioned talk on her vision for voter protection, increasing citizen particiaption in elections, and every other aspect of the Michigan Dept. of State.
Today, having covered nearly every Michigan county over the past year, having spoken to the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party last August, and to hundreds of groups large and small across the state, she returned to Kalamazoo to a forum hosted by ObamaZoo, the continuing local expression of the grassroots Obama campaign. Read full diary [1 Comments, 214 Words]
... the study flies in the face of the popular wisdom that happiness resides in creature comforts and relative affluence. Perhaps activism gives people a sense of purpose, or of agency or just a chance to hang out with other people. Most likely it does all of the above.
So, get your butt out there and work to make the world and your neighborhood a better place. And smile why you do it. The first thing you can do is join the Michigan Democratic Party so you can vote for our next Secretary of State and Attorney General at the 17 April Endorsement Convention and sign up to run as a precinct delegate so you can play a role in your County Democratic Party when new executive committees are elected in December. You can find out how to do both in Scotty's great resource diary. Read full diary [0 Comments, 0 Words]
Races are getting more and more clear as we enter March.
On the Democratic side for Governor, Dan Kildee has decided not to run asserting that it would cause a split in in both labor and progressive organizations between himself and Virg Bernero. Not wanting to see that, Kildee has stepped aside. All due respect to Alma Wheeler Smith, I don't expect this field to change, we now have a Bernero v Dillon primary.
Former State Representative Jerry Kooiman also bowed out of a race for Congress in the 3rd district and endorsed Steve Heacock. Clearly, Kooiman didn't want to leave his high-paying and probably very fulfilling job with the new MSU medical school. And, the East/Business Establishment (minus the DeVos clan) are trying to rally around Heacock to prevent the Amash Catastrophe. So, I think we've got our field in the 3rd: Justin Amash, Bill Hardiman and Steve Heacock. The only other person who could still get in is Terri Lynn Land, who I think will eventually get in near the deadline after a Bouchard drop-out. Read full diary [3 Comments, 0 Words]
I'll let my readers comment on the photo images Goei's campaign got out.
And so, the Civil War within the Kent County Republican Party expands. It's a battle royal between the Establishment and Teapublicans. Read full diary [1 Comments, 10 Words]
In another ill-kept secret, Steven Heacock entered the race for the Third Congressional Seat. In an era of petulant Republicanism (see Mike Bishop, Jim Bunning), Heacock comes across as something of an adult. Whatever else he is, Heacock is definitely a downtown man -- or perhaps we should say a Pill Hill Man. Oh, let's just say it: he's Establishment.
This candidacy naturally stands in contrast to Justin Amash's Tea Partying. But it also exposes the weakness of the Cultural Warriors to the west. The Grandville crowd are now stuck with the lackluster campaign of Bill Hardiman.
Money, not babies looks to be the dominant issue for the GOP. And that paradoxically opens up another avenue for an enterprising Dem candidates: let's talk about family values. The good news is that we have Democrats able to step up and position themselves as champions of real family values. This is definite good news for Bob Synk, Jim Talen, David LaGrand, and perhaps even the eventual Democratic candidate for the Third Congressional. Read full diary [2 Comments, 0 Words]
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job here in Lansing is working on projects that bring jobs and new development to the district I represent. One day the word fortu showed up on my calendar. I wondered what this appointment would lead to as I ushered a group into my office from fortu PowerCell, an advanced battery manufacturing company that utilizes a radically new technology with twice the energy content and half the material cost of traditional batteries,
For fortu PowerCell to even consider Michigan, a lot of work was done by Governor Granholm and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation on a plan that creates centers of manufacturing excellence for advanced battery technologies. For many years Muskegon has been ready for a big opportunity to replace our waning manufacturing base, and here it was.
They've moved all the turbines to 4 miles offshore (the original proposal had some as close as two-miles). An improvement, though I'd still like to see them go out to at least 6-8 miles offshore. Let's get this right the first time. The big lake is transcendent since you can't see the other side. It tells us something about hte human condidtion. It's spritually meaningful, we shouldn't ruin that. Read full diary [0 Comments, 0 Words]
Do you want to strengthen your voice in our Party and our communities?
Do you want to help decide whom the Democratic Party nominates for offices like SoS and AG?
Do you want to help steer the direction of the Democratic Party, including what our platform will look like and what issues the Party supports?
If you answered YES to any or all of these questions, then have I got the opportunities for you!
