Dale Pominville, America's Newest County Commissioner

The Kalamazoo County Commission selected Dale Pominville to replace Deb Buchholtz on the county commission. He is currently the Parchment School Board president. He is also a neighbor of Buchholtz. He appears to work at Metro Toyota. He claims to be a Republican, though it is not clear how active he has been.

Parchment School Board President Dale Pominville selected to replace Deb Buhholtz on Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners

The remainder of Deb's term lasts less than a year. Due to redistricting, he would run against Jeff Heppler if he runs for reelection.

Converted Electric Car

Converting a gas-powered car to an electric car is an interesting project. The one key fact that the article leaves out is that it cost $17,000, not including labor. Electric cars are not cost-competitive.

Western Michigan University physics professor converts 1992 Honda Civic into electric vehicle

Upton's 'Perfect' Record

Of course, the real issue is not whether you make every vote, it's how you vote.

Congressman Fred Upton posts perfect voting record for 2011

2012 Kalamazoo Primary Election Preview

This is a preview of elections in Michigan in 2012. It focuses on primary elections. This post was last updated on January 21, 2012.

While most of political coverage has focused on the 2012 presidential primary races, there will be many other races on the ballot. Here is an overview of the races relevant to Kalamazoo readers. More detailed profiles of some of the races will follow soon.
[List of Michigan Presidential Candidates]

February 28: Presidential Primary
This is the date of Michigan's Presidential Primary. There are eleven candidates listed on the Republican primary ballot. Five of them have since dropped out, and two (Roemer, Karger) are not widely regarded as serious candidates, leaving Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich as Republicans' choices. The winner will face President Barack Obama and various third party candidates in November.

There are also a couple special elections on this date.

District 29 (Pontiac) Safe Democrat
This election to replace a democrat state rep Tim Melton is likely to be won by democrat county commissioner Tim Greimel.

District 51 (south Genesee) Lean Republican
This is to replace recalled state rep Paul Scott. It features Republican Joseph Graves, a county commissioner from the Fenton area, versus democrat Steven Losey, a union boss. The race leans Republican, thanks in part to the likely electorate of the Republican Presidential Primary.

November 6: General Election
President (Michigan)
Michigan leans slightly to the left in Presidential elections. This means that democrats need to win Michigan to win the White House, but Republicans don't. Michigan still has a bad economy thanks to eight years of democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm. Will this help Republicans in the presidential race? Perhaps.

August 7: Other Primaries
US Senate
Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow is seeking a third term. Seven Republicans are seeking to replace her. They are Scotty Boman, Clark Durant, Gary Glenn, Randy Hekman, Pete Hoekstra, Peter Konetchy, and Chuck Marino. Hoekstra is a former congressman who represented the 2nd district in West Michigan 1992-2010. He lost the Republican primary for governor in 2010. He is the favorite, leading in the polls and in fundraising. His main competitor is Durant, a businessman. Candidates all need to submit 10,000 valid signatures to make the ballot, meaning that it is very questionable whether any of the others will do so.
I-Caucus of Michigan and the Michigan Republican Senate Primary

US House of Representatives
Only one of Michigan's 14 congressional districts is likely to have a competitive general election. However, there are interesting primaries shaping up in the 5th, 6th, 13th and 14th districts. Other primaries may still develop. The following post examines the races in greater detail.
2012 Michigan Congressional Races

Michigan Supreme Court
Conservative Republican Steven Markman will likely seek reelection. Appointed Republican Brian Zhara will likely seek to fill the remainder of the term to which he was appointed. Democrat Marilyn Kelly has reached the age limit, so her seat will be open. Republicans currently have a 4-3 majority on the court, so this election could result in anything from 5-2 D to 5-2 R.

Education Boards
Two seats each on the Michigan Board of Education and University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University boards of trustees will be up for election.

Ballot Proposals
Nothing is expected to be on the ballot at this time.

Michigan House of Representatives
All 110 seats in the Michigan state house will be up for election. Some members will be term-limited. Republicans currently have a 63-37 majority. The new redistricting plan helps Republicans some, but not as much as it could have.

In the greater Kalamazoo area...

59th District (St. Jospeh, Cass County) Safe Republican
Incumbent Republican Matt Lori should have no trouble getting reelected.

