"More and better Democrats." That's pretty much the mission statement of this blog. In this race, we can accomplish both goals: remove one of the absolute worst Republican legislators currently in office, and elect a solid progressive Democrat in his place. The race is the 9th District of Michigan, where Democrat Gary Peters is challenging the GOP's 8-term do-nothing, Joe Knollenberg (R-General Motors).
The 9th District (Race tracker wiki), is located entirely in Oakland County, just northwest of Detroit. It has traditionally been a Republican leaning area, but over the course of the last decade, it has moved conistently Democratic, to the point now, that Democrats are coming into the majority. In the 2008 cycle, we will likely pick up several more mayors seats and take the majority of county commission seats. On the national level, we are seen as just slightly Republican (Cook lists the 9th as R +0), and so, with a good candidate and enough money, this is a seat that can be flipped.
I swear, Republican straw-man fearmongering will never cease to amaze me.
Republican Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan's 7th District, running a tight race against Democrat Mark Schauer, was the only member of the House Education Labor and Committee to vote against reauthorizing Head Start.
Considering there are 43 members of the committee, this is rather significant. So naturally, more than a few people were peeved:
This made the Walberg campaign sad, so they responded with their best defense: "we fear the Wiccans, and their lawsuits".
In other words, say a Baptist or a Catholic church wanted to continue to offer its Head Start program and a Muslim or "a Wiccan from a coven in Ann Arbor" wanted to apply for a job to teach there, now it couldn't discriminate based on religious grounds anymore, or vice versa.
He said he offered an amendment that would have made that change, but it didn't get any traction.
He said he doesn't oppose Head Start, but by keeping that provision in the bill, he said religious organizations might decide it's better to get rid of Head Start.
Walberg said he didn't initiate the efforts, but was contacted by people in his district that were concerned about this provision.
It would also open all of them to lawsuits, because the Wiccan, or the Catholic or the Muslim who wasn't hired, could say it was because of their religious beliefs, he said.
So basically, Walberg voted against Head Start because...he is afraid of the potential complications of Wiccans teaching in Catholic churches or something. Or their mean Wiccan lawsuits, anyway.
Of course.
Nearby, Rep. Joe Knollenberg has bigger things on his mind than Walberg does, bigger even than his difficult reelection race against Democrat Gary Peters.
Knollenberg is busy protecting our families from Asian invaders. Seriously.
Now, when you actually click on Knollenberg's blog, of course, he's wiped all mentions of "Asian invaders". The title is now "Protecting our Families from Harmful Products".
Exactly the same thing, you know.
I don't know what he's trying to pull, but it sure looks ugly. As Swing State Project's James L. writes:
This sort of thing -- especially coming from a United States congressman -- is disgusting.
Indeed.
One has to wonder what the hell is wrong with these Michigan Republicans.
Given what happened yesterday, I feel it's important I repost my earlier diary on who are the GOOD Democratic challengers when it comes to FISA. I'll try to corral all their statements into this diary, so you can see who the "good guys" are.
First, let's start off with the current House and Senate members who voted against this bill. (For the Senate, I'm only including those who voted against cloture yesterday for the bill.) They do deserve credit, as it's their jobs on the line.
Follow me below the fold to see the dozens of Democratic challengers who are standing up for the Constitution, and are against this FISA bill and retroactive immunity.
In the last couple days, there have been several posts across the blogosphere citing what various candidates running for Congress have said on FISA and retroactive immunity for the telecoms. But so far, it's been all over the map. I'll try to corral all their statements into this diary, so you can see who the "good guys" are.
First, let's start off with the current House and Senate members who voted against this bill. They do deserve credit, as it's their jobs on the line.
Follow me below the fold to see the dozens of Democratic challengers who are standing up for the Constitution, and are against this FISA bill and retroactive immunity.
Gary Peters is a uniquely qualified leader with the experience, character, and judgment that we need in Washington right now. From the Navy Reserve to the state Senate, Gary Peters has made a career out of taking action to solve problems, and that's what he'll do as the Congressman from the 9th District.
