Articles of Interest 5-6-2008
182 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
McCAIN IN TOWN TODAY…details below. Join us where you can…Clinton and Obama have boycotted Michigan for a long time while John McCain has been getting to know us…and we have continue to receive more opportunities to know him! A President we can trust.
HOUSE REPUBLICAN DINNER…Governor Pawlenty got caught up in budget negotiations in his state, but called into the House Republican dinner last night. House Republicans helped raise funds to load their coffers and prepare for this fall elections.
WALBERG FOR CONGRESS…this weekend, over 40 College Republicans from all over Michigan gathered in Jackson County to kickoff Congressman Tim Walberg's re-election campaign. College Republican Chair Justin Zatkoff and their troops hit the streets dropping thousands of pieces of lit. Special thanks to Congressman Walberg, Lola Peterson, and Isabella County GOP Chairman Matt Golden on making this a meaningful experience for all.
HISPANICS…John McCain is good for Hispanics, Carly Fiorina explains why.
LIBERAL ROADMAP TO CRUSH CONSERVATISM…in their own words, liberals have embarked on a planned effort to “define” President Bush for their long term goals.
NUCLEAR POWER…America wants peace and prosperity. We need to become less dependent on foreign oil and have more domestic sources of power. Cheap, reliable and affordable energy will change the world. More below.
WALL FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS: The arrangements for Smokie Wall in Wayne County are as follows: Tues. May 6 viewing at Beacon Bapt. Church 5pm-8pm. Funeral at same place with viewing at noon and service at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday May 7th. The address is 21721 Northline Rd. Taylor, 48180. It is between Pardee and Allen Roads.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
--Senator John McCain has two events for people to attend here in Michigan!
Tuesday night May 6, Senator John McCain will be attending a Fund Raising Reception hosted at the home of Peter and Danialle Karmanos with special guest Governor Mitt Romney. The cost is $2,300 per person and you should contact Sarah Prues Hecker at 313-586-4314 or sarah@prueshecker.com for more information and to RSVP. The event starts at 5:30 PM.
Wednesday morning Senator John McCain will also hold a Town Hall Meeting at Oakland University in the Shotwell-Gustafson Pavilion (adjacent to Meadow Brook Hall) at 280 South Adams Road in Rochester. There is no cost to this event, no tickets are needed, and doors open at 8:00 AM. You can RSVP at Michigan@JohnMcCain.com.
- Nuclear power is the world's largest source of emission-free energy. Nuclear power plants produce no controlled air pollutants, such as sulfur and particulates, or greenhouse gases. The use of nuclear power in place of other energy sources helps to keep the air clean, preserve the Earth's climate, avoid ground-level o-zone formation, and prevent acid rain.
Nuclear power has important implications for our national security. Inexpensive nuclear power, in combination with fuel cell technology, could significantly reduce our dependency on foreign oil.
Nuclear power plants have experienced an admirable safety record. About 20% of electricity generated in the U.S. comes from nuclear power, and in the last forty years of this production, not one single fatality has occurred as a result of the operation of a civilian nuclear power plant in the United States. In comparison, many people die in coal mining accidents every year and approximately ten thousand Americans die every year from pollution related to coal burning.
For more information go to: http://www.nuclearnow.org/ and http://www.nei.org/
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
Walberg: Follow party’s path of service
By David Frownfelder
Daily Telegram
ADRIAN TWP., Mich. - Seventh District Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, called on Lenawee County Republicans to follow the party’s path of service to others in this election year. Walberg was the keynote speaker Friday at the county party’s Lincoln Day Dinner at the Christian Family Centre.
“It is our duty as Americans, as Republicans and as patriots to live up to the ideals of our party,” Walberg said. “People respond to leadership, but it mustn’t flow from airy slogans of hope and change.”
Pavlov to hear local business owners sound off on state tax
Times Herald • May 5, 2008
State Rep. Phil Pavlov will host a public hearing tonight to hear local business owners share their complaints of a new state business tax.
The hearing is tonight at 6:30 in the St. Clair County Administrative Building, 200 Grand River Ave., Port Huron.
