Freedom is when the people can speak, democracy is when the government listens.
Alastair Farrugia
I think Michigan is listening…and watching jobs leave our state as we fight a single state recession led by Governor Granholm as the rest of the country produces over 5.3 million new jobs…while we lose over 103,000 jobs under Granholm.
Michigan Republicans came out of our convention yesterday united, fired up and ready for battle to help turn Michigan around.
In contrast to the Democrat convention…where Governor Granholm did little more than ignored her record of job loss, whitewash her lack of leadership and pandering to special interests. Instead she launched into rationalization of what has been referred to her “state of denial”, attacking Dick Devos and blaming the ills of the world and Michigan on China and…well, just fill in the blank.
Dick DeVos rocked the convention with a dynamic and passionate speech about his vision for Michigan and the need for a change.
Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and Attorney General Mike Cox generated tons of excitement as their “teams” provided a constant presence of young folks and enthusiasm as they worked Friday’s caucuses and then provided lots of excitement on the floor of the convention. Both had great video presentations and gave stirring speeches the laid out their records of success and plans for the future. It was an upbeat and positive message that made the case of why we need to re-elect two of Michigan’s most effective office holders.
Sheriff Mike Bouchard delivered a fantastic speech, drawing a clear contrast between where he and Debbie Stabenow stand on the issues. Their styles, their perspective and their vision for Michigan and America couldn’t be more different. One of Mike’s best lines was that if he came back after six years in the United States Senate and all he had managed to do was pass a bill to change the name of a federal building in Detroit…”fire me”. Mike stood on stage with his family and made a clear and compelling case of why Michigan needs to send Mike Bouchard to the U.S. Senate.
Mike was introduced by Keith Butler who in his classic fiery style laid out the case of why Debbie Stabenow must go. Using his now universally accepted line about “Do Nothing Debbie”, Keith talked about the values we Republicans share, how Mike Bouchard has fought for those values throughout his career in law enforcement and in the legislature…and how Mike Bouchard is the change Michigan and our country needs. What a class act!!!
We closed the convention with a speech and stage performance of the likes we have never seen. I’ve been going to convention for over 20 years and never saw or heard a candidate do a better job of delivering a message, drawing a contrast and firing up the delegates as Dick DeVos did! Dick walked the stage and laid out a stark contrast between a businessman and leader who understands, who has created jobs, who has run a manufacturing business, who has successfully competed around the world, who keeps his promises, who isn’t tied to special interests, and most importantly who has the vision and plan to turn Michigan around. Granholm vs DeVos….night and day!
DeVos didn’t play the blame game. He didn’t look for excuses. He encouraged action…leadership…experience…and commitment to make a difference.
Dick DeVos delivered one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard. And I say that not in the traditional sense of purely stage presence, but rather in the perspective of style and substance. He was forceful, passionate and direct. His message was clear, succinct and powerful. He was comfortable, confident and clearly in charge. He actually looked like a man who could…should be our Governor!
As one delegate told me after the speech “I was worried about Dick going up against a trained actress, who’s stage presence and style is second to none…but he’s come a long way…this is going to be a horse race.” I couldn’t agree more.
The “Bus Tour” left the convention with much of the ticket on board. Over the next 4 days, Dick DeVos and other statewide Republican candidates will be traveling around Michigan, introducing candidates to Michigan voters, delivering our message of the change we need…one on one in communities around our state.
Mike Bouchard, Mike Cox, Maura Corrigan, Marc Shulman, Dave Porteous, Andy McLemore and John Akouri joined Dick as we made our first leg of the trip “Downriver”.
On our second stop in the city of Wayne, we met up with a over 50 bikers from the metro Detroit are. DeVos, Johnson, Bouchard and I quickly changed our clothes, threw on some riding boots and got on our Harleys.
We road from Wayne to Lincoln Park, meeting with voters along the way. Over 50 bikers join the DeVos team on a ride for change. DeVos led the ride on his Harley Softail, as riders with DeVos and Bouchard stickers took to the road. It’s not your father’s old Republican party folks!!!
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2006/08/not_your_father.html
This weekend is a study in contrast.
The Democrats convention and speeches are all about excuses and blame. The Republicans talked about hope, plans and the future.
