For the Good of the State: Articles Of Interest 1-11-08

300 Days until Election Day

MORNING UPDATE:

The Republican Presidential debate in South Carolina went over well without any new surprises. Our candidates addressed the issues of the day, drew several contrasts and showed why Republicans are in great shape going into the 2008 presidential elections.

In advance of expected calls at today's state of Michigan’s revenue estimating conference to spend "surplus" funds on more band-aid fixes to Michigan's budget, House Republicans today called for the surplus to be returned to taxpayers instead and for House leadership to make reforming government spending the priority of 2008. Oh, ohh…now what Governor???

Republican candidates have started stumping in Michigan…rallies, receptions, fundraisers and scores of radio and TV interviews. What a great opportunity to meet our presidential candidates in person.

We are in the process of compiling and updating a complete list of “party events” and “candidate appearances” around the state. If you have any additional information, please send it to our offices ASAP and we will update the list. The list is being sent to state and national media outlets regularly and updated on our web site and blog daily. To see the latest list go to:

http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/01/update-mi-gop-p.html

Take advantage of the many events being planned around the state and come hear and see the candidates first hand. This is YOUR chance to make a difference and be part of electing the next President of the United States.

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the February 7th county conventions and the February 15/16 state convention in Lansing. If you have any questions about the state convention, please contact DAWN WADE, Events Coordinator (dwade@migop.org or 517-487-5413).

THE REST OF THE STORY:

No further commentary today.

Saul Anuzis

STATE STORIES

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS01/801100505/1022

Michigan

is center state in GOP debate

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Gordon Trowbridge /

Detroit

News

Washington

Bureau

Michigan

's economy was the central topic at the top of Thursday's South Carolina Republican presidential debate, with Mitt Romney and John McCain sparring from the start over the state's lost manufacturing jobs. "Some people have said that some jobs are never coming back to

Michigan

. I disagree with that," Romney said. "I'm going to fight for every single job in

Michigan

, in

South Carolina

." Romney was referring to comments McCain made Wednesday in

Michigan

. "I've got to look you in the eye and tell you some of those jobs aren't coming back," McCain told a crowd at an

Oakland

County

rally. It was an assessment McCain repeated during the debate. Given a chance to respond to Romney by Fox News moderator Chris Wallace, McCain portrayed the comments as another example of his "straight talk." "I went there and told them the truth. Sometimes you have to tell people things they don't want to hear," McCain said. "There are some jobs that won't come back to

Michigan

, that won't come back to

South Carolina

. But we're going to take care of them, because that's our job, that's our obligation."

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/POLITICS01/801110359

Was it worth the price?

Parties' leaders say moving up primary vital despite disputes

January 11, 2008

Gordon Trowbridge /

Detroit

News

Washington

Bureau

There, in the lead-story position on the front page of the New York Times, was what

Michigan

's political elite hoped for months: "Michigan Next, G.O.P. Rivals Turn to the Economy," read the headline. The most valuable real estate in journalism focused not just on

Michigan

's economic woes, but also on the presidential primary that they prayed would bring some attention -- and some help. "The whole point here is to make

Michigan

relevant," said Saul Anuzis, the state's Republican Party chairman. "I think we have."

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS01/801100391/1022/POLITICS

Romney, McCain woo Michigan

Romney drops ads in

Fla.

, S.C. to focus efforts here

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Gordon Trowbridge /

Detroit

News

Washington

Bureau

Stung by John McCain's victory in

New Hampshire

, Mitt Romney's campaign said Wednesday it was shifting all its advertising dollars to

Michigan

as Republican candidates turned their focus here in the race to be the nation's next president.

McCain and Romney hit the trail in

Grand Rapids

-- Romney after a morning fund-raising effort in

Boston

to shore up his campaign's finances. His top fund-raisers called supporters across the nation, and raised an estimated $5 million, including $1.5 million available for the primary and the rest limited to use if he wins the nomination.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NEWS06/801100362/1008

Romney, McCain start to cozy up to Michiganders

Huckabee scheduled to be in

Detroit

this week

January 10, 2008

BY KATHLEEN GRAY and

DAWSON

BELL

GRAND RAPIDS

-- Mitt Romney said he feels comfortable back in a state where the people don't have "funny accents." John McCain promised to keep his

Arizona

paws off our sweet seas. Mike Huckabee decided to make Tuesday's Michigan Republican presidential primary a three-man race. Those were the highlights Wednesday as the state finally took the main stage, at least among Republicans, in the presidential nominating sweepstakes. Meanwhile, a new poll, conducted Sunday and Monday, suggested the three candidates are in a tight race. Former Arkansas governor Huckabee, who won Iowa's caucus but finished a distant third in the New Hampshire primary, wasn't in the state Wednesday but added Michigan stops to his agenda and began television ads, including one touting his strong opposition to abortion. He will address the Detroit Economic Club on Friday.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NEWS06/80110064/1008/NEWS06