Web site a boon for Dems in financing campaigns
Facing Walberg, Schauer gets aid from online PAC
Bill Theobald
State Journal correspondent
WASHINGTON - The largest donor to Democrat Mark Schauer's House campaign illustrates a change in the political landscape that is boosting the state senator from Battle Creek in his bid to unseat Republican Rep. Tim Walberg.
The donor, ACT Blue, is a Democratic political action committee that uses modern online social networking technology to bring together large numbers of small givers to support candidates.
Spring Arbor man running for 64th District state House seat
Posted by Kristin Longley | Jackson Citizen Patriot May 05, 2008 16:46PM
Categories: Breaking News, Politics
A retired Spring Arbor construction worker has announced he will run against Rep. Martin Griffin for the 64th District state House seat. Leland Prebble, R-Spring Arbor Township, said he wants to change what he calls the "tax and spend" attitude among some state lawmakers. This is his first foray into politics, he said.
"Seems like the state government is buying on credit card," said Prebble, 56. "I'm very much against that." The 64th District covers the city of Jackson, plus Parma, Sandstone, Concord, Spring Arbor, Pulaski, Hanover, Summit and Napoleon townships. Griffin, a Democrat, is a former Jackson mayor.
Dems to weigh two delegate plans
State party's leaders to discuss options for DNC; Clinton denies 'secret plan' on Mich., Fla.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
Michigan Democratic leaders could endorse one of two competing plans for resolving Michigan's delegate ban on Wednesday. The state party's 30-member central committee will meet, and could vote to ask the Democratic National Committee to adopt a proposal from Michigan DNC member Joel Ferguson or one from four publicly neutral Democratic leaders.
State party spokeswoman Liz Kerr said Monday the delegate proposals will be on Wednesday's agenda, but that it is not certain that the panel will adopt one proposal over the other.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Romney stumps for former rival McCain
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
Michigan native Mitt Romney helps host an Oakland County fundraiser today for Sen. John McCain, and said Monday he expects to campaign for McCain in Michigan and elsewhere.
But don't expect Romney's future to include a run for office here. Despite the hopes of some Michigan Republicans, the former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate said he has no plans to return to the state.
GROUNDS FOR DISMISSAL
Report is a witch hunt, Kilpatrick's attorney says
BY ZACHARY GORCHOW, JOE SWICKARD and SUZETTE HACKNEY • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • May 6, 2008
Detroit's City Council has the authority -- and ammunition -- to remove Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, according to a scathing report from the attorney hired by council to investigate the text message scandal.
The report, from attorney Bill Goodman, does not call outright for Kilpatrick's dismissal, but it lays out at least two grounds for the council to do so under Detroit's less-than-crystal-clear charter. Kilpatrick's general counsel, Sharon McPhail, dismissed the report as "no more than a witch hunt designed to further the objectives of certain members of the City Council who would obviously stand to benefit personally if higher positions in city government were to open up suddenly."
In 'Real Talk' TV show debut, Kilpatrick keeps the chat breezy
By M.L. ELRICK • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • May 5, 2008
Donning a snazzy suit, but settling for low-key production values, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick debuted his new cable-access talk show today. At ease on camera — but posing no threat to Jay Leno or David Letterman — Kilpatrick chatted for nearly 30 minutes with City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers and Police Chief Ella Bully-Cummings. Conyers, who has famously sparred with some of her colleagues, attributed some of her scraps to jealousy.
“More of the council members need to understand that I’m not a baby, and that for some reason God wanted me to be president pro tem and not the others,” she said.
In Detroit, the job of council president and president pro tem go to the top two voter getters. Conyers, elected in 2005, is serving her first term.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Attorney: Cop sent text day of slaying
Message from mayor's bodyguard to Beatty after dancer shot may involve case, lawyer in suit says.
Paul Egan / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- It could be significant that a police bodyguard sent a text message to Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's top aide just hours after exotic dancer Tamara "Strawberry" Greene was shot to death, a lawyer for Greene's family said Monday.
New court papers that Birmingham attorney Norman Yatooma filed in a lawsuit against the city over Greene's death highlight a text message reportedly sent to former mayoral Chief of Staff Christine Beatty on April 30, 2003, the day Greene was shot to death in the early morning hours.