60th District (Kalamazoo city) Safe democrat
Incumbent democrat Sean McCann has an even safer district than before, and should have no trouble getting reelected.

61st District (Portage, Oshtemo) Safe Republican
Conservative Republican Margaret O'Brien will likely be reelected easily. The district became safer by losing western Kalamazoo Township to the 60th and adding Schoolcraft Township.

62nd District (Battle Creek, Albion) Safe democrat
Incumbent democrat Kate Segal should have no trouble getting reelected. This district became more democrat with the addition of Bedford and Pennfield.

63rd District (E Kalamazoo, S Calhoun) Safe Republican
Republican Speaker Jase Bolger won't have trouble with reelection in a district that drops Bedfore and Pennfield and adds rural conservative townships in Calhoun.

80th District (Van Buren, Cooper) Safe Republican
Conservative Republican Aric Nesbitt should be safe in a district that drops a small piece of Allegan and adds NW Kalamazoo.

88th District (Allegan County) Safe Republican
Conservative Republican Bob Genetski should have no trouble with reelection in this solidly conservative district.

Republican incumbents will run for reelection in districts 58 (Hillsdale/Branch Counties), 79 (northern Berrien County), and 87 (Barry County). Republicans Sharon Tyler will vacate districts 78 (southern Berrien County) to seek to become Berrien County Clerk.

Kalamazoo Countywide Offices
All six countywide offices are up for election. Republicans hold all six offices.

Sheriff: Democrat Richard Fuller defeated Republican Michael Anderson in 2008. There is at least one Republican running, and more are possible.

Prosecutor: It is unknown whether incumbent Republican Jeff Fink will seek reelection. If he does not, it is likely that one of his assistant prosecutors will run.

Clerk: Incumbent Republican Tim Snow will likely seek reelection.

Treasurer: Republican Mary Balkema, who was appointed to replace Sharon Cubitt in 2007, will seek reelection. Balkema barely defeated a token challenger in 2008. It is possible that liberal billionaire Jon Stryker will fund a stronger challenger this time due to Balkema's opposition to a 'gay rights' ordinance in Kalamazoo city in 2009.

Drain Commissioner: The incumbent is democrat Patricia Crowley. In 2008, she defeated Republican Pat Crouse who was appointed to replace Bill French, who was convicted of a crime. County commissioner Nasim Ansari, who applied for the position in 2008, is a potential Republican candidate.

Surveyor: Republican Bill Hahn is the incumbent. This position is usually unopposed. The position is unpaid, and its holder must be a licenced surveyor.

Kalamazoo County Commission
Republicans have a 10-7 majority on the commission. Redistricting will shrink the commission to 11 seats, changing the district boundaries. The new map is likely to yield a 7-4 Republican majority. It is not known yet who will run for reelection. There may be several incumbent v. incumbent races unless several incumbents retire. The following post has detailed descriptions of the districts and their political leanings.

Kalamazoo County Commission Districts.

District 1 [Carolyn Alford and Robert Barnard] Safe Democrat
District 2 [David Buskirk, Jack Urban] Safe Democrat
District 3 [John Taylor] Safe Democrat
District 4 [Brian Johnson, Michael Seals] Safe Democrat
District 5 [Open] Safe Republican
District 6 [Jeff Heppler, Dale Pominville] Safe Republican
District 7 [Ann Nieuwenhuis] Safe Republican
District 8 [John Gisler, David Maturen] Safe Republican
District 9 [Tim Rogowski, Brandt Iden] Safe Republican
District 10 [Phil Stinchcomb] Safe Republican
District 11 [John Zull, Nasim Ansari] Safe Republican

Township Elections
There are plenty of contested township elections. A few are noteworthy.

Comstock Township: Incumbent democrat Tim Hudson is not expected to seek reelection. There is no word on replacement candidates yet.

Kalamazoo Township: The democrat incumbent Supervisor is Terri Mellinger, who has had trouble paying her taxes. There are also four trustee positions currently held by democrats.

Oshtemo Township: The incumbent democrat is Elizabeth Heiny-Cogswell. There are also four trustee positions up for election, two of which are currently held by appointee due to the resignations of Republican Jim Grace and democrat Scott McCormick.

Texas Township: Conservative Republican Dave Healy will likely seek reelection. Incumbent conservative Erin Hoogendyk is among the four incumbent Republican trustees.

