205 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
Our “mail server” was down Friday and Saturday, so the Articles of Interest and my commentary were ONLY posted on the blog…not emailed out in the morning as usual. Sorry if this caused any inconvenience.
Newt Gingrich explains Barack Obama’s vision of “normal” America. Read it below.
There are fewer than 5 weeks left…candidates need your help. If you would like to help, please contact the candidates directly.
State Rep. Jack Hoogendyk is in the middle of his petition collection efforts for the U.S. Senate at: http://www.jackformichigan.org/
http://jackformichigan.org/petitions/
Bart Baron also plans on running for the U.S. Senate. He notified me that he has contracted with a vendor to help him collect signatures. If you would like to get more information about Bart Baron and his campaign, or offer to help…email him at:
Candidates need 20,000 signatures by May 13 to get their name on the ballot. Get behind one of the candidates and help them get on the ballot.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
Newt said it best:
http://newt.org/Blogs/tabid/59/Default.aspx
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/04/newt-on-the-rea.html
If you go to the most expensive private school in Hawaii and then move on to Columbia University and Harvard Law School, you may not understand normal Americans. Their beliefs are so alien to your leftwing viewpoint that you have to seek some psychological explanation for what seem to be weird ideas.
They can't really believe in the right to bear arms.
They can't really believe in traditional marriage.
They can't really believe in their faith in God.
They can't really want to enforce the law on immigration.
Therefore, they must be "bitter" and "frustrated."
This is the closest Senator Obama has come to openly sharing his wife's view that "America is a mean country". Not since Governor Dukakis have we seen anyone so out of touch with normal Americans. It makes perfect sense that it was in a fundraiser in San Francisco that he would have shared the views he has so carefully kept hidden for the entire campaign.
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
Trial that could end Fieger's career starts
Flamboyant attorney insists federal charges are trumped up, but experts foresee an uphill fight.
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- When high-profile Southfield attorney Geoffrey Fieger was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on criminal campaign finance charges, he claimed he was the
Democratic victim of a Republican witch hunt.
Fieger also insisted what he was accused of doing -- reimbursing his employees for political donations -- is not, in fact, illegal.
But after months of pretrial maneuvering, a federal judge rejected those arguments and today plans to pick a jury for a trial that could end Fieger's colorful legal career and send him to prison.
Bulging prisons drain Michigan's budget
State faces hard choices as get-tough laws put more behind bars
Charlie Cain and Gary Heinlein | Photos by Daniel Mears / The Detroit News
Michigan runs one of the nation's largest and most costly prison systems, a $2 billion-a-year expense that is crowding out other spending priorities at a rate many officials fear the state can no longer afford.
Yet despite near-unanimous agreement that Michigan can't pay ever-rising corrections bills during a period of economic decline, politicians and law enforcement professionals remain hesitant to spend less by changing sentencing guidelines or paroling more prisoners.
"Our efforts to grow Michigan's economy and keep our state competitive are threatened by the rising costs in the Department of Corrections," Gov. Jennifer Granholm told The Detroit News. "We spend more on prisons than we do on higher education, and that has got to change."
House Debates Increase for Families in Assistance
Posted by By HARRY GILLEN April 11, 2008 12:09PM
LANSING - The Department of Human Services (DHS) may get its first grant increase for the Family Assistance Program in 18 years, pending the passage of a bill currently on the House floor.
The increase, part of the fiscal year 2009 budget process, would boost the monthly payment for a typical low-income family of three from $489 to $498, just under 2 percent.
The bill would also be the first to increase benefits programs "across the board," said Judy Putnam, communications director for the Michigan League for Human Services, a nonprofit organization in favor of the bill.
An increase for these programs, however, may not be something the state can afford right now, Rep. Rick Shaffer said.
Foreclosure fiasco traps renters, too
When landlords don't pay the mortgage, the tenants often suffer.
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News
Waiting out the mortgage market meltdown by renting instead of buying is backfiring on some Metro Detroit families.
Renters are being ejected from homes owned by landlords now caught up in the state's foreclosure fiasco.
Leases protect renters from a bevy of unfair actions by their landlords. But when a property's mortgage or taxes go unpaid, those rights can be voided. In Michigan, as long as the home loan predates the rental agreement, the foreclosing entity -- be it bank or tax collector -- isn't required to honor the lease. In many cases, they're choosing not to.
New coal-fired power plants opposed in Michigan
by David Eggert | The Associated Press
Sunday April 13, 2008, 10:35 AM
LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- In the battle over global warming, front lines are forming in places like Bay City and Midland -- proposed sites for Michigan's first large coal-fired power plants since 1984.
