Articles of Interest 5-7-08
181 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
CLINTON WINS INDIANA…OBAMA WINS NORTH CAROLINA…the race is on and the Democrats don’t have a nominee. It looks like they are heading towards their convention in Denver. We’ll be ready for either or…a clear choice…McCain v some liberal, out of touch, big spending, higher taxing, cut and run Democrat!
McCAIN PROMISED CONSERVATIVE JUDGES…addressing the center-right coalition in America, John McCain committed to appoint mainstream conservative judges.
McCAIN FUNDRAISER A HUGE SUCCESS….Republican donors from around the state gather to offer their support for Senator John McCain. This was a very successful fundraiser last night at the home of Peter and Danialle Karmanos . John and Cindy McCain were awesome in their graciousness and hospitality. Truly a united party!
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, him! A president we can trust.
WHERE THE WORLD IS ANDY DILLON…we are debating the budget, the MBT is a disaster, unemployment is at record levels…and where is the Democrat leader of the House of Representatives?
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THE REST OF THE STORY:
Senator John McCain still has an event for people to attend here in Michigan!
This 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.
This 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.
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
Meeting lets business owners vent
Representatives hear frustrations caused by small business tax
By LIZ SHEPARD
Times Herald
The new Michigan Business Tax was under fire Monday during a town hall meeting with state Rep. Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township.
The MBT replaced the hated Single Business Tax at the start of the year -- but company owners aren't happy as increases are projected.
"I've got two people who work for me and they probably won't get raises this year," said Dick Pierce of the tax's effect on his business before the meeting. "And other things, I'll have to cut something -- where I don't know."
Local Business Owners Frustrated Over Michigan Business Tax
2008-04-29 00:30:00
KALAMAZOO (Newschannel 3) - While taxpayers are getting some of their money back through economic stimulus checks, it's the other way around for Michigan businesses.
In some cases, those businesses are getting state tax bills that are 500 percent higher than last year, and now it's time to pay up.
This is the first year for the new Michigan Business Tax, replacing the old SBT, or Single Business Tax. The MBT is expected to raise billions more for the state, which is a key part of the effort to bridge a massive budget gap.
Let's vote again
The following is a Jackson Citizen Patriot editorial for May 6:
Today, Democratic voters in Indiana and North Carolina get their turn to choose between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Yet the Democratic Party will be no closer to a nominee, even after four months of voting. Here's a thought: Let Michigan break the logjam.
Party leaders still have not figured out what to do with our state and the unsanctioned Jan. 15 primary. Obama was not on the ballot, and the Democratic National Committee will not seat the 128 delegates that were chosen that day. So, let's see Michigan vote again. State Democrats once were close to staging another primary, funded with private dollars, but plans fell apart. They ought to get on their horse and try again.
Animal law: Bills to expand crimes on animals well-intentioned, over-reaching
Our opinions
Among the many bills awaiting action in the Michigan Legislature this season are several designed to toughen (again) the state's animal cruelty laws.
While no one can endorse cruelty or neglect of animals, these are bills that should be kept waiting - because they aren't needed.
House Bill 5946, introduced by Democratic Rep. Rebekah Warren of Ann Arbor and co-sponsored by fellow Democratic Reps. Joan Bauer of Lansing and Mark Meadows of East Lansing, would add more detail to animal neglect laws, such as defining the specific type of tethers used for dogs kept outdoors and adding restrictions against hoarding 10 or more animals.
Court upholds sanctions in Fieger suit against Mich. judge
5/6/2008, 5:16 p.m. EDT
By DAVID EGGERT
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Geoffrey Fieger's lawyer must pay the attorney fees for a state Supreme Court justice sued by Fieger in 2005, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday while dismissing the lawsuit outright.
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld $29,000 in sanctions against Richard Steinberg, who filed the suit on Fieger's behalf, and ordered that Justice Stephen Markman's fees associated with the appeal be covered, too.
Fieger, his Southfield law firm and an advertising company sued Markman, Attorney General Mike Cox and Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land — all Republicans. Fieger, a prominent Democratic trial lawyer who ran for governor in 1998, said he was the target of a "vindictive" prosecution and accused the defendants of conspiring to retaliate against him and limit his free-speech rights.
Council must ask Granholm to act
IN OUR OPINION May 6, 2008
If any rational doubt remained about the seriousness of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's misdeeds, William Goodman erased it with devastatingly precise prose Monday. The City Council's lawyer also outlined the only reasonable path for the council to take.
