About That Outrageous Claim By Romney That Chrysler Was Moving Jeep Production To China.....

The Detroit News: Chrysler to build Jeeps in China.

So, will Washington Post take at least one Pinnochoio back now?

Benghazi Story Significantly Changing Post-Election

First we have Petraeus testifying that it was known to be a terrorist attack immediately. He is completely contradicting his pre-election testimony that it was an act of a spontaneous mob.

Petraeus also stated the assessment that it was terrorism and that Al Qaeda was known to be behind it was changed by unspecified "others" to purportedly avoid Al Qaeda being tipped off that we knew it was them.

Ok then....

The State Department is now walking back its claim that it was due to the idiotic film clip and was sure enough, a terrorist attack. (Full article at the Washington Times).

The State Department is now trying to throw someone else under the bus for its previousl public statements:

The description of what transpired throws dramatic new twists into the changing picture of the Benghazi attack that Obama administration have fumbled to present. The Obama administration had said the attack was a spontaneous response to the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims”; it later claimed there was a protest against the film that terrorists suspected of al Qaeda links took advantage of to launch their attack.

When asked about those varying explanations, the State Department official said “that was not our conclusion” and that unspecified “others” could answer for their words.

Ok then....

Impressively convenient that these revelations come out after the election, now isn't it.

So, in the words of The Washington Times: Diplomats Died, Obama Lied.

Losing Is Hard, Coming Back To Win Will be Harder

The Detroit Free Press asked its readers: In one word, tell us how you feel about the election

I answered: "Nuts!"

After all, it wasn't over after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, and it sure ain't over now.

Yes, it will be a tough 4 years ahead, likely with a crappy economy and the liberals' ratchet being pulled evermore leftwards.

Now its time to have a drink or two to dwell over what should have been.

Pick yourself up and help figure out what went wrong, deal with it and do what it takes to rebuild and be ready for the next election with smart candidates that can campaign, are electable and savvy enough to deal with the campaign environment we have, rather than the one we'd like.

The election should have been an easy win for Romney but so many chances were blown by Republicans that never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Thank you Todd Akin (with a respectful salute to Senator McCaskill for choosing the most defeatable opponent possible - well done) and to Mourdock, you morons, for giving the Dems a golden opportunity for turning an election based on Obama's dismal performance in office to an election over "The Republicans will steal your lady parts".

Enough already with the stupid. Republicans better learn to vet candidates that know both some basic biology and just as importantly, how to not answer a question with the first stupid phrase that comes to mind.

Chris Christie being unable to remove his lips from Obama's nether regions similarly didn't help in the closing days of the campaign. Note To Christie: Kiss any dream of running as a Republican Presidential candidate Good-bye.

Of course, they didn't blow it alone, but you sometimes gotta wonder if the Republicans don't throw these elections on purpose.

Thank you MSM, including especially you CBS for withholding the Benghazi interview transcript you had September 12 that showed Obama was lying during the debate until two days before the election. And to all the rest of you in the MSM for making sure Fast and Furious never made any headway. And thanks to the LA Times for still not releasing the Rashid Khalidi tape.

Thanks also, Commission on Presidential Debates for ensuring all moderators were liberals with two of them actively intervening on Obama's side during the debates. Will Republicans ever learn that such a situation is not to be accepted?

Republicans next time better ignore the next "his turn" candidate for someone electable, smart and ready to do more than just appear presidential. That is not enough. In debates 2 and 3 Romney gave C+ answers when As were needed to boost his numbers, and appearing presidential doesn't cut it.

Its an uphill battle against the entrenched Democrat-Media complex and if you're not ready to fight it and fight hard while avoiding stupid 47% gaffes, don't run and let someone else step forth to do the job.

Already the Stock Market is down with news of the victory reacting to the upcoming financial storm that is almost sure to hit.

It's rough, it is both disappointing and annoying to lose what should have been a blow-out victory. But its not over and don't give up on America yet.

This is not over, there is still some life left in this Republic yet.

Michigan Proposals and Oakland Local Election Results

More thoughts on the national election results in a moment.

