#Sam Schuette

[thepermanentrainpress]

FAWKES & HOWND: BACKROADS

Backroads – Fawkes & Hownd Release Date: June 7, 2024

Track Listing:

1. Backroads 2. A Little Longer 3. I'm Sold 4. Follow You Anywhere

It’s been a long-awaited return for Fawkes & Hownd. Five years prior saw their debut in Balancing Act and a single released shortly after. I’m happy to say they haven’t lost their congeniality and charm.

The four songs were written during a 2023 trip by music (and life) partners Justin Kelley and Phöenix Lazare, and later recorded in Qualicum Beach at Barnhouse Sound Studios. They’ve grown as musicians and people since their last release, which is reflected in their new music.

“Backroads” is relaxed and playful. An homage to both Kelley and Lazare’s childhoods on the coasts of Massachusetts and British Columbia, respectively, it speaks to the idyllic landscape and livelihood they bestow on their residents (“Backyards and picnics / Following footprints / Sparklers spray like fireflies”). The slower pace is perfect for the song’s ‘cruising with the windows down’ vibe, with soulful vocalising between Lazare and Kelley.

Kelley has the vocal lead on “A Little Longer,” fitting as he initially wrote the song ten years ago before it was re-worked by the duo. It emits the universal feeling of holding onto the emotions and positive memories of a just-ended relationship – heartbreak whilst material items bring a sense of comfort and peace. There is more of a cinematic, sweltering feel, but it remains grounded with the use of acoustic guitar. It’s a wistful, reflective piece and stands as my favourite from the EP.

“I’m Sold” is a beautiful look forward for the pair. It dreams of children, a dog, a lake view, next door neighbours, and ample family time. The personal storytelling never fails to make a mark for Fawkes & Hownd. Amidst the wish factor is the idea that future plans can change with time and more life lived (“I never thought I would take it slow / But as of late it’s all I crave”). In sound, the song is compelling with roots and Americana at its core. Their voices blend together seamlessly in the chorus and in some verses, Lazare’s upper register a gracious and soft echo.

I was pleasantly surprised by “Follow You Anywhere” and the 70’s rock influences. The added groove to their folk mainstay was refreshing. Sweet and simple in narrative, it speaks to their love for each other and a bond that can carry them to new and unexpected places. In addition to acoustic guitar (Lazare) and electric guitar (Kelley), the release features Atom Lazare on drums and Sam Schuette on bass. Their additions help create the full sound in the song, building on the bright and controlled energy from the vocals.

I’m left inspired by Backroads. It is smooth and purposeful in all the right places. Fawkes & Hownd are kindred spirits and tonally, there is an immense warmth and consideration in their music. I’m glad to see them back with further experiences to share and musicianship to showcase.

Backroads is available on Spotify and Bandcamp.

Written by: Chloe Hoy

[berniesrevolution]

IN THESE TIMES

Tuesday’s primaries were like the midpoint of a novel. There was plenty of plot development without much resolution—but you can see where things are heading.

A number of the highest-visibility races were either a draw or a disappointment for progressives and Democrats. Left challenger Abdul El-Sayed lost his Democratic primary race for governor in Michigan. And Democrat Danny O’Connor narrowly lost his special election for the House of Representatives in Ohio.

Yet the elections did advance several plot points that are key to the progressive movement’s fate in the general elections—and its prospects well beyond November.

The last two years have clarified the stakes. Donald Trump tells a conservative story about how America was once great, how we lost it, and how we can get it back. That story is rooted in misogyny, bigotry, degradation of the environment, freedom for corporations to abuse their power, and complete disregard for workers’ rights and welfare. He is explicit about the movement’s intentions.

Tuesday’s elections delivered a powerful response to Trump’s narrative. And they served to disprove the notion that left-wing policies can’t win in the Midwest.

Kansas has been ground zero for right-wing ambitions and zealotry over the past half century. It’s the home of the Koch brothers—the libertarian oil tycoons behind a wide swath of anti-union and anti-environmental campaigns. And it’s the site of a recent experiment by Sam Brownback, the former governor, to juice the economy by slashing taxes. The experiment failed, spectacularly. Brownback is now in hiding as the U.S.  “Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.” Whatever that means.

Kansas appears to have seen enough. A progressive civil rights attorney, James Thompson, won the nomination in the Fourth District, on a platform calling for Medicare for all, marijuana legalization, an end to mandatory minimum prison sentences, investment in programs to end homelessness and a robustly progressive platform across the board.

In July, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez campaigned for both Thompson and Brent Welder, who ran in the Third District. Welder narrowly lost—but he lost to Sharice Davids, a former mixed martial arts fighter who would be the first Native American woman elected to Congress if she wins in November. And that seems like a distinct possibility. The Republican incumbent, Kevin Yoder, isn’t polling well in a district that Hillary Clinton actually carried in 2016.

Organized labor is a second target that punched back on Tuesday. There was the high-profile, high-stakes case of Missouri, where voters soundly defeated anti-union “right to work” legislation that was passed by the state legislature. Unions were all in on defeating “Prop A,” organizing door-knocking campaigns to educate voters and vastly outraising corporate groups that supported the law. Missouri would have been the 28th “right to work” state.

But it wasn’t just Missouri. There was good news for organized labor across several of Tuesday’s races. El-Sayed’s loss was disappointing for progressives, for example, but the winner of the Democratic gubernatorial primary in Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer—who supports such policies as a $15 minimum wage and repealing right to work—has broad and deep support from most of the state’s unions. That support is part of the reason she won by a wide margin. That support will be crucial to her prospects in November against a Trump aligned Republican, Bill Schuette who is seeking to fill the shoes of Rick Snyder, another Tea Party, anti-union Republican governor with low approval ratings. The race is winnable, and it would be a big boost for unions and Democrats.

(Continue Reading)

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

After a quiet July, the primary calendar roars back to life in August. Here at FiveThirtyEight, that means putting our trusty primary-preview-writing pen to paper (did you miss us?) and cranking up the ol’ live blog (join us Tuesday night as we digest some results). We’ve got four states coming at you this week:

Missouri

Races to watch: Proposition A Polls close: 8 p.m. Eastern

The primary is a formality in the one Missouri campaign that everyone’s following this year: the U.S. Senate race. Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill will almost certainly face (spoiler alert!) Republican Josh Hawley, the state attorney general, in one of the marquee matchups of the 2018 Senate map. Nevertheless, Missouri will still play host to one of Tuesday’s most consequential elections: a ballot measure, Proposition A, that would allow non-union members who benefit from a collective-bargaining agreement to not pay union dues.

Missouri’s Republican-dominated legislature originally passed Senate Bill 19, commonly referred to as a “right-to-work” law, in 2017, but outraged labor unions turned to an already-energized liberal electorate and collected three times the number of signatures needed to subject the law to a voter referendum. After being dealt heavy blows in other Midwestern states and, recently, the U.S. Supreme Court, organized labor has gone all-in to defeat the right-to-work law in Missouri, raising $16.1 million and dwarfing the $4.3 million raised by supporters of Proposition A. (Since the vote is technically on whether to adopt Senate Bill 19, a “yes” vote is a vote for right-to-work rules.) So far, it looks like they’re succeeding: According to the most recent poll, the referendum is poised to fail 56 percent to 38 percent. The vote is being watched nationally and will be viewed as either a needed symbolic win or a devastating symbolic loss for the labor movement.

Kansas

Races to watch: 2nd and 3rd congressional districts; governor Polls close: 8 p.m. Eastern in most of the state, 9 p.m. Eastern in a few westerly counties

After Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins announced her retirement from Kansas’s 2nd Congressional District and former state House Minority Leader Paul Davis said he would run for the Democrats, Republicans openly fretted that none of their seven candidates was strong enough to beat him, despite the district’s R+20 partisan lean1 — a measure of how much more Republican- or Democratic-leaning an area is than the country as a whole. Now, for better or for worse, they’ll pick one of those seven. Spending on behalf of Army veteran and former Iditarod musher Steve Watkins — half from his own campaign, half from a super PAC run by his father — has totaled more than all the other Republican candidates’ spending combined. Anyone else the GOP nominates — say, state Sen. Caryn Tyson, state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald or former state House Speaker Doug Mays — could struggle to play financially in Davis’s league (he’s raised $1.6 million).