The mayor's actions, Goodman's report said, amount to serial public misconduct in the settlement of the police whistle-blower suit late last summer. Kilpatrick's behavior explicitly violated two sections of the city charter: one prohibiting the use of public office for private gain, another precluding the settlement of city litigation without council's consent.
And yes, the mayor must pay a price for those missteps, even aside from the criminal penalties he may face. But council would be smart to follow a measured course supported by the facts and the law, rather than overreacting based on the outrageousness of the mayor's behavior.
TEXT MESSAGE SCANDAL
City Council thinking about next move after Goodman report
By SUZETTE HACKNEY and ZACHARY GORCHOW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS • May 6, 2008
Detroit’s City Council President Ken Cockrel Jr. said today that a plea to Michigan’s governor appears to be the best option for removing Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office, and that council likely will want to avoid a protracted and pricey legal battle to remove the mayor on its own.
A vote could come as soon as next Tuesday, but whether the votes exist to take the extraordinary step of seeking Kilpatrick’s ouster remains unclear.
Voters decide to move Macomb County toward executive system
5/6/2008, 11:31 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. (AP) — Voters have approved a proposal to move Macomb County toward an executive form of government. The county clerk's Web site says voters approved the proposal Tuesday 56 percent to 44 percent. It says the vote totals with all precincts reported were 39,103 for and 30,609 against.
The vote approves the election of a charter commission to draft an overhaul of Macomb County's government structure. The new structure also requires voter approval, and it will be at least two years before Macomb County gets an executive.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
School millages, bond proposals pass in Metro Detroit
Charles E. Ramirez / The Detroit News
Metro Detroit voters said yes Tuesday to all local school millage and bond proposals on the ballot. Proposals passed in the Van Dyke, St. Clair Shores, Eastpointe, Trenton and Oak Park school districts.
In St. Clair Shores, a $10.9 million bond issue to increase security and enhance instructional programs struck a chord with residents. Voters approved the measure by a 2-1 margin.
Grosse Pointe Shores to become a city
BY CHRISTINA HALL • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • May 6, 2008
Voters in Grosse Pointe Shores will start the process of becoming a city after they today approved the creation of a city charter and chose nine people to lead that process.
Residents voted 505-127 in favor of incorporating the 97-year-old village into a city, making it the last of the Grosse Pointes to become a city. They could be voting as early as November on the charter.
The village encompasses Grosse Pointe Township in Wayne County, where the vast majority of residents live, and Lake Township in Macomb County.
U.S. secretary of transportation in town to encourage state to allow use of use of private dollars for I-94 improvements
Posted by Chris Gautz | Jackson Citizen Patriot May 06, 2008 09:02AM
J. Scott Park / Jackson Citizen PatriotTraffic moves along I-94 between Cooper Street and Lansing Avenue.
Plans to expand and improve I-94 through Jackson County are expensive and overdue. To help solve that, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters visited Jackson on Monday to encourage the state to allow the use of private dollars, and she promised to expedite reviews of I-94 plans by her department. While standing outside of Alro Steel — a Jackson manufacturer near the highway in question — Peters said there is more than $400 billion in private funds available worldwide for public transportation projects.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, said bridge reconstruction is at the top of his list. He also said I-94 through Jackson County and the surrounding area should be widened to at least three lanes on each side to better serve businesses along the corridor.
Republican U.S. Rep. Candice Miller files for re-election
HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Candice Miller has filed paperwork to seek a fourth two-year term in Congress. The former Michigan secretary of state is from Macomb County’s Harrison Township, about 20 miles northeast of Detroit. She represents much of the Blue Water Area in Congress.
Miller spokesman Jamie Roe says Miller filed the maximum allowed 2,000 signatures with the Michigan Department of State on Tuesday. The law requires 1,000 valid signatures to place Miller’s name on the Aug. 5 Republican primary ballot.
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Proposed lobbying bills set reasonable controls
EDITORIAL
Some believe lobbyists are as abundant as locusts and infest every corner of state government. What's worse, they seem to have more influence on Lansing legislators than the voters who elected the representatives.
Supporters of the lobbyists say they can be a big help, providing valuable information and background about pending bills. Unfortunately, that information is slanted toward whichever group hired the lobbyist. Whether we like it or not, lobbyists are a fact of life. However, there's nothing wrong with trying to control some of their activities.
