Anyway, here are the poll numbers:
MI-Gov: Granholm 50, DeVos 42 (last month 49-42)
MI-Sen: Stabenow 53, Bouchard 34 (last month 51-38)
Keep up the good work, ladies!
Cross-posted on Pohlitics
My political website, Pohlitics.com, hit the jackpot yesterday. One of the YouTube videos I put on my site on Tuesday somehow got sent to the mighty Markos and caught his attention. Not only did he post the video on the front page of DailyKos.com, but a link to my site as well!
Kos gets over 600,000 visitors every day, so in the window of a couple hours my site traffic went through the roof. Oh, and if that wasn't enough good news, Gov. Granholm gave me a plug yesterday in her live diary chat on Kos when she thanked all the Michigan bloggers (she mentioned me by name). Of course, I'm not planning to let any of this go to my head, but I just wanted to say...
KNEEL BEFORE ZACK!
Seriously, if you haven't bookmarked Pohlitics yet, you don't know what you're missing.
Anyway, I'll probably head back in there tomorrow as well to catch up on lost time. It'll probably be hard to keep a fluent schedule with them now that Stefy's back in town, but I'll make it work one way or another.
If you're interested in volunteering for a political campaign this year, now is the time to sign up. Things are going to start getting hot and heavy as we head into September, and I'm sure any campaign manager/volunteer coordinator would love the help.
Believe it or not, yelling at the television doesn't actually accomplish anything. Volunteer, give money... do something! Get out there and help build the kind of world you want to live in.
(end of preachiness)
Well, one out of three ain't bad. Yesterday I called Bouchard, Schwarz, and Lewless as the winners in their respective races, and Bouchard was the only one who won.
Look, I would've preferred having Keith Butler as Debbie Stabenow's opponent this fall just because he's a bit nuttier and he would've had a harder time raising money than Mike
It looks like the seventh district will be saying bye bye to Joe Schwarz. I guess crazy does win sometimes. Hopefully the democratic winner Reiner can get some love from the DCCC and DNC to help take down Walberg in November. The dude be crazy, but I don't think voters in that district are wingnutty enough to send him to Washington. At least let's hope not, otherwise I will definitely make a point of registering in a different district by 2008. Oh, one last thing... go read Matt's postmortem on this race, and make sure to read DemWave's comment.
Well, I'm sad that Chris Lewless lost, but I am glad that Baker the Republican faker got his brains blown out with a piddly share of the vote total. Joan Bauer is a smart woman who will do a fine job representing residents of the 68th district in the State House of Representatives. Of course, I am grateful to Chris for displaying such an amazing work ethic throughout this campaign, and I implore him to throw his hat in the political ring again sometime. The State of Michigan needs more people like Chris Lewless involved in government. somehow I doubt this is the last we'll hear from him.
In other non-Michigan primary news, I am thrilled that Ned Lamont beat Joe Lieberman last night. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if Ned's victory over Holy Joe was enough to dissuade him from running as an independent. Hopefully all those Democrats who came out to campaign with Capt. Joementum will do the right thing and support Lamont in the (now likely) event of a three-way race this fall (I'm looking at you Bill, Chuck, and Dick). Democrats support Democrats, and as of last night, Joe Lieberman is no longer a Democratic candidate. I also hope all of the Washington incumbents and TV pundits got the memo from yesterday's race... support the war in Iraq at your own peril. Ned Lamont's victory is the first ripple of the coming 2006 anti-incumbent wave. Get ready for it.
PS: The Kos winners/losers on the CT race is great. Lamont's win was huge last night. "This shows what blind loyalty to George Bush and being his love child means," said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the leader of the Democratic House Congressional campaign. "This is not about the war. It's blind loyalty to Bush."
Vote early. Vote often.
Today is primary day here in Michigan. Since our state's map has been gerrymandered to death, most of the final election winners will be determined today and not in November. I don't even care which primary you choose to vote in. In fact, since my voting district is so bloody red, I'm going to vote in the Republican primary today. I might need to take a shower afterwards, but I'm going to do it.