On the upside locally here in Michigan, Proposals 2-6 went down in flames, ending the Union-Green takeover attempt of the Constitution and ending Maroun's attempt to buy a slice of the Constitution. All good.

On the downside, Proposal 1 was defeated meaning no Emergency Manager Law and thus without such a law it means that Detroit better get ready for bankruptcy. Given the attitude of Detroiters who were opposed to the proposal, I have darn little sympathy. You voted for it, now you get to live with the results. Don't expect the rest of us to come bail you out.

The Oakland County results can be seen at the Detroit Free Press.

Unfortunately, Oakland county has been going from a prosperous though Country Club Republican Red to Blue. Refugees from Detroit and other locations in Wayne County have been moving here to escape that county's mis-management but then voting to bring about the same policies and Democrat leadership that caused the problem in the county they have left. (Sound familiar?).

On the Upside, L. Brooks Patterson was reelected as County Executive. While a Country Club Republican he at least knows that focusing on the economy is what matters, and a lot of Republicans would be better off if they got that hint.

On the downside two good Republicans fell to Democrat challengers, Bill Bullard Jr lost the County Clerk spot, and he's been a very effective County Clerk and John McCulloch lost his position as Water Resources Commissioner, again someone who was very effective. Democrats also held on easily to the County Treasurer and Prosecuting Attorney positions (to be fair, Dem Jessica Cooper is doing what is by all reports a good job there).

In West Bloomfield, Michelle Economou-Ureste of getting-a-ride-home-from-the-police-because-we're-tired fame was easily reelected, and the one Republican on the board of Trustees was lost, making it all Democrat Drama, all the time in the Township.

Ah, Drat

Fox News has called it for Obama, even as many a vote in Ohio remains uncounted and its still close so maybe it's not over yet.

But if it is over, then we're in for a rough time the next 4 years.

On the upside, it will be hard for him to claim an overwhelming mandate with Romney winning the popular vote and with Ohio won by less than a percentage points.

Quick thought to end this night: This election, Republicans never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

More Michigan Democrat Electoral Dirty Tricks

Democrats pulled at least two dirty tricks in oakland county this election season:

First, in Oakland's 5th District, the Democrats wanted to oust John A. Scott as County Commissioner, so they ran their candidate Alexandria T. Riley and also ran an "independent" John Scott to confuse voters.

Nice trick, but I and others darn well saw though it and voted for the great Scott.

Second, I also saw this sign at lunch today. While it is not in my Congressional district, it is an interesting example of a visible Democrat Dirty Trick run amok on election day.

The only thing is, there is no real group Republicans for Dr. Taj. This "groups" seems to be comprised of an anonymous Facebook page and some signs. Just another Democrat Dirty Trick trying to throw an Congressional seat to the Dems.

Syed Taj is a Democrat facing Kenny Bentivolio, a Tea Party supported candidate that won the Republican primary. This occurred because the Republican lock-in candidate, Thaddeus McCotter, inexplicably and amazingly went down in flames after his idiot staff committed fraud on his candidacy petitions. There was certainly a lot of heat over Kenny winning the nomination and the Country Club wing of the Republican Party was not happy about it, but they did finally come around and support him.

These despicable Michigan Democrat tricks, while sadly typical of them, should hopefully be seen through by the voters.

Sandy Mucks Up Michiganian Absentee Attempts

Superstorm Sandy affecting Michigan voting; some to miss out because of late ballots

Superstorm Sandy caused so much disruption on the East Coast that New Jersey officials allowed displaced residents to vote by e-mail in today's election.

What could possibly go wrong? On the upside, New Jersey is a blue state lock in any case, so they just need to reduce the totals to the number of actual registered living voters and it might turn out a wash.

But that's not all the disruptions and there's now a few Michiganians suffering votus interruptus:

But the storm also disrupted the absentee voting plans for a few Michigan residents visiting the area affected by the Oct. 29 storm that caused widespread flooding and power outages.

Not a lot of sympathy. if you were planning to be out of town, you could have already received your absentee ballot, had it sent to your home address for forwarding or made some other arrangement. It's not like no one warned that Sandy was coming to visit.