The Democrats could let a weekend go by without stooping to their classic dirty tricks. They brought some guy fresh out of Connecticut to tape the convention and “spin his perspective” to some of the media and others pretending to be a “volunteer” for the party. He misrepresented himself, illegally acquired credentials that allowed him full access to our convention. He was trying to monkey with convention and interfere with the press and once he was confronted about his “strange activities” he quickly exited the convention. He showed up later at our last stop in Southfield, clearly one of the Michigan Democratic Party’s latest dirty tricksters…in contrast, we have bracketers, who openly and honestly attend events, tape candidates, put up the Jobs Clock and Border Clock at Democrat events. Open, honest and straightforward….even though we’ve received some tough treatment from the folks on the other side.
Anyways, sorry for the delay this morning, but I needed a good, long nights sleep. My feet are still tingling from all the running around we did over the last two days.
This was a great weekend for Republican. Our State Convention was a big hit. The ticket is set and ready to go. Clearly, this is one of the strongest tickets the Republican Party has ever fielded for the fall election. Our activists smell blood, we’re better organized than we’ve ever been before…and we’re ready to take our message of hope and provide the change we need to turn Michigan around.
Let’s go get em!!!
Saul Anuzis
State Stories
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060826/NEWS12/608260403/-1/BUSINESS07
Republicans, Democrats focus on economy at state conventions
NOVI, Mich. (AP) -- Michigan's economy was an overriding theme at both the Republican and Democratic state party conventions Saturday.
Before GOP gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos and U.S. Senate hopeful Mike Bouchard took off to prepare for southeast Michigan campaign stops on Harley-Davidson motorcycles, they told the Republican faithful it's time to rev up Michigan's economy.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060826/NEWS12/608260392/-1/BUSINESS07
Granholm, DeVos differ on environmental issues
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Gubernatorial candidates Dick DeVos and Jennifer Granholm both say business growth and environmental protection can go hand-in-hand.
But that doesn't stop the Democratic governor and her Republican challenger from differing significantly in how they approach environmental regulation in the state.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/NEWS06/608270638
Granholm, DeVos fire off accusations as race begins
Verbal shots come as parties meet to pick nominees
Gov. Jennifer Granholm took sharp verbal shots at Republican challenger Dick DeVos on Saturday, calling him "a CEO who cut jobs in Michigan to invest in Asia."
In speeches to the Michigan Democratic Party convention at Cobo Center in Detroit, Granholm and others displayed a campaign theme of class division, characterizing DeVos as a wealthy, archconservative ex-Amway executive and friend of President George W. Bush who has shipped jobs to China.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-0/115666123525200.xml&coll=6
DeVos drives home his key points
NOVI -- With the promise of a brighter economic future -- and sharpened jabs at Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Dick DeVos revved up his campaign for governor Saturday at the Michigan Republican Party convention.
"My friends, the time to turn Michigan around has arrived," DeVos told the crowd gathered at the Rock Financial Showplace. "It's time to bring jobs to Michigan and keep our families here. It's time to bring hope back to Michigan to keep our kids here, and it's time to put the Michigan jobs machine back into high gear."
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-0/115665966025200.xml&coll=6
Governor foes agree: It's the economy
The Michigan governor's campaign has been going on for months.
But it reached fresh intensity Saturday -- just 10 weeks before the Nov. 7 general election -- with Republicans and Democrats holding conventions.
For both parties, the message is clear: It's the economy.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-0/115665937625200.xml&coll=6
Incumbent insists she can lead turnaround
By Peter Luke
DETROIT -- For months, Democrats wondered when Gov. Jennifer Granholm was going to hit back at Republican charges that she's to blame for Michigan's economic straits.
She answered them Saturday with a tough, populist Democratic convention speech that took aim at GOP candidate Dick DeVos' business record, personal wealth and political views.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/POLITICS01/608270332/1022
DeVos, Granholm spar over jobs
Charlie Cain and Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her Republican challenger, Dick DeVos, lobbed mid-range bombs at Saturday's Democratic and Republican state conventions -- each accusing the other of being a job-killer.
At the GOP convention at Novi's Rock Financial Showplace -- largely a ceremonial gathering, since the slate of statewide candidates was determined in advance -- DeVos told 3,000 of the party faithful that he has the experience needed to turn around Michigan's limping economy.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/NEWS06/608270609/1008/NEWS
Granholm wants dying killer freed
Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants the state parole board to reconsider its recommendation against a medical commutation for a convicted murderer who has terminal cancer.