If given the go-ahead, the plants could operate for 50 years. That's an eternity to environmental groups upset that existing coal plants pollute the air and emit greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
Mayor to unveil budget plan
Proposal he'll give to City Council seeks more accounting staff without major cuts
BY ZACHARY GORCHOW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 14, 2008
Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is expected to propose hiring more staff and outside help to fix the city's bookkeeping, which has cost the city millions of dollars, when he presents his 2008-09 budget plan today to the City Council.
Deputy Mayor Anthony Adams and Budget Director Pamela Scales said, Kilpatrick's proposal would contain a slight decrease in overall spending, but no major cuts and no major new revenue.
"All the heavy work has been done," Adams said. "It's a straightforward revenues meet expenses, and business as usual."
UAW rejects American Axle mediator plea
Union President Ron Gettelfinger says third party would not help talks to end strike.
Eric Morath / The Detroit News
American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. says it asked a federal mediator to help broker a deal to end the United Auto Workers 48-day strike against the Detroit auto supplier, but the union rejected the offer.
"AAM had hoped that the involvement of an impartial third party at the bargaining table could assist both sides," according to an American Axle statement sent to reporters Sunday. "The UAW refused to allow the Federal Mediator to help the parties reach agreement. AAM was disappointed in the UAW's decision."
Company spokeswoman Renee Rogers said the mediation request was made in the middle of last week.
Local wage race brings lots of pain, little gain
Sunday, April 13, 2008By Ben Beversluis and Rick WilsonThe Grand Rapids Press
Is your paycheck showing stretch marks? Not surprising. Average weekly wages for private-sector jobs in West Michigan are well below national and state averages.
And the gap is widening. Private wages averaged $633 a week in Kent County in 2001, about 5 percent below the national average.
By 2007, the local number was $732, nearly 10 percent below the national average.
The disparity is greater for Ottawa County, going from about 11 percent to almost 16 percent below the average, according to federal Bureau of Labor statistics.
Feeling the pinch?
by Charles Slat , last modified April 12. 2008 10:47PM
A forklift driver in Monroe County typically might make $31,000 a year, an auto mechanic could take home around $45,600, the average plant manager's salary is around $87,500, and the lowest paid Monroe police officer or firefighter makes about $49,000.
Whether you make more or less or about the same, chances are you feel your dollars don't stretch as far as they once did.
It's not your imagination. Buffeted by rising costs for fuel, health care, groceries and other essentials, many families are struggling to preserve their standards of living, and some are losing the struggle.
The economy has been working against the average wage-earner in recent years. The average weekly wage for private-sector employees in Monroe County in mid-2007 - the latest period for which figures are available - was about $769, down from $803 in 2006.
Blue Water residents agree: Blow rebates on bills
By BOBBY AMPEZZAN
Times Herald
Economists and policy makers are asking people to channel this year’s $600 tax rebate into the local economy, but local residents have mixed feelings about how to put the federal $600 tax rebates to good use.
Blue Water residents such as Lorrie Sumner and Kipling Paterson, who are partners living in Port Huron Township, say they’ll be paying bills.
“We spend (money) on local businesses all year anyway, so now we have to catch up on the bills,” Sumner said.
Paterson said he invested plenty in the local economy last year when he a Corvette, a General Motors vehicle, from Michaels Car Center.
Congress must fund rail bypass
There is something federal officials can do to help St. Clair County: Congress must fund an essential project to address traffic delays at Port Huron Township rail crossings.
For 10 years, local, state, federal leaders and the Canadian National Railway have worked to fix the public safety problem: The volume of trains through the township creates frequent motor vehicle stoppages -- and they delay emergency vehicles from reaching their destinations.
Township Supervisor D. Scott Beedon recalled a house fire on Michigan Road last year. When firefighters reached the rail crossing, a passing train delayed them from reaching the fire, he said.
Levin seeks to capitalize on Olympic uproar
Lawmaker chairs panel that looks at Chinese human rights allegations
By Chad Selweski
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
With worldwide condemnation growing over China's position as host of the summer Olympic Games, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin has emerged as a central figure in Washington's bid to reform Chinese human rights policies.
As chairman of a U.S. panel that scrutinizes Chinese abuses, Levin seeks to capitalize on the uproar and exert pressure on China's leaders on several levels.