Voter turnout higher than expected early, say local clerks
Posted by Kyla King | The Grand Rapids Press May 06, 2008 12:07PM
A bond proposal for Rockford District Schools and two school board races were on the ballot. Local election officials say voter turnout for a number of school and municipal elections has been brisk today -- especially in areas where multi-million bond issues are on the ballot.
Though in some communities without controversial races or pocketbook issues, elections workers said things were slow going.
Detroit City Council members get report on mayor's removal
Posted by Corey Williams | The Associated Press May 06, 2008 08:36AM
DETROIT -- The attorney hired by the Detroit City Council to help it trudge through the legal muck stemming from a text-messaging sex scandal involving Kwame Kilpatrick and his ex-top aide spells out possible options for removing the mayor, but drops the final decision squarely back in laps of the nine council members.
William Goodman's 35-page report summarizes the ever-unfolding political drama from last summer's whistle-blowers' trial through a deal to keep the embarrassing and sexually explicit text messages secret to hearings aimed at revealing how the council was misled in approving an $8.4 million settlement from that trial.
Judge postpones hearing in prostitution case involving Sen. Debbie Staenow's husband
by The Associated Press
Tuesday May 06, 2008, 8:20 AM
A preliminary hearing for a Westland woman who police say was paid for sex by Sen. Debbie Stabenow's husband has been postponed.
Alycia Martin turned herself in April 29 after skipping her initial court appearance to face misdemeanor prostitution charges. Judge William Bolle on Monday set the 20-year-old's next court appearance for June 3. Authorities say Thomas Athans paid Martin $150 for sex in a Troy hotel room in February. Police did not bring any sex charges against Athans.
Business owners from Southwest Michigan say business tax burden unfair
Posted by Alex Nixon | Kalamazoo Gazette April 29, 2008 09:30AM
Categories: Breaking News, Business
KALAMAZOO -- The new state business tax that went into effect this year was intended to shift some of the tax burden from manufacturers onto service-oriented companies, such as real estate agents and insurers. But officials with those companies say the increases they may be forced to pay this year are unreasonable.
"I don't know how many businesses are owned by families," Clare Rothi, president of PFS-Premium Finance Corp., said during a forum Monday sponsored by Republican lawmakers from Southwest Michigan. "But this tax is going to impact them more than they ever could have imagined."
Metro Detroit home sales rise in April
Nathan Hurst / The Detroit News
Sales of Metro Detroit homes were up 19.71 percent in April over the same month in 2007, a possible sign the region's moribund housing market is coming back to life. The figure is part of a report released Tuesday by Realcomp, the region's largest multiple listing service.
Only Livingston County posted lower sales this April than last, down 2.42 percent to 161 single-family homes and condominiums sold from 165 in April 2007.
Saginaw County's naked jail federal suit liability could reach $1.5 million
by Barrie Barber | The Saginaw News
Tuesday May 06, 2008, 9:29 AM
In a "worst-case scenario," Saginaw County taxpayers could pay $1.15 million in plaintiff payouts and attorney costs to settle dozens of so-called naked detention lawsuits filed against the County Jail, the county controller says.
That's the amount the county would have to cover as a deductible to its liability insurance between 1998 and 2004, Controller Marc A. McGill said. Taxpayers have paid $227,069 so far to Bloomfield Hills legal firm O'Connor, DeGrazia, Tamm & O'Connor to defend against the suits, he said.
Senate Republicans discuss giving up opposition to Gun Lake Casino compact
Posted by Jim Harger | The Grand Rapids Press May 06, 2008 07:39AM
Categories: Top Stories
LANSING -- Legislative opponents of a Wayland Township casino may be ready to fold their cards after last week's federal appeals court ruling in favor of the Gun Lake tribe.
Republicans who control the state Senate will meet this week to discuss whether to continue their block on a gaming compact between the state and the tribe.
"At some point, you need to take a look at what the reality is," said Matt Marsden, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop.
Bills seek to help Michigan foster care system
Posted by The Associated Press May 06, 2008 14:20PM
State lawmakers are introducing legislation they say could create more private sector support for Michigan's foster care system.
