Saturday, May 10, 2008

Will Knollenberg call on McCain to Denounce Hagee and Parsley?

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. Today's Oakland Press carries an editorial of Bill Press and Hagee's statements regarding Catholics, gays and more. 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.

Friday, May 09, 2008

Joe flip-flops on Mother's Day

Today there was a vote on a resolution recognizing Mother's Day. The first vote was 412-0. Then the story gets interesting. Unbelievably, Joe Knollenberg actually then voted against Mother's Day when a vote to reconsider the resolution was called. Joe and 177 other Republicans actually flip-flopped on a vote recognizing Mother's Day.
Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens

By Dana Milbank
Friday, May 9, 2008; A03

It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.

Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far. House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."

By voting against it

?

Eric B at MichLib reports Cook Report moves MI-09 from Likely Republican to Leaning Republican

This report in from Eric B. at Michigan Liberal.

The Cook Political Report moves Michigan's two biggest races in favor of the two Democrats. The 7th District goes from "Lean Republican" to "Toss up," and the 9th goes from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican."

For Mark Schauer, this means the second bit of ratification in the last couple of days. It was Roll Call who most lately called the race a toss up. Without mentioning anything, this really represents a Schauer advantage, since it means moving things in his direction.

As such could be said for Gary Peters, challenging Joe Knollenberg in the 9th. The remarkable thing in the 9th is that Knollenberg enjoys a fund raising advantage over his opponent.

You can show Peters a little extra love tomorrow by showing up between noon and 1:30 p.m. to meet Peters in a live chat with MichLib's readers.


Thursday, May 08, 2008

Knollenberg Touts Personal Responsibility But Not Corporate Responsibility

An article in today's Eccentric is about how Joe Knollenberg wants to help the American auto manufacturers. It's interesting, at the legislative update meeting in Rochester a few weeks ago, when talking about health care, Knollenberg talked a lot about personal responsibility in regard to taking care of one's own health. But when it comes to the auto companies taking responsibility for their corporate health, Knollenberg takes a position 180 degrees from his theme of personal responsibility. The auto companies, even though the oil crisis could be seen a hundred miles down the road, continued to build low mileage SUV's and trucks. Why? One word, GREED. They make higher profits off SUV's and trucks than they do smaller, fuel efficient vehicles.

But does Joe Knollenberg ask for corporate responsibility for the troubles of the auto industry and tell the auto manufacturers, let them eat cake? No. Does he want to hold the auto industry responsible for increasing fuel economy? No.

Apparently Knollenberg is at odds with John McCain on this issue also. McCain does want to raise CAFE standards, as he told the Eccentric.

Knollenbeg can't have it both ways, by being in favor of free trade that ships good paying American jobs overseas and then turning around and saying we have to help the auto industry by offering them money to save American jobs. That's not leadership. That's pandering to Joe's auto industry campaign contributors.

"He said he believes in free trade and making the auto industry raise fuel-economy standards. He said the state's auto industry "is not finished."

"Of course the old kind of doing business is not coming back. ... We've got to retrain and educate workers" to take advantage of the new economy, he said. He believes the Big 3 have leveled the playing field through recent contract negotiations."

Knollenberg aims to aid auto industry

by Greg Kowalski

ECCENTRIC STAFF WRITER

The embattled auto industry would get a helping hand with new legislation being proposed by Congressman Joe Knollenberg.

Speaking at the Automation Alley offices Tuesday in Troy, the Bloomfield Township Republican - who is embroiled in a hotly contested re-election bid against Democrat Gary Peters - unveiled a plan to stimulate the economy and "help the Big Three compete."

"This will be a huge shot in the arm to grow our Michigan economy," Knollenberg said.

The proposed legislation would broaden the availability of research and development tax credits for companies; provide support for research in advanced batteries; create two hydrogen fuel pilot programs; require the EPA to streamline protocols and regulations on biodiesel fuel; and establish an inter-agency federal task force on CAFE standards.

CAFE - the Corporate Average Fuel Economy - standard sets how many miles per gallon a vehicle gets. The standards, 35 miles per gallon by 2020, could cost the automakers $85 billion to achieve and add thousands of dollars to the price of a car, Knollenberg said.

"The entire auto industry will make tremendous investments in technology (with the proposed legislation)," said Robert Babik, director of Emissions, Environment and Energy for General Motors.

He spoke in favor of the legislation, as did Fred Hoffman, director of Government Relations for Chrysler, and Charlie Pryde, director of Government Relations for Ford.

Although the Big Three are competitors, "I don't think there is an inch of space between us in support of the legislations," Hoffman said.

The legislation "will provide critical help to the auto industry," Pryde said.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said the legislation was a perfect match for the focus of Automation Alley, which is a hub of industry research and development.

"It's good for Michigan and good for the global economy," Patterson said.

Whether it, or at least parts of it, is enacted into law remains to be seen.

On the heels of the announcement, Peters issued a statement blasting Knollenberg.

"Real leadership means not waiting for a crisis to take action," said Peters. "I'm going to go to Washington and I'm going to start fighting for Michigan families and Michigan jobs on day one. I'm going to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas and stop giving billions in subsidies to big oil companies who are raking in record profits."




Sunday, May 04, 2008

Democrat Takes Seat from 20-year Incumbent in Louisiana. Look Out Joe

Boy, is Joe Knollenberg in trouble. Last night it was reported that the Democrats took back a seat in Louisiana that has been Republican since 1974. Joe only won by about 5% in 2006. Change is in the air Joe, and Democrats are taking back the 9th Congressional District of Michigan.
Dems add to majority with Cazayoux win in La.
Posted: 05/03/08 11:17 PM [ET]
House Democrats continued to expand their majority Saturday night after Louisiana state Rep. Don Cazayoux emerged victorious in a special election for retired Rep. Richard Baker’s (R) district.

The win comes two months after Democrats picked up their first seat of the year. In March, Democrat Bill Foster won the Illinois seat of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R). That seat, like the Louisiana contest, was in solidly Republican areas. President Bush carried the Illinois district with 55 percent and the Louisiana district with 59 percent in 2004.

Cazayoux benefited from a strong fundraising advantage over Woody Jenkins — $810,000 to $490,000 — with much of the help coming from national Democrats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent $920,000 on the contest.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) only spent $440,000 on the race and Jenkins received less than $40,000 from GOP members.