The high-profile demonstrations that disrupted the Olympic torch relay should not be discouraged, he said, so long as violence is avoided, as was the case in San Francisco on Thursday. But Levin parts ways with the presidential candidates -- Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain -- in their push for President Bush to boycott the Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing.
Cone season, again
Despite budget cuts, plenty of work on tap
By NICHOLAS DESHAIS
Times Herald
Barriers to travel this year might seem too big to overcome in St. Clair County.
The price of gas is high. The value of the U.S. dollar is shrinking. There's the recession, and, as usual in the spring and summer, there's road work.
The St. Clair County Road Commission has more than $7 million in road projects scheduled for this year, including a 4-mile resurfacing project on Division Road. That's in addition to $110 million the Michigan Department of Transportation plans to spend on work in the county, mostly on Interstate 94.
Op-Ed: Heston had Michigan roots
BY GEORGE WEEKS
Syndicated columnist
The late Hollywood icon Charlton Heston was raised in northern Michigan, where he had his first acting stints.
Not so well known is that this film legend was deeply steeped in the political history of Michigan, which he fondly called "my home state" although he was born in Illinois and went back there for high school.
It was in the tiny Roscommon County hamlet of St. Helen where his father ran a lumber mill that Heston, as a boy in plays in a one-room school, began honing skills he displayed in playing what he called historical "formidable fellas" Moses, John the Baptist, Julius Caesar, Michelangelo and Andrew Jackson.
Opinion: Time to limit teen drivers' passengers?
It’s almost a tragic rite of spring. Kids pile into a vehicle, there’s a crash, lives are lost, a school and community mourn. Tuesday, it happened in Macomb County’s Chesterfield Township, near Gratiot and 25 Mile.
Three students, all 17, from L’Anse Creuse North High School perished in a four-vehicle crash. They were all in a pickup that crossed into the oncoming traffic lane and smashed into a school bus. Police are trying today to sort out what happened.
But this much we do know from traffic safety studies and, for some us, from raising our own young drivers. Teenagers are easily distracted and, in traffic, a few seconds of distraction can be fatal. They play the music loud, they talk on the phone while driving, they eat and drink.
Housing crisis yields 18.9-month supply of homes for sale
Inventory hurts owners but great news for buyers
BY GRETA GUEST • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • April 13, 2008
Metro Detroit had a staggering 18.9-month supply of homes for sale at the end of 2007, and some cities were swamped with four years or more worth of housing inventory that people are desperately trying to sell.
That's almost double the national average of 9.6 months of existing home inventory at the current sales pace, itself a sign of trouble in the U.S. housing market where a three- to six-month inventory is considered normal.
The vast oversupply of houses could depress prices further as Michigan struggles to remake its economy, said Caroline Sallee, a consultant for Anderson Economic Group in East Lansing, and others said the phenomenon is crimping retirement plans or the ability to move for jobs.
Race heats up for $1 homes
Both county, cities want property
BY KATHLEEN GRAY • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • April 13, 2008
Wayne County's plan to buy more than 700 federally subsidized and foreclosed homes in Detroit and another 500 elsewhere in the county for $1 each has hit a snag.
Competition.
The cities where the homes -- mostly abandoned and in disrepair -- are say the county is trying to poach what belongs to the cities.
Many of the cities had applied or were planning to request the $1 homes when they learned Wayne County was doing the same thing. Many had plans to rehabilitate the homes, sell them to the public or employees or demolish those in the worst shape.
County to pursue Meijer case
Sunday, April 13, 2008By Shandra MartinezThe Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- Meijer Inc. won the first round in its battle to end a criminal probe into its campaign activities, but northern Michigan officials are hopeful the case finds its way back to local authorities.
A judge Friday ruled Michigan's secretary of state, not the Grand Traverse County prosecutor, has sole jurisdiction over the retailer's undisclosed financial support of a recall effort in Acme Township.
But township Trustee Frank Zarafonitis said the judge's 10-page ruling provides hope.
Michigan gets in on medical school boom
Facilities growing to curb impending doctor shortage
David Runk
Associated Press
DETROIT - Universities and hospitals across Michigan are working to head off an impending doctor shortage fueled by the nation's aging baby-boomer population.
The state's first new medical school in four decades is set to open in 2010, and existing schools are expanding their campuses and admitting bigger classes.
Those training future physicians also hope that many of the new doctors will stay in Michigan when they're done with school, helping revive the state's troubled economy while improving health care.
Prosecutor's case against Meijer dismissed
By BRIAN McGILLIVARY
bmcgillivary@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse County's prosecutor won't drop a criminal probe of Meijer Inc. officials, despite a judge's ruling that halted a local investigation of the retailer's alleged campaign finance law violations.