Refund budget surplus to taxpayers, Republicans say

January 10, 2008

BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF

LANSING – House Republicans are calling on the state to refund to taxpayers a $353-million budget surplus from the 2006-07 fiscal year.House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, said using the money to shore up the current year budget would only perpetuate a state deficit and said the budget should be cut instead. DeRoche accused Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration of hiding or miscalculating state spending in order to make the case for a tax increase last fall. Granholm and the Legislature raised the income tax from 3.9% to 4.35%, and enacted a new sales tax on services that was quickly repealed and replaced with a larger business tax.

http://www.wkar.org/news/page.php?fill=story&storyid=3

Republicans want to refund surplus to taxpayers

Jan. 10th 2008

WKAR

State House Republicans say they will introduce legislation that would return an expected $350 million surplus to the taxpayers.The money is expected to help cover a potential deficit in the current budget year.But House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche says that will only make the state’s structural deficit worse because that money won’t be available next year.

http://embeds.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/01/10/rudy-pulls-michigan-staff/

Rudy pulls

Michigan

staff

January 10, 2008

by Mosheh Oinounou

Rudy Giuliani has pulled all of its staffers out of

Michigan

as he goes all-in in

Florida

, campaign aides tell Fox. The

Wolverine

State

’s Jan. 15 primary is turning into three-man battle between Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and John McCain. Giuliani was competitive in

Michigan

until the early summer according to the polls, but has campaigned very little in the state and now lingers in fourth place. Michigan GOP Director Saul Anuzis was on hand for Giuliani’s primary night party Tuesday in Manchester, NH where he told me that he believes Hizzoner could have been “very competitive” in his state.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NEWS15/801110416

Romney pledges to fight for

Michigan

jobs during debate

McCain promises worker retraining

January 10, 2008

By TODD SPANGLER

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney staked a strongly worded claim as the Republican presidential candidate best suited to solve Michigan's deep-seated economic woes at a debate Thursday night, saying he would fight "for every single job" in the state.

"We're going to have to do the hard work of rebuilding our economy, strengthening it," said Romney, who blasted his main rival here -- Arizona Sen. John McCain -- for suggesting that some jobs lost in Michigan as Detroit's automakers have downsized are gone forever.

http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-13/119997814637070.xml&coll=8

Republicans expound on

Michigan

's hard times

Thursday, January 10, 2008

By Peter Luke/Chronicle

Lansing

Bureau

WATERFORD

Michigan

's struggling economy is moving front and center in the race for president as John McCain and Mitt Romney pledge to help the state through this decade of turmoil. Fresh off a one-two finish in

New Hampshire

, McCain and Romney have mere days to tap old political roots. In the case of the

Arizona

senator, it's a 2000

Michigan

primary victory he said he intends to repeat. For the former

Massachusetts

governor who was reared here, it's a Republican legacy that stretches back decades.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flintjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-3/119997301699460.xml&coll=5

Primary time

GOP race boosts state, as would

Clinton

visit

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Flint

Journal Editorial

Michigan

owes a thank-you to the discriminating voters in

New Hampshire

for helping to assure that the

Great Lakes

State

has a big say in how the presidential election turns out.

With wins there by John McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton,

Michigan

has garnered an enormous role Tuesday in picking the Republican nominee and a minor part in the Democratic drama. As a result, the state's concerns about such vital issues as the nation's economic, trade and water policies will get the attention of leading candidates over the next six days.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS01/801100371/1022

McCain vows help for state will be 'highest priority'

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Gordon Trowbridge and Gary Heinlein / The

Detroit

News

WATERFORD

TWP . -- Confetti cannons and classic-rock soundtracks were not supposed to be in John McCain's schedule for the day after the

New Hampshire

primary.

But there the

Arizona

senator was Wednesday, "running on adrenaline," he admitted, and surrounded by hundreds of supporters in an

Oakland

County

airport hangar while the red and white strips floated down on the crowd and '80s rock blared. On the morning after his New Hampshire Republican primary victory, McCain was in

Michigan

, the site of his 2000 primary victory and, he confidently declared, of a repeat win this year that would propel him to the nomination.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1199976397252540.xml&coll=6

McCain says he's ready to seize control

Thursday, January 10, 2008

By Ted Roelofs/The

Grand Rapids

Press

KENTWOOD

-- Roberta Parker is the kind of voter Arizona Sen. John McCain will need to pull off one more

Michigan

triumph. McCain upset George Bush in

Michigan

's 2000 GOP primary, a

high point

in a campaign that faltered down the stretch. Now 71, he looks to Tuesday's GOP primary in

Michigan

to propel him to a different result in his second try at the White House. "We trust him," said Parker, 73, of

Comstock

Park

, who worked for McCain's campaign in 2000 and still judges him the best in the GOP field because of character and foreign policy experience. "I think the next president isn't going to have time for on-the-job training." McCain arrived at the

Gerald

Ford

International

Airport

fresh from his win over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Tuesday's

New Hampshire

primary, a remarkable comeback for a candidate who was all but declared dead last summer.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/ROMNEY_STRATEGY?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-20-28-00

Analysis: Romney focuses on

Michigan

January 10, 2008

By GLEN JOHNSON

MYRTLE BEACH

S.C.