The Democratic primary is anyone’s ballgame in the 3rd Congressional District, where Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder is defending an R+4 seat. Each wing of the party is represented. Bernie Sanders has endorsed former labor lawyer Brent Welder. Emily’s List is spending $400,000 to promote Native American activist Sharice Davids, who could probably beat you up. As a teacher at an elite private high school, Tom Niermann has the moderate cred to win over country-club Republicans in this well-educated district around Kansas City. That would normally suggest he’d give Democrats the best chance to win in November, but a poll sponsored by a progressive group also showed Welder doing well.

Sensing the chance for a pickup, Democrats have their first contested primary for Kansas governor since 1998. State Sen. Laura Kelly is the pick of the local political establishment, including former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, and it shows in her muscular fundraising. Former state Secretary of Agriculture Joshua Svaty’s campaign is almost like a modern-day incarnation of the Populist Party, the progressive agrarian political movement that won five states (including Kansas) in the 1892 presidential election. Svaty has devoted his campaign to winning back rural voters by combining liberal positions, like Medicaid expansion, with conservative ones, like opposition to abortion. The campaign has been defined by the Planned Parenthood-endorsed Kelly attacking Svaty for his pro-life record and Svaty attacking Kelly for her votes against gun restrictions and for voting restrictions. Former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, a more mainstream liberal, has emerged mostly unscathed. He is running to be Kansas’s first black governor and could be a strong general-election candidate despite the state’s R+23 partisan lean.

Elevated to the office early this year after the resignation of Sam Brownback, Gov. Jeff Colyer is running for his first full term. But first he has to beat Secretary of State Kris Kobach in the Republican primary. Kobach is the rare down-ballot state executive to have a national profile, thanks to his divisive role on President Trump’s Commission on Election Integrity and zealous efforts to prosecute voter fraud (despite scant evidence that it exists in any abundance). That’s left him with a higher profile than Colyer but also higher unfavorable ratings among Republicans.

Embarrassing headlines have beset Kobach throughout the campaign: In April, he was held in contempt for disobeying a court order. In June, a court overturned his main policy priority, a law requiring that Kansans provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote, as unconstitutional. Just last week, ProPublica reported on how Kobach — doing his best Lyle Lanley impression — convinced several small towns to pass strict anti-immigration ordinances, then personally profited from defending them in court, with little success. There’s little question that Kobach is Republicans’ weakest play in the general election: A mid-July poll showed Colyer leading Kelly by 10 points, but Kobach trailing the Democrat by 1.

Michigan

Races to watch: U.S. Senate; 1st, 6th, 9th, 11th and 13th congressional districts; governor Polls close: 8 p.m. Eastern in most of the state, 9 p.m. Eastern in four counties on the Upper Peninsula

The Republican primary for Michigan governor is a question of who is more in touch with the modern GOP: Trump or outgoing Gov. Rick Snyder. So far, Trump is winning handily. The president endorsed state Attorney General Bill Schuette last September, and Schuette has led in primary polls throughout the race. The latest average has him 16 points ahead of Lt. Gov. Brian Calley. Schuette has kept his opponent down by reminding primary voters that Calley renounced his support for Trump after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape in 2016 — an episode that likely played a role in Trump’s decision to endorse Calley’s opponent.

Meanwhile, Calley’s loyalty to Snyder (who has endorsed him) may hurt more than it helps, given the governor’s -15 net approval rating. Schuette has even prosecuted members of the Snyder administration for their actions related to the Flint water crisis, while Calley has been the face of the administration’s defense. Even the specter of an FBI investigation into Schuette’s use of state resources doesn’t seem to have done much to change the trajectory of the race.

For Democrats, former state Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer has led most recent polls by 20 points or more, but there are a few warning signs for her campaign. The highest-quality poll2 of the race showed a much closer contest and came as her closest rival, Shri Thanedar, reported pouring $10 million of his own money into the race. Thanedar is campaigning as the progressive antidote to Whitmer’s establishment persona, but his business record and level of commitment to his positions (he reportedly considered running as a Republican) have been called into question. Perhaps to blunt Thanedar’s momentum, Sanders recently announced his support for former Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed, and Sanders and fellow progressive hero Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist who recently won the Democratic nomination for a New York congressional seat, have committed to an aggressive campaign schedule on El-Sayed’s behalf. Whitmer is likely Democrats’ strongest general-election candidate for this slightly Republican-leaning (R+0.3) state: She is the only one who comfortably defeats Schuette in polling, and Republicans have covertly attacked her from the left in an effort to defeat her in the primary.

The open 11th Congressional District (R+7) is an electoral trifecta: a competitive Democratic primary, a competitive Republican primary and a toss-up race in November. An EPIC-MRA poll suggests that the Democratic front-runners are Tim Greimel, a state representative; Haley Stevens, who played a starring role in the Obama administration’s efforts to save General Motors and Chrysler; and Suneel Gupta, who is running on his unusual background as the co-founder of a health startup (with his brother Sanjay — maybe you’ve heard of him). For Republicans, Lena Epstein, the co-chair of the Trump campaign in Michigan, has parlayed a $1 million personal investment into front-runner status. A trio of current and former state legislators — former state Rep. A. Rocky Raczkowski, state Rep. Klint Kesto and state Sen. Mike Kowall — are her closest competition. Former Congressman Kerry Bentivolio — a reindeer farmer who plays Santa Claus on the side — is also attempting a comeback, but it’s not expected to go anywhere.

For U.S. Senate, 37-year-old military veteran John James looks like the likely Republican nominee over 61-year-old financier Sandy Pensler. The two were locked in a tight race when Trump endorsed James on July 27. Neither candidate is favored to beat longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in November, but the primary will be another data point in the debate over the value of Trump’s endorsement. Likewise, GOP Rep. Fred Upton will be tough to dislodge from Michigan’s 6th Congressional District (R+9), but Democrats will try to choose the best person for the job. Top Michigan Democrats are behind former Kellogg lobbyist George Franklin, but he has come under fire for demeaning descriptions of women in his memoir. Physician Matt Longjohn has raised almost as much money as Franklin and could swing the upset. And keep an eye on the 1st District (R+21): Republican Rep. Jack Bergman has a chance to run unopposed in November, but that all depends on whether Matt Morgan gets enough write-in votes in the Democratic primary. Morgan, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, was impressing observers with his strong fundraising before getting booted from the ballot in June over a paperwork mistake on his nominating petitions.

Finally, Democratic primaries in solidly blue districts will decide the likely next member of Congress in two open seats. In the 9th District (D+7), Andy Levin, benefitting from plenty of establishment and union backing, probably thought he would have no trouble winning a seat that his father and uncle have held for the last 40 years. But then Emily’s List backed former state Rep. Ellen Lipton, who has outraised the dynastic favorite $1.1 million to $900,000. Both candidates support Medicare for all and agree on many other progressive priorities, so this one may hinge on the Levin family name vs. the “Year of the Woman.” A poll in late July gave Levin a 23-point lead. In the 13th District (D+61), polls suggest it’s a three-person race. Detroit City Council President Brenda Jones is organized labor’s candidate and is doing especially well with African-American voters. Former state Rep. Rashida Tlaib, seeking to become the first Muslim woman in Congress, has harnessed the progressive grassroots movement to the tune of over $1 million in donations. And if the Detroit vote winds up split between these candidates, that could throw victory to Bill Wild, the white mayor of suburban Westland who is the race’s only candidate from outside the city.

Washington

Races to watch: 3rd, 5th and 8th congressional districts Ballots due: 11 p.m. Eastern

Primaries in Washington state are important to watch for two reasons: to see who’s on the November ballot, sure, but also as a dry run for the state’s vote in November. Like California, Washington uses a top-two primary, meaning that all candidates — Democrats, Republicans and independents — run on the same ballot on Tuesday, with only the top two finishers advancing to the general election. Historically, the combined total vote share of all the Democratic candidates vs. that of all the Republican candidates has closely matched the eventual two-party margin in November.

Pay special attention to the margins in the 3rd District and the 5th District. In the latter, Republican Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Democrat Lisa Brown are almost assured to advance to the general election, but analysts disagree on whether McMorris Rodgers — the No. 4 Republican in the House — is in any serious danger of losing this R+15 seat. Same with the 3rd District (R+9), which is either “Safe Republican” or “Likely Republican” depending on whom you ask. Voters in the 3rd will also choose which Democrat they want to face GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler. The likeliest options, based on fundraising prowess, are self-described pragmatist Carolyn Long or self-funding progressive David McDevitt.