Thirteenth Circuit Judge Philip Rodgers in a ruling released Friday, wrote "(t)here is no role for a county prosecuting attorney" under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.
"The Legislature has clearly expressed an intent to make the Secretary of State's jurisdiction over violation of the Michigan Campaign Finance Act exclusive ..." Rodgers wrote.
The campaign finance aspect of the case now falls to Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, who has the authority to informally settle the violations alleged against Meijer without seeking criminal prosecution.
Michigan needs to encourage the charter school movement
By GLENN GILBERT
Of The Oakland Press
The public will hear increasing discussion about what to do with failing public schools in the coming months as districts seek to meet the requirements of the six-year-old federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The law promises sanctions up to and including closing schools. But no schools have been closed yet as a result of NCLB.
One alternative that clearly is working is charter schools. These are public schools open to all students. If the number of applicants exceeds capacity, lotteries are held to determine enrollment.
Fight blight
Public entities must accept their responsibility for decay FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Sunday, April 13, 2008
While unscrupulous private property owners get the bulk of blame and criticism for the many examples of blight in Flint, public entities should not be let off the hook.
A Journal review of dilapidated property in Flint shows that some responsibility falls squarely on governmental bodies - including the city, the Flint School District and Hurley Medical Center and its foundation.
Because such public entities are cash-strapped to the limit, it's easy to sympathize with them or to make excuses. But they have the same responsibility any property owner does to act responsibly and proactively in the maintenance and eventual razing of some of the nuisance buildings they own.
UAW local threatens to strike GM
Sharon Terlep / The Detroit News
Another Michigan United Auto Workers local is threatening to strike General Motors Corp., the automaker said Saturday.
The UAW warned GM that it may strike the automaker's Grand Rapids metal stamping plant. If progress isn't made in bargaining a local contract within five days, the union says it will issue an official five-day strike notice, which is required before a walkout.
Three factories, in Flint, Lansing and Warren, issued five-day strike notices last week warning GM the union will strike if local contracts aren't soon reached.
Axle strikers eye Detroit 3 issues
Workers fight movement to cut wages
BY JEWEL GOPWANI • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • April 13, 2008
By walking the picket line outside of American Axle & Manufacturing's plants in Detroit three days a week, Steve Conner says he hopes not only to preserve his wage to support his wife and nine children, but also so workers at General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC don't face the same fight in a few years.
Conner, a machine operator, sees a correlation between the contract the UAW reaches at his company, and what others in the industry may face in a few years.
"It's like writing on the wall," said Conner, 46, of Madison Heights, about the effect American Axle's deal could have on the rest of the industry. "If they are able to accomplish this here, it is going to go to GM, Ford and Chrysler."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AMERICAN_AXLE_MIOL-?SITE=MIPON&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
American Axle makes new contract offer to United Auto Workers
By DAVID N. GOODMAN
Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP) -- Striking United Auto Workers union members are considering a new contract offer from American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc. as bargaining continued through the weekend aimed at ending a seven-week strike over company demands for deep pay cuts.
About 3,600 UAW members at five American Axle plants in Michigan and New York went on strike Feb. 26 after the auto parts maker proposed cutting hourly wages about in half. It said it needed the cuts to become competitive with other parts makers.
Company bargainers gave the UAW a new contract proposal Saturday, American Axle spokeswoman Renee Rogers said Sunday. She said bargainers were resuming talks Sunday.
Loepp/Haar: Selling Accident Fund would be horrible idea
In October 2007, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Accident Fund Insurance Company of America committed to the future of Lansing by announcing the redevelopment of the Ottawa Street power station into Accident Fund's new national headquarters and the creation of up to 500 new jobs.
We remain committed to this $182 million economic transformation along the Lansing riverfront - despite the Lansing State Journal's suggestion ("Fund sale," April 11) that Blue Cross, which owns Accident Fund, make a deal with the Legislature to sell the company in exchange for insurance reform.
Accident Fund is not for sale. There are more responsible ways to achieve health reform than selling off an employer of 677 Lansing-area residents that has promised to bring many more jobs to Lansing.
Oakland's Future: Where will we be in 30 years?
By KAREN AUCHTERLONIE
Of The Oakland Press
Growth trends in Southeast Michigan have certainly slowed, but a long-term look into the future suggests that Oakland County will lead the region in population growth.
"There's two major factors. First of all, there is a rich job base and people do tend to live close to work," said Xuan Liu, manager of the data center for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, which compiled a regional forecast through 2035.
