178 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
PROM NIGHT…and then there are the important things in life. Our son Tadas, his girlfriend Melanie and their friends took pictures at our house before heading out to Lansing Catholic Central’s prom. Oh, how time flies.
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/05/what-if-john-mc.html
NEWT’S APPEAL TO THE GOP…here is a great message http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2008/05/newts-plea-to-r.html that should resonate with Republicans running this fall. Republicans need an opportunity society styled agenda!
BOEING…THE TANKER DECISION…MAKE IT AMERICA MADE…America’s military deserves the best tanker for the mission and America’s taxpayers deserve the most value for their money. It’s crazy for us to give this contract to the Europeans, when America needs the jobs and America needs to defend itself.
RNC NATIONAL CONVENTION…Delegates and Alternates, your information packets are out to you. We need them back a.s.a.p. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to call Suzanne Allen at (517) 267-9012or email at sallen@sterlingcorporation.com
WALL OF HONOR…we are honoring Michigan Republicans who have served our party in the past…remembering those who have built our party…more info below.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
- WALL OF HONOR…Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2008 Michigan Republican Party Wall of Honor.
Last year marked the inaugural year for the Wall of Honor and we recognized 43 Republican activists from across the state. To submit a nomination this year, or to review the nomination criteria, please download a nomination form at http://www.migop.org/WallOfHonor/.
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Lawmaker wants mayor out
Suburban state representative asks Granholm to oust Kilpatrick, but request faces obstacles.
Mark Hornbeck / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
DETROIT -- A suburban lawmaker is publicly imploring Gov. Jennifer Granholm to oust Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, in what could be a run-up to a similar request from the City Council next week.
State Rep. David Law, R-Commerce Township, introduced a resolution this week calling on Granholm to invoke a little-used law that allows governors to remove officials for neglect of duty, corruption or misconduct. He said Friday that "public trust is the cornerstone of democracy and the city of Detroit is crumbling. The mayor's refusal to leave office is affecting the city's ability to run effectively."
The resolution faces tough sledding in the Democratic-controlled House, where Kilpatrick was speaker before winning election as Detroit mayor. It follows a request this week from a Detroit paralegal that could be doomed because he cited the wrong law.
Leading the way
140 seek seat on charter commission
By Chad Selweski
Macomb Daily Staff Writer
A flood of candidates swept into the Macomb County Clerk's Office on Friday hoping to make history by having a hand in writing the county's first constitution.
Friday's deadline for charter commission candidates came three days after county voters on Tuesday approved an overhaul of county government that will put an elected executive at the helm. The 140 candidates are vying to serve on the 26-member panel that will write a "home rule" charter -- a county constitution that maps the future under executive government.
Keith Sadlocha of Macomb Township, a high-tech projects specialist for a health care company, said he filed for the charter commission to set a new tone on economic issues.
TEXT MESSAGE SCANDAL
State rep. calls on Granholm for help in mayor's ouster
By Zachary Gorchow • Free Press Staff Writer • May 9, 2008
A state representative from Oakland County is calling for Gov. Jennifer Granholm to remove Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office because of the text-message scandal.
But Rep. David Law, R-Commerce Township, said he has no plans to file a formal written request that Granholm initiate removal proceedings. Law said he thinks Granholm has the power to act without a formal request although there is a state law spelling out how the removal process works and it requires the submission of a sworn statement.
Law is running for Oakland County prosecutor and earlier introduced a bill to give city councils clear authority to remove their mayor. His resolution, which he announced today, would likely face a difficult road in the Democratic-controlled House, which likely would defer to the Detroit City Council on the question. The council could ask Granholm to begin removal proceedings as early as next week.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Gas hits $4 and a new state high
State average climbs to $3.80, but should fall if motorists drive less.
Jennifer Youssef / The Detroit News
The prediction that a gallon of regular gas in Michigan would hit $4 a gallon sometime this summer was proved wrong Friday.
Because $4 gas showed up, and it's only spring. Gas prices hit records Friday across the country and throughout the state, as well as right here in Metro Detroit where a Romulus station near Detroit Metropolitan Airport advertised regular gas at $4.09 a gallon.
Not far behind was a station in Madison Heights charging $3.99, according to detroitgasprices.com.
Smoking ban likely would be felt by Detroit's casinos
5/9/2008, 5:42 p.m. EDT
By DAVID RUNK
The Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — Betty Gilbert says a proposed ban on smoking that would extend to the city's casinos would keep her away, just like Atlantic City's tough new smoking law will prompt her to cut back on gambling in her home state of New Jersey.
Gilbert, smoking a cigarette Friday with members of her bowling team on a sidewalk near downtown's Greektown Casino, predicts that a ban on smoking in Michigan's bars, restaurants and workplaces would hurt casino business.
"If they cut out the smoking, they should also cut out the drinking," quipped the 69-year-old from Cape May County. She usually gambles every week in Atlantic City, and expects to visit less frequently once that city's smoking law takes effect.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
READER DEBATE
Should residents recall House speaker?
