Democrat Hubbard to run against Pettalia in 106th District Race ...

Democrat Ken Hubbard, an Alpena County Commissioner has announced he will be running against 106th District Representative Peter Pettalia, a Republican. Pettalia is nearing the end of his 1st term having been elected in 2010 on the wave that swept a Republican majority into control of Michigan's entire government. Please read the related article at this link :

http://www.thealpenanews.com/page/content.detail/id/520836.html

Huffington Post !

I've written an article for publication in the "Huffington Post" re: the Democratic Primary in our 1st Congressional District and they are very interested in it -  and future articles. I am working to finish it up and hopefully get it to them by around the middle of next week. Stay tuned ! Thanks !! 

GDH

Update ...

I'm back - that is to say that I've been pretty sick for about a month but I can now endorse Mucinex.

I'm also happy to report that "The Huffington Post" has expressed an interest in the McDowell-Bailey primary campaign in Northern Michigan's 1st Congressional District. I will be working to better illuminate readers in that regard as we move into spring.

Please leave a comment or question or just say hello - I'm especially interested in your thoughts and feelings about the primary election in the 1st Congressional District - Have you met the candidates ? What are your impressions ? Are you registered to vote ? Do you feel motivated to vote this year and if so why or why not . Thank you for visiting  - I hope you'll return and be a regular. Stay tuned - more to come .

Outside influences in the primary election ...

Over the course of the Democratic Primary for Congress in the 1st Congressional District the voters of NORTHERN MICHIGAN will become enlightened as to the candidate’s positions on issues concerning the 1st Congressional District. The degree of contrast between Gary McDowell and Derek J. Bailey will either persuade or dissuade us and the question will be finally decided on August 7th. Some of the contrasts between the candidates will be readily apparent while others may not be so obvious.

I have already begun to discern things in regards to McDowell’s campaign which disturb me and about which I’ve been blogging at “The Northern Michigan Democrat”,

( http://thenorthernmichigandemocrat.blogspot.com/ ).

Essentially, I noticed very early in McDowell’s candidacy that he had a sudden burst of endorsements and contributions coming from East Lansing, Detroit, California, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington, D.C. to name a few – all from either down state or outside the state of Michigan. This smacks of more than “politics as usual” – it says to me “the fix is in”. It also says to me that although Gary McDowell was soundly defeated by Dan Benishek in 2010, rejected by NORTHERN MICHIGAN voters in a Congressional District that had been Democratic from 1993 – 2010, that there had been conversations outside the 1st District by people and organizations who had determined as early as 2010 that he, Gary McDowell, would represent NORTHERN MICHIGAN voters and that they would determine how he will vote on a variety of issues. My feeling is that no one person or organization gives that much money to a primary candidate – not a formal candidate but a “primary candidate” – unless they want something in return.

 These decisions were made in the proverbial “ back rooms” somewhere other than NORTHERN MICHIGAN – I’m uncomfortable with that.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN voters deserve to be a part of any conversation regarding who will be their Representative and that’s why we have a PRIMARY ELECTION process.

We should be comfortable that our Representative is our voice in Congress and that our interests haven’t been compromised by deal making and shady politics.

This 2012 Democratic Primary election on August 7th is of the utmost import to every voter and family in the 1st Congressional District. If Gary McDowell is chosen to run against Benishek and wins then he will most certainly be manipulated by those who bankrolled his campaign – from downstate & out of state. On the other hand,   Derek J. Bailey is a candidate who has determined that he will ask the people of NORTHERN MICHIGAN for their support inside the District during this primary campaign.

Your VOTE is not a commodity that can be purchased - it's yours to make freely and so I encourage you to do so wisely as an informed voter and not as the pawn of out of state politicos and special interests.

Derek’s campaign is honorable and that’s something we haven’t seen for a while – a breath of fresh air in a political environment that wreaks of rottenness.

 Let me know your thoughts and feelings – I’m especially interested to know if you want someone outside of the 1st Congressional District to influence our Representative and his voting.

GDH

Where has McDowell's financial support come from ?

This is the beginning of what may become a series of reports based upon my research into who is funding Gary McDowell's campaign and WHERE they are located. As you will see, this partial list of McDowell contributors is surprisingly absent NORTHERN MICHIGAN donors. I'm sure he may have some but they are not listed at " OPEN SECRETS.org".

The point I'm trying to make is that his main support is from outside of the 1st Congressional District and from people and organizations whose agendas are not wholly known.

 Again, the question to Gary is ," If you have all this FINANCIAL support from OUTSIDE the district why should NORTHERN MICHIGAN VOTERS embrace your campaign ? If you were to be chosen to run against Dan Benishek, who would benefit the most from your election - your downstate & outstate donors or the Citizens of NORTHERN MICHIGAN ?

Stay tuned ... More to come ... I'd like your thoughts & opinions on this - please leave a comment - Thanks ! 

GDH

McDowell Contributors :

  Santa Catalina Island Company

  150 Metropole Ave, Avalon, California 90704

     United Auto Workers

  8000 East Jefferson Avenue

  Detroit, Michigan 48214

United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters
Three Park Place
Annapolis, Maryland 21401 

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
9000 Machinists Place
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
20772-2687  

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO, CLC
900 Seventh Street, N.W.

