Michigan Governor's Race

[stasu1213]

Gretchen, in her defense had gotten an early start. I will still swing my vote her way. However transparency should be a major factor in any race

[O3H]

There is an INSANE amount of money in Michigan political campaigns
--- that is better used elsewhere -- for the business -- and for people.

Who remembers this idiocy :
A County Job That Pays $130,034 ......Cost $3 Million

Two PACs And $2 Million In Spending Couldn’t Save Macomb County’s Long-Time Public Works Commissioner In Challenge From Congresswoman Candice Miller

[Canadian Visitor]

There is an INSANE amount of money in Michigan political campaigns
--- that is better used elsewhere -- for the business -- and for people.

Who remembers this idiocy :
A County Job That Pays $130,034 ......Cost $3 Million

Two PACs And $2 Million In Spending Couldn’t Save Macomb County’s Long-Time Public Works Commissioner In Challenge From Congresswoman Candice Miller

A quick google left me unclear, are there campaign spending limits in Michigan?

Ontario is $1.30 per voter.

Roughly $100,000 per MPP [[varies by riding[district] and number of voters]

https://www.elections.on.ca/content/...20Election.pdf

[Jimaz]

Jimmy Carter: U.S. Is an ‘Oligarchy With Unlimited Political Bribery’

Thank you for your candor, Mr. Carter.

[Dexlin]

Wrong forum. Take this literal electioneering to another subforum.

[lpg]

I noticed the campaign ads are getting more vicious in these last days leading up to the primary. Seems like the only commercials on are ambulance chasing lawyers and these clowns.

[CassTechGrad]

I fail to understand the need to allow artificial entities that are not citizens of the country in question to possess 'speech rights'.

In Ontario and Canada we do not allow corporations, unions or any other non-individual to donate to political party or a politician.

As a shareholder of a business, you have the individual right of speech, as you do as an employee of said business/non-profit etc. or as union member etc.

That is because YOU are a citizen, the entity is not.

It is also entirely reasonable to limit the size of contributions and the amount parties and candidates spend.

We can have a reasonable debate on where the line should be drawn.

Federally, Canada is $1,575
Ontario is roughly $1,222
Quebec is $100

[[all amounts per year)

There are also rules on traceability.

Quebec requires any donation at or above $50 to be paid to the election authority, which will then turn it over to the political party or candidate.

Donations under that must have a contribution slip w/relevant info.

I don't see why any of that should be controversial.

If you're going to allow unfettered donations/spending, you might as well just give rich people 1000 votes for every ordinary person's vote.

It makes a complete sham of democracy.

“I fail to understand the need to allow artificial entities that are not citizens of the country in question to possess 'speech rights'.”



Illegal Immigrants in San Francisco can register to vote
By Madison Park, CNN
Updated 12:00 AM ET, Fri July 20, 2018
“San Franciscans in 2016 approved Proposition N, 54% to 46%, extending the right to vote to persons who are not citizens of the country. This week, the city's Department of Elections began issuing voter registration forms so illegal immigrants can cast their ballots in the school board elections on November 6.”

So in California it is legal for foreign citizens like Russians to influence elections? I thought we were arresting people for doing that !!!!!!!!!!!

[Jimaz]

... Illegal Immigrants in San Francisco can register to vote....

Snopes Fact Check: Is San Francisco Registering ‘Illegal Aliens’ to Vote?

WHAT'S TRUE:
Some non-citizen San Francisco residents can register to vote in local school board elections.

WHAT'S FALSE:
San Francisco is not allowing the non-citizen population at large to register to vote in all elections.

[O3H]

Do I care what happened in San Francisco - HELL NO twice on Sunday

JESUS F'ing CHRIST - impossible to stay on topic, eh ?

[Wesley Mouch]

???

You DO know don't you that the very point is that the donor is NOT made public, right? BCBS can funnel dark money to a candidate via a PAC for the specific deliberate purpose of concealing where the money came from. That's why it's called "dark" money. We don't know who BCBS is giving money to, or how much they are giving if they give it through a third-party PAC. We don't have this information.

So how exactly are we supposed to vote accordingly when it's all kept private?

If you know the name of the PAC that contributed, then you know where the money came from.

I remain 100% in favour of all candidates disclosing 100% of their contributions by individual name [[or by marking as cash contribution). That's 100% transparency.

Knowing who gave money to BCBS, or to a PAC, is irrelevant, and intrusive. I think we have the right to make contributions to groups that advocate on our behalf. And that right includes our right to assemble into, say, [[private-sector) unions -- and advocate for certain candidates they favor.

