"President" McCotter Blows It

**Lowell** · May-28-12, 12:25 PM

Talk about dumb. I got wind of this from Sharmaal at Tashmoo last Sunday and now it is being verified. US Representative for western suburbs Thaddeus McCotter [R] incredibly appears to have as failed to gather the required number signatures to get on the Aug. 7 primary ballot, the nomination from which would allow him run again for the seat he has held since 2003.

He may be reduced to run as a write-in which could put his district in play for the Democrats to win.

Some may recall that this is the same person who announced he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President last year. After that was run up the flag pole and totally ignored, let alone not saluted, one would think he would not overlook such a basic, simple fact of political life as to take care of a filing petition.

So it could be that "President" McCotter may not even be Representative McCotter.

…political insider Bill Ballenger, publisher of the Lansing-based newsletter Inside Michigan Politics, said McCotter's flub displays serious dysfunction in his campaign staff and could be an ominous sign for his chances as a write-in candidate.

"Circulating petitions to get yourself renominated is like Politics 101. It's not rocket science," Ballenger told the Free Press.

"I wouldn't hold out much confidence that McCotter is going to be capable of getting the write-in votes necessary" to win the primary election, particularly if other prominent Republicans decide to run write-in campaigns as well, now that McCotter is vulnerable, Ballenger said Saturday.

DeadlineDetroit

**Woodward's Cousin** · May-28-12, 02:29 PM

One of the only ways"duplicate signatures" could realistically come into play with enough import to render McCotter with insufficient signatures is if one of his true-believing GOP operatives actually copied other petitions on a color copier and submitted the copies as well, hoping that no one would notice. The rule is that is a duplicate is detected both signatures are thrown out. So the potential magnitude of the possible fraud would perhaps have been of great magnitude.
Well, someone noticed ! Now we'll see if the GOP SOS and AG act on this with the enthusiasm they prosecuted the young Oakland County knuckleheaded fake Tea Party conspirators a couple of years ago. I predict this scenario re copies will prove out.

**artds** · May-28-12, 03:03 PM

Hmmmm. The schadenfreude seems awfully strong with you here, Lowell. Why is that? Is it only because McCotter has the letter "R" next to his name, or is there something more?

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · May-28-12, 04:00 PM

This is nuts. Michigan makes it so easy, relative to other states, to get on the ballot. Although I like McCotter, maybe it's time for him to go anyway. The Founders never intended for people to serve eternally. I'll save the term limits preaching for another time, but fresh blood is good. Interestingly, neither party has a significant "name" candidate qualified for the primary ballot. It will be fun if we have 2 underfunded unknowns on the ballot in November. We'll see if they can get someone on the ballot [[either party) through a write in.

**daddeeo** · May-28-12, 04:06 PM

These are the guys worried about voter fraud right???

**poobert** · May-28-12, 07:32 PM

Looks like the weirdos that inhabit Livonia will have to find another freakshow to represent them. So sad.

**MikeyinBrooklyn** · May-28-12, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by poobert

Looks like the weirdos that inhabit Livonia will have to find another freakshow to represent them. So sad.

Poo, I assume you are not writing those words from a home anywhere in Wayne County? I weigh 250 pounds, so I don't call people fat. That would make me a hypcrite. If you don't live in Detroit or anywhere in Wayne County, then trash Livonia all you want. I like Livonia. Had an ex from there.

**jtf1972** · May-28-12, 09:55 PM

I met him & his wife. Nice enough people... but could never vote for a politician that makes such a simple error as talking down about an area that the person seems to like. His wife grew up near my old place on the west side. When they said something like "bet you're glad you left" and I defended the neighborhood they kept on. They seemed amazed when I said I would move back in a heartbeat, but it's a bit too suburban for me... like Livonia.

I got a good laugh that he was going to run for the big office. In comparison, when I met Rick Perry he shook my hand & asked how everything was, acting like he gave a rats ass about a guy in New York. He knew a potential voter.

**Don K** · May-28-12, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by artds

Hmmmm. The schadenfreude seems awfully strong with you here, Lowell. Why is that? Is it only because McCotter has the letter "R" next to his name, or is there something more?

I don't know about Lowell, but I'll admit to a certain enjoyment when a politician of whatever persuasion fails at one of the basics of the game. It's especially rich when said politician has been hyped as one of the intellectuals of his party. I suppose he's too busy being an intellectual to actually, you know, hire competent people to take care of the basics of the campaign.

Having said that, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court finds a way to put him back of the ballot. [[Am I accusing the courts of being partisan hacks? Why, yes, I am.)

**compn** · May-29-12, 06:20 AM

mccotter is not a good rep. hope he fails miserably, just like his previous 'presidential bid'. the entire idea of signature gathering is a bad idea. short deadlines and high number of required signatures can really disenfranchise voters and citizens wanting to participate in a direct democracy.

**Woodward's Cousin** · May-29-12, 10:07 AM

From an article by Kathy Gray on the DFP web site:
"The Secretary of State has said that one of the problems with the petitions were duplicate signatures and when those are found, both signatures are ruled invalid. Some of the petition sheets also were photocopied and turned in".

