Michigan should under no circumstances have an early primary

[Hippo_Tron]

Let me start by saying that this has absolutely nothing to do with Clinton or Obama. This has to do with Michigan's politicians deciding to move their primary up.

As we all know too well, every four years the candidates flock to Iowa in order to win the first presidential contest in the country that will hopefully give them momentum going forward. And every year the candidates make a pledge to support continued subsidizing of corn-based ethanol, which is proven to be an inefficient source of energy. This is what we call pandering. These candidates support a proposal that benefits Iowa (and Nebraska too) but hurts the rest of America because our tax dollars go to pay for this shit.

Carl Levin isn't wrong when he points this out. Carl Levin and John and Debbie Dingell aren't proposing a solution. They are proposing that we add more pandering to the process by moving Michigan up. If Michigan has an early primary you can bet that candidates will flock to Detroit every four years and pledge not to raise emissions standards.

I sympathize with the thousands of unemployed auto-workers in Detroit, but here's the hard truth. Global warming is a more important problem than unemployment in Detroit. If we don't address it, it will impact the lives of billions of people. Lower emissions standards are good for Detroit and bad for not only the rest of the country but the rest of the world. It's already hard enough as it is to get politicians to pass a sensible energy policy. The last thing we need is another roadblock like Detroit getting to pick our President.

[MichiganVote]

1. You don't know shit about Michigan and your post proves it.

And for the record, Obama will need Detroit's voters to win Michigan.

[Hippo_Tron]

2. I know that John Dingell tried to block the energy bill raising emissions standards

If I'm wrong, then please educate me. My father is from Detroit and he seems to think I'm right.

[MichiganVote]

4. Yes he did. Comparing global warming to the economic depression that is Michigan

is useless. People do have to eat and to do that they need jobs.

[Hippo_Tron]

6. Millions if not billions of people won't be eating if we don't do something about Global Warming

[MichiganVote]

9. Millions in Michigan already aren't. They're called children.

[Seabiscuit]

7. Clearly he didn't hear Carl Levin's speech.

[MichiganVote]

10. Yup.

[Hippo_Tron]

12. I heard Senator Levin's speech, and as I don't deny that he has a point about Iowa and New Hampshire

But that doesn't change the fact that I'm right about emissions and global warming.

[bain_sidhe]

3. I agree.

I've said all along that it shouldn't be Michigan for the very reasons you cite. But the first primary *should* be a state with different issues than the one we've been pandering too for too many cycles now.

Industrial policy, environment, urban policy, education... there are a whole host of issues that go begging for attention while the candidates wax poetic about the glories of ethanol.

[MichiganVote]

5. Every issue you cite--Michigan has. YES Michigan should be among the first. Hell yes.

[AllentownJake]

11. Your too big

Sorry, I'm from PA and I would not want an early primary here.

The cost to run a primary in a state like Michigan is way too much for it to be before Super Tuesday.

[MichiganVote]

13. Judging by today's doings it doesn't look like it got any cheaper by avoiding it.

[AllentownJake]

14. Not for the party

for the candidates. There would never be a chance for a lesser known Senator or Govenor to gain traction and become the nominee even if they were the more skilled candidate and better nominee.

[bain_sidhe]

15. But, the auto industry's opposition to emissions standards

would lead to bad policy on another one of my priorities--the environment (not to mention oil dependency).

[AllentownJake]

8. No big state should be first

As much as I hate ethanol, I like smaller states getting a chance to meet the candidates and make an assesment. Whether we rotate them and add states like DE, RI, NM, etc into the mix is an issue for 2012.

The PA primary cost over 30 million for the two candidates. That is what would be needed to be effective to run in Michigan as well and I don't support candidates needing that kind of money in the first caucus or primary.