1.Join the Michigan Democratic Party. In order to vote at the April 17 Endorsement Convention, you must be an MDP member for 30 days before the Convention. So join or renew your membership by March 18 to have a chance to support your favorite candidates for office!
Plus, since memberships are good for one year, your membership will still be good for next February's State Convention, at which we will elect our state Party leadership and adopt some resolutions. So join the MDP and have your say!
2.Become a Precinct Delegate! What is a Precinct Delegate? Well, I got this in an email a couple of years ago:
The Precinct Delegate is one of the most important 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. Precinct Delegates represent the Democratic Party in their neighborhoods and represent their neighborhoods and Democratic Party meetings.
Precinct Delegates: -Help Democrats get registered to vote -Take information on issues and candidates to the voters in their precinct -Identify other Democrats and recruit new Party members -Help turn out the Democratic vote on Election Day -Keep Democratic leaders informed about the issues that concern voters
So, essentially, you would be a liaison of sorts between the Democratic Party and your community. It is an elected position, and you will get to vote for yourself in the August primary election. Better yet, you will probably win, since many precincts have more delegate seats than candidates!
Oh, and did I mention you can hone your resolution-writing skills? My meager self wrote two resolutions that were adopted at the Kent County Democratic Convention in February 2009 - they were then adopted at the State Convention a couple weeks later, all because I am a Precinct Delegate!
To run for Delegate, print out the form linked above, get it notarized, then turn it in to your city, township, or county clerk's office.
So, take advantage of these opportunities to move our Democratic Party in the direction YOU want it to move! Things will happen when YOU take the time to get involved.
I'm pleased to announce that my uncle -- Gary Skaggs -- made it through the city commission primary today in Pratt, Kansas. Gary came in first place with 651 votes to 396 for his closest competitor (the current mayor). The general election is in April. The six remaining candidates will be run again for two spots on the 5-person commission. Gary is a born-and-raised citizen of Pratt (in southern central Kansas), a Vietnam vet, and successful small businessowner. He's the co-owner, with my cousin Bill, of a business my grandfather built -- Skaggs Ace Hardware in downtown Pratt. Gary is everything you'd expect from a successful small-town shop owner -- he's hard-working, friendly, and down-to-earth. He'll make a great public servant (FYI: I've encouraged him to run for about the last 20 years and he's taken the plunge now that he's retired and handed the daily operations over to his son). Congrats Uncle Gary, I join all Skaggses today who have pride in another family success.
Last night's decision to close Stocking School may be one of the last of its kind. Or at least, the last easy step for the GRPS board.
The decision rested on the notion that school buildings make a greater difference than what goes on inside those buildings. Structure before people -- this s the logic of the charter movement. And today, one of the leading advocates just switched sides.
Diane Ravitch, conservative education reformer and long-time advocate for No Child Left Behind and charters, has become in her own words, a "skeptic." This is big news, and a real vote of no-confidence in the semi-private charter school movement. She announces her shift here, and explains it in detail with her new book,The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (Basic Books, 2010).
With West Michigan being ground zero for charters in Michigan, and with GRPS adopting charters as a model for reform -- the shift of an advocate changes the dynamics. A move to community-oriented schools certainly reinforces the position of Tony Baker, Henry Campbell and Wendy Falb in their attempt to keep Stocking School open (and correspondingly, makes the difficulties of John Helmholdt and Bernard Taylor that much more difficult).
As other recent articles make clear, teachers play a far more critical role in the success of our schools. The path that GRPS will need to take cannot be in finding charter alternative models, but in the rebuilding of trust with parents and teachers.
And I can think of one school on the west side where they could start. Read full diary [3 Comments, 0 Words]
Sean Egan wrote the following and was gracious enough to allow me to reprint it here. I agree, down with apathy and inaction. Real change isn't going to happen after just one or two elections.
What's the Real Message to Progressives in the 2010 Congressional Elections? By Sean Egan
I, like many self proclaimed progressive liberals, have been disappointed, shocked, discouraged, and downright pissed off at the lack of progress on the liberal agenda we had hoped our Democratic Representatives would deliver. At every turn in the history of the United States it has been the progressive thinkers, without regard to party labels, that have moved this country in a new direction toward liberty, equality, and justice for the masses over the few.
As we have been watching these first years of the Obama administration relying on those hopeful campaign speeches and promises to produce results, it seems many have vested too much stock in Obama himself and forgotten the legislative process necessary to accomplish any goals. Historically the United States Senate has been the cog in the wheel of movement. With Senate rules, filibusters, cloture motions, etc, it is often much too simple for a small minority to delay and stop the legislative process in spite of the enormous need and public support for regulation or programs to aid a hurting country. We see this now with John McCain's stall of NLRB appointees, something rarely if ever done before.