Because of what Michigan House of Representatives Speaker Andy Dillon has done personally to accelerate the business, jobs and psychological erosion of our state, no more dramatic signal could be sent by beleaguered but clear-thinking citizens in his district of Redford, Dearborn Heights and Livonia than to take advantage of the attention-getting recall mechanism. That's the whole point of special recall efforts.
Don't skirt the truth for Kilpatrick
The Detroit News Saturday, May 10, 2008
Editorial Quick Hits: Ours
So Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick more than two decades ago wore a dress and a wig in a middle school play, along with several of his classmates. So what. The mayor's chuckling acknowledgment that he probably did was exactly the right response to make the story go away. It was a two-day story only because a Kilpatrick press aide reportedly denied it to a Washington daily that ran the story a month ago and then again to The News this week. There's a public relations lesson there for his staff: Some things aren't worth arguing about.
Sen. John Gleason bows out; Congressman Dale Kildee so far unchallenged
by Ron Fonger | The Flint Journal
Friday May 09, 2008, 10:23 PM
State Sen. John Gleason
GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- Political junkies will have to live without a showdown between U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee and state Sen. John Gleason this fall.
Gleason, 53, said Friday that he has no plan to challenge Kildee in the primary election, a rumored showdown that had been fueled by a petition drive to put the Flushing Democrat in the race and his refusal to close the door on speculation about it. His flirtation with running landed him in hot water with the UAW, which has endorsed Kildee for re-election.
Mix-up prompts legislation
Friday, May 09, 2008
By Chris Gautz
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg said he plans to introduce legislation next week that would allow all of Jackson County to become a HUBZone. In March, Walberg was told by the director of the program the entire county qualified as a historically underutilized business zone.
The designation aids small businesses in securing contracts to supply federal agencies. Weeks later the designation was taken away after the U.S. Small Business Administration, which regulates and implements the program, realized it had made a mistake.
Money magazine says it's a good time to buy a home in Grand Rapids
Posted by Cami Reister | The Grand Rapids Press May 09, 2008 07:34AM
When it comes to Grand Rapids real estate, now is the time to buy -- at least according to Money magazine. The financial publication this week released a list of the country's 10 fastest-growing real estate markets based on projected price increases.
The Furniture City came in at No. 9, with the area's median house price of $124,000 estimated to rise 1.9 percent by May 2009. The calculation is based on data provided by Fiserv Lending Solutions and looks at the value of all homes in Kent, Barry, Ionia and Newaygo counties during the fourth quarter of 2007.
Michigan Republicans Propose Gas Tax Holiday
2008-05-09 19:21:00
MICHIGAN (Newschannel 3) - Some state lawmakers are trying to ease the pain at the pump, at least temporarily. Republican lawmakers want to waive the Michigan's 6 percent sales tax on gasoline, from Memorial Day until Labor Day.
They say it's a good plan to help Michigan drivers and boost tourism, and they say it may actually help the state's budget.
"If we bring in more tourism, more people to the state, we may actually see an increase in revenue to state coffers," said Texas Twp. Rep. Jack Hoogendyk (R).
State Senate Approves Ban on Smoking in Establishments
Posted: May 9, 2008 08:20 AM EDT
Smoke 'em while you got 'em, because Michigan is one big step closer to making you put them out. The state senate passed a bill preventing anyone from lighting up in workplaces, including bars and restaurants. Some local businesses are worried about the impact this would have on their bottom line. If you're looking for good food or just a good time, T Bones restaurant in St. Johns is the place to go.
Patron: "To play Keno and to have a drink."
Over time, it's also become a smoker's hangout, but that could soon change. The state senate passed a bill banning smoking at workplaces, bars and restaurants.
Debbie Campor, T Bones Restaurant: "It's scary, very scary."
Senate OKs smoking ban; reaction mixed
Posted by Jacob Carpenter and Kristin Longley | Jackson Citizen Patriot May 09, 2008 09:07AM
When Chris Fegley and his son, 4-year-old Gavin, venture out for a meal, their restaurant choice depends on the location's smoke level.
"I can appreciate the people that argue for clearly defined and walled-off areas with ventilation, that if they want to smoke in their area, that's fine," the 34-year-old Jackson resident said. "But we avoid restaurants that are smoking for (Gavin's) well-being."
With the Michigan Senate's approval of a bill Thursday prohibiting smoking in all bars, restaurants and workplaces, the Fegleys soon might not have to be picky about where to dine.
Republicans split votes on bills to help homeowners
Bill Theobald
State Journal Correspondent
WASHINGTON - The two Republican House members representing the Lansing area split their votes Thursday on measures intended to help homeowners facing foreclosure and communities dotted with abandoned homes.
Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, voted in favor of language that would provide $300 billion in federal loan guarantees so families at risk of foreclosure could refinance their mortgages. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, voted against it.