Anyway, I urge everyone to get out and exercise your civic duty today. If you don't vote, you have no reason to complain about state government, so I don't want to hear any excuses about how you're too busy or don't have any time or whatever. Democracy requires participation, and if you don't vote, I don't think you deserve a seat at the table.
If you're not sure where your precinct is, check out Publius.org for all sorts of great informtion on voting.
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!
PS: If you live in Lansing's 68th House District, make sure to vote for CHRIS LEWLESS today. He'll need every vote he can get.
PPS: If you think I'm being annoying about this today, just wait until November.
Yesterday Brian was telling me that Chris' people had used an excerpt from a post I had written about the race on Pohlitics in some new campaign literature, so that was flattering. Well, this morning I got a phone call from Todd at Chris' campaign extending a personal invitation to tonight's event, so I'll probably make an effort to go after I'm done volunteering at G4G. It's nice to be appreciated.
I hope this isn't the last chance we get to celebrate at Chris' campaign headquarters. We'll know soon enough.
The Disembodied Head of Dick DeVos is officially my new favorite website. For the love of God, go check it out [via ML]!
Here's my letter, followed by Dave's. Enjoy:
Vote Lewless
More than ever, Michigan needs real leaders in the House of Representatives. Most of the candidates running in the 68th District share the same views on the issues, but only one true leader has emerged from this crowded field.
Chris Lewless and his campaign have knocked on more than 12,000 doors this year to discuss the issues with voters, a feat that none of his opponents can match. Actions speak louder than words, and while others try desperately to buy this primary race, Chris has been fighting the hard way - by earning votes one door at a time.
So, on Aug. 8, I'm voting for the guy who understands the real purpose of democracy: listening to the people.
Zack Pohl
Lansing
Familial endorsement
I attended the League of Women Voters Forum for the 68th House District seat and was impressed with the quality of the candidates and the civil tone of the debate. We are fortunate to have such a fine selection.
I'm supporting Jerry Hollister because he represents a new generation of leadership. He is a man of conviction, action and collaboration. He served honorably in the Navy, the ministry and as the leader of the Michigan Jimmy Carter Habitat project that built 230 homes throughout Michigan in one week.
I was in Detroit at the completion of the project when the former president proclaimed the Michigan effort "the most effective" he had ever been associated with. I am proud of my son and all that he has done and know that he brings the ideas, values, commitment, energy and leadership to be a great legislator.
David C. Hollister
Lansing
Well giddyup. Governor Granholm is up by 3% in yet another poll this week. Interestingly, this comes from EPIC-MRA, which had her down by 8% less than a month ago. I think an 11% swing is highly unlikely in such a short time-span, which obviously points towards this polling firm sucking major cross-tabs. If that's the case, then we can't trust anything these guys say.
Still, I'll take the good news while we can get it. I sure hope this is a trend though. Here's an interesting nugget from the poll [from MichLib]:
What's interesting is the potential impact Alticor, the direct marketing business Dick DeVos once headed, may have on these and future numbers.
The new poll asked voters what they think of Alticor, and by a margin of 41 - 17, they had a negative view of the company. Additionally, 21 % of the respondents listed Alticor as a reason not to vote for DeVos. But 62 % say Alticor will not influence their decision.
EPIC-MRA's Ed Sarpolus said a negative attitude towards direct marketing businesses, and a general backlash against big business are among the most likely reasons for the unfavorable attitude towards the Alticor name.
The poll also gives a boost to the governor once biographical information is included.
Sarpolus tells 24 Hour News 8 the poll indicates a couple of things, namely that DeVos is going to have to start telling voters more about his past, especially when it comes to Alticor.
I'm sure Dick is ready to start telling voters about his Amway/Alticor/Quixtar past right now!
Cue the extras and the beady-eyed AMWAY DICK. Action!
"Hi, I'm Dick DeVos. I used to run a giant corporation that exploited this state's hopeless poor by giving them the false hope of earning millions of dollars by selling lots of soap. That maybe wasn't such a nice thing to do. Sorry 'bout that. But Michigan still needs a change. Personally, I'm tired of just being a rich white guy. I want to be your governor so I can make some of my rich white buddies even richer and whiter. Vote for me, and I'll tell you how we can start changing things right after the election."
