Interesting observation by Democrat Consultant and List Guru Mark Grebner in yesterday’s issue of Gongwers:
TURNOUT: Mark Grebner of Practical Political Consultants said the theory that Democrats turned out in higher numbers is "crap. There is not the slightest evidence that Democrats turned out more." He said his analysis shows turnout was no worse in Republican areas than in Democratic areas of the state.
The big unexpected, he said, was that Ms. Granholm and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) got 70 percent of the votes of independents. "Nobody saw that," he said. He also said about 55 percent of the base vote was Democratic, as big as any year since the blow-out win by Democratic Governor James Blanchard against Republican Bill Lucas in 1986.
Senator John McCain is the “first” to formally start his campaign to get the Republican nomination for President, see: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2644481&page=1
More news about RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman from Hotline:
A "GOP source said Steele is not likely to become chairman." Other names mentioned include ex-RNC staffer and current Dep Sec of Transportation Maria Cino and Mary Matalin. "But a GOP strategist said, 'From what I understand, all these names are not on the table'" (Balz, Washington Post, 11/10).
New York Times' Nagourney also finds GOPers saying that Cino has "emerged as an early contender." MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) said he'd "love to have" Mehlman "come work for me." Romney: "He has revolutionized American politics." Such praise "was echoed in an unsolicited call from" James Carville, who said "The RNC did a better job than the DNC this year." Referring to the anti-GOP wave, Carville said, "When one of these things hit, it doesn't matter who the party chairman is" (11/10).
I started a web page for my campaign to serve another term as your Chairman. I was caught a bit off guard the morning after the election, so I didn’t have time to put things up, get a new domain name and set this up.
My campaign email address will be sanuzis@anuzisforchair.com
You can view my web page at www.anuzisforchair.com
If you are willing to join my effort, endorse my candidacy and express your support, as we rebuild our Republican Party, please fill in the form at: http://www.anuzisforchair.com/jointheteam.asp
I will put up a list of my early supporters and the rationale why I would like to serve as your Chairman over the weekend. Again, I apologize this all started so early, but this was not my decision, however I was forced to respond to all the pre-election maneuvering and immediate campaign to take over the party.
Thanks again for all you have done. This has been a long campaign and there is so much more to do…this 2008 Presidential election cycle will be a great time to be an active Republican as we rebuild our party!
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006611110353
A CHAT WITH FORD'S NEW CEO: Upbeat but realistic
Alan Mulally, the new chief executive at Ford Motor Co., had a message Friday filled with hope -- but also harsh reality -- as he described how the 103-year-old automaker must become more competitive in the global environment.
In an interview with the Free Press, Mulally offered a tough-love assessment of the automaker and the U.S. car industry, noting that the competitive gap for Detroit has been widening and Ford must close it soon to survive.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/BUSINESS06/611110327/1007/NEWS05
Region leads in foreclosed property
Rate is tied to unemployment
Metro Detroit led the nation in the number of foreclosures over the third quarter, as the state's sluggish economy continues to be a drag on southeast Michigan's real estate market.
One out of every 80 homes in southeast Michigan, or four times the national average, was in foreclosure during the three-month period ended Sept. 30, according to a report by Realty Trac Inc., an Irvine, Calif., firm that tracks foreclosures.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/NEWS02/611110308/1004
Marine from Canton is killed
A 35-year-old Marine sergeant from Canton was killed by a sniper's bullet while serving in Iraq, his family said Friday.
Sgt. Bryan Burgess was shot in the cheek Thursday and died instantly, his family said. Burgess was serving in Fallujah with the 1st Battalion of the 24th Marines, a reserve unit headquartered at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/OPINION01/611110323/1068/OPINION
Voter ID? Tune in to the debate
In this corner, a lawyer from the Office of the Attorney General. And in the other corner ... a lawyer from the Office of the Attorney General.