"When you get a chance, could you give me a call?" officer Loronzo Greg Jones text-messaged Beatty that day, according to documents recently released in a separate court case.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Mayor violated charter, report says; council to weigh sanctions
Council to consider sanctions today, including removal from office
Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- A landmark report into the text-message scandal engulfing City Hall was completed Monday, concluding Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick violated the city charter and recommending ways to oust him.
An attorney hired by the City Council to investigate a controversial $8.4 million settlement of police whistle-blower lawsuits concluded it was crafted to hide text messages that revealed an affair between Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty. Both denied a relationship during a civil trial last year and now face perjury and other felony charges. The council plans to discuss the report today. The report found the council was duped into signing off on a deal by a Law Department that is controlled by the mayor and needs to be reformed.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Report: Kilpatrick violated charter with settlement
Christine MacDonald / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- A Detroit City Council attorney told council members in a report today that it could start a forfeiture proceeding against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, by requesting that Gov. Jennifer Granholm remove Kilpatrick or censure him for violating the city charter for withholding information about the $8.4 million police whistle-blower settlements.
A copy of William Goodman's report delivered to City Council on Monday was obtained by The Detroit News.
The report, which hasn't been made public yet, says the City Council did not have all the necessary information about the case when it agreed to the settlement.
Goodman: Council should act to remove mayor from office
By ZACHARY GORCHOW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • May 5, 2008
The Detroit City Council should either vote to remove Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office, ask Gov. Jennifer Granholm to oust him or censure the mayor, according to a report from the independent attorney hired by the council to assist with its investigation of the text message scandal.
The 35-page report was delivered by attorney Bill Goodman this morning to council offices. Technically, it remains a private document pending a vote by the council Tuesday to publicly release it, but it was obtained by the Free Press.
The report does not outright recommend the mayor’s removal from office. But it concludes that Kilpatrick violated the city charter and urges the council to declare those violations are punishable by removal of office – the necessary precursor to beginning removal proceedings.
The report notes the potential pitfalls of the council voting to remove the mayor – especially the right under the charter for the mayor to appeal his removal to the courts.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Buy a Chrysler, pay $2.99 for gas for three years
Christine Tierney / The Detroit News
Chrysler LLC is offering customers guaranteed gas prices below $3 a gallon for three years in an attention-grabbing sales pitch aimed at braking a double-digit sales slide.
Called "Let's Refuel America," the incentive plan allows buyers of most Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles to sign up for a gas card that will reduce the price they pay to $2.99 a gallon at the pump.
While other automakers have in the past offered consumers cards and other ways to pay for fuel, Chrysler's plan is much wider in scope. It is national and covers most of the lineup.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Food costs hit hard as prices continue to rise
Shoppers forgo gourmet goods for budget buys
Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News
Double lattes from Starbucks are out, and so are the trips to gourmet and specialty markets. These days, generic-brand spaghetti from the discount supermarket is the special of the day in Metro Detroit households.
"My wife says she don't want to see me coming in the house with a Whole Foods bag," said Watson Guy as he stepped out of a Kroger store in Wixom.
Guy, a 37-year-old fast food franchise owner from Southfield, surveyed the $31.27 of purchases in his cart, which included such budget-minded buys as generic toilet paper and cleaning supplies. That's a big improvement over grocery store trips where he couldn't get out of the store for less than $50.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
It's decision day on Macomb exec issue
Jim Lynch / The Detroit News
MOUNT CLEMENS -- How well do Macomb County voters understand the complicated, multi-step process required to elect a county executive?
If the answer is "not very," that doesn't bode well for those hoping to bring sweeping change to county government at the polls today, election observers say.
Voters are being asked to create an elected charter committee -- a panel that would rewrite government and likely establish an executive to run the county on a day-to-day basis, like those in Oakland and Wayne counties
Monday, May 05, 2008
Pure Michigan Summer Advertising Campaign Launches Today
LANSING, Mich., May 5, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX News Network/ ----The 2008 Pure Michigan summer campaign hits the airways May 5th. Increased tourism promotion funding arrived in time to capture the attention of potential out-of-state visitors as they make this summer's travel plans. "With the additional promotional dollars, we will enhance the Pure Michigan presence in our key markets and expand the campaign into Columbus, Dayton and St. Louis for the first time," said George Zimmermann, vice president for Travel Michigan, a business unit of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
In addition to Columbus, Dayton and St. Louis, out-of-state advertising started today in Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Ft. Wayne, South Bend, Green Bay and Ontario, Canada. In-state advertising will air in Michigan starting May 12th. The tourism promotion budget for 2008 is $17.5 million, up from $13.2 million in 2007.