In order to put this in perspective we must look to our past to plot our future. As Harry S. Truman said, "There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know." When the nation was crumbling in the early stages of the Great Depression thanks to years of "Free Market" Republican logic, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected to rush in a new era of progress to aid the American people. With his inauguration in 1933 came a 59 seat Democrat majority in the Senate. Those remarkable first 100 Days that brought much legislation were accomplished with this majority and an economic climate that did not allow Republicans to object or stall progress for fear of retaliation at the polls. However, for the much larger progressive movement the mid-term elections of 1935 increased this majority to 69, a ten seat gain, and again in 1937 an increase of seven to a 76 seat majority. With these large majorities finally came Social Security, the Wagner Act which is the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act which created a minimum wage, the Works Progress Administration, and a great deal of Federal spending to support these programs. We often hear of the first 100 Days, but the later progressive legislation remains the bedrock of a strong middle class in this country.
One of the next major pieces of middle class support from the Federal Government came with the passage of Medicare in 1965. With his inauguration in 1965, Lyndon Johnson also had a 68 seat Democrat majority in the Senate. In June of that year, progressives were able to pass the Medicare programs which continue to be arguably the most important piece of legislation in supporting a middle class America. During the lead up and passage of this legislation the Republican Party, including Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, called this socialism and uttered the same chants as the Republican Party today. In fact, the Republican Party has been overtly and covertly attempting to destroy all of the legislation referred to here and more since their passage. It seems that any type of efforts supporting the middle class, working classes, and poor in this country are met with cries of Socialism by the Republican Party, which is why again the great quote maker Harry S. Truman said, "If you want to live like a Republican, vote for a Democrat."
So what's the point of all this history stuff? Simple, for progressives like me that are currently frustrated with the lack of progress on President Obama's agenda including passage of health care reform, stronger banking regulations, strengthening the ability and right to collective bargaining, and many more the message is elect more. As you read above and can find throughout the history of the United States, the way forward is with larger and stronger majorities of progressives in the United States Congress. So as our friends, members, neighbors, and others are looking to these mid-term elections with great fatigue and discouraged fervor we must educate them that the way forward is not electing less Democrats, it is electing more Democrats. We must tell them that without large majorities in both Houses of Congress, we don't have Social Security, banking regulation, Medicare, and other great programs that support the American middle class and the poor in this country. And without strengthening the current majorities in Congress, we don't get the progressive agenda the majority of Americans supported when casting their votes for Barrack Obama.
So stop blaming President Obama and the Democrats for the lack of progress, because, as our history shows, progress requires large majorities.
Democrat Andy Dillon Governor
Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris State University
Monday, 1 March, 9:00 am
17 Fountain Street NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Dillon becomes the third Democrat to come to Grand Rapids to announce for a state-wide office, following Jocelyn Benson and Virg Bernero (Gretchen Whitmer was everywhere in Grand Rapids, but never officially announced).
Republican Bill Hardiman Congress: 3rd District
Monday, 1 March, 10:30 am
Hascall Steel Corp, Grandville
Looks like the efforts by the Establishment to have a one-on-one with Teapublican Amash have fallen through. Expect Steve Heacock to announce later this week.
Republican Bing Goei State House: 75th District
Tuesday, 2 March, 10:00 am
Rylees Ace Hardware
Goei announces for the right for the Republican nomination to then be crushed by incumbent Robert Dean or the brilliant Brandon Dillon. Goei is a two time loser in his two campaigns for elective office. Read full diary [5 Comments, 0 Words]
Hardiman In?
[top] by: Harris, Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 13:03:35 PM EST
Monday morning, it looks as if Rep. Justin Amash will have company in the race for the Third Congressional seat. A Thursday press release (below fold)has an important announcement at Hascall Steel, in Grandville. Definitely outside the district -- sure looks like a campaign announcement.
The Grandville location is also significant, home of Terri Land. It's been apparent for some time that there is a split between the money of Ada, and the social conservatives (and money) of Grandville. While Peter Secchia and the Ada boys may have helped elevate Hardiman, his heart has always belonged with the social conservatives to the west.
If the Land organization is backing him, it certainly puts a crimp into the plans of Steve Heacock. Although the Hardiman candidacy will also rob Amash of some of his Christian High social conservative creds.
In any case, this has become a lot more interesting. Read full diary [3 Comments, 178 Words]