Maybe people will be writing letters to the editor to support my future campaign for the office of ________ someday. Mwah ha haaaaaa!
If you haven't checked out the new site yet, please take a few minutes to check it out. Even if you're a conservative Bush-lover at heart, at least it'll give you a chance to see what the good guys are up to (wink).
Well, even though I'm volunteering for the governor's campaign, and might start volunteering for a State Rep candidate next week too, I thought it was finally time to put my money where my mouth is, and make some donations.
First off, I officially joined the Michigan Democratic Party today. It only cost me $15. I mean, that's less than the cost of a DVD. Surely you can wait a month to buy Madea's Family Reunion, so do your part and go sign up now.
I also went over to Governor Granholm's nifty little website tonight, and signed up to make $10 contributions on a monthly basis between now and election day. I think I can sacrifice a trip or two to McDonald's every month to make sure that the AMWAY DICK doesn't get his greasy paws on the governor's mansion. If you've sat in front of a TV at any time since Capt. Amway started running his commercials back in February and wanted to reach through the screen and smack him one, then it's time to do something about it: go show the gov some love. We're almost at the end of the quarter, so a big push in fundraising will give her some momentum heading into the next few months.
I don't want to be obnoxious and keep making posts like this, but I will if I think it's necessary. Every little bit helps, so if you send the democrats some money (even if they're not in Michigan), make a note of it in the comments. It's a small investment to make sure your kids don't have to sell Amway toothpaste to make a living some day.
• See Dick Run: a funny editorial comic from the Freep
• Gov's race featured on WaPo blog
• USA Today: majority of Americans want out of Iraq
• LSJ's Melot is either lazy or dumb... or both
• Senate debates pointless flag burning bill
If your name is Dick DeVos, and you live in a place like this, what do you do with all your money? You spend a lifetime giving it away to hacks in the Republican party, and then try to buy an election so you can become one of the partisan hacks yourself. If your name is Warren Buffett, you give 80% of it away to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation [from iWon, via my dad]:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett, the world's second-richest person, is donating about $37 billion -- more than 80 percent of his fortune -- to foundations run by his friend Bill Gates and by the Buffett family.
The move is the biggest-ever single act of charitable giving in the United States...
In a letter to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Buffett, said he will set aside 10 million shares of Berkshire class B common stock for the foundation.
Based on the stock's per-share price of $3071.01 as of Friday, the total amount for the Gates foundation comes to about $30 billion.
That is the largest commitment to a philanthropic cause ever made by one person in the United States, said Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
"Even if you look at what (John D.) Rockefeller and (Andrew) Carnegie gave historically -- even if you do it in today's numbers, it doesn't come close to that," she said.
The Gates foundation is one of the world's richest philanthropic organizations.
It has committed millions of dollars to fighting diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis in developing countries, and to education and library technology in the United States.
There's nothing wrong with wealth... it's what you do with it that matters. I don't have a problem with people giving money to politicians either; I'm just a po' college graduate, and I've done it. Regardless of your political ideology though, one can't argue that any money given to politicians and parties usually only lasts through the next election cycle (at best).
However, this world will be a better place for generations because of Mr. Buffett's donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as the fruits of this philanthropic investment will be harvested for years to come. Sure, we can't all donate $30 billion to causes like this, but it should remind everyone to spend some of their cash where it really counts.
(cross-posted at pohlitics.com // remember to go bookmark the new site!)
I told Dick DeVos right up front I was skeptical about his bid to become the Detroit Lions' next head coach.
"What do you know," I asked him, "about professional football?"
"I've been a part of winning teams all my life," the multilevel marketing magnate answered confidently. "I think I've got what it takes to turn this one around."
"But where would you start?" I asked him. "The Lions have so many problems."
"With all due respect, Brian," DeVos answered, "there's only one problem: The Lions' opponents consistently score more points than the Lions do. That's what the next head coach has to focus on like a laser."