"And, there's still land available in Oakland County and many communities are really still developing -- there are those demands and the supply that will support future growth," Liu said.
A new projection for the region's overall growth rate doesn't measure up to that of a 30-year study SEMCOG released in 2001. It predicted a growth rate of 12 percent, but the revisd figured has been adjusted down to 3.5 percent.
Feuding judges
State hires forensic auditors to probe court records as the court's judges can't get along
By Jameson Cook
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
Forensic auditors hired by the state recently scoured through financial and court records at Macomb Probate Court, where the two judges inability to get along has heightened political and workplace tensions.
Auditors from the Whall Group in Auburn Hills are in the process of completing an investigative report after two accountants recently spent about six weeks going through documents at the court in the county complex in northwest Mount Clemens.
The report, likely to be completed by the end of the month, is expected to cover issues pointed out by an audit done two years ago by the state Court Administrator's Office when Judge Pamela Gilbert O'Sullivan was chief judge.
Delta, Northwest may announce combination deal Tuesday
By HARRY R. WEBER
AP Business Writer
Delta and Northwest could announce a combination as early as Tuesday that would create the world's biggest airline, but pilot contract issues still loomed and there was no guarantee the deal would move ahead, three people familiar with the talks said Sunday.
The people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, said officials were mobilizing for an announcement provided the boards of the two companies give final approval to a deal.
The boards of both companies have been having ongoing merger-related conversations. They could meet Monday to discuss moving ahead with a deal, a person familiar with the talks said.
Taxpayers dole out $3K for Vegas trip
By BRIAN MCGILLIVARY
bmcgillivary@record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY -- Taxpayers spent $3,059 to send two managers from the cash-strapped Grand Traverse County Road Commission to Las Vegas for a conference.
Road Commission Manager Mary Gillis and Maintenance Supervisor Jim Valade attended a conference that spotlighted technology and equipment at the Las Vegas Convention Center March 11-15.
NATIONAL STORIES
McCain unexpectedly moves on housing
By: Jonathan Martin
April 11, 2008 12:28 PM EST
After saying last month that he was “prepared to examine new proposals” for addressing the mortgage crisis, John McCain instead came out on Thursday and unveiled a new plan of his own.
With yet another monthly government report showing more job losses — and some economists describing the country as already in recession — McCain’s stepped-up response reflects the political peril of not doing enough to respond to homeowners.
So in a speech at a window contacting business in Brooklyn, N.Y., the presumptive GOP nominee rolled out a plan to aid those who have lost their homes or are in danger of foreclosure.
Nancy Pelosi's Not-So-Secret Support for Obama
by Steve Kornacki | Tags: PoliticsBarack ObamaHillary ClintonNancy Pelosi
Whatever her official posture, Nancy Pelosi is not neutral in the Democratic primary.
Typically, for instance, someone who is neutral wouldn’t say that victory by one of the candidates would be “harmful.” That’s essentially how Pelosi, the supposedly impartial House Speaker, has characterized the prospective nomination of Hillary Clinton.
“If the votes of the superdelegates overturn what happens in the elections, it would be harmful to the Democratic Party,” Pelosi said in an interview for ABC’s “This Week” that was taped late last week.
Is Wright's Detroit appearance bad news for Obama?
BY BRIAN DICKERSON • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • April 13, 2008
Is Detroit's most venerable civil rights organization out to sandbag the nation's first viable African-American presidential candidate?
Or did someone actually think it would be a good thing for Sen. Barack Obama's campaign if the Detroit Branch NAACP gave the candidate's ex-pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, a chance to springboard back into the national headlines a week before critical Democratic primaries in North Carolina and Indiana?
Obama gaffe undermines Dem outreach
By: David Paul Kuhn
April 13, 2008 10:07 PM EST
The furor surrounding Barack Obama’s comments about “bitter” small-town voters and their faith clouds an emerging story line that stood to benefit the eventual Democratic nominee at Republican John McCain’s expense.
That narrative was an ironic twist on longstanding partisan stereotypes: a November election that figured to be between a Democrat who is comfortable talking about faith and a Republican who is not.
Barack Obama's flip side revealed
By: Carrie Budoff Brown
April 13, 2008 08:32 PM EST
Barack Obama’s remarks on small town America were an off-key note from a politician who has rocketed to the top by being brilliantly on-key.
At the same time, the comments were not a total departure: On the campaign trail, Obama can reveal moments of aloofness or tone deaf reactions that belie his image as the epitome of polished.