The governor's legal counsel wrote a letter to the parole board Wednesday, asking for a hearing on her request to release Carla Ringleka. She wants the board to waive the 30-day waiting period because of Ringleka's worsening health.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/NEWS01/608270653
Detroit's teachers to take vote on strike today
Talks with district broke off Friday
Nearly 10,000 Detroit teachers and school personnel are expected to flock to Cobo Hall today to vote on whether to report to work as scheduled Monday or go on strike -- despite the fact that public employees are prohibited from striking in Michigan.
The vote comes after talks between the Detroit Federation of Teachers and the Detroit Public Schools broke down Friday, with each side accusing the other of breaking the rules of negotiation. The union has threatened not to return to work until a new contract is reached, while alleging Friday that school officials "came to the bargaining session with no intention of reaching an agreement."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060826/UPDATE/608260420
Stabenow, Bouchard trade barbs at state conventions
Mark Hornbeck / And Charlie Cain Detroit News Lansing Bureau
The race for governor may be Michigan's marquee campaign this year, but the Republican and Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate got in some licks of their own Saturday.
In her speech to the Democratic state convention in Detroit, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow said Republicans have put Michigan "in a race to the bottom" by outsourcing jobs overseas, putting pensions at risk, gutting the education budget and "turning their backs on manufacturing.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/NEWS01/608270565/1001/opinion
More physicians say no to Medicaid
If you are a Medicaid patient in Michigan, or you have a loved one who is, the news is grim. A growing percentage of doctors don't take Medicaid.
Physicians blame Medicaid, the state-run health insurance program for low-income patients, which they say doesn't cover their costs.
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, is drafting legislation to boost Medicare reimbursements 2.7 percent in 2007 and about the same amount the following year. There's no telling, though, whether such legislation would pass.
"We're actually seeing the total cost of medical care go up when we cut reimbursements rates," Stabenow said. Medicare patients "go to the ER."
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/NEWS01/608270548/1001/opinion
Mich. delegates push alternative fuels
WASHINGTON - In an effort to boost consumers' use of alternative fuels, members of Michigan's congressional delegation have introduced legislation, written to President Bush, and held news conferences at gas stations and an ethanol plant.
The House passed one such bill last month. Sponsored by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, the proposal would encourage more filling stations to sell E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Ethanol is an alcohol made mainly from corn.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15374328.htm
THE NEW JOHN MCCAIN
It's Feb. 15, 2000, a pivotal moment in the race for the Republican nomination for president, and at the televised candidates' debate in Columbia, S.C., temperatures are rising.
John McCain, fresh off an upset victory in the New Hampshire primary, has run into a buzz saw of negative advertising about his record and rumor-mongering about his personal life, and he blames his main opponent, George W. Bush.
Many GOP professionals who once wrote off McCain as the loosest of political cannons say they are impressed at the careful, disciplined way he and his staff have gone about establishing his as-yet-undeclared candidacy. He is laboring hard to become the presumptive candidate for a party that almost always nominates the presumptive candidate.
``He's very much where George W. Bush was in 1998 and '99 -- getting his team established, trying to create that same air of inevitability that Karl Rove tried to create around Bush,'' says Saul Anuzis, chairman of Michigan's Republican Party, referring to Bush's political Rasputin.
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-19/115666196061960.xml&coll=2
3rd-party hopefuls officially join race
Not to be outdone by their major-party rivals who survived the August primary, several independents and third-party candidates have officially declared intentions to round out the ballot for November's general election.
Most come from the Libertarian Party, which has 50 candidates running for seats ranging from university regents to the state Legislature and Congress.
http://www.mlive.com/news/sanews/index.ssf?/base/news-20/11566740893870.xml&coll=9
Auto alliances may pave Michigan's future
A top economy expert says Michigan residents should expect a drastically different auto industry in the next decade -- maybe sooner.
On the heels of a recent Editorial Board meeting at The Saginaw News, Robert W. Swanson said preliminary discussions between General Motors Corp., Nissan Motor Corp. of Japan and Renault SA of France are only the beginning of a "fundamental restructuring" of the economy.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006608270595
Troubles grow as area lake levels fall
Neighbors, businesses suffer as some waters remain low
Michigan's boaters and beachgoers have suffered through another summer of shallow water, green slime and thick marshes that have overtaken beaches.