I don't need to tell this community that General Clark knows what grassroots and netroots campaigning is all about. The Draft Wes Clark movement in 2003 made history, and since then, General Clark and WesPAC have been working nonstop to support other Democrats who believe that we need to act now to bring our troops home from Iraq, strengthen our national security, and provide the best possible care for our veterans.
Yesterday, I welcomed Senator Barack Obama to the 9th Congressional District for a town hall meeting in Troy. From the energy in the crowd, you could really feel how much the momentum for change is building here in Oakland County.
Below the jump is the video of my speech welcoming Senator Obama to Oakland County.
NOTE: I actually wrote this earlier today, but had to wait until after Midnight to post it since I had already used up my one-diary-a-day.
I just got back from a "Town Hall"-style event with Barack Obama here in Oakland County, Michigan. In addition to being the first time I (and my wife) have seen him in person, this particular event was noteworthy for being his first appearance in Michigan since the DNC/RBC/Delegate Allocation brouhaha was settled over the weekend.
The event was thrown together on short notice and was held at the gymnasium of Troy High School in the heart of Oakland County, Michigan. Many pundits state that no Democrat can win the White House without Michigan, and no Democrat can win Michigan without winning Oakland County, so between that and Obama's need to mend fences with Michigan Clinton supporters anyway, I wouldn't be surprised if this isn't his last visit to Oakland County--but I had the honor of being present for his first.
A few weeks ago, after the Cook Political Report bumped the congressional race in my home district (MI-09) up to "Lean Republican" from "Likely Republican," David Wasserman (the House editor at Cook) told the Detroit News that the race "appears to be one of Democrats' better opportunities to knock off a veteran incumbent."
Taking a look at the numbers on the race, Mr. Wasserman's assessment appears to be right on.
Overall, among the challengers on the DCCC's Red to Blue list:
Peters is 3rd in money raised online (via ActBlue)
Peters is 5th overall in total money raised in the first quarter of 2008
Peters' district (MI-09) is the 4th most Democratic, according to both the Bush vs. Kerry '04 results and the Cook Political Report PVI score.
Among the challengers who started from zero this cycle--eliminating those candidates who already had a fundraising apparatus and campaign left over from 2006--Peters is in an even better position.
For DCCC-backed challengers who are running for the first time:
Peters is 1st overall in money raised online (via ActBlue) in the nation
Peters is 3rd in 2008 Q1 fundraising in the nation
Yes? Well, I've got one we can work on that is ripe for flipping, and in doing so we can remove one of the absolute worst Republican legislators currently in office, and elect a solid progressive. The race is the 9th District of Michigan, where Democrat Gary Peters is challenging the GOP's 8-term do-nothing, Joe Knollenberg.
The 9th District (Race tracker wiki), is located entirely in Oakland County, just northwest of Detroit. It has traditionally been a Republican leaning area, but over the course of the last decade, it has moved conistently Democratic, to the point now, that Democrats are coming into the majority. In the 2008 cycle, we will likely pick up several more mayors seats and take the majority of county commission seats. On the national level, we are seen as just slightly Republican (Cook lists the 9th as R +0), and so, with a good candidate and enough money, this is a seat that can be flipped.
Right now at MichiganLiberal.com, Gary Peters is participating in a live chat.
Gary Peters is the Democrat running against Joe Knollenberg to represent Michigan's 9th Congressional District in Congress. For those of you not from Michigan, the 9th is in Oakland County, in the suburbs north of Detroit. It was considered solidly Republican for years, until 2006, when Knollenberg barely won against Nancy Skinner - even after outspending her 7 to 1. And, as we've all seen from Foster and Cazayoux, being a solidly Republican district doesn't mean that much anymore.
