Party faithful gear up for historic election at MDP convention

LANSING -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm hit the nail on the hard when she questioned the RNC’s convention theme of “A change is going to come” when GOP Presidential nominee John McCain voted with current President George Bush more than 90 percent of the time and has been in Washington for almost three decades.

“We have John McCain out of his own mouth saying he voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time,” she said. “But there he was in Sterling Heights Friday running away from the Republicans.”

Granholm gave a signature fiery speech at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention Saturday at the Lansing Center before an excited crowd.

Granholm said the absence of George Bush, the leader of the Republican Party, and Vice-President Dick Cheney spoke volumes. McCain said he would put the country back on the road to prosperity, but at the same time wholeheartedly supporting Bush’s failed economic policies. He stole Barack Obama’s change theme because he is trying hard not be Velcroed to the failure of Bush.

“People will remember when the country was prosperous a Democrat was in the White House,” she said. “The Republicans are putting on a mask because they are trying to fool the American people.”

Granholm talked about the latest Jobs Report that showed the U.S. jobless rate jumped to a 5-year high at 6.1 percent, and the leading job losses were in the manufacturing sector, automotive and auto suppliers.

“Who gets hit by that, Michigan does,” she said.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero welcomed the Democrats to his city, and he outlined how the failed Bush policies have hurt the Capitol City.

“Cities are under siege,” he said. “Cities are canaries of our economy, and they are hurting.”

Bernero said he didn’t watch much of the RNC convention on TV, but it only took him a few minutes to know it was the same old Republicans rhetoric.

“I watched and listened, and I hear the same old thing; get government out of the way,” he said. “They got government out of the way by deregulating the financial industry that led to the foreclosure crisis. They got government out of the way for criminals by getting rid of police and killing the COPS program.”

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow talked about McCain’s chief economic advisor, the same guy responsible for deregulating the financial industry, who said the recession was a “mental recession” and we are a nation of whiners: former Texas Sen. Phil Gramm.

“Now I ask you: when you lose your job or your wages go down, are you just hallucinating.” Stabenow said. “America is not a nation of whiners, it’s a nation of workers.”

Sen. Carl Levin said the excitement, hope and inspiration generated by Barack Obama’s campaign reminds him of the first political campaign he participated in: President John F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign. He said reception Obama recently received by one of our best allies, Germany, demonstrated that Obama can repair our tarnished reputation around the world.

“Barack Obama is greeted by 250,000 cheering people: George Bush is greeted by violent protests,” he said. “That told a lot pf people in this country that our reputation can be won back.”

Longtime U.S. Congressman Dale Kildee introduced the Democratic Congressional candidates, including State Sen. Mark Schauer, who is opposing the most extreme member of Congress; Tim Walberg in the 7th District.

“The Club for Growth certainly got what they paid for, but the people of the 7th District did not, “ he said.

Schauer said he has unseated a Republican incumbent before. He highlighted some of Walberg’s more extreme positions, such as saying everyone has healthcare, they just have to walk into an ER; he wants to drill in the Great Lakes; he voted against Head Start and he believes Saddam Hussein was involved in the 9/11 attacks.

“It takes a grassroots effort to win an election,” Schauer said. “That’s how I beat an incumbent Republican who was also out of touch.”

Britt and Anna overshadow Iraq and MDP convention

Michigan’s Democrats heard from its national leaders at the Michigan Democratic Party Convention Saturday at the Cobo Center, but the news from Washington, D.C. was not nearly as earth shattering as what’s going in a Florida Probate courtroom.

“I usually talk about the important news in the headlines, but the two most important issues are who is the father of Anna Nicole’s baby and why did Brittany Spears shave her head,” said U.S. Sen. Carl Levin. “So, we will have to talk about less important issues.”

The convention was the first time Democratic leaders, party faithful and activists got together since last summer’s convention in August, and it was the first time we had to celebrate the stunning November success that saw Democrats take control of the U.S. House and Senate and state House.

“We need to pat ourselves on the back, but as we go out the door we need to start recruiting candidates and begin working hard again,” said U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Levin, who is up for reelection to his sixth term in 2008, echoed the sentiments of his Senate colleague, and he acknowledged the hard work of the party volunteers and the forward thinking of the American people.

“If you want to go backward you put the car in R for reverse,” he said. “If you want to go forward you put the car in D for drive; last November the America people put the car in drive.”

Stabenow talked about the successful first 100 hours of Democratic leadership of Congress that included implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations, increasing the minimum wage, approving funding of stem cell research and the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation. She also talked about her two most memorable moments of her six years in the Senate; seeing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales actually being sworn in when he gave Congressional testimony and seeing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi take the gavel.

“Nobody has been sworn in for the past six years,” she said.

Stabenow said the non-binding resolution denouncing the plan to send 21,500 additional troops to Iraq would continue to go forward until they get the necessary 60 votes to bring it to a vote. The House has already passed it, but the Senate fell four votes short to bring it to the Senate floor for an actual vote. But Stabenow said the tide is turning as more people see the folly of the Iraq civil war occupation. The first vote only had two Republicans cross over and vote for the resolution, but the latest vote saw seven Republics come to their senses.

“The 23 of us who voted no on the Iraq Resolution authorizing the war are going to go back and stop the escalation,” she said. “It’s not about resolve; it's about votes.”