School Boards
School board elections were moved to November by a recent bill. There is nothing to report on these elections yet.

2012 Michigan Congressional Races

Cross-posted at The Western Right, Right Michigan, and Red Racing Horses. This post was last updated on January 28.

Michigan will see a number of interesting congressional races in 2012.

Michigan will lose a congressional seat, going from 15 to 14. Redistricting changed the congressional map, particularly in eastern Michigan.


There are several articles that analyse the general political leanings of the new districts.
Michigan Redistricting: Congressional Map Passed
Republican Michigander Congressional District Profiles (Sidebar at right)

District 1 (Upper Peninsula, Northern Lower Peninsula) Likely Republican.
In 2010, Dr. Dan Benishek won an open seat vacated by democrat Rep. Bart Stupak against democrat state Rep. Gary McDowell 52-41. The new district gets more Republican, adding areas around Traverse City. Benishek has generally voted with the leadership, displeasing some of his former Tea Party supporters. McDowell is back for a rematch, but Benishek will be difficult to beat as an incumbent.

District 2 (Ottowa, Muskegon) Safe Republican.
Republican former state rep. Bill Huizinga won a close primary in 2010 to replace Pete Hoekstra, who was running for governor. Since then he has generally voted the party line. This remains the most Republican district in Michigan. There has been talk of Tea Partiers supporting term-limited state rep. Dave Agema in the primary. Agema is a staunch conservative who has championed gun rights, immigration restriction, and fiscal conservatism. His home in the Grand Rapids suburb of Grandville was added to the 2nd in redistricting.

District 3 (Kent, Calhoun) Safe Republican.
Republican state rep. Justin Amash won the primary to replace moderate Republican Vern Ehlers, who retired rather than face a strong primary challenge. Amash is a libertarian in the mold of Rep. Ron Paul. He has stepped on some toes in Washington, most notably getting into a spat with the NRA over procedural objections to a gun rights bill. There have been repeated rumors that someone will challenge Amsah in the Republican primary, but nobody has so far. Amash remains the favorite.

District 4 (central Michigan) Safe Republican.
Republican Dave Camp has been winning big margins in this district since 1990. He's now the Ways and Means Committee chairman and still going strong.

District 5 (Genesee, Saginaw, Bay) Safe democrat.
Michigan 5th Congressional District Election Preview
Democrat Dale Kildee, who has held this district since 1976, is finally retiring. Former Genesee Treasurer Dan Kildee, notable for his proposal to tear down sections of Flint, is running. Several other prominent democrats, former Congressman James Barcia, State Senator John Gleason, and state rep. Woodrow Stanley, have discussed running but have not announced anything yet. Former democrat state rep. Jim Slezak is running as a Republican. 2010 nominee John Kupiec is also considering running.

District 6 (SW Michigan) Safe Republican.
Moderate Republican Fred Upton has won by wide margins since defeating conservative Mark Siljander in 1986. In 2010, former state rep. Jack Hoogendyk, running with Tea Party support got 43% in the Republican primary. The race received almost no outside attention and Jack raised only $60,000 in that race. Since then, Upton became Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and his record received more scrutiny from national conservatives. Hoogendyk is challenging Upton again in 2012, and is likely to receive support from the Club for Growth.
In 2008 and 2010, Upton easily defeated leftist Kalamazoo city commissioner Don Cooney. In 2012, the democrat candidate is John Waltz, an Iraq War veteran who recently moved to the district from Kentucky.

District 7 (south-central Michigan) Safe Republican.
Republican Tim Walberg defeated liberal democrat Mark Schauer in a hard-fought race in 2010. This followed Schauer's defeat of Walberg in 2008, Walberg's defeat of RINO Joe Schwarz in 2006, and Schwarz's winning a divided Republican primary to replace Nick Smith in 2004. Redistricting removed Schauer's base of Calhoun county, and he is not running again. Walberg tends to be underestimated, but even in 2008, facing a strong opponent supported by Schwarz in the worst Republican year in memory, he only lost by 3%. Democrats have no candidate so far. Walberg will never win the margins of Camp, Rogers, or Miller, but I suspect he will settle in and win 55-60%.

District 8 (Ingham, Livingston, N Oakland) Safe Republican.
Republican Mike Rogers has won big margins since 2000, and he should have no trouble with his new district.