So long as there is 100% transparency by a list of everyone who contributed to a candidate that is 100% accessible.

Tracing fungible cash as it flows from hand-to-hand is intrusive and unnecessary.

[O3H]

Trace we shall

https://twitter.com/DJ_Lena/status/1...616577/photo/1

$42,500 in Schuette pocket via BCBS

Chad Livengood is a political reporter in The Detroit News' Lansing bureau. He covers Gov. Rick Snyder's administration, the Legislature and Michigan politics

[Pam]

Two words: Bernie Sanders

Speaking of Bernie, he is coming to town to campaign with Dr. El-Sayed.

https://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf...paign_for.html

[Don K]

^After seeing his arrogant TV Ad, I definitely absolutely, positively will not vote for Abdul.

I will vote for Colbeck because he has engineering and business training; so he’s a logical thinker and understands the value of an earned dollar.

I'm tired of this "we need to run government like a business" crap. All that means is, "let's cut costs to the bone, and if people get injured or killed as a result, well it's those people and not us, so it's all good, right?" And no, I wouldn't hire an inexperienced doctor, attorney, or roofer, so I'm damned sure not going to hire someone as governor who doesn't have experience actually, y'know, governing.

[Don K]

If you know the name of the PAC that contributed, then you know where the money came from.

I remain 100% in favour of all candidates disclosing 100% of their contributions by individual name [[or by marking as cash contribution). That's 100% transparency.

Knowing who gave money to BCBS, or to a PAC, is irrelevant, and intrusive. I think we have the right to make contributions to groups that advocate on our behalf. And that right includes our right to assemble into, say, [[private-sector) unions -- and advocate for certain candidates they favor.

So long as there is 100% transparency by a list of everyone who contributed to a candidate that is 100% accessible.

Tracing fungible cash as it flows from hand-to-hand is intrusive and unnecessary.

Mmmm ... I think I'd like to know whether, e.g., the Koch brothers, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk are trying to buy candidates in Michigan. I remember when repeal of Maine's same-sex-marriage law was defeated, there were court cases over whether non-profits in favor of repeal had to disclose their contributors. The final ruling that they did caused some uncomfortable Christmas dinners when LGBT Mainers discovered Granny didn't love them as much as she claimed to, but I think that's valuable information to have.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

You say that as if being Asian Indian or Muslim is a disqualification.
Candidates should be measured by their policies, not their ethnicity or religion. As long as the candidate makes the same separation.
So obvious.
Equally obvious there are still people who can't.

We all know that's how they SHOULD be measured by. But we also all know that, it's what they WON'T be measured by. We also all know who's to blame.

[O3H]

Political campaign promises.....Ha, aha, Ha Ha, aha stop it hurts....Ha..aha

[lpg]

^^^^^No different than regular promises....Made to be broken.

[Pam]

We all know that's how they SHOULD be measured by. But we also all know that, it's what they WON'T be measured by. We also all know who's to blame.

Who is to blame? If you were going to say Trump, that's wrong. Whatever else he did or didn't do, he didn't invent racism.

[Honky Tonk]

Who is to blame?

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name,

[drjeff]

Who is to blame? If you were going to say Trump, that's wrong. Whatever else he did or didn't do, he didn't invent racism.

He did, however, create an environment in which it can thrive in open view.

[Zozo]

He did, however, create an environment in which it can thrive in open view.

Trump's really forced the antiwhite Left out from behind the shadows. Look no further than this weeks debacle with the New York Times and Sarah Jeong. "All the antiwhite racism that's fit to print."

[drjeff]

Trump's really forced the antiwhite Left out from behind the shadows. Look no further than this weeks debacle with the New York Times and Sarah Jeong. "All the antiwhite racism that's fit to print."

I was thinking more of the numerous nazi and white power rallies that have ensued since his election.

[Pam]

I was thinking more of the numerous nazi and white power rallies that have ensued since his election.

Those people were never going to vote for anyone named Shri or Abdul anyway even before Trump.

[drjeff]

Those people were never going to vote for anyone named Shri or Abdul anyway even before Trump.

That's not my point- since Trump was elected they feel emboldened, whereas before they would have stayed in hiding.

[Pam]

That's not my point- since Trump was elected they feel emboldened, whereas before they would have stayed in hiding.

Ok but we started off talking about voting. You can be a bigot in the voting booth and nobody has to know. That hasn't changed. The poster above implied Trump was to blame for decreasing the chances of minority candidates.