That's the setup Monday for a Michigan Supreme Court hearing on whether it is constitutional to require voters to show photo ID to cast a ballot. The Legislature asked the court for a ruling on the law, and the court traditionally asks the state Office of the Attorney General to present both sides after requests like this. So how well can colleagues square off? If your cable system has MGTV you can, ahem, judge for yourself. Live coverage starts at 9:30 a.m., although some systems may join it in progress at 10 a.m.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061110/OPINION02/611100352/1070
LOCAL COMMENT: Voters disgusted
As a lifelong Michigander, I am deeply disturbed at the current state of affairs this state is in. I recently took a severance package from my previous employer because I knew that my job would be eliminated.
Folks in this state do not care to look at one person's qualifications, merit, ability, or the fact that someone dedicated most of his life to helping fellow Michiganders by creating jobs and helping out his community. I was proud to vote for Dick DeVos. He's a lifelong Michigander and he deserved our support.
The folks of this state wanted to stick with the status quo, and here's the status quo: jobs continuing to leave the state, residents continuing to leave, dropping property values, escalating taxes and higher fees.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/OPINION01/611110315/1008
Kill costly mass transit boondoggle
A report showing that the region can't support an Ann Arbor-to-Detroit mass transit route should slow advocates for what could well become an expensive boondoggle. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments reasonably concluded that the area along the 35-mile route doesn't have the resources or population density to justify the expense of a mass transit system -- estimated at $600 million to $3 billion. Metro Detroit does need mass transit. But given our investment in roads and freeways, that transit system should take the form of a unified bus system that has a reliable schedule within Detroit as well as in the suburbs. It might actually work for residents at a reasonable cost.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/AUTO02/611110386/1322/AUTO04
Daniel Howes: Thursdays with Alan
New Ford boss demands accountability, results -- every week
A lan Mulally gives new meaning to "turning the screw" at Ford Motor Co.
He says he doesn't want to "lean on the past" -- meaning criticize -- then calmly describes how there are six Fords around the world, not one, how there is "the complexity of brands" followed by the "complexity of product lines within the brands."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/OPINION03/611110334/1348
Laura Berman: Marine's family has memories, anger this Veterans Day
V eterans Day is about memory and honor and sacrifice, abstractions that matter in war.
They mattered to Raymond J. Plouhar, a Lake Orion High School graduate and Marine staff sergeant who was killed June 26 by a roadside bomb while riding in a Humvee only a couple of hundred yards from a U.S. checkpoint.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/NEWS06/611110328
Students demand MSU fight Prop 2
EAST LANSING - More than 100 Michigan State University students took over the microphone at a Board of Trustees meeting Friday to complain about the way university officials responded to the passage of Proposal 2.
The initiative bans public institutions from using affirmative action programs in hiring and contracting and in college admissions.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/OPINION01/611110313/1086/opinion
Eaton County diversifies
Demography is the statistical study of human populations. It also appears to be a major force in Eaton County politics.
Among the victories racked up by Democrats Tuesday night was a history-making surprise: Their capture of the Eaton County Board of Commissioners.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061111/NEWS01/611110338/1001/news
Zoo director plans to use millage to cover basics
Potter Park Zoo admission fees for Ingham County residents likely will decrease and exhibits will be spruced up at the Lansing zoo after a countywide millage passed overwhelmingly this week.
Within the next couple of months, county, city and zoo officials will form a new board that will map out the zoo's future. The county will take over the zoo and its 18-member staff on July 1.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1163175094161520.xml&coll=2
Democratic wins may help Michigan
Perhaps it isn't so bad that President Bush hasn't found time to meet with leaders of domestic automakers, as the anticipated White House sit-down with the heads of General Motors, Ford and the Chrysler Group now might be in a more hospitable atmosphere with the Democrats' big election win Tuesday.
Admittedly, this is a parochial view of how Democratic control of the U.S. House and probably the U.S. Senate will affect business in the nation's capital - especially with a likely change in Iraq war policy clearly first on everyone's agenda.
http://www.mlive.com/columns/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1163170497250050.xml&coll=5
Also on our mind ...
TUNED IN, TURNED ON, TURNED OUT: No matter how you feel about election outcomes this week, Michigan voters should feel satisfied in being part of a record turnout for an off-year contest. Fifty-three percent of those eligible showed at the polls, 8 percentage points above the prediction. In Genesee County, interest was abnormally high, too, with about 49 percent casting ballots, 7 percentage points above the forecast. Of course, half of those who could have voted didn't. They're entitled to feel ashamed.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-33/116323092289150.xml&coll=6
GOP chairman accused of 'race-baiting'
Accusing state Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis of "race-baiting" and blaming him for Republican losses in West Michigan, local GOP leaders are backing activist David Dishaw for the party's top job.
