Monday, February 8, 2010

Virg Bernero - Mayor of Lansing to Announce for Governor

I have to admit, every time I see this guy on television fighting for the little guy, fighting for the American car industry, going up against Wall Street, I love his gumption. I love his fight. I don't know if he can take it all the way to Michigan's governor's mansion, but I sure like the idea of this guy going up against Republicans in the Senate when some important piece of legislation needs to get passed to help the people of Michigan.

I want a Democrat that understands Republicans are not for the people, the average, middle-class working man or woman and is willing to fight for them. If you want someone like that too, Virg is your man.
Click here to contribute to Virg's campaign.

25 comments:

vomamike said...

I have been watching this guy for about a year. IF he says he is in - he has my support. And I doubt any big money will back him, so it will be up to the little guy to come through.

Bruce Fealk said...

Mike, I've been watching him too. In fact, after one of his appearances on The Ed Show, I called the next morning to ask him to run for governor.

Paul said...

I'm shocked, shocked you would support someone with the views of Bernero. I mean look at his qualities.

1. Empty rhetoric

2. Populist rants

3. Leans so far left, Marx would advice him he may want to move more to the center.

Oh, wait that's the type of politician you endorse. My bad!

Bruce Fealk said...

Paul, talk about empty rhetoric, listen to Sarah Palin, Mike Cox, Mike Bouchard, Pete Hoekstra and Rick Snyder.

Damn straight, Virg is my kind of guy, a guy that fights for average, middle class Americans that are suffering the results of conservative fiscal policies from the Bush regime.

Chris said...

You liberals will buy anything these fools sell. You bought what Obama was selling and now you are buying the same crap from a different guy. He is just the same as Grandmole as Paul has pointed out. The left are all talk and no substance. We have been in a 10 year recession thanks to the Democrats. I know it's Bush's fault and Engler. How can we take you serious when you say stupid things like that? You all still think Grandmole is the greatest and is all the Republicans doing. What world do you live in? Little kids take the blame better then you Demoquacks.

vomamike said...

Paul - i bet he doesn't use crib notes on his palm to give a $100,000 speech for 45 minutes filled with empty rhetoric and populist rants. And he didn't quit as Mayor so he could get paid as an empty headed commentator on Fox Noise.

Bruce Fealk said...

Chris, facts are facts. You think Engler and Bush can leave office and their responsibility for the horrendous policies they left in place is all the new guy's fault. That's not how it works.

Sometimes disastrous policies produce bad results way beyond the time that the person or party that put them in place leaves office. That's the case with Engler and Bush. Republicans always have a short term approach to everything, the economy, energy, taxes, spending.

Republicans don't want to be part of a realistic solution. They want to slash and burn, no matter the consequences.

Chris said...

Soon after Barack Obama was elected President in 2008, a town in Alabama voted to make November 4th an annual holiday in his honor.

If the Democrats in Congress ever get around to doing the same thing -- and don’t be shocked if they do -- let me suggest a name for the new Federal holiday.

“Dependence Day.”

Let’s face it: the day America voted for “change,” what we got instead was something more like the complete demolition of self-reliance, one of our most revered American traditions, dating back to the Declaration of Independence itself.

“Change,” as it has become evident, now means that Americans no longer need to rely on ourselves or our families, churches, businesses, or other private associations to meet our most pressing needs. All we need is one entity: the federal government.

Out of work? Don’t worry -- it will “create” a make-work government job for you, by siphoning money from the private sector and destroying other people’s jobs.

Need a car or a mortgage or a student loan? You’ve come to the right place -- the only place, actually, since it’s taking over the auto and banking industries.

Need medical attention? This way to the Obamacare waiting room -- where the unionized nursing assistant will see you… eventually.

That, my friend, is the future the Obamacrats are preparing for us. Will they succeed? Only if we don’t fight back.

Bruce Fealk said...

Chris, you are being totally ridiculous in your latest comment. Greedy corporations and Wall Street have been taking advantage of hard working Americans for decades.

If you could put your ideology aside for just one minute and try to have a cogent thought and be honest with yourself, you would realize this.

The wealthy and greedy have been basically imprisoning average, hard working Americans with outrageous practices.

I'll give you an example of the banksters ridiculous fees.

My sister had an account at a credit union. She passed away at age 41 from breast cancer and the account wasn't closed immediately. The credit union took $10 a month as a fee. Why? The called it an inactivity fee. A fee for not using the account. I called and complained, but they actually defended their ability to charge a fee for not using the account.

Health insurance companies are now raising their rates as much as 40%. Why? Because they are afraid there is even a possibility of health care reform.

Wall Street came up with risky investments that failed. They got bailed out. Why don't you talk about the welfare and dependence of large Wall Street firms that take tax payer money and then offer massive bonuses to their employees. It seems to me the much bigger problem is corporate welfare, not welfare for the least among us, which I would think as a good Christian, you'd be in favor of providing.

But then again, you're a Christian in name only, aren't you, Chris, CINO.

Paul said...

The madness continues. I would defy anyone to read my original post and the follow up comments from Bruce and vomamike and tell me where they've offered a rebuttal.