The measure passed 266-154, with Rogers among the 39 Republicans voting in favor.
Council out of dispute in mayor's case
BY ZACHARY GORCHOW • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • May 9, 2008
The Detroit City Council will not seek to intervene in the criminal case against Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick -- for now.
Bill Goodman, the attorney hired by the council to assist in its investigation of the text message scandal involving Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty, told the council that he no longer believes he needs to get involved in the case.
Goodman initially wanted authority to intervene in the May 19 hearing in Wayne County Circuit Court on whether the entire 36th District Court bench should be recused from hearing the case, as the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has requested.
Deadline looms for township, state elections
Scott Spielman Editor
With less than a week before the filing deadline for township offices, the election season is picking up steam.
Township Clerk Sue Hillebrand said the race for the four open trustee seats will be a contested one—at least one newcomer has filed petitions to run against the four incumbents.
Carol Poenisch, a community activist who helped form Citizens for Northville, has filed to run for a trustee spot. Marv Gans and Christopher Roosen are the only incumbents to have filed for the trustee spots, although Marjorie Banner and Brad Werner have indicated they will run again, too.
Editorial: Job training in jeopardy
by The Saginaw News
Friday May 09, 2008, 10:19 AM
Saginaw County's unemployment rate is up to 8.5 percent, its housing market had more than 1,000 foreclosures last year, and grocery and gasoline prices are racing to see which can go the highest the fastest.
A real grim economic recipe, eh? Not if you're Covenant HealthCare, Dow Chemical, Saginaw-Bay-Midland Michigan Works and Delta College.
These strange bedfellows may not have the gasoline, grocery and foreclosure answers, but they're pretty optimistic about the employment part.
House passes mortgage relief plan
BY JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- The House passed a plan Thursday to provide cheaper, government-backed mortgages for half a million debt-ridden borrowers. Despite veto threats from President George W. Bush, the measure was approved by a 266-154 vote, with 39 Republicans supporting it -- mostly those from areas suffering worst from housing woes.
All members of the Michigan delegation voted for the bill except Republicans Dave Camp, Peter Hoekstra, Candice Miller and Tim Walberg. The measure, which awaits Senate action, would let the Federal Housing Administration take on up to $300 billion in new mortgages so that borrowers facing foreclosure could refinance.
Bolger draws multiple endorsements
Republican Jase Bolger, candidate for the state House 63rd District seat, announced Wednesday he has been endorsed by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, former U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz, R-Battle Creek, and Calhoun County GOP Chairman Scott Durham.
All three said Bolger's experience as a small business owner would be valuable in Lansing.
Oh, the road troubles you'll see
BY MATT HELMS • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • May 9, 2008
We've got a congested list of roadwork set to begin over the next few days, snarling your travels if you're not in the know.
The big one will be I-696 in Macomb and Oakland counties, where the right two lanes each way will close between John R and Van Dyke for pavement repairs and bridge inspections. Expect big-time delays. The work runs from 9 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday, unless the weather interferes too much, the Michigan Department of Transportation said.
The other doozy will be on I-75 Downriver. The southbound freeway will be down to one lane between Sibley and King roads for pavement repairs from 7 tonight to 5 a.m. Monday. There's more: Starting at 5 a.m. Monday, the left northbound lane and the right southbound lane in that stretch will close through Friday evening.
Teen grills McCain in town hall
By NICHOLAS DESHAIS
Times Herald
When John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, appeared on "The Daily Show" Wednesday night, he brought up an exchange he had earlier in the day with Hayley Alderman, a 14-year-old Fort Gratiot girl.
"I had a town hall meeting in Michigan," he said. "There was a very attractive young woman with a T-shirt that said, 'John McCain doesn't represent me,' or 'Doesn't represent my views,' or something. So I called on her and asked her what it is that she'd like to say."
A safer campus
Friday, May 09, 2008
ACalvin College policy that would allow safety supervisors to carry handguns is sensible and responsible. Private colleges are not automatically safe havens from violence. The leadership at these institutions must be as dedicated to keeping students out of harm's way as they are to providing quality education. The proposed policy aims to take a pre-emptive step that may make the campus safer from rampages or other dangerous situations. Armed security personnel, of course, do not guarantee something terrible won't happen. College campuses are vulnerable because they're so open.
The policy was approved by the college's Faculty Senate but the Board of Trustees still must sign-off on the change. Calvin would be the first private college in West Michigan to allow armed safety personnel. Grand Valley State University has had a full service police department at its Allendale campus since the late '60s. But the downtown campus security officers are not armed, because Grand Rapids Police can provide response there. Some Grand Rapids Community College's security officers carry weapons, too. So Calvin's proposal is not novel
56% of Mich. adults feel worse off financially
MSU poll: 44% expect to be better off in a year; 44% give Granholm poor marks
Chris Christoff • Special to the Lansing State Journal • May 10, 2008 • From Lansing State Journal
EAST LANSING - Michigan adults are anxious about their finances but hopeful they'll be better off in a year, according to the Michigan State University's State of the State 2008 winter survey.
