The Democratic voters of Michigan and Florida are unhappy, or so we read. They, or if you will, their representatives, moved up their primary dates and drew a punishment from the DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee. Since then, what have the voters of Michigan and Florida actually done to try and reverse or repair their problem? Nothing but complain.  Read more 

Greg Sargent doesn’t get it:

Bloomberg News takes a look at what Hillary needs to do to earn a popular vote win, and finds that she basically needs to do the political equivalent of pitching a no-hitter, hitting for the cycle, and pulling an unassisted triple play — all in one game:

What these geniuses forget is that Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates, but not their votes.  Read more 

Michigan Messenger

Sen. Hillary Clinton came to Michigan Wednesday and publicly urged Sen. Barack Obama to get on board plans for a proposed do-over Democratic primary.

Clinton visited the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees building in downtown Detroit in a last-minute appearance designed to pressure Obama and state lawmakers who have said they don’t think the do-over proposal, which calls for a privately funded state-run primary on June 3, can or should pass the Legislature.

“I believe the families of Michigan are just as important as the families of any of any other state,” The Detroit News quoted Clinton saying during her visit.  Read more 

Xavier and Judy report that Clinton will be in Detroit tomorrow. I don’t get it, I would think she would be living in Pennsylvania.

When is she going to do the roof top bbq at the big E?

UPDATE: Obviously, news out of MI has already been discussed in a previous thread. My apologies for my inability to read. Now go back to being awed by the sheer genius of our DNC. I know I will.

Michigan do-over depends on Obama’s backing:

Legislation to set a second Democratic presidential primary for June 3 won’t be acted upon until and unless it wins the endorsement of the Barack Obama campaign, state Senate leaders said Tuesday morning.

snip  Read more 

Just got in from one of those “public’s opportunity to comment on an ongoing government action” thingees, and I’m both uplifted and disheartened. Uplifted to realize how many people really do care enough to show up for a boring, unsexy three hour gov’t hearing, and to speak out for the environment. Disheartened to realize that corporations really do run our government, no matter how much we want to believe otherwise. Mining is a “hot” news topic these days, and this post is being filed away for a future ’I told you so’ moment I have no doubt we’ll someday have over the mine in question. It won’t surprise you at all to hear that essentially, it’s yet another case of short term corporate profit winning out over logic, common sense, science, popular will, and long term environmental concerns. And economic concerns, as that is understood to affect all, and not a few, people in this state.

Here’s the deal: a pristine, and undeveloped (except logging decades ago) area of northern Michigan is the target, and a very bad company wants to put in a sulfide mine. The supporting view is that it will “bring jobs and tax revenue to Michigan.” But that isn’t really grounded in fact, and the citizens of this state know it. Too bad one of the bureaucrats told me that he didn’t really care and that the mine would likely go in anyway.  Read more