(AP) -- A week ago, Mitt Romney had a grand vision of a 50-state election strategy that would catapult him from

Iowa

and

New Hampshire

across the nation and on to the Republican presidential nomination. Now, he's adopted a survivor's stance, hoping to win in just one place,

Michigan

, and then carry on with a campaign far more practical in scope. That means pulling down television ads in

South Carolina

and

Florida

, shifting staff to

Michigan

, which votes Tuesday, and scrapping plans to campaign here Friday so he can dash back to the Rust Belt.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/OPINION02/801100369/1068/OPINION

Romney would make best choice for Great Lakes

January 10, 2008

By JOHN NEVIN

Traveling up I-75 through northern

Michigan

toward the

Mackinac

Bridge

, a sign for the

DNR

Ralph

MacMullan

Conference

Center

always catches my eye. In the 1960s, MacMullan was head of conservation and natural resources for Gov. George Romney. Called the "fiercest conservationist" ever to hold the post, MacMullan made the bold decision to stock salmon and launch the sport fishing industry in the

Great Lakes

, now a $4.5-billion enterprise that supports thousands of jobs. With MacMullan's help, Romney's successor, Gov. William Milliken, fought successfully for the Michigan Environmental Protection Act -- a model for national action With visionaries like Romney, MacMullan and Milliken,

Michigan

has always been a conservation leader. Mitt Romney grew up in that tradition and has a firsthand appreciation of how important the Great Lakes are to

Michigan

's high quality of life.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS01/801100374/1022

Friendly reception marks Romney's return to 'deep roots'

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Gary Heinlein /

Detroit

News

Lansing

Bureau

GRAND RAPIDS -- Mitt Romney, who desperately needs a boost from Michigan in next week's Republican primary, told voters in his native state Wednesday that he'll return the favor if he gets to the White House. The son of an ex-Michigan governor launched his stretch run in

Michigan

by shaking hands and holding a town hall meeting in

Grand Rapids

-- a Republican stronghold. In a fashionable East Grand Rapids shopping village on

Wealthy Street

, and at a town hall at

Grand

Valley

State

University

, Romney made

Michigan

roots his theme on the day after a disappointing loss to John McCain in

New Hampshire

. "There are a lot of people running for president," he said, standing on a chair in front of a restaurant. "None of them cares about

Michigan

like I care about

Michigan

and none of them has the deep roots here that I do."

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1199976432252540.xml&coll=6

Beware of liberal leaders, Romney says

Thursday, January 10, 2008

By Dave MurrayThe Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS

-- The rest of the country could follow

Michigan

's economic slide if Democrats claim the White House next year, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday. The former

Massachusetts

governor played on his

Michigan

roots during two campaign stops, saying his "life experiences are highly relevant to

Michigan

and getting

Michigan

back on track again." Romney also took a shot at the state's Democratic leaders, saying the

Michigan

's woes would be replicated if liberals are elected.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS/801100466

Huckabee has hope in Michigan

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Gregg Krupa / The

Detroit

News

Mike Huckabee expressed cautious optimism today about his fortunes in Tuesday's

Michigan

primary, and he said he will begin making campaign appearances in the state on Friday. "We're going to do everything we can to make clear that we are at least serious about

Michigan

," said Huckabee on the "Morning Joe" broadcast on MSNBC. "We would love to win it, obviously. "But we're going to need to get a lot of our folks who believe in us in Michigan to rally together, to show up at rallies, to go to MikeHuckabee.com to find out where we are going to be on Friday, on Saturday, and the rest of the time through Tuesday," Huckabee said.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS/801100460/1374/POLITICS01

Democratic state lawmaker praises Huckabee

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Gregg Krupa / The

Detroit

News

A Democratic state representative from

Detroit

said this morning that he is attracted to the presidential candidacy of Republican Mike Huckabee because of the candidate's truthfulness and because many Republican leaders in

Michigan

support him. "Actually, I think he is a genuine individual," said LaMar Lemons in a television interview by Fox News. "He reminds me of Gomer Pyle." Pyle was a television character of the 1960s. As portrayed by the actor Jim Nabors, Pyle was a simple, never-tell-a-lie country boy, whose innocence led to pratfalls that were the source of humor on the situation comedy, broadcast on CBS from 1964 to 1969.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=24382

Key Huckabee Backer in

Michigan

Is Obama Man

January 10, 2008

by John Gizzi

Both the Byzantine nature of the

Michigan

presidential primary -- as well as the crucial importance of the January 15 contest -- were underscored by the news that one of Mike Huckabee’s major boosters in the primary is actually supporting Barack Obama for President. State Rep. LaMar Lemmons of

Detroit

, a Democrat and African-American, recently unveiled “Democrats for Huckabee” to urge crossover votes for the former

Arkansas

governor January 15. In a state with no party registration, crossovers from one party without a presidential contest to another can have an impact; in 1972, thousands of Water Wonderland Republicans crossed over to give George Wallace a commanding win in the Democratic presidential primary.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_MICHIGAN_PRIMARY_CROSSOVER_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Voting expert: Republicans are crossing into Democratic primary

Jan 10, 6:28 PM EST

By DAVID EGGERT

LANSING

Mich.