An emergency call from 911: Washtenaw County dispatch center is severely understaffed
Posted by Tom Gantert | The Ann Arbor News May 05, 2008 09:48AM
Categories: Breaking News, Top Stories
Kecia Williams plays the tape of the little boy crying. "My mom's not breathing," the boy tells the 911 dispatcher. "She's blue. ... She's blue. She looks dead. ... Please hurry. I just woke up to go to school. ... She's still warm. You can save her." The supervisor of the Wash-tenaw County dispatch center stops the haunting words and looks at the half-dozen faces of people who are being tested to become 911 operators.
"You take that (call)," Williams says. "And you keep working. ... That is not normal. But that is what we do." The tough talk is something Williams feels is important to prepare applicants for the job they say they'd like to do. History shows few of them will tough it out, or get through the extensive screening process.
Hazardous materials team investigating suspected fuel spill in Flint
by Bryn Mickle | The Flint Journal
Monday May 05, 2008, 7:49 PM
FLINT, Michigan -- Hazardous materials crews are at the scene of a suspected diesel fuel spill in a lagoon that feeds into the Flint River.
Thomas Breeden, 28, of Flint said he was walking by Williams Elementary School about 5 p.m. Monday when he noticed the strong smell of fuel coming from the direction of the Flint River.
Walking down a small path that leads to the river, Breeden said he found a pipe discharging something that was green in color with a rainbow sheen on top. Breeden said he went back home and called 911 to report the find.
GM workers walk at Malibu plant
Delta Township strike in 18th day
• May 5, 2008 • From LSJ.com
Members of a United Auto Workers union local went on strike today at General Motors Corp.’s Fairfax facility in Kansas City, Kan.
The walkout hits a plant that churns out GM’s popular Chevrolet Malibu sedan. It is the second strike the Detroit automaker is enduring — workers at GM’s Lansing Delta Township assembly plant remain on strike.
The 2,300 workers represented by UAW Local 602 are in the 18th day of a strike at the plant that makes the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook — three popular crossover vehicles.
School libraries try to keep up with changing times, but budgets don't always allow for new books
Monday, May 05, 2008
By PATTI BRANDT pbrandt@bc-times.com |
It turns out you really can judge a book by its cover, especially if the title is something like ''Siam Today.''
For public school librarians, it's a no-brainer to toss a book that's full of outdated, often politically incorrect information. But replacing those books can be difficult when publishing costs keep going up and budgets keep getting smaller.
Annette Haley, the district library-media coordinator for Wyandotte Public Schools near Detroit, keeps a worst-of-the-worst collection of outdated books. She cited ''a Debbie Reynolds book on dating, Dick Clark guide to good grooming, missile books from the '50s.''
Said East Grand Rapids Middle School librarian and teacher Harry Coffill: ''I've got the biography of Lawrence Welk, last checked out in 1973.''
Burton boy, age 10, sees fuel pinch and writes letter to Congress seeking solution about
Teen blames alcohol, drugs for his role in beheading, murder
Steve Pardo / The Detroit News
PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP -- Convicted killer Alexander Letkemann blamed the "casual and joking context" along with alcohol and drugs for his role in the murder and beheading of a 26-year-old River Rouge man.
Letkemann's family members shared e-mails and letters from Letkemann from prison, hoping to answer questions they believe would have come out in trial, said Letkemann's father, Peter.
In the hand-written letters Alexander Letkemann says he didn't think Jean Pierre "JP" Orlewicz, 18, of Plymouth Township was serious about killing 26-year-old Daniel Sorenson.
