Campaign to take back the Michigan Senate in full gear

BLACKMAN TOWNSHIP -- I knocked on my first door Saturday in the quest to take back the Michigan Senate from the obstructionist Republicans, knocking on doors with Rep. Martin Griffin, D-Jackson, in his race for the 19th District that represents Calhoun and Jackson counties that was vacated with the election of Sen. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, to the U.S. House in November.

The unusually cool August weather made it a pleasant day; although the Jackson County township subdivision with no sidewalks and long sloping driveways gave me a great workout. It was also cool to get a mini-tour of Jackson with the former mayor of the city where Griffin is very popular.

I also discovered the coolest book store in downtown Jackson called The Book Exchange, and there were rooms and rooms filled with used books.

The reception was very warm, and many people said they are supporting him. We didn’t restrict the canvassing to just Democrats and independents, so that was a good sign. Only one guys said he would not vote for him, but he wasn’t even on he walking list; his wife was.

I was surprised at the number of people who were not aware of the special election. We will really need to work hard on our get out the vote efforts, and it will be even more important in a special election. That will be even harder with the announcement last week that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Michigan State Council endorsed the Republican in the race.

Apparently, they have not heard about the bills pending in Michigan Senate to make Michigan a right to work for less state introduced by Senate Republicans that is just an excuse to break unions. Apparently, the Republican is a former police officer and the SEIU represents corrections officers. I can’t think of another reason.

Republicans enjoy a slight 21-16 majority in the Senate, despite more people voting for Democrats in the last Senate election in 2006. The Senate is where good legislation and policy go to die. We saw an example last week of how they continue to put politics above helping Michigan with their 10th Amendment show.

Just in this session alone that just began in January, Senate Republicans have blocked meaningful Legislation that includes the workplace smoking ban many people have been clamoring for, laws to make voting easier that has bipartisan support and were passed in the House, redlining for auto insurance and the unemployment bills that will give Michigan families running out of unemployment access to $140 million in federal funds.

We need your help to make Michigan a better place. There are organized walks every Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays starting at 10 a.m. Walking is great exercise, and if you like meeting people and care about Michigan, volunteer at one of the offices, and not just for walking.

Martin Griffin for State Senate (Calhoun office)
38 Michigan Ave E.
Battle Creek, MI 49017
(269) 425-4333

Martin Griffin for State Senate (Jackson office)
218 S. Mechanic St
Jackson, MI 49201
(517) 392-0800

Health care reform rally set for Saturday in Oakland County

Health Care Now 9th District in Oakland County is sponsoring a rally for health care reform at 11 a.m. Saturday Aug. 22 in Birmingham, across from Border's bookstore.

We are aware of the highly organized “tea baggers” and “birthers” stirred up by outrageous lies from the rightwing Washington, D.C. lobbyists groups and think tanks Americans for Prosperity” and “Freedom Works” – the same people behind the fake, Astroturf “tea parties – that have been hijacking Democratic townhall meetings and shouting down the Congressman and anyone who disagrees with them. This is a chance to join in the fight of our lives, and rightwing extremists have been fighting health care reform since 1961 with the introduction of popular Medicare.

Bring your friends, family and neighbors, and don’t forget your signs.

The rightwing blogs have been abuzz about Service Employees International Union (SEIU) allegedly busing in 100 members to a health care rally in Jackson near the office of U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek. They made the explosive charge that there were “…rented vans and encouraged people to carpool to the event.” They use the usual “thug” labels for middle class working people who dared to band together to get a better shake from their employer, and they are even going as far as to steal the name “Astroturf.”.

I don’t see any union members or health care reform supporters trying to shout anyone down, and it was certainly not scripted by the insurance lobby like the Astroturf Townhall meetings are.

Oh my God, liberals and environmentalists car pooling to an event to show support for Schauer? Who would have thought that would happen? Working people rallying for health care reform when health care premiums for family plans have increased 78 percent in Michigan since 2000? Somebody better alert the corporate, conservative media. Stop the presses; I’ve wanted to say that since the first time I saw by byline in print.

Wow, this is their smoking gun? “…Rented vans and encouraged people to carpool to the event.” Wow. I’m stunned. I guess that dispels those polls that say 70 percent of Americans want health care reform is bunk, or that that the overwhelming victory in November when health care reform was a campaign issue was a fluke. Union members – regular working middle class people, not thugs – want health care reform, and it’s their union dues that paid for the van, if that story is true. It wasn’t money from the $1.4 million a day the insurance lobby is spending to kill real reform through rightwing lobbying groups like “Americans for Prosperity” and “Freedom Works.”

If this fails, the health insurance companies will continue to line their pockets at the expense of good medical care for the middle class, and if this passes, the majority of the 50 million U.S. citizens with no access to health care will be covered. The right is complaining about working people pooling their money to get out and fight back against misinformation, showing their support for a cause they have been fighting to gain for the past 50 years and to stop the shouting down of Democratic Congressman? Just sad.

What the right is really mad about is we are finally starting to fight back against their disgusting and disruptive tactics.