Gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer (D. MI) has been fixated on getting the base out to the polls to help him defeat Tea Party Governor Rick Snyder (R. MI):
http://www.freep.com/...
It was a race to the finish line for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer, who started the last full day of campaigning by talking with veterans and workers in Grand Rapids.
"We need a change in Michigan," he said. "Fundamentally, Rick Snyder is a corporate CEO who wakes up every day thinking about big business, corporate CEOs and a whole lot of folks that he's worked with in the board rooms over the years. He's really out of touch with regular people."
At the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, which has gone through some turmoil in recent years because of privatization of 150 nursing aide jobs, he heard from workers and veterans who were concerned about everything from the staffing changes at the home to a tax on pensions instituted under Snyder. - Detroit Free Press, 11/3/14
There's good reason why Schauer is campaigning in Grand Rapids:
http://www.mlive.com/...
Grand Rapids, the state’s second-largest city, overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama for president in 2008 and 2012. But the last time a gubernatorial election was on the ballot, in 2010, voter turnout shrank and the city voted for Snyder.
A key difference: about 30,000 voters in Grand Rapids cast straight-party ballots for Democrats in the two most recent presidential elections, but fewer than 16,000 voted that way in 2010. Meanwhile, straight-party voting for Republicans in 2010 was only slightly lower than in 2008 and 2012.
“Both political parties have become absolutely fixated on the notion of turnout because the Obama campaigns in ‘08 and 2012 really showed how important turnout was,” said Erika King, a political science professor at Grand Valley State University. “The problem for Democrats is their base constituents tend not to vote in as great of numbers during off-year elections as they do in presidential elections.
“The Democrats have to work a lot harder.”
Grand Rapids votes for Republican candidates in the past four elections held in even-numbered years have been relatively constant: a bit more than 26,000 votes cast for Snyder and Dick DeVos in the last two gubernatorial elections, and a bit more than 28,000 votes cast for Mitt Romney and John McCain in the last two presidential elections.
Grand Rapids votes for Democratic candidates have varied widely in those same elections: 50,000-plus votes for Obama in 2008 and 2012, but just over 22,000 for Virg Bernero in 2010. Dems turned out in greater number in 2006 to re-elect Jennifer Granholm, casting nearly 39,000 votes to help her defeat Dick DeVos. - MLive, 11/3/14
Schauer knows better than any Democratic candidate how essential turn out is and he's working hard to make sure voters comes out to the polls in big numbers:
http://www.mlive.com/...
On the eve of Tuesday's election, Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer rallied local Democrats in Ann Arbor, delivering his final pre-election speech before a large crowd on the University of Michigan campus.
"We stand here at the doorstep of changing the direction of our state," Schauer said, addressing a mix of college students, local community members and elected officials gathered inside Annenberg Auditorium.
With polls showing the race between Schauer and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder close, Schauer stressed the importance of getting out to vote and convincing others to do the same.
"I don't know which vote will decide the outcome, but it might be the next person you talk to," he said. "It might be the last person you talk to." - MLive, 11/3/14
Especially with Snyder's abysmal record:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Some conservatives call President Obama the "dictator in chief" because they believe has ignored the constitution while also undermining the democratic process. Obviously few Americans view dictator and leader as being synonymous. With this in mind it should be noted Rick Snyder's actions could similarly be considered un-American. Appointing a Emergency Manager to take over Detroit from democratically elected officials is hardly upholding the ideals of democracy. Replacing an Emergency Manager law that the voters repealed just months prior certainly doesn't suggest the governor is up for sharing power. Making many laws referendum proof, eliminating the voter's best method of directly impacting bad laws, is the exact opposite of giving citizens a voice in their government. Establishing a furtive slush fund, financed by anonymous donors, that was used to pay for an "independent board" that influences public policy while being accountable to no one, is not a democratic principle.
Of course the democratic process isn't the only thing Rick Snyder has trampled. A Michigan judge said the governor's initial bankruptcy filing was unconstitutional. While other Rick Snyder supported ideas deemed unconstitutional include a "law requiring state employees to pay 4% of their income in order to remain in the state's defined benefit pension plan", the state ban on same sex marriages, and a law banning PLA's.
Additionally the Snyder administration held secret talks, comprised of mainly far right corporate donors and education advocates, looking for ways to bypass the voter approved constitutional ban on school vouchers. The governor claimed he was unaware of the meetings however he defended the gathering by saying "I don't want people to discourage people from being innovative and creative,". The question then becomes is it more disturbing that the governor was unaware of the potentially illegal actions of his staff or that he terms these attempts at breaking the law as innovation?
He has also stumbled in his leadership on other education reform ideas where the early results suggest the governor is finding it difficult to garner support for his policies. For example the governor believes the state should adopt Common Core Standards however the legislature rebuffed the governor and have cut all funding for implementing these new standards. This means over a three year span students will be taking three different standardized tests - tests that the governor believes should be used to determine the quality of teachers. The continued rejections from Republican elected officials makes this goal nearly impossible.
Rick Snyder has been an advocate for expanding charter schools in Michigan even though the data shows they don't outperform their public school counterparts. A recent exposé revealing a litany of issues with Michigan's Charter schools, including the misuse of public funds, forced the governor to propose greater transparency. Given that Michigan has more for profit charter schools than any other state in the nation the lack of oversight from the governor's office starts to looks like a tail wagging the dog situation. If not, it demonstrates a troubling level of naivete regarding the goals of for profit entities in the public education realm. Is Rick Snyder leading the charter school movement or is the charter school movement leading Rick Snyder? - Huffington Post, 11/3/14
Click here to find your polling place:
https://vote.michigan.gov/...
And click here to help out with GOTV efforts for Schauer's campaign:
http://markschauer.com/