NATIONAL STORIES
Wright And Ridiculous
By Sebastian Mallaby
Monday, May 5, 2008; A17
Of all the strange features of this presidential race, the tarnishing of Barack Obama has got to be the most ridiculous. First Obama was accused of anti-religious elitism. Then he was accused of identifying with the underclass anger of his spiritual mentor. Excuse me, but which is it? Am I supposed to believe that Obama is a supercilious elitist or a menacing ghetto radical? Is he contemptuous of religion or too close to a religious leader? Obama's critics don't bother to say. Meanwhile, real character issues go relatively unheeded.
Start with Obama's turbulent preacher. Yes, Jeremiah Wright says some disgraceful things. But can anyone explain how that changes Obama's qualities as a candidate? Is anyone suggesting that an Obama administration would view AIDS as a government plot to kill African Americans? Or that it would govern from the perspective that the United States is a terrorist nation? Obviously an Obama administration would do no such thing. Which makes the storm over the preacher an absurd digression.
Who Will Win Tuesday’s Primaries in Indiana and North Carolina?
Clinton
With polls showing Hillary Clinton chipping away at Barack Obama’s advantage in North Carolina and running slightly ahead of him in Indiana, the candidates visited both states Monday to do some last-minute campaigning ahead of Tuesday’s primaries. At stake Tuesday were 187 Democratic delegates combined. The candidates predicted the race for the nomination would stretch into June, regardless of the outcomes.
Obama
Meanwhile, a new Suffolk University poll found Clinton leading Obama by six points, 49% to 43%, in the Hoosier State, with 6% of respondents undecided. Despite trailing Clinton, Obama was seen as more popular, with 58% of respondents giving him a favorable rating compared to Clinton’s 53%. Forty-four percent said they would vote Democratic if their choice of candidate lost the nomination, while 38% said they would vote for Republican John McCain.
May 05, 2008
Categories: McCain
Corker calls gas tax suspension "pandering extraordinaire"
A freshman GOP senator has some tough words about McCain's proposal for a summer gas tax holiday.
Per John Rodgers in the Nashville City Paper:
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker called a federal gas tax holiday proposed by Republican colleague and presidential candidate John McCain “pandering extraordinaire” today.
“I think all of us realize this is solely pandering,” Corker said of suspending the gas tax over the summer.
...snip...Corker pointed out that both Clinton and McCain are in favor of so-called “cap and trade” legislation coming up for debate next month in the Senate — legislation that Corker says, “actually is a tax on gasoline.”
Clinton and Obama spar on gas tax and Iran policy
The Democratic candidates plan a long day scrambling across Indiana and North Carolina in the closing hours of the states' primary campaigns.
By Johanna Neuman and Noam N. Levey
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
9:34 AM PDT, May 5, 2008
WASHINGTON — As their marathon of primaries moved toward the finish line, Democratic rivals Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton criss-crossed Indiana and North Carolina today - trading barbs, grabbing power naps and making last-minute appeals to voters.
One day before primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, the two continued to duel over Clinton's support for a summer holiday from the 18.4-cents-a-gallon gas tax, with Obama deriding the idea as a "political gimmick" that would only worsen U.S. dependence on foreign oil and Clinton criticizing business leaders like Warren Buffett for throwing cold water on the idea.
Democrats Battle Over Gas Tax and Iran
By JOHN M. BRODER May 6, 2008
GREENVILLE, N.C. — Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton bickered over the airwaves on gasoline taxes, foreign policy and the state of the race for the Democratic nomination Monday morning as they began their final furious day of campaigning before the North Carolina and Indiana primaries set for Tuesday.
The two candidates appeared on the major broadcast and cable morning shows, where much of the discussion focused on Mrs. Clinton’s proposal to suspend the 18-cents-a-gallon federal tax on gasoline for the summer travel season, with the lost revenue to be made up through a new tax on oil companies.
She defended it as a relatively small but meaningful gesture to hard-pressed families and truckers and said that Mr. Obama’s opposition “stuns” her.
Hispanics may put Fla. in play for Dems
By: Ben Smith and Amie Parnes
May 5, 2008 10:48 AM EST
Democrats are poised this week to pass a crucial milestone in Florida:
For the first time, the number of Hispanic Democrats in the state is expected to exceed the number of Hispanic Republicans.
