Chicken Joe Won't Attend Republican Convention

In a stunning piece of news, Chicken Congressman Joe Knollenberg, will not be attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minneapolis. Perhaps he's afraid nature will call while he's in the Minneapolis airport and he will need to use the same facility that Senator Larry Craig was arrested in last fall. Maybe he just can't afford to be seen with fellow Republican rubber stamps for President Bush, or worse yet, get caught in a frame with John McCain, who he has endorsed. You'd think if Joe had endorsed John McCain, he'd at least show up at the convention.

And news has still not come from the Knollenberg campaign that Joe has accepted any of the invitations to debate Democrat Gary Peters, nor has Knollenberg held any town hall meetings with his constituents.

Freep Covers Barn Burner between Peters and Knollenberg

The race is really heating up in the 9th Congressional District and the race is starting to garner major press coverage. Today's story in the Detroit Free Press is evidence of that. I think it's time that Joe Knollenberg accept all the debate invitations and get up on stage with Gary Peters so the public can see what they are both made of and how they propose to solve the huge problems facing America and specifically Oakland County. If Joe Knollenberg thinks he can hide for the rest of the campaign, he's wrong. The voters deserve an opportunity hold their elected officials accountable for their votes and their words, as was expressed in another letter to the editor in the Oakland Press today.

Knollenberg has not personally offered an apology for his "Asian Invaders" blog entry. What kind of man is Joe Knollenberg anyway?

Knollenberg and Peters in tough fight for Congress seat

Hot race in 9th District pulls in big cash, names

BY KATHLEEN GRAY • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • August 21, 2008

The battle for a heart-of-Oakland County seat not long ago considered among Michigan's most reliably Republican has emerged as one of the state's hottest congressional races as dollars pour in, charges fly and a changing political landscape threatens Joe Knollenberg's bid for a ninth term.

On the day after the Aug. 5 primary, Oakland County Democrats gathered in front of Knollenberg's office in Farmington Hills to encourage voters to give him the boot because of his support for the Iraq war and other issues.

On the same day, the Bloomfield Township Republican unleashed a barrage of automated phone calls touting his record in Congress.

Democrats have had their eye on the seat ever since a relatively unknown candidate with virtually no financial help from the party gave Knollenberg a scare in 2006.

His 2008 Democratic challenger, Gary Peters, a former legislator, lottery commissioner and unsuccessful attorney general candidate, has been raising lots of money and bringing in party luminaries to help him campaign for months.

"It's going to be a barn burner," said Lansing political consultant Tom Shields, who works primarily with Republican clients. "This district has become more and more Democratic over the years."

Before Knollenberg's 52%-46% victory in 2006, he had won at least 58% of the vote in seven successive elections.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted the 9th and 7th Congressional Districts as two of 26 seats nationally where they hope to beat incumbent Republicans. State Sen. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, is challenging Tipton Republican Tim Walberg, who represents the 7th Congressional District in southern Michigan.

The DCCC has budgeted $35 million in advertising for the seats to air closer to the election. Click here for the rest of the story.

Peters/Knollenberg Debate?

Joe Knollenberg apparently is really afraid to debate Democrat Gary Peters. Heard on the street, Peters has accepted several invitations to debate Knollenberg and Knollenberg has yet to accept even one invitation.

Why won't Joe Knollenberg conduct any town halls meetings where constituents get to ask real questions about policy, even though some of Knollenberg's colleagues have held town halls where everyone is welcome to ask questions? Why did Joe Knollenberg fail to personally appear at Saint Joseph Mercy Oakland last Saturday? He apparently told the PR people at the hospital that there was a death in the family. Yet when I called Joe's office to confirm the fact for his non-appearance was legitimate, the person answering the phone knew of no death in Joe's family, at least no one close to Joe, and answered that Joe does have a large family, so even though the person answering the phone knew of no such death in Joe's family, there may have indeed been a death of a distant relative. It sounds to me like a dog-ate-my-homework excuse. Easy to assert, hard to prove.

Personally, I think Joe knew that being out in public can be a scary thing where someone other than a friendly reporter might ask a real question.

Then there is the issue of debates between Peters and Knollenberg. I think Joe owes it to the voters of the 9th Congressional District of Michigan to appear on the same stage and have a real debate with his opponent about the issues on the voters' minds. Joe hasn't debated his opponents ever that I can remember. In fact, why not have two or three debates between now and the election? Our elected officials owe us that much.