2022 MidTerms & State races- who ya got?

[Kepler]

Worth watching.

It is hard to remember, talking to you folks every day, just what the average voter is like.

[Spartanforlife4]

Worth watching.

It is hard to remember, talking to you folks every day, just what the average voter is like.

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a replica of the Warnock ad for Slotkin.

I haven’t been able to find it online, and I’ve only seen it played once, so it might’ve been pulled already, but without a doubt the worst ad I’ve seen so far this cycle is the ad to vote against the abortion amendment for MI. As a little background, it gained the most signatures ever of any proposal, but the GOP members on the board of canvassers refused to certify it because they said the final version was unreadable because of some odd kerning issue that puts some words too close together. The Supreme Court made them put it on, so it’ll be there in November.

The ad plays out something like this:
“Do you want 60 errors ENSHRINED into the Michigan constitution??!?!?!?!?!?!”
*goes to people on the street interviews (with either the worst actors ever or people who were told what to say three seconds before)*
”If I had known that I wouldn’t have signed it”
”I didn’t even know what I was signing”
”How can we let something with so many problems become permanent?”

That’s the only ad I’ve seen against it so far, so things are looking pretty promising.

[MissThundercat]

The Grand Rapids Right to Life is running all sorts of billboards containing lies about the amendment.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

They're desperate. Having received more than enough valid signatures to make any challenges to signature legitimacy preposterous, the GQP tried to rat**** it in committee by voting against direct democracy, then lost their lame formatting argument in court (also along party lines). Proposals like ours are the last thing the GQP needs in purple states.

[bronconick]

They're desperate. Having received more than enough valid signatures to make any challenges to signature legitimacy preposterous, the GQP tried to rat**** it in committee by voting against direct democracy, then lost their lame formatting argument in court (also along party lines). Proposals like ours are the last thing the GQP needs in purple states.

The fascists have had a bad few years in Michigan going back to the voting/redistricting referendum in 2018. Lots of temper tantrums.

[Kepler]

The fascists have had a bad few years in Michigan going back to the voting/redistricting referendum in 2018. Lots of temper tantrums.

Don't they still have a State Leg supermajority or something like that because of the Idiocy of the Countryside?

[bronconick]

Don't they still have a State Leg supermajority or something like that because of the Idiocy of the Countryside?

Not anymore.

Redistricting in Michigan - Ballotpedia

According to The Detroit News, The Linden Senate map...is expected to create districts that could yield 20 Democratic seats and 18 Republican seats. Senate Republicans currently have a 22-16 majority."^[8] Clara Hendrickson of the Detroit Free Press wrote that, "The map appears to create 19 solidly Democratic districts, 16 solidly Republican districts, one Republican-leaning district and two toss-up districts, according to election results from the past decade."^[45]

Beth LeBlanc of The Detroit News wrote that, "The Hickory House map...is expected to create districts that could produce 57 Democratic seats and 53 Republican seats. After the 2020 election, Michigan House Republicans had a 58-52 majority in the House."^[8] Hendrickson wrote that, "The new map appears to create 41 solidly Democratic districts, 46 solidly Republican districts, nine Democratic-leaning districts, two Republican-leaning districts and 12 toss-up districts."^[45] She also wrote, "Unlike the current map, there is no majority-Black district in the state Senate map adopted by the commission, while the state House map reduces the number of majority-Black districts in place today. Current and former state lawmakers from Detroit and civil rights leaders are vehemently opposed to how the new district lines reduce the share of Black voters. They argue that the elimination of majority-Black districts disenfranchises Black voters."^[45] These maps take effect for Michigan’s 2022 legislative elections.

[Jimjamesak]

They're desperate. Having received more than enough valid signatures to make any challenges to signature legitimacy preposterous, the GQP tried to rat**** it in committee by voting against direct democracy, then lost their lame formatting argument in court (also along party lines). Proposals like ours are the last thing the GQP needs in purple states.

Does the State Legislature have the ability to change it back? That's likely about to happen with our Ranked Choice Voting here.

[bronconick]

Does the State Legislature have the ability to change it back? That's likely about to happen with our Ranked Choice Voting here.

They need a 75% vote to change it.

[Jimjamesak]

The Haslam family, owners of the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew, are hosting an a fundraiser in Columbus for Republican JD Vance tomorrow.

The supporters of the Columbus Crew are hosting a fundraiser for Democrat Tim Ryan on the same day.

[psych]

The Haslam family, owners of the Cleveland Browns and Columbus Crew, are hosting an a fundraiser in Columbus for Republican JD Vance tomorrow.

The supporters of the Columbus Crew are hosting a fundraiser for Democrat Tim Ryan on the same day.

The Haslam family is a bunch of rich oil men (Pilot Flying-J owners) from eastern Tennessee. I met Jimmy a handful of times through my work a decade or so back. This news doesn’t surprise me at all. **** ‘em and **** JD Vance. Unfortunately, I think Vance still wins.

[Spartanforlife4]

I spoke too soon about not seeing any anti-abortion amendment commercials. There’s a new one out by the same group with the same terrible acting.

This one says that it will remove 40 laws related to abortion, including how late (except they don’t mention the amendment would still allow for a viability restriction), that it must be performed by a doctor, and that it would remove a parental
consent law, apparently setting up some doomsday scenario where a minor is going to get a third trimester abortion from a carpenter.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

They need a 75% vote to change it.

Technically they also have the ability to take up BIs and put them to a floor vote prior to the general election. If they pass it as written, it comes off the ballot. There was speculation they'd do that with pot in 2018 to get it off the ballot and discourage turnout, but enough GQPers were opposed to legalizing weed at all that they didn't do it (and arguably shot themselves in the foot). No way they will do it with the reproductive freedom BI when NO EXCEPTIONS is their candidate for gov.

[Kepler]

Technically they also have the ability to take up BIs and put them to a floor vote prior to the general election. If they pass it as written, it comes off the ballot.

Huh, that's a very West state philosophy. The whole ballot initiative / referendum concept comes from the Progressive Era when voters were trying to rein in state legislatures that had been co-opted by the rich in direct conflict with democratic will (sound familiar?).

[Handyman]

Combat Vet My Azz...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campaigning for a northwestern Ohio congressional seat, Republican J.R. Majewski presents himself as an Air Force combat veteran who deployed to Afghanistan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, once describing “tough” conditions including a lack of running water that forced him to go more than 40 days without a shower.

Military documents obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request tell a different story.

They indicate Majewski never deployed to Afghanistan but instead completed a six-month stint helping to load planes at an air base in Qatar, a longtime U.S. ally that is a safe distance from the fighting.

Majewski’s account of his time in the military is just one aspect of his biography that is suspect. His post-military career has been defined by exaggerations, conspiracy theories, talk of violent action against the U.S. government and occasional financial duress.