Dave Woodward, Oakland County Democrat Chair, in Spinal Column on the Peters/Knollenberg race

The May 21 edition of the Spinal Column contains a rather lengthy interview with Oakland County Democratic Party chair, Dave Woodward. Woodward had some specific comments about the Peters/Knollenberg race you may find interesting.

SCN: U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg has been targeted by the Democratic Party and is considered to be vulnerable this year, after barely beating his Democratic opponent in 2006. Tell us why you think Gary Peters can be successful in the general election.

Woodward: Gary Peters understands first and foremost what's most important to the voters of Oakland County, and that's leadership that will help create jobs. Gary, in his own rite, has a huge amount of experience in serving his country in the Navy, serving his community while being everything from being a city councilman to being a state senator, completely within the district, to being an administrator when he worked as director of state lottery and generated record revenues for public education. (He has) all those things combined with broad leadership and values in sync with the priorities of this county, and he knows how to run a campaign. But most importantly he knows how to lead with his values and voters in Oakland County want change. They are sick and tired of the same old policies that have gotten our county and our nation in the situation that it is in. Joe Knollenberg has voted with President Bush almost 100 percent of the time and continues to embrace those failed policies. So voters have to ask themselves are they ready for change, are they ready for a new direction, are they ready for someone who's going to fight for job creation and to keep jobs from being outsourced overseas, investment in our young people in terms of early education and higher education, and protecting our environment.

Joe Knollenberg has scored very low in all of those arenas. Voters will have that opportunity. I'm very confident things are going to change.



SCN: We don't nearly as often hear that U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter is as vulnerable as Knollenberg, but his district has traditionally been a swing area. Please explain why you do or don't think the Democratic Party should shift some of its focus away from defeating Knollenberg and devote more toward knocking off McCotter.

Woodward: I think it's a couple things. I think Knollenberg and McCotter are equally vulnerable. There's no question. I think, again, voters in general want a change. I think when you look at Joe Knollenberg's record, he is extremely out of touch, much more entrenched in Washington. Is he easier? I guess I don't know. I do expect significant resources will be spent in the 11th Congressional District, which Congressman McCotter represents. You have to remember this stuff isn't happening in a vacuum, that we're going to have a presidential campaign like Michigan has never seen before. Whomever that nominee is — and very likely, most likely it will be Sen. Barack Obama — you'll see an immense amount of resources spent to make sure we maximize the turnout of every single voter in Michigan, thereby including both congressional districts. I don't believe at some levels there are significant resources that take on incumbents, unfortunately. It's by flawed design that incumbents automatically walk out with huge leads in these kinds of races. You need candidates who can raise money. You have two democratic candidates who really are breaking records across the country in the amount of money they've been able to raise this early in the game. So that's why there's a lot of attention in the Knollenberg (district) but I wouldn't say that we're writing off the other races. I think we are going to have them and can pull off these elections come November. I think there will be a lot of surprises. There will be races that couldn't have of been won, but will be won because voters are frustrated with the direction George Bush has taken this country, and people want change.

Will Joe Knollenberg Call John McBush and Demand McBush Denounce Hagee?

Some more inflammatory audio has turned up. Now Hagee is outright saying that God sent Hitler and that the Holocaust was a good thing because it forced the Jews to move to Israel. Being raised Jewish, I can't even begin to tell you how offensive I find Hagee's comments. These comments by Hagee and McBush's refusal so far to denounce Hagee is a story that the corporate media needs to bring to the fore. Joe Knollenberg has substantial support among the Jewish population in Oakland County. Will his Jewish support dwindle by his being affiliated with John McBush and McBush's refusal to disassociate himself from Hagee?
Here's the audio of Hagee's comments.

John McBush, Joe Knollenberg and the Republicans are the real Elitists

I found this video today and it points out what a crock of hooey it is when John McBush refers to Barack Obama as an elitist. Obama just recently, with proceeds from his book paid off his student loans. On the other hand, John McBush dumped his first wife for a rich heiress and they own 8 homes across the country. Cindy McCain just divested her portfolio of investments in the Sudan. Apparently she thought that they might be a problem in the campaign and she refuses to ever release her tax returns.

Joe Knollenberg is also wealthy from his prior involvement in his insurance business. Maybe that's why he is so opposed to universal, single-payer health care for all Americans.