District 9 (S Macomb, Royal Oak, Bloomfield) Safe democrat.
This is mostly the old 12th district of Sander Levin, though it also takes in part of Gary Peters' old 9th district. This district is less liberal without Southfield and Oak Park. Levin is more liberal than the district, but he is popular enough to win here as long as he wants. He will likely be succeeded by a less liberal Macomb county democrat.

District 10 (N Macomb, the Thumb) Safe Republican.
Candice Miller is highly popular in Macomb County and statewide, and that isn't going to change.

District 11 (NW Wayne, SW Oakland, Troy) Safe Republican.
Republican Thad McCotter saw the most improvement in his district, trading increasingly democrat suburbs of Detroit in Wayne County for Republican areas of Oakland County. During his Quixotic presidential campaign, state senator Mike Kowall announced a campaign for the seat. He only recently dropped out; his campaign seemed more driven by geography than issues.

District 12 (Downriver, Ann Arbor) Safe democrat.
Democrat John Dingell, in Congress since Eisenhower's first term (really!), gets a new district that reunites his Downriver base. This successor of the old 15th district loses Monroe to Walberg. If Dingell ever leaves Congress, we could see an interesting Downriver versus Ann Arbor primary.

District 13 (W Detroit, Westland) Safe democrat.
This district contains the bulk of John Conyers' base, although Republicans drew him out of the district. Conyers, in Congress since 1964, hasn't had a tough primary or general election in decades. Conyers' image has been tarnished since his wife Monica, formerly Detroit city council president, pled guilty to bribery and is now serving time in federal prison. He is being challenged by state senator Glenn Andersen, whose base in the mostly white suburbs of Westland and Redford was moved from McCotter's district into the 13th. Senator Bert Johnson, who is a convicted felon since he robbed a country club at 19, is also running. Rep. Shanelle Jackson is also running in the democrat primary. There may be polarized voting between white suburban supporters of Andersen and black Detroit supporters of Conyers, Johnson, and Jackson.

District 14 (E Detroit, Southfield, Farmington, Pontiac) Safe democrat.
This district promises a very interesting primary. The majority of the district is the old 13th of democrat Hansen Clarke, who beat the scandal-plagued Carolyn Kilpatrick in 2010, though he was drawn out of the district. Congressman Gary Peters, whose old 9th district was split into four pieces, is running here. This is his best shot, although none of his options were good. The third candidate is Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence. Also running is former state rep. Mary Waters, who has pled guilty to filing a false tax return. I don't have a good sense of how this primary will turn out, but all of the first three have a legitimate shot.

Allegan Surrenders to Terrorists

Allegan police chief Rick Hoyer shut down an event where Kamal Seleem was to speak on the threat of radical Islam. This is an attack on the First Amendment rights of free speech and freedom of association. This was due to a rumor of a bounty on his head (which seems dubious). It's a shame that the police chief would surrender to the threats (real or imagined) of terrorists rather than stand up to them.

Allegan High School event canceled after police learn of 'bounty' on speaker Kamal Saleem's head

Impeach Obama!

Three years down, hopefully no more than one to go.

Jack Announces

Jack Hoogendyk has announced a second challenge to Congressman Fred Upton.

Jack Hoogendyk to challenge U.S. Rep. Fred Upton again for seat in Congress
Jack Hoogendyk announces bid for Congress at Kalamazoo event
Congressman Fred Upton responds to Jack Hoogendyk entering the Republican primary for the House

Retiring POLITICAL UPDATES

Due to time constraints, I have decided to cease my weekly POLITICAL UPDATES. We had a good run, dating back to summer 2005. Unfortunately, I can't keep up the same schedule any longer. Readers can find good conservative articles by visiting the websites frequently linked to, and reading frequent authors such as Steve Sailer, Gary North, Thomas Sowell, Ann Coulter, and Phyllis Schlafly.

Thank you.
-Conservative First

Enough

POLITICAL UPDATE--Immigration

This update focuses on immigration.

