foolmenot.comRelative to the Granholm vs. DeVos article below, it is worthy of note because it reflects thinking more common in young people. Harshly put, Winston Churchill once said; If you are 21 and not a Liberal, you don’t have a heart- If you are 31 and not a conservative, you don’t have a brain”. I believe this was an emotion response on the part of Churchill providing no basis for an intellectual argument, perceived only as [name-calling].
The reporter here writes;
“I don't know whom you should vote for in this one; for me, it's either drag my feet and vote DeVos or vote third party.”
This statement reflects the reports confusion between his emotion and his intellect, and tends to lend support to Churchill’s reaction.
Not to dismiss the reporter’s third-party vote alternative; ample historical evidence exists to support the notion that as a long-term solution, ever increasing third-party support could eventually result in that party becoming a major player. This would happen only if that party takes away sufficient support from either Democrats or Republicans, resulting in one party or the other losing influence.
As I see the current trend this may be what is happening to the Democratic Party… Since 1968, they have been consistently moving away from a strict set of values, platform if you will, and instead attempting to satisfy individual groups of people in order to retain power.
I think I may be getting carried away... Bottom line>> Fixing a problem now requires a solution now! Dick DeVos has the experience and the results to prove that he is the answer to Michigan’s woes… Now!
Full article follows…
The Cynical Optimist
From Eastern Michigan
University
Election year predictions for Michigan's big races
FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 2006
Welcome back, everyone. Hope all of you had a good holiday.
The upcoming year brings up many issues that will have to be dealt with in this
state and in this country. Because this year's an election year, a lot of issues
will be put to the table for lawmakers and voters to decide in November. Here
are my observations and predictions.
Jennifer Granholm v. Dick DeVos: Gov. Granholm is running for reelection against
the presumptive republican nominee, Dick DeVos. Granholm has presided over a
state whose economy is in complete turmoil and, unlike the rest of the country,
has not found a way out of the decline. Unemployment is the highest in Michigan
and is likely to remain that way throughout the year. Tuition is skyrocketing at
all major public universities, as Lansing cannot seem to stem the tide of
budgets with red ink. DeVos is the heir to his father Richard DeVos Sr.'s Amway
fortune and was the president of Alticor. He is a billionaire who can be
expected to spend much of his own money on this race. It's also noteworthy that
DeVos' wife Betsy has twice been the state party chair. Despite the fact that
Granholm is a bad leader, she probably will win another term. I don't know
whom you should vote for in this one; for me, it's either drag my feet and vote
DeVos or vote third party.
Debbie Stabenow v. Keith Butler: Sen. Stabenow is seeking her first reelection
to the Senate since unseating former Sen. Spencer Abraham in 2000. Stabenow came
from behind to barely edge out Abraham, who later became Energy Secretary under
President Bush. Stabenow has a history of unseating incumbents and has risen to
become the No. 3 democrat in the U.S. Senate after Minority Leader Harry Reid
and Minority Whip Dick Durbin. Butler is a reverend and the founder of the "Word
of Faith" ministries. He's a televangelist who preaches that making money is
compatible with enhancing your spiritual salvation. Republicans are hoping
Butler, a conservative African-American from Detroit, will attract black voters
who are almost always a solid voting block for democrats. I've met Butler in
person and wasn't all that impressed, despite the guy who introduced me being a
backer of Butler. (He didn't seem all that impressed with me either, but when
has anyone ever been?) Butler has history running against him. Last time
republicans tried running a conservative African-American for a statewide office
was in 1986 when then-Wayne County Executive Bill Lucas, also a black
republican, ran for governor against Gov. Jim Blanchard and lost by a landslide.
I think Stabenow will win, despite Butler only being marginally better.
Affirmative Action Referendum: Michigan may come close to having a record number
of proposals on the ballot, although it is unlikely they'll reach the magic
number of 11 as they did back in 1978. The most controversial will be a ballot
initiative spearheaded by Ward Connerly and the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative
to ban affirmative action policies in government hiring in this state. It's a
bad proposal that will turn the clock back on progress that has been fought for
in an uphill battle against overwhelming odds. I'm sad to say it may most likely
pass, although I will vote against it.
The House: In the wake of the scandal-plagued leadership of the republican
caucus, George Bush's unpopularity still being near all-time highs and the war
in Iraq, I predict the republicans will lose, at most, 10 seats in November.
We'll see how this Jack Abramoff situation plays out. It is not nearly enough to
change control, but sends a message to a party that is showing signs of corrupt
behavior among its members.
The Senate: No major shift here. The democrats may pick up a seat or two, but
republicans will hang on to this one as well. There may even be no change, or
the GOP could pick up a seat. This is because, looking at the electoral map, you
see that republicans have a smaller number of seats to protect, and they've been
able to recruit good candidates to take on other incumbent democrats. There are
plenty of races to watch. Tennessee's Bill Frist, Senate Majority Leader, is
going to retire, and it's possible another democratic rising star in Rep. Harold
Ford Jr. could become only the second African-American in the Senate.
Pennsylvania is shaky for republicans because current Sen. Rick Santorum has
made disparaging remarks toward gays and lesbians in the last couple of years.
His likely opponent, Bob Casey, the state treasurer, is pro-life, and
Pennsylvania is a battleground state that typically elects moderates. Casey is
leading in the polls, possibly because Pennsylvanians thought Santorum was more
of a moderate than he let on.
Besides midterm elections, I have some other guesses as to what may happen this
year. First, Samuel Alito will be confirmed, albeit with a smaller majority than
Chief Justice John Roberts. He may get as low as 55 votes in the Senate. Second,
Donald Rumsfeld could retire as Secretary of Defense. This may give Bush an
opening to both rid himself of a political liability and appoint a hawkish,
pro-war democrat like either Sen. Joe Lieberman from Connecticut or former Sen.
John Breaux of Louisiana, giving Bush an easy victory. Third, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger of California will win reelection. Fourth and finally, Tony Blair
will step down as British Prime Minister by the end of the year in the wake of
his own unpopularity within the Labour Party and throughout Britain.
Of course, things can change in a matter of months; momentum could swing to the
GOP, but we won't know until it happens. Whatever the outcome is, this election
year will have little impact on 2008's presidential election. The democrats are
going to be so full of themselves come the day after Election Day (like they
aren't right now?). But that's another topic for another time. Either way, if
I'm wrong on any of these, feel free to e-mail me and rub it in.