Joe Knollenberg and John McBush have a credibility problem

This video points out why Joe Knollenberg and John McBush have a real problem with the American people when it comes to telling the truth.

Oakland Democrats and Gary Peters in Birmingham

Oakland County Democrats were out in force on Sunday in Birmingham's 75th Anniversary parade. Democrats Sheila White Smith, candidate for County Clerk, Gary Peters, candidate for the 9th Congressional District and Jane Boudreau, candidate for Oakland County Sheriff joined the troops as we marched through downtown Birmingham.

Joe Knollenberg wasn't quite so popular. We found Joe's thundersticks in the trash outside the Townsend hotel and there were lots more in trash cans all over downtown Birmingham.

I Wonder if Joe Knollenberg's Jewish Supporters Will Tell Joe to Denounce Hagee and McCain After Hearing This

Audio Recording of McCain's Political Endorser John Hagee Preaching Jews Are Cursed and Subhuman
By Bruce Wilson Thu May 15, 2008 at 02:15:20 PM EST printable version print story
Review it on NewsTrust
Yesterday I discovered an astonishing audio recording of a sermon, by controversial McCain endorser Pastor John Hagee, in which Hagee elaborates on his view that Hitler and the Nazis were divine agents sent by God to (with gruesome inefficiency it would seem) chase Europe's Jews towards Palestine. In his 2006 book "Jerusalem Countdown", Hagee proposed that anti-Semitism, and thus the Holocaust, was the fault of Jews themselves - the result of an age old divine curse incurred by the ancient Hebrews through worshiping idols and passed, down the ages, to all Jews now alive. In the sermon Hagee also clarifies a point, on his theological views, that has long concerned me. I might have used any number of titles to describe this sermon by Pastor John Hagee, given in the late 1990's and then mass marketed as part of a book Hagee published in 2001 and republished in 2003, "The Battle For Jerusalem".

How Would You Punish John McBush for Wanting to Talk to Hamas?

Joe Knollenberg gave this interview to Fox News regarding Jimmy Carter's visit to talk with the leaders of Hamas, saying we should never negotiate with terrorists. Two years ago, John McBush said that we should talk to Hamas because they were now the elected government.

Here's John McBush's Interview from two years ago on talking to Hamas

Joe, Come Take the Bush/McCain Challenge May 24 in Downtown Rochester

This is a challenge to all Joe Knollenberg supporters and to you too, Joe. Come to the Farmer's Market in downtown Rochester next Saturday, May 24 and see if you can tell the difference between John McCain and George Bush. You may be surprised at the results. We'll be set up just outside the entrance.

John McCain's Budget May Cause Knollenberg and Republicans to choke on deficits

Is this the kind of "fiscal responsibility" Republicans and Joe Knollenberg want to associate themselves with? Republicans talk about cutting taxes from now until kingdom come, but they fail to reflect on what those tax cuts mean to the American landscape. I guess they just want to keep borrowing money from the Chinese to pay for the massive deficits spending. More tax and borrow from Republican, John McBush.

McCain’s Budget Would Create Largest Deficit In 25 Years, Largest Debt Since WWII

Sen. John McCain promises that, as president, he would “cut taxes and balance the budget.” But his current economic plan would create deficits as deep as 5.7% of GDP by the end of a two term presidency — the highest federal budget deficit in 25 years — and would accumulate the biggest debt since the second World War, according to a new analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. McCain’s current fiscal plan would recklessly exacerbate the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush Administration further by gutting revenues far below the average level of the past 25 years.

For the past 25 years, deficits have never been more severe than 5% of GDP, with surpluses as high as 2.4% of GDP in the year 2000. Under McCain, yearly deficits would increase sharply, beginning with $505 billion in FY2009 (3.4% of GDP) and skyrocket to $1.2 trillion (5.7% of GDP) by FY2017. In 2018 these deficits would reach 6% of GDP, tied with the largest deficits since WW2 in 1983. Current Bush policies would keep the deficit in 2017 to $660 billion (3.1% of GDP).

According to the study, McCain’s economic plan, (which includes a corporate tax cut, a full repeal of the AMT, and an extension of the Bush tax cuts) would leave a debt of $12.7 trillion (the highest since 1951 when America was still holding debt from WW2) by the last budget of a two term presidency starting in 2009 (FY2017). This debt is $3.5 trillion more severe than the one resulting from an extension of current Bush policy, which would leave a debt of $9.2 trillion (43% of projected GDP).

