469 days until election day.
MORNING UPDATE:
Spence Abraham to play a major role in Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign?
Presidential Primary Bill sitting in the Senate.
Unions pay their “paid protestors” minimum wage? How about prevailing wage?
Hypocrisy…from the union bosses? Nah, couldn’t be???
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/23/AR2007072302011_pf.html
Dingell considering teaming up with Republicans to pass more realistic CAFE standards. Now that’s bi-partisanship worth supporting.
Right to Work continues to be discussed as a ballot initiative for 2008?
One of the leaders of the Democrat party wants to have Fidel Castro and Kim Jong Il into the Oval Office for coffee. He wants to be President??? A little common sense?
Newt Gingrich to discuss solutions in/for government….here’s a great example:
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/07/worksdoesnt-wor.html
THE REST OF THE STORY:
- Senator Thompson and Spence have been close friends for a number of years and served in the Senate together. I know they have had discussions about Thompson’s potential candidacy, and they will determine what role Spence will play.
AP reported late yesterday afternoon that Spence Abraham was to play a major role in Fred Thompson’s presidential campaign. Spence, who served as Energy Secretary, U.S. Senator, State Party Chairman, National Republican Congressional Committee E.D., and Vice President Quayle’s Deputy Chief of Staff would bring a broad range of experience and contacts to the campaign.
- I am hopeful that the Senate will move the presidential primary bill over to the House…sooner, rather than later. Most citizens prefer some sort of primary versus a caucus or convention system, which is what we have negotiated.
Until the Democrats decide on a date and finalize their process, this is little more than a “vehicle bill”, to keep the process moving while the time clicks by. The Secretary of State has requested at least a 90 day notice to put the election together. So there are some practical reasons to move forward as well as the political ones.
Call your Senators and let them know you prefer a primary to a convention or caucus…let’s keep moving this process forward.
- Congressional Republicans are bringing other auto related members together with Congressman John Dingell to offer a bipartisan alternative on CAFE standards. Here is a chance to see how real bi-partisanship should work.
POLITICO reports: Republican Reps. Joe Barton of Texas and Fred Upton of Michigan, two senior members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, along with former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), huddled with committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.) last week in a bid to win Dingell's support for a GOP auto-mileage proposal, a move that could mean more headaches for Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Barton, Hastert and 26 other Republicans want to boost their chances to offer a Republican proposal (H.R. 3059) to increase the corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards. Under the GOP plan, there would be different mileage standards for cars and light trucks. Automobiles would be required to achieve 35 miles per gallon by 2022, while light trucks would need to achieve 27.5 mpg.
- Right to Work continues to be looked at by many as a potential “fix” for improving Michigan’s business climate.
MIRS reports: Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a national organization advocating for limited government, is shopping a right to work initiative for Michigan's 2008 ballot
Presentations have been made to deep-pocketed donors about rounding up the $1.2 million it would cost to hire the petition circulators to collect the 475,000 signatures needed to put the right to work question before the Legislature in the form of a citizens initiative. If both chambers failed to adopt the measure, it would go before the voters. Proposal 5 of 2006, which would have required annual inflationary funding increases for education, was put on the ballot in this way.
This go around, AFP and other limited-government groups are looking at Michigan as potentially being ripe for the picking on a right-to-work initiative. Known as a bastion for organized labor, Michigan, the birthplace of the United Autoworkers, has seen a rocky economy equal six years of nation-high unemployment levels. Proponents contend that ballot success could signal that the state's voters are anxious to try something different, according to this line of thinking.
For more information on union activities and their economic effects, check out:
http://www.unionfacts.com/ads.cfm
- The New York Post reports that during the last Democrats debate Barack Osama Obama “said he was willing, during his first year in the Oval Office, to meet with dictators from North Korea, Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Cuba”.
Newsday reported Mrs. Hillary Clinton jumped on that statement and said: “I will not promise to meet with leaders of these countries during my first year ... I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes ... We're not going to just have our president meet with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez and, you know, the president of North Korea, Iran and Syria until we know better what the way forward would be".
Funny…Obama will meet with anyone….Clinton will send “envoys” to figure our their intentions.
This is the best the Democrats have to offer?
The Weekly Standard had an interesting analysis:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/013/912othxq.asp?pg=1
Saul Anuzis
