I had my brush with politics. When I ran as the Democratic nominee for the Governor of Michigan I was motivated, in part, by what I perceived as the lack of any backbone by the Democrats to resist the extreme ideology of the Engler GOP in Michigan. I had never run for office before and jumped into the primary late without any Party support. I ran a very anti-political campaign of defending unions, defending the role of government to help the poor, expanding post high school educational opportunities and universal health care. I said what I thought about not only my opponents, but the state Democratic leadership as well. I refused to cut any deals in exchange for financial support. I marched picket lines and campaigned in neighborhoods in Detroit that the police wouldn’t patrol. It was anti-politics. I won the nomination because I told the truth. I lost the election, probably for the same reason. But I kept my self-respect. I believe there is a time to just stand up and tell the truth no matter how impolitic it may be.
When I see McCain and Boehner on the news I just go bonkers. The same guys who inherited a budget surplus and 4% unemployment, turned it into a record deficit and 8% unemployment They now have the gall to say they are concerned about the deficit and the size of the stimulus package? The same guys who wrecked this economy still want to shape economic policy? What? You guys want to give rich people even more tax breaks to create jobs after the last 8 years of tax breaks produced a record deficit and record unemployment? You should be in an unemployment line just for saying something so stupid. You should be wearing tar and feathers after what you have done to our Country.
John McCain? The same man who said a few months ago that the economy is in good shape… the same man who picked a vice-president nominee who was obviously unqualified, now says his judgment is that the stimulus package won’t work? I can’t think of a better endorsement for the proposals! In fact, the GOP is so incompetent that I would be worried if the likes of Boehner, McConnell and Limbaugh were supporting Obama.
In fact, their comments are so divorced from reality and audacious in the scope of their hypocrisy that I suspect the strategy originated from Karl Rove. They should all be sent to Gitmo until it closes.
Republicans have forfeited any right to shape economic policy by virtue of their policies being such a monumental failure. The Republican caucus must resemble a scene from the old Marx Brothers comedy “Duck Soup”. Either help the Country recover from your incompetence or get out of the way.
That would have been my response, and the reason why I could never do what President Obama must do right now. I have a very low tolerance for incompetence and hypocrisy. Thank God for men like the President and people like us, willing to support our Country in words and actions.
FiegerTime - Geoffrey Fieger's Blog 
True, but let’s focus on Michigan. I am sure Fieger would agree, what needs to be done is to bring balance back to Michigan. The insurance moguls have used their influence and access to government to control and monopolize, to the utter detriment of the once greatest industrial state of the United States of America. Unfortunately, both policial parties have been seduced by the the largess of the insurance industry. The “hidden tax” of high insurance premiums saps the economic strength of the populace’s ability to buy goods and services. We are told that we must “rethink” the way we do business and our expectations of a living wage. However, the retinking never includes the insurance industry or their high premium rates. No those are untouchable. The control over information and debate is complete. The insurance industry harvests the fruit of the workers’ labor as “retained earnings” and “reserves” and exports them beyond Michigan’s borders to buy investments outside Michigan and oversees. One wonders why there is no regulation to stop this financial blood letting. The answer is simple: your legislature has been bought outright. Not even a peep from the press. Control is total and complete. Meanwhile, to any moderately critical mind, the injured and maimed, the intended recipients of the insurance proceeds, are thrown onto the taxpayer safety net, or burdening their already strapped families, or left to fend for themselves. Therefore, everyone burdened under the yoke of the insurance premiums, mandated by law under criminal penalty, is victimized. This was not the purpose of insurance which was a system developed in the early part of this century. “The purpose of insurance is so far as possible to do away with accidental losses by distributing among a number, all of whom were exposed to a common peril, the loss which has fallen upon one of them.” NOTE: The purpose of insurance is NOT to create huge financial institutions with enormous cash reserves and hence political power to buy votes in the legislture. The perverted enrichment of the few at the expense of the many. Let’s begin to rethink our “No-Fault” automobile insurance experiment. The insurance industry seduction now includes the very persons the insurance industry blamed for their draconian legislation to restrict recoveries, the “trial lawyers.” Many attorneys now want No-Fault, since they take fees on the voluntary pay wage-loss and paltry pay-outs on household replacement services, mileage and other penny ante benefits. Imagine how much you pay for automobile insurance and multiple it by every driver in this State. Ultimately, the wool will be lifted from your eyes and you will realize that No-Fault must go.
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So true how Democrats lack backbone in resisting extreme ideology of Republicans… Not just in Michigan, but everywhere. The best example of this was in 2004 when John Kerry was reading Bible quotes during the debate in order to appeal to people who might otherwise vote Republican. I wasn’t nuts about Kerry. I just voted for him because he was The Man Who Wasn’t Bush.
Julie