HFD Political Dork Superthread

[Woodwards Friend]

This guy is serious about running for governor? Really?

[gnome]

Let's say you walk into a voting booth and are looking at Dennis Ilitch and Rick Snyder; before pulling the trigger, you have to pull the lever, does that make Synder any more attractive?

[Mulligan]

I keep rewinding to the :55 mark when the woman over his shoulder (his wife?) turns and smiles. Cracks me up every time. Heck, I might be ready to vote for a nerd.

[The Beav]

Looks like the Mayor of Lansing is getting into the race, too.

[Doctor Detroit]

I keep rewinding to the :55 mark when the woman over his shoulder (his wife?) turns and smiles. Cracks me up every time. Heck, I might be ready to vote for a nerd.

I will admit his nerd-based ad was somewhat effective on me, I am intrigued enough to look into it at least. If he quotes some Python during his campaign, I'm sold.

[ldodger]

I keep rewinding to the :55 mark when the woman over his shoulder (his wife?) turns and smiles. Cracks me up every time. Heck, I might be ready to vote for a nerd.

I will admit his nerd-based ad was somewhat effective on me, I am intrigued enough to look into it at least. If he quotes some Python during his campaign, I'm sold.

As a response in a debate: "I fart in thy general direction!"

[Amadeus]

Macomb political activists unite to oppose Bouchard, Snyder for governor
By Chad Selweski, Macomb Daily Staff Writer

A newly created nonprofit organization that has launched a campaign that's bashing two Republican candidates for governor is associated with notorious Macomb County political consultants and local political activists who are supporting GOP front-runner Mike Cox.

The Michigan Civic Educational Fund, based in Mount Clemens, is ready to spend tens of thousands of dollars harshly criticizing Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder, two of Attorney General Cox's leading opponents in the August Republican primary.

The nonprofit MCEF was formed in November by attorney Cecil St. Pierre, attorney Mike Greiner and Warren Assistant City Attorney Jeff Schroder, according to state documents. They have hired political consultant Joe Munem to conduct their "educational" activities about Bouchard and Snyder.

But it's the tone of the group's radio ads, which are just getting started in southeast Michigan and western Michigan, that will raise eyebrows in political circles across Michigan. One compares Bouchard to the exploits of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and another claims that Snyder was responsible for the "implosion" of his former company.

Greiner is a Democrat but said he is intervening in the Republican gubernatorial campaign because he is motivated by "my loyalty to my state." Greiner said he and other MCEF members are dismayed by the failures of the Granholm administration over the past years.

http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/201 ... 571908.txt

The best of the comments so far:

Mike Cox for Governor, let's see: former Wayne County prosecutor, then attorney general, now wants to run the state. No business experience, no executive experience, only a lawyer and political machine hack.

Is this a rerun of Granholm? I've seen enough of this, and then throw in Cox's coverup of the Kwame party rumors and there is enough there for me to vote for a Democrat

[Mulligan]

Looks like HFD's own Mike Ilitch won't get to be Michigan's First Father.

Denise Ilitch won't run for governor

[Mulligan]

We win.

Try Me
The results of Slate's reader contest for where to hold the KSM trial.
By Dahlia Lithwick and Michael Newman
Posted Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010, at 5:14 PM ET

We recently noted with some chagrin that New York City was turning up its nose at $200 million in federal funds, and the opportunity to host the federal criminal trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other alleged 9/11 terrorists, because it might block traffic. So we invited Slate readers to nominate their own hometowns as alternative sites for the trials.

We are happy to report that most of you are indeed made of sterner stuff. After sorting through hundreds of thoughtful responses, we are delighted to announce that—assuming Attorney General Eric Holder agrees—the new host city for the 9/11 terror trials will be Detroit. Detroit garnered more votes than any other city, although Washington, D.C.; New York City; San Francisco; and Philadelphia were all close behind.