The Florida secretary of state is expected to release the month's voter registration figures to the state Democratic and Republican parties. The last set of figures, released in April, showed a bare majority of 212 Republicans over Democrats among the state's roughly 1.2 million voters who describe themselves as Hispanic on their official voter registration forms. In each month since the state started tracking Hispanic registration more than two years ago, Democrats have gained.
Economists Release Letter Opposing Clinton Gas Tax Plan
By Jonathan Weisman
Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday she'll have no truck with economists telling her where to put her gas-tax holiday.
Well, now she's got a truckload of them.
More than 230 economists -- Democrats, Republicans, advisers to past presidents and four Nobel laureates -- signed a letter today opposing proposals by Clinton and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain to suspend the 18-cent federal gas tax for the summer driving season.
"First, research shows that waiving the gas tax would generate major profits for oil companies rather than significantly lowering prices for consumers," they wrote. "Second, it would encourage people to keep buying costly imported oil and do nothing to encourage conservation. Third, a tax holiday would provide very little relief to families feeling squeezed."
Obama's close-up strategy
By: Carrie Budoff Brown
May 5, 2008 07:47 AM EST
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Three days before a crucial primary election in Indiana, Barack Obama met with barely any voters — by his standards.
He gave a speech in a small auditorium, dropped by a park, drove an hour to view land once owned by his mother’s family and finished Saturday guiding his two daughters around a roller skating rink as photographers captured the Rockwellian portrait for the nightly newscasts and morning papers.
Obama, once the king of the arena rally, is downsizing. He came in contact this weekend with only a fraction of the voters he usually does in the lead-up to a primary.
Will age be just a number in '08?
By: Jonathan Martin
May 5, 2008 06:51 AM EST
Is John McCain Ronald Reagan or Bob Dole?
Or, more to the point, will McCain be perceived as the vigorous, wood-chopping proclaimer of “Morning in America” or as a cranky senior senator prone to gaffes and the occasional stage tumble?
The sensitive question of age — one of the trickiest and most unpredictable in the political playbook — has been touched upon only glancingly since McCain became the de facto GOP nominee. But it is certain to hover over a candidate who will be 72 by Election Day.
For all the ink spilled on whether the country is ready for a woman or African-American, polls indicate that more Americans worry about having a president over 70.
Spin set, let the voting begin
By: Ben Smith
May 5, 2008 07:41 AM EST
Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton toured Indiana on Sunday, both calling themselves the “underdog.” But as they barrel into the biggest states left to vote, North Carolina and Indiana, polling and conventional wisdom have set clear expectations that belie that label.
Obama, barring catastrophe, should win North Carolina handily. Clinton is expected, with somewhat less confidence, to win Indiana — and will likely be forced from the race if she fails to carry the state.
The two states are fiercely contested battlegrounds. Clinton (N.Y.) and Obama (Ill.) spent Sunday night at a local Democratic Party dinner in Indianapolis, and both planned to spend Monday morning wringing a last batch of votes out of North Carolina. Obama dredged up family connections in Indiana; Clinton pulled out a last-minute endorsement in the person of North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley.
May 5, 2008
In Poll, Obama Survives Furor, but Fall Is the Test
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and MARJORIE CONNELLY
WASHINGTON — A majority of American voters say that the furor over the relationship between Senator Barack Obama and his former pastor has not affected their opinion of Mr. Obama, but a substantial number say that it could influence voters this fall should he be the Democratic presidential nominee, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.
At the same time, an overwhelming majority of voters said candidates calling for the suspension of the federal gasoline tax this summer were acting to help themselves politically, rather than to help ordinary Americans. Mr. Obama’s rival for the Democratic nomination, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, has made the suspension of the gas tax a centerpiece of her campaign in recent days.
The Willie Horton of the 2008 Campaign?
Monday, May 5, 2008; Page A02
Conduct a thought experiment: Imagine that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, former pastor to presidential candidate Barack Obama and preacher with controversial views, was not an outspoken black man but a white woman who penned her controversial ideas in a scholarly journal. If Wright's views were the only thing that mattered, his race, sex and public style ought to make no difference. Assuming she held the same views and shared a lengthy history with the presidential candidate, a white female scholar ought to damage Obama's popularity in the same way the pastor has done recently.