On the other hand, I can understand and sympathize with the problem faced by Richard Bernstein:

Pummeled first by a bicycle on a New York City sidewalk in August and then by Sandy, blind Oakland County attorney Richard Bernstein, 38, said Monday he's afraid he won't get to vote today for the first time since he turned 18.

Michigan Secretary of State officials said Bernstein is out of luck after the storm delayed delivery of his absentee ballot to a New York hotel, where he is recuperating from the smashed pelvis he suffered when a fast-moving cyclist struck him from behind in Central Park.

Bernstein spent nearly 10 weeks in Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan as a result of his injuries before moving to the hotel Oct. 26 to continue his rehabilitation as an outpatient.

He said he applied for his absentee ballot the same day he got a fixed address, and Birmingham City Clerk Laura Broski said Monday that her office mailed the ballot to his hotel Oct. 30.

Bernstein's ballot still hadn't arrived Monday and officials with the Michigan Secretary of State are "basically saying I don't get to vote," Bernstein said. "I don't think that's really fair."

Of course, he probably should have had it delivered to his Michigan address back before the storm and brought up by family when they came to visit him - or he could likely have had it mailed to him at the hospital or sent via Fedex by his family to the Hospital. He's a smart guy and unfortunately didn't anticipate Sandy slowing down the arrival of his ballot.

I'm sure he had a lot more going on considering he's recovering over the past 10 weeks and I'd bet he didn't really think about getting an absentee ballot while he was laid up.

And in another interesting example, for which I have no sympathy:

Sharon Lipton of Waterford said she was going to deliver absentee ballots to her daughters Sara and Andrea, who are staying in New York, but she was unable to travel there because of the storm.

She instead filled out their ballots for them according to their instructions and signed as having assisted them to vote. But officials in Waterford told her that the ballots won't be counted.

"I am going to pursue this," Lipton said Monday.

Good luck with that. Again Proper Planning Prevents Poor or in this case missed Performance. Fedex is your friend. So no, you can't fill out other people's ballots for them as that is one heckuva bad precedent to set regardless of for whom you might be casting those ballots.

Voted.

I arrived at the polling station this morning and turnout was much lighter than I expected at my precinct. The parking lot was not full and multiple spots were available. The lineup to vote was quite short.

People in line were saying it is much, much shorter than the line in 2008 - back then it wrapped all the way around and was very lengthy indeed. Today I was in and out very quickly.

Considering that I'm trapped in a heavily Democrat area, make of the comparatively light turnout what you will.

Interestingly enough, there were Democrat campaigners handing out a voting list in the parking lot. Interestingly, it did not say vote for Obama but started its endorsements way down the line with state and county level races only. Funny that.

I figure its gonna be a long day and night.

Wowza, Romney Up By 1 In Michigan!?!

Elizabeth Foley, blogging at Instapundit, notes a Democrat poll that has Romney leading Michigan by 1 Point.

The Hill:

The poll, conducted by Democratic polling firm Baydoun-Foster for Fox 2 News Detroit, has Romney up 47-46 on Obama. The same polling firm pegged the race in Michigan a tie in a survey late October.

The poll is the first in Michigan since August to give Romney a lead, however, while Obama holds a 3.8 percent lead in the Real Clear Politics polling average.

Baydoun-Foster’s Michigan polling has leaned more toward Romney than other Michigan surveys by several points throughout the final months of the campaign, a review of RCP’s Michigan polling shows.

As the Instapundit says, don't get cocky. After all, 1% is well inside statistical error range, but this result is impressive as all heck. Like I said before, if he can make it close in as blue a state as Michigan is, then he's seriously in contention.

If Mitt Romney can win the Mitten State, we're looking at a preference cascade blowout and we're looking at Bob Krumm's scenario 5.

So yes, there is a shot to beat Obama and take Michigan by 1% -- bit only if 100% of us get out there and vote. I'm darn well getting up bright and early tomorrow and heading to the polls to cast my vote for Romney. How about you?

Update: Apparently this particular pollster has quite the interesting background and may not be a pollster at all. Debbie Schlussel has the scoop, and a very interesting scoop it is.

Now Don't Forget!

This.

The Case Of The Democrat Bouncing Check Candiate

Some Democrats are just a bit more blatant about their criminal aspirations than others.