The most obvious example is that neither of them denied the charges I lobbed at Bernero, they simply defended him by pointing out other candidates that supposedly perform in the same manner. How does that make "your guy" look good? In other words, if it's bad for Palin, Cox, Bouchard et al, isn't it by definition bad for Bernero?

Secondly, why do Bruce and vomamike immediately assume that if someone doesn't endorse their guy, they automatically must support the opposition? In their simplistic world view, it must be, "if you aren't with us, you're against us". Just because I don't like one politician from your party, it doesn't necessarily mean I hate them all, or I'm in love with everyone from the opposition.

Ultimately, the problem is what it's always been, individuals that are unable to look past their own ideology and actually view a candidate in a honest, objective manner. Bruce in every instance and vomamike to a lesser degree will always endorse anyone with a D after their name and condemn anyone with an R. In their minds all democrats are virtuous, honest, trustworthy and truly care about the needs, wants and desires of the American people. Obviously, Republicans are the direct opposite. The problem with this concept is that you then, by association, must paint all members of each group with the same brush. Democrats good/Republicans bad. Wouldn't it be great if the world were that simple?

On a final note I'm struck by a strange phenomenon that occurs routinely on this blog. What exactly is the hold that Bruce has over vomamike? I think I would have a coronary if he ever disagreed with or pointed out an error made by the almighty blog owner. For the most part, it's not a big deal, but on numerous occasions Bruce offers some of the most insipid, intellectually challenged comments I've read anywhere. He's nothing more than a shill for the left and clearly appears to regurgitate items he's read on Huffpost, Daily Kos or Move.org. As I mentioned previously on Chris' blog, "he's a disaster". vomamike, on the other hand, has offered a number of thoughtful, well-reasoned arguments on various subjects. Now granted, I'm not a long time, regular commentator on this site, but I can say unequivocally that I've NEVER read anything offered by Bruce that could be labeled thought-provoking or insightful. Are you guys brothers?

Bruce Fealk said...

Paul, talk about empty rhetoric. Why should I rebut something that you can't prove. Where is the intellectual honesty in saying someone has only the qualities of empty rhetoric, populist rants and leans so far left Marx would advise him to move to the center?

You have no proof to back up any of those charges. It's just the kind of ideological pablum that you get from Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Glenn Beck.

There's no there there.

I can assure you, Paul, Mike and I are not brothers. We do happen to share political philosophy as do all of the commenters on Chris' blog. I would swear you all came from the same mother, and have a genetic abnormality responsible for your political leanings.

I am no shill for anyone, Paul, as anyone who really knows me would attest. Do I think all Democrats are good, no. Are all Republicans bad, yes, at least the ones in office now. I have yet to see a Republican in office that differs from the ideological base of the Republican party or its further right cousin, the tea party.

Paul said...

Read my last post and then read Bruce's. My words have been validated. Thanks Bruce!

Bruce Fealk said...

Paul, my post does nothing to validate your comment. You made empty accusations and expect me to respond. That's amateur at best, Paul. You have no intellectual argument or proof of your statements, none whatsoever.

Every politician running for office runs on rhetoric. It's not until they are elected that they can put their campaign promises into action.

I have read Bernero's background and it looks like he's done some good things in the city of Lansing and we could definitely use at the state level.

What has Bernero done specifically to warrant the statement that he's so far left Marx would advise him to move to the center?

What is a populist rant? That sounds to me like what Palin and Limbaugh do every day.

vomamike said...

Paul - rebuttal?? I reread what you posted. It was opinion - pure and simple. You drew a conclusion from your perspective - and I and Bruce drew conclusions from our perspective. So what was there to rebut? Sorry, you lost me there! What is "empty rhetoric" to you may be excellerating speech to us. What is "populist rants"? Whose "populist" are you referring to? All a matter of perspective.

Paul said...

Here's where the problem lies. vomamike offers up the opinion that, "I have been watching this guy for about a year. IF he says he is in - he has my support. Based on what qualities?

Bruce, then states, "In fact, after one of his appearances on The Ed Show, I called the next morning to ask him to run for governor." Again, based on what qualities?

The intent of my original post, which succeeded even better than I expected, was to determine exactly what you knew about Bernero and why you were supporting him. Your response wasn't to defend him, explain his qualifications or point out his political stance, no you chose to attack Palin and the other potential candidates for governor. By the way, I don't think Palin has a horse in the race.

Finally after exchanging 2-3 emails, Bruce did offer up this critique, "I have read Bernero's background and it looks like he's done some good things in the city of Lansing and we could definitely use at the state level." Great, so you've done some research and you've formed a basis for your endorsement. Was it that difficult to have said that in the first place?

Granted, we both know, you don't owe me squat, but I believe that if you are going to sit back and pontificate about your wonderful, benevolent Democrat party, I have no problem putting you on the spot.

Lastly, sorry Bruce, but when you make comments such as this, "Are all Republicans bad, yes, at least the ones in office now.", all credibility goes right out the window.

Bruce Fealk said...

