So by now I'm sure you heard that Al Jazeera has purchased Current TV. If you haven't check out Markos' latest diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/...
And with Current TV being bought by Al Jazeera, former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm (D) is leaving her TV show, The War Room:
http://www.freep.com/...
Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has announced she will soon be leaving Current TV and her public affairs program “The War Room” following the purchase of the cable network by Al Jazeera, the pan-Arab news giant financed by the government of Qatar.
“We were told today that Al Jazeera is the buyer for Current TV,” Granholm said in a posting on her Facebook page late Wednesday.
“My agreement with Current was for the duration of the election (and the sale). It has been a very fun adventure; we are blessed with a wonderful team. We'll continue to broadcast The War Room for the next few weeks through the transition, but after that I'll be going back to teaching, speaking and other things.” - Detroit Free Press, 1/3/13
Granholm is also a law professor at the University of California at Berkeley but once we hear if incumbent U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D. MI) decides to retire, I think she needs to return to Michigan for a higher calling:
http://www.mlive.com/...
Carl Levin is the longest-serving U.S. senator in Michigan history.
Will he run for re-election in 2014?
The 78-year-old expects to make a decision on whether to run again or retire early next year, spokeswoman Tara Andringa confirmed to MLive.com on Sunday night.
Levin is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Levin has been serving in the U.S. Senate since 1979. He was elected to a sixth term in 2008, easily defeating Republican challenger Jack Hoogendyk.
Levin’s popularity and longevity have scared off potential big-name Republican challengers for years. - Michigan live, 11/11/12
We should be hearing from Levin's people soon but a lot of people in Michigan are anticipating that Levin will run for re-election:
http://www.detroitnews.com/...
62 percent see U.S. Sen. Carl Levin , D-Detroit, running for a seventh term. - The Detroit News, 1/3/13
Now I like Levin for several reasons. His vocal opposition to torture, his strong support for organized labor and higher corporate tax rates, his opposition to the bad 2010 deal to extend the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy and of course his grilling of Goldman Sachs CEO, Lloyd Blankfein:
But every time Carl teams up with this jack ass, it's never good:
Levin did team up with McCain to include the indefinite detention claus in the NDAA and he is watering down filibuster reform with McCain so I don't blame any of you for wanting to see Granholm primary Levin. But I don't think Granholm would primary him. He's too popular and he would easily win re-election in 2014:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...
PPP's newest poll finds Levin leading 5 potential Republican opponents by anywhere from 18-22 points for reelection. He's up 52/34 on Congresswoman Candice Miller, 53/32 on Congressman Justin Amash, 53/31 on State Senator Roger Kahn, 54/32 on Attorney General Bill Schuette, and 55/31 on Congressman Mike Rogers. - PPP, 12/19/12
So we will have to wait and see what Levin decides to do. But if he does retire, I'm all in for in for drafting Granholm to run for Senate. She is a terrific Democrat who has a great track record on taxes, education and job creation, especially for green jobs in Michigan. Yes, her approval ratings dipped and there were attempts at recalls from the big business community of Michigan but Granholm persevered. She is a tough campaigner and strong support of women's reproductive rights and I for one feel we need more strong women in the U.S. Senate. Especially in our ongoing fight against the GOP's War On Women. Also, she is a very charismatic speaker:
Of course Karl Rove, the Koch Brothers and all the right wing Super PACs would spend big to defeat her but Granholm would be the same high caliber candidate as Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin and Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts. Plus, Granholm can always depends of President Obama to come out and campaign for her and she would have the AFL-CIO and Michigan unions undying support. Especially with Governor Rick "Right To Work" Snyder (R) on the ballot again in 2014. So Miss Granholm, if Levin decides to call it quits and you want to continue to be a great public servant for the people, you have my dedicated support to run for the U.S. Senate.