Take Democrat candidate for Michigan's District 1 Brian Banks for example.

How else to explain a Detroit Democrat running for the State House who can't even balance his own check book who makes it by writing bad checks, and he wants to be elected to spend the State's (read: your) money?

Standing already convicted of eight felonies involving bad checks and credit card fraud, he's running in Detroit for a seat in the Michigan legislature.

After claiming he's reformed (In Democratese this apparently means - "I haven't been caught or convicted again - yet"), he's now bounced a few checks to his current landlord: The Detroit Free Press: State House candidate was still writing bad checks this year, records show.

The Saddest Part: Given the overwhelmingly Democrat domination of his district, comprised of part of northeast Detroit, Harper Woods, Grosse Pointe Woods and a part of Grosse Pointe Shores, The Michigan Democrats are about to seat a once and future felon in Michigan's legislature.

But Does The Car Come With A Wookie Suit?

Last evening, I saw this car in a parking lot. Politics can certainly be worn on more than just your sleeve:

Yes, Someone actually has gone out and bought RONPAUL as their license plate.

Since Ron Paul doesn't live in Michigan, this is a case of fandom gone wild.

As much fun as politics can be, when you're that far into a cult of personality that you pay to have a political figure's name on your vanity license plate, you've gone and moved into the little bit creepy territory.

Incidentally, this is one more decent reason to vote for Mitt Romney.

Ron Paul has a cult-like following.

Barack Obama has developed and consciously cultivated a cult-like following.

I'm pretty sure that Mitt Romney lacks both the charisma and inclination to pull off the whole cult-of-personality thing. And that's a good thing.

Michigan Now In Play? Romney Now At 45% To Obama's 47!

Wow, who would have thought that this blue of blue states would wake up and go Romney?

The Detroit News: Poll: Romney closes gap on Obama in Michigan

That Michigan, home of the UAW and the blue state model could even be this competitive for Romney is awesome.

Hopefully Michigan is finally waking up to the destruction and corruption wrought by the Democrat blue state model leading to record foreclosures and unemployment. And They're perhaps realizing what continuing and expanding that model will mean for its citizens - more of the same economic disaster, but worse.

Obama jinxing the Tigers probably didn't help.

Michigan is now in play enough that Obama is now having to launch campaign ads here for the first time this election.

A Preference Cascade? Reality finally hitting the community? Let's hope so.

More Bad News from Obama's A123, Just In Time For The Debates

Sometimes, you just can't hold the bad news until beyond the election.

The Detroit Free Press: Battery-maker A123 Systems will miss a crucial bond payment

Battery-maker A123 Systems will miss a crucial bond payment that could push it into a bankruptcy filing, according to a filing the company made Monday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Waltham, Mass.-based manufacturer, which employs about 700 people at its plants in Livonia and Romulus and an Ann Arbor research center, told the SEC that it is exploring "strategic alternatives to address" its deteriorating financial situation.

"The company may not have sufficient cash to fund operations and may need to seek the protections provided under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to, among other things, obtain access to new financing and facilitate one or more of the transactions it is contemplating," A123 said. "No assurance can be given that the company will be able to avoid restructuring, reorganization, or a bankruptcy filing."

The filing adds to the uncertainty about the company's future just two months after Chinese auto supplier Wanxiang Group agreed to invest up to $450 million to acquire as much as 80% of A123.

Apparently President Obama is quite adept in picking winners and losers and consistently picking the losers.

It's also a potential political problem for the Obama administration, which gave the company a $249.1-million grant in 2009. A123, which once promised to add several thousand jobs in Michigan, also won more than $125 million in tax credits and grants from the State of Michigan in 2008 and 2009.

One certainly hopes the debate moderators will bring up this series of green job fiascoes by the Obama administration. Any bets?

The Union And The Bridge Owner

It's Baptists and Bootleggers Michigan Style as Ambassador Bridge Owner Matty Maroun bankrolls the UAW's job killing Proposal 2 in return for UAW member votes on Proposal 6.

Proposal 2 will enshrine Unions - both public and private - and collective bargaining in the Michigan Constitution and trump numerous laws and send us into the union-infested dark ages. basically it will drastically tilt the scales in favor of Unions, reducing even further Michigan's appeal as a place for businesses to come and employ people.