 Washington DC 20001 

The American Association for Justice
777 6th Street, NW, Ste 200 • Washington, DC 20001 

Carpenters and Joiners Union

Address unknown 

Sheet Metal Worker’s International Association

1750 New York Avenue, NW - 6th floor
Washington, DC 20006 

International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Office of the General Secretary-Treasurer
25 Louisiana Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001 

GOALPAC

Sander Levin

1236 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515 

Nancy Pelosi for Congress

Washington, DC 

PAC to the Future

Connected to Nancy Pelosi

607 14^th Street, NW

Suite 800

Washington, D.C.  20005 

BRIDGE PAC Congressman  James E. Clyburn, Chair

499 S. Capitol Suite 422 Washington, D.C. 20003

Jr Broadcasting

Voice of Minnesota

11230 Valley View Rd.

Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344 

Laborers International Union of North America

LIUNA
905 16th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006  

Solidarity PAC

607 14th Street NW Suite 800
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005

NOTE : Same address as PAC TO The Future

 

Buckles & Buckles, P.L.C.
PO Box 1150, Birmingham, MI 48012

The Googasian Firm, P.C.

6895 Telegraph Road

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan  48301

What I'm seeing so far ...

In observing the NORTHERN MICHIGAN Democratic Primary campaign for the 1st Congressional District I have found that Gary McDowell is ignoring the fact that the privilege of running as the Democratic Candidate for the 1st CongressionalDistrict is even in contention, instead he seems to be acting as though there is no primary campaign, there is no Derek Bailey and that he, and he alone, is the chosen one to challenge Dan Benishek in November. This is a very arrogant attitude, insulting even– not specifically to Derek J. Bailey ( although it maybe helpful for him to campaign while his opponent is busy running against Benishek), but insulting to the voters of NORTHERN MICHIGAN in particular who have a choice to make on August 7th and who deserve a primary election where both candidates are focused on informing voters about who they are, what their beliefs and values are and what they will try to accomplish if elected by the voters of NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

I believe that this arrogance stems from the fact that McDowell has been endorsed so quickly and so heavily by organizations and interests from outside NORTHERN MICHIGAN that he feels immune to the challenge of anyone and assumes that he is the“anointed” one - the entitled one. That being said, I might also add that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ( DCCC ) ( to their credit ) has taken a “handsoff” position on this Primary,something that may not be generally known by many caught up in the rush to endorse. It may not be polite to mention this in his holy presence but he did LOSE to Dan Benishek in the previous election. I’ve heard people make the argument that , "well, he entered late and that was a disadvantage”. As President Clinton once said, “ that dog doesn’t hunt”. The truth is that his LOSS was attributable to several factors not the least of which is the fact that the voters of NORTHERN MICHIGAN didn’t want him as their Congressman. His loss was unfortunate and we all felt a great let down when Benishek took office but the fact remains that McDowell was rejected by the voters of NORTHERN MICHIGAN.

In a Congressional District where the seat had been solidly Democratic from 1993 – 2010, the Democratic candidate should have been able to carry the District. Gary McDowell LOST in 2010 NOT because he had a late start but because the voters of Northern Michigan simply didn’t want him.

This time around McDowell started early enough ... he has enough money ... and the downstate politicos and special interests have tripped over themselves to endorse him. He is THEIR candidate ... chosen by THEM ... financed by THEM ... endorsed by THEM and,dare I say it ? ... Controlled by THEM.

DerekBailey’s campaign comes from his heart and not the backroom of a bar in Lansing. He is the worst nightmare of the DEMOCRATIC ESTABLISHMENT because he has entered into the campaign to become the District’s Democratic Candidate with the intention of running a clean campaign and making life better for all NORTHERN MICHIGANDERS. His culture, his spirit , education and his leadership experience have prepared him to be a good Congressman for ALL of NORTHERN MICHIGAN, chosen by the voters and not by people and organizations whose personal and various narrow interests are better served by a candidate of THEIR choice.

Having said that there is one last thing I must mention that I have personally observed. One of McDowell’s campaign operatives, a man who should know better, looked me in the eye and lied to me about Derek having said that he’s running merely to better serve his people in dealings with the Bureau of Indian Affairs ( B.I.A. ). Nothing could be farther from the truth ! It was a blatant lie . I contacted Derek Bailey and he personally denied that the conversation ever happened and added that he has encountered several instances of racism since his campaign began. Bailey campaign Chairman , Rick Coates also added that "Derek has proven in four years as Tribal Chairman of the Grand Traverse Band that he has been all about the best interests of the region as a whole and not just people of a specific ethnicity...The Grand Traverse Band is the second largest employer in the region and has provided numerous jobs to people of all ethnic backgrounds". Coates went on to say, "Any suggestion that Derek Bailey is running for Congress to benefit only the Indian community is absolutly false and a racist tact to paint Derek as a greedy Indian leader when quite the opposite is readily apparent". The use of race to persuade voters to vote for Gary McDowell actually gives his campaign a rather desperate tone. This is something one might not expect from a Democratic candidate who should know better than to use “race baiting” in his campaign. The remarks of course imply the question to a voter, “would you prefer a white Congressman or an Indian” ?

Finally, I would ask that Gary McDowell take the appropriate steps to stop any racebaiting in his campaign by both he and his operatives, whether paid or not, and to make his position known on the use of race in this Primary campaign.

Lastly,I’m asking every NORTHERN MICHIGANDER to simply think about the choice they have on August 7th… think about whether you want the “Establishment’s”candidate or the candidate OF and FOR ALL of NORTHERN MICHIGAN… Derek J. Bailey.

GDH