At 46, Obama carries a political persona that draws on many origins. He is the son of a single mother who grew up middle class in Hawaii and worked as a community organizer in the poorest neighborhoods of Chicago. But he is also the Harvard Law Review president who knows well — occasionally too well — that he is smart and successful.
12 reasons 'bitter' is bad for Obama
By: Mike Allen
April 13, 2008 09:08 AM EST
A Clinton comeback was looking far-fetched. But operatives in both parties were buzzing about that possibility Saturday following the revelation that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) told wealthy San Franciscans that small-town Pennsylvanians and Midwesterners “cling to guns or religion” because they are “bitter” about their economic status.
Obama at first dug in on that contention Friday after audio of the private fundraiser was posted by The Huffington Post. Altering course, on Saturday in Muncie, Ind., he conceded that he “didn’t say it as well as I should have.” And he told the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal that “obviously, if I worded things in a way that made people offended, I deeply regret that. ... The underlying truth of what I said remains, which is simply that people who have seen their way of life upended because of economic distress are frustrated and rightfully so."
Obama's ex-pastor to speak in Detroit
DETROIT (AP) -- Calling him a man that has "challenged the nation" and "challenged our comfort zone," the Detroit branch of the NAACP announced Thursday it had selected the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as keynote speaker for its 53rd Annual Fight for Freedom Fund dinner.
The former minister of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama will address the civil rights organization at the April 27 event, whose past speakers have included Obama, Democratic rival Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.
Obama Turns Table on Clinton
By BETH FOUHY
Associated Press Writer
STEELTON, Penn. (AP) -- Democrat Barack Obama lashed out Sunday at rival Hillary Rodham Clinton, mocking her sudden vocal support for gun rights and saying he understands the concerns of working class people.
"She knows better. Shame on her. Shame on her," Obama told an audience at a union hall here.
The Illinois senator has spent two days on the defensive after comments he made at a San Francisco fundraiser suggesting working class people are bitter about their economic circumstances and "cling to guns and religion" as a result. Clinton has pounded him for the remarks, calling him "elitist and divisive."
'OUT-OF-TOUCH' DEMOCRATS
Obama Reinforcing Stereotypes, Clinton Asserts
By Shailagh Murray and Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, April 14, 2008; Page A04
GRANTHAM, Pa., April 13 -- Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) asserted Sunday night that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), through his recent description of sentiments in small-town America, reinforced a stereotype of "out-of-touch" Democrats that doomed the party's past two presidential nominees.
"We had two very good men, and men of faith, run for president in 2000 and 2004. But large segments of the electorate concluded that they did not really understand or relate to or frankly respect their ways of life," Clinton said at Messiah College, referring to former vice president Al Gore and Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.). She repeated her view that Obama had been "elitist . . . and, frankly, patronizing."
Clinton Portrays Herself as a Pro-Gun Churchgoer
By Julie Bosman
VALPARAISO, Ind. - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton managed to co-opt Mr. Obama’s message of hope and optimism, beginning a speech in Valparaiso, Ind., by talking about how positive and “fundamentally optimistic” Americans are.
“We don’t get bogged down and looking back – we’re always looking forward,” she said, as heavy applause nearly drowned out her words. “Whatever obstacle we see, we get over it. Whatever challenge we have, we meet it. We’re the problem-solvers, we’re the innovators, we’re the people who make the better future.”
NRA Lobbyist: Despite New Rhetoric, Clinton's "Name is Synonymous With Gun Control, Like Rosie O'Donnell"
April 13, 2008 9:23 AM
Given the new "Second Amendment" rhetoric of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, (see the New York Times' Julie Bosman's "Clinton Portrays Herself as a Pro-Gun Churchgoer" ) I thought it might behoove hunters to hear what the NRA thinks about all Clinton trying to "out-gun" Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois.
"I'm not surprised by this," says Chris Cox, the chief lobbyist of the NRA. "They know that its bad politics to be on the wrong side of the gun issue. The political graveyard is full of gun control supporters and they are trying to avoid the same fate."
Clinton: 'Not relevant' last time I went to church, fired gun
SCRANTON, Pennsylvania (CNN) – After a weekend spent making direct appeals to gun owners and church goers, Hillary Clinton said Sunday a query about the last time she fired a gun or attended church services "is not a relevant question in this debate” over Barack Obama’s recent comments on small town Americans.
“We can answer that some other time,” Clinton said at a press conference held in a working class neighborhood here. “This is about what people feel is being said about them. I went to church on Easter. I mean, so?”