Anuzis vehemently denied the race charge, and said he ran a well-organized effort that was over-run by an anti-Republican tide.
National Stories
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2644481&page=1
Exclusive: McCain begins preliminary White House Run
Nov. 10, 2006 — His party may have taken "a thumpin'," in the words of President Bush, but ABC News has learned that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his political team have decided it's full steam ahead for his 2008 presidential campaign though he has yet to make the final, official decision.
Sources close to McCain say on Wednesday in Phoenix, he and a half dozen of his top aides huddled and decided to proceed more formally with his quest for the White House.
Al Qaeda gloats over Rumsfeld
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A purported audio recording by the leader of Iraq's al Qaeda wing gloated over the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, as a top U.S. general said the military was preparing to recommend strategy changes.
Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, said in the recording posted on the Internet on Friday that the group had 12,000 armed fighters and 10,000 others waiting to be equipped to fight U.S. troops in Iraq.
http://editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003379813&imw=Y
Howard Dean to Jon Stewart: We Won't Impeach Bush
NEW YORK Appearing on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" tonight, Democratic Party chief Howard Dean told host Jon Stewart, "I know half your audience wants us to impeach the president"-- this drew wide cheers -- "but it's not going to happen."
Stewart apologized to Dean for telling him on a previous appearance that the Democrats could not possibly win unless they staked out a clear policy on Iraq and other issues. In Stewart's view, they didn't, and won anyway.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/10/bush.iraq.studygroup/index.html
Bush, top officials to discuss Iraq options with panel
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush is preparing to meet with a panel created to offer advice on the situation in Iraq, while the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has signaled a review of U.S. strategy there.
Bush will meet Monday with members of the Iraq Study Group, White House press secretary Tony Snow said.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/10/election.main/index.html
Blue ties 'symbolic' as Bush, Democratic leaders meet
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Now facing Democratic control of both chambers of Congress during the last two years of his presidency, President Bush on Friday continued to move toward building a working relationship with Democratic congressional leaders.
Bush met in the Oval Office with Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, who is expected to be the Senate majority leader when a new Congress convenes in January, and Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, expected to become assistant majority leader.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/10/ct.senate.ap/index.html
Lieberman: Call me a Democrat
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Sen. Joe Lieberman, who won re-election as an independent, has a message for his Senate colleagues in the next Congress: Call me a Democrat.
The three-term Connecticut lawmaker defied party leaders when he launched his independent bid after losing to Democrat Ned Lamont in the August primary. During the campaign, he vowed to be an "independent-minded Democrat" if he were re-elected. In Tuesday's election, Lieberman won strong GOP support and given the closely divided Senate, Republicans are expected to court him.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/11/10/new.dems/index.html
If it walks, talks like a conservative, can it be a Dem?
CNN) -- Brad Ellsworth opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and is an Indiana sheriff who very much believes in the Second Amendment right to bear arms.
And he's coming to Congress as a Democrat.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=17994
Gate's Old Enemy
One reason for hurrying Senate confirmation of Robert Gates as secretary of defense through the lame-duck session of Congress is to avoid confrontation with an old enemy: James Webb, who will be a Democratic senator from Virginia in the new Congress starting in January.
During President Reagan's second term, Gates and Webb clashed as colleagues. Webb as secretary of the Navy objected to plans by Gates, then deputy national security adviser, for U.S. warships to protect oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. The hot-tempered Webb made clear his irritation with the soft-spoken Gates.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=17995
Saddam's Revenge
At the moment the hangman's noose tightens around Saddam Hussein's shriveled neck, he can take solace in one major unintended consequence of his defeat by coalition forces: America and the Bush administration have suffered enormously in the wake of Saddam's overthrow.
Every exit poll last Tuesday said the same thing: Most Americans do not believe the Iraq conflict is good for the country. Some believe our military action was immoral, but most simply want victory not stalemate in Iraq.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=17987
Off With Their Heads
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) has been a disaster and the rest of the House and Senate leadership has not been any better.
