Michigan Elections News

National, State & Local Elections News, Polls & Video

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Barack Obama is likely to name Tim Geithner, president of the New York Federal reserve, to the post of Treasury Secretary as he rounds out the upper echelon of his Cabinet in a time of intense economic turmoil, an official close to the incoming chief executive said Friday.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in line to become Secretary of State, said through a spokesman that discussions were "very much on track" for that appointment but no final arrangement had been made.

Continue reading "Sources: Bill Clinton to help wife get State job" »

WASHINGTON -- President-elect Barack Obama is likely to name Tim Geithner, president of the New York Federal reserve, as Treasury Secretary in a time of intense economic turmoil as he rounds out the upper echelon of his Cabinet, an official close to the incoming chief executive said Friday.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in line to become Secretary of State, said through a spokesman that discussions were "very much on track" for that appointment but no final arrangement had been made.

Continue reading "Source: Geithner likely Treasury pick" »

WASILLA, Alaska — Gov. Sarah Palin has granted the traditional Thanksgiving pardon to one lucky turkey, but the video that shocked some viewers captured what was happening in the background.

As she answered questions Thursday at Triple D Farm & Hatchery outside Wasilla cameras from the Anchorage Daily News and others showed the bloody work of an employee slaughtering birds behind the former Republican vice presidential candidate.

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Warning: The following video contains a background scene of animal slaughter Continue reading "Palin pardons turkey while others slaughtered" »

WASHINGTON — In a 2008 Super Bowl ad, NFL golden boy Tom Brady asked nearly 100 million viewers to text "FIT" to donate $5 to the United Way. About 25,000 people responded, raising $10,000.

Now imagine if President-elect Barack Obama had been able to ask the 100,000 people who showed up at his rally in St. Louis in October to give $5 or $10 with a simple text. It's another technology political campaigns are eager to tap into as a new way to raise money.

Mobile giving is currently limited to nonpartisan, charitable organizations, such as the United Way, and politicians must clear a few technical and regulatory obstacles. But that could happen before the next presidential election.

Continue reading "Texting donations could be the next step in political fundraising" »

WASHINGTON — Democrats steered the House toward more aggressively tackling global warming and other environmental problems Thursday, toppling veteran Michigan Rep. John Dingell, a staunch supporter of Detroit automakers, from an important energy panel in favor of California liberal Rep. Henry Waxman.

The switch could help President-elect Barack Obama on Capitol Hill with one of his favored issues: trying to curb global warming by limiting greenhouse gas emissions. But Waxman's combative stance on climate change and other issues also could alienate Republicans and moderate Democrats, making it harder to get the bipartisan support Obama will need.

Waxman is an avid environmentalist and booster of health care programs -- and a home-state ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He defeated Dingell on a 137-122 vote in the Democratic Party caucus, capping a bruising intraparty fight.

The Energy and Commerce panel is one of the most important House committees, with sweeping jurisdiction over energy, the environment, consumer protection, telecommunications and health care programs such as Medicaid and the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Continue reading "California's Henry Waxman defeats Detroit's John Dingell as House Energy chairman" »

ATLANTA — President-elect Barack Obama has waded into Georgia's U.S. Senate runoff, recording a radio ad supporting Democrat Jim Martin, but there's still no word on whether the president-elect will make a personal appearance.

In the spot, Obama thanks Georgians who voted for him Nov. 4, then urged support for Martin.

"The elections aren't over," Obama said. "I want to urge you to turn out one more time and help elect Jim Martin to the United States Senate."

Continue reading "Barack Obama records radio ad for Democrat Jim Martin in Georgia Senate runoff" »

WASHINGTON &mdash President-elect Barack Obama plans to nominate Hillary Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving, a new milestone for the former first lady and a convergence of two political forces who fought hard for the presidency.

One week after the former primary rivals met secretly to discuss the idea of Hillary Clinton becoming the nation's top diplomat, an Obama adviser said Thursday the two sides were moving quickly toward making it a reality, barring any unforeseen problems.

The senior adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity because the president-elect is not prepared to officially announce the nomination, said Obama believes Clinton would bring instant stature and credibility to U.S. diplomatic relations.

Obama is convinced the advantages of Clinton serving far outweighed potential downsides, the adviser said.

Continue reading "Barack Obama plans to nominate Hillary Clinton for Secretary of State after Thanksgiving, aide says" »

The party of personal responsibility is having an awfully hard time with that concept after the election.

Listening to Republicans nowadays is like booking time with a colicky baby. I haven't heard so much whining and crying since my daughter was 3 months old.

Oh, and have I mentioned they're angry? Really steamed, like savaging anyone who suggests they chill as godless socialists who want nonstop gay sex and baby killing for the next eight years (I think I hear my e-mail now). I look forward to adding them to my folder of paranoid messages that Barack Obama won't be inaugurated after all because there is *PROOF THAT HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE WAS FORGED.* And the threats from Republicans that they just might be moving to Canada.

