Blanchard and Engler appear on the same stage for the first time in 20 years

LIVONIA - Political junkies expecting to see fireworks when two former Michigan governors and political foes appeared on the same stage together for the first time in 20 years were disappointed, but they were treated to their opinions on a wide range of subjects, from the state of affairs in Lansing to calling for building the planned public-private Detroit River International Crossing (DRIC) between Detroit and Canada.

Former Democratic Governor Jim Blanchard and Republican John Engler headlined the 15th Annual Fundraising Dinner for the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) on Thursday night, appearing together for the first time since Engle unseated the incumbent Blanchard in 1990.

Since 1992, the nonpartisan MPLP recruits, trains, and inspires 24 unique leaders from across the state every year to prepare them for effective governance. The dinner serves as the major fundraiser for the program, and this was the largest turnout in the 15 years the dinner has been put on featuring a well known Republican and Democrat.

"You all think this is going to be like the Michigan International Speedway; you're just waiting for the crash,” Engler joked.

Each man gave a short speech, and they jointly took questions from the audience. Despite a tough campaign in 1990, both men get along well and were gracious. In fact, they both agree on the DRIC bridge.

Blanchard served as the Ambassador to Canada from 1993-1996, and he said Canada supplies more oil to the U.S. than any other country and accounts for billons of dollars of trade a year. He said the DRIC bridge is vital to keeping that important trade route open. Plus, it will prove 10,000 jobs.

“This is something we can do right now,” he said. “It’s supported by a who’s, who, including Brooks Patterson, John Engler and the Detroit Chamber of Commerce.”

Engler agreed.

“We need to get this bridge built,” he said. “We need to get the (Michigan) Senate working on this.”

Blanchard gave a very optimistic speech, saying Michigan will rebound from the worst recession since the Great Depression.

“I said this two years ago at the Michigan Political History Society dinner and I’ll say it here: our state is too great and our people our too resilient to be held down for long,” he said. “The only question is when and how we will recover.”

Engler is the president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, and he said any recovery has to include manufacturing. He also said manufacturing accounts for $1.6 trillion a year in the U.S.

“You hear this all the time; that we don’t make anything in this country anymore,” Engler said. “Our political leaders and future leaders need to know we are still the largest manufacturer in the world.”

The Q & A section was wide ranging, and Engler cleared up the rumor that he was moving back to Michigan to run for the U.S. Senate against Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-East Lansing. His triplet daughters are now high school freshman, and he said he was not running.

“I have a house full of drama,” he said. “I don’t think I would want to ramp it up even more.”

When asked what piece of advice they have for turning Michigan around, Blanchard produced a copy of the 20-page report of the bipartisan Emergency Financial Advisory Panel he chaired with former Republican Governor Bill Milliken that says a combination of cuts in spending and creating a modern tax structure that abandons the focus on the economic system of the 20th century will address the shortfall and combat the immediate shortfalls and position us to thrive in the future.

The two former governors also weighed in on the current race for Michigan Governor. Neither is currently endorsing a candidate, but Blanchard he would have endorsed his former Treasurer Bob Bowman, who was in the race briefly.

“I think the Democrats have an opportunity more than people think,” he said. “But there’s no doubt it will be uphill.”

Engler said he likes the chances of Republicans to take back the governor’s mansion.

“If a Republican can’t win this year, a Republican can never win here in Michigan,” he said.

Michigan political junkies can see Off the Record live

The long-running weekly PBS show "Off the Record" will tape a segment live on Nov. 21 in East Lansing in front of a live audience, and the show is inviting fellow political junkies to join them for a special on the road show.

The show has been a staple on PBS stations all over Michigan since 1972, covering the governor's office, the state legislature, the political campaign trail and state government with host and longest-running Capitol Correspondent Tim Skubick. The on the road show will take a look back at the 2008 election with some of Michigan's top political pundits. The show will begin at 2:30 pm. At Michigan State University's Kellogg Center Auditorium, 55 S. Harrison Road in East Lansing, with a reception following at 5 p.m.