Clinton described the furor surrounding Obama’s remarks as “about how people look at the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party leadership.”
Obama's comments resurface at religious forum
(CNN) -- In a forum airing on CNN, Hillary Clinton again criticized recent comments made by Barack Obama, saying "the characterization of people in a way that really seemed to be elitist and out of touch is something that we have to overcome."
The two Democratic presidential hopefuls were questioned separately in a forum on faith and politics Sunday night on CNN. Sen. Clinton won a coin toss and chose to be questioned first. Her first question concerned recent controversial comments made by Sen. Obama.
Obama had his chance to explain his comments when the first question to him was on the same topic. His opening comment drew laughter from the audience: "My words may have been clumsy, which happens surprisingly often on a presidential campaign ..."
Last Sunday, he referred to small-town Pennsylvanians as "bitter" people who "cling to guns and religion."
Clinton fights to keep White House quest alive
by Stephen Collinson
Sun Apr 13, 2:20 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Hillary Clinton battled to keep her White House hopes alive Sunday as she headed into a tense nine-day stretch that could define the end game of her enthralling Democratic tussle with Barack Obama.
The former first lady seized on comments by Obama last week in which he labeled working class voters as "bitter," describing his words as "divisive" and condescending toward a large segment of US voters.
Clinton is lobbying furiously for votes in upcoming April 22 primary in the northeastern state of Pennsylvania, where she needs a big turnout by blue-collar voters to keep alive her bid to secure the Democratic nomination.
What Clinton wishes she could say
By: John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei
April 13, 2008 04:09 PM EST
Why, ask many Democrats and media commentators, won’t Hillary Rodham Clinton see the long odds against her, put her own ambitions aside, and gracefully embrace Barack Obama as the inevitable Democratic nominee?
Here is why: She and Bill Clinton both devoutly believe that Obama’s likely victory is a disaster-in-waiting. Naive Democrats just don’t see it. And a timid, pro-Obama press corps, in their view, won’t tell the story.
But Hillary Clinton won’t tell it, either.
A Catholic Wind in the White House
By Daniel Burke
Sunday, April 13, 2008; B02
Shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's election in 2005, President Bush met with a small circle of advisers in the Oval Office. As some mentioned their own religious backgrounds, the president remarked that he had read one of the new pontiff's books about faith and culture in Western Europe.
Save for one other soul, Bush was the only non-Catholic in the room. But his interest in the pope's writings was no surprise to those around him. As the White House prepares to welcome Benedict on Tuesday, many in Bush's inner circle expect the pontiff to find a kindred spirit in the president. Because if Bill Clinton can be called America's first black president, some say, then George W. Bush could well be the nation's first Catholic president.
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Bush Readies Big Welcome for Pope
By JENNIFER LOVEN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The leader of the world's Roman Catholics has been to the White House only once in history. That changes this week, and President Bush is pulling out all the stops: driving out to a suburban military base to meet Pope Benedict XVI's plane, bringing a giant audience to the South Lawn and hosting a fancy East Room dinner.
These are all firsts. Bush has never before given a visiting leader the honor of picking him up at the airport. In fact, no president has done so at Andrews Air Force Base, the typical landing spot for modern leaders.
Housing Woes in U.S. Spread Around Globe
Published: April 14, 2008
DUBLIN — The collapse of the housing bubble in the United States is mutating into a global phenomenon, with real estate prices swooning from the Irish countryside and the Spanish coast to Baltic seaports and even parts of northern India.
Graphic This synchronized global slowdown, which has become increasingly stark in recent months, is hobbling economic growth worldwide, affecting not just homes but jobs as well.
Credit tightening hits auto loans
4/12/2008, 2:39 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press
CLEVELAND (AP) — The national credit crunch isn't just squeezing the housing market, it's also making auto loans more difficult.
Lenders are tightening their standards for car loans and that means bigger down payments and monthly installments. Some buyers looking for new mid-sized sedans are settling for used compact cars and others cannot even afford those.
CitiGroup, one of the nation's biggest financial firms, has cut about 800 jobs in its auto lending business and says it plans to scale back the number of loans it offers.
Report: Wachovia to Get $7B Investment
By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Wachovia Corp. said Sunday it will move up the release of its first-quarter financial results, an announcement that closely followed a report that the nation's fourth-largest bank is about to get a multibillion-dollar cash infusion.
The Charlotte-based bank, which is struggling to digest its admittedly ill-timed purchase of mortgage lender Golden West Financial Corp., will report before the market opens Monday. The bank had been set to report its results Friday.