Victor Davis Hanson: Vandalized Valley
James Fulford: Republican Legislators And The US Chamber Of Commerce Collude On Increasing Legal Immigration During Great Recession
Steve Sailer: Import Teachers Who Can’t Speak English—Alienate Reagan Democrats
James Fulford: So Why Doesn’t The “Broken Windows” Theory Apply To Illegal Aliens?
Washington Watcher: The Achievements Of Russell Pearce—Arizona’s Patriotic Immigration Reform Champion is Down But Not Out!

For more on immigration, see VDARE.com.

The Best of The Western Right: 2011

This blog was somewhat less busy this year but still covered many topics. We had 180 posts this year. Here are some of the best posts of 2011.

A series of articles on redistricting in Michigan.
Michigan Redistricting

Conservative of the Year: Scott Walker
Who are the "Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility" and why do they support Fred Upton?
GOP Leaders: Merry Christmas Happy Holidays!
Evangelical Environmental Network Runs Misleading Ads
Van Jones' Speech
Another Kalamazoo College Employee Lies About Van Jones
Kalamazoo College Professor Lies About Van Jones
Howard Wolpe, RIP
City of Kalamazoo Declares War on Kalamazoo County!
Up From the Projects
The Case for a Creator
Weapons of Mass Instruction
The ACLU vs America
Michigan 5th Congressional District Election Preview
Does Detroit Need Immigration?
How Busing Wrecked Kalamazoo
Reagan Forever
Democrat Supervisor Doesn't Pay Taxes
Snyder Appoints Democrat WMU Trustee

2011 Election Preview

Previous:
The Best of The Western Right: 2010
The Best of The Western Right: 2009
The Best of The Western Right: 2008
The Best of The Western Right: 2007
The Best of The Western Right: 2006

Best Articles of 2011

It is time for the best articles of 2011. These articles were selected from roughly 10,000 articles this year. More than 400 articles appeared in this year's 52 POLITICAL UPDATES.

The economy and the government were the most frequent topics, inspiring seven updates each. Immigration and the culture war were tied with six each.

Here are the ten best articles of 2011.

Victor Davis Hanson: Two Californias
Gary North: Facebook, Twitter, and the Arab Revolutions
Steve Sailer: Census 2010: Hispanic Hype, Black Backwash, White Flight
Thomas Sowell: Voting with Their Feet
Steve Sailer: Obama and Osama: Can We Go Home Now?
Gary North: College: Why It Is Not a Bubble
Gary North: London Riots: What Nobody Dares to Say
Federale: Obama Regime's Administrative Amnesty: Impeachment Is The Only Answer
Gary North: Too Many Eurozone Summits
Victor Davis Hanson: Vandalized Valley

Previous:
Best Articles of 2010
Best Articles of 2009
Best Articles of 2008
Best Articles of 2007
Best Articles of 2006
Best Articles of 2005

2011 Year in Review

Local news from the Gazette:
Here are the top stories in the Kalamazoo area for 2011

National news from Dave Barry:
Dave Barry’s Year in Review: The 2011 Festival of Sleaze

Conservative of the Year: Scott Walker

2011 was a year of political stalemate, following Republicans' victories in the 2010 election. Consequently there isn't as clear a choice for conservative of the year as in some past years. In Congress, conservatives including Paul Ryan in the House (Human Events' choice for Conservative of the Year) and Rand Paul in the senate fought good, but mostly losing fights. 2009 winner Glenn Beck continued his efforts with a rally in Israel and launching an internet television network.

2011 was also the year of the mob. There were protests and riots in the Middle East and Egypt. There were leftist rallies in Wisconsin and the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan and across the country. No one called this better than Ann Coulter, whose new book Demonic explains the liberal mob.

In the states, many conservatives fought the good fight. Arizona Senate Majority Leader Russel Pearce fought the good fight on immigration, gun rights, and more, and was recalled for his efforts. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie continued his efforts to reform that state. All of the preceding deserve honorable mentions.

But the best embodiment of these trends is Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Walker proposed reasonable reforms to the budget process and monopoly (collective) bargaining of some government employees. In response, Wisconsin leftists generated a firestorm of outrage. The democrat state senators fled the state, attempting to stop the bill from passing. Mobs invaded the state capital for weeks. But Walker and legislative Republicans refused to give in. They stood their ground and passed the bill anyways.

The issue didn't end there. Democrats tried to snag a state supreme court seat that would have given them the majority, but Republican David Prosser held them off. Leftists tried to recall enough state senators to take a majority of the state senate, but that effort was beaten back, with democrats winning only two seats under exceptional circumstances.