Also, Michiganders give Gov. Jennifer Granholm low marks of approval that rival those of President Bush. Both were rated "good" or "excellent" by 20 percent of those surveyed.
Bush was rated "poor" by 53 percent, while Granholm earned a similar rating from 44 percent. The survey of 1,012 adults showed 56 percent feel they're economically worse off than a year ago. Still, nearly half agreed that their financial circumstances are excellent or good, and 44 percent believe they'll be better off in a year.
Skubick: Unions wary on 'right' effort
'Right to work' campaign could be approaching
May 9, 2008 • From Lansing State Journal
Where there is smoke, there is fire. Last winter, Mark Gaffney's nostrils were sucking in lots of smoke concerning a petition drive to flip Michigan from a pro-union to a "right to work" state.
The Michigan AFL-CIO president even ordered his troops to monitor the polling places during the Jan. 15 presidential primary to nab RTW petition circulators feverishly collecting signatures to permit non-union workers in union shops.
Well, there was no one to nab because there weren't any circulators. Most observers at the time concluded Gaffney's concerns were the product of smoking something.
Credit Gaffney's nose, though.
120 Lansing teachers, staff to get layoff notices
Enrollment decline prompts move; half may be called back
Derek Wallbank • Lansing State Journal • May 10, 2008 • From Lansing State Journal
Justin Turner is waiting. Last year, the Eastern High School teacher received a layoff notice, one of 86 such notices sent to staff. Thankfully for him, he also was one of the 48 teachers and staff recalled to work.
The three-year teaching veteran is again waiting for a layoff notice that may or may not come. Lansing School District officials said they began mailing 120 layoff notices to teachers and staff Friday. The notices are sent to staff based on seniority and teaching certifications.
Parents drink beer in parking lot during prom
ASSOCIATED PRESS • May 9, 2008
PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Authorities say a group of parents rented a bus to take their kids to Saline High School's junior-senior prom, then got on board and drank beer in the parking lot.
Officials at the school in Washtenaw County's Pittsfield Township say about 15 parents were joined by other adults Saturday. Deputy Director Elizabeth McGuire of the township police says they could face misdemeanor charges of consuming alcohol on school grounds. Superintendent Scot Graden tells The Ann Arbor News the parents were discovered after a student was caught at the prom with alcohol.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Choice hits Chrysler's laid-off workers
Sterling Hts. employees among first under UAW pact told to take out-of-state offers or risk losing jobs.
Eric Morath / The Detroit News
Hundreds of laid-off Chrysler LLC workers in Sterling Heights are facing the reality of the landmark UAW contract they agreed to last fall as they find themselves choosing between out-of-state posts and the possibility of permanently losing their jobs.
This week and last week, they received letters giving them just a few days to accept or decline a job at plants in Wisconsin or Illinois.
The workers at Chrysler's Sterling Heights Assembly Plant are among the first of several thousand across the country who likely will tackle the same difficult decision as Detroit's Big Three automakers attempt to empty their jobs banks and return laid-off workers to productive positions.
A stipulation in the agreements the Big Three reached with the United Auto Workers last fall allows the automakers to offer idled workers positions anywhere in the United States, rather than just within their region, as was true in the past.
Hoekstra Removes Earmarks From Intelligence Bill
by Ericka Andersen (more by this author)
Posted 05/08/2008 ET
For the second year in a row, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the top member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, has managed to strip all the earmarks from the FY’09 Intelligence Authorization bill.
Earmarks have plagued both Democrats and Republicans recently and Hoekstra credited the lack of transparency to the public for why he refused to include them in the bill. The bill passed with a 17-4 bi-partisan vote due the necessity of such vital information.
“Given the highly classified nature of this bill, the best assurance we can give the American people that Congress is spending taxpayer money wisely is to spend it on national security, not earmarked requests,” he said.
John McCain's not-so-secret plan to lose Michigan
Posted by Susan J. Demas | Capitol Chronicles | Analysis May 09, 2008 06:28AM
ROCHESTER HILLS - Say you're running for president and dropping by the most economically ravaged state in the nation.
Your Democratic rivals are too busy butchering one another to campaign here, much less notice 7.2 percent unemployment, record foreclosures and skyrocketing demand at local food banks.
So naturally, you'd give a speech on child pornography and human trafficking around the world, right? It's not that John McCain's 20-minute indictment of these heinous crimes at Oakland University on Wednesday wasn't admirable.
NATIONAL STORIES
McCain Pushed Land Swap That Benefits Backer
By Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 9, 2008; A01
PRESCOTT, Ariz. -- Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers].
Initially reluctant to support the swap, the Arizona Republican became a key figure in pushing the deal through Congress after the rancher and his partners hired lobbyists that included McCain's 1992 Senate campaign manager, two of his former Senate staff members (one of whom has returned as his chief of staff), and an Arizona insider who was a major McCain donor and is now bundling campaign checks.