Why Detroit? A combination of practicality, pride, and desperation best captured by reader Casey Lowe. "First of all," he writes, "large swaths of downtown Detroit are already abandoned, so there is plenty of available space. Traffic and business will be unaffected because the city has none of either." Moreover, "if the proceedings are attacked, there will be minimal collateral damage to the surrounding area. To the contrary, the terrorists would be performing a useful public service by demolishing deserted buildings." As for the fairness of the trial, he notes that the metropolitan area "boasts the largest Arab-American community in the country," so the jury pool would draw from people unlikely "to reduce every Muslim we see to a jihadi stereotype." Lowe concludes: "We're the undisputed toughest city in the nation. Over the years, we've seen it all: riots, murders, mass unemployment. Yawn. There's nothing the terrorists can do to us that hasn't already been done. In a country paralyzed by fear, I'm proud that Detroit is the only city with the guts to say: Bring it on, Al-Qaeda! Plus, we really need the money."

Honorable mention goes to the following proposed trial locations and the readers who submitted them:

Bird-in-Hand, Pa. Alex Stamm explains that "if Mohammed is to have a chance at receiving a fair trial, then he must be tried by jurors that aren't going to be blinded by a bloodlust to avenge the September 11 attacks. We will only find such men and women in a place so remote, so removed from civilization, that they have no knowledge of the attacks. … Bird-in-Hand is home to just over 300 people, almost all of whom are Amish or Mennonite. Since these delightful folks shun (so to speak) television, they've never been exposed to incendiary commentary on the attacks or Mohammed. Ditto Internet." Stamm adds: "Think of how easy it will be to secure a town that has one road! Plus, can you imagine how many barns we could raise with $200 million?"

Salem, Mass. Peter Urkowitz calls the trial a "win-win" for this town north of Boston. "We're already famous for the manifestly unjust Salem Witch Trials, so we would love the opportunity to clear our reputations by hosting a new, fair set of trials," he writes. "Or if the new trials turned out to be disastrous, that would cement our reputation for unjust trials, which could only help our Witch Trial tourism industry, already our No. 1 economic driver!"

Wasilla, Alaska. Steve (he (?) didn't give a last name) suggests that if the KSM trial were to be held in Wasilla, "The national press can cover this trial and the Bristol Palin child custody hearings at the same time."

Upson, Wisc. Writes Kevin Peltonen: "Starting point of the illustrious Paavo Nurmi Marathon and home of Lipske's Bar/funeral parlour, Upson can provide all the seclusion and quaintness required in the trying of an infamous Middle Eastern terrorist.
Upson's townhall/dance hall/event center/school/storage shed can be the site of the trial, and a jury selection from one of Upson's 30 citizens will ensure a speedy and fair trial. Those paranoid conservative commentators needn't worry about a liberal bias here." Plus, Peltonen writes, "if the verdict is death, I'm sure there would be plenty of people willing to volunteer their deer pole."

* Niagara Falls, N.Y. Notes Lee Neville: "Escape by jumping over the falls and swimming to Canada is almost suicidal. Bonus: Even if KSM survived a jailbreak, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police would be waiting. Their unofficial motto: 'We always get our man.' " Neville also points out that "it would be counterproductive for terrorists to fly airplanes into the waterfalls because Osama bin Laden is an outspoken environmentalist" and that local "souvenir stands are not just shovel-ready but kitsch-ready. Sample: 'KSM got the death penalty but all I got was this mist-proof hoodie.' "

Rupert, Ga. As Dan Schooler Sr. explains: "WE HAVE NO POLICE FORCE AND NO JAIL BUT WE CAN GET A NO-MISS FIRING SQUAD TOGETHER IN ONE HOUR AND WE WILL SHOOT AND BURY THE BASTARDS FOR FREE. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DELIVER THEM. LET'S KEEP IT SIMPLE." (Capitalization in original.)

http://www.slate.com/id/2244312/

[Andy]

"if the proceedings are attacked, there will be minimal collateral damage to the surrounding area. To the contrary, the terrorists would be performing a useful public service by demolishing deserted buildings."

I've made that joke before.

[Shark]

The former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after his vehicle became disabled near downtown Saline earlier this week, police reports said.

Craig DeRoche, 39, was arrested Tuesday night after officers suspected he was intoxicated. They were called to investigate reports of suspicious behavior and a possible crash.

