Michigan may be the state with the most bitter and destructive partisan politics around. The state legislature is controlled by far rightwing representatives. Governor Jennifer Granholm is a moderate Democrat who has tried to work with the legislature, but the legislature is on a take no prisoners rampage.
They are rabidly anti-tax = starve the beast republicans Most recently they have decided to sell off the state's tobacco settlement for pennies on the dollar rather than collect the amount of taxes needed to run the state. They have slashed state budgets so low that they have cut past the bone in state education. Teachers are leaving the state in droves.
All that was just prologue. The Republicans think the can defeat Granholm. Any strategy will do - even outright lies. Who would catch them? Even if they were caught, the public would yawn at all this as he said-she said - damn them all tactics that turns people off.
Now, Hy Dudgeon and Bob B have caught the Michigan Republicans at their game. The story needs to be known more widely than just by the readers of the fledgling www.michiganliberal.com.
Trust me, if they are doing this in Michigan, they are doing this everywhere. Vigilance!
So here is, first, Hy Dudgeon's posting and then it is followed by Bob B's smoking gun information.
WSJ Attacks the Governor, And It Ain't Pretty
Thu Jul 14th, 2005 at 04:57:22 PM EST
Posted by: Hy Dudgeon
Cross-posted to DailyKos.com
The Wall Street Journal has once again drawn a bead on Governor Granholm and her proposal to reform the state's Single Business Tax.
A week ago today, Representative Rick Baxter and Professor Gary Wolfram criticized the governor's proposal and offered instead the usual nostrum of more tax cuts.
The governor responded to the op-ed by accusing Baxter of "treason" to the state. This wasn't one of her finer moments, but let's put things in perspective.
Granholm's use of "treason" is troublesome because politicians have been using the word far too loosely. The Constitution narrowly defines treason; and the Supreme Court, in a case arising out of Aaron Burr's alleged conspiracy against the government, made it clear that the Founders had a military offense in mind and that words alone aren't treasonous.
But let's compare apples to apples. The governor's remarks were a classic example of hyperbole. On the other hand, Bill O'Reilly and the rest of the right-wing noise machine are dead serious when they accuse President Bush's critics of treason. In fact, as the situation in Iraq deteriorates, and it becomes increasingly clear that the administration lied to Congress and the country concerning the war, the more viciously the Right attacks those who speak out against the president.
But back to the battle between Granholm and her critics over taxes. Today's Wall Street Journal raked her over the coals in an editorial. This time, it was personal.
The editorial opened on a condescending note, saying that the governor "clearly needs some friendly advice"--as if the Journal's editors ever counted as Friends of Jennifer--and accused her of "a Howard Dean-like temporary loss of sanity," trotting out that dead-horse cliche for the 112th time.
Then came the money quote:
Well, we recall that the first time an American was accused of "treason" for opposing high taxes was when New Englanders dressed as Indians and dumped tea in Boston Harbor. And it was America's most famous tax protester, Patrick Henry, who declared: "If this be treason, make the most of it." Ms. Granholm was born in Canada so maybe she missed this American history.
Classy, guys. Just as classy as Dick Posthumus's ham-fisted "Canada, Hollywood, and Harvard" attack on Granholm in 2002. I found that attack personally insulting because I, too, had been born outside the state. While here, started a business, employed people, and paid tens of thousands of dollars in taxes, only to be told by the state GOP that I lacked "Michigan values."
If you liked 2002, you're going to love 2006. Today's Journal editorial is another preview of coming attractions. The race for governor is going to get nasty. Very nasty, and very soon.
Now here is Bob B's comment:
There's more info on this at:
http://mediamatters.org/items/200507150001
The main point of the MediaMatters article is that the WSJ was factually incorrect in claiming that Michigan ranks 5th in the amount of per-captia taxes collected.
MediaMatters has a link so you can contact the WSJ and tell them about their errors.
Yes, it can happen in your state. We have got to keep on these guys, and use all our resources - Media Matters included - to bring their lies to light.