Republicans said Tuesday some of the bills will be introduced this week. The bills would create a state foster care advisory board to help educate people about how they can help the system. The panel also would work to help foster children who are aging out of the system and soon will be on their own
Michigan AFL-CIO says it will blast McCain on trade, economy
5/6/2008, 6:32 p.m. EDT
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan labor organization plans to use a two-day visit by Republican presidential candidate John McCain to tell voters his policies would hurt workers.
"John McCain ... will not likely have a government and an administration that does enough or cares enough about creating good-paying manufacturing jobs here in America," Michigan AFL-CIO President Mark Gaffney said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters.
Home sales increase in SE Michigan, but prices way down
by Carol Marshall | Oakland Business Review
Tuesday May 06, 2008, 11:32 AM
Despite perceptions about the residential real estate market, April home sales are up significantly in Southeast Michigan, even compared to 2005, which was considered a record-setting year in the region.
"Inventory is high, and people are paying attention to that. At the same time, interest rates are still low, enticing buyers to come into the market," said Karen Kage, CEO of Farmington Hills-based multi-listing service Realcomp II Ltd., which released market sales data on May 6.
Extra baggage? Airlines will make you pay
Tuesday, May 06, 2008By Ben BeversluisThe Grand Rapids Press
Shopping and extra shoes could be among the victims of new baggage fees now in place for all the major airlines that serve Grand Rapids.
Fliers on Monday faced the first fees of $25 for a second checked item, for each leg of a round trip.
Most business travelers -- the bulk of weekday traffic -- seemed aware of the change or unfazed. They either typically travel with one bag, their business pays the extra charge or they are high enough in the frequent-flier stratosphere to be exempt.
First Wal-Mart Supercenter in Kent County to open
Tuesday, May 06, 2008By Dave MullerThe Grand Rapids Press
ALPINE TOWNSHIP -- Just 17 feet separate the 15-year-old Wal-Mart building at 3999 Alpine Ave. from the new Wal-Mart Supercenter opening behind it Wednesday.
But 81,272 square feet is the difference in size. The first in Kent County, the 203,819-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter aims to attract 40 percent more customers with its expanded products and services, said Nick Infante, a company spokesman.
Part-time faculty, WSU reach tentative deal on 1st contract
5/6/2008, 6:39 p.m. EDT
The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — A new union for part-time faculty members at Wayne State University has reached a tentative agreement on its first contract with the Detroit school.
Wayne State says it would raise pay about 23 percent over four years. The Union of Part Time Faculty is part of the American Federation of Teachers and represents 800-900 employees.
The deal awaits union ratification. The Associated Press left telephone and e-mail messages with the union after business hours Tuesday seeking comment.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Bill would give loans to at-risk homeowners
Deb Price / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- After her fiance was laid off, Nicole Zerilli of Roseville couldn't keep up with her mortgage payments and now fears losing her house.
"We're definitely afraid of foreclosure," said Zerilli, 29, whose last mortgage payment was in November. "I've tried to make partial payments, but the company wouldn't allow me to do that."
Today, the U.S. House takes up a bill aimed at helping people like Zerilli who've been hammered by the economic downturn and drop in home values.
NATIONAL STORIES
My Plea to Republicans: It's Time for Real Change to Avoid Real Disaster
by Newt Gingrich (more by this author)
Updated 05/06/2008 ET
The Republican loss in the special election for Louisiana's Sixth Congressional District last Saturday should be a sharp wake up call for Republicans: Either Congressional Republicans are going to chart a bold course of real change or they are going to suffer decisive losses this November.
The facts are clear and compelling. Saturday's loss was in a district that President Bush carried by 19 percentage points in 2004 and that the Republicans have held since 1975.
May 7, 2008
News Analysis
Options Dwindling for Clinton
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
In this case, even a split would not be a draw. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s loss in North Carolina Tuesday night, combined with a tight race in Indiana, where the counting was continuing deep into the night, did nothing to improve her chances of securing the Democratic presidential nomination. If anything, Mrs. Clinton’s options for overtaking Senator Barack Obama may have dwindled further.
For Mr. Obama, the outcome came after a brutal period in which he was on the defensive over the inflammatory comments of his former pastor. That he was able, at a minimum, to hold his own under those circumstances should allow him to make a case that he has proved his resilience in the face of questions about race, values and patriotism — the very kinds of issues that the Clinton campaign has suggested would leave him vulnerable in the general election.