McCain would slash government revenues, which have averaged 18.3% of GDP for the past 25 years, to their lowest levels since before 1962. Revenues would average only 16.3 percent of GDP for the duration of his two terms. Under current Bush policy, revenues would remain above 18 percent of GDP.
This analysis currently incorporates the most generous possible savings McCain has offered thus far: an $18 billion cut of wasteful earmarks and a $15 billion “freeze” in wasteful spending, with the savings grown at the rate of GDP growth over his presidency. These “savings,” which come no where near paying for his reckless tax cuts, already include “heavy cuts in after-school pro­grams, student aid, public broadcasting, and job training.” To fill the gaping remaining hole, McCain supporters have suggested policies that would lead to “massive cuts” in Social Security.

Read the full report.

Will Joe Knollenberg call for cutting off public funds to McCain's campaign?

Our good friend John McCain has done another flip-flop on the American public. Two years ago, in an interview he called for negotiating with Hamas. Joe Knollenberg has called for cutting off funding for The Carter Center recently because of Carter's visit to the Middle East and talking to Hamas. So, it seems to me, Knollenberg, with the revealing of this interview, should call for the cutoff of all public funding for John McCain's campaign, and since McCain has violated his own campaign finance law, by using his public funding as collateral for a loan, urge the bank where the loan was obtained to call in the loan of $4 million.

Two years ago, in an interview with James Rubin for Sky News, Sen. John McCain expressed a willingness to negotiate with the terrorist group Hamas -- the very group that McCain has been relentlessly using to smear Sen. Barack Obama over the last several weeks.

Rubin has written an op-ed in Friday's Washington Post about his exchange with McCain, and The Huffington Post has obtained exclusive video. Here's the key excerpt:

RUBIN: "Do you think that American diplomats should be operating the way they have in the past, working with the Palestinian government if Hamas is now in charge?"

McCAIN: "They're the government; sooner or later we are going to have to deal with them, one way or another, and I understand why this administration and previous administrations had such antipathy towards Hamas because of their dedication to violence and the things that they not only espouse but practice, so . . . but it's a new reality in the Middle East. I think the lesson is people want security and a decent life and decent future, that they want democracy. Fatah was not giving them that."

As Rubin adds:

Given that exchange, the new John McCain might say that Hamas should be rooting for the old John McCain to win the presidential election. The old John McCain, it appears, was ready to do business with a Hamas-led government, while both Clinton and Obama have said that Hamas must change its policies toward Israel and terrorism before it can have diplomatic relations with the United States.

Even if McCain had not favored doing business with Hamas two years ago, he had no business smearing Barack Obama. But given his stated position then, it is either the height of hypocrisy or a case of political amnesia for McCain to inject Hamas into the American election.

Lansing State Journal Rates Peters/Knollenberg Race Tossup from Lean Incumbent

This is the first time that the Peters/Knollenberg race has been rated a tossup, a change from leaning incumbent. Go Gary! CLICK HERE for the rest of the story.

Toss-up

• Joe Knollenberg (R), 9th District. Former State Sen. Gary Peters is a viable candidate and all the momentum is against the GOP. While few seem to be enthusiastic Peters fanatics, he's been powerful enough to clear what was to be a competitive primary field. In another year, Knollenberg might be safe, but national trends are against him. (Formerly Lean Incumbent)

• 
  

How Will Joe Knollenberg Defend John McBush on this one?

Wow, the Michigan Republican Party and Joe Knollenberg really screwed up this time. Guess who dead set against the Boeing tanker? You guessed it. John McBush. And there's video. These were good paying, union jobs and John McBush and by extension, Joe Knollenberg, wanted the $40 Billion contract go to European manufacturer, Airbus. Now if this isn't a national security and economic issue for the American people, I don't know what is. Joe Knollenberg is alway saying how he wants to help American manufacturing companies, namely the American auto manufacturers. This decision by John McBush flies in the face of Joe Knollenberg's presumed allegiance to American manufacturers. CLICK HERE to read about how John McBush screwed American workers.

Now will Joe Knollenberg denounce and separate himself from John McBush? Let's see..