There is no way to conduct such an experiment in real life, but Arizona State University social psychologist Steven Neuberg believes that Wright has damaged the biracial Obama because, in his public persona -- as much as in his views -- he activates unconscious fears and racial stereotypes that many voters have about angry black men. Black leaders who are popular with white voters invariably find ways to put such fears to rest, Neuberg said.
Dueling Appeals On Taxes From Obama, Clinton
He Calls for More Rebates As She Defends Gas Proposal
By Perry Bacon Jr. and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, May 5, 2008; A01
SOUTH BEND, Ind., May 4 -- Two days before critical primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) scolded both Sen. Barack Obama (D) and "elite opinion" Sunday for opposing her proposals to fix the ailing economy, while the senator from Illinois accused her of political pandering.
"There's a big difference between us, and the question is: Who understands what you're going through, and who do you count on being on your side?" Clinton said to several hundred supporters in Fort Wayne. "I believe I have what it takes to stand up and fight for you when you need a president on your side."
Obama appeared to acknowledge that Clinton's populist economic message is finding a receptive audience in Indiana when he called for a second round of government tax rebates. "Let me tell you something, people are really hurting," Obama said during his own appearance in Fort Wayne. "I am here to tell you, you're not on your own. We're in this together."
Oil passes $120, gas prices slip slightly
By John Wilen
May 5, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil futures surged to a new record over $120 a barrel today, raising concerns about higher prices for gasoline and goods and services throughout the economy. Retail gas prices fell more than a cent over the weekend, but oil's advance increased the likelihood that pump prices would resume their climb.
Supply threats that emerged overseas and a weaker dollar sent light, sweet crude for June delivery to a new trading record of $120.36 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange before futures retreated slightly to trade up $3.59 at $119.91.
Showcasing Public Service
By Stephen Barr
Friday, May 2, 2008; Page D04
The House and Senate have approved resolutions. Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl promise to attend. Military tanks and helicopters will be ready for inspection.
It's all for Public Service Recognition Week, the annual celebration of the contributions that federal, state and local government employees make to the nation.
Washington's celebration will be held Monday through Wednesday on the Mall. Opening ceremonies will begin at 11:30 a.m. Monday and will include a naturalization ceremony for 25 new citizens, including several military personnel.
Ye Shall Be Judged – Not
By Michael Abramowitz
Monday, May 5, 2008; Page A15
President Bush hasn't been having an easy time lately with Congress: One case in point is the ongoing confrontation over his judicial nominations.
Only a few weeks ago, the White House appeared pleased that Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) agreed, under GOP pressure, to move three appellate nominees through the Senate by Memorial Day. Here was an opportunity, some conservatives thought, to finally approve the long-standing nomination of former Justice Department official Peter D. Keisler for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and provide reinforcements for the 4th Circuit, a conservative bulwark that handles some of the country's most sensitive terrorism cases.
May 5, 2008
Yahoo Stock Plunges After Microsoft Backs Off
By MIGUEL HELFT
After Microsoft withdrew its $33-a-share offer for Yahoo on Saturday, the question was how far Yahoo’s stock would drop. On Monday, the markets gave an initial answer: plenty.
Yahoo’s shares lost 15 percent, closing at $24.37, though they recovered some ground after falling about 20 percent at the start of trading.
Microsoft’s own shares ended at $29.08, down 16 cents from their Friday close. But shares of Google — a rival of both companies but now a potential partner of Yahoo — closed up more than 2 percent, at $594.90.
Washington Democratic State Senator Sues to Overturn Taxpayer Protections
Author: Jason Mercier
Published by: The Heartland Institute
Publication date: June 2008
To overcome a forecast $2.4 billion budget deficit, the majority leader of the Washington state senate is suing the state to make it easier for lawmakers to raise taxes. The deficit is a result of increasing expenditures, as state tax revenues have been rising in recent years.
At issue is a provision in the 1993 voter-approved Initiative 601 (I-601) that in part requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature to raise taxes.
Arguing such a restriction is unconstitutional, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown (D-Spokane) in March filed a lawsuit to have the state supreme court throw out the two-thirds vote requirement. The case is Lisa Brown v. Brad Owen.