Everyone, though, agrees that the open 8th District (D+0.1) is a toss-up. State Sen. Dino Rossi has one of the top two spots all but locked up for the GOP, leaving three well-funded Democrats to battle for the second. An internal poll by the Democrat-affiliated House Majority PAC suggested that, of the three, former prosecutor Jason Rittereiser appeals the most to independents. That’s a bit odd (or not), because Rittereiser is in favor of single-payer health care and turned heads with an ad accusing Trump of treason. However, opponents Shannon Hader and Kim Schrier, both women and doctors, are arguing that Congress doesn’t need another male attorney in its ranks. Schrier enjoys the backing of Emily’s List and is thought to be the front-runner.

Results will start to be released shortly after 11 p.m. Eastern, but don’t stay up too late waiting for them all to be counted — Washington votes by mail, and ballots can be postmarked as late as Election Day, meaning results won’t be final for days.

[democratsunited-blog]

Don’t bet on ‘blue wave,’ build it

https://uniteddemocrats.net/?p=8616

Don’t bet on ‘blue wave,’ build it

The Michigan Democratic Party ticket.(Photo: Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News)

East Lansing – Michigan Democrats finalized their ticket for fall elections on Sunday, formally nominating candidates for statewide office in a year that experts say could bode well for the minority party in state and federal government.

But two years after Republican President Donald Trump scored a surprise win in Michigan, party leaders warned activists against assuming Democratic strength.

“I want a blue wave, but that blue wave isn’t going to happen if we keep talking about it,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell of Dearborn. “It’s going to happen when we take nothing for granted and roll up our sleeves.”

Democrats need to talk about issues that matter to working families and remind them “elections have consequences,” Dingell told activists in a state party convention speech at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University.

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee offered a similar call to action.

“We can’t win just by running against Donald Trump and Bill Schuette,” Kildee said. “We saw what happened two years ago. I’ll tell you my friends, I don’t know about you, but I’m just exhausted by noble defeat.”

Garlin Gilchrist accepts the Michigan Democratic Party nomination for lieutenant governor. (Photo: Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News)

Democrats on Sunday rounded out a ticket that will be headed by U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow and gubernatorial hopeful Gretchen Whitmer, whose running mate Garlin Gilchrist was officially nominated as the party’s pick for lieutenant governor.

Attorney General candidate Dana Nessel, Secretary of State candidate Jocelyn Benson and Supreme Court candidates Megan Cavanagh and Sam Bagenstos – all endorsed at a party convention in March — were also formally nominated for the ballot with 72 days left until the Nov. 6 general election.

“This election is bigger than any one of us, it is about every one of us,” Whitmer said. “Government works best when passionate people participate, when we debate ideas, when we work together to solve problems. And right now we have a job to do.”

The March endorsement convention and August primary allowed Democrats to enter the convention as a unified front despite earlier divisions between the progressive and establishment wings of the party. Members voted on statewide education posts Saturday.

Dana Nessel accepts Michigan Democratic Party nomination for attorney general. (Photo: Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News)

Nessel, a favorite of the progressive left would be the state’s first openly gay attorney general, used a fiery convention speech to rail on Republicans.

“Republicans eat at the trough of the oil and gas companies,” Nessel said, vowing that if elected, she would shut down Enbridge’s controversial Line 5 pipeline. She argued that Bill Schuette, the current attorney general and Republican nominee for governor, used the office to serve “corporate masters” rather than fight for regular people.

A Plymouth Township lawyer best known for helping topple the state’s gay marriage ban, Nessel said she would fight for civil rights and defended her prior work as a criminal defense attorney, noting it is an “essential role in our system of justice.”

“Tom Leonard, you cannot be anti-public corruption and pro-Donald Trump at the same time,” she said, referencing her Republican opponent in the general election. “Those things are mutually exclusive.”

Benson, who was also the party’s nominee for Secretary of State, said she would be ready to do the job on day one. The former dean of the Wayne State University Law School said her race against Republican Mary Treder Lang “will define our Democracy for years to come.”

Jocelyn Benson accepts Democratic nomination for Michigan Secretary of State. (Photo: Jonathan Oosting, Detroit News)

“That’s why as secretary of state I will be ready to implement changes that protect your voice, your vote, and I will work every day to ensure our Democracy is one where your voice is valued and your vote is secure,” Benson said.

Republicans finalized their ticket Saturday at a state party convention in Lansing that functioned as a primary victory party for Schuette and running mate Lisa Lyons. Republicans rallied around the mantra of “results, not resistance,” arguing the GOP has helped improve economic conditions despite Democratic opposition at every turn.  

But “Democrats are ready to lead and ready to get things done for people – not just wealthy people. Not just powerful people,” Stabenow said. “We want everybody to have a fair shot.”

Stabenow is set to take on Republican nominee John James, a Farmington Hills businessman and Army veteran, in the general election. James has called himself a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, who endorsed him in the GOP primary.

“I want you to know that when my opponent says he stands with Donald Trump ‘2,000 percent,’ I stand with Michigan 2,000 percent,” she said.

Stabenow chastised Republicans for what she called a “war” on health care and attempts to undermine the Affordable Care Act, a theme Gilchrist also touched on in accepting the lieutenant governor nomination.

Whitmer worked to expand Medicaid eligibility while serving as state senate minority leader, Gilchrist said. Schuette “sued the federal government, not one, not two, not three but nine times to block parts of the Affordable Care Act,” he said.

“The choice this November is so start,” he said. “It could not be more clear how different the visions are for Michigan between Gretchen Whitmer and Bill Schuette.”

joosting@detroitnews.com

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[englishmansdcc]

18 TO PARTY Movie Review: A Delightful Genre Mashup

In her latest movie review @samanthamaybe talks about @18ToPartyMovie #18ToParty #filmreviews

Written & Directed by Jeff Roda

Starring: Alivia Clark, Tanner Flood, James Freedson-Jackson, Oliver Gifford, Nolan Lyons, Sam McCarthy, Ivy Miller, Taylor Richardson, and Erich Schuett.

Producers: Nikola Duravcevic, Emily Ziff Griffin, Andrew Cahill, and Stephanie Marin.

Synopsis: It’s 1984 and outside a small-town…

[reneeacaseyfl]

Michigan’s lieutenant governor offers campaign advice as Democrats debate in Detroit – ThinkProgress

After winning Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018, Gretchen Whitmer surprised a great many in her party by choosing Detroit activist Garlin Gilchrist II as her running mate.

In some ways, it was a bold and radical move given that Gilchrist had never held elected office. His only brush with electoral politics had come a year earlier when he returned to his hometown from Washington, D.C., to run for Detroit city clerk. He lost.

But in that first race, Gilchrist, whose pre-politics jobs included community organizing for progressive groups and causes, mounted a spirited grassroots campaign that shocked the Democratic establishment. He outraised his opponent by a 10-1 margin, losing a contentious race by just shy of 1,500 votes out of 100,000 ballots cast.

Such nascent political prowess convinced Whitmer, who has a long and respected resume in state politics, to ask Gilchrist to join her campaign as a running mate.

The Whitmer-Gilchrist team helped lead to a reversal of fortunes in Michigan, as Democrats won big in statewide elections, flipping the governor’s mansion from red to blue by beating the state’s former attorney general, Bill Schuette, a popular Republican who had the backing of President Donald Trump.

Gilchrist played a crucial role in the 2018 Michigan elections, helping Democrats inspire black-voter participation, especially in Detroit, where Gilchrist was emerging as a homegrown, rising star. Trump won Michigan, partly because white voters turned out and black voters stayed home, according to a Washington Post analysis. That wasn’t the case a mere two years later as black voters helped in large measure to return Democrats to statewide power.

Now, as Democratic presidential hopefuls gather tonight in Detroit for the first of two consecutive nights of debates in the run-up to the 2020 election, Gilchrist told ThinkProgress in a telephone interview that he’s delighted to play host to all of the candidates — but not to any one in particular.

The debates offer a prime opportunity for voters across Michigan to get a closer look at the men and women who want to be the next president. In fact, Gilchrist said Democrats will have to go through Michigan to arrive at the White House, given that it was one of three swing states to hand Trump an Electoral College victory in 2016.

Prior to Trump’s surprising upset, Michigan was considered a key building block in the Democratic Party’s “big blue wall,” having soundly supported Democrats in six consecutive presidential elections from 1992 to 2012. The last time a Republican presidential candidate carried the state was 1988, when George H. W. Bush defeated Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis.

Here’s a transcript of my conversation with Gilchrist, which has conducted last week and has been edited for brevity and clarity:

Sam Fulwood: Have you picked a candidate?

