MI-GOV: IT CAME FROM BEYOND...

Is it morning in America yet? I sure hope so because it's getting real cramped inside this Dick's head.

Please do what you can today to ensure that tomorrow is the Final Episode of the Disembodied Head of Dick Devos.

In a time of darkness, when Hope seemed to have gone out for a pack of smokes and ended up on a boat to China, when television seemed to have become nothing more than an ad delivery service, when the most flawed candidate in the history of our state seemed like a credible threat, well, in those days the people of Michigan finally got a chance to have their say.

Vote, people, and get your friends, relatives and total strangers to do the same.

Michigan's future isn't for sale. NEW! Ominous music to hum as you go about your business. Guaranteed to scare the be-Jesus out of your enemies!

•  Tip Jar / Vote!!

  by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:32:43 AM PDT

  •  Does DeVos have a lot of Amway supporters?

    I suppose he does... I'm just curious.

    Is it a negative or positive to be associated with Amway in Michigan?

    by YoyogiBear on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:35:56 AM PDT

    •  Tons

      Word is that they have been told who to vote for. Not like it was much of a doubtful thing. Amway was conceived to market to what has become the Republican base.

      by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:39:15 AM PDT

      •  That's good to know.

        Someone (I can't remember who) wrote a really good diary about dominionist religious groups and their "cell" structure the other day and drew some interesting parallels to network marketing and their authoritarian nature.  It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Ambots told their "downlines" to vote for Devos.

        Good writing, by the way :-)

        I hope he loses and that the Dems kick ass today!

        by YoyogiBear on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:51:18 AM PDT

        •  Diary on DeVos & the Dominionists

          Hector Solon has a great diary on DeVos's Dominionism. Actually two of them.

          by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:35:34 AM PDT

    •  Decidedly negative

      Amway has such a deservedly bad rap that DeVos had to change its name in the U.S.

      I was given the Amway proposition by someone who I thought would be a friendly acquaintance in the early '90, and it had a powerfully negative effect on me.  

      by other72384 on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:53:42 AM PDT

      •  I didn't know Amway changed its name. What to?

        My mom used to make me sit still and not answer the door when the annoying Amway lady came by.  Funny how we were never home when she rang.  Boy, was she annoying, and her husband was a Republican state legislator.  

        by Joelarama on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:31:34 AM PDT

        •  Alticor is the new name...

          by station wagon on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:59:01 AM PDT

          •  Amway, Alticor and for the Dot-com gen: QUIXTAR

            The best Amway video EVAR is right here. If it doesn't make you want to go out and thump the crap out of Dick DeVos, then you should read Dick Devos and Amway: Big Problem?.

            Here's a short video on Quixtar that made me laugh.

            by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:26:26 AM PDT

          •  Translation

            Alticor meaning "The High Corporation."

            So high it's out of touch with working and middle-class Michiganians, I'd wager.

            by lovin lansing MI on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:23:52 AM PDT

•  Team Skinner!

  We are all excited over at the Nancy Skinner HQ for a Democratic SWEEP today!

  by Jordan LFW on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:42:23 AM PDT

  •  Granholm's going to pull Nancy and Jim in

    I put up more signs yesterday.  I may even have time to knock on some doors today.  I left my DFA vote reminders at homedarn, .  Sadly, I wasn't able to walk for the the last two weeks.  I lost my mother to Cancer last Sunday.  She had an adult stem cell transplant that helped prolong her life.  Her's is a cancer that would benefit from stem cell research so Democratic gains are very important to me.  Great, great work guys.  

    by gaspare on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:41:58 AM PDT

•  Ha!

  I just moved to East Lansing two months ago to start a business.

  Anyway, your handle is pretty humorous. It perfectly puts the finger on the (vacant?) pulse of Devos.

  My favorite Devos advertising moment is his tortured explanation for why his company shipped thousands of jobs to China. And I quote: "We didn't ship a single job to China...not one. We were merely complying with China's laws which required us to open those factories." Priceless!

  by redhaze on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:45:36 AM PDT

  •  Hope your biz does well

    If there's one thing Michigan appreciates, it's a man who will obey the laws of communist China.

    by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:26:57 AM PDT

•  Trupiano, too.