House GOP Shifts Into Panic Mode
By Reid Wilson
May 09, 2008
After losing two previously Republican-held seats in special elections earlier this year, House GOP aides worry their party is on the brink of an election year catastrophe, and as a key test looms on Tuesday, the party is already pulling out all the stops. House Republicans, sources say, are using every resource possible in advance of next week's special election to fill Senator Roger Wicker's old House seat, in northern Mississippi.
The district should be no trouble to hold. President Bush carried the seat by twenty five points in 2004, and Wicker never had a problem holding on for re-election. But after Democrats picked up seats once held by former Reps. Denny Hastert, in Illinois, and Richard Baker, in Louisiana, and after the Democratic candidate in Mississippi narrowly missed avoiding a runoff election in the April 22 all-party first round, officials on Capitol Hill started to panic.
Some still dissing McCain at polls
By: Jonathan Martin
It's hard not to notice: In each of the past three Republican primaries, roughly a quarter of the vote went to someone other than John McCain.
Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee got a combined 27 percent of the vote in Pennsylvania last month, long after the GOP nomination had been settled in McCain's favor. On Tuesday, Paul, Huckabee and Mitt Romney received a combined 23 percent in Indiana. Alan Keyes, Huckabee, Paul and "no preference" took 26 percent in North Carolina.
On the surface, it would seem that McCain, the party's presumptive nominee, still has some distance to go in winning over his party. But aides to McCain and other observers say the results are less than meets the eye.
The Hillary Democrats
by Patrick J. Buchanan Posted 05/09/2008 ET
"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on" than Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton has told USA TODAY.
She cited an Associated Press article "that found how Sen. Obama's support among working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."
"There's a pattern emerging here," said Hillary. "These are the people you have to win if you're a Democrat in sufficient numbers to actually win the election. Everybody knows that." The Democratic Party can't win with just "eggheads and African-Americans," Paul Begala added helpfully.
Quitters Never Win
By Ellen R. Malcolm
Saturday, May 10, 2008; Page A15
When I was growing up in the 1960s, I wanted to play basketball. In those days, the rules said girls could dribble only three steps and then had to pass the ball. To make sure we didn't overexert ourselves, we weren't allowed to cross the half-court line. It's a wonder our fans (our mothers) could stay awake when a typical game's final score was 14-10.
It's remarkable that my generation of women entered the workforce and began to compete in business, politics and the hurly-burly of life outside the home. How did we ever learn to locate, much less channel, our competitive instincts in a world that made us play half-court and assumed that we would be content staying home to iron the shirts? It's a tremendous tribute to women of my generation that we sucked it up and learned to compete in the toughest environments.
Infighting rains on McCain's party
Diehard Paul supporters seek role at convention
By Brian C. Mooney
Globe Staff / May 9, 2008
Senator John McCain is sailing toward his coronation as the Republican presidential nominee while the Democratic candidates battle fiercely. But Republicans also are engaged in some tough infighting that could disrupt the national convention and make it more difficult for him to unite the party in the fall.
Across the country, at state and county GOP conventions, diehard supporters of maverick Ron Paul are staging uprisings in an effort to secure a role for Paul at the national convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Too Late to the Duck Hunt
A Farewell to Hillary
By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, May 9, 2008; A27
By the time Hillary Clinton figured out how to beat Barack Obama, it was too late. When she began the race in 2007 thinking she was in for a coronation, she claimed the center in order to position herself for the real fight, the general election. She simply assumed the party activists and loony left would fall in behind her.
However, as Obama began to rise, powered by the party's Net-roots activists, she scurried left, particularly with her progressively more explicit renunciation of the Iraq war. It was a fool's errand. She would never be able to erase the stain of her original war vote and she remained unwilling to do an abject John Edwards self-flagellating recantation. It took her weeks even to approximate the apology the left was looking for, and by then it was far too late. The party's activist wing was by then unbreakably betrothed to Obama.
The Card Clinton Is Playing
By Eugene Robinson
Friday, May 9, 2008; A27
From the beginning, Hillary Clinton has campaigned as if the Democratic nomination were hers by divine right. That's why she is falling short -- and that's why she should be persuaded to quit now, rather than later, before her majestic sense of entitlement splits the party along racial lines.
If that sounds harsh, look at the argument she made Wednesday, in an interview with USA Today, as to why she should be the nominee instead of Barack Obama. She cited an Associated Press article "that found how Senator Obama's support . . . among working, hardworking Americans, white Americans, is weakening again. I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on."
McCain lawyer: FEC flap 'manufactured'
By: Kenneth P. Vogel
May 9, 2008 08:19 AM EST
John McCain’s presidential campaign is rejecting allegations that President Bush withdrew a nominee to the nation’s election watchdog to spare the Arizona senator an embarrassing rebuke for violating campaign finance rules.
