George Weeks: GOP rachets up focus on Stabenow

George Weeks

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George Weeks

November 27, 2011

By George Weeks, Syndicated columnist ---- The Record Eagle Mon Feb 13, 2012, 11:35 AM EST

Republican efforts to thwart Sen. Debbie Stabenow's bid for a third term are heating up, in part because of growing public disgust with Washington's dysfunction, especially failure of incumbents in both parties to deal with the soaring deficit.

Also a factor in the heightened focus on the race is the decision of tea party groups to hold a convention and straw poll to unite behind a candidate to oppose Stabenow, who leads the two front-runner candidates in latest polling of 600 likely voters by EPIC-MRA for WXYZ-TV.

Stabenow, a former member of the state House and state Senate, led former nine-term 2nd District U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, of Holland, a former business executive, 48 percent to 42 percent, and Detroit charter school leader Clark Durant, of Grosse Pointe, former member of the State Board of Education, 51 percent to 31 percent.

As I often caution, polls are far from forecasts and often are in flux before the final vote. Still, it should be discomforting to Stabenow not so much that she's under 50 percent in early declared votes, but that the poll shows 52 percent of voters with a negative job approval view of her while only 42 percent were positive about her performance.

(In her 2000 bid to defeat first-term Republican Sen. Spencer Abraham, she was down by 17 percent in mid-October polling and then won 49 percent to 48 percent, carrying only 13 of the 83 counties. In her 2006 re-election, she trounced Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, 57 percent to 41 percent.)

A recent Gallup Poll had Congress's job approval rating at a mere 13 percent, with 82 percent disapproving.

In the Nov. 19 National Journal, prominent political analyst Charlie Cook said Senate Democrats have 10 seats "in varying degrees of danger" -- not including Stabenow's. He listed her among four Democrats in races "worth watching." Others put her in the danger zone.

As her official biography cites, Stabenow has key committee roles: "As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and a member of the Senate Energy, Finance, and Budget committees, she has a powerful and unique role to play in shaping our nation's manufacturing, health care, and agriculture policies, which are so critical to our future."

After Congress' bipartisan Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction failed last week to reach its goal of a $1.2 trillion solution, Hoekstra cited Stabenow for "her failure" to restrict President Barack Obama's "spending habits."

"Washington is broken," Hoeskstra said. "Politics has overtaken policymaking and commonsense. With the supercommittee's announcement (of failure), dangerous automatic cuts have been triggered that will weaken our defense system and intelligence community. The deficit must be reduced, but compromising our national security is the wrong approach.

"Senator Stabenow has said she is 'disappointed' in her colleagues, but despite her membership on the Budget Committee, the Senate has failed to pass a budget in over 925 days. She has handed Barack Obama a blank check.

"Stabenow may try to point fingers at her colleagues, but when it comes down to it, her failure to restrict this administration's spending habits has led our nation to a multi-trillion-dollar deficit and forced future generations to inherit a tremendous debt," Hoekstra said.

(First District U.S. Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Crystal Falls, called "this impasse" on deficit reduction "the fundamental reason" for the Senate's failure to pass a budget.)

Hoekstra vowed: "As Michigan's U.S. senator, I will work to fix the broken system and make the necessary reforms to eliminate the deficit, repair our economic environment and put our nation back on the right track."

Such vows are standard fare for candidates, but it was a stretch to contend Stabenow handed Obama "a blank check."

Also a stretch is the contention of some in the tea party movement, and rival primary candidate Gary Glenn, of Midland, president of the American Family Association of Michigan, that Hoekstra is not a true conservative. He is -- as reflected in his congressional voting record.

(Other primary hopefuls include former Kent County Probate Judge Randy Hekman; Roscommon businessman Peter Konetchy; Scotty Boman, ex-Libertarian and former candidate for the Detroit City Council; Brighton businessman Chuck Marino; and Rick Wilson, of Grand Blanc, retired auto worker/manager.)

Two Republican Michigan House members -- 4th District Rep. Dave Camp, of Midland, and 6th District Rep. Fred Upton, of St. Joseph -- were on the failed 12-member "supercommittee." Michigan was the only state with two among the 12.

Camp, Upton and Stabenow contend positive groundwork was laid during deliberations on the deficit issue.

Stabenow, chairing the Senate Agriculture Committee, said she worked with Republicans to draft recommended spending cuts to the deficit committee totaling $23 billion over a decade.

Camp, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, touts "revenue-neutral tax reform ... that would create the kind of economic growth we need."

As quoted in the Detroit News, Camp said, "I'm looking at revenue-neutral tax reform. It's not a tax cut, but tax reform that would create the kind of economic growth we need."

Camp, as quoted in the Detroit Free Press, said he will keep working with Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus, of Montana, to find common ground for tax reform.

Upton, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee said he will continue working with Senate counterparts to seek controls on health care costs.

Working with the other party is one thing. But to what extent will Democrats use the deficit issue against Camp and Upton as aggressively as the Republicans will against Stabenow?

It doesn't much matter in those solidly Republican districts. Camp won his 11th term last year with 66 percent of the vote. Upton won his 13th with 62 percent. Upton may have a primary challenge from the right, but his holding firm against a tax hike won't be an issue in such a challenge.