  Artichoke looks like a shoe in, I hope her coat tails, regardless of length, help the whole party.  I voted a straight "D", let's hope a lot of others do, too.  Love the pic of "Republicans for Trupiano" lawn sign on Michigan Liberal.  Wish list:  Trupiano, Grahholm, Skinner, Lamont, control of the House, Senate, (fed and state).   AArrrgh!  

  by dkmich on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:47:41 AM PDT

  •  Tony Trupiano

    I hope he makes it.  But he didn't have money for ad buys, as his opponent did.  I barely watch TV but I do listen to WWJ.  McCotter ran some ads there.  I doubt that many people in the district know who Trupiano is.

    Tony may gain votes by people who are voting for anyone who's not a Republican.

    by awesley on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:58:23 AM PDT

    •  McCotter didn't run TV ads

      It's telling that his signs say "re-elect McCotter" because if they didn't, I'm sure a lot of people would think he's some new guy running.  He's damn near invisible. If you watched him on WDIV with Trupiano, Trupiano easily came across better.
      

      by other72384 on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:26:19 AM PDT

•  Robo call in Detroit on election eve

  "I'm tired of Jennifer Granholm stealing our money. . " .  Another great appeal to how the Repubs view African Americans think - claiming that Granholm has stolen money from the African American community.  What utter trash!

  That's what we got last night in an election eve phone call. An African American-sounding female voice, no clear affiliation, and absolute lies. That's what the DeVos campaign has to offer. The assumptions of what works in our community make it clear how DeVos views the people in our state.

  If DeVos should win, our state has only begun to suffer.

  by Kidspeak on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 03:55:07 AM PDT

  •  were you able to record it?

    for posterity, at least ;-)

    Seriously, I think there should be a searchable database that people can access in the runup (and after) an election that contains recordings of their stupid-ass robo-calls, etc.

    by YoyogiBear on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:27:03 AM PDT

    •  Not really

      It got erased by accident. New machine, too many unfamiliar controls, damn!

      by Kidspeak on Thu Nov 09, 2006 at 12:45:35 PM PDT

  •  Lies, Damned Lies and Lawyers

    It's a time honored strategy. Tell the lie and pay the lawyers.

    Come to think of it, it's an Amway strategy too!

    by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:30:45 AM PDT

  •  My response...

    "I'm tired of Republicans like Dick DeVos' pal Mike Cox trying to keep the African American community down by supporting Proposal 2."

    Granted, DeVos is "against" it, but our sitting Attorney General has stated that he is emphatically for it.  And that's who it takes to get the policy of it going, should it pass.

    by lovin lansing MI on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:26:15 AM PDT

    •  Prop 2 passing.

      Not to mention that it was worded in such a manner that some people thought that by voting FOR 2, they were voting AGAINST an end to affirmative action.  It's a sad commentary on reading ability, dirtly politics, and judges unwilling to stop what  they admitted was put on the ballot through underhanded methods.

      by Kidspeak on Thu Nov 09, 2006 at 12:48:07 PM PDT

•  Working Albion today

  I'm driving folks to the polls in Democratic Albion. Hopefully, we can prevent right-wing extremist Tim Walberg from winning here.

  by Elrod on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:24:10 AM PDT

  •  Go man, go! Good luck (n/t)

    by awesley on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 04:59:12 AM PDT

  •  Walberg

       is an absolute wingnut, and did little in the MI House other than take up space and vote the way he was told to. If he wins, we might as well not have a rep from this district. The man is useless.

       The contrast between Walberg and Schwarz, the sitting congressman he defeated in the primary, is striking. Schwarz is a moderate, pro-choice R, and a hardworking, experienced public servant. Yet the wingnuts who dominate Repug primaries booted him out.

     Let's hope Sharon Renier wins. Vote.

    by happy camper on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:38:29 AM PDT

•  devoshead-

  you, along with dKos' Dood Abides, have my deep appreciation for standing between me and a prescription for powerful mood altering medicine these past weeks.  You are truly hilarious and so gifted.  

  by station wagon on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:04:57 AM PDT

  •  Thanks station wagon

    I hadn't seen dood abides (don't get out much I guess). Funny stuff.