The lean, ascetic, ideological purity of the Gingrich Republicans of 1994 had yielded to the corrupt, feather-your-own-nest psychology of the current Republican congressional leadership. They assumed that the partisan gerrymandering of 2000 left them invulnerable and they dipped into the till to get earmarks for their favorite lobbyists in return for contributions and free vacations. It's time to get rid of this kind of leadership and to bring in people with a fine, tough partisan and ideological edge.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/09/AR2006110901775.html
Only a Minor Earthquake
How serious is the "thumpin' " the Republicans took on Tuesday? Losing one house is significant but hardly historic. Losing both houses, however, is defeat of a different order of magnitude, the equivalent in a parliamentary system of a vote of no confidence.
On Tuesday Democrats took control of the House and the Senate. As of this writing, they won 29 House seats (with a handful still in the balance), slightly below the post-1930 average for the six-year itch in a two-term presidency. They took the Senate by the thinnest of margins -- a one-vote majority, delivered to them by a margin of 8,942 votes in Virginia and 2,847 in Montana.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110009233
Majority Maker
Chuck Schumer: "If we are seen as just blocking the president, it will not serve us well in 2008."
WASHINGTON--Sen. Chuck Schumer, the architect of the Democrats' Senate win this week, has only just heard that Virginia has fallen and that his party is officially in control. He's in an irrepressible mood, and a chatty one--neither particularly out of character--and even gets to musing about family life and the benefits of having lots of children. "I wanted four. My wife wanted two. We compromised at two," he says, with a wry smile that suggests this famously stubborn New Yorker does know how to bend--when he's up against a tough enough foe.
As the election post-mortems flood in, most have focused on what the Republicans did wrong, and whether they've learned any lessons. Mr. Schumer is, instead, talking about what Democrats learned from their own previous string of defeats, how they used that knowledge to change course and seize this week's win, and what they now must do to lay the groundwork for further wins in 2008.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/weekend/hottopic/?id=110009232
The Wages of Politics
The minimum wage is viewed as an economic free lunch. It isn't.
A hike in the national minimum wage seems all but certain to become one of the first fruits of the Democrats' victories this week. Nancy Pelosi, the presumptive Speaker of the House, has pledged to raise the minimum by over $2, to $7.25 from $5.15. And President Bush has already signaled he'd go along. At the state level, six states not only approved minimum wage hikes in referendums this week but indexed the minimum to inflation going forward. We hope Mr. Bush fights off any attempt at federal indexation and insists on a provision to protect small business.
Raising the minimum wage has been a hardy perennial of the left for decades now. What is striking is the degree to which is has come to be seen as an economic free lunch. Even some reputedly unbiased economists have started to tout the view that raising the minimum wage has no discernible effect on job creation.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110009234
Lieberman Saves the Day for Hillary
Had Lamont won, she might have had to lurch left.
It's hard to overstate the magnitude of the Democrats' victory in the Senate. Not only did they pick up six seats while losing none, they (or independents allied with them) won 24 of the 33 seats that were contested. In the next two election cycles, Republicans will be defending a total of 40 seats, versus just 27 for the Democrats, which means the GOP will have to do unusually well to regain a majority anytime before 2012.
Yet the single best outcome for Democrats in the long run may turn out to be a race in which their nominee lost, albeit to another Democrat: in Connecticut, where Sen. Joe Lieberman, running as an independent, beat Ned Lamont.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1110/p01s01-uspo.html
In this election, swing voters make comeback
WASHINGTON – Ever since the contested election of 2000, when the presidential race resulted in a near tie, pundits have pointed to the polarized, 50-50 nature of American politics.
Now, with a chastened President Bush talking the language of common ground and Democrats owing their takeover of the House and the Senate to political independents, the center is back.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/11/opinion/11sat1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
The Court and Abortion
The Supreme Court unnecessarily returned to the politically charged area of abortion this week, hearing arguments in a case testing some of the core principles of Roe v. Wade and the court’s own credibility as an institution removed from politics.