The program is sponsored by MSU's Michigan Political Leadership Program and the Michigan Political History Society. It will feature guests Steve Mitchell of Mitchell Research and Communications, Inc.; Susan Demas, a reporter for the newsletter MIRS that covers the Capitol; Bernie Porn of EPIC-MRA; Nat Ehrlich, of the Institute of Public Policy & Social Research; Bill Ballenger, editor of the newsletter Inside Michigan Politics and Coit Cook Ford III of CCF III Consulting & Associates.

The event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required by phone at (517) 353-1357 or by e-mail to cusickk@msu.edu.

The show airs on weekends on PBS stations beginning Friday evening. Check local TV listings in your area to see when the show airs on your local PBS station.

New online magazine gives inside look at Lansing

The conventional wisdom in Lansing is if you really want to know what's going on under the Capital dome you ask a lobbyist, but now a new online magazine called the "Dome" will shed some light on the lobbyists themselves, and on the other people who shape policy in Lansing.

The magazine has been online less than two weeks, and it aims to cover “the people, issues and events shaping Michigan politics and policy.”

“We’re not trying to get into the daily stuff of who called who what name,” said Publisher Tom Scott said. “We want to look at the bigger picture.
“Newspapers don’t do features any more, and we want to fill that niche,” he said.

Scott is a story himself. He was Gov. James Blanchard’s deputy press secretary in his first term and served as press secretary during Blanchard’s second term. He is currently the vice-president of public affairs and communications for the Michigan Retailers Association, and the magazine is a part-time labor of love for him. He published the traditional monthly, glossy magazine “The Michigan Lobbyist” from 2003 to 2006, but he said too many people thought it was simply a trade magazine just for lobbyists.

“It concentrated on the lobbyist corps, but it was not a trade magazine,” Scott said. “It didn’t pass the doctor’s office test.
“It was well-received, but a lot of people simply did not understand it.”

When Scott decided to bring the magazine back he began lining up advertisers for a traditional magazine, but he also wanted to make the magazine much broader. Features on the people who effect and shape policy will be a major focus of the magazine, and that will include lobbyists, as well as lawmakers, academics and even the policy people who work for the nonpartisan Legislative Service Bureau (LSB) and even the party caucuses.

“I wanted to bring it back with a new name and a broader base,” Scott said. “A funny thing happened on the way to publication: I fell into the 21st Century.
“There are still costs associated with publishing online, but not nearly as much as publishing a traditional magazine,” he said.

The magazine will carry 2-3 features on policy makers, opinion columns by well-know policy makers, book reviews on Michigan policy, news briefs, policy events and even an advice column by former Michigan First Lady Paula Blanchard and her partner Patty McCarthy. Scott said although the magazine is structured as a traditional monthly magazine, some content will change daily, weekly and monthly. It is entirely advertiser driven, meaning that the content is free, and the articles will be written by freelance writers.

“I’m a traditional journalist; I still tend to think in terms of a monthly magazine,” Scott said. “It’s a work in progress. There will be some things that may go away, some will stay and some new things will be added.”

Along with Scott’s discovery of the 21st Century and high-tech news sources, he has added some multi-media features. The current issue features video of a lively panel discussion on the 1983 recalls sponsored by the Michigan Political History Society recorded in 2004 on the eve of the California recall. Scott said he initially planned to publish a transcript of the discussion, but he realized how many pages it would take, coupled with advice from friends, he decided to post the entire video.

“With all the stuff about recalls I remembered there was an excellent program put on by the Michigan Political History Society,” he said. “It really was an excellent panel discussion.”

The inaugural issue features a cover story about lobbyist Dennis Muchmore, who, ironically, also graced the cover of the premiere issue of Michigan Lobbyist magazine back in the Spring of 2003. Scott said although it’s not a major focus of the magazine, the Dome will put a human face on lobbyists. Outside of Lansing lobbyists often have a bad image and reputation, but inside Lansing many are respected professionals.

“If you really look at it, everyone has a lobbyist,” Scott said. “If you are a member of a professional organization you have a lobbyist, if you are a member of an advocacy group you have a lobbyist and if you are a member of a charitable organization you have a lobbyist.
“These are very interesting people,” he said. “Yes, they are lobbyists, but they are intelligent, interesting people with various backgrounds, hobbies and families.”