The issue still isn't over, as leftists are organizing to recall Walker in 2012. But Walker has continued to calmly stand his ground and argue for the merits of his reforms. His approval ratings have improved, and he stands a good chance of beating the recall.

Budget reform is all the Wisconsin Republicans accomplished. They also made Wisconsin the 41st state with the right to carry a concealed weapon. They strengthened self-defense laws. They passed a voter ID law to protect elections.

For standing up for conservative principles against the worst the left had to offer, Scott Walker is the 2011 conservative of the year.

Previous winners (including retroactive):
2010: Jim DeMint
2009: Glenn Beck
2008: Sarah Palin
2007: Ron Paul
2006: Jerome Corsi
2005: Tom Tancredo
2004: John O'Neill
2003: Roy Moore
2002: John Ashcroft
2001: George W. Bush
2000: William Rehnquist

2011: The Year at Western

2011 was a fairly quiet year at Western, at least politically. The big news on campus continues to be the effort to establish a medical school. The school continues to raise money and hire administrators. It was also given a building downtown to serve as the location of the new school. (Presumably, the business that donated it will get a big tax writeoff.)

Construction continued on the new Sangren Hall, with the exterior now mostly complete and interior work continuing. Work is also progressing on an expansion to the Lee Honors College.

There has been little political activism on campus from either the College Republicans or the various leftist groups on campus. The Students for Life were revived from near death. The Western Herald has cut publication down to twice a week and seem to have lost significant readership. The WSA hasn't been involved in any recent controversies.

In February, Governor Snyder reappointed businessman Ken Miller to the WMU Board of Trustees and also appointed former Granholm staffer Dana Debel. Retired professor Joseph Ellin passed away. Veterans of the WMU College Republicans celebrated the five-year anniversary of Ann Coulter's speech on campus.

In March, the speed limit on Stadium was increased to 45 mph. In April, Jesse Jackson spoke on campus. The great Paul Maier finally retired as a history professor at Western. In May, university continued living well. In July, a federal appeals court panel overturned the MCRI; the ruling is being appealed to the full 6th circuit court of appeals . Western bought the University Bookstore , establishing a monopoly on physical bookstores on campus.

In August, Western's 'weak' education college was debated in the Gazette. A Western alumnus was involved in one of the big political stories of the year in Michigan. Western was rated as a 'gay-friendly' campus. In September, the costs of college continued to be debated. Western remembered 9/11.

In October, Human Events editor Jason Mattera spoke at Kalamazoo College, causing controversy. Later in October, it was announced that communist Van Jones would speak at Kalamazoo College. After the Gazette told a little too much truth about Jones' past, Kalamazoo College professor Any Elman and employee Hussain Turk lied about his record. His speech promoted big government under the guise of 'green energy'.

Former Congressman and WMU professor Howard Wolpe passed away. Khan Academy is changing math and science education. Western cut down trees to install solar panels.

What's next in 2012?

Previous:
2010: The year at Western
2009: The Year at Western
2008: The Year at Western
2007: The Year at Western
2006: The Year at Western

POLITICAL UPDATE--Election 2012

This political update focuses on the 2012 election.

Mark Steyn: The Gingrich Gestalt
Larry Kudlow: The 2011 HUMAN EVENTS Conservative of the Year: Paul Ryan
Ann Coulter: Newt: Speak Bombastically and Carry a Tiny Stick
Ann Coulter: Newt Presents a Fresh New Virtual Face
Ann Coulter: If Not Romney, Who? If Not Now, When?
Peter Bradley: Newt Gingrich—GOP’s Anti-White Quota King
Steve Sailer: Herman Cain And The Limits Of Permissible Republican Ideology
James Kirkpatrick: Is “Conservatism” Enough? Russell Pearce’s Defeat And The Future Of “The Movement”
Phyllis Schlafly: National Popular Vote Is a Bad Idea

For campaign and election coverage, visit Red Racing Horses.

Michigan Articles

Steve Sailer on Benton Harbor:

Municipal Coup

Will Grigg on self-defense in Michigan:

The Right To Resist: Will Michigan Repeal the 'Rapist Doctrine'?

POLITICAL UPDATE--Sovereignty

This update focuses on sovereignty.

