Marching in the Clawson 4th of July parade again today

It's time to repeat what I did two years ago.

If all goes according to plan, I'll be celebrating the holiday by walking (not marching--I've done enough of that for a lifetime) in the Clawson 4th of July Parade...

That was a fun experience that I described in A-10s on parade.  In fact, it was such a fun experience that I plan on doing it again, this time as a volunteer for Nancy Skinner.  She's running on a platform that emphasizes fighting climate change.  Here's her campaign video: 11:11:1.

Nancy Skinner is running in one of the very few US House Seats in the nation that is "in play" due to gerrymandering, Michigan's 11th District. The incumbent is a first term Tea Party (and major Climate Denier), Kerry Bentivolio. Roll Call has MI-11 in it's Top Ten Most Vulnerable Seats.

Nancy has run twice before for Congress on Climate Change. The first time was 2004 in the US Senate Democratic primary in Illinois, where a little-known state senator, Barack Obama, won the primary.

Obama heartily endorsed Nancy during her second run for office, calling her his sharpest opponent. In the second campaign which was for US Congress in MI 9, Nancy's hometown, Nancy almost beat 14 year incumbent Joe Knollenberg, despite being outspent 8:1. Bobby Kennedy Jr. did Nancy's ads during this campaign, calling for her to be elected for her leadership on climate change.

Now, the redistricted seat is Michigan's new 11th (half her previous district) and Nancy is up against a much easier opponent. We can win this race and earn a blue Congressional seat, but we need your help! We can show politicians that running on climate change is viable, and that the American people truly care about this issue, but only if you stand up for the cause! We need your donation, whatever you can afford, to ensure that the SkinnerSquad has the funds necessary to win this race.

Make your choice and your voice heard!

She's also the only major party candidate I've heard heard mention peak oil.  On top of which, she's running in the 11th Congressional District, which is great for entertainment value and right next door.  How could I not support her?  I couldn't resist.

Finally, the weather should be perfect, as WXYZ reports in Fine Fourth of July forecast.


Beats the hell out of the 100 degree F. on July 4th two years ago.

Crazy Eddie's Motie News endorses...

It's primary day in Kansas, Missouri, and Washington.  In any of these four states, VOTE!  However, if you live in SE Michigan, you get the benefit of my recommendations, which I link, pun intended, to the entries about the issues and candidates involved.  Follow over the jump for them.

Report on the 2014 Clawson 4th of July parade

It's time to recount my experiences Marching in the Clawson 4th of July parade again.  Just as I did in A-10s on parade, I begin with a WXYZ video: Clawson honors veterans in Fourth of July parade.


The clip gives a pretty accurate assessment of the parade's family-friendly and community-oriented atmosphere.  Also, I just missed getting on screen, as the closing shot is of the unit right behind the one I marched with.  Darn.  However, the candidate I ended up volunteering for wasn't Nancy Skinner.  Follow over the jump for who I marched down the parade route with and why.

Christie gets a Detroit welcome and other election news

I posted a comment over at Daily Kos that I liked so much I decided to use it for a blog post here.  After all, I'm an environmentalist; I recycle.

At the top of the ballot, Chris Christie flew in for a closed-door fundraiser for GOP Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land.  Protesters showed up, along with a team from WXYZ (ABC 7 in Detroit).  Here's the station's report: Protests over Chris Christie visit.

Crowd gathers in protest of Chris Christie visit in Bloomfield Hills.

Welcome to Michigan, Fat Bastard!

For what it's worth, I've participated in a protest like this two years ago when Paul Ryan headlined a fundraiser for Pete Hoekstra, who ran against Debbie Stabenow.  I wrote about my experience in I was one of "about a dozen" yesterday.  This demonstration looks like it was better organized and attended, as well as more favorably and accurately covered.  Good.

Follow over the jump for more from Michigan's 14th and 11th Congressional Districts.

Jay Inslee declares candidacy for Democratic presidential nomination by making climate change his signature issue

So far, I've confined my coverage of the 2020 presidential election to mocking the idea of Howard Schultz running for president as an independent.  Other than mentioning Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders in passing as contrasts to Schultz, I've stayed relatively silent about next year's candidates.  That changed today as Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States with climate change as his campaign's signature issue.*

The Years Project, who is responsible for the "Years of Living Dangerously" TV series and a partner of Coffee Party USA, also weighed in on Inslee's candidacy, posting Jay Inslee Runs For President today.

Jay Inslee, the governor of Washington state, just announced he’s running for president. He thinks he can win by making climate change his campaign’s top priority.

The Years Project is obviously very positive about Inslee's positions on climate, energy, and the environment.  So am I, which should come as no surprise for someone who supported Nancy Skinner for Congress five years ago when she ran on a similar platform. That doesn't mean others are.  For a more balanced look, I'm sharing Jay Inslee campaigns on climate change in 2020 presidential bid from CBS News.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee is officially running for president. He joins a crowded field vying for the 2020 Democratic nomination. CBS News' Natalie Brand joins CBSN to explain why he's making climate change his top campaign issue.

That Inslee has a history of reaching out to voters beyond the progressive Seattle metro area is a good sign for the general election, should he get that far.  As for earning the nomination, FiveThirtyEight's article on his candidacy has good news and bad news.

Just before the 2018 midterm elections, Gallup released findings that placed climate change as the fifth-most-important issue to Democratic voters, behind topics like health care and wealth inequality. Still, 75 percent of Democrats said it was an extremely or very important topic, compared with just 27 percent of Republicans. We can see how much the parties have diverged on the issue using a Gallup question that looks at concern about climate change. In 1990, the share of Americans who worried a great deal or a fair amount about global warming did not really differ by party identification. Today, Democrats and Republicans are a world apart.

Of course, any Democrat who wins the nomination will have a similar position on climate change, even if it won't be his or her signature issue, so that might not be any more of an impediment for any of them than Inslee in the slim chance that he gets that far.  However, FiveThirtyEight quoted an expert who thinks making climate change a signature issue might be a mistake.

But putting climate change ahead of all other issues could be risky, Stanford University psychologist Jon Krosnick said. He has helped lead national surveys of public opinions on climate change since 1995 that have found that most voters don’t make their ballot box decisions based on climate change alone. Krosnick’s surveys show that about 18 percent of voters are passionate about climate change, which means that “taking a stand on this issue is electorally very wise, but making this a signature issue is probably unwise.”

Here is a table of Gallup findings from last year's election for all voters showing how far down climate change ranks.


In addition to trying to convince more Americans about the importance of climate change, I think Inslee needs to make his stands clear on all the issues voters currently rate higher than climate and the environment.  I wish him good luck; he'll need it.

*This got my attention enough that I decided to postpone the next installment of my series on Oscar winners.  I may love entertainment, but there are much more important things.  Just the same, I plan on completing the series tomorrow.