"So you'd start with the defense?"
"Defense, yes, because we've got to stop opposing teams from scoring so many points. But that's only part of the equation, because we've also got to score more points ourselves. That's why my turnaround plan focuses on defense and offense.
"It sounds complex," I said.
"It is," DeVos agreed. "But my plan breaks it down into a logical sequence of specific steps."
"Starting with?"
"Mission No. 1 is making a change at quarterback, " DeVos said. "I don't care what the incumbent coach says, Joey Harrington is the wrong guy to lead this offense."
"But everyone agrees with that," I said. "Joey's already been traded."
"Sure," DeVos agreed. "And I'm proud to have played a leadership role in that."
"So who should replace him?"
"I want to be clear about that," DeVos said. "The Lions definitely have to replace Harrington. That's Mission No. 2."
"So you think finding a strong quarterback is the key?"
"I'm not sure it has to be a quarterback," he said. "But I think we need some kind of player, probably an offensive one, standing where the quarterback usually stands, and doing many of the things that quarterbacks do."
"Do you have any particular player in mind?"
"Well, those are the kind of details that we're going to have to get to down the road."
I was beginning to get frustrated. But I didn't want to seem negative, so I changed the subject.
"Lions fans have heard an awful lot of turnaround plans over the years," I began. "They weren't all as specific as your plan, but still, there's a lot of skepticism. How do you turn that around?"
"We've got to make it easier to root for the Lions," DeVos said. "As a first step, I'm proposing to slash ticket prices by 50%."
"But won't that hurt revenues the team needs to rebuild?"
"Not if four times as many people buy tickets," DeVos answered brightly. "Then we'll have twice the revenues!"
"But Ford Field only holds 65,000 people," I pointed out. "Won't the Lions need a bigger stadium to make your plan work?"
"I think we need to make Detroit a more attractive place for all kinds of teams to build stadiums," DeVos said.
"But I'm getting ahead of myself," he added. "First, we need to unload this Harrington fellow."
It all makes perfect sense!
(cross-posted at pohlitics.com // remember to go bookmark the new site!)
Dick DeVos actually talks to black people!
Well, the Detroit News offers part one of a lavish two-part spread on the cover of its
The high point of his arguably peripatetic business career was serving as president of Grand Rapids-based Alticor Inc., formerly Amway Corp., from 1993 to 2002. During his tenure, the family company swung to losses but eventually rebounded by expanding globally and embracing the Internet.
Well, what they gloss over here is that "expanding globally" means shipping jobs off to Asia. Yep, Amway loves doing business in Communist China. Oh, and the internet thing is Amway's latest and greatest creation, Quixtar. Hey, if anyone needs some makeup, toothpaste, or vitamins for their home, just give Dick a call. He'll have you selling in no time.
He is credited with helping revive downtown Grand Rapids, but critics say he leveraged family money more than political acumen.
I know, maybe Dick can have the state build a giant hotel in every depressed urban center in Michigan!
"For the first time, this state's economic future has become disconnected from the national economy," DeVos said in a recent interview with The Detroit News. "But here's the good news: I've been through changes. I've been through a turnaround process. I know there is light at the end of the tunnel."
Voters may buy that message, said Charles Ballard, an economics professor at Michigan State University, especially when it's fortified with millions of dollars in TV ad buys. But he questioned the substance behind it.
"I think it's a stretch that experience in business might necessarily be better than government experience in terms of running the state," Ballard said. "The state has long-term structural problems that have led to this economic decline. I would submit that if Alan Greenspan had been elected governor four years ago, our economy wouldn't look dramatically different."
One interesting tidbit from this quote is that Charles Ballard was my ECON 201 professor during my freshman year. This guy is hardly a partisan hack. I remember him making little rants about how the economic policies of both political parties are stupid. But he's basically right to point out the difference between running a successful (if, by successful, you mean exploitative) company, and running a government. Once again, just consider the current occupant of the White House.
Dick DeVos didn't aspire to be a politician as a youngster, when his main interest was water-skiing with his best pal, Steve Van Andel