Obama Wins North Carolina Decisively
By JEFF ZELENY May 7, 2008
Senator Barack Obama won a commanding victory in the North Carolina primary on Tuesday and is running closely behind Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in Indiana, where the Clinton campaign was hoping for a big victory to propel its candidacy.
The results virtually assured that Mr. Obama would widen his lead in pledged delegates over Mrs. Clinton, providing him with ammunition as he seeks to get the Democratic Party to coalesce around his candidacy. He was also poised to increase his lead in the popular vote with a strong showing in North Carolina. With 89 percent of North Carolina’s precincts reporting, Mr. Obama received 57 percent of the vote to Mrs. Clinton’s 43 percent.
Democrats head for split
May 7, 2008
By Stephen Dinan - Sen. Barack Obama dominated yesterday's North Carolina Democratic presidential primary and conceded defeat to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in Indiana, splitting the states and underscoring the divide among Democratic voters that threatens the party's unity going forward.
Mr. Obama's strong North Carolina win — he topped her by more than 200,000 votes — and the continued trading of primaries play well for him because it leaves ever fewer states for Mrs. Clinton to secure the major win she needs to flip the contest.
Mr. Obama called North Carolina "a victory in a big state, in a swing state, in a state where we will compete to win if I am the Democratic nominee." But Mrs. Clinton said that taken together with her win two weeks ago in Pennsylvania, Indiana was the key tie-breaker and "tonight we've come from behind, we've broken the tie, and thanks to you, it's full speed on to the White House."
Among undecideds, superdelegates now outnumber pledged
May 7, 2008
By Christina Bellantoni - Since both White House hopefuls have failed to translate their moments of front-runner status into a coronation, the fate of the Democratic nomination now rests with superdelegates and their interpretation of electability.
Yesterday's primaries marked a significant turning point in the battle between Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton — the number of undecided superdelegates, about 270, now outnumbers the pledged delegates, 217, available in the remaining six contests.
And since neither candidate will win enough delegates by the last day of voting on June 3 to capture the party nod, superdelegates — elected officials and party activists who will cast votes at the Democratic National Convention — will parse exit polls and examine results from their districts to determine who is best prepared to take on presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Obama Is Decisive Winner in N.C.; Clinton Ekes Out Victory in Indiana
Former First Lady Vows to Continue Despite a Widening Delegate Gap
By Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, May 7, 2008; A01
Sen. Barack Obama scored a landslide victory in North Carolina's Democratic presidential primary yesterday, moving him ever closer to locking up an insurmountable lead among pledged delegates, while Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton posted a razor-thin win in the hotly contested Indiana primary as she sought to keep her shaky candidacy for the nomination alive.
Clinton secured the Indiana result after a late rush of votes for Obama from the city of Gary and surrounding Lake County dramatically narrowed her margin in a bizarre end to a long night of counting. Inexplicably, Lake County did not report any votes until nearly 11:30 p.m. and the county was still reporting precinct results after 1 a.m. today.
Waiting for the Game to Change
By Dana Milbank
Wednesday, May 7, 2008; A03
RALEIGH, N.C. The Democrats are putting the "stale" in stalemate.
Barack Obama needed to "close the deal" by beating Hillary Clinton in Indiana and North Carolina. Clinton needed a "game-changer" so that she could have a viable path to the presidential nomination. But no deal closed and no game changed Tuesday night.
Obama's big win in North Carolina, coupled with Clinton's squeaker in Indiana, adds to a sense that his nomination is inevitable. But the split decision also gave Clinton a reason to remain in the race and force the party's superdelegates to decide it.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Obama blasts Detroit, Ford again
Presidential candidate says '70s Granada, the first car he drove, may be worst Detroit ever built.
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama didn't mince words when he described his first driving experience.
"The car I learned to drive on was my grandfather's Ford Granada. ... It may be the worst car that Detroit ever built," the Illinois senator said in an interview with Indianapolis radio station WFBQ.
"This thing was a tin can. It was during the '70s when oil had just gone up, so they were trying to compete with the Japanese," Obama said. "They wanted to keep the cars big, so they made them out of tin foil. It would rattle and shake. You basically couldn't go over 80 (miles per hour) without the thing getting out of control." Ford built the Granada from 1975-82, along with its Mercury cousin, the Monarch.
Pins and Panders
Obama Wears His Independence on His Lapel
By Richard Cohen
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; A19
Sometimes I think the best thing about Barack Obama is that little empty space on his lapel. It is where other politicians wear the American flag pin, a kitschy piece of empty symbolism that tells you nothing about that particular person except that he or she thinks like everyone else. Obama's flag, invisible to the naked eye, is the Jolly Roger of a politician thinking for himself.