    Glad the Head could provide some mood-altering. I prefer the industrial-sized Amway Prozac for the Busy Guy myself.

    Hopefully it won't make you too sad when I take the Head out behind the barn tomorrow to meet Old Yeller.

    Please God (and Michigan voters), let me be able to do this. Please.

    by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:18:58 AM PDT

    •  old yeller- ROFL!

      I heard he sleeps with a pitbull named Betsey for protection.

      I know that peering out from the eyes of the devoshead must be exhausting, what with the dollar signs in the way all the time, but if you get a break today here is Dood Abides classic.

      by station wagon on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:00:10 AM PDT

      •  That's hilarious!!

        A lot of work too! Funny that you should bring up Oz...

        by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:20:41 AM PDT

•  good thing you don't have an ASS

  because the proctol exam your going to get today would made it difficult to sit for a month.

  Double bonus, you spent what $30 gazillion dollars, hmmm that was money well spent.  we'll see, eh?

  by gaspare on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:37:17 AM PDT

  •  Probably

    Cause if I HADN'T have spent it, I probably would have been the first gubernatorial candidate under 20%.

    by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:42:56 AM PDT

  •  Inherited money

       DeVos didn't do anything to earn the cash, so he doesn't really care. There's plenty more where that came from anyway. The man is a billionaire.

    by happy camper on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:48:08 AM PDT

•  Go Jennifer!

  I just voted a straight Dem ticket in Grand Rapids, home of Amway/Alticor/Quixtar.  It felt so good, I almost giggled!  

  by Cynara on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:47:06 AM PDT

•  Spam.

  
  My ballot.  GO GRANHOLM!

  by lovin lansing MI on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:27:34 AM PDT

•  Posted this MI-GOV fun fact in Open.

  http://www.mlive.com/...

  Through late October, Granholm and DeVos had collected a combined $56 million, including about $35 million of DeVos' own money. With the help of state parties, about $50 million had been spent on television commercials blanketing the state since February.

  Of the total of $56 Million raised by the candidates, well over half ($35 million) came from ONE MAN.  Who is also one of the candidates.

  Jesus H. Christ.  And all the republicans can do today is suppress the vote and discourage voting to make sure that those Non-Rich individuals don't have one-onemillionth of the influence that deVos has.  Disgusting.

  by Inland on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:36:59 AM PDT

  •  DeVos made a big yard-sign buy this week

    But 99 percent of those yard signs are not in anyone's yard: they're on vacant lots and along highways.

    There were no DeVos signs outside any of the polling places I visited this morning.

    by Dump Terry McAuliffe on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 06:44:24 AM PDT

    •  Vacant Lots for Dick DeVos

      We were going to register that PAC. Ran out of money though ... KIDDING!

      by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 07:16:17 AM PDT

    •  Potemkin Yards, in a sense.

      I suppose the idea of signs not at person's home shows strength and organization...unless the candidate is so rich he can just hire people at minimum wage to stick them wherever.  Can't people see through that?  

      I bet half of the signs end up in garbage cans to make quotas, and DeVos knows it.

      by Inland on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 08:21:24 AM PDT

  •  Editorial about that very thing

    Nolan Finley, noted Conservative fellatiator, had an alarmist piece yesterday in the DeVos News about a "reclusive West Michigan billionaire who's chosen as his new hobby manipulating the political make-up of Michigan". Who knows what this man will demand if his investment pays off.

    Then you realize that it's (horrors) a DEMOCRAT and that he's only spent 6 million on a number of races.

    Nolan Finley, here's a big dose of Disembodied Man Love for you.

    by devoshead on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 07:15:07 AM PDT

  •  You're missing indirect contributions

    Daddy Richard DeVos accounts for 10% of the Republican Governors Association funding.  That doesn't count as a Dick DeVos contribution, but it might as well have.  Same goes for the "We are Amway" ads.  (To be fair on that last point, Granholm has used MEDC $ for what essentially are Granholm ads, but undoubtedly not to such an extent as what happened with Amway.)

    by other72384 on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 08:30:12 AM PDT