(AP) -- A check of absentee ballots shows just as many Republicans as Democrats are crossing over to vote in the other party's primary, even though only a handful of candidates are on the Democratic ballot, according to an

East Lansing

political consultant. Mark Grebner, a Democrat who compiles voter lists and has an eye for finding voting patterns among the data, discerned the crossover numbers after examining the names of voters who have submitted 220,000 absentee ballot applications before Tuesday's presidential primary.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-01-09-michigan-uncommitted_N.htm?CFID=9289963&CFTOKEN=79906769

Michigan

group campaigns for — no one

January10, 2008

By Kathleen Gray,

Detroit

Free Press

DETROIT — A group of several hundred Michigan voters plan to knock on doors, make calls and hold rallies for a rather unconventional candidate in next Tuesday's primary — uncommitted.The only way that backers of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, former

North Carolina

senator John Edwards or New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who withdrew their names from

Michigan

's Democratic primary ballot, can show their support is to vote uncommitted.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS01/801100373/1022

Dems push 'uncommitted' option

Party leaders want Obama and Edwards backers to take a stand on the primary ballot.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Mark Hornbeck /

Detroit

News

Lansing

Bureau

LANSING

-- Top Michigan Democrats made another plea Wednesday to coax supporters of presidential candidates Barack Obama and John Edwards to vote "uncommitted" in Tuesday's

Michigan

primary, rather than staying home or crossing over to vote in the Republican contest. Obama, Edwards, and Bill Richardson yanked their names off the ballot here, leaving New York Sen. Hillary Clinton as the only leading contender for Democratic voters. U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and state Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said Michigan Dems can still have an indirect say in the nominating process if they check the "uncommitted" box on the ballot. State law prohibits write-ins for candidates who have not authorized write-in campaigns; Obama, Edwards and Richardson have not.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NEWS06/801100363/1008

Voters urged to turn out despite ballot uproar

January 10, 2008

By CHRIS CHRISTOFF and KATHLEEN GRAY

As the nation's eyes turn to

Michigan

's presidential primary next Tuesday, Democrats were promoting an unusual candidate Wednesday -- Uncommitted. That's the only choice they have on the ballot besides Hillary Clinton (or Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel). Because the Jan. 15 election date violates national Democratic Party rules, candidates Barack Obama and John Edwards withdrew their names from the state ballot.

Clinton

has pledged not to campaign in

Michigan

. The situation angered many Democratic voters, but party leaders are trying to persuade them to vote nonetheless. If enough Democratic voters choose "uncommitted," delegates at the district or state level will be chosen to fill that void for the national Democratic convention in August.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NEWS15/80110086/1008/NEWS06

Kucinich treated like a rock star in

Troy

campaign stop

January 10, 2008

BY KATHLEEN GRAY

With presidential candidates largely absent from

Michigan

in the days leading to Tuesday’s primary, even a second-tier candidate generates a lot of excitement in the state. U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich might not be doing very well in voting so far in

Iowa

and

New Hampshire

, but tonight in

Troy

he attracted a standing room-only crowd of more than 300 people at the Troy Democratic Club meeting. They treated him like a rock star, screaming in adoration and repeatedly giving him standing ovations when he said he would call for the removal of all troops from

Iraq

within three months of taking office, and advocated impeaching vice president Dick Cheney and President George W. Bush and charging them with crimes after they leave office.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/POLITICS01/801100381/1022

TV news anchors to cover

Mich.

primary far from here

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Mekeisha Madden Toby /

Detroit

News Television Writer

The TV news networks will be in

Michigan

covering the primary Tuesday, but don't expect any big names, because none of them will be anchoring from here. For instance, several ABC News correspondents, including Vic Ratner, will report from

Michigan

starting Monday and ending Jan. 16, contributing stories to all broadcasts on TV, radio and the Internet, ABC News spokeswoman Natalie Raabe said Wednesday.

On the night of the primary, ABC anchorman Charles Gibson will deliver special reports in as primary results become known from

New York

in the studio. Additionally, "World News With Charles Gibson" will be updated for time zones across the country as results surface.

http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2008/01/flint_mayor_taken_to_the_hospi.html

Flint

mayor remains in hospital

January 10, 2008

by Kristyn Peterson | The

Flint

Journal

FLINT

-- Mayor Don Williamson, 73, remained in

McLaren

Regional

Medical

Center

today with what an aide said were flu-like symptoms. "He's stable, he's resting and in good spirits," said Darryl Buchanan, city administrator. "He's laughing and still telling me what I should do." Buchanan said he talked with Williamson at about 7:10 a.m. today and said the mayor was doing well. Williamson was taken to the hospital from home about 4 p.m. Wednesday because he was having breathing problems, mayoral aide Joe Conroy said.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MI_KENNECOTT_MINE_MIOL-?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

DNR delays decision on permits for

Upper Peninsula

mine

Jan 10, 2008

By JOHN FLESHER

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) -- A proposed nickel and copper mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula hit at least a temporary snag Thursday when the state Department of Natural Resources postponed a ruling on the company's plan. Director Rebecca Humphries was scheduled to announce whether the DNR would let Kennecott Minerals Co. build and operate the mine in northwestern

Marquette

County

. Instead, she requested more information, a process that could take months. She set no deadline.