Phyllis Schlafly: China Celebrates Outwitting Us in the WTO
Phyllis Schlafly: UN Mischief from Durban to Rio
Steve Sailer: Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush—Servants of Davos Man
Phyllis Schlafly: Goodbye UNESCO a Model for Goodbye UN
Gary North: Europe's Hangover
Gary North: Too Many Eurozone Summits

POLITICAL UPDATES are archived here.

Who are the "Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility" and why do they support Fred Upton?

Radio ads in Southwest Michigan are touting the supposed fiscal conservatism of Congressman Fred Upton. The ads praise his work on the "Supercommittee" and claim that Upton was picked because "he's a tough conservative", instead of his insider connections. Of course, the supercommittee didn't accomplish anything, though the fact that they didn't raise taxes can be seen as a victory.

The ads are run by an outfit called "Michigan Citizens for Fiscal Responsibility". Who are they? Their FEC filing lists the people sharing control and Stephen Linder and Jeffrey Timmer. They are both also listed as owners of the Sterlling Corporation, a major Republican political consulting firm in Michigan. The group had previously run ads in 2010 (presumably) attacking Gary Peters, Mark Schauer, and Gary McDowell.

MCFFR seems to be a "SuperPAC" that is not required to disclose its donations. The organization does not appear to have a website.

It would seem that some wealthy person or persons, who may not actually be citizens of Michigan, paid the Sterling Corporation to run ads praising Upton through a front group that doesn't actually exist except on paper. Listeners are advised to be skeptical.

Deb Buchholtz Resigns

Deb Buchholtz, the county commissioner representing district 13 (Alamo, Cooper, Parchment) will resign to devote more time to her new job.

Deb Buchholtz resigning from Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners

District 13 is staunchly Republican. The county commission will appoint a replacement to finish Deb's term. It will be interesting to see whether they appoint a moderate like Deb or a more conservative Republican.

District 13 was chopped into three pieces in redistricting. The largest part, Cooper, which is where Deb lives, was put in a district with longtime commissioner Jeff Hepler. Parchment was added to a democrat district, and Alamo is in a new, open Republican district. If the county commission wants to appoint someone who will be around for more than a year, that person will likely have to be from Alamo.

2000 Posts

This is the 2000th post on The Western Right. This blog began February 12, 2006 as a group blog for the WMU College Republicans and eventually transitioned into a personal blog when the other contributors moved on to other things. Some of the posts have since been off-lined, but I have kept count.

Here is the first month of posts. Many of the highlights of this blog are linked at right.

GOP Leaders: Merry Christmas Happy Holidays!

Christmastime for conservative activists brings lots of spam emails from GOP leaders in Michigan. These provide a curious sidebar in the "War on Christmas", the leftist effort to eliminate traditional symbols of Christmas as part of the broader culture war.

The chief symbol of the War on Christmas is the battle between the greetings "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Holidays", with "Season's Greetings" making an occasional appearance. Of course, there wouldn't be "Holidays" without Christmas. The bizarre argument for using "Happy Holidays" is that some tiny fraction of the population would be offended by "Merry Christmas", so we must use a phrase that annoys far more people. (But they're the wrong people, so who cares are them?)

Two recent polls have shown that 69% and 77% of Americans prefer "Merry Christmas". The percentages of Republicans was 88% yet another poll.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/content/pdf/7006
http://www.goppolk.org/?p=1131

Yet some Republican leaders have taken a cowardly stand with the forces of political correctness rather than the vast majority of the Republican base. Here is a list of the greetings used by prominent Republicans who have mailed or emailed me.

Rick Snyder: "Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays"
Brian Calley: "Seasons Greetings"
Bobby Schotak: "holiday season"
Saul Anuzis: "Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays"
Bill Scheutte: "Happy Holidays"
Randy Richardville: "holiday season, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year"
Pete Hoekstra: "Merry Christmas"
Dan Horning (candidate for UM regent): "Warmest Holiday Wishes"
Jack Hoogendyk: "Merry Christmas"
Senator Tonya Schuitmaker: "Happy Holidays"
Rep. Margaret O'Brien: "Merry Christmas"
Speaker Jase Bolger: "A Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!"
Kalamazoo GOP: "Merry Christmas"

Please post any additional data you have in the comments.