Political history society preserves institutional memory in term limits era

With the budget standoff and the failure of the Senate and House that are controlled by opposite political parties to reach a balanced budget in a timely manner, the refrain often heard in Michigan is there is no institutional memory left in Lansing and no relationships across the aisle in the era of term limits. One group that is safeguarding Michigan’s rich political history and institutional memory is the nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan Political History Society.

“In this era of term limits you don’t get to know people,” said David Murley, the President of the Michigan Political History Society. “Everyone is working towards the same goal, working for a better Michigan. We just differ on how to get there.”

The current budget crisis, government shutdown and threat of recalls has only heightened the partisan divide between the two political parties, and the newspapers and blogs are filled with stories harkening back to the last time the state faced a government shutdown and the last time lawmakers were recalled. The society exists both to foster better understanding and bipartisan cooperation between political opponents and to preserve and present accurate information from those actually involved in historic political events in Michigan.

“We are all part of a rich political history,” Murley said. “This did not start with us, and it certainly will not end with us.
We have been in this situation before backs in 1959 and in 1967 when we got the income tax,” he said.

The society began some 13 years ago with goals of expanding greater knowledge of Michigan’s political history; educating the public about the role politics has played in the state; studying and documenting events, highlighting groups and notable people in Michigan’s political history, serve as a clearing house for political history information for academics, writers, historians and citizens; promote a greater interest in civic affairs and participation in civic duties; foster bipartisan relations and plan and coordinate functions.

The society is governed by a 25-member board that covers the entire political spectrum, and membership is open to anyone with an interest in history and politics for an annual membership of fee of just $30. The society serves an important function because there is really no other place to get the kind of information the society collects.

“Michigan political history is not taught in schools,” Murley said. “The Capitol coverage from our daily newspapers is also disappearing from what it once was.”

The society exits for the most part in cyberspace, and one of the most ambitious projects the society has been involved in the past 10 years is recording oral histories of major political figures to pass on to future generations. The interviews are recorded on DVDs for distribution to Michigan Government Television (MGTV), Michigan PBS TV stations, university libraries and the Michigan Historical Museum and Library.

The society also tries to put on about three events a year. In the past it has held book signings by political figures and their biographers, dinners and events marking special anniversary or milestones. Past events have included celebrating the 1963 Constitutional Convention, the Romney Gubernatorial Years, Teddy Roosevelt comes to Lansing and The Recalls of 1983.

“The vast majority of our events are not to raise money,” Murley said. “They are designed to bring Michigan political history to the people.”

Although it does not have a building or facility of its own, in the past the society has partnered with other groups to display some of the political material it has. Although it has not really been discussed with the board a permanent display or museum for Michigan politics is not completely out of the question in the distant future.

One project the society wants to undertake is collecting campaign material from the political campaigns. Although badges, bumper stickers and other campaign swag make great collector items, the society is looking more for campaign literature, mailers and campaign ads. Murley said it’s both interesting and informative to see what the issues were over the years and how they have evolved. Murley said the school vouchers issue is a perfect example of that evolution when you see how support for them switched political affiliation over the years.

“When you look at the TV commercial and campaign literature it’s interesting to see what the issues were 30 years ago to get you elected,” he said. “In the ‘70s it was the Republicans who opposed vouchers and the Democrats who supported it, for the most part.”

(Photo Courtesy of the Michigan Political History Society)

Michigan Political History Society to honor former Gov. Jim Blanchard

It was 25 years ago that a young U.S. Congressman from Lansing broke the Republican’s 20-year ownership of the Michigan Governor’s seat. The nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan Political History Society is celebrating that milestone in Michigan history with a 25th Anniversary Celebration of Governor Jim Blanchard Friday at the Lansing Country Club.

“It's obviously not the exact date he was elected, but it was the fall of 1982 that be became governor,” said David Murley, the President of the Michigan Political History Society.