First, I’d like to begin by thanking all of you for your support. Because of contributions from people like you, our campaign has just been ranked in CQ’s list of the top ten best funded challengers in the country. The voters in Michigan’s 9th Congressional district are tired of the failed leadership they’ve gotten from my opponent, Congressman Joe Knollenberg, for the past sixteen years, and they’re eager for a real change in Washington.
One of the greatest joys in the 2006 election, amid the triumph of capturing both the House and Senate, came with now Congressman Jerry McNerney's defeat of Richard Pombo in CA-11. Pombo was in real competition to be the worst member of Congress when it came to energy and environmental issues. On the other hand, McNerney knows energy, clean energy
During his career in wind energy, McNerney's work contributed to saving the equivalent of approximately 30 million barrels of oil, or 8.3 million tons of carbon dioxide - the main greenhouse gas - as well as other harmful pollutants.
In 2008, across the country, we have the opportunity for similarly stark shifts from Energy Dumb to Energy Smart elected officials.
On this 38th Earth Day, you (and I) can take action to help ensure that the 39th Earth Day will be better than today's by sending some $.01s toward Energy Smart/Earth-Friendly challengers across the country.
The 2008 Federal Election may be 280 days away, but life on the trail in a targeted congressional district has already heated up. We in the blogosphere do so much to impact the process, from contributions to candidates and volunteering our time (sometimes across the nation thanks to technology such as virtual phone banks) to simply giving attention to well deserving candidates who aren’t receiving any from the mainstream media. But what is it like inside of these campaigns that we track, influence, and cheer for?
I work for Gary Peters for Congress in Michigan’s 9th Congressional district. I'm focused on the campaign. I could tell you in my sleep that the district is currently represented by Republican Joe Knollenberg, however it has a Partisan Voter Index of R+0, making it one of our best pickup opportunities. I can rattle off the cities equally as effortlessly, and even give you a tour to some of the districts many landmarks including The Palace in Auburn Hills (home of the NBA’s Pistons and WNBA’s Shock), the Somerset Mall in Troy, the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak, or the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Pontiac.
(Read more to hear more about life on the campaign trail...)
This morning Gary sent out a message to our supporters urging them to vote for him in the DFA Grassroots All Star contest. I’ve included it in its entirety below the fold.
Gary’s DFA-Link profile shows why he deserves to be our next Congressman. Gary has taken bold stances on the economy, healthcare, and the war.
I can’t even imagine how George Bush is going to try and spin the "State of the Union" in tonight’s speech. Reality is there are 47 million Americans without healthcare, a war with no end in sight, and an economy that has been especially unfair to workers here in Michigan.
Gary Peters supports universal health care for all Americans, wants to support our troops by bringing them home now, and will fight to make sure all nations follow international trade rules. Gary has proven to be an effective legislator, having more bills signed into law than any other Democratic Senator during his time in the legislature.
President Bush Parachutes-in Political Crony to Salvage Knollenberg's Fledgling Campaign Reflecting his misplaced priorities, Knollenberg hires Bush/Cheney insider as Washington Chief of Staff
Lansing, MI - The Michigan Democratic Party took Congressman Joe Knollenberg to task for hiring a Bush/Cheney crony as his Chief of Staff.
Knollenberg named Craig Albright, formerly the deputy assistant for Legislative affairs to Vice President Dick Cheney and most recently the special assistant for legislative affairs to President Bush as his new Washington Chief of Staff.
"We knew President Bush and Vice President Cheney were worried about losing one of their most loyal and vulnerable 'yes men' this cycle in Joe Knollenberg, but even we were surprised they resorted to parachuting-in one of their most trusted political
Gary sent out the following email to supporters this morning:
Things are getting exciting here at Peters for Congress HQ. We’ve been working on hiring the best staff possible to take on Joe Knollenberg this year, and the relentless cycle of fundraising continues as always. Now we have the first opportunity to show the world just how much grassroots support is behind me as I run for Congress: Democracy for America is running an online competition to gain their endorsement, and I need your help and that of your friends to win.