“These are presidential appointments, not McCain appointments,” said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. “We obviously did not request the White House appoint or not appoint anyone.”
In a more detailed defense posted on an influential election law blog, Trevor Potter, McCain’s top campaign lawyer, argued that the controversy seems “manufactured.”
Standing for Change in the Courts? Good Luck.
By Al Kamen
Friday, May 9, 2008; A25
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) made it clear this week that he's just itching to get into the Oval Office to end "the common and systematic abuse of our federal courts" by out-of-control, wackadoodle, ACLU-loving judges.
But that mission's going to be harder than he thinks. When he (or Sen. Barack Obama, his soon-to-be opponent) takes office in January, a very small number of judicial opportunities will be awaiting. According to the U.S. Federal Judicial Center, there are only 13 vacancies on the 179-member federal courts of appeal and only 35 openings among the 674 district or trial judges.
Questions Submitted to the McCain Campaign Wednesday
Answers are from Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the McCain campaign.
1. What led Sen. McCain to submit the legislation for the Yavapai Ranch Land Exchange in 2003?
RESPONSE: At the request of the U.S. Forest Service, as well as many Northern Arizona communities, Senator McCain agreed to introduce the proposal to consolidate the largest remaining checkerboard ownership in the state to improve the management of forest lands and conservation of natural resources. The legislation also provided communities with an opportunity to acquire land needed for economic development, community services, and open space. And, perhaps most importantly to Senator McCain, in direct response to concerns raised by local communities, the final measure included requirements for responsible water use in the affected communities, which set an important precedent for the entire state.
'Blue Dog' Democrats Join GOP in Opposing War Bill
By Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 9, 2008; A08
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi yesterday postponed consideration of a bill that would continue funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a bloc of conservative Democrats balked at the high cost of including several of Pelosi's favored domestic spending programs.
Pelosi (D-Calif.), who also faces Republican stalling tactics in protest of unusual parliamentary procedures, predicted that the complaints of "Blue Dog" Democrats would be addressed and that the bill eventually would receive unanimous support from Democrats.
"I am very confident that, next week, we will come to the floor with a bill that has the full consensus of the Democrats and hopefully can attract a large number of Republicans, as well," she told reporters.
POTOMAC WATCH
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
A Louisiana Lesson for the GOP
May 9, 2008; Page A15
As Barack Obama stepped closer to a nomination, Woody Jenkins was closing up campaign shop. The conservative suffered a humiliating defeat last weekend in a solidly GOP district in Louisiana. There's a lesson here for Republicans.
No, not the lesson the national press is pushing, that Mr. Jenkins's loss is a sign of GOP disaster this fall, or that it demonstrates how difficult it will be for Republicans to link local competitors to the liberal Mr. Obama. Republicans face tough odds, yes. But that's because they've yet to prove they've learned a lesson, as they demonstrated again with Mr. Jenkins.
39 Republicans Join Democrats As Mortgage Bill Passes House
By Lori Montgomery
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 9, 2008; Page A01
The House yesterday approved an ambitious plan to rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners at risk of foreclosure by helping them trade exotic loans with rapidly rising monthly payments for more affordable mortgages backed by the federal government.
Bucking a White House veto threat, 39 Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill, the centerpiece of a broader housing package that represents Washington's most aggressive response to the nation's housing crisis. The measure aims to unfreeze mortgage markets by expanding the Federal Housing Administration's reach and strengthening mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also would create a $7,500 tax credit for first-time home buyers to try to boost sales and slow plummeting home prices.
Jews for Obama, Oy Vey!
Mary Ann Akers
Posted at 1:48 PM ET, 05/ 9/2008
Barack Obama's promise Thursday night to support Israel is just the tip of the iceberg of a vast organized grassroots effort to woo Jewish voters to support the Illinois senator's presidential campaign.
A loose coalition of Jewish groups, including JewsForObama.net, is now working on putting together an ad to run in the New York Times and perhaps elsewhere that will essentially make the case for why Jewish voters should support Obama, according to two founders of JewsForObama.net.
One of the co-founders, who asked not to be identified by name, says the ad is being written and paid for by a "loose coalition of Jewish supporters" that originated in Chicago.
Senators Urge Government To Streamline Hiring Process
By Stephen Barr
Friday, May 9, 2008; D04
The federal hiring process is broken and needs a quick fix, two senators with a keen interest in government management said yesterday.
"We are in a crisis," Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Senate subcommittee that oversees the federal workforce, said. "This is an emergency," added Sen. George V. Voinovich (Ohio), the panel's ranking Republican.
Applicants for government jobs have long complained about federal hiring procedures, which they think require too much paperwork and take too long. After filing their applications, many job seekers say they never get any feedback from agencies.