The Novi Republican served in the State Legislature from 2003 to 2009, including two years as house speaker before he was term limited out of office. He currently owns an insurance services company and said he is not seeking any public office.

Officers responded to calls about a man wearing a suit staggering and falling down in the snow near an auto shop in the 400 block of North Ann Arbor Street at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, reports said.

Officers quickly located him but said it became obvious he first tried to avoid them. One officer said as he approached, the man walked to a Dumpster in a nearby parking lot and dropped a duffle bag nearby on the ground. He then quickly walked away from the officers, nearly slipping to the ground several times.

Another officer noted the man walked into at least two businesses, including the Bead Alley at 401 N. Ann Arbor St., where an employee said he staggered into the store and immediately knocked over a large display case of sequins. The man then went to the rear of the store to look out a window and returned to the front upon seeing a patrol car, reports said.

The man walked out the main door without saying anything, the employee told police.

Officers eventually found him sitting next to an electrical transformer, concealed behind the building.

They identified him from his driver’s license and began their standard procedure for investigating possible drunken driving incidents, reports said. DeRoche’s eyes were bloodshot, and he smelled heavily of intoxicants, reports said.

DeRoche had difficulty standing, had very slurred speech and was unable to answer questions.

Officers said they were unable to perform sobriety tests due to his suspected high level of intoxication. DeRoche consented to blood tests and registered a blood alcohol content of .249 during a preliminary breathalyzer tests, reports said. The legal limit to be considered drunken driving is .08 or above.

An officer retrieved the duffle bag beside the Dumpster and found a pair of running shoes and an open vodka bottle inside.

Officers confirmed the white Cadillac with tire and side damage parked in a nearby driveway belonged to DeRoche.

There was a visible hole in the sidewall of one of the front tires, and the lug nuts of the wheel were removed, reports said.

DeRoche told officers he was at a business meeting in the city and got a flat tire on his way out of town.

He said he was at a local bar for about three hours for the business meeting but couldn’t remember which bar or how much had had to drink. He told officers he punctured the tire when he hit a curb, and he pulled into a driveway to make repairs.

When reached by phone at his Novi home this evening, DeRoche said he tried to use the jack to repair the tire, but part of the device bent.

DeRoche said it was difficult for him to comment without seeing the report. He emphasized he was not in the vehicle when the alcohol was found and that he neither would nor could leave in his vehicle.

“It’s embarrassing, but this wasn’t a run-of-the-mill drunken driving incident,” he said.

DeRoche added in a follow-up e-mail that he intends to take full responsibility for anything wrong he did that night.

"Just because I wasn't driving my car doesn't mean I don't fully accept responsibility for drinking more than I should have and hope to learn from my mistake and never put myself in that situation again," he wrote.

DeRoche was allowed to leave after sobering up, police said. The report will be turned over to prosecutors for review when the results of the blood test are known, which could take a few weeks, officials said.

[Amadeus]

Another officer noted the man walked into at least two businesses, including the Bead Alley at 401 N. Ann Arbor St., where an employee said he staggered into the store and immediately knocked over a large display case of sequins. The man then went to the rear of the store to look out a window and returned to the front upon seeing a patrol car, reports said.

The man walked out the main door without saying anything, the employee told police.

I don't suppose that store has any surveillance cameras. Pity.

[Shark]

Manifest of the terrorist who crashed his plane into an IRS building today.

http://www.businessinsider.com/joseph-andrew-stacks-insane-manifesto-2010-2

Even scarier than his words and actions are the comments below the article.

[Woodwards Friend]

Manifest of the terrorist who crashed his plane into an IRS building today.

http://www.businessinsider.com/joseph-andrew-stacks-insane-manifesto-2010-2

Even scarier than his words and actions are the comments below the article.

I want enhanced interrogation on this guy (or his corpse) personally supervised by Candice Miller and her sensible shoes.

[Shark]

http://michiganmessenger.com/35585/scott-sticks-to-plan-of-targeting-transgendered

Just an odd story about Rep. Scott. I assumed he was much more intelligent than this. Not sure how or why this is any sort of strategy to win an election.