Garlin Gilchrist: I have not selected a candidate and I’m not going to be in the endorsement business here. What I’m in the business of is making sure that the candidates who choose to come and have time to invest themselves in Michigan are connecting with communities that are representative of the whole state.

But I’m not one of those people who is super concerned that we have a lot of candidates in the primary right now. I think it’s a good thing for us to really understand who these people are and what their visions are for America.

SF: Not in a hurry to winnow down the field?

GG: I think that happens naturally. There’s no need to rush it. As we come closer to when we start having caucuses and we start having primaries, you aregoing to see people have hard conversations about what they feel their viability is. I’m not concerned and I think that will work itself out.

To be very blunt, the Republicans had 19 candidates in 2016 and they got one president and we got zero, so I don’t know that we should be too concerned about that.

SF: You’re getting to play host to all the presidential candidates for a debate in Detroit. How do you see Michigan shaping up for the primary and choosing a final candidate or the next president?

GG: I think it’s fantastic. Anytime you can bring the candidates to Michigan, to my hometown of Detroit, it’s a good thing. I’m glad the DNC [Democratic National Committee] has made the choice to recognize the primacy of the state of Michigan in the election going into 2020.

And it’s also a great opportunity for more people in Michigan to get exposure to all the people who are participating in the primaries. It’s never a bad thing for Michigandersto rub elbows with and ask question of someone who says they want to be your president. We’re very excited to welcome everyone to Michigan.

SF: What will you share with the Democratic candidate about how to win in Michigan?

GG: Well, I think that every campaign will take Michigan very seriously. And given that the president won by less than 11,000 votes, I don’t think that anyone is going to take it for granted. But that also includes people in Michigan and the people organizing in Michigan. Certainly the governor and I are going to be working to insure that people know how important this choice is.

But what’s going to be critical is that candidates come here and they engage communities directly. It’s a big, diverse state. We have pretty much every issue that you think is important in the country. There’s a microcosm of it in Michigan.

It’s going to be critical that people spend time here. The candidates who spend the most time and connect in the most direct way will be successful. I know that’s going to take a lot of work. Michigan is a state that requires good organizing and good infrastructure. So the candidate that invests in that can be successful.

SF: So far, are the Democratic candidates doing what it takes to win in Michigan?

GG: Yeah. We’re seeing more candidates making stops in Michigan in the lead-up to the debates next week. The NAACP national convention is here in Detroit right now. I believe that nine or 10 candidates came through for the NAACP convention. A number of them have also made other stops in different parts of the state while they’re here.

We have prepared a briefing about issues that are happening in Michigan and what’s important in Michigan for all of the campaigns. We have shared it with all of the campaigns to make sure they’re speaking from a place of understanding of local and statewide context. We have also let every campaign know that if they come to Michigan and there is a particular constituency group that they want to engage, we are more than willing to make connections to those constituencies for those campaigns. Some of them have taken advantage of that.

SF: What do Democrats need to say in Michigan to be successful?

GG: If you look at the [gubernatorial] campaign that we ran in 2018, we ran on a very, very practical platform. We promised to solve problems for people and we were going to fix the things that were broken. And that we were going to invest in the infrastructure that we need to support life and support prosperity in the future.

I think that candidates coming through Michigan are going to have to tell people that they’re going to invest in what makes this state tick. They’re going to invest in infrastructure and make sure that people are trained for the jobs of today and tomorrow. They have to talk about investing in education and to make sure that everyone has access to high-quality public-school education.

They also must be willing to listen to the things that people have concerns about. People are concerned about what the economy is going to look like in 10 years in a place, a state where we see the evolution of manufacturing, which has been unfortunately harmful to people who have been losing jobs.  So I think that candidates who come in and speak to those things very directly will be received very well here in Michigan.

SF: Are there Democratic candidates who aren’t speaking about those things or about issues of concern to people in Michigan?

GG: I wouldn’t say that. I think everyone is trying to do that in their own unique way. Candidates, of course, have stylistic differences, so they’re not going to sound exactly the same. We’re just excited that everybody is deciding and choosing to show up here in Michigan.

SF: Historically, Michigan has been a blue state, but it went for Trump in 2016. Will it be red or blue in 2020?

GG: I think by definition Michigan is a swing state because it went for the Republicans in 2016, so we have to do the work, the organizing work, the infrastructure-building work to return Michigan to its blue-state status. That’s why the relationship-building needs to happen from the campaigns, but it also needs to happen here in the state. We need to all come together as a movement to ensure that people in Michigan realize their political power and that Democrats turn out in record number.

One of the things I’m most proud about the 2018 race is that we saw the highest voter turnout in the gubernatorial election that hadbeen seen in Michigan in the last 50 years. We need to build on that momentum in 2020. If we do so, I think Michigan will go back to being a blue state that we have known and loved.

SF: Was that high turnout in 2018 —  no disrespect to you and Gov. Whitmer — because people were so upset with Trump? Or was it because they just loved you?

GG: I think it’s a combination of both. I think it’s absolutely true that the urgent danger that a Trump presidency presents to so many people and to so many people’s livelihoods is absolutely a motivating factor. Anyone who happens to have to give in to the curse of being on Twitter can see that on a daily basis.

But I also think, in addition to that, we cannot win based on the fear of the bad things that somebody may do. We have to win by saying here are the things that we’re going to present as an alternative to that bad reality.

So in our campaign, we didn’t actually talk about Trump that much. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about, you know, what the consequences would befrom electing a Republican as the governor and lieutenant governor of Michigan.  What we did talk about is the vision that we had to create opportunities for people in the state of Michigan and about the infrastructure that needed fixing and all the things that are broken. We did talk about those things and I do think that was the message that resonated with the people of Michigan.

SF: President Trump seems to have embarked on a campaign of racism to whip up white anger, especially against people in cities, to drive up turnout among aggrieved white voters. Michigan has has some issues with racial concerns. What do you think about Trump’s strategy and how will it play in Michigan?

GG: I think that kind of politics as a strategy is dangerous for our state and for our country. It’s certainly true that the president has embarked on virulently racist messaging tactics and that has shown itself as well in how the administration has governed. A state as diverse as Michigan makes that kind of politics especially harmful to communities here in our state.

But I don’t expect to see anything different. The president has governed in this same way. I do think it is worth recognizing that the president kind of ran as a racist who at least attempted to present himself as a fairly moderate candidate. As an example of that, he ran as someone who supported or said he supported the LGBT community, but that has not beenhow he has governed given that he tried to ban gay people from military service.

My point is it was the racism mashed with this attempt to be like this different kind of Republican. But we’ve seen in the reality of his governance that he’s just a racist Republican and we need to make sure that our vision, what we articulate, is one that focuses on how we are actually connecting people to live their best lives and be their best selves here in Michigan and by extension in the United States.

SF: But isn’t that true in every state? Is Michigan all that different?

GG: What’s going on in Michigan is an exercise in understanding what could be happening in the rest of the country – the good, the bad and the ugly.

I think that there is no better place in the country to understand what that looks like and to work on how to articulate a positive vision than here in Michigan. We are a state of people where our reputation is basedon how hard we work and how high-quality our work is. Our reputation is about being a place where people have come to for generations for opportunities to build a prosperous future. These are the same things that we want to be about in America.

If you are able to hone that type of energy and those types of ideas in the state of Michigan, you can take that all the way to the presidency. Democrats need to understand that.

Credit: Source link

The post Michigan’s lieutenant governor offers campaign advice as Democrats debate in Detroit – ThinkProgress appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/michigans-lieutenant-governor-offers-campaign-advice-as-democrats-debate-in-detroit-thinkprogress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=michigans-lieutenant-governor-offers-campaign-advice-as-democrats-debate-in-detroit-thinkprogress from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.tumblr.com/post/186654311492

[velmaemyers88]

Michigan’s lieutenant governor offers campaign advice as Democrats debate in Detroit – ThinkProgress

After winning Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018, Gretchen Whitmer surprised a great many in her party by choosing Detroit activist Garlin Gilchrist II as her running mate.

In some ways, it was a bold and radical move given that Gilchrist had never held elected office. His only brush with electoral politics had come a year earlier when he returned to his hometown from Washington, D.C., to run for Detroit city clerk. He lost.

But in that first race, Gilchrist, whose pre-politics jobs included community organizing for progressive groups and causes, mounted a spirited grassroots campaign that shocked the Democratic establishment. He outraised his opponent by a 10-1 margin, losing a contentious race by just shy of 1,500 votes out of 100,000 ballots cast.

