Carpenter Ant

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 5:35 p.m.

A few thoughts: 1) I like Beckmann as a sports announcer, but I can't take him seriously as a political voice. He's way too partisan and ideological. Although he is reasonable about 10% of the time, the remaining 90% of the time he's merely a Southeastern Michigan version of Sean Hannity, spouting the same old stale GOP myths and talking points. 2) Beckmann seems outraged by Dingell's ad regarding Steele. But is he equally outraged by the many - and I do mean many - misleading and dirty attack ads put on the air by Republican candidates in Michigan and elsewhere? I doubt it. And is he outraged by GOP candidate Tim Walberg's recent baseless insinuation that our president was not born in the U.S. and is a secret Muslim? Again, I doubt it. In Beckmann's world, almost every Republican is a good guy above reproach, and almost every Democrat is a bad guy who deserves to be smeared. 3) Great comment, Speechless. Keep up the good work.

Mama G

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.

I am appalled at the length to which John Dingell has gone (thus far) to retain his seat in congress. Personal attacks have no place in ANY campaign. Mr. Dingell has reduced himself in stature by participating in such below-the-belt tactics and he is paying the price for it. Yes, there are the hard core Dingell people who will defend this, no matter what. The flip side of this is the number of people who were Dingell supporters and now see him as a desperate man who has NO CONSCIOUS when it comes to personally bashing Dr. Steele, his opponent. After a career filled with respect from both sides of the aisle it is a shame that Mr. Dingell has lost his decorum and his reputation along with it.

Speechless

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 3:51 p.m.

"... Brandon doesn't like how business people are treated when they dabble in the political world...." Business people, as our social superiors and worthy overlords, definitely merit a special, preferential treatment reserved only for them. On the other hand, Virg Bernero and other brash members of the serf class who choose to run for public office rightfully deserve whatever raw sewage the right wing desires to throw at their faces, as they clearly have that coming to them. And, you know, all this really makes me more fully appreciate the awful, historic level of public abuse suffered long ago by George III from the likes of Sam Adams, Tom Paine and Tom Jefferson. They were so vile and so extremely rude in their biased representations of colonial British business success and leadership, all for the sake of selfish political gamesmanship. Like George III, our top business executives are erudite autocrats who have each ruled their own marvelous, shining kingdom with a very firm hand. As a civil society, we must not continue to tarnish their brilliant life experiences through a decadent toleration of either investigative journalism or the public expression of opinion. Since business is the philosophy of America, let us open our hearts and embrace these Philosopher Kings without reservation!

kmgeb2000

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 2:57 p.m.

Cry me a river of tears! What drivel was he saying here - "misrepresent all you have accomplished in business for the sake of politics,"? Does he mean accomplishments like making MILLIONS of $$$ from mediocre pizza as Domino's own ads currently suggest of there former product (likely under his tenure). The fellow poster David framed it perfectly with Truman's quotation.

SillyTree

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:57 p.m.

@A2_Jim "It seems simple to me - don't vote for those who stoop to underhanded, misleading and untruthful tactics. Or for people whose party participates in the same." So we shouldn't vote for anybody?

A2_Jim

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:46 p.m.

