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21 Feb 2012 16:03

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Politics: Polling suggests Romney, Santorum running tight race in Michigan

  • 32% Mitt Romney’s support in Michigan, according to new polling by Mitchell Research/Rosetta Stone
  • 30% Rick Santorum’s support in Michigan, according to the same poll — he had been broadly leading recently source
  • » But the margin of error washes the slate clean. With a possible discrepancy of 4.7%, Romney’s 2-point lead could be a practical tie with his arch-rival of the moment, Rick Santorum. Or Santorum could, in fact, be ahead of Romney. Nonetheless, recent polling provides at least a bit of relief for the Romney camp; Santorum had opened up more impressive polling leads over Romney, but the recent trend seems to show a tightening, at bare minimum. Expect an exciting primary come February 28th; a loss by Romney would be devastating to his chances.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Feb 2012 14:42

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Politics: Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder endorses Mitt Romney

  • One of the greatest things holding us back in Michigan is Washington. [Romney] understands our state. He’s one of us.
  • Michigan Governor Rick Snyder • Officially endorsing Mitt Romney for President. This was an endorsement that until recently seemed in question, as the Republican governor dragged his feet on the decision mightily. It’s understandable why he did, in a sense – Romney has always been and likely still is the “establishment” pick, but Rick Santorum emphasizes American manufacturing in his platform, which is an appealing line in a state like Michigan. As it stands, the Romney campaign couldn’t afford to have lost this endorsement, and they can’t afford to lose Michigan, following a string of defeats by Rick Santorum. The February 28th primary is expected to be hotly contested, not least of all because of Mitt Romney’s 2008 remarks against the auto-industry bailout, which bolstered Detroit’s then-failing auto companies. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jan 2012 11:18

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Biz: Auto industry recovery: Detroit Auto Show reflects a reversal of fortunes

  • 4-9% expected increase in U.S. auto sales in 2012 source
  • » Pulling out the big guns: This week’s Detroit Auto Show is a giant coming-out party for an auto industry that was struggling to keep the engine running just a couple of years ago. But, while those times are certainly not gone entirely, they’ve certainly improved in recent years, which reflects in the boldness of this year’s models. In fact Chrysler, the weakest of the the three auto companies, is actually looking like a bright spot for Fiat, whose Chief Executive, Sergio Marchionne, invested in the company at its weakest point. “He entered Chrysler at rock bottom and will now capitalize on a U.S. recovery — the timing was perfect,” said automotive analyst Philippe Barrier. But maybe you’re like us and you don’t care about the specifics of the recovery and just want to see cool new cars. Well, the Detroit Free Press has you covered.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2011 08:43

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U.S.: Cash-strapped Detroit could face state takeover bid

  • The entire structure of the city reflects a 1950s model in which the United States was the dominant economy of the world and automobile manufacturing was the core driver. None of that is true anymore.
  • Former Detroit City Council member Sheila Cockrel • Discussing the city’s major financial issues — which are so bad that the state has ordered a review of the city in a move that could lead Michigan to take it over. It would be the largest city of its kind to be taken over by the state government, but one that has fallen the furthest: With a quickly-declining population that has fallen by a quarter in the past decade, a $150 million budget deficit and a $45 million financial shortfall expected for the current fiscal year, options are running slim for a city defined by auto industry culture in good ways and bad. If the state takes over, the council that Cockrel was once a member of and mayor Dave Bing could get sidelined. Ouch. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2011 10:42

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U.S.: Father of the year: Drunk dad used 9-year-old as designated driver

  • Not the best move, dude: Shawn Weimer’s early-morning October 8 outing wouldn’t have drawn quite so many eyebrows … had his daughter been a decade older. She wasn’t, and as a result, he’s been getting negative national attention for the incident. But is it a momentary sign of bad judgment on the Michigan dad’s part … or a sign of something worse? With Weimer’s trial delayed for now, the father has some time to contemplate — as does the public. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Jun 2011 14:08

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U.S.: Defending Dr. Death: On Jack Kevorkian’s right-to-die legacy

  • A complex ambassador for a complex debate: The death of Jack Kevorkian, which wasn’t artificial, is a great time to reflect on what he meant to an issue still fully unresolved to this day: The right-to-die debate. Jack was a purely Michigan icon, an idiosyncratic figure who defines the post-industrial shakiness and weirdness of the state the same way that two other purely Michigan icons of the era, Insane Clown Posse and Eminem, did — by taking a dark, tough-to-grasp issue or demeanor and just going for it, without worrying about the consequences. It led to over 100 assisted suicides that Kevorkian played a direct role in, a number of legal cases, a raised profile for lawyer Geoffrey Fieger (who actually made a failed gubernatorial run back in 1998), and finally, jail time for Kevorkian. While some criticize what Kevorkian did to this day, we think he represented an important role that actually got people to think about a real issue. More thoughts:
  • Freedom of death One philosophy currently in vogue is libertarianism, which focuses on keeping the government as far away from our personal rights as possible. Is there a more libertarian idea than keeping the government out of our final affairs, instead of gumming up the works? The fact of the matter is, he worked with private citizens on private affairs that they agreed to. To us, it only seems fair to respect this. Maybe government shouldn’t be involved here?
  • A changing society The concept of the hospice only grew in the wake of Kevorkian’s notoriety. The National Association of Home Care and Hospice notes that in 1990, the year Kevorkian completed his first assisted suicide, 76,000 people used Medicare Hospice Outlays. In 2008, the number topped 1 million for the first time. So, even if it isn’t exactly done Jack’s way, we are focusing on end-of-life issues more. And that’s a huge credit to him.
  • Was he the right guy? Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson reacted to Kevorkian’s death by suggesting that “the cause of aging and death with dignity is so complex that I don’t think Kevorkian was the right ambassador for that message.” But, really, that was the problem. Nobody was dealing with it on a serious scale until Jack came along. He put the issue in our faces until we finally started to take it seriously. That deserves our respect. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 May 2011 16:43