From Drummond Island to St. Clair Shores, those who live along the water or depend on it for business have tales of woe.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/OPINION01/608270303/1008
Michigan should adopt estate recovery program
State ignores federal law on recouping Medicaid payments
Medicaid was never intended to be a benefit for the middle class, and yet many middle-income seniors are having their nursing home stays paid for by the health care program for the poor.
They can do it because Michigan is the only state in the nation that hasn't complied with the federal law requiring Medicaid estate recovery programs.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/OPINION03/608270301/1008/OPINION01
Manny Lopez:
Labor board ruling won't herald end to unions
T o hear labor leaders talk, a pending decision by the National Labor Relations Board could doom them to obscurity.
It won't, but it's easier to incite the masses with fire-and-brimstone and try cases in the court of public opinion than talk about them honestly and work toward compromise.
National Stories
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600811.html
Democrats Split Over Timetable For Troops
In Close Races, Most Reject Rapid Pullout
By Jim VandeHei and Zachary A. Goldfarb
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, August 27, 2006; Page A01
Most Democratic candidates in competitive congressional races are opposed to setting a timetable for pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq, rejecting pressure from liberal activists to demand a quick end to the three-year-old military conflict.
Of the 59 Democrats in hotly contested House and Senate races, a majority agree with the Bush administration that it would be unwise to set a specific schedule for troop withdrawal, and only a few are calling for substantial troop reductions to begin this year, according to a Washington Post survey of the campaigns.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600812.html
War Protesters Follow Bush to Maine
700 March Near the Site of a First-Family Gathering in Kennebunkport
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, August 27, 2006; Page A04
KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine, Aug. 26 -- At every wedding, it seems, something happens not according to plan. Expect the unexpected, planners warn. But how many brides and grooms expect a peace protest?
That is what happens when the president shows up for the ceremony in the midst of a polarizing war. About 700 demonstrators marched past the seaside church where President Bush's second cousin was to be married Saturday and then up to the checkpoint guarding the family summer compound to protest the war in Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/26/AR2006082600735.html
Campaigning the Bayh Way
By Chris Cillizza and Zachary A. Goldfarb
Sunday, August 27, 2006; Page A05
Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) is doubling his chit-building chances in the 2008 presidential race by holding a joint fundraiser with New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch and Iowa gubernatorial candidate Chet Culver next month.
Bayh, who has made little secret of his ambition to run for president in 2008, will host a luncheon fundraiser for fellow Democrats Lynch and Culver in New York on Sept. 18. Richard Holbrooke, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will deliver a foreign policy briefing at the event. Guests are asked to give $1,000 to the reelection campaigns of Lynch and Culver.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082501234.html
Unbind Japan's Military
Sunday, August 27, 2006; Page B07
TOKYO -- Ever since Commodore Perry's black ships entered the harbor here in 1853, the Japanese have wondered whether their nation could modernize without becoming thoroughly westernized. Today they wonder whether their nation can provide for their defense and play a proper role in the international security system without jettisoning a national identity imposed in 1947 by the nation that had sent the black ships.
In America, many domestic issues become constitutional controversies, but presidents have negligible constitutional restraints on their conduct of foreign policy. In Japan, foreign policy often begins -- and almost ends -- by construing Article 9 of the constitution imposed by the American occupation 60 years ago. That article stipulates that Japan "forever" renounces war and "the threat or use of force" in settling international disputes. Therefore "land, sea, and air forces" will "never" be maintained.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/nyregion/27candidates.html?_r=1&ref=washington&oref=slogin
Suddenly, State Seems to Have No Shortage of Possible Presidents
Imagine that it is two years from now, summer of 2008. The national party conventions are over. The nominees: Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, Republican Rudolph W. Giuliani and the Reform Party candidate, Michael R. Bloomberg.
What’s wrong with this picture? It’s implausible, but the very fact that it is considered within the realm of possibility — to say nothing of another Republican in the mix, Gov. George E. Pataki — is remarkable, given that no New Yorker has come close to the top office since Geraldine A. Ferraro ran for vice president in 1984. And not one has been elected president since 1944, when Franklin D. Roosevelt won a fourth term.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/nyregion/27connecticut.html?ref=washington
Lieberman’s Run Shadows House Campaigns in Connecticut
STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 25 — As Senator Joseph I. Lieberman begins to mount a vigorous and well-financed re-election campaign as an independent, many Connecticut Democrats say they are worried that his bid could jeopardize their party’s ability to win in three hotly contested House races this fall.