Such nascent political prowess convinced Whitmer, who has a long and respected resume in state politics, to ask Gilchrist to join her campaign as a running mate.

The Whitmer-Gilchrist team helped lead to a reversal of fortunes in Michigan, as Democrats won big in statewide elections, flipping the governor’s mansion from red to blue by beating the state’s former attorney general, Bill Schuette, a popular Republican who had the backing of President Donald Trump.

Gilchrist played a crucial role in the 2018 Michigan elections, helping Democrats inspire black-voter participation, especially in Detroit, where Gilchrist was emerging as a homegrown, rising star. Trump won Michigan, partly because white voters turned out and black voters stayed home, according to a Washington Post analysis. That wasn’t the case a mere two years later as black voters helped in large measure to return Democrats to statewide power.

Now, as Democratic presidential hopefuls gather tonight in Detroit for the first of two consecutive nights of debates in the run-up to the 2020 election, Gilchrist told ThinkProgress in a telephone interview that he’s delighted to play host to all of the candidates — but not to any one in particular.

The debates offer a prime opportunity for voters across Michigan to get a closer look at the men and women who want to be the next president. In fact, Gilchrist said Democrats will have to go through Michigan to arrive at the White House, given that it was one of three swing states to hand Trump an Electoral College victory in 2016.

Prior to Trump’s surprising upset, Michigan was considered a key building block in the Democratic Party’s “big blue wall,” having soundly supported Democrats in six consecutive presidential elections from 1992 to 2012. The last time a Republican presidential candidate carried the state was 1988, when George H. W. Bush defeated Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis.

Here’s a transcript of my conversation with Gilchrist, which has conducted last week and has been edited for brevity and clarity:

Sam Fulwood: Have you picked a candidate?

Garlin Gilchrist: I have not selected a candidate and I’m not going to be in the endorsement business here. What I’m in the business of is making sure that the candidates who choose to come and have time to invest themselves in Michigan are connecting with communities that are representative of the whole state.

But I’m not one of those people who is super concerned that we have a lot of candidates in the primary right now. I think it’s a good thing for us to really understand who these people are and what their visions are for America.

SF: Not in a hurry to winnow down the field?

GG: I think that happens naturally. There’s no need to rush it. As we come closer to when we start having caucuses and we start having primaries, you aregoing to see people have hard conversations about what they feel their viability is. I’m not concerned and I think that will work itself out.

To be very blunt, the Republicans had 19 candidates in 2016 and they got one president and we got zero, so I don’t know that we should be too concerned about that.

SF: You’re getting to play host to all the presidential candidates for a debate in Detroit. How do you see Michigan shaping up for the primary and choosing a final candidate or the next president?

GG: I think it’s fantastic. Anytime you can bring the candidates to Michigan, to my hometown of Detroit, it’s a good thing. I’m glad the DNC [Democratic National Committee] has made the choice to recognize the primacy of the state of Michigan in the election going into 2020.

And it’s also a great opportunity for more people in Michigan to get exposure to all the people who are participating in the primaries. It’s never a bad thing for Michigandersto rub elbows with and ask question of someone who says they want to be your president. We’re very excited to welcome everyone to Michigan.

SF: What will you share with the Democratic candidate about how to win in Michigan?

GG: Well, I think that every campaign will take Michigan very seriously. And given that the president won by less than 11,000 votes, I don’t think that anyone is going to take it for granted. But that also includes people in Michigan and the people organizing in Michigan. Certainly the governor and I are going to be working to insure that people know how important this choice is.

But what’s going to be critical is that candidates come here and they engage communities directly. It’s a big, diverse state. We have pretty much every issue that you think is important in the country. There’s a microcosm of it in Michigan.

It’s going to be critical that people spend time here. The candidates who spend the most time and connect in the most direct way will be successful. I know that’s going to take a lot of work. Michigan is a state that requires good organizing and good infrastructure. So the candidate that invests in that can be successful.

SF: So far, are the Democratic candidates doing what it takes to win in Michigan?

GG: Yeah. We’re seeing more candidates making stops in Michigan in the lead-up to the debates next week. The NAACP national convention is here in Detroit right now. I believe that nine or 10 candidates came through for the NAACP convention. A number of them have also made other stops in different parts of the state while they’re here.

We have prepared a briefing about issues that are happening in Michigan and what’s important in Michigan for all of the campaigns. We have shared it with all of the campaigns to make sure they’re speaking from a place of understanding of local and statewide context. We have also let every campaign know that if they come to Michigan and there is a particular constituency group that they want to engage, we are more than willing to make connections to those constituencies for those campaigns. Some of them have taken advantage of that.

SF: What do Democrats need to say in Michigan to be successful?

GG: If you look at the [gubernatorial] campaign that we ran in 2018, we ran on a very, very practical platform. We promised to solve problems for people and we were going to fix the things that were broken. And that we were going to invest in the infrastructure that we need to support life and support prosperity in the future.

I think that candidates coming through Michigan are going to have to tell people that they’re going to invest in what makes this state tick. They’re going to invest in infrastructure and make sure that people are trained for the jobs of today and tomorrow. They have to talk about investing in education and to make sure that everyone has access to high-quality public-school education.

They also must be willing to listen to the things that people have concerns about. People are concerned about what the economy is going to look like in 10 years in a place, a state where we see the evolution of manufacturing, which has been unfortunately harmful to people who have been losing jobs.  So I think that candidates who come in and speak to those things very directly will be received very well here in Michigan.

SF: Are there Democratic candidates who aren’t speaking about those things or about issues of concern to people in Michigan?

GG: I wouldn’t say that. I think everyone is trying to do that in their own unique way. Candidates, of course, have stylistic differences, so they’re not going to sound exactly the same. We’re just excited that everybody is deciding and choosing to show up here in Michigan.

SF: Historically, Michigan has been a blue state, but it went for Trump in 2016. Will it be red or blue in 2020?

GG: I think by definition Michigan is a swing state because it went for the Republicans in 2016, so we have to do the work, the organizing work, the infrastructure-building work to return Michigan to its blue-state status. That’s why the relationship-building needs to happen from the campaigns, but it also needs to happen here in the state. We need to all come together as a movement to ensure that people in Michigan realize their political power and that Democrats turn out in record number.

One of the things I’m most proud about the 2018 race is that we saw the highest voter turnout in the gubernatorial election that hadbeen seen in Michigan in the last 50 years. We need to build on that momentum in 2020. If we do so, I think Michigan will go back to being a blue state that we have known and loved.

SF: Was that high turnout in 2018 —  no disrespect to you and Gov. Whitmer — because people were so upset with Trump? Or was it because they just loved you?

GG: I think it’s a combination of both. I think it’s absolutely true that the urgent danger that a Trump presidency presents to so many people and to so many people’s livelihoods is absolutely a motivating factor. Anyone who happens to have to give in to the curse of being on Twitter can see that on a daily basis.

But I also think, in addition to that, we cannot win based on the fear of the bad things that somebody may do. We have to win by saying here are the things that we’re going to present as an alternative to that bad reality.

So in our campaign, we didn’t actually talk about Trump that much. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about, you know, what the consequences would befrom electing a Republican as the governor and lieutenant governor of Michigan.  What we did talk about is the vision that we had to create opportunities for people in the state of Michigan and about the infrastructure that needed fixing and all the things that are broken. We did talk about those things and I do think that was the message that resonated with the people of Michigan.

SF: President Trump seems to have embarked on a campaign of racism to whip up white anger, especially against people in cities, to drive up turnout among aggrieved white voters. Michigan has has some issues with racial concerns. What do you think about Trump’s strategy and how will it play in Michigan?

GG: I think that kind of politics as a strategy is dangerous for our state and for our country. It’s certainly true that the president has embarked on virulently racist messaging tactics and that has shown itself as well in how the administration has governed. A state as diverse as Michigan makes that kind of politics especially harmful to communities here in our state.

But I don’t expect to see anything different. The president has governed in this same way. I do think it is worth recognizing that the president kind of ran as a racist who at least attempted to present himself as a fairly moderate candidate. As an example of that, he ran as someone who supported or said he supported the LGBT community, but that has not beenhow he has governed given that he tried to ban gay people from military service.

My point is it was the racism mashed with this attempt to be like this different kind of Republican. But we’ve seen in the reality of his governance that he’s just a racist Republican and we need to make sure that our vision, what we articulate, is one that focuses on how we are actually connecting people to live their best lives and be their best selves here in Michigan and by extension in the United States.