And this from Thad:

“Somebody either panicked or it was sabotage,” McCotter said. “This was not a case of somebody who didn’t live in the district. My gut tells me that we got lied to by someone we trusted.”

If his own first-tier staffers didn't do it, they missed the duplication by color copier that the MISOS staff easily detected. BAD staff work ? Maybe.

**Lowell** · May-29-12, 10:39 AM

Originally Posted by artds

Hmmmm. The schadenfreude seems awfully strong with you here, Lowell. Why is that? Is it only because McCotter has the letter "R" next to his name, or is there something more?

A wee bit but not because the R. I just find it incredible than any politician could make such a basic political kindergarten mistake, especially one who expressed presidential aspirations.

Anyway he is now going to run a write-in and with some effort should have no difficulty getting the nomination due to his name recognition.

U.S. Rep. McCotter to run write-in campaign after failing to file enough valid petition signatures

LIVONIA [[AP) — U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter says he'll run a write-in campaign after the Detroit-area Republican failed to file enough valid petition signatures with the state to appear on the August primary ballot.

**Novine** · May-29-12, 10:21 PM

McCotter is either a liar or incompetent. There's only a handful of people who likely would have had a role in this criminal activity.

**Hamtragedy** · May-29-12, 11:36 PM

Maybe the font size was wrong.

**webband1** · May-30-12, 08:30 AM

http://www.freep.com/article/2012053...text|FRONTPAGE

Bureau of Elections Director Christopher Thomas said Tuesday that elections officials found an "unprecedented level" of obvious fraud, including dozens of identical petition sheets that had been photocopied. In some cases, the petitions were identical except for the name of the circulator.

........ really?

**corktownyuppie** · May-30-12, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by webband1

http://www.freep.com/article/2012053...text|FRONTPAGE

........ really?

[[1) McCotter deserves to go down in flames on this one.
[[2) My favorite is the GOP nominee who was gonna run against him. They train reindeer to pull sleighs for Santa?!?!

Why can't we get rid of the whackjobs on both the far right and far left and get some leaders who actually want to get something done?!

**webband1** · May-30-12, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by corktownyuppie

Why can't we get rid of the whackjobs on both the far right and far left and get some leaders who actually want to get something done?!

Why would any sane, normal person run for office these days? Spend all your time calling up donors begging for money, spend next to no time passing legislation or talking to constituents. Plus anyone that disagrees with you will take to the internet to suggest that you support the Great Miami Face Eater or that you once punted a baby off a bridge or whatever nonsense they come up with.

I don't know why anyone willingly signs up for that.

**Woodward's Cousin** · May-31-12, 04:51 PM

AG Schuette announces investigation of McCotter petition signatures in what someone has termed "McCottergate":http://www.mlive.com/politics/index...._river_default

**rjk** · May-31-12, 08:19 PM

I don't see how fraud can be behind this.
Stupidity and/or laziness, sure.
He easily won his last election and he all he needed was 1,000 signatures? It's mind boggling.

There's no way I could vote for someone whose campaign did something like this.

**Novine** · May-31-12, 08:34 PM

Each petition has to be signed attesting to the validity of the collection of the signatures under penalty of the law. Either the signers of the petitions or the person who submitted the petitions committed fraud. Now whether Michigan's Republican establishment will actually go after the person or persons who committed this fraud remains to be seen.

**DetroiterOnTheWestCoast** · May-31-12, 11:25 PM

What a tool

**gazhekwe** · June-02-12, 06:49 PM

McCotter will not run for his Congressional seat. Well, here's an interesting kettle of fish.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012060...xt%7CFRONTPAGE

**Gistok** · June-02-12, 11:25 PM

Wow.... sounds like he wasn't too well liked by fellow Republicans...

And one of the lawyers who may do a "write-in" is a fellow by the name of "Trott".... His law firm does home foreclosures... so he doesn't stand a snowballs chance in Hell....

**Lowell** · June-03-12, 08:19 AM

I'm still interested in the story of the forged signatures, apparently photoshopped on the petitions. This is a crime and McCotter's sudden walking away from a secure seat has to make one think, 'Hmm what does he know?'

With his name recognition, I think he would have a good shot at holding the seat running as an independent - kind of like what Joe Lieberman did in Connecticut after he lost the Democrat primary -- unless it is shown he had a hand in the forgery.

**gazhekwe** · June-03-12, 09:28 AM

If I am doing the math right...
He had 1800+ signatures of which only 244 survived. So say they kicked 1800 total. All duplicate signatures are both kicked. So with 900 good signatures kicked for duplication, plus 244 surviving ones, he would have had enough to make it in without the duplications. Probably not the scenario but "facepalm" inducing all the same.

One of the things that is burbling under the surface is 'what about ALL of his past filings.' If he is using the same people, did they just all of a sudden go berserk this time, or is this a pattern. And how could he not know?