The flag pin issue arose last fall when someone noticed that Obama was campaigning in the patriotic nude. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, wearing the pin had become de rigueur for politicians. Obama, too, had worn the pin but took it off when he started "noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic." Some of these people, he said unconvincingly, were not voting for veterans' benefits and the like -- "not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time."
Voter Turnout Brisk in Ind., N.C.
By William Branigin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; 1:16 PM
Voters in Indiana and North Carolina streamed into polling places today to choose between Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) as their protracted battle for the Democratic presidential nomination entered its final month of primaries.
Turnout was reported brisk in both states, the largest remaining on a calendar of nominating contests that culminate June 3. At stake were a total of 187 pledged delegates to the Aug. 25-28 Democratic National Convention in Denver -- 115 of them from North Carolina and 72 from Indiana. Obama currently leads Clinton in total delegates by 1,745 to 1,608, according to an Associated Press tally, with 2,025 delegate votes needed to secure the nomination.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Obama: G-D Detroit! [Henry Payne]
Detroit — Now that Barack Obama has distanced himself from Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his supporters are relieved that Obama can move on to important issues, like his prescriptions for America’s economy. And you thought Wright’s sermons were offensive.
In his Sunday interview with Tim Russert on Meet the Press, Obama betrayed a breathtaking combination of ignorance, arrogance, and hypocrisy when it came to the U.S. auto economy. Obama told Russert:
Swing Low, Sweet Hillary
By: Ben Smith
May 6, 2008
INDIANAPOLIS — Evan Bayh was halfway through telling a story about "a steelworker in Northern Indiana" on stage beside his Senate colleague, Hillary Clinton.
"Anybody know what he said?" Bayh asked at the Saturday rally, starting to quote the
steelworker: "Our candidate is the one in the race –."
Clinton cut him off with a whisper and an urgent gesture.
"She doesn't want me to go there,” Bayh told the crowd. “OK. I won't. Alright, alright.”
Five things to look for in Indiana
By: Carrie Budoff Brown
May 6, 2008 01:51 PM EST
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Before Barack Obama experienced a rough couple of weeks, his campaign was optimistic about his chances in this state.
But with a black population of less than ten percent and swaths of blue collar towns and rural counties, Indiana is looking far more favorable to Hillary Clinton, who has blanketed the state with visits from her, former President Bill Clinton and their daughter Chelsea.
Can she achieve a replay of Ohio and Pennsylvania, when the rural counties turned in huge margins for her? Or will Obama, with significant endorsements in southern Indiana, be able to cut into her support? And will Obama succeed in driving up his totals in Indianapolis and the northwestern corner of the state?
... and in North Carolina
By: Carrie Budoff Brown
May 6, 2008
If Barack Obama's late decision to hold his election night rally in Raleigh is any indication (his campaign didn't settle on a location until Monday afternoon), the Illinois senator is feeling confident about his chances in North Carolina.
It’s a good thing, for an upset win by Hillary Clinton in North Carolina could shake up the presidential campaign if paired with a Clinton victory in Indiana.
For insight into how North Carolina will be won, here’s a guide to where and what to watch Tuesday:
A Frustrated Rep. Abercrombie Has Advice for Obama
Hey, Obama Campaign, Look, Over Here!
Would the Obama campaign please hush and listen to Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) for crying out loud? He's desperately trying to tell you something - but you won't listen. In fact, you won't event take his phone calls. "I call all the time but I never get through," a wildly frustrated Abercrombie tells the Sleuth.
Abercrombie, an old friend of Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) parents -- they went to graduate school together at the University of Hawaii -- proudly claims to be the first member of Congress who endorsed Obama for president. But he says he and other Obama surrogates in the House are fed up with the campaign constantly ignoring them.
"We're seen as people who don't know much about politics. We only manage to get elected every other year," he griped. "It's not like I'm Mr. Know It All, but..."
Obama vs. Clinton 2.0
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; A19
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- At this crucial moment, the Democratic presidential battle is a puzzle wrapped in two ironies.
The first: Hillary Clinton found a compelling voice and a plausible strategy only after she had squandered her chances of winning the nomination without a divisive struggle over superdelegates and convention rules. It took a series of defeats to galvanize her campaign and help her put forward a better self.