At issue, once again, is a deceptively broad ban on so-called partial-birth abortions. The court struck down a similar measure just six years ago, but since then two new justices have arrived. In the interest of women’s privacy and health — and in defense of the court’s own reputation — the justices should strike down this far-reaching assault on reproductive freedom.
Democrats, Engaging Bush, Vow Early Action Over Iraq
WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 — Democrats sought on Friday to put their new political power to use in shaping the debate over Iraq, promising stepped-up Congressional oversight of the war and a resolution demanding a schedule for reducing the number of troops there.
After two days in which both sides pledged bipartisanship in the aftermath of the Democratic victory in the midterm elections, leaders of the new Democratic majority began asserting themselves, seeking to give Congress a greater role in both foreign and domestic policy after years in which, in their view, President Bush was granted too much latitude.
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/110906/barton.html
Barton will run for minority leader
Despite initial hesitations, Sen. Joe Barton (R-Texas) entered the race for minority leader Friday two days after current Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), who heads an influential group of conservative Republicans, declared their candidacies for the same leadership post.
In his announcement, Barton said he would like to make a deal with his GOP colleagues-that if elected, he would serve three terms, and if after those three terms Republicans had not won back the majority, he would step down from the position.
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/110906/emanuel.html
Emanuel to Run for Caucus Chairman
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) announced today that he would run for chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, forgoing what could have become a divisive bid for majority whip against Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.).
"I seek this post, and not any other, because I believe what we need now is a unified Democratic caucus, focused squarely on the business of moving this country forward," Emanuel said in a statement.
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20061111-120445-6862r.htm
Steele still a main attraction
Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele is being pulled in several directions -- to take over as the national leader of the Republican Party in two months, to take a Cabinet post in the Bush administration or to go into the private sector.
"No one from the White House or the Republican National Committee has formally offered me" the RNC chairmanship or a Cabinet post, Mr. Steele told The Washington Times yesterday.
http://www.washtimes.com/business/20061110-103653-1828r.htm
U.S. pact paves way for Russia in WTO
The United States and Russia have reached a deal that would pave the way for Russia to join the World Trade Organization, the two countries announced yesterday.
“We have an agreement in principle and are finalizing the details," U.S. Trade representative Susan C. Schwab said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/10/AR2006111001800.html
Alternative Minimum Tax Targeted
Democrats Seek Fix For Middle-Class Families
Democratic leaders this week vowed to make the alternative minimum tax a centerpiece of next year's budget debate, saying the levy threatens to unfairly increase tax bills for millions of middle-class families by the end of the decade.
The complex and expensive tax was designed to prevent the super-rich from using deductions, credits and other shelters to avoid paying the Internal Revenue Service. But because of rising incomes, the tax is expected to expand to more than 30 million taxpayers in 2010 from 3.8 million mostly well-off households in 2006.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/10/AR2006111001694.html
Democrats Win Bigger Share of Religious Vote
As the results of the midterm elections sank in this week, religious leaders across the ideological spectrum found something they could agree on: The "God gap" in American politics has narrowed substantially.
Religious liberals contended that a concerted effort by Democrats since 2004 to appeal to people of faith had worked minor wonders, if not electoral miracles, in races across the country.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/10/medal.honor/index.html
Marine to receive Medal of Honor for Iraq heroism
CNN) -- President Bush announced on Friday that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, will be awarded posthumously to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham.
In April 2004, Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border when the patrol stopped a convoy of cars leaving the scene of an attack on a Marine convoy, according to military and media accounts of the action.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/11/10/britain.terror/index.html
UK spy chief fears nuclear attack
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's spy chief has said authorities are tracking almost 30 terrorist plots to "kill people and damage our economy" and expressed concern over future terrorist attacks using chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
MI5 Director Eliza Manningham-Buller said in a speech released Friday the secretive agency had exposed five major plots since last July's London bombings and has witnessed a steady increase in threats since the terror attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/10/gaza.hamas/index.html
Hamas leader hints he'll bow out
GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Hamas leader and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniya suggested Friday that he would not head a proposed unity government if stepping aside would help to bring back Western aid.
S
peaking to worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at a Gaza City mosque, Haniya said the West did not want him to be a part of the new administration and would not lift its embargo unless he is replaced as leader.
