Asked to make a surprise prediction Michigan Republican Party (MRP) Chair Saul ANUZIS offered, "Jack HOOGENDYK wins the U.S. Senate."
Without missing a beat, Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) Chair Mark BREWER countered, "Sounds like Saul is already smoking that medical marijuana."
Saul is going to need it. Carl went on the air today to squash Mad Jack like the bug that he is, releasing six versions of what is basically the same ad about creating jobs in Michigan. Five are regionally targeted.
Here, for your viewing pleasure, in what will go down as a rarity from the '08 election, is a Carl Levin television ad. Drumroll please!
The temptation is strong to just ignore 'ol Jack, but a debate between the two Sunday reminds everyone that Hoogendyk is a wingnut's wingnut - the kind of Republican that serves only to obstruct progress, unless, of course, it means more tax cuts for the wealthy and less regulation on their activities.
Levin blasted Hoogendyk for opposing the $25 billion line of credit authorized by Congress to "save" Detroit automakers, a measure supported by every member of the Michigan congressional delegation, Republican and Democrat. Hoogendyk said broader measures are instead needed: corporate tax cuts, less regulation and enactment of right-to-work laws.
For the rest of us? Not so much. Hoogendyk wants the power of government to regulate your medical decisions. He's a true Schiavo Republican, and would use that power to infringe on your personal life.
Hoogendyk said he would oppose Proposal 1, which legalizes the use of doctor-recommended medical marijuana, and the Proposal 2 ballot issue to legalize expanded embryonic stem-cell research in the state. Levin said he backs both proposals.
He also backs efforts to make English the "official" language, and wants to abolish the Dept. of Education. In Jack's world, government is great when it comes to enacting his extremist agenda.
Last we knew, Hoogendyk still suffers from lack of name recognition, with 74% or so of voters not knowing who he is. That really is a shame; Jack should be held up to all as the kind of obstructionist Bush Republican that needs to be shown to the door this year. Like a Knollenberg or Walberg, he fights for his ideology alone, and not what is in the best interests of his constituents.
It's time to make people like Hoogendyk a rarity in the political world and send them back to the fringes where they belong.