The change was announced shortly after The Wall Street Journal reported Wachovia was working on the final terms of a deal that would bring in between $6 billion and $7 billion of capital. In return, the investor group would get shares priced at roughly $23 to $24 apiece - about an 18 percent discount to Wachovia's closing share price Friday of $27.81.
Don’t Ground the Safety System
ON March 6, Southwest Airlines is hit with a $10.2 million fine for neglecting to perform fatigue crack inspections on its Boeing 737s. Days later, American and Delta remove dozens of MD-80 jets from service for wiring modifications. United Airlines follows with a two-day grounding of its Boeing 777s. And last week, in the industry’s largest-ever grounding, American Airlines again pulls its MD-80s out of service and cancels some 2,000 flights. The traveling public is confused, frightened and perhaps angry.
While all of this unfolds, the Federal Aviation Administration becomes the target of intense scrutiny. Critics point to the agency’s conflicted role as both a promoter and regulator of commercial aviation. The agency is beholden more to the financial interest of the airlines, we are told, than to the safety of passengers. Why weren’t these problems tackled sooner? What, exactly, have federal inspectors been out there inspecting?
Co-Payments Go Way Up for Drugs With High Prices
By GINA KOLATA
Published: April 14, 2008
Health insurance companies are rapidly adopting a new pricing system for very expensive drugs, asking patients to pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for prescriptions for medications that may save their lives or slow the progress of serious diseases.
With the new pricing system, insurers abandoned the traditional arrangement that has patients pay a fixed amount, like $10, $20 or $30 for a prescription, no matter what the drug’s actual cost. Instead, they are charging patients a percentage of the cost of certain high-priced drugs, usually 20 to 33 percent, which can amount to thousands of dollars a month.
Food Inflation, Riots Spark Worries for World Leaders
By Bob Davis and Douglas Belkin
WASHINGTON -- Finance ministers gathered this weekend to grapple with the global financial crisis also struggled with a problem that has plagued the world periodically since before the time of the Pharaohs: food shortages.
Surging commodity prices have pushed up global food prices 83% in the past three years, according to the World Bank -- putting huge stress on some of the world's poorest nations. Even as the ministers met, Haiti's Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis was resigning after a week in which that tiny country's capital was racked by rioting over higher prices for staples like rice and beans.
Energy Boost
Solar and Wind Businesses Powered by Tax Breaks
By Anita Huslin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 14, 2008; Page D01
For Tony Clifford, president of Standard Solar, the threats of climate change and high energy prices have been great for business. His Gaithersburg firm, which installs solar panels for homes, has tripled its revenue in the past year and raised new funds for expansion.
Last week, he got another piece of good news. The Senate agreed to extend solar and wind energy tax breaks as part of a housing bill that is likely to win approval in the House. An elimination of the tax incentives would have been a blow to Clifford's business, forcing him to cut his staff of 20 and tell subcontractors he no longer needed them.
Schools Get A Lesson in Lunch Line Economics
Food Costs Unravel Nutrition Initiatives
By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, April 14, 2008; Page A01
New York students will have to settle for pizza without tasty turkey pepperoni topping. In Montgomery County schools, tomato slices were pulled for a few weeks from cafeteria salads in favor of less-expensive carrots or celery.
And in Davie County, N.C., Yoo-hoo drinks, which had been taken off the shelf in favor of healthier options, are back. Sure, officials would rather the kids chugged milk. But each Yoo-hoo sale brings in 36 cents of profit.
Mideast Cash, China Deals
By Rick Carew
Word Count: 435 | Companies Featured in This Article: First Eastern Investment Group
HONG KONG -- A new, $1 billion private-equity fund is getting ready to connect Middle Eastern cash with China deals, hoping to add a channel for global capital flows to those provided mostly by U.S. private-equity firms.
Government fund Dubai International Capital LLC and Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group are teaming up to form China Dubai Capital. The new fund would buy small stakes in Chinese companies that have the potential to expand their business to the Middle East in industries such as infrastructure, natural resources and ...
Iran Says Blast at Mosque Could Be Accidental
By NAZILA FATHI
Published: April 14, 2008
TEHRAN, April 13 — The death toll from a powerful explosion at a mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz on Saturday evening rose to 12, the state news media reported Sunday. The number of those wounded had reached 202. A terrorist attack has not been ruled out, but officials said the blast could have been an accident.
Officials said Sunday that ammunition kept at the Shohada mosque for the past five years for an exhibition commemorating the 1980-88 war with Iraq could have caused the explosion.
