By Staff
The old adage, 'You can attract more flies with honey than you can with vinegar,' would have been good advice for Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., to follow when he visited Niles last Friday. But, he didn't.
Instead, Michigan's longest-serving senator chose to throw barbs and spit venom at whatever displeased him.
Granted, he has his reasons for being upset. His party isn't in power in U.S. Senate and, except for a brief period in 2001 and 2002, hasn't been in power since 1994 – one of the longest stretches in the last 50 years. Republicans also control the House, and in the White House sits a man who Levin truly seems to despise – President George W. Bush.
Levin's animosity was obvious. Using colorful language, Levin made his feelings well known while he was speaking at the American Legion hall, ranting about the Bush administration, U.S. involvement in Iraq and the GOP prescription drug plan. He even took pot-shots at Michigan Republican candidates.
These tactics may resonate inside the Beltway, but out here in the proverbial sticks, not so much.
Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to see our politicians – particularly one of our federal senators – show up in our humble little town. But with his ample criticism, I would have really liked to have heard just what Levin thinks should be done in the alternative – aside from simply voting Republicans out of office.
Berrien County has been described as a GOP stronghold. Maybe this is true, maybe it isn't. Frankly, I've seen other counties in this state that vote with a darker red pen than here. However, what this says to me is the electorate in these parts is a tad independent-minded, not voting simply out of party loyalty, but actually responding to what sounds like the best plan of action.
And here we arrive at the crux of the issue. Presenting voters who vote with their minds and not their emotions with an emotion-ladened 'Republicans suck' message is not likely to change many minds.
What we need, Senator Levin, is your plan on how you and your colleagues will do things better. If you believe the Democrats can do a better job running the state and the nation, tell us how.
To many Democrats – and much of the mainstream media – a Democratic sweep of Congress in November is a foregone conclusion. This may well be why Dems like Levin feel comfortable coming to a Republican-leaning area and spouting off. He may believe the Republican Party is about to be handed the same defeat the Democrats were handed in 1994.
Some of this sentiment is being reflected locally. Niles' Judy Truesdell, who will face Neal nitz, R-Baroda, this fall, released a response to Nitz's yet-to-be-released "new direction plan" on Wednesday. The release happily labeled Nitz's agenda as the "New Distortion Plan," and it served as a point-by-point indictment of Nitz's term in office.
What the release lacked was an alternative plan from Truesdell.
To be fair, she has spelled out her plan before, and she has other qualities going for her. Addressing the Niles Charter Township board Monday evening, Truesdell made a strong point – Niles has never had a state representative from this town. Having someone in Lansing who puts Niles first would be a great advantage and a welcome change from the level of representation in the past. I wish Truesdell the best of luck in her campaign, but simply saying why the other guy is wrong isn't going to sweep her into office.
In 1994, the Republicans didn't sweep into Congress because the public was sick of the Clinton administration. Quite frankly, the man had not been in office long enough to screw up to the level that drove voters to the polls en masse.
During the 1994 campaign, the GOP cleverly introduced their "Contract with America," laying out what they planned to do once they took the majority in Congress. While some may discount the contract's effect on the public and others may criticize the success of the plan, the result was obvious – the Republicans took control of both the House and the Senate for the first time in 40 years.
Now, 12 years later, it's the GOP's game to lose – assuming they're going to lose. Republicans have picked up seat in both houses in every election since 2000, a trend that has not been seen since the Civil War era. However, this doesn't mean they won't fumble.
Levin's stop may well have been to energize the area Democrats and put on a good front against the daunting challenge facing the local Democratic candidates. He may believe voter animosity towards Republicans may not be enough to bring his party back to prominence.
My advice to the senator: Let us know what you're planning, and you might be pleasantly surprised.