NATIONAL STORIES

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/REPUBLICANS_DEBATE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-21-36-49

Republicans debate in

South Carolina

Jan 10, 2008

By LIZ SIDOTI

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) -- Republican presidential rivals backed a blend of tax and spending cuts Thursday night to head off an election-year recession they generally agreed is not inevitable." We should reduce taxes on middle-income Americans immediately," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said in a debate in the run-up to presidential primaries in

Michigan

and

South Carolina

. "The first thing is not to raise taxes," said former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "Cut the marginal tax rate, if anything, and eventually go to a fair tax," he added, referring to his plan for a national sales tax to replace the income tax.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080111/D8U3EB4O0.html

GOP Rivals Back Tax, Spending Cuts in SC

Jan 10, 2008

By LIZ SIDOTI

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - Republican presidential rivals backed a blend of tax and spending cuts Thursday night to head off an election-year recession they generally agreed is avoidable. "We should reduce taxes on middle-income Americans immediately," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said in a debate in the run-up to presidential primaries in

Michigan

and

South Carolina

, two states where unemployment exceeds the national average." The first thing is not to raise taxes," said former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. "Cut the marginal tax rate, if anything, and eventually go to a fair tax," he added, referring to his plan for a national sales tax to replace the income tax.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/?hpid=topnews

Republicans Debate: The Conclusion

January 10, 2008

By Chris Cillizza

The six Republican presidential candidates disagreed repeatedly but politely in a debate tonight in

Myrtle Beach

S.C.

, a dynamic that affirmed Sen. John McCain (

Ariz.

) as the frontrunner for his party's nomination heading into votes in

Michigan

and

South Carolina

over the next nine days. McCain entered tonight's festivities with the biggest target on his back following his win in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary and a new South Carolina poll that showed he had leapt into the lead there.But, two things worked in McCain's favor: the content of the questions asked by the the Fox News Channel moderators and the unwillingness of anyone other than former governor Mitt Romney (Mass.) to take a shot at McCain.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992665423979631.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

The Surge Worked

January 10, 2008

By JOHN MCCAIN and JOE LIEBERMAN

It was exactly one year ago tonight, in a televised address to the nation, that President George W. Bush announced his fateful decision to change course in Iraq, and to send five additional U.S. combat brigades there as part of a new counterinsurgency strategy and under the command of a new general, David Petraeus. At the time of its announcement, the so-called surge was met with deep skepticism by many Americans -- and understandably so.After years of mismanagement of the war, many people had grave doubts about whether success in

Iraq

was possible. In Congress, opposition to the surge from antiwar members was swift and severe. They insisted that

Iraq

was already "lost," and that there was nothing left to do but accept our defeat and retreat.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MCCAIN_SOUTH_CAROLINA?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-15-40-40

McCain seeks second-shot win in S.C.

Jan 10, 2008

By LIZ SIDOTI

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- John McCain is hoping the South Carolina that votes next week will be a different South Carolina than the one that spoiled his presidential hopes eight years ago. He has reason to hope: An influx of newcomers is just as Republican - but not necessarily as conservative - as native

South Carolinians

. The

Arizona

senator appeals not only to conservatives but also to party moderates and independents, groups that helped him win Tuesday's

New Hampshire

primary and become a serious contender in the contests beyond.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2238148,00.html

Clinton

's amazing comeback could yet crown McCain

A dramatic 24 hours gives Hillary a great boost, but would she beat the Republicans' resurgent veteran?

Thursday January 10, 2008

By Jonathan Freedland

He was talking about moviemaking, but William Goldman's adage now officially holds true for American politics too: no-one knows anything. It's not just the pollsters and pundits who believed Hillary Clinton was on her way to defeat in

New Hampshire

: she believed it too. What happened instead was a turnaround on a Truman-defeats-Dewey scale. When

New Hampshire

anointed Bill Clinton as the Comeback Kid in 1992, he only came second. Hillary turned an expected double-digit defeat into a win.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HUCKABEE_ANALYSIS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-16-28-16

Analysis: McCain and Huckabee now rivals

Jan 10, 2008

By JIM KUHNHENN

MYRTLE BEACH

S.C.

(AP) -- John McCain, meet Mike Huckabee. You're now rivals. Until now the two Republican presidential candidates have been allies of convenience - the two Davids who knocked down Mitt Romney, the financial Goliath. But there's nothing convenient about

Michigan

and

South Carolina

, states that could make or break either candidate's hopes for being the Republican presidential nominee. So these two men who separately confronted Romney, one in

Iowa

and one in

New Hampshire

, are now in the same ring. "I don't see us going out there and taking the gloves off," Huckabee said of the prospects of a tough encounter with McCain.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HUCKABEE_EVANGELICALS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-18-58-34

Huckabee aims for evangelicals in SC a

Jan 10, 2008

By ERIC GORSKI

Propelled in

Iowa

by evangelicals' support, Mike Huckabee is trying for a repeat victory in

South Carolina

, where religion is woven even more tightly into the fabric of life. A win there in the Jan. 19 primary would keep the former Southern Baptist minister and Arkansas governor in strong contention for the Republican presidential nomination, no matter how he does in the Michigan voting that comes first. "He is tailor-made for