The second: Clinton's embrace of a gas tax holiday has endowed Barack Obama with a sense of purpose and a burst of energy at precisely the moment his battered campaign seemed lethargic and reactive. Standing up to a proposal that even Clinton supporters see as pandering has allowed Obama to revisit his most successful days as a fresh voice uninhibited by Washington's habits.
Eight Questions About Today's Primaries
By Dan Balz
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; A06
Has Obama put the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy behind him?
1. Barack Obama dealt forcefully with the issue last Tuesday, breaking with his former pastor and denouncing his words in strong language. Many Democrats think he's done the best he can for now, and even prominent Clinton supporters say they doubt that the relationship between Obama and the minister will have much impact on Democratic voters.
Some Democrats think this is now largely a media-driven story, though a few party strategists say the controversy will hurt Obama today in Indiana and North Carolina. And there is near-universal agreement among strategists in both parties that, if Obama emerges as the Democratic nominee, the Wright issue will continue to dog him through the November election.
Who's More Red, White and Blue-Collar?
With a Boilermaker Here and a Bowling Ball There, Obama and Clinton Try to Win Over Middle America
By Eli Saslow
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; A01
LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- If he weren't so busy waiting tables at O'Charley's or scanning Wal-Mart for discount meat to feed his four kids, Scott Winschief thinks he might make a pretty good candidate for president of the United States. For the past six months, he has watched on television in his double-wide mobile home as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama have traveled around the country and imitated his lifestyle. Badly.
They posed for photos in the same kind of factory where Winschief, 44, pinched a nerve in his back hauling 1,800-pound coils of wire in 140-degree heat. They visited bars and drained pints of the domestic beer that fills Winschief's fridge. They toured barns occupied by animals like the ones he fed at 4 a.m. every day so he could pay for a few years of college. They reminisced about shooting guns like the ones displayed inside almost every house in his rural neighborhood.
House losses stoke GOP tensions
By: John Bresnahan and Patrick O'Connor
May 6, 2008 08:12 AM EST
House Republicans who hoped to be on a slow climb back to the majority by now are reeling from Democratic victories in special elections in Illinois and Louisiana, and sources say another loss in Mississippi next week would roil an already poisoned relationship between House Minority Leader John A. Boehner and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole.
Although there’s no love lost — and plenty of blame to share — between the two leaders, a well-connected Republican operative said that Boehner probably lacks the “muscle” to push Cole out.
Builder Group Resumes Campaign Contributions
By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; D03
The National Association of Home Builders, one of the biggest corporate donors to politicians, has resumed contributing to congressional candidates, declaring that Congress has finally begun to pay attention to the weak housing market. On Feb. 12, the powerful lobby took the unprecedented step of halting its campaign-giving as a protest against Washington's failure to address what it called "the underlying economic issues that would help to stabilize the housing sector and keep the economy moving forward."
The group did not mention any specific initiatives. At the time, the association's top priority was passage of a provision to reduce the tax liability of home builders and other businesses by allowing them to offset their past profits with future losses. That plan has fallen flat in Congress.
War funding would break Dem promises
By: Martin Kady II
May 6, 2008
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is about to lead her party into a major showdown over Iraq funding by violating two Democratic campaign pledges in one fell swoop.
To the critics, whether anti-war activists or House Republicans, Pelosi has made her feelings clear: Get over it.
This week’s maneuvering over a $200 billion war spending bill has revealed Pelosi self-confidently playing what she believes — with increasing evidence — is a strong hand.
Is It Jaw-Jaw or War-War?
by Patrick J. Buchanan
Posted 05/06/2008 ET
Is war with Iran inevitable, even imminent? Or is peace at hand? From the public diplomacy of the administration, either conclusion may be reached.
Consider.
"West Offers Iran 'Refreshed' Deal," ran the headline in the May 3 Washington Times. The story described an offer to Iran, agreed to by all five members of the Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- of a sweetened grand bargain, if Tehran will suspend its enrichment of uranium.
Blessing the offering in London was Condi Rice.
For Nevada GOP, One Spectacle Too Many
In a State Full of Distractions, Governor's Divorce Is One With Political Implications
By Steve Friess
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; A02
LAS VEGAS, May 5 -- In this state known for quickie divorces, the slow, increasingly acrimonious dissolution of the governor's marriage is becoming a public spectacle nearly as absorbing a show on the Strip but far more politically significant.
Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, a first-term Republican already under pressure because of his handling of the state's budget crisis, filed Friday for divorce from Dawn Gibbons, his wife of 22 years. On Monday, the governor won a court ruling to have the proceedings sealed under a state law that allows either party in a divorce to do so.
Failed Yahoo Talks Leave Google on Top
By Peter Whoriskey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; D01
So who emerged the winner after the three-month standoff between Microsoft and Yahoo? Maybe neither.
Instead, it was Google, their chief rival and the dominant player in Internet advertising, that appeared stronger after Microsoft's bid to buy Yahoo unraveled over the weekend, according to analysts and the judgment of Wall Street.
The Mountain View, Calif., company already had taken a commanding lead in search advertising, the largest single chunk in the $21 billion online advertising market in the United States, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
Latest spike drives oil to $122 a barrel
Article published May 6, 2008
By John Wilen - NEW YORK (AP) — Oil futures blasted to a new record of $122 a barrel today, gaining momentum as investors bought on a forecast of much higher prices and on any news hinting at supply shortages. Retail gas prices edged lower, but appear poised to rise to new records of their own in coming weeks.
A new Goldman Sachs prediction that oil prices could rise to $150 to $200 within two years seemed to motivate much of today's buying, although a falling dollar and increasing concerns about declining crude production in Mexico and Russia contributed, analysts say. Light, sweet crude for June delivery jumped to a new record of $122 a barrel before retreating slightly to trade up $1.92 at $121.89 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Johnson readies reelection bid
By: Amie Parnes
May 6, 2008 04:43 AM EST
The Senate hearing is about to begin when three aides appear at a door behind the dais, hold it wide open and wait. After a long and silent moment, Sen. Tim Johnson comes slowly into view.
With the help of a cane, the 61-year-old South Dakota Democrat walks inch by inch toward his seat, moving so carefully that he looks like he’s picking his way across a patch of ice. As Johnson’s Senate colleagues watch and wait, a woman in the audience whispers words of encouragement: “Take your time up there.” Somebody else chimes in with, “Slow and steady.” For Johnson, that’s the theme lately. But is it enough?
A Warning Shot From Moscow?
In the Georgian Province of Abkhazia, a Possible Flashpoint for a New War
By Anne Applebaum
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; A19
Before it happened, nobody imagined that the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo would set off World War I. Before the "shot heard round the world" was fired, I doubt that 18th-century Concord expected to go down in history as the place where the American Revolution began. Before last weekend, when the Russian news agency ITAR-TASS declared that the government of Georgia was about to invade Abkhazia, nobody had really thought about Abkhazia at all.
As a public service to readers who need a break from the American presidential campaign, this column is therefore devoted to considering the possibility that Abkhazia could become the starting point of a larger war. If you haven't heard of Abkhazia, don't worry: It's a pretty safe bet that it's probably not the priority of many people in the White House, either, and it hasn't even been one of those "can you name the general who's in charge of Pakistan" trick questions in the campaign.
Experts say Red Square parade masks weakened Russia military
By DAVID NOWAK and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV – 1 day ago
MOSCOW (AP) — For the first time in post-Soviet Russia, tanks and nuclear missile launchers are to rumble across Red Square on Friday, in a seemingly fearsome parade of military might.
The message to the world, two days after Dmitry Medvedev succeeds Vladimir Putin as president, should be clear: Russia is again a major military power. "This isn't saber-rattling," Putin insisted Monday. "We are not threatening anyone." And indeed, for all the investment in the military — an eightfold increase to an annual $40 billion during Putin's eight years in office — experts say it still has a long way to go to restore its Soviet-era might.
60,000 Dead or Missing in Burma
Bush Offers Navy Units as Aid Begins to Reach Rangoon
By Amy Kazmin
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, May 7, 2008; A01
BANGKOK, May 6 -- The number of dead and missing in the Burma cyclone soared past 60,000 Tuesday amid signs the toll will rise even higher, as much of the disaster zone remained flooded by seawater, threatened by disease and out of reach of an international relief operation that is taking shape.
President Bush offered to send U.S. Navy units to help in the operation, and sharply criticized Burma's military-run government for delays in approving visas for emergency teams. Burmese dissident groups took issue with the timing of the administration's criticism, suggesting it could complicate the relief effort.