The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the country club at 2200 Moores River Dr. in Lansing with the program beginning at 7 p.m. Bob Bowman, the state Treasurer under Blanchard – the youngest state treasurer in the country at the time of his appointment - and current President and CEO of Major League Baseball, the interactive media company of MLB- will serve as emcee. Tickets are $100, and the money raised will be used to continue the society’s work of conducting interviews for oral histories of Michigan’s notable political figures.

The oral histories the society has collected for the past 10 years include notable Michigan political figures like former Attorney General Frank Kelly, former UAW President Doug Fraser and former state Republican Party Chair Elly Peterson. The collection will be renamed the James J. Blanchard Living Library of Political History.

The Society has a list of some 50 people it wants to interview and put on DVDs for distribution to Michigan Government Television (MGTV), Michigan PBS TV stations, university libraries and the Michigan Historical Museum and Library. Among that list are people such as U.S. Rep. John Dingell, Blanchard and the Levin Brothers: U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and U.S. Rep. Sander Levin.

“Every few years when a major political figure in Michigan passes away we kick ourselves for not interview them sooner,” Murley said. “We just want to hear from them things like why they got into politics and what was behind some of the major decisions they made.”

Murley, a registered Republican, said he has no problem with celebrating the accomplishments of a Democratic governor, and he said political figurers who have worked to better Michigan no matter what side of the political spectrum they try to accomplish that goal from should be honored.

“You just can’t deny that Jim Blanchard was a major political figure in the postwar era,” he said.

Blanchard was born on Aug. 8, 1942 in Detroit. He had an early interest in politics, and it first came to bloom when he was elected as the senior class president at Michigan State University. He graduated from MSU in 1964 and in 1965 he received a Masters Degree in business administration from MSU in 1965. He then graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1968. He returned to Lansing following law school and went briefly into private practice before working for the Michigan Attorney General from 1969-1974.

He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the 18th District in 1974, and he served four terms in the House from 1975-1983. As a relatively junior member of the House, Blanchard achieved his greatest legislative achievement by helping Chrysler secure the federal loan guarantees that kept it from going bankrupt and closing in 1979.

In 1982 he was elected the 45th Governor of Michigan, ending 20 years of Republican control of the Governor’s seat, beginning with George Romney in 1963 and William Milliken in 1969. Blanchard served two terms. He was reelected in 1986 by the largest margin of any governor in Michigan history.

In his first year in office Blanchard faced perhaps an even worse economic situation than Michigan faces now, but some aspects of that situation are very similar. Michigan faced a $1.7 billion budget deficit, the threat of bankruptcy and record high double-digit unemployment of more than 17 percent in 1983. Blanchard pushed for a temporary hike in the state income tax rate that helped Michigan climb out of the financial mess, but it came at a steep cost. Two Democratic Senators were recalled for voting on the increase, giving Republicans control of the Senate they still maintain today.

The state is facing a similar situation with a $1.8 billon budget deficit, and an anti-tax group threatening to recall selected lawmakers if they vote for an increase in taxes. The group, the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance, is led by former state Rep. Leon Drolet, now a Macomb County commissioner.

Blanched lost his bid for a third term to Republican John Engler in a brilliant campaign by Engler and his supporters. Following the loss, Blanchard went again into private law practice, but he still kept a hand in politics. In 1992 he ran the successful Michigan presidential campaign for President Bill Clinton. The two became friends when Blanchard served as the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association and Clinton was the governor of Arkansas.

In 1993 Clinton appointed Blanched Ambassador to Canada, and he served in that post until 1996. Blanched was able to run for Governor again under the term limit rules, but he lost in the Democratic primary in 2002 to Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Blanched was brought back into the current budget situation when Granholm tapped him and Milliken to head the 12-person, bipartisan Emergency Financial Advisory Panel in January to come up with some solutions to the financial and budget situation facing the state. In February the group that consisted of state budget directors, legislative leaders and longtime Lansing policy experts from both political parties issued its report that said “a combination of cuts in spending and creating a modern tax structure that abandons the focus on the economic system of the 20th century will address the shortfall and combat the immediate shortfalls and position the state to thrive in the future.”

For tickets to the event all Linda Cleary, administrate director of the Michigan Political History Society, at (517) 333-7996.