South Carolina

voters, better so than Bush in 2000," contends former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, a Huckabee backer. But Huckabee's hardly alone in seeking - and gaining - support from evangelicals.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aQEf60fq86h4

Rudy Giuliani Proposes `Biggest Tax Cut' in History

January 10, 2008

By Christopher Stern and Alison Fitzgerald

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani proposed a tax overhaul plan that would reduce capital gains and corporate tax rates and allow many Americans to file a one-page return. The plan would reduce the corporate tax rate to 25 percent and the capital-gains tax to 10 percent. The current corporate tax rate is 35 percent, and the capital-gains rate is 15 percent, set to rise to 20 percent in 2010 as President George W. Bush's tax cuts expire. If all of his proposals were enacted, ``It would be the biggest tax cut in American history,'' Giuliani said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20080110/NEWS/801100509/1134

Thompson Hopes for Big Surge in the South

January 10, 2008

By Joe Follick

TALLAHASSEE | After a miserable showing in Tuesday's New Hampshire primary, GOP candidate Fred Thompson is clearly banking on a surge in the South to revive what was once the most spirited of conservative campaigns. About a dozen state lawmakers joined U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Lakeland, in the

Capital

Press

Center

Tallahassee

for an odd Wednesday morning press conference. Putnam, one of the first Floridians to press for Thompson's candidacy last year, said the former Tennessee senator would do well in next week's South Carolina primary and Florida's Jan. 29 vote."Everybody recognizes Thompson's appeal in the South," Putnam said. "I don't think anyone expected him to do as well in

New Hampshire

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1024530420080111

Clinton

to lay out plans for boosting economy

Thu Jan 10, 2008

By Jeff Mason

LAS VEGAS

(Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton said she would lay out her plans on Friday for jump-starting the

U.S.

economy, repeating that she believed it was heading into a recession." I think we're slipping toward a recession," the New York senator and former first lady said on Thursday after campaigning door-to-door in a Las Vegas neighborhood, where homeowners expressed concern about the economy and the U.S. housing crisis.

Clinton

's comments echoed those she made in a Democratic debate in

New Hampshire

last Saturday.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NATION/237194502/1001

Hillary win revives race, stirs donors

January 10, 2008

By Christina Bellantoni

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton cashed in on her come-from-behind

New Hampshire

primary victory, raising more than $1 million in less than a day as her rejuvenated campaign vowed to capture the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. The New York Democrat assumed the title "Comeback Kid" even though her slip in the polls after placing third in

Iowa

was brief, and her aides promised to aggressively campaign in the more than 20 states that vote over the next month.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/us/politics/10clinton.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin

Clinton’s Message, and Moment, Won the Day

January 10, 2008

By PATRICK HEALY

At first, the moment seemed like a disaster: The televised images of the teary-eyed exchange Hillary Rodham Clinton had with a

New Hampshire

voter about the rigors of the campaign caused her advisers to express fears that it would badly undercut her message of strength and experience.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/01/youre_likable_enough_costs_oba.html

'You're Likable Enough' Costs Obama

January 10, 2008

By Richard Cohen

Rick Lazio must have known what was coming. As Hillary Clinton's Senate opponent in 2000, he alarmingly strode across the stage during a debate and demanded that she sign a pledge to ban the use of soft money in their campaign. With every step, he lost the votes of women.Now something similar has happened. I am not referring to the most famous cry since Evita's (Don't Cry for Me,

New Hampshire

), but Barack Obama's patronizing dismissal of

Clinton

in the final debate of the

New Hampshire

campaign. After

Clinton

had good-naturedly responded to a question about what is sometimes called her "personality deficit" -- "Well, that hurts my feelings" -- she went on to concede that Obama is "very likeable." Obama responded with a curt "You're likeable enough, Hillary."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OBAMA_KERRY?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-01-10-20-46-32

Former Dem nominee Kerry endorses Obama

Jan 10, 2008

By NEDRA PICKLER and ANDREW MIGA

CHARLESTON

S.C.

(AP) -- John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, gave Barack Obama a timely endorsement Thursday, snubbing Hillary Rodham Clinton as well as his own vice presidential running mate. Kerry came to

South Carolina

to embrace Obama, two weeks before the state's primary and with Obama needing a boost after

Clinton

's emotional victory over him in

New Hampshire

. Quoting a black American hero in endorsing the man who hopes to be the first black president, Kerry told a cheering crowd, "Martin Luther King said that the time is always right to do what is right." Now is the time, Kerry said, to declare "that Barack Obama can be, will be and should be the next president of the

United States

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/politics/11bloomberg.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1200027909-iLb5NsvAcJKOw2IIXhGiKw

Calls Grow for Bloomberg to Make Up His Mind

Published: January 11, 2008

By DIANE CARDWELL and RAY RIVERA

Nearly every day a tiny new development trickles out from the stealth presidential campaign of Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire mayor of