Mr. Lieberman, a centrist Democrat who lost in the Aug. 8 Democratic primary to Ned Lamont, a wealthy businessman, is now running on his own line. With polls showing that many Democrats are eager for a change, Democratic officials say they expect Mr. Lieberman to campaign aggressively to win over Republican and unaffiliated voters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/world/americas/27venez.html?ref=washington
U.S. and Venezuela at Odds, and Seized Cargo Is Just the Half of It
CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 26 — Government officials from the United States and this country are intensifying their verbal sparring after Venezuelan customs authorities this week seized diplomatic baggage from the United States that contained military hardware.
In what analysts say may be a prelude to worsening relations, Venezuela’s attorney general began an investigation on Friday into whether the American Embassy violated customs law when it brought 20 diplomatic bags into the country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/washington/27bush.html?ref=washington
For Bush, Subdued Trip to Family Home
KENNEBUNKPORT, Me., Aug. 26 — In summers past, President Bush had his filial pride on full display during trips to the family compound here, dutifully escorting his father to the golf course for early morning rounds and bantering about competitive sports.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/world/27fox.ready.html?ref=world
Kidnapped Journalists Freed in Gaza
GAZA, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Militants in the Gaza Strip released two kidnapped journalists from the American Fox News Channel on Sunday after the men appeared on a videotape saying they had converted to Islam, Fox said.
Fox said correspondent Steve Centanni, a 60-year-old American, and New Zealand-born cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, were in a hotel in the Palestinian coastal strip.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/world/middleeast/27iran.html?ref=world
Iran Opens a Heavy-Water Reactor
TEHRAN, Aug. 26 — Just days before it is supposed to suspend enrichment of uranium or face the prospect of sanctions, Iran continues to project an image of defiance and confidence. Its position regarding the demand that it suspend enrichment remains a determined “no.”
On Saturday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a provocative, if symbolic, gesture by formally inaugurating a heavy-water reactor. The Iranians say the plant would be used for peaceful power generation. But nuclear experts note that heavy-water facilities are more useful for weapons because they produce lots of plutonium — the preferred ingredient for missile warheads.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/27/world/europe/27turkey.html
Turks Knock on Europe’s Door With Evidence That Islam and Capitalism Can Coexist
KAYSERI, Turkey — As the muezzin heralded the noon prayers on a recent Friday, a small army of workers fanned out from an industrial park to take their places on mats in a nearby mosque. Fifteen minutes later, the prayers were over and the teachings of the Koran gave way to the demands of the factory floor.
“In European countries, workers take a 15-minute smoking break; here we take a 15-minute prayer break,” said Ahmet Herdem, the mayor of Hacilar, a town of 20,000 people in central Anatolia, a deeply religious and socially conservative region which has produced some of the best-known Turkish companies. “During this time, you are in front of God, and you can ask him to help improve business and this is good for morale.”
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110008852
Life and Death
Western guilt blinds us to the nature of Islamic extremism.
BY SHELBY STEELE
The simple back-and-forth of war can create the illusion that both sides have a legitimate point to make even when this is not so, and it is clear that Hezbollah's cause has greatly benefited from war's "equalizing" effect. This Shiite militia seems to have known that merely fighting Israel would gain legitimacy for its cause. A cease-fire would make it a "partner" in peace. The Goliath Israeli military would make it a David whose passion proved the truth of its cause. But amid all the drama of this war there has been very little talk of exactly what Hezbollah's cause is.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/wsj/?id=110008853
The Many Faces of Belgian Fascism
Low country politics, real and surreal.
BY BRET STEPHENS
BRUSSELS--Belgium is the birthplace of René Magritte. So perhaps it's not surprising that, in politics, even the fascism here is surreal.
Take Belgian Socialists, Flemish or Walloon. The hallmark of nearly every European socialist party has long been hostility to religion. In recent years, Belgium's ruling Socialist-Liberal coalition has antagonized Catholics by legalizing gay marriage and euthanasia, banning crucifixes from government buildings, and abolishing the traditional Te Deum service previously held by the government to commemorate the inauguration of Leopold I, first king of the Belgians.