SF: But isn’t that true in every state? Is Michigan all that different?

GG: What’s going on in Michigan is an exercise in understanding what could be happening in the rest of the country – the good, the bad and the ugly.

I think that there is no better place in the country to understand what that looks like and to work on how to articulate a positive vision than here in Michigan. We are a state of people where our reputation is basedon how hard we work and how high-quality our work is. Our reputation is about being a place where people have come to for generations for opportunities to build a prosperous future. These are the same things that we want to be about in America.

If you are able to hone that type of energy and those types of ideas in the state of Michigan, you can take that all the way to the presidency. Democrats need to understand that.

Credit: Source link

The post Michigan’s lieutenant governor offers campaign advice as Democrats debate in Detroit – ThinkProgress appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/michigans-lieutenant-governor-offers-campaign-advice-as-democrats-debate-in-detroit-thinkprogress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=michigans-lieutenant-governor-offers-campaign-advice-as-democrats-debate-in-detroit-thinkprogress from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.tumblr.com/post/186654311492

[weeklyreviewer]

Michigan’s lieutenant governor offers campaign advice as Democrats debate in Detroit – ThinkProgress

After winning Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2018, Gretchen Whitmer surprised a great many in her party by choosing Detroit activist Garlin Gilchrist II as her running mate.

In some ways, it was a bold and radical move given that Gilchrist had never held elected office. His only brush with electoral politics had come a year earlier when he returned to his hometown from Washington, D.C., to run for Detroit city clerk. He lost.

But in that first race, Gilchrist, whose pre-politics jobs included community organizing for progressive groups and causes, mounted a spirited grassroots campaign that shocked the Democratic establishment. He outraised his opponent by a 10-1 margin, losing a contentious race by just shy of 1,500 votes out of 100,000 ballots cast.

Such nascent political prowess convinced Whitmer, who has a long and respected resume in state politics, to ask Gilchrist to join her campaign as a running mate.

The Whitmer-Gilchrist team helped lead to a reversal of fortunes in Michigan, as Democrats won big in statewide elections, flipping the governor’s mansion from red to blue by beating the state’s former attorney general, Bill Schuette, a popular Republican who had the backing of President Donald Trump.

Gilchrist played a crucial role in the 2018 Michigan elections, helping Democrats inspire black-voter participation, especially in Detroit, where Gilchrist was emerging as a homegrown, rising star. Trump won Michigan, partly because white voters turned out and black voters stayed home, according to a Washington Post analysis. That wasn’t the case a mere two years later as black voters helped in large measure to return Democrats to statewide power.

Now, as Democratic presidential hopefuls gather tonight in Detroit for the first of two consecutive nights of debates in the run-up to the 2020 election, Gilchrist told ThinkProgress in a telephone interview that he’s delighted to play host to all of the candidates — but not to any one in particular.

The debates offer a prime opportunity for voters across Michigan to get a closer look at the men and women who want to be the next president. In fact, Gilchrist said Democrats will have to go through Michigan to arrive at the White House, given that it was one of three swing states to hand Trump an Electoral College victory in 2016.

Prior to Trump’s surprising upset, Michigan was considered a key building block in the Democratic Party’s “big blue wall,” having soundly supported Democrats in six consecutive presidential elections from 1992 to 2012. The last time a Republican presidential candidate carried the state was 1988, when George H. W. Bush defeated Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis.

Here’s a transcript of my conversation with Gilchrist, which has conducted last week and has been edited for brevity and clarity:

Sam Fulwood: Have you picked a candidate?

Garlin Gilchrist: I have not selected a candidate and I’m not going to be in the endorsement business here. What I’m in the business of is making sure that the candidates who choose to come and have time to invest themselves in Michigan are connecting with communities that are representative of the whole state.

But I’m not one of those people who is super concerned that we have a lot of candidates in the primary right now. I think it’s a good thing for us to really understand who these people are and what their visions are for America.

SF: Not in a hurry to winnow down the field?

GG: I think that happens naturally. There’s no need to rush it. As we come closer to when we start having caucuses and we start having primaries, you are going to see people have hard conversations about what they feel their viability is. I’m not concerned and I think that will work itself out.

To be very blunt, the Republicans had 19 candidates in 2016 and they got one president and we got zero, so I don’t know that we should be too concerned about that.

SF: You’re getting to play host to all the presidential candidates for a debate in Detroit. How do you see Michigan shaping up for the primary and choosing a final candidate or the next president?

GG: I think it’s fantastic. Anytime you can bring the candidates to Michigan, to my hometown of Detroit, it’s a good thing. I’m glad the DNC [Democratic National Committee] has made the choice to recognize the primacy of the state of Michigan in the election going into 2020.

And it’s also a great opportunity for more people in Michigan to get exposure to all the people who are participating in the primaries. It’s never a bad thing for Michiganders to rub elbows with and ask question of someone who says they want to be your president. We’re very excited to welcome everyone to Michigan.

SF: What will you share with the Democratic candidate about how to win in Michigan?

GG: Well, I think that every campaign will take Michigan very seriously. And given that the president won by less than 11,000 votes, I don’t think that anyone is going to take it for granted. But that also includes people in Michigan and the people organizing in Michigan. Certainly the governor and I are going to be working to insure that people know how important this choice is.

But what’s going to be critical is that candidates come here and they engage communities directly. It’s a big, diverse state. We have pretty much every issue that you think is important in the country. There’s a microcosm of it in Michigan.

It’s going to be critical that people spend time here. The candidates who spend the most time and connect in the most direct way will be successful. I know that’s going to take a lot of work. Michigan is a state that requires good organizing and good infrastructure. So the candidate that invests in that can be successful.

SF: So far, are the Democratic candidates doing what it takes to win in Michigan?

GG: Yeah. We’re seeing more candidates making stops in Michigan in the lead-up to the debates next week. The NAACP national convention is here in Detroit right now. I believe that nine or 10 candidates came through for the NAACP convention. A number of them have also made other stops in different parts of the state while they’re here.

We have prepared a briefing about issues that are happening in Michigan and what’s important in Michigan for all of the campaigns. We have shared it with all of the campaigns to make sure they’re speaking from a place of understanding of local and statewide context. We have also let every campaign know that if they come to Michigan and there is a particular constituency group that they want to engage, we are more than willing to make connections to those constituencies for those campaigns. Some of them have taken advantage of that.

SF: What do Democrats need to say in Michigan to be successful?

GG: If you look at the [gubernatorial] campaign that we ran in 2018, we ran on a very, very practical platform. We promised to solve problems for people and we were going to fix the things that were broken. And that we were going to invest in the infrastructure that we need to support life and support prosperity in the future.

I think that candidates coming through Michigan are going to have to tell people that they’re going to invest in what makes this state tick. They’re going to invest in infrastructure and make sure that people are trained for the jobs of today and tomorrow. They have to talk about investing in education and to make sure that everyone has access to high-quality public-school education.

They also must be willing to listen to the things that people have concerns about. People are concerned about what the economy is going to look like in 10 years in a place, a state where we see the evolution of manufacturing, which has been unfortunately harmful to people who have been losing jobs.  So I think that candidates who come in and speak to those things very directly will be received very well here in Michigan.

SF: Are there Democratic candidates who aren’t speaking about those things or about issues of concern to people in Michigan?

GG: I wouldn’t say that. I think everyone is trying to do that in their own unique way. Candidates, of course, have stylistic differences, so they’re not going to sound exactly the same. We’re just excited that everybody is deciding and choosing to show up here in Michigan.

SF: Historically, Michigan has been a blue state, but it went for Trump in 2016. Will it be red or blue in 2020?

GG: I think by definition Michigan is a swing state because it went for the Republicans in 2016, so we have to do the work, the organizing work, the infrastructure-building work to return Michigan to its blue-state status. That’s why the relationship-building needs to happen from the campaigns, but it also needs to happen here in the state. We need to all come together as a movement to ensure that people in Michigan realize their political power and that Democrats turn out in record number.

One of the things I’m most proud about the 2018 race is that we saw the highest voter turnout in the gubernatorial election that had been seen in Michigan in the last 50 years. We need to build on that momentum in 2020. If we do so, I think Michigan will go back to being a blue state that we have known and loved.

SF: Was that high turnout in 2018 —  no disrespect to you and Gov. Whitmer — because people were so upset with Trump? Or was it because they just loved you?

