Michigan Politics
Cars Are Symbolic in Auto State Campaigns
By George Weeks

Cars have had high profile symbolic roles in some of Michigan's most notable political campaigns.

In the 1948 campaign that launched Democratic Governor G. Mennen "Soapy" Williams toward an unprecedented six terms, it was the battered gray DeSoto convertible driven on the trail by his wife, Nancy, former driver for the Red Cross Motor Corps.

Williams was an heir to the Mennen line of shaving and other skin preparations, but there he was on the trail as a regular guy in his dusty DeSoto.

In his successful 1990 populist campaign, Republican John Engler vowed to use "my Oldsmobile" instead of the State Police "jetcopter" used on occasion by Governor Jim Blanchard. A picture with his right foot on the front bumper of his black Olds in Leland was on the cover of a Detroit News book on Engler's campaign.

Democratic State Chairman Mark Brewer now strives, at a lower level and with lower expectations, to call attention to a black 2004 Ford 500 with leather seats in what could be a hot Michigan contest in 2008: the reelection bid of Republican Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Cliff Taylor.

Taylor, wisely in my view and under pressure in Brewer's view, prompted the move by all appellate judges to turn in their state-supplied cars as a response to the budget crunch.

When the state auctioned Taylor's turned-in Ford, with 52,000 miles, Brewer made the winning bid of $12,000. He now drives it about the state, as replacement of his own Ford that had 250,000 miles, touting it as "a symbol of (Taylor's) attitude on perks."

Because of Taylor's trumpeting of his initiative on surrendering of state-supplied cars by all appellate judges, rapping him as perk-prone is a tough sell. Taylor's current push for reducing the number of judges, ill-advised as it is in the case of the Court of Appeals, also gives him talking points for frugality in his reelection bid.

Taylor faces what could be the toughest reelection quest in decades for an incumbent justice, assuming Democrats come up with a credible opponent. Brewer says, "Talks are underway to get a consensus candidate. [It's] a top priority for us."

I say "toughest" reelection bid because Taylor is the only justice up next year and will be the focus of recent controversy about the court, including Republican Justice Betty Weaver's criticism of Taylor and others among the court's "Engler Four" for actions "disorderly, unprofessional, and unfair;" environmentalists (usually paper tigers politically) and numerous editorial writers are fired up by the Supreme Court's recent crippling and ridiculing of the Michigan Environmental Protection Act, and no other hot statewide races loom, as Senator Carl Levin is up, but likely will coast again.

But, apart from the cherished "incumbent" designation on the sham "nonpartisan" ballot where Supreme Court candidates nominated by partisan conventions appear, it is money that talks in such races. It will abound for Taylor, and odds are that unions, trial lawyers, and others will pour it on for his Democratic challenger.

Taylor will have the support of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, which, according to the nonpartisan Michigan Campaign Finance Network (MCFN), since 2000 has spent more than $6 million for Republican Supreme Court candidates but because of "Michigan's weak campaign finance law" did not have to disclose who gave the money to the chamber.

MCFN correctly calls this "a serious threat to judicial independence." Weaver, a former Leelanau County probate judge, agrees and is working with Senator Michelle Mc- Manus (R-Lake Leelanau) to strengthen campaign finance laws.

But these Leelanau County ladies are faint voices for reform in Lansing, where status quo serves the special interests.

Camp, Stupak Spar

On Friday, Representative Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) took a shot at Representative Dave Camp (R-Midland), who represents some northern Michigan counties (Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau) that Stupak represented before the last redistricting.

Camp on August 1 decried Democratic efforts to "take a giant step towards universal, government run health care" with their version of renewing the State Children's Health Insurance Program.

Asked about this in a Friday conference call from Washington with Michigan reporters, Stupak branded it "not true." As for Camp's view that the legislation "comes at the expense of Medicare- senior's health insurance, lowincome seniors," Stupak said: "I think Mr. Camp is looking out for the insurance industry that is ripping off our seniors."

Stupak, chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, said its 10 investigators "will be very busy" during the August break.

He said, "We fix a problem or get change" more aggressively than the subcommittee did under Republicans. He said, "There is so much to do because there has not been much done" previously.

For the current Congress, he cited such ongoing issues as food and drug safety, gas prices, and radiation detection in U.S. ports.

In Stupak's sprawling district, there are three of the four Michigan bridges similar to the I-35W bridge that collapsed in Minneapolis. He said the Michigan Department of Transportation has a critical bridges inspection program and believes the bridges are "in pretty good shape."

Asked about his personal concerns as a motorist, he said, "I'm not worried about going over a bridge anywhere in the United States."

George Weeks retired last year after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.