It seems simple to me - don't vote for those who stoop to underhanded, misleading and untruthful tactics. Or for people whose party participates in the same. I have been disgusted lately by the shenanigans of a man running for political office in Michigans 15th congressional district. The man, somewhat affectionately known as Big John Dingell has now stooped low enough to reveal the small man that he has become in his old age. Recently, his Democrat party has begun a smear campaign against his opponent, Dr. Rob Steele, in the race to determine who represents Michigans 15th district, a smear campaign that he has embraced as he no longer has the intestinal fortitude to run a campaign based on his political ideologies or record. Recently, a noted Detroit broadcast personality and columnist, Frank Beckmann stated that, This unseemly method of politics recently reached a new low in Michigan's 15th District Dingell. has allowed the Michigan Democratic Party to engage in an attack on his opponent that is unworthy of someone holding Dingell's senior status. On a webpage sponsored by the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, Republican candidate Dr. Rob Steele is attacked for the size of his home, the cars he owns and the way he earned his wealth. Dr. Steele happens to be a successful cardiologist who estimates that he has performed more than 15,000 cardiac catheterization procedures. In addition, he proudly says he runs a medical practice, which includes 36 physicians and about 300 employees with seven permanent, and two satellite offices in five different counties. That sounds like the kind of doctor who should be commended for his work, but not when that success is put through the Democratic political grinder. At the anti-Steele website, the doctor is excoriated as a "rich doctor who made millions off the broken health care system," never mind the lives that he's saved and the large number of families that have benefited. Additionally, the Democrat website plays the class warfare game by suggesting that Steele can't possibly understand "what it's like to get by in this economy" because he owns an 8,000-square-foot home. Additionally, the Democratic party on behalf of Dingell, hope voters will be appalled that Steele owns 8 cars -- none of which is less than 10 years old, by the way -- ranging from a 1962 Willys station wagon to a 2000 BMW M5. The attack is intellectually dishonest, at best, especially since it offers no suggestion of any impropriety on Steele's part. He is assailed simply because he has done well at his chosen profession, which happens to be a traditionally high paying specialty. If Steele benefited from the "broken health care system," then didn't all of his heart patients do the same? Didn't MSU football coach Mark Dantonio and his excellent physicians at Sparrow Hospital benefit from the "broken health care system"? And didn't Congressman Dingell benefit from the "broken health care system" with the surgeries that he has endured to repair his aging body in recent years? It's a pathetic campaign, not based on ideas, but on personal attacks and it is unbefitting of Dingell to allow this shameful effort to continue. The congressman should apologize to Steele for what his party has done and demand that the website remove the attacks. " Here we have a sitting congressman, a millionaire himself (and married to an heiress of the Fischer Body fortune) acquiescing to an attack on a successful doctor who has done well professionally and financially. Certainly Dr. Steele has not done nearly as well as the CEOs of the big corporations and special interest PACs propping up the Dingell campaign financially. The Daily KOS has reported that If you visit the Federal Election Commission web site and check out Representative Dingells fundraising records, you will see that the incumbent has raised three-quarters of his $999,202 from hundreds of special interest groups/PACs, including Lockheed Martin, Kraft Food Global PAC, and Wal-Mart, PACs. According to OpenSecrets.org records, Bristol Myers Squibb has contributed huge to John Dingell, a total of $47,500. Dingell took $43,000 in donations from Morgan Stanleys PAC. So the support of Millionaire John Dingell by the wealthy (including his Friends on Wall Street and those who have profited from the broken health care system," ) is welcomed by Dingell Democrats but successful businessmen and physicians who oppose political dynasties are vilified. If Mr. Dingell were the Big man he is reported to be he would have put a stop to the Negative, Smear type campaign tactics of his Democrat supporters before it started. If he were truly a Big man he would publically apologize for the shameless, classless, sameol, class warfare BS touted by his supporters and put a stop to it. But no, Mr. Dingell has proven through his actions that he lacks moral rectitude and is, in fact, a small, small man who will sanction anything he thinks will help him perpetuate the Dingell dynasty.

SillyTree

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:45 p.m.

I think it's great that there was job growth at Gateway during Rick Snyder's time with the company. I think it is unfortunate that there was also a decline in jobs while Rick Snyder was with that company. The real problem is that it shows his leadership was not the primary reason for the growth and, in all fairness, not the reason for the decline. We receive promises from people all the time based on correlations that are just not accurate. Maybe Rick Snyder can help to fix the problems in Michigan, but I doubt it. It's not his fault. He just can't do it, that's all. Virg Bernero can't do it either. The recovery will happen when and if it's time. Whoever is in office when and if it happens will get the credit. If you want to vote for either of them for their stand on social issues, that is okay, but they are both rolling dice when it comes to the economy.

David

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:38 p.m.

As Mr. Truman said about politics, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen." Apparently the pizza man does not like the heat in the kitchen. And as all politicians experience, the heat only gets worse once in office. Simply put, good leaders, like Mr. Truman, can take the heat. God bless our open and free democracy.

jameslucas

Fri, Sep 24, 2010 : 1:05 p.m.

If we allow freedom of the press, they will continue to report distasteful topics. Also I think elections are hard to control causing dissentions in the ranks, there has got to be a better way to find good leaders. Until we fix these two problems our democracy will remain troubled.