Paul, you're entitled to your opinion as to my credibility, but I haven't seen one good idea come from a Republican recently.

President Obama as offered to have a town hall meeting with Republican lawmakers to hear their ideas. What is the Republican response? The only way we'll consider the meeting is if the President is willing to start from scratch.

That's the kind of drivel we get from Republican leaders.

Then there's the infamous Sarah Palin, who has to write her 3 talking points down on her hand. Don't lecture to me about credibility, Paul.

I can't think of one Republican that has any. As to the party I belong to, it's the Democratic party, not the Democrat party and I suggest you refer to it as such.

vomamike said...

Say Paul, you make a valid point regarding "why" we would endorse Virg Bernero - but I didn't think you were expecting me to become his campaign manager!! In listening to his spiel in various venues this past year, I liked what I heard. But he hasn't been vetted yet, which I'm sure now that he has announced his candidacy, it will come in spades. When Congressman Ron Paul first ran for President, I liked his anti war stance. However, learning more about him, I decided he wasn't the man for my vote. Virg Bernero will get the same scrutiny. It is inevitable that whether a person runs as a Democrat or a Republican will peak your interest. I kept an open mind about Sarah Palin - which lasted all of about a week. Those of us who study Party platforms have a natural inclination to side with a candidate of the Party we favor. But if we are good citizens, we look beyond Party affiliation and assess the person himself - or herself. I liked what I was hearing about John Edwards - and from John Edwards - until it was disclosed about his personal behavior which overshadowed his political life. It wasn't his moral shortcomings that turned me off, but his attempt to hide it. If you studied the biography of many of our forefathers who signed the Declaration of Independence - or for that matter, attained political status throughout our nations history - you would be surprised at some of the personal baggage they had. Yet most served the needs of this nation quite admirably. I think there is a trend today to place too much emphasis on the personal failings of various leaders and not enough on their political leadership. But what is - is!!

We all say we picked the person and not the Party affiliation, but in reality, Party affiliation gives a person a leg up initially. Then if we do our civic homework, we check out that person more closely. At least that is the ideal! But to deny that whether a person runs as a Democrat or a Republican plays no roll in your voting decision is only fooling yourself. There are concrete divides in the philosophy of both these Parties - or for other Parties for that matter - and I'm confident we lean for or against a person based in some measure, on that Party affiliation.

Chris said...

Bruce, use your brain for a change. "You can't make a poor man rich by making a rich man poor". Do you understand that? Or do you want to hold on to your idealogical theory that the rich are the enemy. And the companies that hire most workers are the enemy. But if you think otherwise you must be right and I'm the idealogue.

Bruce Fealk said...

Chris, I don't think your average worker expects get rich, however, they do expect a fair day's pay for a fair day's work.

Yes, we need entrepreneurs to make our economy work, but companies now are getting rich off the backs of their employees. The pay differential between the CEO's and their employees is higher than it's ever been in America and it is much higher than in other industrialized countries.

Why should the CEO of a health insurance company make a huge salary and get stock options and bonuses on top of that. That money comes from the premiums of their customers. Looked at another way, the executive bonuses are a tax on the ratepayers, since the word tax is a word you do understand.

Chris said...

Obama isn't closing GITMO. He is keeping 50 prisoners there. It looks like Obama is a lot like G.W.Bush. I bet he extends the pull out of Iraq too. What a warmonger Obama is turning out to be.LOL You voted for him. What has he done for you hard lefters again????hahaha

Chris said...

And Bruce you want to set the fair price and the fair wage right? Or should the market/we the people determine what the market can bare to pay people and profits? You have been codaled by the union for too long Bruce.

Jay-Ney said...

I like Virg Bernero. He is as Progressive as Grandholm. If we are going to keep moving forward in Mich. then we need a more Progressive Governor like Mr. Bernero. Don't you think?

Bruce Fealk said...

Chris, the 50 prisoners at Gitmo are a problem.

Neither one of us know all the details, but under our system of justice, indefinite detention is unacceptable. We agree.

Actually he's done quite a lot, but we still need to finish health care without Republican votes, reconciliation if necessary. Many major pieces of legislation were done this way under Bush and Democrats should use the same methodology to pass health care and climate change legislation, to name just a couple.

Bruce Fealk said...

Jay-Ney, I like Virg from what I know of him up till this point. He does come across as a strong progressive.

I need to learn more.

vomamike said...

Chris - the dynamics of an economy are not as simple as you try to make it out to be. The intervening apparatus during the heyday of the middle class which has been loosely defined as the 50's through the 60's - was unions. Almost 50% and some economist said those great wages also influenced non-union industry for an additional 20 to 30%. Then came the anti-union Reagan era, the outsourcing of our manufacturing base and the unfettered era of mega mergers. This perfect storm of anti worker actions has lead to the downfall of the middle class, the rise of corporatism and the biggest gap between rich and poor this country has seen since its inception over 200 years ago.

You can tout big business all you want Chris, but it is greed pure and simple. When the average worker made a decent living, organized Labor accounted for close to 50%. Now, it is in the single digits. You tell me there isn't a cause and effect!! I just can't buy your plantation mentality.