Obama Seeks To Unify Party For November
Meanwhile, Clinton Gives No Hint She'll Surrender
By Shailagh Murray and Perry Bacon Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, May 9, 2008; A01
Sen. Barack Obama began taking the first steps to unify the fractured Democratic Party for a general-election battle against Sen. John McCain, even as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton continued to insist that she has the backing of a broader coalition that could carry the party to victory in November.
Returning to Washington yesterday, Obama was mobbed by well-wishers as he walked onto the House floor. But behind the scenes, his campaign worked with a light touch to win over uncommitted superdelegates and allies of Clinton, mindful of not appearing overconfident and of the fact that they would need the backing of the candidate, her husband and their supporters in the fall.
Black Community Is Increasingly Protective of Obama
By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 10, 2008; A04
In black America, oh, how the mighty have fallen. Bill Clinton is no longer revered as the "first black president." Tavis Smiley's rapid-fire commentaries on a popular radio show have been silenced. And the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., self-described defender of the black church, has been derided by many on the Web as an old man who needs to "step off."
They all landed in the black community's doghouse after being viewed as endangering Sen. Barack Obama's chances of being elected president. And the community's desire to protect the first African American ever to be in this position may only grow with his win in North Carolina and his close loss in Indiana this week.
Obamamania sweeps the Hill
By: Ryan Grim
May 9, 2008 01:14 PM EST
Rep. Robert A. Brady (D-Pa.) was driving toward Washington on Thursday morning when he got a call from Barack Obama. Brady asked Obama where he was, and the man fast approaching ‘presumptive nominee’ status told him he was in the Senate.
Brady had an idea: Obama should pop on over to the House chamber and say hello. And that’s just what the Illinois senator did.
When he walked onto the floor, said Brady, Obama made straight for the Pennsylvania corner. “See, Bob,” he said. “I listen to you sometimes.”
Clinton asks supers to commit in private
By: Ben Smith and Amie Parnes
May 9, 2008 06:03 PM EST
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s visit to Capitol Hill this week may have been more about weighing her support than it was about wooing superdelegates.
According to a senior Democratic aide, Clinton asked some uncommitted superdelegates if they could commit to her privately — without the political risks of a public endorsement — so that she could gauge whether she has the support she feels she needs to remain a viable candidate.
A Clinton staffer acknowledged Thursday that the campaign was in the process of “counting up” superdelegates because “at the end of the day, we have to know where our numbers are.”
DECLARATIONS
By PEGGY NOONAN
Damsel of Distress
May 9, 2008
This is an amazing story. The Democratic Party has a winner. It has a nominee. You know this because he has the most votes and the most elected delegates, and there's no way, mathematically, his opponent can get past him. Even after the worst two weeks of his campaign, he blew past her by 14 in North Carolina and came within two in Indiana.
He's got this thing. And the Democratic Party, after this long and brutal slog, should be dancing in the streets. Party elders should be coming out on the balcony in full array, in full regalia, and telling the crowd, "Habemus nominatum": "We have a nominee." And the crowd below should be cheering, "Viva Obamus! Viva nominatum!"
Instead, you know where they are, the party elders. They are in a Democratic club on Capitol Hill, slump-shouldered at the bar, having a drink and then two, in a state of what might be called depressed horror. "What are they doing to the party?" they wail. "Why are they doing this?"
Nuclear missiles parade across Red Square
May 9 07:37 AM US/Eastern
Nuclear missiles and tanks paraded Friday across Red Square for the first time since the Soviet era but new President Dmitry Medvedev warned other nations against "irresponsible ambitions" that he said could start wars.
Marching bands and 8,000 troops goose-stepped across the square, followed by a huge display of heavy weapons including Topol-M ballistic missiles and T-90 tanks, and a fly-by of warplanes.
Reviewing his first parade as commander in chief, Medvedev warned against "irresponsible ambitions" that he said could spark war across entire continents.
In an apparent attack on US foreign policy and Western backing for Kosovo's independence, Medvedev also criticised "intentions to intrude in the affairs of other states and especially redraw borders."
Embattled Rep. Fossella Speaks With House Chaplain
After admitting earlier today that he had an extramarital affair and fathered a child out of wedlock, Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.), who was nailed for drunk driving last week, was spotted today huddling with the House chaplain in the back of the chamber during floor debate.
Fossella, who is married and has three children with his wife, could be seen standing on the back rail of the chamber, on the Republican side near the center aisle, in deep conversation with Rev. Daniel Coughlin, the House chaplain. One can only assume what they were discussing...
Stocks decline as AIG reveals need for cash, oil surges
5/9/2008, 5:48 p.m. EDT
By TIM PARADIS
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street ended the week with a big decline as investors grappled with two of the biggest threats to the economy: fallout from turmoil in the credit market and surging energy prices. All three major indexes suffered losses for the week.
Insurer American International Group Inc. helped send the Dow Jones industrial average down about 120 points after posting a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss that rekindled anxiety about the strained state of the global financial system.