"Our constitution cannot be amended by passing an initiative or by passing a bill in the legislature. Initiatives and bills create statutes, not constitutional amendments," said Brown. "But many constitutional scholars believe--and I agree--that one part of Initiative 601, passed by the voters in 1993, violates our constitution. That initiative required the legislature to pass any tax increase by a two-thirds majority rather than a simple majority. Our state constitution clearly states that bills pass the legislature by a simple majority. A handful of exceptions are written into the constitution, but raising taxes is not one of them."
Ohio AG called on to step down
Jeff Johnson - OneNewsNow - 5/5/2008 8:00:00 AM
A former colleague of Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann is expressing shock at the Democrat's admission of an extramarital affair with an employee.
Phil Burress, president of Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values, who worked with Dann some during his time in the Ohio Senate, says he is shocked by the admission. "And shocked, again, you know, that he would not step down from his office," Burress says. "I thought it was a given that he would do that because if a man is going to cheat on his wife, he can't be trusted with anything."
Dann's former scheduler resigned after an investigation revealed that she had spent the night at an apartment Dann shared with two male employees. Both of those employees were fired when the results of that investigation were released Friday. (See earlier story)
On Economy, Unlikely Allies Forge Winning Strategy
Housing Bill to Test Treasury Chief, Democrat's Ties
By Lori Montgomery and David Cho
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, May 5, 2008; Page A01
One is a free-market Republican from Wall Street with roots in the rural Midwest and a passion for bird-watching. The other is a rumpled, union-hall Democrat from Bayonne, N.J., who once famously described himself as "a left-handed, gay Jew."
About the only thing Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank have in common is a Harvard degree. Yet the two have forged a remarkably productive relationship in the waning days of the Bush administration, steering complicated bills to overhaul two federal agencies through the Democratic House and shaping Washington's response to the nation's credit crisis.
May 6, 2008
Doubts Raised on Big Backers of Mortgages
By CHARLES DUHIGG
As home prices continue their free fall and banks shy away from lending, Washington officials have increasingly relied on two giant mortgage companies — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — to keep the housing market afloat.
But with mortgage defaults and foreclosures rising, Bush administration officials, regulators and lawmakers are nervously asking whether these two companies, would-be saviors of the housing market, will soon need saving themselves.
The companies, which say fears that they might falter are baseless, have recently received broad new powers and billions of dollars of investing authority from the federal government. And as Wall Street all but abandons the mortgage business, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now overwhelmingly dominate it, handling more than 80 percent of all mortgages bought by investors in the first quarter of this year. That is more than double their market share in 2006.
GM, Lordstown union reach tentative deal
5/5/2008, 7:56 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press
LORDSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — General Motors Corp. employees at a stamping plant in northeast Ohio have reached a tentative contract.
Members of United Auto Workers Local 1714 will vote on the deal Thursday. Local 1714 represents about 1,000 workers at Lordstown's stamping plant just north of Youngstown.
Local 1714 president Dave Green says the union was able reach a deal without a strike because it has a good working relationship with GM.
May 5, 2008
Hezbollah Trains Iraqis in Iran, Officials Say
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
BAGHDAD — Militants from the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been training Iraqi militia fighters at a camp near Tehran, according to American interrogation reports that the United States has supplied to the Iraqi government.
An American official said the account of Hezbollah’s role was provided by four Shiite militia members who were captured in Iraq late last year and questioned separately.
The United States has long charged that the Iranians were training Iraqi militia fighters in Iran, which Iran has consistently denied, and there have been previous reports about Hezbollah operatives in Iraq.
May 6, 2008
Thousands More Deaths Expected in Myanmar
By SETH MYDANS
The death toll from the devastating cyclone that struck Myanmar over the weekend escalated to nearly 4,000 people, the government said Monday, and the foreign minister told diplomats and United Nations officers that it could rise to 10,000.
If the numbers are accurate, the death toll would be the biggest from a natural disaster in Asia since the tsunami of December 2004, which killed 181,000 as it devastated coastlines in Indonesia, Thailand and other parts of southeast and south Asia. On Monday, Myanmar’s state television and radio reported 3,934 dead, 41 injured and 2,879 missing. All those who were still missing were from a single town.