The quote below is from the Michigan Republican Party's daily newsletter from Saul Anuzis, the May 14 edition.

BOEING…THE TANKER DECISION…MAKE IT AMERICAN 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.

Here's the video of John McBush saying how he saved the taxpayers $2 billion by nixing the deal going to Boeing. He also nixed 40,000 good paying American jobs.

This video is Lou Dobbs expressing his outrage that the deal went to Airbus.

Another Reason for Joe Knollenberg to Repudiate John McCain

It's not widely known, but Joe Knollenberg has a gay son, Stephen. He has a successful interior design company. Joe actually voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment. but you'd think that Joe would have a problem with the presidential candidate he's endorsed, John McCain for his opposition to gay marriage.

This video shows John McCain appearing in a commercial in support of Arizona's ban on gay marriage.

No Republican is safe. Democrats go 3-3 in Special Elections

In the biggest Democratic pickup so far, Democrats prove that no Republican, even 8-term incumbents like Joe Knollenberg are safe. The country is demanding change and Gary Peters will be part of the Democratic wave that is sweeping over America.

Childers victory gives Dems a third straight takeover

Childers, who beat Davis 49-46 three weeks ago but came up just shy of a race-ending majority, joins new Democratic Reps. Bill Foster (Ill.) and Don Cazayoux (La.) to give Democrats a trifecta of upsets in conservative House districts over the last two months. The loss could send shockwaves through the Republican Party, where murmurs about a leadership shakeup have become more and more audible. Democrats are backing up the assertion that they remain on the offensive in the cycle following a 30-seat gain, which has historically not been the case after a “wave” election.

McCain Endorser, Hagee, Apologizes. McCain Accepts Apology

This story appeared in the Oakland Press on page A-11. No front page for John McCain's endorser and crazy Reverend. The corporate media continues to give McCain a pass. And not one word from Joe Knollenberg.

And that's that? After all the grief Reverend Wright's comments gave Barack Obama the corporate media is, for the most part, giving Teflon John McCain a pass on John Hagee and Rod Parsley.

Since Joe is a good Catholic boy, you'd think he'd more outraged about McCain accepting Hagee's endorsement. I guess saying things about his religion only matter if they come from a liberal activist. That's what I thought.

As a Catholic, you would think that Joe Knollenberg would be at least as incensed with John McCain over accepting the endorsement of John Hagee as he is with Jimmy Carter for meeting with Hamas. But we haven't heard a word from Knollenberg over McCain's relationship with Reverend John Hagee. With all the attention being given to Reverend Wright, you would think the media and Joe Knollenberg would pay the same amount of attention to John Hagee and Rod Parsley another television preacher with radical views. CLICK HERE to listen to John Hagee's interview with Terri Gross on NPR from Sept. 18, 2006.

Video of John Hagee speaking about Catholicism and more

John McCain's Other Problem, Rod Parsley.

Eccentric Letter from Republican Gets It Wrong

This letter from a Republican tries again to tie me to MoveOn.org and even tries to trot out the idea that my activities are "well-funded" by MoveOn. So, just to set the record straight, I am a member of MoveOn. However they have not given me one penny. I have no connection to MoveOn other than being on their mailing list and I have hosted several of their events at my home and at Joe Knollenberg's office.

These Republican attacks are so ridiculous they border on the insane. But what is one to expect from the party of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain and Karl Rove? Dirty tricks, unfounded attacks, torture, warrantless wiretapping, endless war in Iraq. If you aren't outraged, then you aren't paying attention.

A bumpy ride

Your opinion page of April 17 has another letter from Bruce Fealk bad-mouthing Rep. Knollenberg. It is reported that he is well-funded by MoveOn.org, which is backed by George Soros, not exactly friendly to America.

Its goal is to target Knollenberg and others who don't agree with its ultra-liberal biased agenda. So we know what to expect from here to election and as expressed by Bette Davis in one of her movies: "Button your seat belt. We're in for a bumpy ride."

Julius A. Becker

Fealk Wins Progressive Activist of the Year Award

Yesterday at the Michigan Progress Summit in Lansing, Christine Barry and Jim Hightower presented me with the first annual Progressive Activist of the Year Award. I'm honored to be the first recipient of this award. The award was created by Blogging for Michigan.