New York

He has talked with Chuck Hagel and Sam Nunn, potential running mates. He has delivered a tart critique of the presidential field. He is conducting intricate polling to test his appeal in all 50 states. Mr. Bloomberg’s dalliance with the idea of running for president has stretched on and on, with his enthusiastic approval despite the public denials. But even before actually entering the contest, Mr. Bloomberg may have already risked losing something: people’s patience.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992566081579523.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries

Iran

's Provocation

January 10, 2008

By WALTER RUSSELL MEAD

"It was a dangerous gesture," said President George W. Bush about Sunday's incident that involved five vessels, apparently under orders from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, harassing

U.S.

naval forces in international waters in the Straits of Hormuz. They broke off moments before the Americans opened fire. "An ordinary occurrence," said a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry. "There will be serious consequences if they attack our ships," Mr. Bush countered. Mr. Bush is right, and the world came very close to war on Sunday. From the 18th century to the present day, threats to American ships and maritime commerce have been the way most

U.S.

wars start. The pattern began early. Attacks by the Barbary pirates in the

Mediterranean

led President Thomas Jefferson to send the U.S. Navy thousands of miles on a risky expedition to suppress the threat to American merchant ships in 1801.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NATION/169957556/1001

Bush 'hopeful' for

Mideast

peace

January 10, 2008

By Jon Ward

RAMALLAH, West Bank — President Bush today concluded his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and said that he had done his best to clarify the concessions needed by both sides for a peace agreement, while a top adviser said the president will likely return to Israel this year. "Now is the time to make difficult choices," Mr. Bush said, after returning to

Jerusalem

from the

West Bank

, where he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. "The establishment of the state of

Palestine

is long overdue."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080110/NATION/801828374/1001

Bush says

Palestine

must choose peace

January 10, 2008

By Jon Ward

RAMALLAH – President Bush today arrived in the unofficial capital of the Palestinian Authority, where he met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the future of the

Middle East

peace process.“ If given a chance, the Palestinian people will work for freedom,” Mr. Bush said in a press conference between meetings with Mr. Abbas and his top advisers in the Muqata, the compound of offices used by Mr. Abbas’ Fatah party

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSL1013422320080111

Afghanistan

welcomes
U.S.
troop "mini-surge"

Fri Jan 11, 2008

By Hamid Shalizi

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan welcomed on Thursday U.S. plans to send an extra 3,000 troops to fight the Taliban insurgency, but Washington's move highlights divisions between Western allies over how much to commit to the country.In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer welcomed the U.S. plans but stressed that a number of European allies had in recent months also added forces there. The Pentagon said on Wednesday U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was considering sending an additional 3,000 Marines to thwart any Taliban spring offensive, bringing to around 30,000 the number of American troops in Afghanistan.

www.mirsnews.com

Mirs Capitol Capsule

To Subscribe Contact John Reurink (517) 487-2186

House GOP: 'Give Back The Surplus'

House Minority Leader Craig DeROCHE (R-Novi) said today the state should give taxpayers their money back when a year ends with a surplus, like it did in 2007 when the $353 million in the bank would have equaled $80 a taxpayer.

At a Capitol press conference this afternoon, DeRoche said the surplus was nothing to be proud of

"The Governor said we were out of money and needed to raise taxes," DeRoche said. "Now we learn there was a $350 million surplus … The state should be giving that money back to the taxpayers rather than using it to artificially prop up the budget."

"The budget was over-funded last year and the people were over-taxed," DeRoche said.

Greg BIRD, spokesman for House Speaker Andy DILLON (D-Redford Twp.), said it would be a mistake to send the $350 million back to the taxpayers at this point.

"At this time that just wouldn't make sense," Bird said. "We need to get the best information possible on what our fiscal situation is. We shouldn't give that money away. We may soon be facing a shortfall. At this time it makes more fiscal sense to hold onto the money until we get more information about what the fiscal picture is."

In conjunction with the news conference the House Republicans put out a news release titled "House GOP: `Who's in your wallet?" and subtitled: "Republicans move to return surplus, force spending reforms."

Politically, today's news conference may be significant if it signals the pose House Republicans plan on striking for this election year, which is:

- Last year's tax hikes, (at least the level of the hikes) weren't really necessary

- Cuts and reforms are what the state really needed

- Lawmakers were duped by Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM into believing the budget crisis was worse than it really was.

From an arm's-length viewpoint the posture is re-enforced by the fact that the 2008 budget was an $800 million increase over the previous year's budget — and, of course, the year-end surplus will be handy for the Republicans to refer to, as well.

The reality is the surplus will basically disappear after Friday's Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference and the numbers show the state will be bring in less money than expected this year and next (See "'07 Surplus To Disappear Friday," 1/9/07).

Also, nearly every member of the House Republicans voted for the budgets with the increased spending amounts this past fall (See "We're Here To Spend," 10/30/07).

Nonetheless, the GOP has the minority party advantage of a simpler message as long as they stay on message … which is something they struggled with as a majority party in recent years.

Today, reporters asked the Republicans how the surplus could be returned and how much money each taxpayer would get.

"One way would be to lower the new income tax rate from 4.3 percent to 4.2 percent," Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Kevin ELSENHEIMER (R-Kewadin) suggested.