Don't Shield the Media: Prosecute the Leakers
by Jed Babbin (more by this author)
Posted 05/09/2008 ET
Reporters aren’t doctors or priests, but Congress is considering raising their legal status to similar level by creating a legal “shield” for journalists to protect confidential sources. The Bush administration is lobbying hard against it. It’s not at all clear that any “shield” is needed, but why the administration is opposing it -- and the terrible weakness behind its position -- is more important than the legislation itself.
Most states have laws which protect reporters’ confidential sources from the government’s (or anyone else’s) ability to discover them. There are exceptions, of course such as the possibility that a crime might be prevented if the source is not revealed. Congress is focusing on this bill despite the fact that there are many more urgent issues the House and Senate ought to be dealing with.
Peace Corps' firing for HIV status was wrong
Thursday, May 08, 2008
"The men and women who join the Peace Corps reflect the rich diversity of America in race, ethnic background, age, and religion.''
- from the Peace Corps Web site
That rich diversity apparently doesn't include able-bodied Americans who are also HIV-positive. As Washington Post columnist Stephen Barr reported last week, Jeremiah S. Johnson learned that harsh lesson in January when he was drummed out of his service in Ukraine and out of the Peace Corps altogether after he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the 47-year-old creation of President Kennedy on Johnson's behalf to get it to stay true to its ideals.
Schwarzenegger decries film productions moving out of state
5/9/2008, 8:29 p.m. EDT
By DON THOMPSON
The Associated Press
SACRAMENTO (AP) — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday that California must increase tax incentives to movie and television studios as a way to keep them from moving their productions out of state.
He said incentives being offered by other states are luring studios away and costing California tens of thousands of jobs.
"I've been trying for four years, since I've gotten to Sacramento, to convince our lawmakers here that it is extremely important to give tax incentives to Hollywood," Schwarzenegger said.
Proposal allowing concealed weapons in national parks raises concerns
by Howard Meyerson | The Grand Rapids Press
Friday May 09, 2008, 10:00 AM
Americans are being asked whether concealed weapons should be allowed in national parks and national wildlife refuges.
A new rule updating federal firearm regulations was posted April 30 to the Federal Register. It allows visitors to carry concealed handguns into both as long as the state where the land is located allows the weapons in its own parks or wildlife areas.
In Michigan, where carrying a concealed handgun is allowed in state parks, forests and game areas, the rule would overturn a 25-year-old prohibition at four national parks/lakeshores: Isle Royale, Pictured Rocks, Sleeping Bear Dunes and Keweenaw National Historical Park.
Where's my economic stimulus check?
Updated: May 9, 2008 07:41 PM EDT
From the Saving You Money Team.
Stimulus payments just started going out last week, but the IRS has already heard from millions of Americans looking for their money.
You may not be scheduled to get yours just yet. So the IRS wants taxpayers to check the schedule below or you can call the rebate hotline at 866-234-2942. But remember, if you filed late, you'll have to wait longer for your rebate.
4 Arrested, School On Lockdown After 600 Fight
SOUTH LOS ANGELES Four people were arrested and a school went on lockdown after a fight between black and Hispanic students raged, according to authorities.
Police were sent to Locke High School shortly after 1 p.m. Friday afternoon. The fight allegedly involved some 600 students. Some minor injuries were also report. The extent of those injuries was not known but a fire department official said no one was transported to the hospital. Police were sent to Locke High School, 325 E. 111th St., to quell a disturbance call said Susan Cox of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The Friday Line: Veepstakes!
Ask someone who works for either Barack Obama (Ill.) or John McCain (Ariz.) about the search for a vice presidential nominee and, to a person, the response you get goes something like this: "It's way too early to even be thinking about specific names."
Bring up potential VP's with people outside the direct orbit of the campaigns, however, and you get a panoply of names, discussions of running mate strategy, and handicapping of strengths and weaknesses.
Welcome to the veepstakes -- where those who know the most are saying the least and, unfortunately, vice versa.
The Fix, as always, navigates these tricky waters for the good of our readers. Conversations with a variety of operatives who are in a position to have a general sense of the veepstakes have produced the lists you will find below. When it comes to picking a vice presidential candidate, we acknowledge it is something of a moving target -- so if your preferred guy (or gal) didn't make the list never fear, they could show up next time.
Violence Paralyzes Beirut for Second Day
5 Dead After Speech By Hezbollah Leader Reignites Fighting
By Alia Ibrahim and Robin Wright
Friday, May 9, 2008; A14
BEIRUT, May 8 -- Fierce clashes continued for a second day in Lebanon after the leader of the Shiite Hezbollah movement accused the government of declaring war on his party.
Heavy fighting between supporters of the pro-Western government and the opposition, which is backed by Syria and Iran, left five people dead and at least 10 injured, according to police and hospital officials.
Makeshift barriers divided neighborhoods across Beirut, whose streets were empty of traffic. Masked armed men in civilian clothes set up checkpoints and asked passersby for their identity cards.
