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.

Laura Berman: Political fear not so scary these days

Laura Berman speaks to the fact that political fear is losing its punch in this year's political campaigns. Joe Knollenberg is slipping in the polls and will suffer the same fate as John McGrumpy (McCain).

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Laura Berman: Commentary

Political fear not so scary these days

Even in times when there's nothing to fear but the throb of that emotion itself, you can't factor out the political value of fear.

For several election cycles, campaigns have profited by scaring voters about the dangers of change, exploiting the insecurity of Americans in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and mounting worries about the economy.

In 2004, Americans re-elected George W. Bush, despite a hugely unpopular war, in part because the incumbent president's campaign pushed the "too scary" button so effectively.

But in Michigan, where we're increasingly haunted by mounting evidence of unpleasantness -- unemployment, bankruptcy, foreclosures and a collapsing national economy -- the tried-and-true scare tactics of previous campaigns are now resonating with the effectiveness of a blow-up ghost at Halloween.

'Extreme' goes both ways

In Oakland County, incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, once indomitable, is slipping in polls to challenger Gary Peters.

In response, Knollenberg's campaign is painting Peters, a mainstream Democrat whose most recent position was lottery commissioner, as a liberal wild guy.

Knollenberg is using the boilerplate language that worked in the last election against Nancy Skinner.

"When Gary says 'change,' you better watch out. Gary Peters' plan for change is too 'extreme' and 'wrong' for Michigan's families," warned Knollenberg's campaign manager, Mike Brownfield, in a campaign piece this week.

Democrat Bruce Fealk, in an online anti-Knollenberg blog, uses the same "too extreme" language against Knollenberg.

At this point, the words are field tested and shopworn. Click here for the rest of the story.

Is the Oakland Press in the bag for Joe Knollenberg?

This piece from the Oakland Press editorial board is amazing. Joe Knollenberg and his staff insulted Asian Americans, and they're making excuses for Joe and his staff. Politically incorrect phrases are campaign issues, just ask George Allen, former senator from Virginia who referred to an opponent's employee as macacca, when it was discovered that macacca was a racial slur.

Do I think Joe wrote the offending blog entry himself, of course not. But here's the problem, I do think in order for a staffer to write such an thing and post it on the Internet for even one second reveals a lot about Knollenberg and his campaign. In order to create a title that includes the words "Asian Invaders" referring to a group of Americans tells me that there is pervasive racism within the heart of the candidate and his staff for the person that wrote the title of the blog to even think it would be allowed to go forward. Then for the Oakland Press to defend Knollenberg is an egregious violation of journalistic ethics, especially when I have been taken to task by the Oakland Press for my criticism of Knollenberg and his hypocrisy on his health care voting record. It's time for the Oakland Press to come clean and reveal any relationship they have with Joe Knollenberg or anyone on his staff and why they continue to defend a U.S. Congressman who is clearly out of touch with his constituents and refuses to answer questions about his record in public.

It makes me wonder what would have happened if a Democrat had made a similar comment, whether written or orally.

I think a real apology from Joe Knollenberg himself, not his spokesperson, in front of the media answering questions about how this happened and how this racist blog headline made it to the Internet in the first place is in order. But I know Joe Knollenberg will never answer questions from the media about this incident. He thinks he's above answering questions for his constituents, at least any that disagree with him.

Democrats Thrilled with Candidates - Peters Running Hard Against Knollenberg

Today's Oakland Press discusses how the Democrats in Oakland County are really excited about their prospects of winning in the fall, especially the race against Joe Knollenberg, now that Peters has national assistance. Other county-wide races are looking good too with the best candidates in years. Click here to read all about it.

Eccentric: Kevorkian brings new life to 9th District race

Dr. Kevorkian brings new life to the 9th U.S. House race

By now I am sure that Gary Peters and Joe Knollenberg are huddling in their respective corners weighing what to do next.

No sooner had Nancy Skinner been knocked out of the race for the 9th U.S. House seat then a new candidate entered the arena.

Jack Kevorkian announced that he is going to run for the seat.

Dr. Death.

Oh, my.

This could upset the entire dynamic of the contest, which already has taken some pretty sharp turns as it is. To recap, incumbent Knollenberg is up for re-election this year to represent the sprawling district, which stretches from Waterford to Royal Oak and from Farmington to Oakland Township.

Knollenberg has been the representative since 1992 and has enjoyed success in every re-election bid he has faced since then.

But things are changing. The district was reconfigured several years ago from the old 11th District to the new 9th District. It now includes Pontiac, which has a sizeable Democratic tilt. And even the Birmingham area has been leaning more toward the Democrats in recent years.

Anyway, in the last election Knollenberg was nearly upset by Skinner, who was at that point known as Nancy Skinner Who?

Actually she had some decent credentials, including being clobbered by Barack Obama in an Illinois Senate race, but she was not a well-known name in these parts. Yet she came within 15,000 votes of upsetting Knollenberg.

You can attribute that a lot to the Iraq War and frustration with the Bush administration and its spending policies. True blue - or is it red? - Republicans don't like what they are seeing in Bush's - dare we say, reckless - domestic spending. And more moderate Republicans are uneasy about the trillion-dollar expense being racked up in Iraq.

Knollenberg has a reputation of walking in lockstep with the Bush administration, even though he has been trying to distance himself from the prez in recent months.

Oakland Press: Letters to the editor on FISA and Our Civil Liberties

Sunday's Oakland Press included two letters to the editor urging Democrats to stand up to the political terrorism of the Bush regime.

Birmingham Eccentric: Peters Sides with Workers

Peters sides with workers

Gary Peters has taken a stance for the working man, calling for economic changes in Oakland County and lashing out at Rep. Joe Knollenberg, his Republican rival for the 9th U.S. House seat.

"I will be a strong voice for the working men and women of Oakland County and will fight to bring and protect high-paying jobs and ensure health care is available," Peters said Wednesday at the Pipe Fitters Local 636 in Farmington Hills.

Peters was joined by Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen. Several workers were also in attendance to share their stories of struggle.

"Congressman Knollenberg has partnered with the Bush administration in leveling a disastrous economic policy that has undermined the rights of workers, dished out incentives for companies to invest oversees, and stood idly by, watching the exodus of thousands of Michigan jobs," Peters said.

"Gary Peters is a proven problem solver with a record of results for working families. No one will fight harder on behalf of his constituents and for every Michigan job," Van Hollen said. "Whether it's voting to outsource American jobs or blindly supporting the Iraq war, Joe Knollenberg is one of President Bush's most loyal rubber stamps and is out of touch with the struggles and priorities of working families in this district."

Peters and Van Hollen were joined by Dan Pier, who after 31 years of working for Farmer Jack grocery store lost his job.

"Our current congressman believes that Michigan jobs can not be saved," Pier said. "I do not agree with this. Our present situation calls for someone who will work for us in Washington and in Oakland County and not sit idly by as companies undercut wages and prices while our jobs disappear. We need a change in leadership and I know that Gary Peters will put the priorities of working men and women in Oakland County first."