Elsenheimer added that if the $350 million were returned to the taxpayers it would come out to about $80 per person.

"Hey, that's two tanks of gas," Elsenheimer pointed out.

In addition to calling for the surplus to be returned to the taxpayers, DeRoche said the House Republicans are calling for (at least talking about) a Constitutional amendment to require the state to return surpluses to the taxpayers and making $670 million in cuts and reforms to the current-year budget.

Bird's take on the constitutional amendment idea was worth discussing but there would be a lot of details to look at.

"We're open to discussing that. But at first glance I think there would be a problem with it in that to simply give back any surplus would prevent the state from any funds in reserve," Bird said.

Regarding the $670 million in cuts, MIRS suggested to DeRoche that the Democrats could pan that proposal by bringing up the House Republicans' rejection of the deep budget cuts Senate Republicans sent to the House last fall.

"If that's the case, you can tell Speaker Dillon that was about a budget that was settled back in November. This is about moving forward," DeRoche said. "If he says that — it's a game. It's just a petty game that gets played."

Meanwhile, Bird said that while the Democrats would be interested in pursuing potential reforms and cuts, it is a little late in the day for the House Republicans to be clamoring for budget cuts.

"They actually had a chance to vote on ever greater cuts than that ($670 million)," Bird said. "Those Senate cuts were brought up and they were rejected unanimously."

DeRoche claimed there is a supplemental budget bill that could immediately be brought up for a vote that would make the $670 million in cuts and reforms, but Bird said he's not aware of such a bill.

"The closest bill to that we could find was HB 5845, which would have made $301 in cuts - and most of those weren't real," Bird said.

www.gongwer.com

REPORT NO. 7 VOLUME 47

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2008

To Subscribe Contact Larry Lee (517) 487-5500

HOUSE G.O.P.: GIVE SURPLUS TO TAXPAYERS; FIX SHORTFALLS WITH CUTS

Instead of using the $353 million budget surplus from the 2006-07 fiscal year to cover anticipated shortfalls in the current fiscal year, House Republicans said the state should refund that money to the taxpayers and the Legislature should take up a proposed constitutional amendment requiring surpluses in the future to be refunded automatically.

House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche (R-Novi) and Rep. Kevin Elsenheimer (R-Bellaire) said if leaders go in the direction of using the surplus to balance out the budget all they are doing is ignoring the structural deficit that is created next year when no extra money is available to cover government services.

Instead, the government needs to pare spending down and Republicans have a supplemental substitute prepared that would do that by some $670 million, they said. Their proposal would do the following:

• Cut legislator pay by 5 percent - $600,000

• Use additional revenue from the Michigan Business Tax transition - $219 million

• Reexamine state employee benefits - $100 million

• Cut the Department of Information Technology - $10 million

• Competitively bid Corrections services - $50 million

• Charge prisoners more for goods purchased in prison - $3 million

• Streamline the Department of Community Health - $92 million

• Reform the Department of Human Services - $109 million

• Stop new appropriations to 21st Century Jobs program - $75 million

• Eliminate the Community Service Commission Grant to train volunteers - $3 million

• Remove the increase to the Treasury Department to implement the new taxes - $9 million

• Continue to reduce public transit funding - $5 million

Also, amending the Constitution to automatically refund taxpayers when a surplus occurs (Republicans haven’t determined what monetary threshold that would be) would put in place the kind of checks and balances the Headlee amendment envisioned, Mr. DeRoche said.

Refunds could occur this year, Mr. Elsenheimer said, and if all $353 million was given back that could amount to about $80 per taxpayer, or a tank or two of gas. How the refunds would go out is still being decided, Mr. Elsenheimer said, but a rollback of the income tax rate to 4.2 percent from 4.35 percent equals about $170 million.

“It’s money we took away from families and businesses that couldn’t afford it,” Mr. DeRoche said of the surplus.

Both Republicans argued the state shouldn’t put any money from the surplus in the Budget Stabilization Fund either because taxpayers were already struggling before their taxes were raised and they deserve some money back.

The Legislature was told repeatedly by the Granholm administration during the budget process that no surplus of consequence would result at the end of the 2006-07 fiscal year, Mr. DeRoche said, and decisions were based on that information.

But Leslee Fritz, spokesperson for the State Budget Office defended the administration by saying that during target setting lawmakers were told departments would lapse some funds, but the amount was indeterminate until books were actually closed just recently.

She said it would have been poor financial management to have the budget assume a lapse when no one knew exactly how much it would be.

And Greg Bird, spokesperson for House Speaker Andy Dillon (D-Redford Twp.), said, “It’s doesn’t make the best fiscal sense to give the money away when we know we are facing financial difficulties just around the corner.”

While they believe more cuts and reforms need to be looked at to balance out any budget shortfalls this year and next, Mr. Bird cautioned to “leave the powder dry” until the state’s fiscal picture is clear after the Revenue Estimating Conference. He also said cutting programs for vulnerable citizens was something Democrats fought against during the last budget battle and they would do the same.

Mr. Bird said the devil will be in the details of any constitutional amendment, arguing that tying the hands of any Legislature isn’t a good thing when different decisions are made during different times.