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Culture: Too realistic? Thor promotional merch causes bomb scare

  • When overwrought commercialism goes wrong: So, we saw the movie Thor last week (didn’t terribly enjoy it), and amidst all the mythological melees and scowling Frost Giants, there was something that the good people at Acura wanted us to notice — that they are the official car brand of S.H.I.E.L.D., a monolithic government agency at play in the film. We didn’t notice this, as it happens, and perhaps to gin up some extra buzz, Acura produced these promotional “S.H.I.E.L.D. test kits,” a black box containing a bunch of toggle switches, nondescript liquids, and prominent use of the word “detonation.” You probably can see where this is headed. The FBI and ATF were called in to handle one such “kit” in a recent bomb scare in Ann Arbor, Michigan. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Apr 2011 14:32

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U.S.: MI Gov. Rick Snyder’s “emergency manager” law in full swing

  • NO Benton Harbor, MI’s elected government has no power source
  • » A plan comes to fruition: Governor Rick Snyder supported and signed into law a bill authorizing him to appoint “emergency financial managers” for towns, cities and school districts. This manager would have broad power to strip the power of elected officials, and dissolve whole cities; Benton Harbor, a chronically impoverished city with a black population well over 90%, now knows this disgrace all too well, in the person of their new emergency manager, Joseph Harris. Over the weekend, Harris decided that the city’s elected officials don’t get to govern anymore. No vote, no decision making, nothing but holding meetings and approving the minutes of said meetings. This is the sort of thing, frankly, that should outrage any American regardless of their political stripe. Here’s hoping principled conservatives will join in on decrying this.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 22:41

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Politics: Who’s afraid of Rahm Emanuel? Not Bart Stupak!

  • Rahm [Emanuel] doesn’t scream and shout at me, ’cause he knows better. I’ll just tell him to go to Hell and move on.
  • Bart Stupak • Reflecting on the passage of health care reform last year, and his dealings with Obama’s old right hand man. The former congressman from Michigan says that he is “proud to have voted for [health care reform],” despite still getting “accosted” by the law’s detractors. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2011 23:19

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Biz: Former Michigan Gov. John Engler: Scott Walker’s template?

  • John Engler is something of a template for Scott Walker right now. The former Michigan governor, who once turned incredibly negative polls into one of the lowest unemployment rates the state has ever had, took on social welfare and, after voters eventually forgave him, was rewarded with three full terms as governor. (We lived in Michigan as kids, and Engler was extremely popular back in the day.) Spencer Abraham, who was one of Michigan’s senators during most of Engler’s time in office, wrote a pretty strong defense of Walker in The Weekly Standard, saying that if he sticks to his guns, he’ll win, just like Engler did. Or will he? A little research into what made Engler tick:
  • What happened? Forced to deal with a $1.8 billion deficit when he entered office in 1991, he began by taking a knife to social programs – specifically general assistance programs and programs that employed civil servants. The results were initially extremely unpopular – a symbolic “Englertown” went up in front of the state capital. Engler’s poll numbers initially tanked.
  • What happened next Engler’s work was eventually vindicated, and after a recovery in the state’s auto industry and many cuts, the state suddenly had a $300 million surplus. The results were so good that his name came up in vice-presidential conversations multiple times. He never got the chance, but he did leave office in 2003 as a widely-respected figure – although with a pretty big deficit.
  • His career since After Engler left office, his successor, Jennifer Granholm, had the same kind of budget hole that faced Engler twelve years before. Engler, meanwhile, is now a lobbyist – he spent six years leading the National Association for Manufacturers and now works for the Business Roundtable. People are name-dropping him for a 2012 Senate run. He’s not interested.
  • » Is Engler’s a model to follow? Depends on who you ask. A lot of GOPers have been dropping his name in recent conversations about Scott Walker’s crisis, and a former Engler staffer, John Truscott, makes a pretty apt point. “Polls don’t balance budgets,” he says, noting that it took about three years for Engler’s social changes to recharge the economy. Ultimately, though, Engler and Walker fought for different things – and the difference between cutting off unions at the knees and trimming social programs for the poor is a significant one. See, one big difference: Unions still have money and collective pull, and they’re able to use it. And Engler had backup solutions that benefited nearly everyone. How will Walker help out public employees and the people at large?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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