MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Joe made a visit to the Troy Republican "Victory" center.

What to do with Joe's Head?

Now that we've disposed of Joe Knollenberg, there's the matter of what to do with Joe's head. I've been in contact with a woman who has lymphoma and no medical insurance. I'd like to have an event and an auction of the head and give the money to someone that really needs it. I'm open to ideas.

We Did It!! No More Knollenberg

I've been waiting a long time to write this blog entry. Even though Joe Knollenberg has not called Gary Peters to concede, he did concede defeat. Congratulations, Gary!
November 4, 2008

Knollenberg loses seat to Peters in Oakland County

By KATHLEEN GRAY
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

A congressional district that cuts across the heart of Oakland County will be represented by a Democrat for the first time in 75 years come January, as incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg was caught Tuesday in the Democratic wave led by President-elect Barack Obama as it swept across Oakland County and Michigan.

Knollenberg lost to former state senator and lottery commissioner Gary Peters in the 9th congressional district.

With nearly 73% of the 9th Congressional District’s precincts reporting, Peters led by 8 points over Knollenberg.

The Bloomfield Township Republican who first was elected in 1992, did all but concede the race in a speech late Tuesday night, calling his defeat a "perfect storm” of events, combining outside money, the dominance of Obama, the tenuous economy and Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s decision to move his campaign out of Michigan.

“It’s become very obvious that’s it’s going to be very difficult to win this race,” he said shortly after 11 p.m.. "We had a problem, obviously. It’s not the greatest time in the world to be running.”

Knollenberg hadn’t called Peters yet late Tuesday, saying he just wanted to make sure a mistake wasn’t made in the counting of ballots across the district which spans from Farmington Hills up through Oakland Township.

Get Out and Vote for Gary Peters

I have been the lone contributor to this blog for about a year and a half. It has been my singular task to bring to light Joe Knollenberg's record in Congress and how he does not vote for the average, working family in his district.

Today is the day that it changes. We have a great candidate who's been well funded and done the hard work of campaigning to win. Gary Peters built a great organization and did the hard work of getting on the phone asking for and raising money, knocking on doors, attending political functions. Today it all pays off.

The Republicans in Oakland County and Joe's staff don't like me much. They got me arrested and called the police at every opportunity when we protested at Joe's office. They harassed me at the debates. But I persevered because I know that we need a new representative in Congress and Gary is that person to bring change to the 9th district.

I predict that tonight we will have a new Congressman representing the 9th District of Michigan and a new President, Barack Obama.

Now, go vote.

Joe Knollenberg Worked Hard to Earn His Ranking from the Humane Society Legislative Fund

This is a press relase issued today from the Humane Society Legislative Fund.

Humane Society Legislative Fund Says Rep. Joe Knollenberg Can’t Hide from His Record on Animal Cruelty

WASHINGTON, DC (Nov. 1, 2008)—Just days before the election, U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg has launched a desperate campaign of paid radio ads and robo-calls to try to fool voters in Michigan’s 9^th District into believing that he is a friend of animals. But the Humane Society Legislative Fund says Knollenberg can’t hide from his 16-year record of voting against animal protection.

"Joe Knollenberg has a long and embarrassing record of opposing moderate animal welfare policies, and voters will see through this phony election-year conversion on animal issues,” said Michael Markarian, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. “He has had 16 years in office to demonstrate where he stands on the humane treatment of animals, and time and time again he has voted against common-sense animal welfare reforms. He has had eight sessions of Congress to prove where he stands, and voters who care about animals are saying eight is enough."

Click here to view the TV ad that HSLF is running in the Detroit area.

In his 16 years in Congress, Rep. Knollenberg has opposed animal welfare reforms time and time again, and has repeatedly received among the lowest marks possible on the annual Humane Scorecard. He scored 4 percent in the 103^rd Congress, 12.5 in the 106^th Congress, 10 in the 108^th Congress, 28 in the 109^th Congress, and zero in the 104^th, 105^th, and 107^th Congresses. Some of his votes on animal protection issues include the following.

· Horse Slaughter: He voted against the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, H.R. 503 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll433.xml—September 7, 2006), to prohibit the slaughter of American horses to be served as a foreign delicacy in France and Belgium.

· Animal Fighting: He voted against the Blumenauer-Tancredo amendment to H.R. 2673 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll355.xml—July 14, 2003) which provided $800,000 for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to improve enforcement of the federal law against animal fighting—the same law that was later used to break up Michael Vick's dogfighting ring.

· Polar Bears: He voted against the Inslee-LoBiondo amendment to H.R. 2643 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll573.xml—June 27, 2007) to prohibit wealthy American trophy hunters from importing the heads and hides of sport-hunted polar bears killed in the Arctic.

· Downer Cattle: He voted against the Ackerman-LaTourette amendment to H.R. 2673 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll357.xml—July 14, 2003) to protect our food supply and stop the abuse of sick and crippled cattle too weak to walk to slaughter. Six months after that vote, a downer cow in the U.S. tested positive for "mad cow disease."