Continue reading "The GOP: Evolve or die" »

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson is going back to the small screen after his foray into Republican presidential politics over the last year.

Thompson, best known on TV for his role as a gruff district attorney on NBC's "Law & Order," dropped out of the crowded GOP primaries in January after his much-anticipated presidential campaign failed to gain strong support among conservatives.

He campaigned heavily for eventual nominee John McCain, and had recently tried to gain support to be in charge of the Republican National Committee.

Continue reading "Fred Thompson dropping bid for Republican chairman, plans return to acting, adviser says" »

Barack Obama blew it today and he doesn't seem to know it. Mr. President-Elect, you can kiss your health care and energy plans goodbye.

Today, the man known as The Truck got mowed down by U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) in a clearly orchestrated coup by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Thanks to them, U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Dearborn) is now the former chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The reaction from Republicans was swift and brutal, decrying the end of moderation."Replacing a man who has spent his entire life serving Michigan's manufacturers with a man who has spent his career fighting to drive manufacturing out of existence is a terrible way to start a new day," declared U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton).

Continue reading "How Barack Obama just lost energy and health care" »

DETROIT — Former Mayor Dennis Archer, who has been touring the state for months gauging voter interest, announced Thursday he will not run for governor in 2010.

The 66-year-old former Michigan Supreme Court justice and president of the American Bar Association said he is unwilling to make the personal sacrifices necessary to seek the office.

Archer said the time it would take would be like "marrying the state."

"It is worth marrying, but I'm not prepared to make that personal sacrifice," Archer said at a morning news conference. "I made up my own mind because I know how much time it takes."

Continue reading "Dennis Archer decides to stay out of governor's race in 2010" »

It's that time of year again when elections are over, the snow is falling and the pundits are out. On Friday, Tim Skubick is doing another one of his Off the Record -- On the Road shows for the Michigan Political Leadership Program and Michigan Political History Society.

I'll be one of the pundits, along with Steve Mitchell of Mitchell Research and Communications, Bernie Porn of EPIC-MRA; Nat Ehrlich of the Institute of Public Policy & Social Research; Bill Ballenger, publisher of Inside Michigan Politics and Coit Cook Ford III of CCF III Consulting & Associates.

My punditry skills panned out this year, as I feel pretty good about my calls on the presidency (Obama), the state House (66 Dems; they got 67); the 9th congressional (Gary Peters by 7; he won by 9) and the 7th (Schauer by 1; he won by 2). I credit my unwavering faith in Zoroastrianism and the fact that this year, even the most optimitstic Republican knew which way the wind was blowing.

Continue reading "Susan J. Demas on 'Off the Record - Off the Road'" »

Republican Attorney General Mike Cox is playing it coy.

The term-limited public official said he's pondering a run for governor in 2010, although he isn't keen to announce publicly before next fall if he'll jump in the contest, he said in an interview Wednesday with The Saginaw News Editorial Board.

"I'm certainly taking a look at it," he said.

If he chooses to run, he'll follow the footsteps of Democratic Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, a former attorney general who ran from the same job Cox has now and won the top office in 2002. Term limits prevent her from attempting a re-election bid.

Continue reading "Maybe yes, maybe no, says Cox about possible run for governor" »

ATLANTA — Former President Bill Clinton on Wednesday appealed to Georgians to send Democrat Jim Martin to Washington arguing the state's hotly contested Senate runoff must provide a "bridge not a firewall" to the progress promised by President-elect Barack Obama.

"The hopes of America are riding with Georgia," Clinton told a rally at Clark Atlanta University, a historically black college.

Democrats are within two seats of a 60-vote majority that would give Obama a stronger hand in Washington, and Georgia is one of two Senate races that are unresolved more than two weeks after the election.

Minnesota is conducting a recount in the contest between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken. And Georgia's Martin is locked in a tight Dec. 2 runoff against Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss.

Continue reading "Bill Clinton campaigns for Democrat Jim Martin as Georgia Senate runoff draws big political names" »

WASHINGTON (AP) -- House Democrats are deciding a bruising intraparty battle on whether to topple veteran Rep. John Dingell as chairman of the committee with oversight of energy and global warming and replace him with liberal Rep. Henry Waxman.

A decision is expected when Democrats vote on the matter Thursday. For Dingell, D-Mich., and Waxman, D-Calif., the vote caps a long-standing rivalry that dates to the Reagan administration. The two lawmakers waged epic battles in the 1980s over clean air policy.

Waxman won a test vote Wednesday as the Democratic Steering and Policy panel, which is packed with allies of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., voted 25-22 in favor of Waxman taking over as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The panel is generally dominated by more liberal members who are ideologically in tune with Waxman.

Continue reading "Waxman, Dingell face off for energy panel chair" »