GG: I think it’s a combination of both. I think it’s absolutely true that the urgent danger that a Trump presidency presents to so many people and to so many people’s livelihoods is absolutely a motivating factor. Anyone who happens to have to give in to the curse of being on Twitter can see that on a daily basis.

But I also think, in addition to that, we cannot win based on the fear of the bad things that somebody may do. We have to win by saying here are the things that we’re going to present as an alternative to that bad reality.

So in our campaign, we didn’t actually talk about Trump that much. We didn’t spend a lot of time talking about, you know, what the consequences would be from electing a Republican as the governor and lieutenant governor of Michigan.  What we did talk about is the vision that we had to create opportunities for people in the state of Michigan and about the infrastructure that needed fixing and all the things that are broken. We did talk about those things and I do think that was the message that resonated with the people of Michigan.

SF: President Trump seems to have embarked on a campaign of racism to whip up white anger, especially against people in cities, to drive up turnout among aggrieved white voters. Michigan has has some issues with racial concerns. What do you think about Trump’s strategy and how will it play in Michigan?

GG: I think that kind of politics as a strategy is dangerous for our state and for our country. It’s certainly true that the president has embarked on virulently racist messaging tactics and that has shown itself as well in how the administration has governed. A state as diverse as Michigan makes that kind of politics especially harmful to communities here in our state.

But I don’t expect to see anything different. The president has governed in this same way. I do think it is worth recognizing that the president kind of ran as a racist who at least attempted to present himself as a fairly moderate candidate. As an example of that, he ran as someone who supported or said he supported the LGBT community, but that has not been how he has governed given that he tried to ban gay people from military service.

My point is it was the racism mashed with this attempt to be like this different kind of Republican. But we’ve seen in the reality of his governance that he’s just a racist Republican and we need to make sure that our vision, what we articulate, is one that focuses on how we are actually connecting people to live their best lives and be their best selves here in Michigan and by extension in the United States.

SF: But isn’t that true in every state? Is Michigan all that different?

GG: What’s going on in Michigan is an exercise in understanding what could be happening in the rest of the country – the good, the bad and the ugly.

I think that there is no better place in the country to understand what that looks like and to work on how to articulate a positive vision than here in Michigan. We are a state of people where our reputation is based on how hard we work and how high-quality our work is. Our reputation is about being a place where people have come to for generations for opportunities to build a prosperous future. These are the same things that we want to be about in America.

If you are able to hone that type of energy and those types of ideas in the state of Michigan, you can take that all the way to the presidency. Democrats need to understand that.

Credit: Source link

The post Michigan’s lieutenant governor offers campaign advice as Democrats debate in Detroit – ThinkProgress appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

from WeeklyReviewer https://weeklyreviewer.com/michigans-lieutenant-governor-offers-campaign-advice-as-democrats-debate-in-detroit-thinkprogress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=michigans-lieutenant-governor-offers-campaign-advice-as-democrats-debate-in-detroit-thinkprogress

[theconservativebrief]

Democrats have long been underrepresented in governorships across the country, and they’re hoping that could change this year.

The numbers certainly suggest that could happen: Going into the election, there were 26 Republican-held seats and nine Democratic ones up for contention. According to Cook Political Report, at least 13 of the existing Republican seats were either toss-ups or prime targets for Democrats to flip.

Democrats have already picked up a slew of key seats, including one in Kansas, a typically conservative state. You can see all live results here, and we’ll be keeping track of Democratic gains here for the rest of the night.

Billionaire entrepreneur J.B. Pritzker has taken down highly unpopular incumbent Bruce Rauner, who many voters blamed for a statewide financial crisis. Pritzker poured in more than $170 million of his own money into the election, according to Forbes.

Vox

Laura Kelly staged a stunning defeat of Republican Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a hard-right candidate who’s helped champion many of Trump’s hardline immigration policies and voter fraud theories. Kelly, a member of the Kansas state Senate, framed herself as a fresh start from embattled former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

Vox

Gretchen Whitmer, the former majority leader of Michigan’s state Senate, has firmly defeated state Attorney General Bill Schuette by running an exceedingly practical platform focused on “fixing the damn roads.”

Vox

Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is now the first Democratic Latina to hold the governor’s office in New Mexico. She beat out fellow Rep. Steve Pearce, who has served in the state’s Second Congressional District.

Original Source -> Here are the governor seats Democrats have flipped so far in the 2018 elections

via The Conservative Brief

[thepermanentrainpress]

THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH KID LUCIFER

The members of Kid Lucifer have been keeping busy since their move out east. Comprised of Henry Girard (vocals, guitar), Linus Heyes (lead guitar), Sam Schuette (bass) and Quinn Letendre (drums), the “garageadelic psych rock n' roll” band released their debut album Nothin’ But Bangers this past summer, and are no strangers to the Montreal live music scene. Their new singles “Serrated Knife / She Loves Me” just dropped earlier this month. All about positive vibes, good energy, and some pretty groovy music – Kid Lucifer is paving a name for themselves, albeit provinces away from their hometown of Vancouver. 

You’re originally from Vancouver, but made the move out east and are now based in Montreal. Tell us about the reason behind this transition, and how it’s been for you out in QC.

Montreal has been amazing for us. It’s a beautiful city, and we’ve met so many amazing people who have helped us out and encouraged us along the way I couldn’t begin to name them all. The city offers so much talent and houses so many fantastic bands, it really forces us to work as hard as we can and to push the limits of our song writing and performance just to keep up. I think that aspect has made us better musically, and tighter as a group of band mates and friends. There’s always so much happening, so many exciting opportunities as an artist and inspiration is everywhere. Plus, everyone we know who visits us from Vancouver ends up wanting move here (and some have), so that probably tells you everything you need to know!

You have 2 new singles out, “She Loves Me” and “Serrated Knife.” They’re quite different in sound but the contrast behind garage rock/psychedelia is a good one. What inspired you lyrically, and in the tracks’ sound?

Our influences as a band range quite broadly, in particular we draw a lot of inspiration from the garage rock and psychedelic music of the 60s. We define ourselves as a “Garagedelic Psych Rock” band, finding equal influence and interest in both genres in the way we write our songs and approach live shows. We really want our sound and performances to be dynamic and interesting, keeping fans engaged and on their toes. These songs are a love letter to the music we love the most, and going into the next stage of the band with a new record and tour this Spring, we wanted to really showcase the spectrum of our sound, what we’re capable of, and what people can expect from us going forward.

She Loves Me / Serrated Knife by Kid Lucifer

You’re recording your sophomore record. What are the major differences listeners will hear between the forthcoming album, and your 2018 debut Nothin’ but Bangers? Did you approach the recording process differently?

This record is going to be entirely self-recorded, and we have a much more defined vision of what we want for these songs. We really took the time to develop the structure and dynamics of each song, drawing from past ideas and re-working them into not just a collection of tracks, but a coherent album where each song serves a specific purpose and works towards our unique style and vision. We are making sure to showcase every aspect of our sound with this record, with the tracks ranging in genre from up-tempo garage rock to psychedelia to surf rock and beyond. Our lead guitarist Linus and bassist Sam are also contributing songs they have written to the record, making this our most diverse release yet.

All of you are clearly passionate about music, and pursuing it full-time now. What are a couple of favourite memories/experiences that you’ve had together as a band? Have you ever had to work through difficult moments?

There have been so many highlights from this crazy journey so far. Writing and releasing our first record, then selling out our album launch show all less than a year after we moved was a pretty incredible and surreal experience. Getting to tour through Ontario was amazing, and opening for bands we love like Amyl and the Sniffers and Sugar Candy Mountain was unreal.

There are always hard moments, especially living together for over a year, but the key for us is great communication, and we’re always able to function and continue to work together and have an amazing time. I wouldn’t trade my band mates for the world. Despite all of this though, we’re really most excited for the future; we can’t wait for everyone to hear the songs we’ve been working on, and embarking on a five-week long US and Canadian tour this May is the most ambitious and exciting thing we’ve ever set out to do.

You have some wicked graphics for your single art, merch, and “Serrated Knife” video, etc. How are these visuals created? Do you collaborate with friends?

Henry Girard, our lead vocalist and primary songwriter handles all of our artwork for the records and merch. He has a very unique vision and sort of chaotic psychedelic aesthetic and is just an endlessly hard-working, creative guy. I think if he wasn’t expressing himself creatively in some form he might go crazy!