· Bear Baiting: He voted against the Gallegly-Moran amendment to H.R. 2691 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll382.xml—July 17, 2003) to stop the inhumane and unsporting practice of shooting bears over piles of pizza and jelly doughnuts on national forests.

· Lethal Predator Control: He voted against the DeFazio-Bass amendment to H.R. 1906 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll172.xml—June 8, 1999) and the DeFazio-Bass-Morella amendment to H.R. 4461 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2000/roll382.xml—July 11, 2000) to end the use of tax dollars to kill predators with cruel traps and poisons as a government subsidy for private ranchers.

· Dolphin-Safe Tuna: He voted for H.R. 408 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1997/roll151.xml—May 21, 1997) which ended the embargo on dolphin-deadly tuna and weakened protections for dolphins caught in tuna nets, and he voted against the Miller amendment to H.R. 2670 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll382.xml—August 5, 1999) to limit U.S. funding of the international tuna fishing convention, which allows the use of dolphin-deadly nets.

· Trapping: He voted against the Farr-Whitfield amendment to H.R. 2466 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1999/roll291.xml—July 14, 1999) to stop the use of steel-jawed leghold traps and wire neck snares to kill and maim animals for their fur pelts on national wildlife refuges.

· Fur Subsidies: He voted against the Shays-Deutsch amendment to H.R. 1976 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1995/roll553.xml—July 21, 1995) which eliminated a $2 million annual subsidy for the luxury mink coat industry.

· Foreign Trophy Hunting: He voted against the Fox-Miller amendment to H.R. 2159 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/1997/roll359.xml—September 4, 1997) to stop the use of tax dollars to promote the trophy hunting of African elephants and other foreign species as a rural development strategy.

· Yellowstone Bison: He voted against the Rahall amendment to H.R. 2691 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2003/roll383.xml—July 17, 2003) to protect the last free-roaming buffalo herd in Yellowstone National Park from government slaughter.

· Wild Horses and Burros: He voted against the Rahall-Whitfield-Sweeney-Spratt amendment to H.R. 2361 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll196.xml—May 19, 2005), and voted against H.R. 249 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll269.xml—April 26, 2007), to restore the decades-long protection for wild horses and burros on public lands from commercial sale and slaughter.

HSLF is a nonpartisan organization that endorses both Democratic and Republican members of Congress. HSLF's endorsements in Michigan for the 2008 election include: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D); U.S. Reps. Bart Stupak (D-1^st), Vernon Ehlers (R-3rd), Dale Kildee (D-5th), Fred Upton (R-6th), Mike Rogers (R-8th), Thaddeus McCotter (R-11th), Sander Levin (D-12th), Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-13th), and John Conyers (D-14th); and challengers Mark Schauer (D-7th) and Gary Peters (D-9th).

HSLF evaluates candidates based on their stands on animal protection policies, and does not judge candidates based on party affiliation or any other issue. HSLF is a national organization working to pass animal protection legislation in Congress and in state legislatures, and is not affiliated with local humane societies.

Joe Knows Better - HSLF Ad Has Nothing To Do With Peters

I almost feel sorry for Joe Knollenberg and his campaign. His record has finally caught up with him, including his record on animal cruelty measures. The Humane Society Legislative Fund ads must be affecting his standing with constituents, including Republicans. Even Republicans like their pets. So, what does Joe do, he holds a press conference and tells the media Gary Peters should denounce the ads. Being a long-time politician, Joe knows Gary has no control over outside groups that run independent ads. It's illegal for the candidate to even speak with the outside groups about their ads. Maybe Joe should have thought about this before he cast his vote on all the measures near and dear to animal lovers.

Knollenberg says attack ads on him hurting local humane society
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Facing a tough fight for re-election, Rep. Joe Knollenberg on Saturday said an animal-rights group's attacks against him are hurting the Michigan Humane Society and called on his Democratic challenger, Gary Peters, to demand that the ads stop.

Knollenberg and campaign aides told reporters they believe the ads by the Humane Society Legislative Fund, which has spent nearly $400,000 attacking Knollenberg, are harming local humane societies that are not connected to the legislative fund, a Washington, D.C., political action committee. It's just one of the outside groups spending millions of dollars in the race, in which some independent analysts consider Peters a favorite to end Knollenberg's time in Washington after eight terms.

Peters' campaign said the controversy was an attempt to distract voters from the economy. Knollenberg, one of the nation's most vulnerable House Republicans, is seeking his ninth term in a district heavily targeted by Democrats.

Knollenberg's campaign cited a television report quoting a Michigan Humane Society board member, who said that donors who have supported the nonprofit animal rescue group are withholding donations because they mistakenly believe the state group is behind the anti-Knollenberg ads.

"Mr. Peters is the one who needs to step forward," Knollenberg said. "Either he will demand this ad be taken off the air or he will sit by idly and let the Humane Society be harmed.

Nancy Gunnigle, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Humane Society, said Saturday that the organization has gotten several phone calls from people who believed it was behind the ads, including some who have said they were angry about the ads and might not continue donations. Gunnigle said when the agency explains it is not behind the ads, those donors have pledged to continue their support. Click here for the rest of the story.