You might not have heard of Joe Knollenberg!
The Michigan Republican comes from a district that hasn't been competitive, and hasn't been on the table. But MI-09 actually has a Cook Rating of just R+0.
You might know what Knollenberg has been up to. But he was recently named to the Dirty Dozen list by the League of Conservation Voters- the earliest they've EVER added a Congressman to the list! Could it be because of the "Knollenberg Amendment" which bans the EPA from hosting educational seminars on Global Warming?
His Chief of Staffs epic meltdown on a constituent was picked up by Kieth Olberman, not to mention the Politico. Following the story at the Politico, Joe's Chief of Staff Trent Wisecup wrote them a list defining what is American and what isn't for us.
So what could cause Trent Wisecup to freakout like this?
Maybe Trent's worried because he knows that most of the Dirty Dozen lost last year. Maybe Trent is worried because he knows Gary Peters consistently performs STRONGin 9th district precincts, above the Democratic base vote. In fact, this is the first time Knollenberg is facing a challenger who has ever held office before.
Maybe Trent is worried because 9th district voters are concerned about the skyrocketing national debt we've experienced during Joe Knollenberg's time in office. 9th district voters will be looking for someone who doesn't talk a big game on fiscal responsibility, but has a proven record. Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters was $13 million under budget during his time at the Michigan Lottery, while generating record profits for schools. State Senator Gary Peters returned an entire years worth of operating expenses back to the State Treasury after 8 years in the Senate. As a young voter, I know Gary Peters will be protecting the budget for my generation.
As we heard on Olberman tonight, the politics of the district have changed and passed Joe by. It's time to retired Joe Knollenberg, and send Gary Peters to Congress.