Proposal 6 will require a public vote before any international crossing could be built, slowing down commerce and the Michigan economy and leaving a main international trade artery and profits under the control of Maroun.

Vote No on both.

While you're at it, Vote YES on 1 and NO on 2,3,4,5 and 6 - good descriptions of each of these execrable proposals and the reasons for voting NO on 2-6 are presented here.

The Detroit Free Press: UAW, Moroun said to be allies in battle to block new U.S.-Canada bridge

The UAW and Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun are discussing a deal that calls for the billionaire to pump cash into a labor-sponsored ballot initiative in exchange for the union's support for a Moroun-backed campaign to block a new international bridge from Detroit to Windsor, according to a senior auto executive and several local political leaders.

Note that the UAW is sacrificing what will be a lot of good paying and most undoubtedly union construction jobs on the bridge in return for money up front to bolster their position long-term even as such a measure will make Michigan far less employer and hence employment friendly.

Maroun, of course, is probably harming his companies in the long-term, assuming there's a union presence there, in return for the union's support to block competition to his Ambassador Bridge and thus maintain his monopoly power.

Both proposals are bad for the public, who will be the ones really bearing the costs if Proposals 2 and 6 pass.

Debate 1 Thoughts

Quick Impressions:

I'd say Romney came across as a likeable and well-spoken fellow that can lead the country. He's quick to advertise his bipartisanship and willingness to work with Democrats, which while a detraction for most Republican may help win over Democrats looking for a reason to not vote for Obama. In other words, he's tilting toward the middle come election time trying to pick up some Dem votes.

As for Obama, well, Obama just found out how hard it is to have to fight a real contested race for the first time without the aid of a teleprompter.

For deeper, insightful, and far more inebriated analysis, check out Stephen Green's blogging of the debate on PJMedia.

Democrats Suddenly Recover God, Jerusalem Into Their Platform

The Democrats, for the first time in the history of their party, neglected to mention God in their party platform. They had no problem inserting that abortion should be available on demand even to those who can't afford it (ie taxpayer funded, which should make pro-life Democrats heads spin), but deleted any religious reference.

The Detroit Free Press: Democrats scramble to tweak planks on Jerusalem, God as convention's 2nd night begins

Democrats sought to tamp down a pair of controversies as they gaveled open the second night of their convention Wednesday, inserting the word “God” into their platform and restating support for Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Both had been omitted from the original draft...

One would think it was an inadvertent mistake, after all, forgetting those two points could happen to anybody, really. However, the removal of those references seems to not have been so accidental, especially given the challenge of getting reference to the God and support for Jerusalem as Israel's capital back into their platform.

The language was adopted as amendments to the party platform as the first order of Wednesday’s business, but not without controversy. It took three attempts to pass the language regarding Jerusalem and a subjective decision by the convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, to decide the change had the required support of two-thirds of the delegates. To many listeners, the voice vote seemed at least evenly divided.

If that doesn't make the Jewish Democrat supporters situp and take notice not much will. Three attempts and the final one likely a push is quite revealing of the Democrat delegates, representing the entire Party's actual feelings on the matter. Perhaps those Jews will realize that while they haven't left the Democrat party, their party sure as heck is leaving them.

Indeed those chosen deletions are quite revealing to the American public as a whole - the Democrats are turning their back on American traditions that have served America well in both the domestic and foreign relations spheres.

Wow. Debbie Schlussel has the video of the Democrat clown show where they amended their platform to put mention of God and of recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital back into their platform.

It's also a decidedly Democrat demonstration that it is not who votes that matters, but who counts the vote that truly matters.

Unofficial Local Primary Roundup

Pete Hoekstra won the Republican nomination to face off against Debbie "Spenditnow" Stabenow for the US Senate contest.

Gary Peters wins District 14, beating Hansen Clarke and the other challengers. He received a far higher vote total from the Oakland County area of the district than in Wayne County. Hansen Clarke received far more from Wayne than Oakland, and indeed if the other challengers weren't present he might have won. Since I'm doomed to have a Democrat, it might as well be the reasonably honest and effective Peters as the other options were much worse.

