I have come to expect biased and misinformed editorials from the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus lately, and they did not disappoint today with one called ”Democrats must deliver some viable candidates for gov.”
This just continues the rightward veer of the paper's management and editorial board. The editorial could just as easily be called”Republicans must deliver some viable candidates for gov.”
The fact is that with the entry of Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero into the race yesterday, we have an immediate front-runner. If you don’t believe that, you just need to take a look at how quick the GOP attacks came after he announced. The editorial, of course, downplays his candidacy, saying, “…but he's at best a long shot. Virtually no one outside Lansing knows who he is. And not all of the Lansing folks think kindly of him, since they believe he promised not to seek another office when he ran for mayor last year.”
That’s just wishful thinking on the newspaper’s part. He served in the Michigan State Senate and State House from 2001 – 2006, and Bernero also served four terms on the Ingham County Board of Commissioners. You don’t get elected to the Senate without some people knowing who you are. He is the only candidate on both sides of the aisle who has had to balance a municipal budget on what Lansing sent him, and he knows the process in the Legislature.
Bernero has leveraged over $500 million dollars in new job-creating investments in Lansing, and he helped launch the area's first regional public-private economic development initiative. The city also has some major building and redevelopment projects underway.
If you think people don’t know who he is, I suggest the paper look up the youtube videos where Bernero appeared on every single major national news show to talk about the plight of the Big 3. He has as much name recognition as every single Republican candidate, with the possible exception of Manoogian Mike Cox, and that’s not really a good thing for Cox.
The editorial also says “Another state senator, Hansen Clarke from Detroit, jumped in after Cherry withdrew, but it's difficult to see Clarke putting together the machinery needed to mount a serious statewide campaign.”
They need to pay more attention to what’s going on in Lansing because he dropped put of the race almost a month ago.
The editorial also said “State Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith from nearby Salem Township long ago announced her candidacy and even proposed a far-reaching tax reform plan to balance the budget. But few, including her own party, give her the time of day.”
Where are they getting this crap? She is the chair of the Appropriations sub-committee that sets the budgets for the Department of Corrections; which, unfortunately, is one of the state’s biggest budgets. That certainly qualifies as giving her the time of day.”