The “Serrated Knife” video is a collection of some footage I collected around BC right before we moved away. It’s a love letter to our roots on the west coast, and we love the idea of having our visuals capture the essence and vibe of the song without distracting from the most important part-the music itself. We took a similar approach with “Fourth of July” from our previous record, and we’re very happy with the result.

What’s your favourite venue to play at?

In Montreal we have had the opportunity to play at so many awesome venues. L’Escogriffe and Casa del Popolo are definitely big recommends. We were also fortunate enough to play the last show at the now closed Stylus Records when we came through Vancouver this December, and we’re really looking forward to playing at the newly opened Static Jupiter when we pass through this May.

Who are a couple of fellow Canadian acts that people should be keeping their ears open to?

We’re all big fans of the Vancouver-based punk band Sore Points; their new record is absolutely fantastic. We also got to play with Schwey when they came through Montreal, another great Vancouver group who is killing it right now. As far as the east coast goes, we really love The Fuzzy Undertones, Efy Hecks, who we just got a chance to play with, and Fade Awaays, definitely our favourite Toronto band who just released a killer EP we can’t stop listening to.

When you’re back out in Vancouver, what are some favourite places to eat/hang out at?

As I mentioned, Static Jupiter is an awesome new venue we got to check out this past December, and we’re very excited to play there while we’re on tour. Other than that, we always like to stop by and practice at Pandora’s Box Rehearsal studios, check out Red Cat and Zulu Records, hit up the Biltmore Cabaret or Red Gate Arts Society for a show, and you can’t go wrong with a late-night Duffin’s Donuts run on the way home after a late night out!

Written by: Chloe Hoy Photo credit to: Hannah Judge

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Michigan & Marijuana: Wolverine State Poised to Become 10th to Legalize It

Cannabis legalization is on the November 6th ballot in Michigan. If the initiative passes, residents over 21 will be allowed to possess up to 2.5 ounces of flower and 15 grams of concentrate. It would also permit adults to grow up to 12 plants. Michigan would be the 10th state to legalize marijuana and the first in the Midwest.

Currently, possession of any amount is a misdemeanor, with maximum penalties of a year in jail and a $2,000 fine. Ann Arbor, home of the annual Hash Bash, has long charged just $25 for a first offense. Another 19 cities, including Detroit and Kalamazoo, have passed decriminalization or depenalization laws since 2012.

The Michigan Marijuana Legalization Initiative is the fruit of an effort by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA), which turned in enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot. They needed 252,000 signatures and submitted 360,000. In April, the initiative was approved by the State Board of Canvassers.

Bloom Cannabis Club in Ann Arbor, MI

CRMLA raised $1.7 million as of mid-July with the Marijuana Policy Project, donating 37% of that total ($633,000). Smoker’s Outlet Management and MI Legalize 2018 kicked in $250,000 and $170,000, respectively. However, there is opposition. Smart Approaches Against Marijuana (SAM) is the biggest contributor ($275,000) to Healthy and Productive Michigan, one of the groups leading the fight against the initiative. The other is Committee to Keep Pot Out of Neighborhoods and Schools.

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Democratic candidate for governor Gretchen Whitmer: “I’m going to be a ‘Yes’ vote on the initiative. When this passes, because I believe it will, I’ll take it very seriously and push forward to make sure we do it right.”

Under Michigan law, the state legislature had the chance to first act on the measure. Republicans in the state senate wanted to make it more restrictive, but the lower house overwhelmingly failed to pass the legislation on June 5, so it never reached the Senate. Instead, it will be decided by the voters.

CRMLA spokesperson Josh Hovey stated: “While we would’ve been happy to see our initiative passed by the legislature as written, we’re confident Michigan voters understand that marijuana prohibition has been an absolute disaster and that they will agree that taxing and regulating marijuana is a far better solution.”

Gretchen Whitmer won the Democratic primary for governor of Michigan.

The Michigan State Police Marijuana and Tobacco Enforcement Division is preparing for legalization in the event that the initiative passes. The division currently oversees the state medical marijuana program in conjunction with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA).

Voters approved the Michigan Medical Marijuana Initiative, or Prop 1, in 2008. But the state Supreme Court struck down the dispensary system initially established under the law in 2013. The court held that under proper interpretation of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Initiative, retail distribution of cannabis was actually not permitted. The Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act, passed in 2016, gave the program a fresh start, clearing up the ambiguity in the 2008 law.

The first licenses for medical marijuana businesses were finally awarded on July 12, a decade after the program was established. Michigan’s patients had, until now, been forced to purchase from dispensaries operating in what was called a legal “gray zone” that’s only now being eliminated.

MICHIGAN BY THE NUMBERS

20             Cities that have decriminalized marijuana

2008        Year medical marijuana was legalized

269,553  Registered cannabis patients

215            Dispensaries open

1984         Last time the Tigers won the World Series

In June, Det. Sgt. Eric Bannon of the Marijuana and Tobacco Enforcement Division commented: “Right now, we do background investigations on medical marijuana facilities and applicants. Once people become licensed under the Act, then we’ll assist them with enforcement action if needed and facilities inspections to make sure they meet the requirements of the laws. We recently had a meeting and talked about it, but right now we’re concentrating on the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act that’s already in place. I’m sure we’re going to have a bunch of meetings to come up with a plan of how we’re going to regulate and how we’re going to move forward.”

The notion that an “enforcement action” is a form of “assistance” is not comforting for those getting into the industry—especially after the medical program’s long, slow and shaky start. LARA will have one year if the initiative passes to come up with a regulatory scheme for the recreational market.

Abdul El-Sayed, health director of Detroit’s Health Department, lost to Whitmer in the primary.

Getting the Marijuana Legalization Initiative on the ballot was a favorite theme at this year’s Hash Bash—the venerable Ann Arbor smoke-in and cannabis festival held every April since 1972. One of the featured speakers, Abdul El-Sayed, health director of Detroit’s Health Department, called for state authorities to expunge the convictions of all cannabis offenders if the ballot proposal is approved. “No one should be left with an arrest record,” he told the crowd, which responded with a cheer. On Aug. 7, El-Sayed was defeated by Gretchen Whitmer in the Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary by a 52%-30% margin.

Whitmer favors the measure (“I am going to be a ‘Yes’ vote”) while her Republican opponent Bill Schuette is against it

Also in June, state Rep. Sheldon Neeley, a Democrat from Flint, introduced a bill in the House that would do exactly that. “We definitely don’t want people to have a criminal record for a nonviolent crime that would be legal if it passes in November,” he told Detroit Free Press.

Michigan state Rep. Sheldon Neeley (D-Flint)

Neeley’s bill would void all misdemeanor convictions, such as possession of personal quantities, as well as some for cultivation. Under the bill’s wording, the law taking effect is explicitly tied to passage of the initiative.

“Expungement is a separate issue than legalization,” Hovey explained. “Our first draft included expungement, but our attorneys strongly recommended pulling it or risk the whole thing.”

From 2013 to 2017, 117,123 Michigan residents were arrested for marijuana; 49,928 were convicted and, as of 2016, 3,670 were still incarcerated or on probation. According to the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Reporting statistics, 5.1 million Americans were charged with cannabis offense between 2010 and 2016. African Americans were three times more likely to be arrested for pot than whites, despite roughly equal use rates.

Michigan is the state to watch in 2018. Passage of the legalization initiative and the expungement bill in a heartland state of 10 million would be a significant step forward for cannabis liberation and racial justice nationwide.

Related Articles

The Push to Get on the Michigan Ballot

Recreational Legalization Measure Makes North Dakota Ballot

States Where Marijuana Is Legalized, Decriminalized or Medicalized

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KID LUCIFER RELEASES NEW SINGLE

If the rest of Kid Lucifer’s debut album, Nothin’ but Bangers, is but a fraction of its cosmic lead single, best be ready to unwind on the dance floor.

“Fourth of July” is “the story of my life” according to vocalist Henry Girard, unbridled tone detailing his birth in the back of a pickup truck on the American holiday, many summers ago. I have no hard evidence to back this claim but will roll on. The grooves are lofty and the spirits low for these Vancouver natives, now based in Montreal; grim revelations like “As I’m coming about I reach up top / I reach up top to find that we’re all blind” are embraced by surf-y riffs and Quinn Letendre’s effective backbeat. “Fourth of July” may be searching for strength in a questionable narrative, but the sentiment is afflicting and real.

Nothin’ but Bangers is out this Saturday, July 21st. Montreal fans can hear it live at The Bog that evening, where the band will be playing with Ouragan and The Leanover.

Posted by: Natalie Hoy