everything that's wrong with American politics in one little pictureSteve Israel, Chairman of the DCCC, had managed to keep Fred Upton's blue-leaning district off the radar for years. Even after Obama won the district 184,186 (53%) to 156,835 (45%), Israel stepped in to make sure Upton would have an easy rise to reelection.
Fred Upton only agreed, reluctantly, to one debate— and only after Paul Clements started gaining tremendous traction in the southwest Michigan 6th congressional district. Upton, an heir to the Whirlpool fortune that once— but no longer— was the biggest employer in the area, doesn’t like being questioned or reminded of his record. Shipping all those Whirlpool jobs— i.e., Republican-backed “outsourcing”— doesn’t go over well with his constituents.Western Michigan along the 94 in towns from Three Oaks, New Buffalo, Sawyer up through Benton Harbor and St.
It's just two and a half weeks 'til election day.If someone feeds you a line about the Democrats taking back the House, you're talking with a dishonest huckster or someone steeped in ignorance. The House Democrats' sealed their fate when-- in the light of their 2012 disaster-- they allowed Pelosi to reappoint Steve Israel to chair the DCCC.
The most likely House seat in Michigan to go from Red to Blue is the 6th district in the southwest corner of the state, Fred Upton’s district. The PVI is R+1. Obama won the district against McCain 184,186 (53%) to 156,835 (45%) in 2008. Senator Debbie Stabenow won the district. Senator Carl Levin won the district. Today polling shows that Democratic senatorial candidate Gary Peters is beating GOP nut job Terri Lynn Land in MI-06 by double digits.
Founded in 1961, MIRS— Michigan Informantion and Research Service— isn’t meant to be for everyone.
If politics was rational Roll Call's list of the 10 most vulnerable House Members might look very different and possibly include other congressional sociopaths besides Staten Island Mafia thug Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm. Almost everyone but Grimm on the list-- Carol Shea-Porter excepted-- is just some dull 3rd rate hack backbencher.
As the UN prepares for a Climate Change summit hosted by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Tuesday, this morning New York saw a massive People's Climate March down the west side of Manhattan, one of dozens of climate change events around the globe. The official count was 310,000 people participating. Ban Ki-moon: "Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty, advancing economic growth... these are one and the same fight.
A gas pipeline owned by Trans Canada, the Keystone XL villains, and running from Canada to Texas ruptured... but not in Canada nor in Texas. The victims were in Michigan, in Berrien County, ironically, the second most populous county in MI-06, the home district of House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman, "drill, baby, drill" zombie Fred Upton. The county leans Republican.
There may be more than one reason so many voters in southwest Michigan want this to be Fred Upton's last term. First elected in 1986 (when Ronald Reagan was president), there's a general feeling that Upton's been in Congress too long and that he's now "one of them," not "one of us." He's become a creature of the Beltway and he pushes policies for K Street lobbyists and big special interests rather than for working families back in Kalamazoo, Portage, Niles, Benton Harbor/St. Joseph or Paw Paw.