Unfortunately, John Conyers won his primary, beating the challengers there.

It looks like the DIA tax passed in all three counties. Now to see if we all got snookered by this tax or not.

In State District 40, Republican Michael McCready beat his competition by a few hundred votes in a very divided and competitive field. Sadly he beat my preference, David Wolkinson by 307 votes.

Oakland County passed the SMART transit millage renewal, and L. Brooks Patterson quite handily beat his challenger to stay County Executive 90% to 10%.

In West Bloomfield, the rather drama-causing Michelle Ureste beat challenger John Warshay by 215 votes (46% to 43%, thanks to the appearance of Robert Egren on the ballot who siphoned off 900 votes). Since there is no Republican challenger in the general election, we're in for more twisty drama with Ureste.

West Bloomfield also passed the Parks and Rec millage renewal and expansion to restore funding to previous levels.

And that's the local primary results.

Democrats And Electile Dysfunction

I may have to take back my assumption that Democrats aren't as dumb as a bag of rocks.

At the local library, which was also serving as two different polling precincts, I happened to overhear a young man and his lady friend talking while I was browsing the stacks.

The young man couldn't get it as to why he couldn't vote straight ticket Democrat in the primary.

Think about that for a moment -- Straight. Ticket. Democrat. In. The. Primary.

He also complained that it wasn't fair that he couldn't also vote for some Republicans as well, because, after all, they were listed on the same ballot.

His lady friend then struggled to explain why he couldn't and he really wasn't getting it.

With much restraint, I managed to avoid yelling over the shelf "In the youth section there's a Schoolhouse Rock: Election Collection DVD that explains how primaries work - go check it out for crying out loud.

Wow. Now I can see how people like that may be confused if they're asked if they're a US citizen. Then again, I'd be amazed if he can even color in between the lines in the ballot circles.

Oh, and his vote counts as much as yours.

2012 Primary Day Voting

So Today is the Primaries plus multiple millage requests.

I voted this morning and while there was no lineup to vote there was a pretty steady flow.

Amazingly, I was able to check the box on the application for a ballot that I was a US citizen without any confusion whatsoever. Who would have thunk it?

Of course, this primary season involves much gnashing of racial teeth. With the loss of population in Detroit, two of Detroit's Congressional districts are being gerrymandered to remain majority-minority districts but they now snake their way into the suburbs, including where I live, dooming me to a Democrat Congressman forever. Just when my area is beginning to think a Democrat isn't the way to go, we get this.

This means that the Majority-Minority districts are swallowing up other Democrat districts which could mean the incumbent (White) congressman in those districts is facing off against the Black congressman and the White reps might just even win.

Much racial disharmony ensues, as reported in the Detroit News: Metro Detroit may lose black U.S. reps.

Voters in Metro Detroit will determine Tuesday whether Michigan will lose black representation in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in nearly five decades.

U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke, a biracial freshman belonging to black and Asian congressional caucuses, faces a challenge in the 14th Congressional District from U.S. Rep. Gary Peters, a white Bloomfield Township resident who is backed by major labor unions as well as Detroit elected officials and black pastors.

Michigan is losing one congressional seat due to redistricting, forcing the two into a faceoff.

And in the new 13th District, U.S. Rep. John Conyers, the longest serving African-American member of Congress, is running against four challengers, with polls suggesting his closest competition is Glenn Anderson, a state senator from Westland who is white.

Clarke and Conyers are running in Michigan's only majority-minority districts under the 1965 Voting Rights Act that protects minority political participation. If a white candidate wins in a VRA district, "it would definitely be an anomaly in American politics," said Devin McCarthy of voter reform think tank FairVote.

A Peters and Anderson victory would be pretty remarkable but in my opinion good for Michigan. Peters is already an effective congressman (if I'm now doomed to a Democrat Congressman, I might as well hope for a decent and effective one) and it is well past time for the divisive Conyers to go.

In addition, there's also various millage requests on the ballot including one rather contentious on for Oakland County to pay property taxes to support the Detroit Institute of Arts.

The results of this primary should be quite interesting indeed.